A Few Thoughts about the Colts game, in no particular order

[hemma]

What to do if Ford has suddenly become good?

 

Is it too late to try him at LG so:

Dawkins … Ford …. Morse …. Williams … Brown

 

                                  ?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

6 hours ago, cale said:

Great review. I'll only disagree with one thing. We know Ford is bad. The team knows that Ford is bad. Our opponents know that Ford is bad.  And we're still having to play him. What does that say about our roster management? It's embarrassing.

 

Effectively right now, he's our 3rd string RG.  How many teams have great roster management when they're down to their 3rd string RG?

 

Whether Ford is truly better than Jamil Douglas or Ryan Bates at RG, I can't tell you, but the point is, the Bills think Darryl Williams and Jon Feliciano are better.

 

40 minutes ago, hemma said:

What to do if Ford has suddenly become good?

 

Is it too late to try him at LG so:

Dawkins … Ford …. Morse …. Williams … Brown

 

                                  ?

 

IMHO last year we got better when Boettger took over for Ford at LG and Feliciano took over for Winters at RG

 

But I think you're being sarcastic

[Paup 1995MVP]

2 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said:

Good write up. I only thought one call went against the Bills and that was on the first INT. They should have called illegal contact and given the Bills a first down. Allen was still in the pocket so the WRs are not to be touched after 5 yards. It was a missed call. Other than that all the other penalties were self inflicted. McD has had an up and down track record on penalties. He has good and bad years. 

I still don't understand being in nickel most of the time. Milano can cover backs or TEs out of the backfield and line up wide if needed. They should have been in a base 4-3 much more. 

 

On to New Orleans. The season will be decided next Monday night.

So true.  We can be 8-4 or as bad as 6-6, with not much left in the tank.  The Saints are a winnable game even though they usually have a strong defense.  Trevor Simien and Taysom Hill shouldn't scare us.  But their needs to be a scheme put in to stop Alvin Kamara.  He does a lot of damage catching passes in the flat.  We need to be prepared for that.  I also want to see a whole lot more swag from Josh Allen and the offense.  Come out swinging like we know we are the better team and lay the hammer to the Saints right from the start.  Need to replicate the Chiefs game.  We are a great front running team.  When we fall behind we lose our confidence quickly.  We beat the Saints soundly, we get a mini bye week to reflect get healthy and bring our best to MNF against a Pats team that will try and play us the same way the Colts did.  We had better be ready for a physical slugfest against them.  If this team has championship aspirations, the next two weeks will set the tone of make or break.  

[BubbaT]

7 hours ago, Virgil said:

but how often do you see games today where the quarterback isn’t relevant.

In the Bills losses, pretty much none of the opposing quarterbacks were relevant (though I could make an argument for Tannehill). THAT is discouraging

[The Jokeman]

One thing I didn't see mention is the short field the Colts played with, the longest drive they had was 63 yards and that lead to a FG. It might not seem like a big deal but coupled with our penalties on defense it made things easy for the Colts. I mentioned in the in game thread in the first half but mentioning it again as I don't remember giving up any sizeable returns but if the Bills offense is going to struggle at the very least they've got to get 25-30 yards a drive to help flip the field.

Edited November 24, 2021 by The Jokeman

[hemma]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Effectively right now, he's our 3rd string RG.  How many teams have great roster management when they're down to their 3rd string RG?

 

Whether Ford is truly better than Jamil Douglas or Ryan Bates at RG, I can't tell you, but the point is, the Bills think Darryl Williams and Jon Feliciano are better.

 

 

IMHO last year we got better when Boettger took over for Ford at LG and Feliciano took over for Winters at RG

 

But I think you're being sarcastic

No, actually I wasn’t.  If we believe that he had a good game, then we’re left to wonder if it was a miracle - an accident or the mysteriously located “it” finally clicked.

 

Stranger things may, though not definitely, have happened.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

2 hours ago, hemma said:

What to do if Ford has suddenly become good?

 

Is it too late to try him at LG so:

Dawkins … Ford …. Morse …. Williams … Brown

 

                                  ?

He played better against Indy than Boettger has played all season.  One game sample may not be enough though. That said he started over Boettger even when Feliciano was healthy suggesting the staff thinks he is the best option. Will be interesting to see how he plays this week.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

33 minutes ago, hemma said:

No, actually I wasn’t.  If we believe that he had a good game, then we’re left to wonder if it was a miracle - an accident or the mysteriously located “it” finally clicked.

 

Stranger things may, though not definitely, have happened.

 

I guess I missed the memo where Ford had a good game vs the Colts?  But if he had a good game and things are "clicking" then I would think you would want to keep him on the side where things are, in fact, clicking.

[TampaBillsJunkie]

I like your column and it's spot on. My biggest issue with this game was the inability to adjust the defensive scheme and put some beef up front to stop Taylor. Five 190lb DB's are not going to get it done. The Colts Line pushed back on our 265lb DE's. We need more brute strength on the DL and OL.  It's amazing how we though we had so much depth then lose 4 starters and the whole thing goes to hell.

 

We need to give Breida more touches on offense and have Josh run some RPO's with him. After a hot start, Sanders and Beasley have almost disappeared. We have the guns on offense. We just need to get some push from our OL. 

 

Overall this was a hard game to watch. It was the Titans all over, but with a bunch of turnovers and penalties. That's the difference between a tight win, a shootout loss or a blowout. McKenzie's muff was inexcusable, but strange things happen in bad weather and he should have done everything he could to maintain control while slipping and hold on to that ball.

 

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

45 minutes ago, TampaBillsJunkie said:

I like your column and it's spot on. My biggest issue with this game was the inability to adjust the defensive scheme and put some beef up front to stop Taylor. Five 190lb DB's are not going to get it done. The Colts Line pushed back on our 265lb DE's. We need more brute strength on the DL and OL.  It's amazing how we though we had so much depth then lose 4 starters and the whole thing goes to hell.

 

We need to give Breida more touches on offense and have Josh run some RPO's with him. After a hot start, Sanders and Beasley have almost disappeared. We have the guns on offense. We just need to get some push from our OL. 

 

Overall this was a hard game to watch. It was the Titans all over, but with a bunch of turnovers and penalties. That's the difference between a tight win, a shootout loss or a blowout. McKenzie's muff was inexcusable, but strange things happen in bad weather and he should have done everything he could to maintain control while slipping and hold on to that ball.

 

On McKenzie I don't remember right now if he were wearing gloves or not, and he can't fumble regardless - but I know there are different gloves for wet or dry weather, and they provide different grip.

 

As far as Breida, I was just reading the article on Jon Feliciano in TBN and this struck me:

Quote

There’s a lot of things that go into a play. I think you can see with a play that popped in my head from last week, of [Matt] Breida basically just outrunning a safety that was coming down around the edges,” he said. “There’s plays, and then there’s players that make plays work. … We were backed up, and we had a good outside zone scheme going. One of the linebackers had a shot on Ike (Boettger), and Mitch (Morse) and Ike ended up blocking the same guy just to get the play to go. And then Breida made a great play outrunning the safety.”

 

"There's plays, and then there's players that make plays work"

 

I don't see how you could have a clearer commentary that Breida is able to make some plays work that Singletary and Moss simply can't.

[HappyDays]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

I don't see how you could have a clearer commentary that Breida is able to make some plays work that Singletary and Moss simply can't.

 

Funny how the run blocking suddenly looks good when Breida carries the ball. Breida actually has a fairly limited skill set for a RB but his one elite skill is the only thing the run offense needs to get going. I have been saying all year that the run blocking is not particularly good but more importantly Singletary and Moss do not hit open windows fast enough.

[LABILLBACKER]

11 hours ago, cale said:

Great review. I'll only disagree with one thing. We know Ford is bad. The team knows that Ford is bad. Our opponents know that Ford is bad.  And we're still having to play him. What does that say about our roster management? It's embarrassing.

And we know Bates is substantially better as a depth player than Ford, yet McStubborn stays the course.  We all remember how long it took him to finally realize Peterman sucked.......Sad

[cale]

12 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

And we know Bates is substantially better as a depth player than Ford, yet McStubborn stays the course.  We all remember how long it took him to finally realize Peterman sucked.......Sad

McD is loyal to a fault. He lives and dies by his veterans. I honestly can't blame him for that. But Frazier or Beane needs to get in his ear and say, "C'mon, man..." That's the problem when the GM and Coach are close friends. 

[GETTOTHE50]

Yo Virgil, your last point about McD is spot on.

 

He has lost his cajones or authority. Like, the dude benched Tyrod for PETERMAN. That’s putting a foot down for the better or worse. Players were put on notice for a while.

 

Now there’s almost no accountability and that’s why penalties occur more often than not.

 

IMO, McD hasn’t learned how to handle or maintain success as a leader yet. He got the team to the AFC title game, but not to the super bowl. He’s doubting himself.

 

McDermott has to make one more step to become a GREAT coach, and that’s to turn this ship completely around, win out, and represent in the Super Bowl. That’s the current standard.

 

If he doesn’t deliver a Super Bowl Appearance by next year, he’s out imo. 
 

Josh can win with anyone. He does need an offensive line though. 

Edited November 24, 2021 by GETTOTHE50

[SoCal Deek]

We all know the Colts game looked like a total end to end mess but it really all fell apart in the span of just a few plays. McKenzie fumbles to gift them a touchdown to end the half and then we go three and out to start the third quarter. And…game over! The Team shut down. You don’t get that many possessions in an NFL game. You generally can’t come back from that sort of thing. 

[NewEra]

Well done, per usual.  
 

The penalties are KILLING us this season.  Seems as if we only commit penalties on a crucial downs too.  Extending the opponents drives or ending ours.

 

If we don’t build a dome, the franchise will regret the decision.  $ talks I guess.  Makes zero sense from any standpoint other than cost.  If every football decision is made on cost, we wouldn’t be very good.  

[TampaBillsJunkie]

9 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

I don't see how you could have a clearer commentary that Breida is able to make some plays work that Singletary and Moss simply can't.

 

Boom!! That's it right there.

 

And Daboll and Frazier need to start acting on these match up advantages or disadvantages IN GAME!!!  That's what great coaches do. They see where they can get an advantage and USE IT!!! That's why the hated Billy B is so good. By halftime he figures out what is happening on the field and makes those adjustments.

 

I feel there are times that we should stop this 5 DB back and get Klein on the field with Edmonds and Milano. ( 4-3-4) Klein has good run instincts and people don't blow by him for more yards while he is making a tackle.  Watching Johnson holding on while Taylor drags him 3 yds for a first down is not doing it.

 

We should also get Butler (330) next to Star (310) and move Oliver out or keep him as the 3rd interior on a 5 man front (5-2-4) with the rotational DE's of Groot and Hughes the subbing in Addison and Basham as needed for fresh legs. Sub in Horrible Harry for a few plays if one of the interior DT is tired.  If not, keep your best players ON THE FIELD   Pushing Obada (265) or Basham (280) inside is a 50-70 lb weight dis-advantage. When defending the run you need to stay stout and not get pushed back. Technique to get in the backfield is only going to cause guys like Taylor and Henry to shift to find the lane, then blow past the. little guys for 8-10 yds or more. The 5-2-4 vs the 4-2-5 is giving up 250-300 lbs across the trench.

 

If it's a great passing team with 4-5 good WR then go to the 4-2-5 that seems to be so popular, But there is no way this should be our base D all the time.

 

On offense, get Gabe Davis involved on those beautiful toe tap outs he's so good at.  Run the Jet sweeps with McKenzie or Sanders. Get Breida some open space on screens, pitches and RPO's. Now that Stevenson is back, let's see if he can blow past a few people to respect the deep ball. 

 

Move the pocket and let Josh roll out if the OL is having problems. Move him away from the problem spots where we are losing matchups on the OL. Josh doesn't need forever, but he does need at least 2 seconds.  

 

Adding this off-balance will force teams to lay off doubling up on Diggs or playing that soft zone to take away the deep stuff while they smother the crossing routes. 

We need to get that unpredictability back on offense, so we aren't relying on Josh have to force himself to try to make plays. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Jokeman]

1 hour ago, NewEra said:

Well done, per usual.  
 

The penalties are KILLING us this season.  Seems as if we only commit penalties on a crucial downs too.  Extending the opponents drives or ending ours.

 

If we don’t build a dome, the franchise will regret the decision.  $ talks I guess.  Makes zero sense from any standpoint other than cost.  If every football decision is made on cost, we wouldn’t be very good.  

The team doesn't chose if we make a dome or not, the county does since they're paying and sadly it will go on the cheap again and build an open stadium in OP because it's cheaper. Honestly I am one that wants the new domed stadium either downtown or by the Central Terminal and not in no where land OP. Yet my mind tells me it's not going to happen. 

[Virgil]

25 minutes ago, The Jokeman said:

The team doesn't chose if we make a dome or not, the county does since they're paying and sadly it will go on the cheap again and build an open stadium in OP because it's cheaper. Honestly I am one that wants the new domed stadium either downtown or by the Central Terminal and not in no where land OP. Yet my mind tells me it's not going to happen. 

 

Are you sure about this?  The Pegulas could choose to pay for that part of it I believe.  It's not going to be fully tax funded

[hemma]

13 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I guess I missed the memo where Ford had a good game vs the Colts?  But if he had a good game and things are "clicking" then I would think you would want to keep him on the side where things are, in fact, clicking.

 

The OP in the above thread went through each play and gave Ford an A- for the game.  

Even if he’s off by a bit, Cody may be getting it together.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 minute ago, hemma said:

 

The OP in the above thread went through each play and gave Ford an A- for the game.  

Even if he’s off by a bit, Cody may be getting it together.

 

I read that. 

 

And Joe B. and former OLman John Fina panned him. 

 

I think this is the PFF OL grades quandry where, without knowledge of the blocking assignments in the specific protection, it's hard to tell who is supposed to do what.

 

[Freddie's Dead]

22 minutes ago, hemma said:

 

The OP in the above thread went through each play and gave Ford an A- for the game.  

Even if he’s off by a bit, Cody may be getting it together.

 

The rose-colored glasses were ridiculous.

[NoHuddleKelly12]

Thanks OP, once again your must-read column was worth the wait this week! Appreciate your efforts. 

[maddenboy]

13 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

As far as Breida, I was just reading the article on Jon Feliciano in TBN and this struck me:

 

"There's plays, and then there's players that make plays work"

 

I don't see how you could have a clearer commentary that Breida is able to make some plays work that Singletary and Moss simply can't.

By extension and from other knowledgeable comments over these weeks, it seems our o-line is better at outside blocking than up-the-middle blocking.   And i'm pretty sure that the new rule change/emphasis on low-blocks on outside runs were supposed to strongly favor the offense running outside.  But since Moss and Motor cant run outside, we are forced to do the thing we are Not better at if we stick with Moss/Motor.  

 

Its like volunteering to play left-handed as they say.  Instead of waiting for the opponent to do it for us.

 

Hard.  Headed.  Coaching.  Part of coaching is not calling plays you know your team cannot execute.  Especially when there's an easy adjustment.

 

Edited November 24, 2021 by maddenboy