Here we go again.... Bills beat a decimated shell of a team in NO and now comes the test

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

1 hour ago, PatsFanNH said:

No I am suggesting they didn’t show up for the Jags game, wondering if the Titans had been injury riddled could the same thing have happened against the Titans.  Like I said a lot of great teams threw the years have done that.

We were not injury riddled against the titans so absolutely not lol the jags game was the product of essentially missing 3 starters on the offensive line…i don’t get why injuries are an excuse for all our opponents but for us it is not allowed 😂 

[Greg S]

1 hour ago, T master said:

I hope this won't be true but to this point this season the Bills have beaten most every one they should have but when it comes to proving they can beat a good team they have fallen short .

 

The Pats are hitting their stride as usual at a good point in the season & this game will be no walk in the park for the Bills they had better bring every thing they have because if they don't this one will be another one in the L column .

 

Over time is a requirement from here on out in the Bills facility if they expect to make the play offs and not only by the coaching staff but by some of the leaders on the team ...

 

They did beat KC in Arrowhead. 

[Billzgobowlin]

4 hours ago, dneveu said:

 

The titans were also basically a shell of their team as well. Every team is banged up and guys all over are less than 100%, but they're missing WR1, WR2, RB1 as well as starters at LB and G.

Out - Julio Jones, Nate Davis, AJ Brown, Rashaan Evans, Jeremy McNichols, David Long, Derrick Henry is on IR too.  

Agreed.  That team we would have crushed without Henry, Jones and Brown

[Nextmanup]

Just now, Royale with Cheese said:

 

LOL....they've been okay health wise?  

Our injury rate this year has been excellent for the most part.

 

It's been a bit worse lately, and then of course we have the TRE incident...

 

But like 2 Thursdays ago John Clayton was on with Schopp and Bulldog praising Sean McDermott for his ability to keep the team so healthy this year.

 

Billsfan1972 isn't the only person thinking the injuries have been light this year (notwithstanding the TRE bombshell).

 

 

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

9 minutes ago, billsfan1959 said:

 

1. IMO, the biggest issue for this team has been the constant shuffling of the Oline because of the non-availability of players. You do realize our best 5 linemen  Dawson, Feliciano, Morse, Williams, and Brown have played together twice? Or that the top 4 linemen, Dawson, Morse, Williams, and Brown have only played together 4 times?  Out of 11 games? Like most teams, they do not have the depth of talent to continually overcome the loss of starters on the Oline and it has shown.

 

2. A loss on Monday night could happen for any number of reasons and it could say any number of things about the team: Maybe they are not as good as we think they should be, maybe they lose because of turnovers, maybe they lose because of a critical bad call or two, etc. The point is, Based on what I know about this team and what I know about the individual people that make up this team and coaching staff, my first reactions wouldn't be to accuse them of playing scared, being arrogant, not caring, having no desire to win, being soft, having no comittment, having no character, etc., etc., etc.

 

But hey, you be you, and react like you usually do when you don't get what you want with this team...

Lol I’ve been saying the same thing every week…people are looking at it backwards imo we have been an absolute mess injury wise and still battled to a 7-4 record. We have essentially been rolling with an offensive line matching the skill level of the chiefs in that super bowl game nearly every week and we are still winning games. We’re gonna get some guys back and likely start rolling

4 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Our injury rate this year has been excellent for the most part.

 

It's been a bit worse lately, and then of course we have the TRE incident...

 

But like 2 Thursdays ago John Clayton was on with Schopp and Bulldog praising Sean McDermott for his ability to keep the team so healthy this year.

 

Billsfan1972 isn't the only person thinking the injuries have been light this year (notwithstanding the TRE bombshell).

 

 

Excellent in big name skill position players avoiding IR maybe…but dreadful otherwise in the areas that have been the weak spots. Hard to throw your healthy big name guys the ball when you’re giving up instant pressure because you have absolute clowns starting on the offensive line 🤣 The ignorance of nfl analysts to touch on this is absurd to me anyone with eyes watching the Jacksonville or Indy games could easily see what happened lol 

Edited November 29, 2021 by Generic_Bills_Fan

[Royale with Cheese]

2 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Our injury rate this year has been excellent for the most part.

 

It's been a bit worse lately, and then of course we have the TRE incident...

 

But like 2 Thursdays ago John Clayton was on with Schopp and Bulldog praising Sean McDermott for his ability to keep the team so healthy this year.

 

Billsfan1972 isn't the only person thinking the injuries have been light this year (notwithstanding the TRE bombshell).

 

 

 

Light as far as season ending injuries.  We have had injuries or covid that has come in bunches.  

 

 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

12 minutes ago, Billzgobowlin said:

Agreed.  That team we would have crushed without Henry, Jones and Brown

 

Yeah, Brown hammered us in that game.  Much more effective contested catch receiver than... checks notes... cody hollister?

[TheFunPolice]

The current #1 seed in the AFC was far from impressive last night. 

 

the Bills could beat any AFC team. 

[Billsfan1972]

17 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Our injury rate this year has been excellent for the most part.

 

It's been a bit worse lately, and then of course we have the TRE incident...

 

But like 2 Thursdays ago John Clayton was on with Schopp and Bulldog praising Sean McDermott for his ability to keep the team so healthy this year.

 

Billsfan1972 isn't the only person thinking the injuries have been light this year (notwithstanding the TRE bombshell).

 

 

Don't let facts get in the way of the narrative some people love to do.

 

Every team has injuries and have to fill holes.

 

The Oline was decimated vs. Jax.....  Take that in for a minute Jax......  I don't care who was on the line they scored 6 points vs. them.  That is pathetic.

 

It's always the same people giving the Bills a pass over & over.  

 

Yes I'm the one who complained long & hard about the inability to throw for 300 yards and an offensive game plan predicated on 20-17 final scores.  

 

I have had little bad to say about McD once the offense was allowed to shine, however yes I expect them to beat NE Monday night and take no prisoners, that's what a SB caliber team does.

Edited November 29, 2021 by Billsfan1972

[freddyjj]

2 hours ago, PatsFanNH said:

But the fact remains, they've won 6 in a row and 7 of their last 8, while we've split our last 6 games including an inexplicable loss to Jacksonville and very bad losses to the Titans and Colts. 

@Hapless Bills FanI wouldn't categorize Titans as a Very Bad Loss.  On the road and came down to last possession. 

2 hours ago, PatsFanNH said:

question for you if you guys had faced TN back then as weak as we did, do you think there is a chance the Bills don’t show up like they did in that game. In other words play as if they should just win because they shows up? (That’s not an insult I’ve seen a lot good teams do it threw the years) 

My guess is no as Titans B@#$% slapped Bills last year in the Covid Bowl.  Bills would be gassed up no matter who dressed for TEN imho  

[billsfan1959]

20 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Yes I'm the one who complained complains long & hard about the inability to throw for 300 yards everything.

 

Fixed it for you

[teef]

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

5 hours ago, No Place To Hyde said:

You make some very valid and reasonable points. The things that you hope to see are justified. However in all reality there is only 1 thing I need to see. 

 

1. Bills outscore Patriots.

 

Just win. Last night Lamar tossed 4 INTs. Baltimore still won. Last week the Ravens were down Lamar and Hollywood. Baltimore still won. They have had approx 317 running backs tear an ACL this year. Still winning. It always looks ugly. But they find ways. That's all that matters. 

 

Buffalo can play ugly, mistake filled football. Turn the ball over several times. As long as they win. No extra points for pretty in this league.

 

That Ravens win was the ugliest I've seen in awhile. 

[muppy]

5 hours ago, LABILLBACKER said:

With how all over the map we've been this year it's hard to get a read on any game. First and foremost we need to come out extremely motivated. Our OL does not have the luxury of playing poorly. Stack the box to stop Harris and put some front 7 pressure on Jones to help our corners ( w/o Tre). Do these 4 things and we win.

I hear u but motivation only goes so far when yer getting yer *** whooped just sayin'...yep!

*cringe*

 

I throw thoughts at the chatroom wall no disrespect whatsoever we're all in this together mateys

 

GO BILLS!~!~!~!!!!

 

m

5 hours ago, No Place To Hyde said:

You make some very valid and reasonable points. The things that you hope to see are justified. However in all reality there is only 1 thing I need to see. 

 

1. Bills outscore Patriots.

 

Just win. Last night Lamar tossed 4 INTs. Baltimore still won. Last week the Ravens were down Lamar and Hollywood. Baltimore still won. They have had approx 317 running backs tear an ACL this year. Still winning. It always looks ugly. But they find ways. That's all that matters. 

 

Buffalo can play ugly, mistake filled football. Turn the ball over several times. As long as they win. No extra points for pretty in this league.

BOOM THERE IT IS..lol Concur man GO BILLS!~!~!!!

Edited November 29, 2021 by Muppy

[Mr. WEO]

5 hours ago, dneveu said:

 

The titans were also basically a shell of their team as well. Every team is banged up and guys all over are less than 100%, but they're missing WR1, WR2, RB1 as well as starters at LB and G.

Out - Julio Jones, Nate Davis, AJ Brown, Rashaan Evans, Jeremy McNichols, David Long, Derrick Henry is on IR too.  

 

Jones has been a dud.  Only 6 games played and hasn't cracked 350 yards.

 

Without Henry, Titans had 2 guys combine for 240 yards rushing. 

 

Their D blows.

[Deadstroke]

1 hour ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Because those are the facts.  The Bills were one of the 2-3 SB favourites starting the year.  They were still the favourites 2-3 weeks ago.  They have been okay health wise (Tre White notwithstanding) and to this point have been meh imo.  

 

They've already stumbled a few times and they should have learned from those.  

 

Yes a little hyperbole, but explain to me why they should not win Monday night and what it says about them if they do lose a game they absolutely must. 

The Bucs were 7 and 5 after 12 games last year.

[Gugny]

2 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

Jones has been a dud.  Only 6 games played and hasn't cracked 350 yards.

 

Without Henry, Titans had 2 guys combine for 240 yards rushing. 

 

Their D blows.

 

I wouldn't say he's a dud.  He's accurate, protects the ball and efficient ... doing what they've needed to win 6 in a row.

[Mr. WEO]

8 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

I wouldn't say he's a dud.  He's accurate, protects the ball and efficient ... doing what they've needed to win 6 in a row.

 

Julio

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, freddyjj said:

@Hapless Bills FanI wouldn't categorize Titans as a Very Bad Loss.  On the road and came down to last possession.

 

I can understand that perspective, but the fact of the matter is that we went into the half with a lead, improved it to 6 points in the 3Q and then re-took a 7 point lead at the end of the 3Q.   It should never have come to the last possession in any reasonable game.

 

Our defense literally couldn't stop a nosebleed after the 1Q in that game. 

 

Starting in the 2Q, we gave up points on Every.  Single.  Titans.  Drive. except 40s end of half and 20s end of game.

 

That's why, to me, even though we had a chance to win at the end, it was a Very Bad Loss.

1 hour ago, freddyjj said:

My guess is no as Titans B@#$% slapped Bills last year in the Covid Bowl.  Bills would be gassed up no matter who dressed for TEN imho  

 

If that's what the Bills D is like when gassed up Heaven help us when they're on Empty.

 

I will grant that one of those TDs came off a Josh Allen pick deep in Buffalo territory and put our D in a bad spot.  But we still went into the half in the lead and built on it in the 2nd Q.

[BuffaninSarasota]

4 hours ago, billsfan1959 said:

 

First you can't take Allen out of the equation. Last I checked, his rushes still  count. I don't hear anyone saying if you take Lamar Jackson out of the equation, the Ravens would be last in the league in rushing at 70 YPG. Allen, like Jackson is a rushing weapon. It is part of the offensive identity and needs to be accounted for by a defense.

 

Second, the Bills this year and last year have not been a team concerned with how much they run, as opposed to being able to run when they need to. You want to say when the Bills have more than 15 rushes, without Allen, they win. The truth is, almost all of the Bills' wins have been double digit wins and included sizeable leads during the game.  While they may have more rushes in their wins, most of those rushes were after the Bills had a decent lead - not the reason for the lead.

 

The difference between last year and this year is this: Their best starting linemen in both pass and run blocking have played together a grand total of 4 out of 11 games this year. Without them, they have struggled to run the ball when they needed to - and they have also struggled in pass protection as well. When their best lineman have played together, they are averging almost 39 PPG, 470 YPG, 28 rushes PG, and 135 rushing YPG. I am hoping they will be playing together for the rest of the year, starting next Monday night. If they are, I don't have any concerns with them being able to run the ball when they need to.

 

You are a Pats fan. You don't understand the intracacies of our team better than we do.

 

And I don't pretend to know everything about your team. Quite honestly, I don't care enough to look beyond the fact they are 8-4 and playing good football. When they play, we'll know which team is better on that day. That is typically how it works. 

 

FTW

[BuffaninSarasota]

2 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Because those are the facts.  The Bills were one of the 2-3 SB favourites starting the year.  They were still the favourites 2-3 weeks ago.  They have been okay health wise (Tre White notwithstanding) and to this point have been meh imo.  

 

They've already stumbled a few times and they should have learned from those.  

 

Yes a little hyperbole, but explain to me why they should not win Monday night and what it says about them if they do lose a game they absolutely must. 

 

why are you harping on the bolded? SB betting odds/favorites mean absolutely zero when it comes to performance on the field. They equate to potential, not reality or actual results....

Edited November 29, 2021 by BuffaninSarasota
add

[Billsfan1972]

2 hours ago, BuffaninSarasota said:

 

why are you harping on the bolded? SB betting odds/favorites mean absolutely zero when it comes to performance on the field. They equate to potential, not reality or actual results....

Because they are still considered one the most talented & complete teams in the NFL.  If they lose it is not because they don't have those things going for them, so then what is it?

 

I love these ridiculous posts that now defend the team even when they lose and look for excuses. 

 

Yes they were not going to go 17-0, and even the 14-3, 15-2 predictions were absurd, however I unequivocally am stating that there is no excuse to lose Monday night at home to the team they are chasing, that they are better then with a rookie QB.

 

Could they lose to TB & NE on the road, sure, however for this week, if you you want to take out your pom poms and continue to defend the Bills win or lose, be my guest.   

 

I for one will say it is unacceptable for a team with SB asperations in a game they need to win.

Edited November 29, 2021 by Billsfan1972

[muppy]

6 hours ago, teef said:

i think it's nice that you tried so hard for me.  i'm making you a better poster.  you're welcome.

I will come clean and state I am a much better poster Now than I ever was at bbmb. I created chat chops at billievers and now I am at the top of my chat game just sayin teef.....we've known each other a long while Peace Man GO BILLS oui oui mon cherie LMAO

 

haha

 

m

Edited November 29, 2021 by Muppy

[BuffaninSarasota]

5 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Because they are still considered one the most talented & complete teams in the NFL.  If they lose it is not because they don't have those things going for them, so then what is it?

 

I love these ridiculous posts that now defend the team even when they lose and look for excuses. 

 

Yes they were not going to go 17-0, and even the 14-3, 15-2 predictions were absurd, however I unequivocally am stating that there is no excuse to lose Monday night at home to the team they are chasing, that they are better then with a rookie QB.

 

Could they lose to TB & NE on the road, sure, however for this week, if you you want to take out your pom poms and continue to defend the Bills win or lose, be my guest.   

 

I for one will say it is unacceptable for a team with SB asperations.

 I, for one, don't blindly defend the Bills  - this year for me has been largely unsatisfying for several reasons

 

I just happen to disagree with the line of reasoning that suggests the Bills SHOULD win due to SB odds, power rankings, or any other subjective gobbledygook... 

[billsfan89]

I feel much better about this game than I did the Colts game. The Bills were out Star the team's best run defending defensive linemen and Brown the team's best O-line players along with Mongo one of the teams top 2 guards (I know that says a lot about the team's guard situation but I do think Mongo is decent). It was a Buzzsaw that the Bills ran into. For the Pats game the Bills will most likely have both Star and Brown back along the lines and possibly get Mongo back too. I know Tre is out but that isn't as big of a factor with the Pats WR's not being all that. I feel much better about this game. It will be close but I am feeling a win.

[BuffaloMatt]

3 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Because those are the facts.  The Bills were one of the 2-3 SB favourites starting the year.  They were still the favourites 2-3 weeks ago.  They have been okay health wise (Tre White notwithstanding) and to this point have been meh imo.  

 

They've already stumbled a few times and they should have learned from those.  

 

Yes a little hyperbole, but explain to me why they should not win Monday night and what it says about them if they do lose a game they absolutely must. 

Is Hyperbole the new Super Bowl? 

[billsfan1959]

59 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Because they are still considered one the most talented & complete teams in the NFL.  If they lose it is not because they don't have those things going for them, so then what is it?

 

I love these ridiculous posts that now defend the team even when they lose and look for excuses. 

 

Yes they were not going to go 17-0, and even the 14-3, 15-2 predictions were absurd, however I unequivocally am stating that there is no excuse to lose Monday night at home to the team they are chasing, that they are better then with a rookie QB.

 

Could they lose to TB & NE on the road, sure, however for this week, if you you want to take out your pom poms and continue to defend the Bills win or lose, be my guest.   

 

I for one will say it is unacceptable for a team with SB asperations.

 

[Royale with Cheese]

1 hour ago, BuffaninSarasota said:

 I, for one, don't blindly defend the Bills  - this year for me has been largely unsatisfying for several reasons

 

I just happen to disagree with the line of reasoning that suggests the Bills SHOULD win due to SB odds, power rankings, or any other subjective gobbledygook... 

 

99% of the people on this board disagree with his line of reasoning with everything.

[hemma]

How many 3rd downs will Beasley need to convert before a vein in Belichek’s forehead explodes?

Now understand that I’m not an official Doctor, but I think it starts to swell at 5 and explode at 9.

[Billsfan1972]

1 hour ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

99% of the people on this board disagree with his line of reasoning with everything.

No you disagree.  I'm not defeatist like some.  Stating what should be the opinion of 99%, that the Bills should win a game they absolutley need to/  If they don't there should be a lot of questions about them.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

3 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Because they are still considered one the most talented & complete teams in the NFL.

 

Seems like every time I catch the pre-game pundits these last few weeks, I learn that the Patriots and Bengals are the most complete teams in the NFL, and that the Bills are far too one-dimensional in their offense to have any chance of success, and can't stop the run.

[Royale with Cheese]

3 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Seems like every time I catch the pre-game pundits these last few weeks, I learn that the Patriots and Bengals are the most complete teams in the NFL, and that the Bills are far too one-dimensional in their offense to have any chance of success, and can't stop the run.

 

 I heard it on 3 different networks in one day.

 

6 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

No you disagree.  I'm not defeatist like some.  Stating what should be the opinion of 99%, that the Bills should win a game they absolutley need to/  If they don't there should be a lot of questions about them.

 

Are you really saying I'm the only one who disagrees with you?  Go through every single thread you're in, multiple people disagree with you all the time.  I don't think there's a poster on this board who people disagree with more.

You just don't understand context and don't like differing opinions so you'll crusade.  

[Billsfan1972]

23 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

 I heard it on 3 different networks in one day.

 

 

Are you really saying I'm the only one who disagrees with you?  Go through every single thread you're in, multiple people disagree with you all the time.  I don't think there's a poster on this board who people disagree with more.

You just don't understand context and don't like differing opinions so you'll crusade.  

You said 99% disagree with me.  I stated that was wrong.

29 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Seems like every time I catch the pre-game pundits these last few weeks, I learn that the Patriots and Bengals are the most complete teams in the NFL, and that the Bills are far too one-dimensional in their offense to have any chance of success, and can't stop the run.

And 2 weeks ago they were still the favourites.  You really think the Bengals or Pats will make the SB?

 

Oh and prior to Indy the Bills according to most here were the best defense in the NFL.

 

So fickle.....

[Thriftygamer83]

Run it down their throats, stop the run, pressure Jones around, and seal the deal with mistake free football.  If we cannot do that we'll be a second-tier team.  

[Toyo321]

Until the Bills can round out their play calling to start being less predictable when they have the ball,  and taking what the opposing team is giving them, they will be in the same position they have been in all the games they lost this year.  They will get rattled, start getting stupid penalties and they will lose.  Josh for what ever reason is so amped up in these games he is missing throws that are not even close to having the receiver making an attempt on the ball.

 

He has lost his ability to get through his progressions, and he has even lost his ability to gauge when he needs to get rid of the ball.  His sacks this year are 50-50.  Bad O-line blocking and him not taking easier throw for shorter yardage instead of throwing the home run ball all the time, which results in him holding onto the ball too long and losing potential positive yards downfield,  with a sack or by him throwing a INT.

 

The Rams game last night was so similar to what Buffalo is doing wrong on offense lately.  Constantly trying to get the big play on pass attempts and forcing the ball when it should not be thrown to begin with, the pic 6.  Rams stopped running the ball and started looking for big passes down field and that cost them that game.  Also bad QB decision's.  

 

Buffalo is going to live or die these next 4 weeks on the play calling diversity.  If they can't get back to what they did last year and fix the obvious O-line related issues they will be hard pressed to win 1 out of their next 4 games.

 

I said this last year prior to the AFC CG that they needed to get the running backs involved more in the game planning.  Josh running the ball is a last resort.  He is going to get hit and he is going to get hurt, it is inevitable. 

 

Also the defense is going to have to dial it up bunch of notches on pass rushing, with stunts and or corner blitz's.  They have to, or TB and NE will walk away with wins.

 

I have been waiting all year for this offense to get back on track and after 11 games it still is not where it needs to be.

 

Daboll better truly realize he is going to have to get creative to out coach NE and Bill B. and the same thing with Tampa and Bruce Arians.

 

I think the coaching in the next three games against these two teams makes or breaks the rest of this season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2021 by Toyo321

[Billsfan1972]

9 hours ago, Thriftygamer83 said:

Run it down their throats, stop the run, pressure Jones around, and seal the deal with mistake free football.  If we cannot do that we'll be a second-tier team.  

I showed last years box scores.  The Bills were much better when not scared of NE's secondary & passing.  Sure run the ball and make sure NE respects it, but this team wins through the air.

[GunnerBill]

14 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Because they are still considered one the most talented & complete teams in the NFL.  If they lose it is not because they don't have those things going for them, so then what is it?

 

I love these ridiculous posts that now defend the team even when they lose and look for excuses. 

 

Yes they were not going to go 17-0, and even the 14-3, 15-2 predictions were absurd, however I unequivocally am stating that there is no excuse to lose Monday night at home to the team they are chasing, that they are better then with a rookie QB.

 

Could they lose to TB & NE on the road, sure, however for this week, if you you want to take out your pom poms and continue to defend the Bills win or lose, be my guest.   

 

I for one will say it is unacceptable for a team with SB asperations in a game they need to win.

 

I think the answer, very simply, is that the talent on the offensive line was grossly overestimated. Feliciano has always been overrated IMO and is worse post weight loss (and has been hurt) and they have had serious regression from both tackles. I am not sure the Williams regression could have been reasonably foreseen, and the Dawkins situation is (at least in part) covid related. But the decision to run it back with an oline that was only average last year (above average pass blocking and below average run blocking) should absolutely be questioned. 

 

There have been other mistakes too, I was on record about not liking the punter situation which was a big part of the loss to Pittsburgh but in three of our losses this year the offensive line has undermined us. Indy was more about defensive failings against a hard nosed, run it down your throat, football team which we all knew was a potential vulnerability and is just an example of no team in the NFL being without its flaws. The other 3 losses that oline has been a major issue. It isn't the only reason for our under performance relative to expectations but it is by far the most significant one. 

47 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

I showed last years box scores.  The Bills were much better when not scared of NE's secondary & passing.  Sure run the ball and make sure NE respects it, but this team wins through the air.

 

Agreed. 

[No_Matter_What]

38 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I think the answer, very simply, is that the talent on the offensive line was grossly overestimated. Feliciano has always been overrated IMO and is worse post weight loss (and has been hurt) and they have had serious regression from both tackles. I am not sure the Williams regression could have been reasonably foreseen, and the Dawkins situation is (at least in part) covid related. But the decision to run it back with an oline that was only average last year (above average pass blocking and below average run blocking) should absolutely be questioned. 

I think that your last sentence sort of contradicts what you wrote before. I don't remember that resigning Williams was in any way questioned before the season, I'd say we were all pretty happy. Predicting Dawkins decline was also nearly impossible, and I still believe covid is the main reason. I think it is really hard to question FO when it comes to tackles. They kept both above average starters on OL which was working last year, and added 3rd pick in Brown (who seems to be very good) and another developmental depth in Doyle. They also tried to add depth in Hart.

 

As for guards, they resigned Feliciano, who was serviceable, and added Forrest Lamp who was experienced starter IIRC (I don't remember what went wrong with him). They had apparently some faith in Ford at guard and I struggle to blame them since he played a lot at tackle his rookie season and was injured a lot in the second season. They took a shot with Anderson in draft.

 

I think people overestimate any GM's ability to upgrade IOL through FA. How many free agents were in fact available who would for sure upgrade our OL? How many of them were affordable? Would you overpay for any of them? I am not saying that it was impossible to do anything, I am just saying that options were extremely limited and you are competing with 31 other teams and have salary cap.

 

Most glaring (only?) mistake seems to be taking Basham over Humphrey or maybe someone else in draft. I remember that I wanted IOL in the secound round after we took Rousseau and Humphrey seemed like a very obvious choice. But they probably felt that Basham was too big of a value not to take him, and I love this approach in general. Right now it seems that they misjudged their talent, and it also seems that even if they felt that Basham was BPA this was a place to deflect slightly from BPA and fill (very important) position of need. I guess/hope that they will learn from that.

 

But yeah in general I am a huge fan of building an OL, even at expense of being worse elsewhere. So I hope next season Beane will be more active in this respect (and I am pretty sure he will).

 

EDIT: Maybe they did not take Humphrey because they saw him as center only. I think he plays center for Chiefs, right? Was there anybody else worth taking in the second? Next OG taken was Wyatt Davis at 86 to Vikings.

Edited November 30, 2021 by No_Matter_What

[GunnerBill]

1 minute ago, No_Matter_What said:

I think that your last sentence sort of contradicts what you wrote before. I don't remember that resigning Williams was in any way questioned before the season, I'd say we were all pretty happy. Predicting Dawkins decline was also nearly impossible, and I still believe covid is the main reason. I think it is really hard to question FO when it comes to tackles. They kept both above average starters on OL which was working last year, and added 3rd pick in Brown (who seems to be very good) and another developmental depth in Doyle. They also tried to add depth in Hart.

 

As for guards, they resigned Feliciano, who was serviceable, and added Forrest Lamp who was experienced starter IIRC (I don't remember what went wrong with him). They had apparently some faith in Ford at guard and I struggle to blame them since he played a lot at tackle his rookie season and was injured a lot in the second season. They took a shot with Anderson in draft.

 

I think people overestimate any GM's ability to upgrade IOL through FA. How many free agents were in fact available who would for sure upgrade our OL? How many of them were affordable? Would you overpay for any of them? I am not saying that it was impossible to do anything, I am just saying that options were extremely limited and you are competing with 31 other teams and have salary cap.

 

Most glaring (only?) mistake seems to be taking Basham over Humphrey or maybe someone else in draft. I remember that I wanted IOL in the secound round after we took Rousseau and Humphrey seemed like a very obvious choice. But they probably felt that Basham was too big of a value not to take him, and I love this approach in general. Right now it seems that they misjudged their talent, and it also seems that even if they felt that Basham was BPA this was a place to deflect slightly from BPA and fill (very important) position of need. I guess/hope that they will learn from that.

 

But yeah in general I am a huge fan of building an OL, even at expense of being worse elsewhere. So I hope next season Beane will be more active in this respect (and I am pretty sure he will).

 

I don't think it does. The point is they decided to run it back with a line that was average last year. The tackle situations were not obviously foreseeable but I think most people knew it wasn't the tackles that were the issue last year. There were cheaper options on the market if they didn't want to go and do a Joe Thuney type deal - Kevin Zeitler and Trai Turner off a down year with the Chargers were two that could have been attractive. 

 

I agree they have been unlucky. I was with them in expecting the line to be about the same as it was last year - serviceable. But we are now asking why has the season so far been a little below expectations and the answer to that is in large part - they just haven't protected well enough on offense to have our unit be as consistent as it was last year. You better believe Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott are second guessing the decisions they made on that front in the spring right now. Even when you think a decision is justified at the time you make it if that decision fails you have to question it. The decisions they took on the oline will be questioned inside the building, let alone outside!

[GunnerBill]

11 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

 

Oh and prior to Indy the Bills according to most here were the best defense in the NFL.

 

 

I mean they are still the #1 ranked defense in the NFL because the official NFL way of ranking defenses is yards. They are all the way down at #2 in points. 

 

Do I think the schedule plays into those rankings somewhat? Yes. But so does it every single year for every single defense. The Bills defense was ranked 14th (and 16th in points) last year. I think they were probably objectively better than that but they played a lot of good offenses last year. Welcome to the NFL. You play the schedule in front of you and they are not even team to team or year to year.