A Few Thoughts about the Saints Game, in no particular order

[Virgil]

When I watch other games, I don't know who I'm rooting for until I start watching for a little bit.  I don't know what makes me gravitate towards one team or the other, it just sorta happens.  For those of you who watched the Lions game on Thanksgiving, I found myself as angry as if the Bills lost to the Jaguars again.  The Bears only need one more first down so they can kill the clock and kick the game winning field goal.  The Bears line up with two receivers on the weak side.  The Lions defenders are 10-15 yards off the line of scrimmage, lined up as if it's 1st and goal from the 20 and it's the last play of the game.  Naturally, the Bears receivers runs 5 yards, turns around, and Dalton throws an easy pass for the first down, game over.  Watching that play unfold was like watching a tidal wave coming and no one can hear you yelling to take cover.  Between the back to back timeout fiasco and that play, the Lions deserve every bit of their win-less record and I'm so thankful for not being their fan.

 

1 - Tre - It's impossible to talk about this game and not address the big elephant in the room in Tre being done for the year.  It's crazy to me how the most serious injuries are typically those where no contact is made.  You could tell by the tests they ran on him and how he went down that it was bad.  Tre's had such a tremendous impact on this team ever since he was drafted and I hate to lose his play and leadership on this team.  With that being said, this is one position and scheme that makes me not as afraid to play on without him.  Wallace and Johnson have played great this year, while Dane and Cam have showed flashes.  Tre doesn't typically follow a receiver around the field and our scheme is very defensive back friendly.  The big bonus is, we don't play a team besides the Bucs that have a true number one receiver for the rest of the year.  So, if other teams want to try and start throwing all over us, I think that would be welcome as it gives our pass rush more of an opportunity. 

 

2 - Pass rush - It's crazy to believe that Ed got his first sack of the season in this game.  He's had multiple games where he was disruptive, but I would argue none morose than this game.  Ed was living in the backfield and had another sack negated due to a downfield holding penalty (I'm not going on a penalty rant again, but the missed face mask against Motor was a joke.  I'm also not going to talk about the offside against Hughes when the replay clearly showed the Tackle leave early...).  Addison also played a solid game, as a makeup for his putrid performance against the Colts.  Both of these guys made me start to wonder about Groot, Hughes, and AJ.  I feel like Groot has been fairly neutralized the past few weeks and he's had plenty of 1 on 1 matchups.  Our ROI on this rotation isn't delivering the results we'd hoped for and I'm curious to know what this looks like in the off season.  When I watch the big paid DE's like Bosa and Chandler take over games in recent weeks, it makes me wonder if that's the route we should be taking.  We spend almost the same amount of money in total, but when we rotate guys in that aren't performing, it gives the opposing offensive line a break.  Plus, I'm really tired of spending so much draft capitol on the same positions.  Granted, those types of players don't come along very often, but just thoughts.

 

3 - Running backs - I made a point last week to discuss how I believed Moss should be demoted to 3rd string and I'm standing by that even more emphatically this week.  Breida and Motor were a great combination and Motor really seemed to embrace being the power, change of pace back.  Breida's speed is night and day to the other backs which opened up runs that the other two simply couldn't accomplish.  It also allowed the offensive line to hold their blocks less, which is a huge advantage.  Additionally, the threat of him busting to the outside keeps the defense honest for their zones, something we could only do before with the threat of a jet sweep.  In saying all of this, I can only imagine this team with a Taylor or Kamara on the roster....  As for Motor, he had a couple of beautiful runs where he got to the second level between the tackles and absolutely powered through tackles.  For a passing team that needs the opposing team to respect the run, this was a great run/pass ratio and about what I would expect going forward.

 

4 - Is this just another phase?
Of earthquakes making waves
Trying to shake the cancer off?
Oh, stupid human beings
Once you hold the hand of love
It's all surmountable

 

5 - Knox - How does a Tight End with drop issues start playing better with a monsterously swollen, recently broken hand.  Knox is pulling down jump balls and broke the single season touchdown record by a Bills Tight End.  It's crazy his development and what he means to this offense.  I was on the Hollister train earlier this season, not because of not liking Knox, but due to performance and now he's a top Tight End in the league statistically.  His relationship with Josh is possibly tied with Josh's with Diggs and you can see it.  If teams want to cover everyone else, Knox will make them pay and he is genuinely a threat on the field again.

 

6 - Milano - Beyond Oliver and Addison, Milano was the defensive MVP of the linebackers looking extra fast on the turf in a dome (hint hint).  Milano made some great sideline to sideline tackles and blew up a few plays in the backfield.  He wasn't flashy with a turnover like Poyer, but his coverage skills really took away the edges of the field, which is where the Saints like to live.  He also did a great job blowing up a screen pass, which left the Saints playbook after that.  Great game overall by him. 

 

7 - Saints Defense - I know many are concerned about the Pats game on MNF, but I noticed that the Saints played a very similar defense to what the Pats did against us last year.  The Saints defense pressed out receivers and had two safeties deep (one if they guess run).  This allowed our guys to win their battles at the line and break free.  Allen did have more time to pass than he may see against Judon next week, but this press cover 2 is a defense that Allen looks very comfortable against.  Yes, he did throw two interceptions, but one was a miscommunication with Diggs and his arm was hit on the other (crazy how that's his first red zone interception.  I bet Lamar wishes he had his first one back).

 

8 - McKenzie - Anyone else hold their breath on every kickoff and punt return?  I'm not sure if it's been discovered as to why, but McKenzie was benched for this game and made some tweets about being done for the season.  In his place, rookie Stevenson returned kicks and saw some action at the end at receiver.  He had an overall good game, but honored McKenzie with a muffed punt that was recovered by the Bills.  Stevenson wasn't used in any jet sweep packages, but overall did well for his first game.  If anyone knows more about McKenzie, please post in the comments.

 

9 - McD - Okay, I lied.  It's time to talk about penalties.  The Bills were much more disciplined this week with false starts and holds.  However, during and after the game, McD was livid about some late hit and low tackles not called in favor of Allen.  I'm all about protecting our quarterback, but I also don't believe this is going to do our team any favors with the refs, especially with the Pats coming up.  I don't want to believe retaliation like this occurs, but it does get hard to ignore unbalanced ratio of penalties called against us.  Lamar in Baltimore gets the same treatment and it's only a matter of time until it leads to an injury.

 

10 - The Stretch - There's a lot of different narratives about the Bills this season:  We can't beat power run teams.  We can't come from behind and win.  We can't play in the elements.  We are soft and get dominated by physical teams.  All that being said, we are still in control of our destiny for the AFC East and within a game of the 1 seed behind the Ravens, who have a tough remaining schedule.  We've seen a lot of ups and downs by all teams this season and I refuse to believe this Pats team magically figured it out in one season.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe in our defense and a fired up Josh on Monday night at home.  If we win this game, barring we don't lose to the Jets, we would own the tie breaker against the Pats should we finish with the same record.  I wish we had the Jags game back, but it's behind us and this team bounces back.  We beat the Pats and most of the critics shut up.  Stay the course, have faith in the better QB on the field, and all will be well.

 

Side Note - I'm debating going to the game on Monday night.  It's going to be freezing and it's a 6 hour drive for me.  However, I still have PTSD from making the Jax trip.  The Bills are 1-2 at games I've attended this year, but I haven't been to a MNF game in forever (actually forever I think).  If they lose and I'm there, I'll own it.  But I'm choosing to have faith.

 

Go Bills!!!!

[BuffaloBillyG]

5 minutes ago, Virgil said:

When I watch other games, I don't know who I'm rooting for until I start watching for a little bit.  I don't know what makes me gravitate towards one team or the other, it just sorta happens.  For those of you who watched the Lions game on Thanksgiving, I found myself as angry as if the Bills lost to the Jaguars again.  The Bears only need one more first down so they can kill the clock and kick the game winning field goal.  The Bears line up with two receivers on the weak side.  The Lions defenders are 10-15 yards off the line of scrimmage, lined up as if it's 1st and goal from the 20 and it's the last play of the game.  Naturally, the Bears receivers runs 5 yards, turns around, and Dalton throws an easy pass for the first down, game over.  Watching that play unfold was like watching a tidal wave coming and no one can hear you yelling to take cover.  Between the back to back timeout fiasco and that play, the Lions deserve every bit of their win-less record and I'm so thankful for not being their fan.

 

1 - Tre - It's impossible to talk about this game and not address the big elephant in the room in Tre being done for the year.  It's crazy to me how the most serious injuries are typically those where no contact is made.  You could tell by the tests they ran on him and how he went down that it was bad.  Tre's had such a tremendous impact on this team ever since he was drafted and I hate to lose his play and leadership on this team.  With that being said, this is one position and scheme that makes me not as afraid to play on without him.  Wallace and Johnson have played great this year, while Dane and Cam have showed flashes.  Tre doesn't typically follow a receiver around the field and our scheme is very defensive back friendly.  The big bonus is, we don't play a team besides the Bucs that have a true number one receiver for the rest of the year.  So, if other teams want to try and start throwing all over us, I think that would be welcome as it gives our pass rush more of an opportunity. 

 

2 - Pass rush - It's crazy to believe that Ed got his first sack of the season in this game.  He's had multiple games where he was disruptive, but I would argue none morose than this game.  Ed was living in the backfield and had another sack negated due to a downfield holding penalty (I'm not going on a penalty rant again, but the missed face mask against Motor was a joke.  I'm also not going to talk about the offside against Hughes when the replay clearly showed the Tackle leave early...).  Addison also played a solid game, as a makeup for his putrid performance against the Colts.  Both of these guys made me start to wonder about Groot, Hughes, and AJ.  I feel like Groot has been fairly neutralized the past few weeks and he's had plenty of 1 on 1 matchups.  Our ROI on this rotation isn't delivering the results we'd hoped for and I'm curious to know what this looks like in the off season.  When I watch the big paid DE's like Bosa and Chandler take over games in recent weeks, it makes me wonder if that's the route we should be taking.  We spend almost the same amount of money in total, but when we rotate guys in that aren't performing, it gives the opposing offensive line a break.  Plus, I'm really tired of spending so much draft capitol on the same positions.  Granted, those types of players don't come along very often, but just thoughts.

 

3 - Running backs - I made a point last week to discuss how I believed Moss should be demoted to 3rd string and I'm standing by that even more emphatically this week.  Breida and Motor were a great combination and Motor really seemed to embrace being the power, change of pace back.  Breida's speed is night and day to the other backs which opened up runs that the other two simply couldn't accomplish.  It also allowed the offensive line to hold their blocks less, which is a huge advantage.  Additionally, the threat of him busting to the outside keeps the defense honest for their zones, something we could only do before with the threat of a jet sweep.  In saying all of this, I can only imagine this team with a Taylor or Kamara on the roster....  As for Motor, he had a couple of beautiful runs where he got to the second level between the tackles and absolutely powered through tackles.  For a passing team that needs the opposing team to respect the run, this was a great run/pass ratio and about what I would expect going forward.

 

4 - Is this just another phase?
Of earthquakes making waves
Trying to shake the cancer off?
Oh, stupid human beings
Once you hold the hand of love
It's all surmountable

 

5 - Knox - How does a Tight End with drop issues start playing better with a monsterously swollen, recently broken hand.  Knox is pulling down jump balls and broke the single season touchdown record by a Bills Tight End.  It's crazy his development and what he means to this offense.  I was on the Hollister train earlier this season, not because of not liking Knox, but due to performance and now he's a top Tight End in the league statistically.  His relationship with Josh is possibly tied with Josh's with Diggs and you can see it.  If teams want to cover everyone else, Knox will make them pay and he is genuinely a threat on the field again.

 

6 - Milano - Beyond Oliver and Addison, Milano was the defensive MVP of the linebackers looking extra fast on the turf in a dome (hint hint).  Milano made some great sideline to sideline tackles and blew up a few plays in the backfield.  He wasn't flashy with a turnover like Poyer, but his coverage skills really took away the edges of the field, which is where the Saints like to live.  He also did a great job blowing up a screen pass, which left the Saints playbook after that.  Great game overall by him. 

 

7 - Saints Defense - I know many are concerned about the Pats game on MNF, but I noticed that the Saints played a very similar defense to what the Pats did against us last year.  The Saints defense pressed out receivers and had two safeties deep (one if they guess run).  This allowed our guys to win their battles at the line and break free.  Allen did have more time to pass than he may see against Judon next week, but this press cover 2 is a defense that Allen looks very comfortable against.  Yes, he did throw two interceptions, but one was a miscommunication with Diggs and his arm was hit on the other (crazy how that's his first red zone interception.  I bet Lamar wishes he had his first one back).

 

8 - McKenzie - Anyone else hold their breath on every kickoff and punt return?  I'm not sure if it's been discovered as to why, but McKenzie was benched for this game and made some tweets about being done for the season.  In his place, rookie Stevenson returned kicks and saw some action at the end at receiver.  He had an overall good game, but honored McKenzie with a muffed punt that was recovered by the Bills.  Stevenson wasn't used in any jet sweep packages, but overall did well for his first game.  If anyone knows more about McKenzie, please post in the comments.

 

9 - McD - Okay, I lied.  It's time to talk about penalties.  The Bills were much more disciplined this week with false starts and holds.  However, during and after the game, McD was livid about some late hit and low tackles not called in favor of Allen.  I'm all about protecting our quarterback, but I also don't believe this is going to do our team any favors with the refs, especially with the Pats coming up.  I don't want to believe retaliation like this occurs, but it does get hard to ignore unbalanced ratio of penalties called against us.  Lamar in Baltimore gets the same treatment and it's only a matter of time until it leads to an injury.

 

10 - The Stretch - There's a lot of different narratives about the Bills this season:  We can't beat power run teams.  We can't come from behind and win.  We can't play in the elements.  We are soft and get dominated by physical teams.  All that being said, we are still in control of our destiny for the AFC East and within a game of the 1 seed behind the Ravens, who have a tough remaining schedule.  We've seen a lot of ups and downs by all teams this season and I refuse to believe this Pats team magically figured it out in one season.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe in our defense and a fired up Josh on Monday night at home.  If we win this game, barring we don't lose to the Jets, we would own the tie breaker against the Pats should we finish with the same record.  I wish we had the Jags game back, but it's behind us and this team bounces back.  We beat the Pats and most of the critics shut up.  Stay the course, have faith in the better QB on the field, and all will be well.

 

Side Note - I'm debating going to the game on Monday night.  It's going to be freezing and it's a 6 hour drive for me.  However, I still have PTSD from making the Jax trip.  The Bills are 1-2 at games I've attended this year, but I haven't been to a MNF game in forever (actually forever I think).  If they lose and I'm there, I'll own it.  But I'm choosing to have faith.

 

Go Bills!!!!

Couple things:

 

Re: McK:

 

Joe B talked on Twitter a bit about his fumbling issues being more than what we see in games. Said he's made it a habit of putting the ball on the ground in practice as well to the point where coaches no longer trust him even on offense.

 

Re: Knox:

Man, this is just one tough dude. Great red zone threat. His next steps should be to see more action between the 20s. As a security blanket with the way teams have defended the pass there is no reason he shouldn't see between 6-10 targets a game.

[MJS]

I feel like in previous years Allen was getting plenty of flags in his favor. He'd get multiple roughing and late hit flags called for him.

 

I think the refs probably just missed them. Allen has gotten the calls in the past and I don't see any reason why he would be on the bad side of the refs now.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

Comments:

 

1.   Will be interesting to see what they do in place of White.  NE has two good TE's too, something we often struggle against to start with.

 

2.  Maybe be Groot has hit the rookie wall.  Seems often rookies have trouble adjusting to the longer season.  Hopefully Mac Jones has the same issue next week. Groot seems to be better agasint the run than the pass which is kind of unusual for a rookie.  Even Bruce Smith had issues defending the run his first couple of years, though for him think it was more due to lack of effort than anything.   I'm not one to complain much about penalties as I feel the even out, but do agree I even saw the tackle leave early.

 

5.  Knox is playing real well, TE is a tougher spot for rookies to develop, add on he really was never featured much in the offense in college.  It's taken him some time, but looking real good.  People complain about Davis not playing, but between Knox improving and Sanders play, it is hard for Davis to see the field.  Having said thta, would like to see him in more in place of Sanders, or even Beasley. 

 

8.  Not sure I put much stock in McKenzies comments about done for the season unless there's something else much worse going on behind the scenes than fumbling the KO.

 

9.  Not sure McD's comment are going to effect things all that much if at all.

 

Please stay home!

[Success]

I just have a feeling about Groot on MNF.  Nothing scientific. But I think we hear his name a few times, favorably.

 

Great summary.  LOVED the new RB situation, as I think most here did.  Breida brought in a dimension that we need, and seemed to bring out the best in Singletary. That is all this team needs...we don't need to have a spectacular run game.  Just keep defenses honest.  The return of some of the O-line should add to that.

 

And personally, I liked Stevenson in the return game.  He seems like a tougher, more instinctive runner.  I didn't mind the muff & will chalk it up to 1st game jitters.

 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

42 minutes ago, Virgil said:

When I watch other games, I don't know who I'm rooting for until I start watching for a little bit.  I don't know what makes me gravitate towards one team or the other, it just sorta happens.  For those of you who watched the Lions game on Thanksgiving, I found myself as angry as if the Bills lost to the Jaguars again.  The Bears only need one more first down so they can kill the clock and kick the game winning field goal.  The Bears line up with two receivers on the weak side.  The Lions defenders are 10-15 yards off the line of scrimmage, lined up as if it's 1st and goal from the 20 and it's the last play of the game.  Naturally, the Bears receivers runs 5 yards, turns around, and Dalton throws an easy pass for the first down, game over.  Watching that play unfold was like watching a tidal wave coming and no one can hear you yelling to take cover.  Between the back to back timeout fiasco and that play, the Lions deserve every bit of their win-less record and I'm so thankful for not being their fan.

 

1 - Tre - It's impossible to talk about this game and not address the big elephant in the room in Tre being done for the year.  It's crazy to me how the most serious injuries are typically those where no contact is made.  You could tell by the tests they ran on him and how he went down that it was bad.  Tre's had such a tremendous impact on this team ever since he was drafted and I hate to lose his play and leadership on this team.  With that being said, this is one position and scheme that makes me not as afraid to play on without him.  Wallace and Johnson have played great this year, while Dane and Cam have showed flashes.  Tre doesn't typically follow a receiver around the field and our scheme is very defensive back friendly.  The big bonus is, we don't play a team besides the Bucs that have a true number one receiver for the rest of the year.  So, if other teams want to try and start throwing all over us, I think that would be welcome as it gives our pass rush more of an opportunity. 

 

2 - Pass rush - It's crazy to believe that Ed got his first sack of the season in this game.  He's had multiple games where he was disruptive, but I would argue none morose than this game.  Ed was living in the backfield and had another sack negated due to a downfield holding penalty (I'm not going on a penalty rant again, but the missed face mask against Motor was a joke.  I'm also not going to talk about the offside against Hughes when the replay clearly showed the Tackle leave early...).  Addison also played a solid game, as a makeup for his putrid performance against the Colts.  Both of these guys made me start to wonder about Groot, Hughes, and AJ.  I feel like Groot has been fairly neutralized the past few weeks and he's had plenty of 1 on 1 matchups.  Our ROI on this rotation isn't delivering the results we'd hoped for and I'm curious to know what this looks like in the off season.  When I watch the big paid DE's like Bosa and Chandler take over games in recent weeks, it makes me wonder if that's the route we should be taking.  We spend almost the same amount of money in total, but when we rotate guys in that aren't performing, it gives the opposing offensive line a break.  Plus, I'm really tired of spending so much draft capitol on the same positions.  Granted, those types of players don't come along very often, but just thoughts.

 

3 - Running backs - I made a point last week to discuss how I believed Moss should be demoted to 3rd string and I'm standing by that even more emphatically this week.  Breida and Motor were a great combination and Motor really seemed to embrace being the power, change of pace back.  Breida's speed is night and day to the other backs which opened up runs that the other two simply couldn't accomplish.  It also allowed the offensive line to hold their blocks less, which is a huge advantage.  Additionally, the threat of him busting to the outside keeps the defense honest for their zones, something we could only do before with the threat of a jet sweep.  In saying all of this, I can only imagine this team with a Taylor or Kamara on the roster....  As for Motor, he had a couple of beautiful runs where he got to the second level between the tackles and absolutely powered through tackles.  For a passing team that needs the opposing team to respect the run, this was a great run/pass ratio and about what I would expect going forward.

 

4 - Is this just another phase?
Of earthquakes making waves
Trying to shake the cancer off?
Oh, stupid human beings
Once you hold the hand of love
It's all surmountable

 

5 - Knox - How does a Tight End with drop issues start playing better with a monsterously swollen, recently broken hand.  Knox is pulling down jump balls and broke the single season touchdown record by a Bills Tight End.  It's crazy his development and what he means to this offense.  I was on the Hollister train earlier this season, not because of not liking Knox, but due to performance and now he's a top Tight End in the league statistically.  His relationship with Josh is possibly tied with Josh's with Diggs and you can see it.  If teams want to cover everyone else, Knox will make them pay and he is genuinely a threat on the field again.

 

6 - Milano - Beyond Oliver and Addison, Milano was the defensive MVP of the linebackers looking extra fast on the turf in a dome (hint hint).  Milano made some great sideline to sideline tackles and blew up a few plays in the backfield.  He wasn't flashy with a turnover like Poyer, but his coverage skills really took away the edges of the field, which is where the Saints like to live.  He also did a great job blowing up a screen pass, which left the Saints playbook after that.  Great game overall by him. 

 

7 - Saints Defense - I know many are concerned about the Pats game on MNF, but I noticed that the Saints played a very similar defense to what the Pats did against us last year.  The Saints defense pressed out receivers and had two safeties deep (one if they guess run).  This allowed our guys to win their battles at the line and break free.  Allen did have more time to pass than he may see against Judon next week, but this press cover 2 is a defense that Allen looks very comfortable against.  Yes, he did throw two interceptions, but one was a miscommunication with Diggs and his arm was hit on the other (crazy how that's his first red zone interception.  I bet Lamar wishes he had his first one back).

 

8 - McKenzie - Anyone else hold their breath on every kickoff and punt return?  I'm not sure if it's been discovered as to why, but McKenzie was benched for this game and made some tweets about being done for the season.  In his place, rookie Stevenson returned kicks and saw some action at the end at receiver.  He had an overall good game, but honored McKenzie with a muffed punt that was recovered by the Bills.  Stevenson wasn't used in any jet sweep packages, but overall did well for his first game.  If anyone knows more about McKenzie, please post in the comments.

 

9 - McD - Okay, I lied.  It's time to talk about penalties.  The Bills were much more disciplined this week with false starts and holds.  However, during and after the game, McD was livid about some late hit and low tackles not called in favor of Allen.  I'm all about protecting our quarterback, but I also don't believe this is going to do our team any favors with the refs, especially with the Pats coming up.  I don't want to believe retaliation like this occurs, but it does get hard to ignore unbalanced ratio of penalties called against us.  Lamar in Baltimore gets the same treatment and it's only a matter of time until it leads to an injury.

 

10 - The Stretch - There's a lot of different narratives about the Bills this season:  We can't beat power run teams.  We can't come from behind and win.  We can't play in the elements.  We are soft and get dominated by physical teams.  All that being said, we are still in control of our destiny for the AFC East and within a game of the 1 seed behind the Ravens, who have a tough remaining schedule.  We've seen a lot of ups and downs by all teams this season and I refuse to believe this Pats team magically figured it out in one season.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe in our defense and a fired up Josh on Monday night at home.  If we win this game, barring we don't lose to the Jets, we would own the tie breaker against the Pats should we finish with the same record.  I wish we had the Jags game back, but it's behind us and this team bounces back.  We beat the Pats and most of the critics shut up.  Stay the course, have faith in the better QB on the field, and all will be well.

 

Side Note - I'm debating going to the game on Monday night.  It's going to be freezing and it's a 6 hour drive for me.  However, I still have PTSD from making the Jax trip.  The Bills are 1-2 at games I've attended this year, but I haven't been to a MNF game in forever (actually forever I think).  If they lose and I'm there, I'll own it.  But I'm choosing to have faith.

 

Go Bills!!!!

Great stuff again. 
 

The Stevenson muff in “honor” Of McKenzie— haha. That’s great! 
 

on that same note, Stevenson made me even more nervous than McKenzie— we need to go back to Isaiah asap. 

[PonyBoy]

41 minutes ago, Virgil said:

When I watch other games, I don't know who I'm rooting for until I start watching for a little bit.  I don't know what makes me gravitate towards one team or the other, it just sorta happens.  For those of you who watched the Lions game on Thanksgiving, I found myself as angry as if the Bills lost to the Jaguars again.  The Bears only need one more first down so they can kill the clock and kick the game winning field goal.  The Bears line up with two receivers on the weak side.  The Lions defenders are 10-15 yards off the line of scrimmage, lined up as if it's 1st and goal from the 20 and it's the last play of the game.  Naturally, the Bears receivers runs 5 yards, turns around, and Dalton throws an easy pass for the first down, game over.  Watching that play unfold was like watching a tidal wave coming and no one can hear you yelling to take cover.  Between the back to back timeout fiasco and that play, the Lions deserve every bit of their win-less record and I'm so thankful for not being their fan.

 

1 - Tre - It's impossible to talk about this game and not address the big elephant in the room in Tre being done for the year.  It's crazy to me how the most serious injuries are typically those where no contact is made.  You could tell by the tests they ran on him and how he went down that it was bad.  Tre's had such a tremendous impact on this team ever since he was drafted and I hate to lose his play and leadership on this team.  With that being said, this is one position and scheme that makes me not as afraid to play on without him.  Wallace and Johnson have played great this year, while Dane and Cam have showed flashes.  Tre doesn't typically follow a receiver around the field and our scheme is very defensive back friendly.  The big bonus is, we don't play a team besides the Bucs that have a true number one receiver for the rest of the year.  So, if other teams want to try and start throwing all over us, I think that would be welcome as it gives our pass rush more of an opportunity. 

 

2 - Pass rush - It's crazy to believe that Ed got his first sack of the season in this game.  He's had multiple games where he was disruptive, but I would argue none morose than this game.  Ed was living in the backfield and had another sack negated due to a downfield holding penalty (I'm not going on a penalty rant again, but the missed face mask against Motor was a joke.  I'm also not going to talk about the offside against Hughes when the replay clearly showed the Tackle leave early...).  Addison also played a solid game, as a makeup for his putrid performance against the Colts.  Both of these guys made me start to wonder about Groot, Hughes, and AJ.  I feel like Groot has been fairly neutralized the past few weeks and he's had plenty of 1 on 1 matchups.  Our ROI on this rotation isn't delivering the results we'd hoped for and I'm curious to know what this looks like in the off season.  When I watch the big paid DE's like Bosa and Chandler take over games in recent weeks, it makes me wonder if that's the route we should be taking.  We spend almost the same amount of money in total, but when we rotate guys in that aren't performing, it gives the opposing offensive line a break.  Plus, I'm really tired of spending so much draft capitol on the same positions.  Granted, those types of players don't come along very often, but just thoughts.

 

3 - Running backs - I made a point last week to discuss how I believed Moss should be demoted to 3rd string and I'm standing by that even more emphatically this week.  Breida and Motor were a great combination and Motor really seemed to embrace being the power, change of pace back.  Breida's speed is night and day to the other backs which opened up runs that the other two simply couldn't accomplish.  It also allowed the offensive line to hold their blocks less, which is a huge advantage.  Additionally, the threat of him busting to the outside keeps the defense honest for their zones, something we could only do before with the threat of a jet sweep.  In saying all of this, I can only imagine this team with a Taylor or Kamara on the roster....  As for Motor, he had a couple of beautiful runs where he got to the second level between the tackles and absolutely powered through tackles.  For a passing team that needs the opposing team to respect the run, this was a great run/pass ratio and about what I would expect going forward.

 

4 - Is this just another phase?
Of earthquakes making waves
Trying to shake the cancer off?
Oh, stupid human beings
Once you hold the hand of love
It's all surmountable

 

5 - Knox - How does a Tight End with drop issues start playing better with a monsterously swollen, recently broken hand.  Knox is pulling down jump balls and broke the single season touchdown record by a Bills Tight End.  It's crazy his development and what he means to this offense.  I was on the Hollister train earlier this season, not because of not liking Knox, but due to performance and now he's a top Tight End in the league statistically.  His relationship with Josh is possibly tied with Josh's with Diggs and you can see it.  If teams want to cover everyone else, Knox will make them pay and he is genuinely a threat on the field again.

 

6 - Milano - Beyond Oliver and Addison, Milano was the defensive MVP of the linebackers looking extra fast on the turf in a dome (hint hint).  Milano made some great sideline to sideline tackles and blew up a few plays in the backfield.  He wasn't flashy with a turnover like Poyer, but his coverage skills really took away the edges of the field, which is where the Saints like to live.  He also did a great job blowing up a screen pass, which left the Saints playbook after that.  Great game overall by him. 

 

7 - Saints Defense - I know many are concerned about the Pats game on MNF, but I noticed that the Saints played a very similar defense to what the Pats did against us last year.  The Saints defense pressed out receivers and had two safeties deep (one if they guess run).  This allowed our guys to win their battles at the line and break free.  Allen did have more time to pass than he may see against Judon next week, but this press cover 2 is a defense that Allen looks very comfortable against.  Yes, he did throw two interceptions, but one was a miscommunication with Diggs and his arm was hit on the other (crazy how that's his first red zone interception.  I bet Lamar wishes he had his first one back).

 

8 - McKenzie - Anyone else hold their breath on every kickoff and punt return?  I'm not sure if it's been discovered as to why, but McKenzie was benched for this game and made some tweets about being done for the season.  In his place, rookie Stevenson returned kicks and saw some action at the end at receiver.  He had an overall good game, but honored McKenzie with a muffed punt that was recovered by the Bills.  Stevenson wasn't used in any jet sweep packages, but overall did well for his first game.  If anyone knows more about McKenzie, please post in the comments.

 

9 - McD - Okay, I lied.  It's time to talk about penalties.  The Bills were much more disciplined this week with false starts and holds.  However, during and after the game, McD was livid about some late hit and low tackles not called in favor of Allen.  I'm all about protecting our quarterback, but I also don't believe this is going to do our team any favors with the refs, especially with the Pats coming up.  I don't want to believe retaliation like this occurs, but it does get hard to ignore unbalanced ratio of penalties called against us.  Lamar in Baltimore gets the same treatment and it's only a matter of time until it leads to an injury.

 

10 - The Stretch - There's a lot of different narratives about the Bills this season:  We can't beat power run teams.  We can't come from behind and win.  We can't play in the elements.  We are soft and get dominated by physical teams.  All that being said, we are still in control of our destiny for the AFC East and within a game of the 1 seed behind the Ravens, who have a tough remaining schedule.  We've seen a lot of ups and downs by all teams this season and I refuse to believe this Pats team magically figured it out in one season.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe in our defense and a fired up Josh on Monday night at home.  If we win this game, barring we don't lose to the Jets, we would own the tie breaker against the Pats should we finish with the same record.  I wish we had the Jags game back, but it's behind us and this team bounces back.  We beat the Pats and most of the critics shut up.  Stay the course, have faith in the better QB on the field, and all will be well.

 

Side Note - I'm debating going to the game on Monday night.  It's going to be freezing and it's a 6 hour drive for me.  However, I still have PTSD from making the Jax trip.  The Bills are 1-2 at games I've attended this year, but I haven't been to a MNF game in forever (actually forever I think).  If they lose and I'm there, I'll own it.  But I'm choosing to have faith.

 

Go Bills!!!!

 

1-2 in games you've attended??!! Debating? Are you crazy? Lol! Great detail & insight in your write ups, especially this one. Go to the game if you want, but if the "It's Virgil's Fault" threads start, don't blame me 😃

[jlgarsh]

Rousseau has been good against the run and almost had a 2nd tipped pass interception against the Saints.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

15 minutes ago, No Place To Hyde said:

Re: McK:

 

Joe B talked on Twitter a bit about his fumbling issues being more than what we see in games. Said he's made it a habit of putting the ball on the ground in practice as well to the point where coaches no longer trust him even on offense.

 

Any chance you could find this?  Because I looked through Joe B's twitter feed and also an Athletic article where he talked about it, and could not find this.

He talked about:

Quote

First, and most apparent, are McKenzie’s ball-security issues. It’s been a problem for him for most of his career, and there have been multiple errors this season. On Monday, when recounting where the Colts game went awry, McDermott pointed to that fumbled kickoff. Second, McKenzie is barely a part of the offense now. He had only three snaps before the backups entered the game against the Colts and only six plays before garbage time against the Jets.

 

As far as I'm concerned, that fumbled kickoff was enough, but the fact is before that, the only time I saw a McKenzie ball security issue was the muffed punt against the Dolphins which Kumerow recovered for a touchback.  I do feel he misjudged a couple of punts/kickoffs. 

 

McKenzie only has 1 recorded fumble in the last 3 seasons.  He did have a lot of fumbles his rookie season in Denver, and two during his first season here, which is the reason he hasn't touched a punt between 2018 and the 2021 season finale Dolphins game.

 

How would Joe B know what McKenzie has "made it a habit of doing" in practice?  The reporters only watch a small portion of stretching and position practice.  Do we really think the coaches are giving him "inside info" on McDermott's tight-lipped ship?

 

McDermott praised McKenzie after a presser on Nov 14th:

It would not be McDermott's "style" to praise a guy like that who is goofing up in practice to where the coaches "no longer trust him".   He would say instead something like "He's got to play better, he knows that, but we see him work hard every day.  I still believe in (players name).  I think his best football is ahead of him."

 

While McKenzie has seen lower snaps this season before "mop up time", so has Gabe Davis; the Bills are running no 5 WR sets and less 4 WR and 3 WR sets.  Part of this is running more (2,1) and (1,2) sets, as part of keeping Dawson Knox on the field almost continually.

 

 

 

[CSBill]

Thanks Virgil

 

The McKenzie situation is interesting. Clearly there is more to it than what we’ve seen in the games. As for Stevenson, I held my breath on every kick. I love the speed he brings, but he fumbled a few in preseason and this one on Thursday. I hope it does not bite at the worst possible time (but is there ever a good time for a fumble?).

[boater]

55 minutes ago, Virgil said:

5 - Knox - How does a Tight End with drop issues start playing better with a monsterously swollen, recently broken hand.  Knox is pulling down jump balls and broke the single season touchdown record by a Bills Tight End.  It's crazy his development and what he means to this offense.  I was on the Hollister train earlier this season, not because of not liking Knox, but due to performance and now he's a top Tight End in the league statistically.  His relationship with Josh is possibly tied with Josh's with Diggs and you can see it.  If teams want to cover everyone else, Knox will make them pay and he is genuinely a threat on the field again.

That "hands coach" or whatever you call it that Knox did in the off-season made a phenomenal difference. Night and day results. Both the coach and Knox deserve major kudos.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

5 minutes ago, CSBill said:

Thanks Virgil

 

The McKenzie situation is interesting. Clearly there is more to it than what we’ve seen in the games.

 

I don't know; I can't find the alluded-to comments about him fumbling in practice and "the coaches no longer trust him" in Joe B's twitter feed.

 

It would be very unusual for McDermott to single him out for praise in a presser one week if he's been screwing up in practice for weeks.

 

I think that unforced, self-induced fumble on kickoff could well be enough.  We can't have that.

 

 

5 minutes ago, CSBill said:

As for Stevenson, I held my breath on every kick. I love the speed he brings, but he fumbled a few in preseason and this one on Thursday. I hope it does not bite at the worst possible time (but is there ever a good time for a fumble?).

 

I'm with you

 

When we're leading by 3 scores late in the 4Q and deep in the opponent's territory on 3rd and 20 is not too bad of a time.

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

When I watch other games, I don't know who I'm rooting for until I start watching for a little bit.  I don't know what makes me gravitate towards one team or the other, it just sorta happens.  For those of you who watched the Lions game on Thanksgiving, I found myself as angry as if the Bills lost to the Jaguars again.  The Bears only need one more first down so they can kill the clock and kick the game winning field goal.  The Bears line up with two receivers on the weak side.  The Lions defenders are 10-15 yards off the line of scrimmage, lined up as if it's 1st and goal from the 20 and it's the last play of the game.  Naturally, the Bears receivers runs 5 yards, turns around, and Dalton throws an easy pass for the first down, game over.  Watching that play unfold was like watching a tidal wave coming and no one can hear you yelling to take cover.  Between the back to back timeout fiasco and that play, the Lions deserve every bit of their win-less record and I'm so thankful for not being their fan.

 

1 - Tre - It's impossible to talk about this game and not address the big elephant in the room in Tre being done for the year.  It's crazy to me how the most serious injuries are typically those where no contact is made.  You could tell by the tests they ran on him and how he went down that it was bad.  Tre's had such a tremendous impact on this team ever since he was drafted and I hate to lose his play and leadership on this team.  With that being said, this is one position and scheme that makes me not as afraid to play on without him.  Wallace and Johnson have played great this year, while Dane and Cam have showed flashes.  Tre doesn't typically follow a receiver around the field and our scheme is very defensive back friendly.  The big bonus is, we don't play a team besides the Bucs that have a true number one receiver for the rest of the year.  So, if other teams want to try and start throwing all over us, I think that would be welcome as it gives our pass rush more of an opportunity. 

 

2 - Pass rush - It's crazy to believe that Ed got his first sack of the season in this game.  He's had multiple games where he was disruptive, but I would argue none morose than this game.  Ed was living in the backfield and had another sack negated due to a downfield holding penalty (I'm not going on a penalty rant again, but the missed face mask against Motor was a joke.  I'm also not going to talk about the offside against Hughes when the replay clearly showed the Tackle leave early...).  Addison also played a solid game, as a makeup for his putrid performance against the Colts.  Both of these guys made me start to wonder about Groot, Hughes, and AJ.  I feel like Groot has been fairly neutralized the past few weeks and he's had plenty of 1 on 1 matchups.  Our ROI on this rotation isn't delivering the results we'd hoped for and I'm curious to know what this looks like in the off season.  When I watch the big paid DE's like Bosa and Chandler take over games in recent weeks, it makes me wonder if that's the route we should be taking.  We spend almost the same amount of money in total, but when we rotate guys in that aren't performing, it gives the opposing offensive line a break.  Plus, I'm really tired of spending so much draft capitol on the same positions.  Granted, those types of players don't come along very often, but just thoughts.

 

3 - Running backs - I made a point last week to discuss how I believed Moss should be demoted to 3rd string and I'm standing by that even more emphatically this week.  Breida and Motor were a great combination and Motor really seemed to embrace being the power, change of pace back.  Breida's speed is night and day to the other backs which opened up runs that the other two simply couldn't accomplish.  It also allowed the offensive line to hold their blocks less, which is a huge advantage.  Additionally, the threat of him busting to the outside keeps the defense honest for their zones, something we could only do before with the threat of a jet sweep.  In saying all of this, I can only imagine this team with a Taylor or Kamara on the roster....  As for Motor, he had a couple of beautiful runs where he got to the second level between the tackles and absolutely powered through tackles.  For a passing team that needs the opposing team to respect the run, this was a great run/pass ratio and about what I would expect going forward.

 

4 - Is this just another phase?
Of earthquakes making waves
Trying to shake the cancer off?
Oh, stupid human beings
Once you hold the hand of love
It's all surmountable

 

5 - Knox - How does a Tight End with drop issues start playing better with a monsterously swollen, recently broken hand.  Knox is pulling down jump balls and broke the single season touchdown record by a Bills Tight End.  It's crazy his development and what he means to this offense.  I was on the Hollister train earlier this season, not because of not liking Knox, but due to performance and now he's a top Tight End in the league statistically.  His relationship with Josh is possibly tied with Josh's with Diggs and you can see it.  If teams want to cover everyone else, Knox will make them pay and he is genuinely a threat on the field again.

 

6 - Milano - Beyond Oliver and Addison, Milano was the defensive MVP of the linebackers looking extra fast on the turf in a dome (hint hint).  Milano made some great sideline to sideline tackles and blew up a few plays in the backfield.  He wasn't flashy with a turnover like Poyer, but his coverage skills really took away the edges of the field, which is where the Saints like to live.  He also did a great job blowing up a screen pass, which left the Saints playbook after that.  Great game overall by him. 

 

7 - Saints Defense - I know many are concerned about the Pats game on MNF, but I noticed that the Saints played a very similar defense to what the Pats did against us last year.  The Saints defense pressed out receivers and had two safeties deep (one if they guess run).  This allowed our guys to win their battles at the line and break free.  Allen did have more time to pass than he may see against Judon next week, but this press cover 2 is a defense that Allen looks very comfortable against.  Yes, he did throw two interceptions, but one was a miscommunication with Diggs and his arm was hit on the other (crazy how that's his first red zone interception.  I bet Lamar wishes he had his first one back).

 

8 - McKenzie - Anyone else hold their breath on every kickoff and punt return?  I'm not sure if it's been discovered as to why, but McKenzie was benched for this game and made some tweets about being done for the season.  In his place, rookie Stevenson returned kicks and saw some action at the end at receiver.  He had an overall good game, but honored McKenzie with a muffed punt that was recovered by the Bills.  Stevenson wasn't used in any jet sweep packages, but overall did well for his first game.  If anyone knows more about McKenzie, please post in the comments.

 

9 - McD - Okay, I lied.  It's time to talk about penalties.  The Bills were much more disciplined this week with false starts and holds.  However, during and after the game, McD was livid about some late hit and low tackles not called in favor of Allen.  I'm all about protecting our quarterback, but I also don't believe this is going to do our team any favors with the refs, especially with the Pats coming up.  I don't want to believe retaliation like this occurs, but it does get hard to ignore unbalanced ratio of penalties called against us.  Lamar in Baltimore gets the same treatment and it's only a matter of time until it leads to an injury.

 

10 - The Stretch - There's a lot of different narratives about the Bills this season:  We can't beat power run teams.  We can't come from behind and win.  We can't play in the elements.  We are soft and get dominated by physical teams.  All that being said, we are still in control of our destiny for the AFC East and within a game of the 1 seed behind the Ravens, who have a tough remaining schedule.  We've seen a lot of ups and downs by all teams this season and I refuse to believe this Pats team magically figured it out in one season.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe in our defense and a fired up Josh on Monday night at home.  If we win this game, barring we don't lose to the Jets, we would own the tie breaker against the Pats should we finish with the same record.  I wish we had the Jags game back, but it's behind us and this team bounces back.  We beat the Pats and most of the critics shut up.  Stay the course, have faith in the better QB on the field, and all will be well.

 

Side Note - I'm debating going to the game on Monday night.  It's going to be freezing and it's a 6 hour drive for me.  However, I still have PTSD from making the Jax trip.  The Bills are 1-2 at games I've attended this year, but I haven't been to a MNF game in forever (actually forever I think).  If they lose and I'm there, I'll own it.  But I'm choosing to have faith.

 

Go Bills!!!!

 

I would ABSOLUTELY go to the game. Biggest of the season. 

 

[Virgil]

29 minutes ago, PonyBoy said:

 

1-2 in games you've attended??!! Debating? Are you crazy? Lol! Great detail & insight in your write ups, especially this one. Go to the game if you want, but if the "It's Virgil's Fault" threads start, don't blame me 😃

 

I would expect nothing less

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

McKenzie getting benched was a ridiculous decision by the coaches. Why not bench Josh Allen for throwing 2 picks against the Saints or pretty much the WHOLE team for that pathetic performance against the Colts? I get that one position is more important than the other, but I'd rather risk a fumble (which was pretty flukey in McKenzie's case) for game breaking ability and better field position. It was a bad weather game and **** happens. McKenzie is such a vital swiss army knife guy and this offense benefits more when he's out there than when he's not. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr. WEO]

7 minutes ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

McKenzie getting benched was a ridiculous decision by the coaches. Why not bench Josh Allen for throwing 2 picks against the Saints or pretty much the WHOLE team for that pathetic performance against the Colts? I get that one position is more important than the other, but I'd rather risk a fumble (which was pretty flukey in McKenzie's case) for game breaking ability and better field position. It was a bad weather game and **** happens. McKenzie is such a vital swiss army knife guy and this offense benefits more when he's out there than when he's not. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1) no one was rushing at McK or even touched him before he fumbled.

 

2) if JA lets the ball go over his head, the Bills don't get a free 25 yards to continue the drive.

 

[Southern Bills Fan]

Great write up as usual. As far as Knox is concerned, I live in Mississippi and see a ton of Ole Miss. He NEVER saw the ball in college, they had DK Metcalf and AJ Brown on the team. I was surprised that he was a third round pick but I knew he would take a little longer to develop because of his lack of pass catching reps. 

[BuffaloBillyG]

56 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Any chance you could find this?  Because I looked through Joe B's twitter feed and also an Athletic article where he talked about it, and could not find this.

He talked about:

 

As far as I'm concerned, that fumbled kickoff was enough, but the fact is before that, the only time I saw a McKenzie ball security issue was the muffed punt against the Dolphins which Kumerow recovered for a touchback.  I do feel he misjudged a couple of punts/kickoffs. 

 

McKenzie only has 1 recorded fumble in the last 3 seasons.  He did have a lot of fumbles his rookie season in Denver, and two during his first season here, which is the reason he hasn't touched a punt between 2018 and the 2021 season finale Dolphins game.

 

How would Joe B know what McKenzie has "made it a habit of doing" in practice?  The reporters only watch a small portion of stretching and position practice.  Do we really think the coaches are giving him "inside info" on McDermott's tight-lipped ship?

 

McDermott praised McKenzie after a presser on Nov 14th:

It would not be McDermott's "style" to praise a guy like that who is goofing up in practice to where the coaches "no longer trust him".   He would say instead something like "He's got to play better, he knows that, but we see him work hard every day.  I still believe in (players name).  I think his best football is ahead of him."

 

While McKenzie has seen lower snaps this season before "mop up time", so has Gabe Davis; the Bills are running no 5 WR sets and less 4 WR and 3 WR sets.  Part of this is running more (2,1) and (1,2) sets, as part of keeping Dawson Knox on the field almost continually.

 

 

 

I can try and post. Never have had much success with posting outside media😂

 

http://<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ball security includes judgment of kick and punt return opportunities, muffed punts/kicks in practice and games. They clearly are not happy with him in this area. It was a big reason he was released by his previous team before coming to the Bills</p>&mdash; Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBuscaglia/status/1464034497326895105?ref_src=twsrc^tfw">November 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

 

http://<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Beasley is playing. They don&#39;t trust McKenzie on offense anymore as his snap count has been dwindling when the game isn&#39;t a blowout. That play was a huge turning point and the third ball security issue he&#39;s had in a game, let alone a few too many muffed kicks/punts in practice</p>&mdash; Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBuscaglia/status/1463987981438664716?ref_src=twsrc^tfw">November 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Edited November 30, 2021 by No Place To Hyde

[Hapless Bills Fan]

25 minutes ago, No Place To Hyde said:

I can try and post. Never have had much success with posting outside media😂

 

http://<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ball security includes judgment of kick and punt return opportunities, muffed punts/kicks in practice and games. They clearly are not happy with him in this area. It was a big reason he was released by his previous team before coming to the Bills</p>&mdash; Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBuscaglia/status/1464034497326895105?ref_src=twsrc^tfw">November 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

 

http://<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Beasley is playing. They don&#39;t trust McKenzie on offense anymore as his snap count has been dwindling when the game isn&#39;t a blowout. That play was a huge turning point and the third ball security issue he&#39;s had in a game, let alone a few too many muffed kicks/punts in practice</p>&mdash; Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBuscaglia/status/1463987981438664716?ref_src=twsrc^tfw">November 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

Oh, Lordy, Son, What on Earth did you do there?

 

Here, I think

 

(I'm not sure Joe's assessment of McKenzie's "dwindling snap count" is correct, nor am I sure how Joe knows about muffed kicks/punts in practice)

 

Someone pointed out that factually, that was McKenzie's 2nd ball security issue in a game to which Joe replied:

 

Frankly, I think that's Weak Sauce by Joe B.  Last year when Harrison Phillips was a healthy scratch for 2 games prior to the trade deadline, he constructed this elaborate structure about how the Bills were clearly ready to move on and Phillips would be traded.  Well, after the season, McDermott said that Phillips was healthy but not at full strength and needed more time to get back to effectiveness after his ACL rehab.

 

Then it was Mitch Morse, he was clearly in the doghouse and the Bills were ready to move on when he was a "healthy scratch" the week after returning from concussion protocol.  Next game, Mitch comes back.

 

I wouldn't put it outside the realm of possibility that McKenzie has done something to earn himself some doghouse with the coaches, but I also think that McDermott is typically a straight-shooter when he says something and as I pointed out elsewhere, I don't see him going out of his way to praise a guy as having developed so much in his time here and as being a big part of "making us who we are" when in fact, that guy is "in the doghouse" for "a few too many muffed kicks and punts in practice" and "they don't trust him on offense".

 

I think Joe B is keeping up a tradition of "pot stirring"

[MasterStrategist]

1 hour ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

Great stuff again. 
 

The Stevenson muff in “honor” Of McKenzie— haha. That’s great! 
 

on that same note, Stevenson made me even more nervous than McKenzie— we need to go back to Isaiah asap. 

I like McKenzie on offense, as another weapon.  But "Speedy" is a more natural returner, one of the best in college football.  He just has the vision and typically sure handed.

 

Just a matter of time before Speedy takes one back for 6.  He also doesn't "dance or hesitate", he knows when to hit it straight up the field and just get positive yardage (which also sometimes helps to avoid penalties when he follows where the blocks were intended).

 

Now McKenzie has more "wiggle", but it's the vision, instincts and sure handed traits that are critical.  Stevenson reminds Mr of a young Roberts, and was drafted to replace him.