Playoff Mindset...the Enemy is...us

[First Round Bust]

relax we won...enjoy...the closeness..the drama...the victory..its hard to beat a division rival when you play them 3 times

 

we are 24-5 record over past 30 games - Cincy MNF included as no game

 

Those 5 losses by a total of 20 points, include 3 OT losses to Mahomes and Brady on the road and to the flukey Vikes at home this season, other losses to Mia and Jets on road 

 

31 points to a 3rd stringer...yes...but besides the picks, we gave them the short field - their 40 (kickoff penalty) our 48, 27 and 15 yard lines..TO START drives...not to mention the sack-fumble-score..Only 1 drive longer than 40 yards...we are not used to the D winning games but they gave FGs not TDs which really was the diff for the W

 

Then the  Rex Ryan defense, stack the line to no space the runs and blitz leaving sticky man-man 1:1 coverage which is high risk or high reward and a safety spy on Josh instead of a usual linebacker.

 

Certainly not Josh best game, but still a good game with inches on the Knox (TD) and Shakir (bomb) just missing which would have been another 7 or 10 points at least.

we won despite Josh not having to be superman

 

We are facing better coaching, QBs and defense, and the pass rush misses a hall-of-famer and the secondary the vet presence in Hyde (not to mention the range of Damar verus Marlowe).

 

Its gonna be another close one, its a different game, different team..rather be at home than Cincy or KC, and we are 5 point favorites opening against the Bengals...

 

Enjoy...

 

 

 

[US Egg]

So this is a look in mirror stratagem.

 

I like what I see. 👹 

[Dan]

So I see the facts you’re trying to put out there.  But doesn’t it just feel like we lost a lot more than 5 games?  I know you have data, but what about the eye test?  When I’m drunk in the 3rd quarter, I see a team that loses to all the good teams and can’t do anything.  If only we had a better coach, drafting, QB, LT, C, #4DB, dome, line backer, DT, weather, beer, cheerleaders, radio play by play guy; then maybe I could feel better about this team.  But right now, it just feels like we should have lost the last 12 games.  Maybe one day, this team can finally live up to the same standards of excellence I exhibit daily in my personal and professional life.   Until then, I can’t enjoy life.  

[Boatdrinks]

Pretty much sums it up…

[Wraith]

2 minutes ago, Dan said:

So I see the facts you’re trying to put out there.  But doesn’t it just feel like we lost a lot more than 5 games?  I know you have data, but what about the eye test?  When I’m drunk in the 3rd quarter, I see a team that loses to all the good teams and can’t do anything.  If only we had a better coach, drafting, QB, LT, C, #4DB, dome, line backer, DT, weather, beer, cheerleaders, radio play by play guy; then maybe I could feel better about this team.  But right now, it just feels like we should have lost the last 12 games.  Maybe one day, this team can finally live up to the same standards of excellence I exhibit daily in my personal and professional life.   Until then, I can’t enjoy life.  

😂 It has occurred to me more than once in the last 24 hours that the person I'm arguing with who can't quite remember the play they're complaining about was probably drunk off their ass when the play happened.

[Big Turk]

The difference in this game is when the Bills dialed up the old Daboll move of sending everyone deep, leaving no checkdowns and counting on Allen's legs to be the Checkdown against man coverage, the Fins were ready for it.

 

Several times it appeared the Red Sea parted up front, Allen was staring at 20 yards of open space right up the middle and when he went to take off to exploit it, the Fins DLine converged on him and stopped him for like a yard or half yard loss.

 

That never used to happen and is the type of adjustment ONLY divisional opponents can make when they see something twice a year every year. If the Fins didn't make the adjustment, the game would have likely gotten out of hand as Allen would have run wild on them.

 

Kudos to the Fin for the cat and mouse game of letting Allen think he had something and then taking it away as soon as he tried to take advantage of it. A very interesting wrinkle I saw 3 or 4 times yesterday.

 

Also why I take those 7 sacks with a grain of salt. 3 of them at least weren't real sacks, they were tackles for like a half yard loss as he tried to run through the middle.

 

[WhoTom]

The only team that's beaten the Bills this season was the Bills.

The only team that can beat the Bills in the playoffs is the Bills.

 

Nobody has dominated us - they've simply capitalized on our mistakes.

 

[zow2]

These next 3 games are gonna be the highest level opponents.  Not sure if the Bills need to dial it back and be a bit more conservative?  or if they continue to go Balls to the wall aggressive.  

 

After the Pats game week 18, Josh said something to the effect of "dink and dunks are OK, but it's time to start getting aggressive and let your dogs be dogs".  I think he got a little too high on that concept yesterday and it almost got them eliminated.  Get the ball out of your hand or take off and run.  Can't just stand back there scanning the field too long.

[Sierra Foothills]

6 minutes ago, Wraith said:

😂 It has occurred to me more than once in the last 24 hours that the person I'm arguing with who can't quite remember the play they're complaining about was probably drunk off their ass when the play happened.

 

Which game are we talking about?

 

5 minutes ago, WhoTom said:

The only team that's beaten the Bills this season was the Bills.

The only team that can beat the Bills in the playoffs is the Bills.

 

Nobody has dominated us - they've simply capitalized on our mistakes.

 

 

Lombardi's Packer teams used to say (paraphrasing) "We never lose, sometimes we just run out of time."

 

 

[Boatdrinks]

3 minutes ago, zow2 said:

These next 3 games are gonna be the highest level opponents.  Not sure if the Bills need to dial it back and be a bit more conservative?  or if they continue to go Balls to the wall aggressive.  

 

After the Pats game week 18, Josh said something to the effect of "dink and dunks are OK, but it's time to start getting aggressive and let your dogs be dogs".  I think he got a little too high on that concept yesterday and it almost got them eliminated.  Get the ball out of your hand or take off and run.  Can't just stand back there scanning the field too long.

Agree. More long drives would help- they worked last night, and more Josh running. Huntley was effective yesterday and darn near won the game with it before disaster turned things in favor of the Bengals , who appeared to be on their way to being knocked out on their home turf. 

[Big Turk]

7 minutes ago, zow2 said:

These next 3 games are gonna be the highest level opponents.  Not sure if the Bills need to dial it back and be a bit more conservative?  or if they continue to go Balls to the wall aggressive.  

 

After the Pats game week 18, Josh said something to the effect of "dink and dunks are OK, but it's time to start getting aggressive and let your dogs be dogs".  I think he got a little too high on that concept yesterday and it almost got them eliminated.  Get the ball out of your hand or take off and run.  Can't just stand back there scanning the field too long.

 

That tends to bring out the best in them.

2 minutes ago, Boatdrinks said:

Agree. More long drives would help- they worked last night, and more Josh running. Huntley was effective yesterday and darn near won the game with it before disaster turned things in favor of the Bengals , who appeared to be on their way to being knocked out on their home turf. 

 

People talk about Harbaugh as one of the best coaches with situational football and clock management but what I saw yesterday was dreadful.

 

A QB Sneak with him stretching the ball out and trying to jump over the pile from the 2 yard line?? I mean who the hell does that when you didn't even give Dobbins the ball at ALL inside the 5??

 

Then they run themselves out of time on the final drive with two timeouts in their pocket. Just brutal. Among the worst situational football I have seen.

[NewEra]

11 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

The difference in this game is when the Bills dialed up the old Daboll move of sending everyone deep, leaving no checkdowns and counting on Allen's legs to be the Checkdown against man coverage, the Fins were ready for it.

 

Several times it appeared the Red Sea parted up front, Allen was staring at 20 yards of open space right up the middle and when he went to take off to exploit it, the Fins DLine converged on him and stopped him for like a yard or half yard loss.

 

That never used to happen and is the type of adjustment ONLY divisional opponents can make when they see something twice a year every year. If the Fins didn't make the adjustment, the game would have likely gotten out of hand as Allen would have run wild on them.

 

Kudos to the Fin for the cat and mouse game of letting Allen think he had something and then taking it away as soon as he tried to take advantage of it. A very interesting wrinkle I saw 3 or 4 times yesterday.

 

Also why I take those 7 sacks with a grain of salt. 3 of them at least weren't real sacks, they were tackles for like a half yard loss as he tried to run through the middle.

 

It seems teams in general have been doing a better job on his runs up the middle this year. 

[AuntieEm]

12 minutes ago, Wraith said:

😂 It has occurred to me more than once in the last 24 hours that the person I'm arguing with who can't quite remember the play they're complaining about was probably drunk off their ass when the play happened.

 

   Yea I'm surprised they aren't whining about no flags thrown on Miami for having 22 players in the field, but maybe cause they see Bills gotv22 players on field as well.

 

[LABILLBACKER]

Before the season many pundits said the only team that can beat the Bills were the Bills themselves.  And as this season has panned out this remains true.

[Big Turk]

2 minutes ago, NewEra said:

It seems teams in general have been doing a better job on his runs up the middle this year. 

 

At times but he still breaks free at least a few times a game. He had his highest Yards per game rushing since his rookie year at 47.6, and averaged over 6 yards a carry, so how good of a job could they realistically be doing?

[WhoTom]

4 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

People talk about Harbaugh as one of the best coaches with situational football and clock management but what I saw yesterday was dreadful.

 

A QB Sneak with him stretching the ball out and trying to jump over the pile from the 2 yard line?

 

Yeah, Collinsworth pointed that out - either spread the formation to unclog the middle, making the dive at least feasible, or stay low and let the big guys behind you push you into the end zone. They lined up in the "push" formation but ran the play that belongs in the "dive-over-the-top" formation.

 

 

[NewEra]

Just now, Big Turk said:

 

At times but he still breaks free at least a few times a game. He had his highest Yards per game rushing since his rookie year at 47.6, and averaged over 6 yards a carry, so how good of a job could they realistically be doing?

You don’t notice teams doing a better job against his runs this year?  Of course you have.  But just argue to argue

[bigduke6]

just cut down on the self inflicted mistakes.   protect the ball,  catch the ball.  ezpz.

 

im sure they realize and know this all too well.  Josh was not a happy camper after the game.  he knows it wasnt all that great of a win.   its a win,  live to fight another day, but things have to be better.  i expect them to really bear down and work at it this week.

[Boatdrinks]

11 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

That tends to bring out the best in them.

 

People talk about Harbaugh as one of the best coaches with situational football and clock management but what I saw yesterday was dreadful.

 

A QB Sneak with him stretching the ball out and trying to jump over the pile from the 2 yard line?? I mean who the hell does that when you didn't even give Dobbins the ball at ALL inside the 5??

 

Then they run themselves out of time on the final drive with two timeouts in their pocket. Just brutal. Among the worst situational football I have seen.

I think Harbaugh said he wanted Huntley to go low. Anyway that was an awful play call and not just because it didn’t work. It had zero chance of working and backfired in the worst way. They needed to spread the defense out of that was the call, no way to go over the top there. I wondered about the TO’s myself and thought it seemed like they were saving them to have a chance to run when they got closer. The goal was to score with little to no time left for CIN to get a quick FG attempt. It got sloppy at the end for sure but I think Harbaugh is a top coach and came very close to a big win vs a team with a superior QB on the road. 

[Best Williams Available]

Most games of this caliber come down to a guy or 2 you don’t expect making a play at a critical juncture. Yesterday it was Shakir (that catch in the 4th) and Elam (pick and breakup on 4th down). Someone else will need to step up vs Cincy and hopefully they deliver.