What are your top TWO takeaways from the Bills-Steelers game?

[NickelCity]

As seems to be a permanent take over the years, our offensive line will be our limiting factor. 

 

After QB, it should be the highest priority. Unreal that the tackle position is in such shambles. 

[Logic]

6 minutes ago, NickelCity said:

As seems to be a permanent take over the years, our offensive line will be our limiting factor. 

 

After QB, it should be the highest priority. Unreal that the tackle position is in such shambles. 

Indeed, it is quite ironic that the Bills FINALLY seem to have fixed the interior offensive line just in time for the tackle position to go to absolute hell.

I'm a Brandon Beane fan and defender, but his handling of the tackle position -- from not bringing in legitimate competition for Spencer Brown, to spending picks on guys like Tommy Doyle and Luke Tenuta, only to have them barely be roster-able players -- has been very suspect as of late.

No roster is perfect, and no team is good at every single position. But offensive tackle is NOT a position you want to be deficient at, particularly when you have a superstar franchise QB to protect.

[Believer]

1. McD is flailing and needs a reset.

 

2. Media attention went to the starters heads.

[zow2]

Really, it was a disgusting first half by a lot of starters.  The lack of execution and penalties were unreal. I get that the Bills Vets were probably on auto-pilot mode but that’s not comforting.  All the national naysayers who are down on Buffalo for this upcoming season look smart.  The Oline is not impressive.  They really need a healthy Damien Harris, he break tackles. Poyer looks slow as hell,  the D watches receivers catch the ball and then they react.  Need to be a aggressive and how about preventing the completions?

I do think Buffalo is solid and should win the division, but i’m more concerned about the Jets opening game than i was a few days ago.

[newcam2012]

2 hours ago, Dr. Who said:

I wouldn't try and prognosticate from the entrails of a preseason beast. It wasn't pretty, but it also wasn't dispositive. 

I indicated already what I considered of perduring concern. The folks who enjoy misery and rapidly predict doom are in fine fettle.

It's a weird quirk to carry. The trolls are gleeful and the morose feel vindicated. If that's your holiday, have at it.

Not gleeful at all. There were some positives to swallow but the negatives were absolutely glaring. 

 

Are the Bills planning on trotting out the current rostered players at tackle and MLB? If so, barring a dramatic and unlikely improvement the Bills will not sniff a SB. 

 

Add in a coaching staff that has yet to get it done come playoff time. 

 

In the short term, the Jets game certainly looks like a big statement game. 

[LABILLBACKER]

5 hours ago, Toyo321 said:

1) I still have no faith in McD as head coach.

2) I still have no faith in McD's ability to multitask now as DC.

 

This is a early sample size but the undisciplined penalties yesterday were atrocious.   For a veteran team.

Sean will always be the champion of process, character and culture. But his game day coaching skills will always be mediocre.  I know the die hard apologists don't want to hear this but even they will see the truth.

[Dr. Who]

18 minutes ago, newcam2012 said:

Not gleeful at all. There were some positives to swallow but the negatives were absolutely glaring. 

 

Are the Bills planning on trotting out the current rostered players at tackle and MLB? If so, barring a dramatic and unlikely improvement the Bills will not sniff a SB. 

 

Add in a coaching staff that has yet to get it done come playoff time. 

 

In the short term, the Jets game certainly looks like a big statement game. 

You might want to look over some of the thoughts by Ralonzo, GunnerBill, Oldmanfan, etc. The initial wave of pessimism is not outright wrong, but there's legitimate pushback on some of the narratives that quickly foresaw doom. (And no one is unconcerned. It was a fiasco of a game, no doubt.) There are real issues at OT and MLB. It appears on second look that Dawkins was as atrocious as everyone thought, but that Brown was less terrible with some good play. I'd like to see Van Denmark get a lot of snaps at LT in the last preseason game. He shows promise. I don't know what the answer is at MLB, but I'm starting to think Milano and Williams are the best two LBs on the team. Williams is not up to calling the defense, so maybe they could pass that off to Milano.

 

 

Edited August 20, 2023 by Dr. Who

[Matt_In_NH]

The first two interceptions by Barkley

[Big Blitz]

That this team’s offense seems to fall off a cliff when Knox is out.  
 

That the OT position and its depth are problem number 1.   

[newcam2012]

3 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:

You might want to look over some of the thoughts by Ralonzo, GunnerBill, Oldmanfan, etc. The initial wave of pessimism is not outright wrong, but there's legitimate pushback on some of the narratives that quickly foresaw doom. (And no one is unconcerned. It was a fiasco of a game, no doubt.) There are real issues at OT and MLB. It appears on second look that Dawkins was as atrocious as everyone thought, but that Brown was less terrible with some good play. I'd like to see Van Denmark get a lot of snaps at LT in the last preseason game. He shows promise. I don't know what the answer is at MLB, but I'm starting to think Milano and Williams are the best two on the team. Williams is not up to calling the defense, so maybe they could pass that off to Milano.

 

 

That's fair. Just frustrating to see that Beane seemingly can't build a quality oline that's worthy of a SB run. It will mostly fall on Allen to be Superman again. That's possible but unlikely. 

 

Frustrated because there was a huge glaring hole at MLB when Edmunds departed. To date, the Bills MLB game plan seems inadequate to say the least. 

 

I know it's only preseason if you will. However, I don't want to see the Bills limping into the Jets game. Maybe that's an overreaction. 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

1. It's preseason and it doesn't matter

2. The starters should never have been in this game or any preseason game.

 

Nothing anyone will say or post will change my mind. The coaches are wrong.  They have to say these games mean something to justify the ticket price. 

There is no preseason in college. Yes many teams play lesser schools early in the year but it still counts. And many of the big time programs are playing high profile games week 1. 

[LABILLBACKER]

6 minutes ago, newcam2012 said:

That's fair. Just frustrating to see that Beane seemingly can't build a quality oline that's worthy of a SB run. It will mostly fall on Allen to be Superman again. That's possible but unlikely. 

 

Frustrated because there was a huge glaring hole at MLB when Edmunds departed. To date, the Bills MLB game plan seems inadequate to say the least. 

 

I know it's only preseason if you will. However, I don't want to see the Bills limping into the Jets game. Maybe that's an overreaction. 

For every year McB ask Josh to do it all, they will be shaving years off the end of his career.  The OL is still a huge issue.  5+ years to fix this and these guys are still flailing around.  Absolutely unbelievable?

[Doc]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

Indeed, it is quite ironic that the Bills FINALLY seem to have fixed the interior offensive line just in time for the tackle position to go to absolute hell.

I'm a Brandon Beane fan and defender, but his handling of the tackle position -- from not bringing in legitimate competition for Spencer Brown, to spending picks on guys like Tommy Doyle and Luke Tenuta, only to have them barely be roster-able players -- has been very suspect as of late.

No roster is perfect, and no team is good at every single position. But offensive tackle is NOT a position you want to be deficient at, particularly when you have a superstar franchise QB to protect.

 

They'll need Knox to help with Brown, which should, well, help.  Dawkins needs to step-it-up though because he'll need to be left on an island.

 

As for Doyle and Tenuta, they were 5th and 6th rounders.  Basically stabs in the dark.

[Dr. Who]

5 minutes ago, newcam2012 said:

That's fair. Just frustrating to see that Beane seemingly can't build a quality oline that's worthy of a SB run. It will mostly fall on Allen to be Superman again. That's possible but unlikely. 

 

Frustrated because there was a huge glaring hole at MLB when Edmunds departed. To date, the Bills MLB game plan seems inadequate to say the least. 

 

I know it's only preseason if you will. However, I don't want to see the Bills limping into the Jets game. Maybe that's an overreaction. 

As @BADOLBILZ was pointing out in another thread, it's also incumbent on Dorsey to call a game that features short and intermediate routes. You can't be dully always trying to hit on the long ball. And that is equally on Josh. He's the most talented qb in the game, but he doesn't play as smart as he needs to. He's certainly bright enough to figure it out, so it's a matter of not being stubborn and foolish.

 

Last years draft is looking like very poor returns. This years is much more promising. I was an early advocate for Kincaid, so I'm not going to fault Beane for taking him. It's hard to find good LTs picking late first round. It wasn't a particularly good year for MLB in the draft. Still, I do think this regime has not been sufficiently driven to build the best oline possible and that is a culpable failure when you have a qb who could destroy the other team if he wasn't running for his life all the time. 

[Logic]

1 minute ago, Doc said:

 

They'll need Knox to help with Brown, which should, well, help.  Dawkins needs to step-it-up though because he'll need to be left on an island.

 

As for Doyle and Tenuta, they were 5th and 6th rounders.  Basically stabs in the dark.

That's part of the problem, I guess. Beane's only meaningful roster additions at such a crucial position have been late round stabs in the dark. 

As for Knox...for a team that needs more short, intermediate, and middle-of-the-field receiving production, it would be nice if the athletic tight end to whom the Bills are paying a decent sized contract could be free to catch passes more often than he's kept in line to block. Granted, they have Kincaid now, but "we'll just keep the tight end in to help a lot" is a solution I wish they Bills didn't have to utilize to the extent that they likely will this season.

I think the Bills hoped that Dawkins would return to form and that Brown would improve from last season. The problem is that "hope is not a strategy". At this moment, neither thing seems likely to happen, and it could greatly hamper offensive production.

[Boatdrinks]

1. The OL is suspect.. again. 
 

2. Too many undisciplined penalties. It’s one thing to hold a guy so he doesn’t hit the QB, for example but most were not of that variety. 

[SoMAn]

General impression: they’re undisciplined and for all his off-season blabber about playing smarter and protecting the ball, Josh is still Josh and will continue to make great plays, but will also get sloppy and lose the ball at the most inconvenient times. 

[MasterStrategist]

1. Too many overreactions to a single preseason game.  This offense does this occasional "stinker" performance, I don't think it has anything to do with a single factor (or that's its preseason).  But I do think preparation/focus is a big part of it, and in a preseason game that's always gonna be hit and miss.

 

2. Defense team speed is my biggest concern, and had been even b4 we saw Poyer take a poor angle.  It just is what it is, a "smart" unit that's in their position/spot 95 out of 100 times.  I also get concerned with the latter, specifically at MLB.  Edmunds never elevated to a splash/highly impactful player but he was always doing his job and where he was supposed to be.  Missed run fits and we see what happened on the 60 yard scamper.  

 

I'm cautiously optimistic on Rapp/Neal and how McD can use them.  They are both better than our current Mike backer (until we see Bernard).  So can we get either on the field in certain. subpackages.

 

IOL play looks good, great to see when that was a concern LY.

 

Our playmakers are better thus year.  Kincaid will create mismatches, Gabe continues to look like an improved player each week/throughout camp, as does Cook.  

 

Steeler defense can be difficult/one of the best fronts in the NFL when healthy.  Not surprised to see us struggle some, but also think some scheming/specific gameplanning makes a big difference against this type of team.  

 

I sure hope we adjust our "soft"/off coverage looks for Week 1.  Pickett and the Steeler offense thrives in quick hitting routes, I'm almost certain if this was a real game we'd see more press and more pressure looks.  For the Jets, they have seen Cincy/Pitt excel with quick passing attacks against us now, I think some of this is McD ready to unleash some varying coverages....they've talked alot about Nickle/Safety alignment and I feel like we will be adjusting looks more come week 1.

[ganesh]

The steelers wanted it more...the Bills were treating it like a meaningless practice game.   It would have been good for the 1st team offense to have a TD and get off the field.  

 

The Bills defense is still its weak link and that continues to be exposed.  This is what happens when you have tied 15+M on the two safety positions.  

 

 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

Hot take. I actually felt this was possible before the injury.

 

Damar Hamlin is a starting safety in the NFL. Bills could’ve let Poyer walk.

[billsfan_34]

Offensive line cannot pass pro. Offensive line cannot run block.

 

 

17 minutes ago, ganesh said:

The steelers wanted it more...the Bills were treating it like a meaningless practice game.   It would have been good for the 1st team offense to have a TD and get off the field.  

 

The Bills defense is still its weak link and that continues to be exposed.  This is what happens when you have tied 15+M on the two safety positions.  

 

 

I didn’t like letting Edmunds walk. Many here will blast me for this, but he did what the coaching staff asked him too.

[SoCal Deek]

4 minutes ago, billsfan_34 said:

 

I didn’t like letting Edmunds walk. Many here will blast me for this, but he did what the coaching staff asked him too.

Huh? So who exactly let him walk then? 

[jlgarsh]

1a. They need a RT, whether Jason Peters or someone else. 

1b. Anthony Barr is a FA, maybe they should see if he can play MLB?

 

2. I know it's preseason, but they looked totally unprepared. Expected a vanilla game plan & going through the motions, but 13 penalties (when I stopped paying attention) were a huge concern. 

 

Hopefully all will be well, but just a big yikes yesterday.

[billsfan_34]

Just now, SoCal Deek said:

Huh? So who exactly let him walk then? 

Edmunds hit FA and signed with the Bears. 

[oldmanfan]

1.  Dawkins needs to get his butt in gear but Brown was better than people say

 

2.  Kincaid is the real deal

[SoCal Deek]

5 minutes ago, billsfan_34 said:

Edmunds hit FA and signed with the Bears. 

You said ‘they’ let him walk. I’m wondering who you think ‘they’ is/was? 

[Dr. Who]

17 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Hot take. I actually felt this was possible before the injury.

 

Damar Hamlin is a starting safety in the NFL. Bills could’ve let Poyer walk.

You might be right. It's an interesting thought.

[Chaos]

15 minutes ago, billsfan_34 said:

Offensive line cannot pass pro. Offensive line cannot run block.

 

 

I didn’t like letting Edmunds walk. Many here will blast me for this, but he did what the coaching staff asked him too.

The bills would be far worse with edmunds and without whoever would be missing to fill edmunds cap hit

[billsfan_34]

Just now, Chaos said:

The bills would be far worse with edmunds and without whoever would be missing to fill edmunds cap hit

Lots of what ifs. We totally would have had to create space somehow- and your right, a hole may have been created elsewhere. Im not completely sure how that would have looked. Oh well, it is just pre season.

[Roundybout]

26 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Hot take. I actually felt this was possible before the injury.

 

Damar Hamlin is a starting safety in the NFL. Bills could’ve let Poyer walk.

 

I don't know before the injury. I thought he was replacement-level, at best. Hoping he proves me wrong! So far so good, I thought he was tackling very well. 

[transient]

1. This thread is NOT about Barkley or it would have said FOUR GIVEAWAYS 

 

2. Too many people waste their time investing themselves in preseason football 

[Straight Hucklebuck]

11 hours ago, Buffalo Boy said:

1    Dorsey needs to dial up a non stop short game featuring Kincaid, Cooke and ? With the obligatory long ball to Diggs/Hardy/Davis from time to time.

    Quick hitters like the Rams game last year. Get Josh to deal to the playmakers and keep him safe for the first quarter of the season till the O line figures itself out and the team creates an identity.

2. Have the corners play man, on the line, when it’s 3rd down and jam the receivers , not allowing free release and pitch and catch.  

Regarding #2, I really love that the Bills still haven’t learned from 13-seconds, Justin Jefferson, the Bengals game.

[HappyCat]

10 hours ago, Radar said:

Playoff caliber team? Yes. Superbowl caliber? Don't personally think so nor did I last year. Not being a Debby Downer but merely saying what to me is reality. We've had holes in our defense and offense. A few elite players with some very good players and too many weak ones. Hopefully they improve the weak ones or we're a wildcard team.

Wild Card is a hope right now!

[Manther]

12 hours ago, Buffalo Boy said:

1    Dorsey needs to dial up a non stop short game featuring Kincaid, Cooke and ? With the obligatory long ball to Diggs/Hardy/Davis from time to time.

    Quick hitters like the Rams game last year. Get Josh to deal to the playmakers and keep him safe for the first quarter of the season till the O line figures itself out and the team creates an identity.

2. Have the corners play man, on the line, when it’s 3rd down and jam the receivers , not allowing free release and pitch and catch.  

Love it!

[Milanos Milano]

Officially concerned. It’s just a preseason game, I understand that, but how this game unfolded had a flavor to it that made it so off putting. It was wretched, and it felt exactly like a Bengals hangover. The same disarray and complete flatness just should not happen, even for a preseason game. We got punched in the mouth, AGAIN! Things have been off since the Miami playoff game. I have no idea what it is, can’t put my finger on it. 
While I still feel like we will squeeze out a playoff appearance, the vibe seems to have shifted and we’ve gone stale. Wasting Josh Allen. It’s partly due to McD and partly due to Beane not bringing in enough talent. 

[Dr.Sack]

#1 Kincaid looks like Travis Kelce 

#2 Torrence looks like a guy who can man RG for a decade
 

[HappyCat]

9 hours ago, transient said:

1. This thread is NOT about Barkley or it would have said FOUR GIVEAWAYS 

 

2. Too many people waste their time investing themselves in preseason football 

I invested my time and re-played the game several times.  #57 is a big bust.  I'd put Kingsley Jonathan on the field before him just for quickness & the ability to make plays

[transplantbillsfan]

Josh Allen is still amazing.

 

Dalton Kincaid is going to be amazing.

[Bubba Gump]

1. Dalton Kincaid is the real deal. 

 

2. The o-line is trash and gonna be the teams Achilles heel. And it could keep DK from having an amazing rookie season. 

[Scott7975]

1. McDermott didn't have this team ready to play. It looked like a clown show.  Not what I expect to see from a super bowl contender. This happens too often and not just preseason.  I have always stood up for McD because I thought he was a good coach.  I am starting to second guess that.

 

2. Oline appears to still be a problem.  When you have a QB like Josh it should have been #1 priority but defense is always their priority for too many off seasons.

 

I'll add a third just for some positivity.

 

3.  Really liking the Kincaid pick

Edited August 21, 2023 by Scott7975