A Few Thoughts from the Commanders Game.....in no particular order

[ColoradoBills]

47 minutes ago, Steve O said:

re #3 - in addition to the Davis drop, which was as bad as it looked, Knox had a drop in the end zone when Josh had put the ball in a tiny window. Pretty much the only place he could have put it for there to be a catch. Gotta make that catch. Probably didn't look that bad in person, maybe even like the pass was broken up, but It wasn't, it was dropped. Those are the passes that some guy that played for New England, his name escapes me, used to always make - especially against us. 

 

Great report as always, thanks.

 

The initial replay made me think that the defender screened Knox's vision to the point he partially extended his arms and the pass went

of his fingertips.  I wonder what the guys who get the All-22 will see.

 

That drop from Davis was bad.  He's got to make that catch.  His play is almost bi-polar with great catches and easy drops.

[Max Fischer]

FedEx Field. It's easily the worst pro football stadium I've visited (including Jacksonville). It was bad when first built but has worsened steadily over the past 15 years of Snyder's neglect. 

 

Parking/traffic is terrible (though the blowout made getting out a little easier), the concourses are narrow and uncomfortable, there aren't enough bathrooms, the food is mediocre, the beer selections are minimal, and the seating is cramped. I purposely bought seats under the first tier in case of rain, only to sit below an ominous hole in the roof above us, creating a steady downpour. (Everyone was shocked by the obviously crumbling hole in the tier above us while water poured from multiple locations throughout the stadium). 

 

I also agree with the vibe. From the dance show just before kick-off, to the bizarre half time, no TVs on in the concourse, no radio playing in the bathrooms, on and on. It probably doesn't make sense to spend too much money trying to make a better experience, but the whole experience is kind of depressing.

 

RFK is likely the best location. About 2014, I went to a concert at RFK (possibly its last year in use), and the stadium swayed so much I thought it could come down. 

[sherpa]

Great, easy to watch game. Very little stress.

My single most relevant observation is that we've got to get that Argentinian guy to come to all our games.

Two games. Two blowouts.

 

Muy Bueno!

[mannc]

As someone who grew up in DC and attended many games at RFK as a kid, it makes me sad to hear these stories about FedEx Field.  RFK was such a great, atmospheric place to watch a game, and not a bad seat in the house.  I hope we're not pining for old "Rich Stadium" in a few years... 

[ColoradoBills]

1 minute ago, mannc said:

As someone who grew up in DC and attended many games at RFK as a kid, it makes me sad to hear these stories about FedEx Field.  RFK was such a great, atmospheric place to watch a game, and not a bad seat in the house.  I hope we're not pining for old "Rich Stadium" in a few years... 

 

I'm looking forward to saying, "Hey, the new stadium is pretty cool."

[Cash]

I was also at this game, and second/third the sentiments about the crowd. We were on the Bills’ side, and it seemed about 80% blue in the crowd. The opposite side probably about 40% blue, and I think about 50-60% Bills fans overall.
 

There were a few Washington 3rd downs where it was genuinely loud in there, and almost no times where it was loud while the Bills were on offense. There was one Bills third down in the second half where they played a GET LOUD graphic on the scoreboard, and you could practically hear a pin drop. Very fun game to attend all in all. 

[Beck Water]

3 hours ago, NewEra said:

Lawson was also to blame.  He hit the RT with an inside jab step then accelerated around the outside and was all over Howell pretty quickly.  

 

Lawson is playing like a hungry man who wants dinner.  He only got 37% of the snaps last week vs 60% the week before (presumably to help stuff the Raiders run), but he did well with them with 2 QB hits in 20 snaps.

[DrDawkinstein]

1 hour ago, mannc said:

As someone who grew up in DC and attended many games at RFK as a kid, it makes me sad to hear these stories about FedEx Field.  RFK was such a great, atmospheric place to watch a game, and not a bad seat in the house.  I hope we're not pining for old "Rich Stadium" in a few years... 

 

With the memories stored in Rich Stadium, it's inevitable that I don't miss that place.

 

But I dont think it will be due to any failing of the new stadium. Just the great times in the old spot.

[NewEra]

33 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

Lawson is playing like a hungry man who wants dinner.  He only got 37% of the snaps last week vs 60% the week before (presumably to help stuff the Raiders run), but he did well with them with 2 QB hits in 20 snaps.

He really has.  He’s moving around like he’s been doing yoga 24/7 since the season ended.
 

I thought I read a stat that said he created a pressure on like 70-80% of his pass rushes yesterday. 

[Gunsgoodtime]

3 hours ago, Albany,n.y. said:

I had a few problems with the broadcast crew.  On an obvious Bills 1st down on a running play, they said he was short.  On an obvious Offside they were clueless what the flag was for.  Finally, Matt Ryan got his teams mixed up.  He said he was with Van Demark in Atlanta when it was actually last preseason in Indianapolis.  I guess that whole Indy experience last season is something he wants to forget.  

The broadcast crew was absolutely horrible.  At one point in the 2nd half when Was had the ball, the announcers brought up a stat that showed what they had done to teams in the 2nd half this year and continued to say this is what they are doing to Buffalo! The score was 16-0 at that point.  I have no ***** idea what they was smoking but it was obviously better than what I was smoking

[Sierra Foothills]

5 hours ago, Big Turk said:

Howell was to blame tho, on that White INT.  Even on the broadcast the color commentator said that was a young QB mistake...that once Tre kept outside leverage on the route McLaurin was running Howell should have immediately moved off him and looked elsewhere because that route was dead at that point in terms of where you want to go with the ball and that the coverage dictated it go elsewhere. Said that it made it too easy for White to jump the route with that positioning, which is ultimately what happened.

 

Matt Ryan's breakdown of White's INT was good. Credit goes to White also... while he did not flip his hips he bellied away from the route long enough to bait Howell into the throw. He gave away room and then closed quickly.

 

McDermott was saying last week that Tre is getting really close to being back to his All-Pro self.

 

We'll need it against Miami this weekend.

 

[Virgil]

20 minutes ago, Sierra Foothills said:

 

Matt Ryan's breakdown of White's INT was good. Credit goes to White also... while he did not flip his hips he bellied away from the route long enough to bait Howell into the throw. He gave away room and then closed quickly.

 

McDermott was saying last week that Tre is getting really close to being back to his All-Pro self.

 

We'll need it against Miami this weekend.

 

 

Agreed for Miami.  I think the league is realizing fast that QB's need to get the ball out quickly.  How we tackle against Miami will be huge.  If we can prevent broken tackles and keep up with our run defense, Miami will have to adjust.  

 

I'm more worried about our offense finishing drives and putting up the needed points

[wettlaufer]

6 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

9 - AJ - If you would have told me that I was going to mention AJ two weeks in a row, I would have taken the under all day.  The AJ pick six was absolutely amazing.  From my vantage point, AJ was chasing Howell like the Waterboy, jumped to grab the lob pass, had the mental cognizance to swap the ball to his other hand, then used his dominant hand to stiff arm Howell into the earth's core.  I mean, this is AJ we are talking about, right?  It's great to see him take advantage of his opportunities and really close out our 4 man rotation once Von comes back.  Seriously, Von, Floyd Groot and AJ....looking really good.

 

I was there and this whole play by Epenesa was heads-up. I loved that AJ stopped short of the LOS and just dared Howell to throw it over him or cross the line, wherein Epenesa would flatten him. Once dude threw it in sheer desperation / career decision, Epenesa was in a perfect stance to grab it. As beautiful a pick-6 as I've ever seen and just a really heads-up LB play.

 

Bills fans were loud and proud at the game. Agree Bills fans were over 50% of those in attendance. I think people made the trip down from the 716 and Buffalo expats came in from the Mid-Atlantic and Carolinas regions. Was awesome to see. Fun day. 

[NickelCity]

4 hours ago, ColoradoBills said:

That drop from Davis was bad.  He's got to make that catch.  His play is almost bi-polar with great catches and easy drops.

 

Agreed. And I hate to pile on but his footwork on that missed TD...sure seemed like a lot of time to drag that foot instead of taking a large step (admittedly way easier to critique in slow mo than actually accomplish)

[wettlaufer]

Really liked Brown as tackle eligible on five different plays. It lets him get down the field and use his athleticism to get out in front as a downfield blocker. He is freakishly athletic.

[thewookie1]

I can’t wait for our 5 DEs to be Von, Groot, Floyd, AJ and Shaq! Who would of thunk it lol

Edited September 25, 2023 by thewookie1

[HappyDays]

6 hours ago, NickelCity said:

 

Agreed. And I hate to pile on but his footwork on that missed TD...sure seemed like a lot of time to drag that foot instead of taking a large step (admittedly way easier to critique in slow mo than actually accomplish)

 

I predict that Gabe Davis will get the Tremaine Edmunds treatment next year. He'll get overpaid by some dumb team and it will quickly become apparent that he was even worse than some of his detractors thought. I sincerely worry about our championship aspirations as long as he is our #2. Way way way too inconsistent to have that kind of high target role. 1 catch on 4 targets in this one... That kind of inefficiency just isn't sustainable over the long term.

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by HappyDays

[Dan Darragh]

18 hours ago, Virgil said:

9 - AJ - If you would have told me that I was going to mention AJ two weeks in a row, I would have taken the under all day.  The AJ pick six was absolutely amazing.  From my vantage point, AJ was chasing Howell like the Waterboy, jumped to grab the lob pass, had the mental cognizance to swap the ball to his other hand, then used his dominant hand to stiff arm Howell into the earth's core.  I mean, this is AJ we are talking about, right?  It's great to see him take advantage of his opportunities and really close out our 4 man rotation once Von comes back.  Seriously, Von, Floyd Groot and AJ....looking really good.

Give credit to Milano (who else?) for getting downfield and making a key block to allow AJ to score.

[SectionC3]

15 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

With the memories stored in Rich Stadium, it's inevitable that I don't miss that place.

 

But I dont think it will be due to any failing of the new stadium. Just the great times in the old spot.

Me too.  I feel like I grew up there.  It's going to be hard when it closes.  It's a tired facility and it's time.  But it's going to be tough to say goodbye.   

[mannc]

17 hours ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

I'm looking forward to saying, "Hey, the new stadium is pretty cool."

Buffalo will always be Buffalo…DC has changed enormously since I was a kid growing up there…