Williams and Bernard

[Success]

I thought one of the biggest positives from that ugly game was the LB play.

 

Both of these guys seemed like they were all over the field, all night.  Just flying to where the ball was and making plays.  It seems like what we lack in size in the LB unit, we make up for in speed. 

 

I didn't really notice Milano's absence. Williams seemed like a vet out there.

 

Curious if anyone/everyone saw it the same way I did. There were mistakes, like Bernard's PI in the endzone that almost really cost the team, but overall I thought both guys were excellent.

 

[Warriorspikes51]

Bernard was good.  Maybe I'm ignorant but I didn't notice Williams much other than a bonus sack for him when Tyrod dropped the ball 

[Big Turk]

Bernard stuffed Barkley on the goalline rush attempt to end the first half...he is Milano "lite".  Williams is another clone just a little more raw and out of control which leads to him over-pursuing plays and being out of position too much on runs...should get better and better as he gets more reps. His pass coverage skills are really good tho...even in the Jags game he made some really nice pass breakups.

Edited October 16, 2023 by Big Turk

[Ramza86]

I want to say I noticed anything...but for the most part the Giants really did nothing all game.

[kota]

Dorian Williams seems to be around the ball alot which is good.  

[Rc2catch]

1 minute ago, Big Turk said:

Williams is another clone just a little more raw and out of control

That’s kinda how I viewed him. He’s fast, but almost playing too fast. Lot of positives in his game so far 

[26TrapDraw]

1 minute ago, Big Turk said:

Bernard stuffed Barkley on the goalline rush attempt to end the first half...he is Milano "lite".  Williams is another clone just a little more raw and out of control which leads to him over-pursuing plays and being out of position too much on runs...should get better and better as he gets more reps. His pass coverage skills are really good tho...even in the Jags game he made some really nice pass breakups.

yeah i was excited about seeing these two flying around. They played pretty well. Once Williams is a savvy vet like Milano he will be insane because he knows nothing but flying around like a maniac.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

I thought both were great. Williams can fly and really got his nose in there on run stops. 
 

My only complaint is that I am pretty sure Williams got washed out on those two long Barkley runs. Not sure it was his fault or not, but seemed like it when I saw it during the game.

[SCBills]

Milano is an elite playmaker, but the silver lining in losing him is that he plays the most easily replaceable position on a defense. 

 

I'm gladly eating crow on the back to back RD3 LB picks, because Bernard looks very good and early returns on Dorian Williams are that he could follow a sped up trajectory as a read/react linebacker without the MLB responsibilities. 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

1 minute ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

I thought both were great. Williams can fly and really got his nose in there on run stops. 
 

My only complaint is that I am pretty sure Williams got washed out on those two long Barkley runs. Not sure it was his fault or not, but seemed like it when I saw it during the game.

 

They doubled ford and moved him, then the guard got to 2nd level.  When ford came out and they tried it again phillips split the double team and was in the backfield. 

[MJS]

Williams was good. I think he wss better than the previous week. Keep getting him game reps and experience. I noticed him a lot.

[BaaadThingsMan]

Thought the defense played well for missing three all pro level starters. Well, pro bowl level at the least. 

 

Going in they talked about the Giants injuries, and they were significant as well, but the quality of players the Bills are without is too much for most teams to overcome.

 

Having Williams may prove to be a very significant thing this season.

 

Bernard is on my fantasy football team and is a tackling machine averaging 10 points a game right now. 

 

[strive_for_five_guy]

Good start.  Want to see this sustained against tougher competition before being too pleased.

[Wraith]

According to the analysts at Cover1, the Giants really picked on Williams in pass coverage.

 

https://www.cover1.net/buffalo-bills-new-york-giants-recap/

[boyst]

Williams made a few mistakes I noticed early on. He didn't make fatal mistakes, didn't whiff on tackles like last weeks. Was pleasantly surprised he built on last week.

 

One big glaring play was he missed the motion of the RB out to the wide out position which left him uncovered. Someone pointed it out and Williams sprinted out to cover. 

[TheFunPolice]

I remember when we realized that this guy Milano was a great player a few years ago. 

 

Hopefully history repeats itself there and when Milano gets back we're suddenly loaded at LB!

 

 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

18 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

Bernard was good.  Maybe I'm ignorant but I didn't notice Williams much other than a bonus sack for him when Tyrod dropped the ball 

He smacked Barkley on one play. He was bringing it when tackling. Major collisions when he hits.

Edited October 16, 2023 by Buffalo_Stampede

[Alphadawg7]

Bernard is showing he is a player.  Milano lite is a good description of him.  

 

Williams has done well so far considering, and I really am starting to get excited about his future.  He obviously isn't there yet, but for a rookie thrown in like this, in this small window he has impressed me enough to be optimistic about his development.

 

All that being said...it was still just the Giants who haven't scored an offensive TD in many moons lol

[SCBills]

7 minutes ago, Wraith said:

According to the analysts at Cover1, the Giants really picked on Williams in pass coverage.

 

https://www.cover1.net/buffalo-bills-new-york-giants-recap/

 

Certainly wouldn't surprise me.. he's a rookie linebacker in his first start.  

 

However the talent is there.  He has every raw skill you could want in an off ball linebacker.  The fact he was able to be solid in his first start bodes well for him as it starts to slow down mentally as the season progresses.  

[DCofNC]

From the broadcast view, Williams looked a little raw, but overall he played very well.  He may be a real steal, reminds me of rookie Milano.  Have to remember this is his first start, first time getting the starter reps in practice etc.   He has the tools to be something, just have to see if he can handle the mental aspect of it all.  The good part is he is coming in against lesser teams so he gets a little ramp up time.

 

To sit here and be able to say the Bills lost both Milano and Edmunds, didn’t spend any money and plugged the holes w 3rd rd picks with minimal drop off..  THAT is how you build teams to contend long term.   Of course it’s one game against Tyrod, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but if holds up, I have to get the crock pot out and get that crow braising for dinner.

[LabattBlue]

Bernard must have great instincts(unlike his predecessor) to have had the success he has to date.  It is unbelievable considering his slight build.  I know the new breed of LB is not 250 anymore, but he doesn’t look much bigger than Poyer & Hyde. 
 

Anyways, good for him on getting the job done despite his size. 

[SoonerBillsFan]

23 minutes ago, Success said:

I thought one of the biggest positives from that ugly game was the LB play.

 

Both of these guys seemed like they were all over the field, all night.  Just flying to where the ball was and making plays.  It seems like what we lack in size in the LB unit, we make up for in speed. 

 

I didn't really notice Milano's absence. Williams seemed like a vet out there.

 

Curious if anyone/everyone saw it the same way I did. There were mistakes, like Bernard's PI in the endzone that almost really cost the team, but overall I thought both guys were excellent.

 

I have to admit..not bad

[TheyCallMeAndy]

Dorian Williams wasn’t perfect, but I thought he played well for a rookie 3rd rounder making his first start. 
 

Stat guys snubbed him of a snack/TFL. 

4 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

Bernard must have great instincts(unlike his predecessor) to have had the success he has to date.  It is unbelievable considering his slight build.  I know the new breed of LB is not 250 anymore, but he doesn’t look much bigger than Poyer & Hyde. 
 

Anyways, good for him on getting the job done despite his size. 

He is actually bigger than Milano, just longer limbs. 

[BADOLBILZ]

 

I was pleased with the progress of Williams.   

 

I gotta' add tho that was one of the best performances I've seen by Tyrod Taylor since his hot start back at the beginning of 2015.    He was really on point and dropping some deep balls into a bucket to beat some decent coverage.    Not sure where that came from given his recent seasons.........but the Bills would have been a lot better off facing Daniel Jones.  

[Buffalo_Stampede]

4 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

Bernard must have great instincts(unlike his predecessor) to have had the success he has to date.  It is unbelievable considering his slight build.  I know the new breed of LB is not 250 anymore, but he doesn’t look much bigger than Poyer & Hyde. 
 

Anyways, good for him on getting the job done despite his size. 

Colts Darius Leonard played at 215lbs when he was an all pro.

I would guess Bernard is about 215 lbs as well. It’s all about football IQ and playing fast for him. 
 

There’s kind of been a thing on twitter every week about him arriving to the game with his notes in his hand like he’s always studying. I believe it. He’s always studying.

 

[Rubes]

I didn't focus much on Williams during the game, but my sense is that he did reasonably well against one of the worst offenses in the league.

 

I'll wait and see how he performs against a real offense before feeling really good about him.

 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

1 minute ago, Rubes said:

I didn't focus much on Williams during the game, but my sense is that he did reasonably well against one of the worst offenses in the league.

 

I'll wait and see how he performs against a real offense before feeling really good about him.

 

Wasn’t good in his zone coverage. So that’s a worry moving forward.

[billsbackto81]

33 minutes ago, Success said:

I thought one of the biggest positives from that ugly game was the LB play.

 

Both of these guys seemed like they were all over the field, all night.  Just flying to where the ball was and making plays.  It seems like what we lack in size in the LB unit, we make up for in speed. 

 

I didn't really notice Milano's absence. Williams seemed like a vet out there.

 

Curious if anyone/everyone saw it the same way I did. There were mistakes, like Bernard's PI in the endzone that almost really cost the team, but overall I thought both guys were excellent.

 

I did. This D tends to cause more turnovers when Milano is out there whether it'd be Ints or fumbles. Last night, none against a bad Giants offense with a backup QB.

 

Overall solid performance though. 

 

 

[LabattBlue]

9 minutes ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

He is actually bigger than Milano, just longer limbs. 

Without seeing them step on a scale, I find it impossible to believe that Bernard weighs more than Milano. 

[FireChans]

40 minutes ago, Success said:

I thought one of the biggest positives from that ugly game was the LB play.

 

Both of these guys seemed like they were all over the field, all night.  Just flying to where the ball was and making plays.  It seems like what we lack in size in the LB unit, we make up for in speed. 

 

I didn't really notice Milano's absence. Williams seemed like a vet out there.

 

Curious if anyone/everyone saw it the same way I did. There were mistakes, like Bernard's PI in the endzone that almost really cost the team, but overall I thought both guys were excellent.

 

It’s crazy how a good defensive coordinator can take unheralded players and get them to perform above their station. It’s also crazy how an offensive coordinator can’t do so.

[HoofHearted]

40 minutes ago, Success said:

I thought one of the biggest positives from that ugly game was the LB play.

 

Both of these guys seemed like they were all over the field, all night.  Just flying to where the ball was and making plays.  It seems like what we lack in size in the LB unit, we make up for in speed. 

 

I didn't really notice Milano's absence. Williams seemed like a vet out there.

 

Curious if anyone/everyone saw it the same way I did. There were mistakes, like Bernard's PI in the endzone that almost really cost the team, but overall I thought both guys were excellent.

 

Both got lost in coverage at times and both were slow to fit the Trap run scheme NY came out of halftime with, but other than that both looked solid on the broadcast. Will wait for the Wide and Tight film to come out before making final judgements.

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

I love those guys together. Just flying around playing the position the right way

[TampaBillsJunkie]

I was ok with Williams. He needs time and there is a definitive drop off from Milano to Williams. Hopefully he continues to improve and learns to play smarter.  Where we were really hurting on D is the loss of Daquan Jones.  The Cincinnati playoff game was when I really noticed his impact. He just quietly makes everyone around him so much better. The D-line barely got pressure on Tyrod. ONE SACK on a team that gives up 5-6 a game. That was pitiful.  Phillips has him moments, but he just doesn't command the attention that Daquan does. Ford was not good. I can see why he was an inactive. 

 

The same goes for Elam. Missing Dane Jackson really hurt the secondary. Elam is brutal and we need to figure out what to do at corner. If we make any trades, CB has to be the top target.  A good #2 WR is next.

[bmur66]

Williams is only going to get better

[TheyCallMeAndy]

5 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

Without seeing them step on a scale, I find it impossible to believe that Bernard weighs more than Milano. 

He’s got him by 2 pounds haha 

[LabattBlue]

2 minutes ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

He’s got him by 2 pounds haha 

Don’t believe listed weights. 😉

[Low Positive]

By chance, I happened to watch the 2022 AAC Championship game. It was just on. There was one guy on Tulane who was everywhere, 8 tackles and a sack (I did have to look up the numbers just now). That guy was Dorian Williams. He left an impression. He was also all over the field when Tulane upset Caleb Williams and USC in the Cotton Bowl. I wasn't elated with the pick because I wanted a WR, but I understood it because I saw the physicality in his game.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

😬

Your LB can’t miss that bad.
 

 

 

Edited October 16, 2023 by Buffalo_Stampede

[Freddie's Dead]

Both LBs played well. Bernard's stop of Barkley before halftime saved the game. 

[Einstein]

This was exactly my takeaway.

Williams played the run fairly well, though he missed a few tackles he at least shot the right gap which is encouraging.

However he played the pass really poorly. How many times did Tyrod throw a 5 yard pass for a first down right in front of him? 

 

1 minute ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Both LBs played well. Bernard's stop of Barkley before halftime saved the game. 

He had another stop of Barkley in the 4th that was bone jarring. 

He is so good.