Bills vs Tampa Bay. On to Week 8

[SCBills]

1 minute ago, Chaos said:

To clarify, a defense that needs a 14 point lead to be effective is a crappy defense. 

 

I didn't say it's a good defense.  

 

McDermott got a lot of praise from me when they were dominating and healthy.  Not sure why he needs to be here much longer, sacrificing an offensive mind at hc for Allen, if they put performances like that against Mac Jones out there when injuries hit.  

 

And we have a lot of injuries.  Some you can't control... some might require some introspection when so many young guys are dealing with nagging injuries all the time. 

[Boatdrinks]

53 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

And this fact, and I believe it is absolutely true, is likely playing a bigger part in the offenses struggles then we realize.  There is a strategic element, directed by the head coach, that goes into every game and this has to be a major point of emphasis between McD & Dorsey.

 

The problem though is our offense is built around a phenomenal talent at QB who is best at improvisation and an elite WR who meshes well with the QB.  The rest of the talent on offense is mediocre (though Kincaid & Cook may soon pop).  I don't see that the Bills have the type of talent on O that can efficiently execute the offense that McD wants and the defensive problems require.

 

 

Agree. It seems a change in offensive philosophy is required. McD needs to do some high level coaching here on defense to scheme over the issues caused by injury. The offense needs to do what Allen does best. Score points quickly and often. The defense will be better suited to playing with a lead in its current form. 

[Big Turk]

Morris and Spector ruled out(and Knox which was obvious).  Would not rule out Oliver.  I guess Gilliam will be getting some TE time?

Edited October 25, 2023 by Big Turk

[SCBills]

If we didn't fall on our faces.. again.. I have to imagine Oliver would be held out tomorrow night, with the extended break coming up before SNF/Bengals. 

 

I hope we're not making personnel decisions based on desperation.  Oliver can't be the make or break piece on this defense.   

[ColoradoBills]

28 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

Morris and Spector ruled out(and Knox which was obvious).  Would not rule out Oliver.  I guess Gilliam will be getting some TE time?

 

I have to believe Joel Wilson will be elevated for the game from the PS.

[FLFan]

1 hour ago, EmotionallyUnstable said:

I understand the metric but maybe you have a more wholesome comprehension of how this could weigh into what we’ve seen vs. why we are losing? 
 

Many non-statheads would say, “what does is matter if we lose?”

 

I am not one of those guys, as I do think metrics play SOME roll in helping us see a more complete picture.

 

That being said, I do wonder if some of the circumstances the Bills are finding themselves in (turnovers, penalties, etc) and the overcompensation of our team to adjust to those can partial explain why we have such a good composite EPA but are still losing games.

It is clear to me that boneheaded mistakes are what have contributed in a major way to this discrepancy and go along way in explaining why results have  been so mediocre.  They have consistently shot themselves in the foot at critical times.  The offense has been worse in this regard, starting with Allen, but we saw on Defense against the Pats what effect downgraded talent and lack of experience can have in the execution on that side of the ball as well.  The coaches certainly need to figure this out but it has to start with the players taking ownership for executing their assignments.  The coaches cannot do it for them.  

Edited October 25, 2023 by FLFan

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

1 hour ago, FrenchConnection said:

Nobody is mentioning that the Bucs are coming into this game on a two-game swoon of their own. They just lost two games at home in which they managed to score 6 and 13 points.

Sad to say, but with the state of our defense, this will be a “get right” game for their O.

[CircleTheWagons99]

Well, lets hope they figured something out and right the ship.....

[Success]

This has been a surreal week so far.  The Pats loss really threw this team & its fans into a different kind of funk - almost an existential crisis.  Who is this team?  Is the weight of everything too much?  Did we hit a critical mass w/ the injuries?  And what is Josh Allen thinking about?

 

It feels like a balloon that's ready to pop.  A big, convincing win will change the whole narrative, and get us out of this malaise.  It's there to be had - the Bucs are as middlin' a team as we'll face this year.  Not the worst, but nowhere near the best. It's a team we should beat at home 10x out of 10.

 

[Franco_92]

21 minutes ago, Success said:

This has been a surreal week so far.  The Pats loss really threw this team & its fans into a different kind of funk - almost an existential crisis.  Who is this team?  Is the weight of everything too much?  Did we hit a critical mass w/ the injuries?  And what is Josh Allen thinking about?

 

It feels like a balloon that's ready to pop.  A big, convincing win will change the whole narrative, and get us out of this malaise.  It's there to be had - the Bucs are as middlin' a team as we'll face this year.  Not the worst, but nowhere near the best. It's a team we should beat at home 10x out of 10.

 

It has felt like this for us perpetually-online fans, but I have to say, listening to the coach and player interviews this week, it really seems like just another week in an NFL season. I think they take "not riding the roller coaster" to heart, which is a good thing. Because if the team was as spastic and emotional as this board they wouldn't win another game 

[BuffaloRebound]

Take Tampa plus 8.5 points.  Bills look extremely fragile both physically and mentally.  

[The Wiz]

 

[bills742]

6 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

 

Good to see Von as full with no game designation. Very curious to see if they put Knox on IR before the deadline tomorrow. If they don't, we would expect he'll be back before four weeks.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

I am wondering if we will be seeing a lot of AJ Klein out there. 

[MJS]

So, both Knox and Morris out. It's all on Kincaid.

[billsfan89]

49 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

 

 

I wonder if they will bring up Joel Wilson (TE) from the practice squad to backfill for Knox and Morris? Wilson is the only TE on the PS and I doubt they would want to go into the game with only Kincaid at TE. I know they can flex Gilliam into TE for blocking but you probably want at least one backup TE on the roster. 

 

Not too bad an injury report, Knox we know is going to go on IR and not be back until late November or December. Morris and Spector are battling nagging injuries should take the week off. The only big and pivotal question mark is Ed Oliver, if they can get Ed back it would greatly help the defense. 

[BuffaloBaumer]

Bills are going to hammer this team. Media and fans have been all over the coaching and scheme and truly believe the offense will be full throttle from start to finish. Allen won't even play in the 4th quarter, book it. The training wheels are coming off this joke of an offense philosophy and Allen is going to break free. Can't wait to go and the weather will be mint. 

[Johnnyp566]

Bucs have a chance to deliver the Bills the dagger tomorrow night. I think this is a very real possibility. Lose tomorrow and it’s time to prep for the draft. 

[Gregg]

3 minutes ago, BuffaloBaumer said:

Bills are going to hammer this team. Media and fans have been all over the coaching and scheme and truly believe the offense will be full throttle from start to finish. Allen won't even play in the 4th quarter, book it. The training wheels are coming off this joke of an offense philosophy and Allen is going to break free. Can't wait to go and the weather will be mint. 

 

You got that right. The weather in Orchard Park for Thursday. A high of 72 during the day and 63 at night.

Thu 26 | Day

72°

24%

SW12 mph

Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 72F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.

Humidity69%

UV Index2 of 11

Sunrise7:41 am

Sunset6:15 pm

Thu 26 | Night

63°

23%

SSW13 mph

Cloudy. Low 63F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.

 

 

[newcam2012]

3 hours ago, SCBills said:

If we didn't fall on our faces.. again.. I have to imagine Oliver would be held out tomorrow night, with the extended break coming up before SNF/Bengals. 

 

I hope we're not making personnel decisions based on desperation.  Oliver can't be the make or break piece on this defense.   

I get not making moves on desperation. However, do you think this current roster is good enough to make a deep run? You think this coaching staff can make the proper adjustments with it's current players to turn things around? 

I know you are well aware of the tough upcoming schedule as well. 

 

As Josh Allen said things look bleak. He wasn't lying and that's not exactly a vote of confidence. 

 

in short, this team is in desperation mode. The look, feel, and results of the team are not encouraging. 

[DCofNC]

16 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

I always hate when my fantasy players play on Thursday. It feels weird! 

Agreed.. then you are either hyped for Sunday or in the pits because there is no hope.  Unfortunately for me, my season is pretty much like the Bills, riding on Allen to score 28 a game.

[BuffaloBillyG]

32 minutes ago, BuffaloRebound said:

Take Tampa plus 8.5 points.  Bills look extremely fragile both physically and mentally.  

Not really doing your user name any justice, are ya?

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

13 minutes ago, BuffaloBaumer said:

Bills are going to hammer this team. Media and fans have been all over the coaching and scheme and truly believe the offense will be full throttle from start to finish. Allen won't even play in the 4th quarter, book it. The training wheels are coming off this joke of an offense philosophy and Allen is going to break free. Can't wait to go and the weather will be mint. 

Who are you and what have you done with Baumer

 

[Negan]

I wonder how many more missed kicks before Bass is cut.  Rams cut their kicker in similar fashion.

 

So if he misses another few this game, he's probably cut and we would start looking at the waiver wire. 

[jaybills]

On 10/23/2023 at 10:12 AM, BuffaloBillyG said:

Short weeks bring quick turnaround. Don't care about last game...GOTTA have this one now. Figure it out.

Last time we played Tampa, there was a turning point for the Bills in the start of second half of that game. Hoping this is history on repeat except that we start fast, and roll off another lengthy winning streak. 

[BuffBillsForLife]

1 minute ago, jaybills said:

Last time we played Tampa, there was a turning point for the Bills in the start of second half of that game. Hoping this is history on repeat except that we start fast, and roll off another lengthy winning streak. 

We also lost that game so let's not try to emulate it TOO much...

[BuffaloBaumer]

37 minutes ago, Pine Barrens Mafia said:

Who are you and what have you done with Baumer

 

 

Ha, that one topic was just a worst-case scenario (Allen). It's time to turn things around and tomorrow night is going to be a punishing as they turn the corner. Defense will continue to be an issue but the offense, the offense comes alive tomorrow night. 

[PatsFanNH]

44 minutes ago, Negan said:

I wonder how many more missed kicks before Bass is cut.  Rams cut their kicker in similar fashion.

 

So if he misses another few this game, he's probably cut and we would start looking at the waiver wire. 

IMO that miss on Sunday was all from the wind. 

[Negan]

1 minute ago, PatsFanNH said:

IMO that miss on Sunday was all from the wind. 

They showed the goalpost flags and they weren't moving.

[No_Matter_What]

2 hours ago, Franco_92 said:

It has felt like this for us perpetually-online fans, but I have to say, listening to the coach and player interviews this week, it really seems like just another week in an NFL season. I think they take "not riding the roller coaster" to heart, which is a good thing. Because if the team was as spastic and emotional as this board they wouldn't win another game 

Best post of the week.

[Success]

There have been some positive hints out there about Von. I hope he gets a good # of snaps this game - it's been hard to tell what we can expect from him this season.  

 

It would have such a positive impact if he could regain some of the form he had last year in the next few games.  

 

[EmotionallyUnstable]

5 minutes ago, Success said:

There have been some positive hints out there about Von. I hope he gets a good # of snaps this game - it's been hard to tell what we can expect from him this season.  

 

It would have such a positive impact if he could regain some of the form he had last year in the next few games.  

 

I missed this. Last I heard he had a reduced snap count with no injury designation and looks slow?

[BillsSbSoon]

18 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

I always hate when my fantasy players play on Thursday. It feels weird! 

Same. Most of the time when I have a player going on thurs night he doesn’t show up. Hopefully diggs goes off. Not starting cook 

[2003Contenders]

I think getting Ed back would be a huge shot in the arm to the pass rush, which was nearly non-existent against Mac Jones last week. Baker likes to hold onto the ball and is not especially elusive, so the opportunity should be there to get some pressure on him.

 

[Nineforty]

I had a dream reggie gilliam scored a touchdown out in the right flat. 

 

That's it. Nothing else. 

[HappyDays]

Here's a weird bit of info I got from my source - Josh Norman will apparently dress for tomorrow's game over Elam. I won't lie, this is so out there that I almost don't believe it, but that's what I was told.

 

Also Andy Isabella has a good chance of being elevated for this game.

 

Desperate times call for desperate measures...

[Blank Stare]

6 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

Here's a weird bit of info I got from my source - Josh Norman will apparently dress for tomorrow's game over Elam. I won't lie, this is so out there that I almost don't believe it, but that's what I was told.

 

Also Andy Isabella has a good chance of being elevated for this game.

 

Desperate times call for desperate measures...

Wow. I’m not a trade Elam guy, but if he’s this far down the depth chart we might need to flip him for something of use this season by the deadline. 

[sunshynman]

1 hour ago, BuffaloBaumer said:

 

Ha, that one topic was just a worst-case scenario (Allen). It's time to turn things around and tomorrow night is going to be a punishing as they turn the corner. Defense will continue to be an issue but the offense, the offense comes alive tomorrow night. 

Fixing the O is simple, Stay out of Allen's head! Tell him to ignore the no running crap and play his game. O is fixed!

[Warcodered]

Just now, Blank Stare said:

Wow. I’m not a trade Elam guy, but if he’s this far down the depth chart we might need to flip him for something of use this season by the deadline. 

Trade him for what a pack of gum, seriously how bad can his value of gotten if he loses out to Josh frickin Norman who wasn't even here when the season started.

9 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

Here's a weird bit of info I got from my source - Josh Norman will apparently dress for tomorrow's game over Elam. I won't lie, this is so out there that I almost don't believe it, but that's what I was told.

 

Also Andy Isabella has a good chance of being elevated for this game.

 

Desperate times call for desperate measures...

Wonder who Isabella would be getting the nod over, Shakir actually had a better game last time.

[Low Positive]

1 minute ago, Warcodered said:

Trade him for what a pack of gum, seriously how bad can his value of gotten if he loses out to Josh frickin Norman who wasn't even here when the season started.

Teams trade for other teams' draft busts all the time, thinking they can turn them around. It hasn't been that long and they still have their draft grades on him.