Ed Oliver hit on 3rd down last drive. Wow

[BillsfaninSB]

2 hours ago, JimBob2232 said:

Totally missed that in real time...but yes - too close to roughing passer.  Can you imagine if that was called?  So Billsy!   On the flip side - that hit might have won the game.  Without it - they might have gone for it.

Good point. 

[billsbackto81]

[RyanC883]

Oliver had a rediculous game, it overshadowed Bosa's good, but not great, game.  Our starting DL should be very good.  as the rookies come along, I think Sanders will be an above-average player this year with room to continue growing.  Would love a big run stopper, perhpas at the trade deadline, although any D weakness appears to be in the secondary.  

Edited September 9 by RyanC883

[K-9]

Cramps my a$$.

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, Wayne Cubed said:

Got caught without Oliver on the field. Same thing they were doing in 1st half, that Ed adjusted to 2nd half, except TJ Sanders was in and not Oliver. Run away from the 3T. Scoop blocked TJ and Bosa out of play so they couldn't collapse the running lane, hence why it's a massive hole to run through. Bernard tries to fill the gap and key on Hnry but the hole is massive and he get's blown up. Rapp either makes businss decision or wrong angle or is tired.

This is the same I formation the other long runs from Henry came from.

 

Yea thats my take as well. They caught us backup line in post the long Jackson run (presumably starters blowing). DL tried to play the right responsibilities but Ravens blocked up well and got some movement, Bernard late and washed when he got to his gap. Rapp bad starting body position, slow recognition, bad angle. 

[Charles Romes]

Nice hit for team with “no stars”

[Simon]

1 hour ago, Wayne Cubed said:

Rapp either makes businss decision or wrong angle

 

We had that same debate in our living room.

[boyst]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Agree I don't think that is roughing. Even the way they often call it now I don't think it is roughing. Could it have been possible that a ref wrongly called it? Sure. But they are reluctant to that on close plays in game on the line moments. The refs tend to just display more caution at those moments.

It's hard to balance the line. Oliver dropping down to soften the hit means he hits Jackson low as he throws but surrenders to deflect the pass play on the ball.  Oliver going high or jumping to hot the pass lands on Jackson much more dramatically to draw a flag.

 

Oliver chose best. Just upright and hands up without extension to chest bump Jackson is less deliberate.

[Simon]

2 minutes ago, boyst said:

Oliver chose best. Just upright and hands up without extension to chest bump Jackson is less deliberate.

 

He's gotten very good at knowing when to take liberties with QB's and when not to.

He'll still trade 15yrds for a potential kill shot but not when they can't afford to pay for it.

[HappyDays]

6 hours ago, NewEra said:

Everyone that has access to rewatching should check it out.  Off the snap- he explodes off the line and jacks his man 2 yards into the backfield within a second- Henry had to reroute himself a bit and that was all it took to bottle him up.  

 

Just watched that clip from the endzone all-22 view and if Oliver didn't push his man into the backfield, Henry was going to house that one from 70 yards out. Had a wide open gap with a blocker in front of him and nobody in the 2nd or 3rd level to even slow him down. Oliver played like a Hall of Famer in this one and we needed him to or else they would have put up 50.

[Mikie2times]

Crazy how low he gets

[Buffalo716]

11 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Agreed. I listened to Jeremy and Joe yesterday saying "what are the linebackers and DBs supposed to do? The front has to stop him" and thought you guys really have even less clue what you are watching than I thought. Our gap control was atrocious and the majority of it was linebackers and safeties not filling their gaps. Would some of the DTs other than Oliver getting off a block once in a while have helped too? Sure. But it was primarily loss of gap control on Henry's big runs. 

 

I think every drive the Ravens didn't score a touchdown on Ed Oliver had a critical play to get them off the field.

Of course 

 

Don't get me wrong with Derrick Henry you do want the defensive line slowing him down a little bit not letting him get that head of steam 

 

But you need great Gap integrity all around 

 

I also think early in the season some linebackers and safeties are making business decisions and don't want to end their season breaking a collarbone on Derrick Henry week 1

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

4 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

I'd be interested to know your opinion on this TD run:

 

 

Hamlin would have stopped him

[Albany,n.y.]

21 hours ago, HardyBoy said:

Might have been why they didn't go for it there

They didn't go for it because up 2, you don't go for it on your side of the field & practically put the other team in line for a game winning FG if you don't make it.  It wasn't 4th & inches.  If they went for it & failed, Harbaugh would have been tarred & feathered in Baltimore.  The Bills started around their own 20 after the punt & still drove it all the way down the field quickly, but most non-Allen led teams would never have scored after the punt with limited time on the clock.  You go with the percentages & trust your D to stop a team from their own 20 rather than try to make it on 4th down over a yard in that circumstance.  I doubt no matter how much Lamar would have lobbied to go for it, that Harbaugh would have done anything other than punt.  

[GunnerBill]

12 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

 

I also think early in the season some linebackers and safeties are making business decisions and don't want to end their season breaking a collarbone on Derrick Henry week 1

 

Ha! Fair point 😂

 

EDIT: I also think at this stage he is just a better player in week 1 than in the Divisional Round. As great as he is at 31 the long season and impact running style does take a toll. If the Bills faced him in January I think they'd have more success against him.

Edited September 9 by GunnerBill

[Low Positive]

3 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Ha! Fair point 😂

 

EDIT: I also think at this stage he is just a better player in week 1 than in the Divisional Round. As great as he is at 31 the long season and impact running style does take a toll. If the Bills faced him in January I think they'd have more success against him.

It's also a tough ask in week one from a defensive standpoint. The Bills have a lot of new guys on the DL, a safety who hardly played last year and a rookie playing corner. They spent training camp working on their base nickel defense, which will work against most teams. Then, you play the most dangerous running QB in NFL history and a literal freight train at RB in week one. The Bills had to make schematic adjustments, which is something that teams are loath to do this early in the season. Williams played 33% of defensive snaps as a 3rd LB and Taron Johnson only played 67% at nickel CB, for example. That's not what we do.  Couple that with the fact that the Ravens came in with a playoff-like intensity, and the Bills got punched in the mouth. If they look this bad on defense next Sunday, I'll hit the panic button. I hope they don't.

[No_Matter_What]

3 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Yea thats my take as well. They caught us backup line in post the long Jackson run (presumably starters blowing). DL tried to play the right responsibilities but Ravens blocked up well and got some movement, Bernard late and washed when he got to his gap. Rapp bad starting body position, slow recognition, bad angle. 

Those are not backups on DL though, only TJ instead of Ed. If I am not mistaken its Bosa, TJ, Daquan and Groot.

 

And I don't know nothing about responsibilities and gaps but to me besides the things you mention it seems that Daquan was the one who could make the play here, he is the closest man to Henry's gap but isn't even trying to disengage from his block but just pushing his man. Maybe if he wasn't pushing there would be another hole, I don't know. But to me this seems like typical situation where a smarter play on his part would at least slow down Henry.

[GunnerBill]

12 minutes ago, No_Matter_What said:

Those are not backups on DL though, only TJ instead of Ed. If I am not mistaken its Bosa, TJ, Daquan and Groot.

 

And I don't know nothing about responsibilities and gaps but to me besides the things you mention it seems that Daquan was the one who could make the play here, he is the closest man to Henry's gap but isn't even trying to disengage from his block but just pushing his man. Maybe if he wasn't pushing there would be another hole, I don't know. But to me this seems like typical situation where a smarter play on his part would at least slow down Henry.

 

Good spot. It is only Ed that's out. I think DQ is trying to disengage and while I do think he is basically washed, I don't put that play mainly on him. Could he have done more? Sure. The bigger errors were Bernard and Rapp. And that was consistent throughout the day. Like @Buffalo716 said... you would hope for a bit more out of your Dline, but the bigger missed assisgnments were the 2nd and 3rd level not getting to their landmarks and filling their gaps.

[Royale with Cheese]

5 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

I'd be interested to know your opinion on this TD run:

 

Looks like someone totally misplayed their responsibility here. Rapp immediately puts his back to the play side anticipating a crosser, which takes him out of the play. Bernard is penetrating upfield and gets taken out of the play. Looks like Benford is going to play edge contain while Dorian Williams already has the edge. It's not immediately obvious to me who screwed up here but clearly someone was supposed to take that truck-sized gap that any RB in the league could have coasted through.

 

The coaches need to get this stuff straightened out, and fast. The Jets are going to see this on tape and lick their chops. This is not a play where our guys got beat 1v1 and I suspect this sort of mistake was the bigger issue on Sunday than everybody losing their matchups.

 

I saw that during the game.  It was simply just a horrible angle he took.  

[BurpleBull]

I watched the ending in full today, saw that play as it happened, and how we're lucky the game was against the Ravens and not the Tom Brady Patriots. 

 

Otherwise, Oliver's brilliant play all game is wiped away by a penalty that likely seals our fate.