Is Groot On The Team?

[Ethan in Cleveland]

11 minutes ago, TFBillsfan said:

Solomon, Groot, Sanders and Jones are not  getting it done early in the season. At this point, I really have to question our scheme as our pass rush is just woeful. 

I’m not convinced it’s gonna be any better with the addition of the two suspended DL, and the return of Oliver and Milano.  
 

If our D doesn’t take a significant step up, it’s gonna be a major liability! 

Oliver can make a huge difference unless he has to play hurt all year. My guess is Milano goes to IR to make room for one of the PED cheats. 

Hard to believe a 3rd round pick cant get on the field ahead of Solomon and Epenesa.  Will be interesting to see who gets cut when Hoecht is eligible to return. Solomon plays a lot of special teams but Epenesa is also on kickoff coverage- at least today he was not sure about weeks prior. 

Sanders looks hopeless out there right now. If Ogenjobi isn't cut Sanders wont be dressing for game day. DT takes a long time to develop. DE not so much which is why Im more concerned about Jackson than Sanders. 

[Fleezoid]

28 minutes ago, TFBillsfan said:

Solomon, Groot, Sanders and Jones are not  getting it done early in the season. At this point, I really have to question our scheme as our pass rush is just woeful. 

I’m not convinced it’s gonna be any better with the addition of the two suspended DL, and the return of Oliver and Milano.  
 

If our D doesn’t take a significant step up, it’s gonna be a major liability! 

 

It's been rough! Maybe when the suspensions get back, it'll add some additional options. Oliver back will help, but I'm not counting on Milano for any significant time for the rest of the season. He'll get back, but for how long? I'd just rather write him off at this point. 

[DJB]

Mr Invisible. My new Bill I’m going to dawg until he does something 

Edited Monday at 12:50 AM by DJB

[JP51]

On 9/18/2025 at 11:29 PM, T.E. said:

Let's just call him Rousseau. He has not done enough to warrant having a nickname.

 

Or maybe he can go by The Disappearing Act since he vanishes for weeks at a time.

100% no nickname he is a woeful passenger still counting his money

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

1 hour ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Replacing an overpaid scrub with another overpaid scrub.  Brilliant idea?

At least Epenesa got a sack today

[LABILLBACKER]

1 hour ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

At least Epenesa got a sack today

Great....he's on pace for 4 sacks. I'll alert the media. Epenesa is actually worse than Kelsay.  We've had 1 double digit sack guy in the Allen era and it was a 1 year FA rental. None of our pass rushing draft picks have become game wreckers.  That is killing us making a SB, let alone winning one.

Edited Monday at 02:52 AM by LABILLBACKER

[FireChans]

24 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Great....he's on pace for 4 sacks. I'll alert the media. Epenesa is actually worse than Kelsay.  We've had 1 double digit sack guy in the Allen era and it was a 1 year FA rental. None of our pass rushing draft picks have become game wreckers.  That is killing us making a SB, let alone winning one.

At least we keep trying to find that EDGE X factor instead of tethering ourselves to an average player at that spot whose greatest ability is setting the edge for $80M…..

Edited Monday at 03:13 AM by FireChans

[Freddie's Dead]

3 hours ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

At least Epenesa got a sack today

 

AJ and Bosa showed up big in garbage time....

[Big Blitz]

1 hour ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Great....he's on pace for 4 sacks. I'll alert the media. Epenesa is actually worse than Kelsay.  We've had 1 double digit sack guy in the Allen era and it was a 1 year FA rental. None of our pass rushing draft picks have become game wreckers.  That is killing us making a SB, let alone winning one.

 

This is a fact.  

[LABILLBACKER]

1 hour ago, FireChans said:

At least we keep trying to find that EDGE X factor instead of tethering ourselves to an average player at that spot whose greatest ability is setting the edge for $80M…..

I more than appreciate the fact that we've taken so many swings at finding a pass rusher. Its not for a lack of trying.  The problem is Beane and his scouts are just not doing a good enough job in evaluating all these Dlineman.  I mean if Solomon, Sanders, Jackson flame out, I'd just say screw it and sign 1 year FA rentals like Floyd/ Bosa every year.  We can't count on BB ever finding a game-wrecker.

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

4 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

AJ and Bosa showed up big in garbage time....

Garbage time? It was still a game well into the 4th quarter. 

[FormerLV-BILLS]

On 9/19/2025 at 1:56 AM, HappyDays said:

FWIW PFF has him graded as their 12th best EDGE this season (not including tonight's game) with an 82.5 grade which is just below elite by their metrics. Not that PFF is gospel but it indicates he has been performing well at the little things that you don't really notice live because the impact on the play isn't obvious. The problem is we're paying him $20M per year and you expect more than just "the little things" for that contract. He has yet to flash once as a pass rusher this year. If Bosa and Oliver and Walker can provide the flashy plays while he's doing the dirty work I guess I can live with that but it's quite the contract to give out to a guy that is basically just a role player.

So, let me get this straight, and I'm not picking a fight with you or anyone.  But, Rosseau is supposedly close to elite.  Bosa is a stud, if he's healthy.  And Oliver is a beast according to many here (I think because he sometimes makes splash plays).  But yet, the line sucks every frigging game.  So, what's wrong?  

 

And if McDermott truly is over-coaching all of them, particularly Rosseau, it doesn't really make sense that he brought back one of the biggest freelancing players in the NFL in Phillips.  In addition, Bosa constantly gets sucked in to middle running plays and loses the edge.   His play so far, should be driving McDermott nuts.  I'm glad we have Bosa, but if we have to play the Ravens again, or the Chiefs when games are actually important, he scares the crap outta me.  Nothing here is matching any guesses out there as to what's wrong.

 

I'm in the camp of these guys aren't that good.  Never really have been.  They aren't bad either.  We just have a bunch of middle of the road guys without a star.  We need to hit on some damn draft picks for a guy that is actually a stud.

 

 

Edited Monday at 07:18 PM by FormerLV-BILLS

[DapperCam]

Groot had a couple nice run stops vs the Saints. But it feels like you can get a DE to set the edge and stop the run for a lot less than he’s getting paid…

[Magox]

 

[Freddie's Dead]

7 hours ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

Garbage time? It was still a game well into the 4th quarter. 

 

They performed their heroics when the score was 31-19, with like 2 minutes left.

[Simon]

He's doing exactly what he's being coached to do and doing it very, very well.

If you can't see what he's doing that's not a Rousseau problem, that's a you problem.

 

The Bills have never had high sack numbers from their DE's under McDermott, and they likely never will.

It isn't because they don't have good players at DE. It isn't because Beane doesn't know what he's doing when to comes to acquiring DL. It's because McDermott wants his guys up front playing responsibly and not losing edges and overrunning QB's and abandoning gap responsibilities. That's just who he is.

 

If you need to break out the bltching stick, you're wasting your time using it on Rousseau or Beane.

[FormerLV-BILLS]

2 hours ago, Simon said:

He's doing exactly what he's being coached to do and doing it very, very well.

If you can't see what he's doing that's not a Rousseau problem, that's a you problem.

 

The Bills have never had high sack numbers from their DE's under McDermott, and they likely never will.

It isn't because they don't have good players at DE. It isn't because Beane doesn't know what he's doing when to comes to acquiring DL. It's because McDermott wants his guys up front playing responsibly and not losing edges and overrunning QB's and abandoning gap responsibilities. That's just who he is.

 

If you need to break out the bltching stick, you're wasting your time using it on Rousseau or Beane.

I have no idea, nor does anyone else, to know if you are right or wrong about how Rossueau is coached.  But how's that working out for the Bills?  Years and years of this.  How's it working out?  It's so ridiculously frustrating.  It's the same thing, year after year, and it doesn't work in the biggest of games.  They need some players that make splash plays.  It's pretty damn glorious when Oliver does it from time to time.  But damn man, why pay a guy a ton of money to be an edge setter first and foremost.   That makes no sense.  Unless it's against Lamar.  

 

The only thing that baffles me is that McDermott seems to know how to shut down Lamar in the postseason.  Maybe it's this disciplined style of play that you speak of that contains Lamar and makes hime throw more.  But when you think about it, who doesn't shut down Lamar in the playoffs.  But again, my hats off to McD in the postseason against the Ravens.  His style of defense seems to be the right thing to slow them down for some reason.

Edited Monday at 07:27 PM by FormerLV-BILLS