Evaulation (of this team) after a quarter of season gone

[ganesh]

Hard to believe we are done with 4 of the 17 games.  Here are my takes at the end of the 1st quarter of the NFL Season. 

 

Josh Allen continues where he left off:

 

Josh is in form and trending towards another MVP caliber season (and hopefully a SB Winning season).  He was super-human against Baltimore in the 4th quarter throwing for 250+ yards to mount a fierce comeback that resulted eventually in a 41-40 victory. Josh is playing percentage football that protects the football and at the same time ready to do his Josh Allen Magic.  

 

Rise of James Cook 

 

Two weeks into Training Camp, it was not clear what was going to be the situation with James Cook.  There were completely opposite views with most of them insisting that Cook was a two-down back and also couldn't block.  Four games into the season, Cook has proven most of them wrong showing that he can be a workhourse back grinding yards in chunks. His speed has been outstanding and that complimented with his vision has elevated his level of play that would be suprising even to James Cook.  Now the question is - can he take this all the way through the 18-week grind into the playoffs. 

 

The Slithery Shakir

 

Shakir has been amazing during this 4-game stretch. Its statistics will not show what he has done;  but tapes don't lie.  He continues to make clutch plays as evidenced by the key 3rd down conversion against the Saints.  The two TDs that he scored are amazing highlight reels...In one, he just moved so fast that there was not a single defender anywhere close to him.  On the second one, he clearly showed that he can break tackles while maintaining his balance and rumble into the end zone.  

 

Free Agent Contributions

 

Josh Palmer signed a $35M contract to be the speed receiver.  He has made a few critical catches to move the sticks, but nothing much beyond that.  Hoecht and Ogenjobie are on the suspended list until week six. Bosa has shown some flashes to get to the QB. The Bills focuse don re-signing their own players and hence not much expectation from the Free Agent signings.

 

Re-signing your own players

 

The Bills signed Shakir, Groot, Bernard, Benford  and Cook to large contracts ($50M+)  and the results have been mixed.  Cook has been amazing and the driver of this vehicle. He has been everything and more than advertised.   Shakir continues to be Shakir and Bernard too though to a lesser extent.  

 

Rookie Contributions

Walker and Hawes have been great making critical and clutch plays.  Sanders and Strong have been on the field  but have been just ok.  Hairston is still working through his rehab and possibly still out 3-4 weeks.  Jackson and Hancock have been healthy scratches.   Need more strong performance from this group if we have to move the needle against Baltimore or the Chiefs. 

 

The Same Old Same Old

 

The Bills invested heavily on Defense in the offseason.  They signed Pass Rusher Joey Bosa and Hoecht along with Ogunjobie to play Defensive Tackle.  They spent the first four picks in the NFL draft on defense,  drafting Hairston (CB), Sanders (DT). Jackson (DE), Walker (DT),  Hancock (S) and  Strong (CB).  They are also re-signed Benford, Bernard and Groot to massive contract extensions.   However, the results in the 1st quarter of the season remains the same..Last against the Run and inability to get off the field on 3rd and long has made  Bills fan crazy and frustrated. 

 

The Bills continue to serve a ultra-conservative offense even though it is led by the league MVP.  However, Josh Allen has learned to play within that system and keep the chains moving and the points coming.  

 

Milano and Spencer Brown continue to miss games as they did the last few years.  While it might give opportunity to other backup players. not having them on the field hurts this team more than anything else. 

 

Bills in Q2 of the Season - What will they do?

 

What do the Bills need to fix to improve their play? 

* Pass Rush -  This is non-existent now..they need to get better in this area if they want to beat the best QBs in the league

* DT & LB -  Change is coming in both these positions  to stop the run.  The Bills need to find a way to stop the run bleed. 

*. More involvement of Coleman and Palmer.  Both these guys need a lot of touches and Josh needs to get the ball to them.

 

Result -  4-0

 

The most important aspect of the season...the Bills are yet to lose a football game.  They have scored 30+ points in each of those four games.  They are leading the division by 2 games and are 2-0 within the division with a critical and important game coming this Sunday against the up and coming Patriots on SNF.   They are two games up on the 2-2 Chiefs awaiting a week 7 showdown in Orchard Park.  They are a game ahead of the surging chargers and the  3 1/2 games ahead of the fading Ravens team. While there is a ton of things to fix, the team has stuck together during the tough times that has taught them on how to win the close games.  At the end, the only thing matters is the final scoreboard.

 

 

Go Bills !!!

[WNYFAN1]

14 minutes ago, ganesh said:

Hard to believe we are done with 4 of the 17 games.  Here are my takes at the end of the 1st quarter of the NFL Season. 

 

Josh Allen continues where he left off:

 

Josh is in form and trending towards another MVP caliber season (and hopefully a SB Winning season).  He was super-human against Baltimore in the 4th quarter throwing for 250+ yards to mount a fierce comeback that resulted eventually in a 41-40 victory. Josh is playing percentage football that protects the football and at the same time ready to do his Josh Allen Magic.  

 

Rise of James Cook 

 

Two weeks into Training Camp, it was not clear what was going to be the situation with James Cook.  There were completely opposite views with most of them insisting that Cook was a two-down back and also couldn't block.  Four games into the season, Cook has proven most of them wrong showing that he can be a workhourse back grinding yards in chunks. His speed has been outstanding and that complimented with his vision has elevated his level of play that would be suprising even to James Cook.  Now the question is - can he take this all the way through the 18-week grind into the playoffs. 

 

The Slithery Shakir

 

Shakir has been amazing during this 4-game stretch. Its statistics will not show what he has done;  but tapes don't lie.  He continues to make clutch plays as evidenced by the key 3rd down conversion against the Saints.  The two TDs that he scored are amazing highlight reels...In one, he just moved so fast that there was not a single defender anywhere close to him.  On the second one, he clearly showed that he can break tackles while maintaining his balance and rumble into the end zone.  

 

Free Agent Contributions

 

Josh Palmer signed a $35M contract to be the speed receiver.  He has made a few critical catches to move the sticks, but nothing much beyond that.  Hoecht and Ogenjobie are on the suspended list until week six. Bosa has shown some flashes to get to the QB. The Bills focuse don re-signing their own players and hence not much expectation from the Free Agent signings.

 

Re-signing your own players

 

The Bills signed Shakir, Groot, Bernard, Benford  and Cook to large contracts ($50M+)  and the results have been mixed.  Cook has been amazing and the driver of this vehicle. He has been everything and more than advertised.   Shakir continues to be Shakir and Bernard too though to a lesser extent.  

 

Rookie Contributions

Walker and Hawes have been great making critical and clutch plays.  Sanders and Strong have been on the field  but have been just ok.  Hairston is still working through his rehab and possibly still out 3-4 weeks.  Jackson and Hancock have been healthy scratches.   Need more strong performance from this group if we have to move the needle against Baltimore or the Chiefs. 

 

The Same Old Same Old

 

The Bills invested heavily on Defense in the offseason.  They signed Pass Rusher Joey Bosa and Hoecht along with Ogunjobie to play Defensive Tackle.  They spent the first four picks in the NFL draft on defense,  drafting Hairston (CB), Sanders (DT). Jackson (DE), Walker (DT),  Hancock (S) and  Strong (CB).  They are also re-signed Benford, Bernard and Groot to massive contract extensions.   However, the results in the 1st quarter of the season remains the same..Last against the Run and inability to get off the field on 3rd and long has made  Bills fan crazy and frustrated. 

 

The Bills continue to serve a ultra-conservative offense even though it is led by the league MVP.  However, Josh Allen has learned to play within that system and keep the chains moving and the points coming.  

 

Milano and Spencer Brown continue to miss games as they did the last few years.  While it might give opportunity to other backup players. not having them on the field hurts this team more than anything else. 

 

Bills in Q2 of the Season - What will they do?

 

What do the Bills need to fix to improve their play? 

* Pass Rush -  This is non-existent now..they need to get better in this area if they want to beat the best QBs in the league

* DT & LB -  Change is coming in both these positions  to stop the run.  The Bills need to find a way to stop the run bleed. 

*. More involvement of Coleman and Palmer.  Both these guys need a lot of touches and Josh needs to get the ball to them.

 

Result -  4-0

 

The most important aspect of the season...the Bills are yet to lose a football game.  They have scored 30+ points in each of those four games.  They are leading the division by 2 games and are 2-0 within the division with a critical and important game coming this Sunday against the up and coming Patriots on SNF.   They are two games up on the 2-2 Chiefs awaiting a week 7 showdown in Orchard Park.  They are a game ahead of the surging chargers and the  3 1/2 games ahead of the fading Ravens team. While there is a ton of things to fix, the team has stuck together during the tough times that has taught them on how to win the close games.  At the end, the only thing matters is the final scoreboard.

 

 

Go Bills !!!

What makes me nervous is the Bills first four games were against pretty horrible competition, and it looks like even Baltimore isn't that good. And 3/4 at home. How much did this actually tell us? 

[Niagara Dude]

34 minutes ago, ganesh said:

Hard to believe we are done with 4 of the 17 games.  Here are my takes at the end of the 1st quarter of the NFL Season. 

 

Josh Allen continues where he left off:

 

Josh is in form and trending towards another MVP caliber season (and hopefully a SB Winning season).  He was super-human against Baltimore in the 4th quarter throwing for 250+ yards to mount a fierce comeback that resulted eventually in a 41-40 victory. Josh is playing percentage football that protects the football and at the same time ready to do his Josh Allen Magic.  

 

Rise of James Cook 

 

Two weeks into Training Camp, it was not clear what was going to be the situation with James Cook.  There were completely opposite views with most of them insisting that Cook was a two-down back and also couldn't block.  Four games into the season, Cook has proven most of them wrong showing that he can be a workhourse back grinding yards in chunks. His speed has been outstanding and that complimented with his vision has elevated his level of play that would be suprising even to James Cook.  Now the question is - can he take this all the way through the 18-week grind into the playoffs. 

 

The Slithery Shakir

 

Shakir has been amazing during this 4-game stretch. Its statistics will not show what he has done;  but tapes don't lie.  He continues to make clutch plays as evidenced by the key 3rd down conversion against the Saints.  The two TDs that he scored are amazing highlight reels...In one, he just moved so fast that there was not a single defender anywhere close to him.  On the second one, he clearly showed that he can break tackles while maintaining his balance and rumble into the end zone.  

 

Free Agent Contributions

 

Josh Palmer signed a $35M contract to be the speed receiver.  He has made a few critical catches to move the sticks, but nothing much beyond that.  Hoecht and Ogenjobie are on the suspended list until week six. Bosa has shown some flashes to get to the QB. The Bills focuse don re-signing their own players and hence not much expectation from the Free Agent signings.

 

Re-signing your own players

 

The Bills signed Shakir, Groot, Bernard, Benford  and Cook to large contracts ($50M+)  and the results have been mixed.  Cook has been amazing and the driver of this vehicle. He has been everything and more than advertised.   Shakir continues to be Shakir and Bernard too though to a lesser extent.  

 

Rookie Contributions

Walker and Hawes have been great making critical and clutch plays.  Sanders and Strong have been on the field  but have been just ok.  Hairston is still working through his rehab and possibly still out 3-4 weeks.  Jackson and Hancock have been healthy scratches.   Need more strong performance from this group if we have to move the needle against Baltimore or the Chiefs. 

 

The Same Old Same Old

 

The Bills invested heavily on Defense in the offseason.  They signed Pass Rusher Joey Bosa and Hoecht along with Ogunjobie to play Defensive Tackle.  They spent the first four picks in the NFL draft on defense,  drafting Hairston (CB), Sanders (DT). Jackson (DE), Walker (DT),  Hancock (S) and  Strong (CB).  They are also re-signed Benford, Bernard and Groot to massive contract extensions.   However, the results in the 1st quarter of the season remains the same..Last against the Run and inability to get off the field on 3rd and long has made  Bills fan crazy and frustrated. 

 

The Bills continue to serve a ultra-conservative offense even though it is led by the league MVP.  However, Josh Allen has learned to play within that system and keep the chains moving and the points coming.  

 

Milano and Spencer Brown continue to miss games as they did the last few years.  While it might give opportunity to other backup players. not having them on the field hurts this team more than anything else. 

 

Bills in Q2 of the Season - What will they do?

 

What do the Bills need to fix to improve their play? 

* Pass Rush -  This is non-existent now..they need to get better in this area if they want to beat the best QBs in the league

* DT & LB -  Change is coming in both these positions  to stop the run.  The Bills need to find a way to stop the run bleed. 

*. More involvement of Coleman and Palmer.  Both these guys need a lot of touches and Josh needs to get the ball to them.

 

Result -  4-0

 

The most important aspect of the season...the Bills are yet to lose a football game.  They have scored 30+ points in each of those four games.  They are leading the division by 2 games and are 2-0 within the division with a critical and important game coming this Sunday against the up and coming Patriots on SNF.   They are two games up on the 2-2 Chiefs awaiting a week 7 showdown in Orchard Park.  They are a game ahead of the surging chargers and the  3 1/2 games ahead of the fading Ravens team. While there is a ton of things to fix, the team has stuck together during the tough times that has taught them on how to win the close games.  At the end, the only thing matters is the final scoreboard.

 

 

Go Bills !!!

Cook and Allen look great,  still missing the third piece which would be an elite receiver and defence has been trash as usual. I dot like our rookie DT walker and think he has the tools tp be an elite defensive player.  In all 4 games,  outside of the Jets win the Bills could have lost 3 of 4 

[yall]

Is this AI workslop or an actual post?

[Chandler#81]

Evaluation to date. Without JA17, we’re 0-4 on merit.

[The Jokeman]

9 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said:

Evaluation to date. Without JA17, we’re 0-4 on merit.

Would you rather be 1-3 with Lamar?

[Big Turk]

The record is 4-0 and 1 of only 2 unbeaten teams left in the NFL.

 

That's the only evaluation that matters. Anything else is meaningless until the playoffs get here.

Edited September 29 by Big Turk

[T.E.]

You can only play the teams on your schedule. They're winning, and although I personally think they look pretty sloppy across the board, you might as well get that out of the way now rather than in Dec/Jan.

[Mark80]

No fan base in the league whines and complains about being 4-0 more than the Bills fan base.

[Billsfanatic8989]

4 minutes ago, Mark80 said:

No fan base in the league whines and complains about being 4-0 more than the Bills fan base.

Because we haven't won the SB. It's that simple. Fans would still complain if they had won it. But it wouldn't be a large majority.

 

The biggest fear is that the defense is going to get obliterated by a great team in the postseason. Which has happened more than a few times. Thus far, I've seen nothing to show that will not occur again.

Edited September 29 by Billsfanatic8989

[oldmanfan]

Offense is solid.  Defense needs to execute better especially tackling.  

[Avisan]

1 hour ago, Chandler#81 said:

Evaluation to date. Without JA17, we’re 0-4 on merit.

The only game we definitely lose without Allen is the Ravens game, I think we're pretty handily 3-1 with *insert generic Top 10 QB here*

[Dillenger4]

This team is on cruise control playing to get through without the injuries at key spots that we have. I never get the feeling that we are going to lose in any of these games this year. I used to have this in the SB days with Kelly. It's back. This Bills team may look "sloppy" at times but that's football. Let's enjoy each win boys because they are HARD to earn each week. The Pats game this coming Sunday will be a great game. Go Bills!

[chris heff]

10 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

Offense is solid.  Defense needs to execute better especially tackling.  

The defense is infuriating, I hope the injured guys and suspended guys get back and help. That being said, many thought the Packers had the best defense in the league, they did not look great last night. My point is defenses seem to be struggling league wide.

[GunnerBill]

The defense is just bad. Bad fundamentals, bad situationally, inconsistent pass rush. The one thing is HAS done well is splash plays. But that's a tough way to live week to week. It simply has to be better. I'd be willing to consider a coordinator change but I doubt it happens. 

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

1 hour ago, Chandler#81 said:

Evaluation to date. Without JA17, we’re 0-4 on merit.

I think if trubisky started and cook got 30 carries we would’ve beat saints and jets at minimum…probably the dolphins too lol 

 

not to take anything away from Josh at all not trying to imply he was a problem in any way yesterday…but cook was absolutely running wild.  It was straight up surreal seeing the gameday thread complain about 6 yard first down cook runs haha 

 

the few bad offensive drives yesterday both felt like we got away from cook too much and tried to force the ball downfield tbh

 

Edited September 29 by Generic_Bills_Fan

[T master]

27 minutes ago, Mark80 said:

No fan base in the league whines and complains about being 4-0 more than the Bills fan base.

Those that complain here are like the wife that is never happy no matter what you give them and you can't live with them if they go off their meds !! 

[Shortchaz]

The offense has been conservative, by design, to keep josh upright. It’s been efficient and at times excellent. Probably need to look at some load management for cook as the season progresses, we’ll see. Zero issues with the offense.

 

the defense has been okay, especially since the fourth quarter of the first game. There’s some areas of concern but I think waiting until week 10 or so before sounding the alarm is prudent given the missing players. If McDermott and co. can’t get this group of players into a strong/great defense then I’ll be severely disappointed. 

[DallasBillsFan1]

32 minutes ago, Billsfanatic8989 said:

Because we haven't won the SB. It's that simple. Fans would still complain if they had won it. But it wouldn't be a large majority.

 

The biggest fear is that the defense is going to get obliterated by a great team in the postseason. Which has happened more than a few times. Thus far, I've seen nothing to show that will not occur again.

This.

If Buffalo were playing Philly yesterday, what would the result have been? That's right.  

[TheyCallMeAndy]

Joshua Palmer is a speed receiver?