Game strategy continues to elude McD

[WIDE LEFT]

As it so often does. Pats final drive, only needing a field goal to take the lead. Given that making a field goal from 50-60 yards is routine these days, your D has to defend first down markers, NOT the end zone. But the soft, prevent zones allow Pats to methodically move the ball downfield, chewing up all the time. On the play where Maye was almost sacked, with Jones draped all over him, Diggs is wide open for a short pass, as our linebacker has to come up from his deep position to make the tackle. That’s terrible defensive strategy. Man up, take the short stuff away, blitz , whatever but u need to prevent first downs - not touchdowns. If a long TD happens, so be it, Allen gets back on the field with time to operate. KC faced similar situation in our playoff game last year. Our final drive - they threw the kitchen sink at Allen, knowing that if a long scoring play happens, at least Mahomes has a chance to comeback. But the slow death of dropping D back, bend don’t break, results in the slow death of a methodical drive that chews up all the clock. God awful strategy. 
 

As was the incredible decision to have Samuel field & return the final kickoff, with just 15 seconds left. Let the ball go into end zone, take it at the 20, and let Allen take 2 or 3 shots downfield. Long shot I know, but far better than a kickoff return that leaves virtually no time to do anything. It’s this consistent mismanagement of game strategy which will once again haunt this team in the playoffs 
 

 

[Sweats]

Every PeeWee league knows in that situation, you take away the underneath yards, defend the sticks and 1st downs, take away the outside yards and anywhere near the boundaries where they can stop the clock and force them to throw long........if they get a TD out of it, well they've earned it.

 

You have to force the O to keep the game in front of them, so i don't know what our D was seeing on the last drive.

[billsfan89]

This seems like a reach to me. The Bills defense did force a longer field goal and the Bills defense shouldn't have been in that situation had the offense not turned the ball over 3 times. 

[Low Positive]

If you want to get mad about a play, get mad about the play two plays later. 2-9 from the NE 42 with 1:25 left. Bills come out in a cover 2 zone, and the Pats get a 19-yard completion to Boutte, who got into a space in the zone. That was ballgame. Looking at it again, it felt like they were conceding the FG after the play to Diggs. Big mistake. 

1 minute ago, billsfan89 said:

This seems like a reach to me. The Bills defense did force a longer field goal and the Bills defense shouldn't have been in that situation had the offense not turned the ball over 3 times. 

Well yeah. It’s clear that the Bills win the game without the turnovers and drive-killing pre-snap penalties in the first half. But they did misplay the end game situation. 

[ngbills]

McD has never been able to "stop" people. They rely on either the O makes a mistake and you get a turnover. They will give up a few first downs but at some point there will be penalty and will stall a drive. There will be a drop or other mistake that kills a drive. Very rarely have we seen them be aggressive and just own the offense. That is not McD style. Its the they can dop whatever they want but at some point are gonna mess up. 

[billsfan89]

9 minutes ago, Low Positive said:

If you want to get mad about a play, get mad about the play two plays later. 2-9 from the NE 42 with 1:25 left. Bills come out in a cover 2 zone, and the Pats get a 19-yard completion to Boutte, who got into a space in the zone. That was ballgame. Looking at it again, it felt like they were conceding the FG after the play to Diggs. Big mistake. 

Well yeah. It’s clear that the Bills win the game without the turnovers and drive-killing pre-snap penalties in the first half. But they did misplay the end game situation. 

 

I think if the Bills lose the turnover battle 2-1 that game is a Bills up 3 when the Pats have the ball on that final drive which is a much more favorable spot. 

[Low Positive]

4 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

 

I think if the Bills lose the turnover battle 2-1 that game is a Bills up 3 when the Pats have the ball on that final drive which is a much more favorable spot. 

The Bills were moving the ball with ease on their first drive. That stupid fumble killed what felt like a TD. If the Bills went up 7-0 in the first quarter, that game would have played entirely differently.

[boater]

This place is dreck after a loss.

[Southern McButterpants]

Bend but don't break works well when a) you allow the Unicorn at QB to run up the score and b) you actually have a pass rush.

[GroteStreet]

51 minutes ago, WIDE LEFT said:

As it so often does. Pats final drive, only needing a field goal to take the lead. Given that making a field goal from 50-60 yards is routine these days, your D has to defend first down markers, NOT the end zone. But the soft, prevent zones allow Pats to methodically move the ball downfield, chewing up all the time. On the play where Maye was almost sacked, with Jones draped all over him, Diggs is wide open for a short pass, as our linebacker has to come up from his deep position to make the tackle. That’s terrible defensive strategy. Man up, take the short stuff away, blitz , whatever but u need to prevent first downs - not touchdowns. If a long TD happens, so be it, Allen gets back on the field with time to operate. KC faced similar situation in our playoff game last year. Our final drive - they threw the kitchen sink at Allen, knowing that if a long scoring play happens, at least Mahomes has a chance to comeback. But the slow death of dropping D back, bend don’t break, results in the slow death of a methodical drive that chews up all the clock. God awful strategy. 
 

As was the incredible decision to have Samuel field & return the final kickoff, with just 15 seconds left. Let the ball go into end zone, take it at the 20, and let Allen take 2 or 3 shots downfield. Long shot I know, but far better than a kickoff return that leaves virtually no time to do anything. It’s this consistent mismanagement of game strategy which will once again haunt this team in the playoffs 
 

 

In most games, Clappy appears borderline clueless about how to manage end of half/end of game.  No improvement in 7 years.

[Pete]

4 minutes ago, boater said:

This place is dreck after a loss.

It’s only after the Bills play like *****.  People didn’t B word when we lost to the Rams last year

[Ethan in Cleveland]

He's Dick Jauron with a HOF QB. This board ridiculed Jauron for saying its hard to win in the NFL. McDermott days it every week. 

Get Oliver, Hairston, and Hoecht back and then let's see what the defense can do.

 

[WIDE LEFT]

43 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

This seems like a reach to me. The Bills defense did force a longer field goal and the Bills defense shouldn't have been in that situation had the offense not turned the ball over 3 times. 

 

44 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

This seems like a reach to me. The Bills defense did force a longer field goal and the Bills defense shouldn't have been in that situation had the offense not turned the ball over 3 times. 

You must be kidding. It’s not good enough that the defense “forced” the winning field goal. The point of the post was that the defensive scheme there allowed this “longer” field goal. Bills O has turned the ball over less than any team in the NFL. Turnovers happen, you can’t win the turnover battle “every” game. It just doesn’t work that way

[T.E.]

27 minutes ago, boater said:

This place is dreck after a loss.

People can see the writing on the wall. Year 8 with the best QB in football - probably the most physically-gifted QB ever - and they can't get to the promised land because the same fatal flaws keep cropping up over and over and over again.

 

They looked brutal for long stretches during most of their wins, by the way.

[MJS]

Stop with the "soft zone" complaints. You're just showing that you aren't actually watching what the defense is doing.

6 minutes ago, T.E. said:

People can see the writing on the wall. Year 8 with the best QB in football - probably the most physically-gifted QB ever - and they can't get to the promised land because the same fatal flaws keep cropping up over and over and over again.

 

They looked brutal for long stretches during most of their wins, by the way.

The offense turned the ball over three times. The best QB in the NFL directly contributed to throwing this game away. Yes, the defense wasn't good in the 2nd half, but Allen shares in the blame and is at least an equal party to it.

Edited 51 minutes ago by MJS

[T.E.]

5 minutes ago, MJS said:

The offense turned the ball over three times. The best QB in the NFL directly contributed to throwing this game away. Yes, the defense wasn't good in the 2nd half, but Allen shares in the blame and is at least an equal party to it.

Sorry, I forgot that the success of the team is almost solely contingent on whether or not Allen can play a flawless game without having a single bad play.

[Brand J]

I’d really like to dumb down the defense, have the CBs play “man up,” physical and close to the line of scrimmage, challenge the receivers. If they get beat physically, so be it, but force the QB to make a good throw and the receiver to make a contested catch. They’re getting beat anyway right now by giving up too much space, receivers are constantly running free in zone without a defender to immediately pop them or break up the pass. 

[buffalostu2]

1 hour ago, ngbills said:

McD has never been able to "stop" people. They rely on either the O makes a mistake and you get a turnover. They will give up a few first downs but at some point there will be penalty and will stall a drive. There will be a drop or other mistake that kills a drive. Very rarely have we seen them be aggressive and just own the offense. That is not McD style. Its the they can dop whatever they want but at some point are gonna mess up. 

Didn't we just stop the Dolphins?   But...it certainly doesn't happen enough

Edited 33 minutes ago by buffalostu2

[zow2]

1 hour ago, WIDE LEFT said:

As it so often does. Pats final drive, only needing a field goal to take the lead. Given that making a field goal from 50-60 yards is routine these days, your D has to defend first down markers, NOT the end zone. But the soft, prevent zones allow Pats to methodically move the ball downfield, chewing up all the time.

 

This whole strategy by Buffalo pisses me off.  It's the same as the AFCCG game last season.  I believe the Bills had just tied it 29-29.  I told my son, play to win and don't let KC dink and dunk down the field easily for a FG and maybe a TD.  Then of course we allow it by playing soft and then everyone considers it a "win" because they only allowed KC a FG to go up 32-29.  NO, it was a Loss...because we allowed them to take a lead with 2:30 remaining.  And you aren't going to get down the field easily against a good defense in their house., which was proven to be the case.

[The Firebaugh Kid]

1 hour ago, boater said:

This place is dreck after a loss.

Agreed.

What kinda boat you got?

I rock a Crownline CCR 215 and recently got a Waverunner too.