A Few Thoughts about the Bucs Game - Community Edition

[No_Matter_What]

@Virgil Re snap counts.

 

We had 70 total defensive snaps.

 

Hairston 36 / White 34

Poyer 58 / Hancock 15

 

So CB2 was 50/50 job and there was actually less Hancock than recent games.

[corta765]

48 minutes ago, Rich Stadium Original said:

As far as the run defense...think it always goes to the defensive tackles.  If you look at the history of the best run stuffing LBs in the history of the Bills and the NFL, they probably had a dominant DT in front of them.  Even if the Tackles weren't making the play themselves, they were occupying a double team that meant less pressure on the linebackers behind them.

 

Fridge Perry - Mike Singletary

Siragusa/Sam Adams - Ray Lewis

 

Bills just don't have THAT guy at the position since Kyle William

Timing in sports is sometimes a b*tch. Kyle Williams would've been so good with this group and heck even Jerry Hughes (peak  with his drive/personality would've added some needed juice they never have had on the d-line. I think they hoped Edmunds would've become a true blue blood LB whereas he is just really good. It figures Oliver has seemingly come into his own this year only to get hurt.

[Big Turk]

I know this is crazy saying it after the Bills scored 44 points but I felt like they left a lot of easy plays out there and could have easily put up 60 on the Bucs.  

 

On the long throw to Hardman, Shakir is running wide open on a deep crosser 25 yards downfield with nobody anywhere near him and he might have taken it to the house...

 

 

on another play where Samuel was wide open and turned the wrong way at first or it was an easy 40+ yard TD...

 

they had players running wide open all day long it seemed like and Allen missed quite a few of them that he doesn't usually miss (the airmail to a wide open Shakir out of bounds along the sideline) that I believe happened before the 2nd INT on 4th down, etc...

Edited 1 hour ago by Big Turk

[billsfan714]

Thank god for the Bengals or we would have the worst rushing defense in the league.  It was the same old, same old except we made Sean Tucker look like Gibbs.  It wasnt a good runningback this time.  It was a guy who probably isnt rostered in 14 team fantasy leagues.  Look at the teams in the bottom 8 in rush defense, none of them will go to the superbowl, including us.  As happy as I was seeing an improved passing attack, it was more than disappointing watching that rush defense, again.  Its atrocious, plain and simple.

[corta765]

@Virgil

 

3. Shakir

 

So I agree with you to an extent, but I actually think it is deeper with Shakir and his productivity being down. This last game it was these three factors:

 

1. Injury, they absolutely used him as a decoy

2. Josh looking for bigger plays and not looking low as much

3. Teams are defending him differently now.

 

Take a look at Shakir's numbers from mid 2023 right before Brady on his production skyrocketed. Brady absolutely found some cheat code stuff with the screens and short yardage which he blossomed under. Last year he was brilliant in the slot and game in game out he was dynamite.

 

This year though teams are doubling him and cheating down more so it has been far more boom or bust. Luckily he is so good he is more boom then bust, but if you combine his longest catch yardage in each game together literally half his yardage this year has been on those plays (227 yards). By comparison last year he had 353 yards on his longest each game out of his 821 yards receiving (factor in last game vs NE he didn't play). Still a sizable amount by any means but he was a bit more diversified. Additionally as others have pointed out Brady has not been using him across the middle the same / Josh has stop throwing to him nearly as much there.

 

Overall he is still on a trajectory for a similar season to last year, but his usage has been different by comparison and Buffalo has struggled a bit in how teams have defended him IMO which is part of why the passing game has been stifled.

 

I truly believe if they can get some better outside WRs in next year you could see him go off for like 1100 yards 80 recs 10 TDs.