‘Through three games, the Bills’ offense is as wide open as it ever has been, and it is producing at a fantastic pace.’
Archives for September 29, 2020
What we learned from Bills’ snap counts in Week 3 win, game ball and more
‘The Bills spent the entire game in their nickel (five defensive backs) defense. Slot cornerback Taron Johnson played 60 snaps (87%), while safety Dean Marlowe came in for nine snaps (13%), perhaps in an effort to provide a bigger body against the Rams’ running game. Linebacker A.J. Klein, the starter in the base 4-3, played just one snap.’
Five takeaways from Monday’s Bills press conferences
‘“Some things we’ll have to get better at for sure. Being able to be more gap sound and tackle better,” Frazier said, referencing the win over the Rams. “We had a lot of missed tackles in those last four drives that really hurt us. It’s disappointing that we could start so well and not finish how we started. Something we’ll have to work on for sure.”’
Position grades: Rams’ wonderful scheming made for long day
‘This was one of the toughest matchups of the season for the interior D-line, and the stoutness at nose tackle was a problem. Quinton Jefferson, arguably playing out of position when he lines up as the 1-technique, got pushed around. Harrison Phillips was slightly better but had a rough day at the point of attack, too. They combined to hurry the QB to force a field goal in the second quarter. Jefferson played 44 snaps, Ed Oliver 39, Phillips 29 and Vernon Butler 26. Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth has allowed just one sack in his last 24 regular-season games. Mario Addison beat him for a hurry to force an incompletion early in the third quarter. That was the only one Whitworth yielded. All the Rams’ rollouts negate pass rush. Jared Goff was averaging a league-high 8.5 rollouts a game and averaging 10.9 yards per attempt on them the first two weeks, according to Sports Info Solutions. Against the Bills, he rolled out 10 times and the Rams averaged 9.0 yards per play.’
Jim Kubiak: How Bills QB Josh Allen maximizes the schemes being called
‘Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll devised a balanced attack in the first quarter, equally rushing and passing in 14 plays. Allen’s first two attempts were incomplete and Buffalo went three-and-out on the first possession. On the second drive, however, Allen was nearly perfect, leading the Bills on an 11-play drive for the only score of the quarter.’
Erie County will lobby state to allow up to 7,000 Bills fans into the stadium
‘The Bills had originally lobbied for 17,000 fans to be allowed in, then dropped the figure to 9,000, Poloncarz said. But county officials said they thought 7,000 was a safer number, based on the size of the concourses, public spaces and restrooms.’
A ‘great’ Bills game could have used a higher-ranked Fox team
‘It was such an exciting game that it was unfortunate that one of Fox’s top announcing crews wasn’t on hand rather than the last of its six regular teams.’
NFL: Bills might be allowed some fans next home game
‘The Bills initially requested an allowance of 17,000 fans, then lowered that number to 9,000. However, the Erie County Health Department has amended that number to 7,000, or 10% of the stadium’s full capacity. Another note in the proposal is that fans will have to abide by a timed entry and exit process. After the game, fans are expected to be released by section, with each section being required to exit a certain gate.’
Bills are 3-0, but no thanks to the defense
‘The Bills are scoring an impressive 31 points per game … but give up a way-too-generous 26. The last two games it’s even worse. In wins at Miami (31-28) and home with the Rams (35-32), Buffalo’s ‘D’ averaged surrendering 30 points and 444 yards in those games. The cliche is that “defense travels” so that isn’t good news for the Bills, who are at Las Vegas and Nashville the next two weeks.’
Focus on Bills: Can Raiders slow down Josh Allen?
‘“The quarterback is eye-opening. He’s a fun guy to watch, man,” Gruden said Monday about the man the Bills drafted seventh overall in the 2018 draft. “He can really throw the ball. He’s got a great playing style. He’s got a lot of John Elway’s playing style. He can scramble, he’s strong, he’s tough. He’s a big-time player.”’
Thurman Thomas Sees Bills’ Allen Developing Into True Leader
‘“He’s becoming a True Leader for this team,” the Hall of Fame running back wrote in a text to The Associated Press on Monday. “Showing maturity, confidence and now some touch in his passes, looking like an MVP candidate for years to come.”’
After Week 3, Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen Seems To Be An MVP In Waiting
‘The Josh Allen results after three games are off-the-charts good, but it’s always wise to remind people this is still a small sample size and the season is 16 games long. Not three.’
McDermott on Allen’s growth: “You’re seeing what we’ve seen in practice”
‘“You learn through experiences,” McDermott said. “We as a team have learned through shared experiences.”’
How Tony Romo played a role in Josh Allen’s torrid start to season
‘Allen said he spent the offseason tweaking his mechanics with his coaches and offseason tutor Jordan Palmer – another former quarterback who works with several quarterbacks around the league – and Allen said that Romo wanted him to “feel your head is on a stake through the ground and you’re just trying to rotate it around and use [the torso] as an axis.”’
Are you not entertained?!
‘This is what we’ve all been asking for. Not just winning football games, but doing it by throwing the ball, scoring points, having a quarterback who gives you a chance every time he touches it. Being aggressive… and entertaining.’