Hapless Bills Fan

I understand that take. My phrase was "good enough to run against most DLs" (emphasis added) Where I am with the assessment "good enough to run against most DLs" is that I think you have to look under the hood a bit more than just total rush yards or overall YPA, into specifics of games. When you do that, you see that while there were games last season where we just didn't try to run, there were also some games last year where we ran well or at least adequately. Examples of "well", in the first Patriots game, Moss and Motor rushed for 167 yds (6 ypa) Chargers, Moss and Motor 141 yds (7 ypa) Broncos, Moss and Motor 147 yds (7 ypa) There were other games where I believe we could have run, but we were slinging the ball all over the place and just didn't try. Against KC, the Titans, and the Colts we pretty much couldn't run. Against the Ravens we didn't try. So that was the paradox of the Bills run game last season: sometimes we could run decently, and sometimes when we couldn't, it wasn't on the OL but on the backs, or on the WR and TE missing blocks. That's why I believe Beane's take-away from the end of season debriefing was that if the RBs came back strong and he added Breida and the offense focused on honing their scheme towards plays we could do and towards being less predictable, it would be good enough. And in hindsight, I think he was probably wrong, but I also think it's gone a bit sideways from what he (and McDermott) expected.

So the bottom line is, you're right that Beane miscalculated. To be fair to Beane, last year the OL was "good enough" to pass protect, and good enough to run against most DLs. Wild cards I don't think Beane could have predicted: -Feliciano deciding to go on a diet and lose 30 lbs and train for MMA (or whatever it is he's been doing) instead of OL -Williams regressing badly at RT -Whatever happened to Dawkins (covid, celebrity, some combination) that threw him off Beane miscalculated that Cody Ford would take a step, but he felt that some combination of Forrest Lamp, Jamil Douglas, and Ike Boettger would step up if he didn't. That's on Beane - he really did the bare minimum on IOL with his 2 FA signings and bringing Mongo back, and he bet a bit too much on his Ford. Some of it is a "perfect storm" of stuff he really couldn't have predicted (Williams, Dawkins, skinny Mongo) IMO, Beane (and McDermott) both felt they had end-of-year assessments that the run game could be made functional with the above OL, Singletary and Motor, and the addition of Breida as a speed back IF the Bills changed up their game plan and scheme a bit to be less predictable. The consensus suggestions I read here from pundits are to run more from shotgun using Breida and outside zone, return to the pin-and-pull blocking that Ford and Morse are more suited for, and put Josh under center where his play-action is more effective and where running a (2,1) set with Gilliam and a TE blocking should be able to consistently get us 3-5 yds. (I feel certain someone will correct me if I've got this wrong) But, somewhere on the way to the game day active roster, Breida became a continual healthy scratch so that Kumerow could start and play ST. And the committment to making the run game actually work never made it into the Pittsburgh game plan and has hardly shown up since. I guess my point is that yes, Beane should have done more for the IOL - at least, I wanted him to do more for the IOL - but I think the real root of the problem is that Beane gave our offense a chess piece that has not been being used in Breida. I also believe that Beane's calculation on how much was "enough" to do for the OL and RB position, rested on an action plan for player utilization and play development that has not been followed. That's 100% hunch on my part, but it's a hunch that McDermott's talk about "I thought we'd be further along by now" after the Jax game somewhat confirms IMO.

The OP is crusading the idea that McDermott has "checked out" and will quit the Bills to take the HC job at USC, complete with wrong information about McDermott having grown up in the USC area vs. reality (where he was actually born and grew up). He's started 1 or 2 other threads and other posts about it and won't let go. This time he's trying to sneak it in by titling it "Carson Palmer concerned" and linking the video, in the hopes we won't notice, I guess.

Not only that - but to sustain a long drive, you have to be able to play error free football. No false starts, no holds, etc.

If he is unvaccinated, he could be back as early as today if he has been symptom free for 48 hrs (10 days from Nov 14) But when he'll really be back is 48 hrs after his last symptoms, whenever that may be. Damn I wish Harry could play.

And on that note, let's just switch to the new "Toe" thread. Thanks.

He appears pretty regularly on a segment with Chris Brown and Steve Tasker and he pretty much said the same things a couple weeks back. I guess one question is why they're lacking explosive plays in the passing game from last season - did they say anything about that?

Yeah, I saw that https://nypost.com/2021/11/24/aaron-rodgers-covid-toe-saga-has-reached-new-levels-of-weird/?utm_source=NYPTwitter&utm_medium=SocialFlow&utm_campaign=SocialFlow Eff Rodgers and eff all journalists who don't verify information

It's possible. I would like to assume that the media has a source such as someone who knows a team trainer or so forth, but that probably isn't a safe assumption on my part. But then, I would also like to assume that if Rodgers discloses his injury, he's telling the truth; he has nothing to gain by breaking news that he has a painful and long-lasting complication of Covid, after telling his followers that homeopathy plus whatever Joe Rogan suggests have him all fixed up. And you could well be correct that may also not be a safe assumption on my part.

Brown and Lotulelei still on Covid list. No info on when they'll be back. Feliciano still on IR. He was interviewed in regard to his 300 meal T-giving giveaway, said he is feeling good and could probably have returned this week if it weren't a short week. McDermott earlier said he'd be back "this week or next" Everyone else good to go

I read that. And Joe B. and former OLman John Fina panned him. I think this is the PFF OL grades quandry where, without knowledge of the blocking assignments in the specific protection, it's hard to tell who is supposed to do what.

The team put him on injury report with a "toe" designation, yes.

You know, I wasn't gonna say anything. Generosity should be thanked and recognized and all that. But he gave away two meals. TWO meals. And he did so with fanfare and news coverage - lots of talking on camera, all the food packed in Blue bags emblazoned with his #1 jersey. And he did this when the Bills are playing on a short week with minimal time to study opponent tape and minimal time for the players to rest up. I'm sure his personal assistant did all the shopping and packaging and loading and all he had to do was show up for the news feature, but still. I gave away two+ Thanksgiving meals myself. I did it by quietly putting together bags of easy-to-prepare food like canned ham and instant mashed potatoes and instant sweet potatoes and canned veg (throw in a dollar store can opener) because a lot of times people who don't have food, have had their electric or gas shut off and can't cook much. A friend who works with women coming out of DV situations knew who could use it and said she could drop them off on her round. Then I bought vienna sausage cans and instant mashed potato packets and went around to our neighborhood "food box pantries" and stocked them because they're high-calorie filling foods that someone can prepare with hot water from a public bathroom and fill their stomach or their kids stomach with something warm. I explain all that because I had a learning curve about the best ways to help, so if some of you are shopping today and want to help someone, there are some easy suggestions. Or just float what you can in $$ to a local food pantry, many of them can bulk-buy wholesale and get more bang for the buck. I give where I do because it's available to anyone, no questions, no eligibility process, if you're hungry just walk up and take it and eat. The thought of being followed around on camera with someone sticking a microphone up my nose while I talk about how much it means to me while doing my little giving thing makes me wanna 🤮. I don't do it for PR or thanks, I do it because I have enough that I can spare some and I'm very grateful for that. I really kind of hate myself writing this. Manny Sands has a choice about how he spends his money, and how he spends his time, and he chose to do something to help two families with some of both, which he didn't have to do, so credit to him. But clearly, from how the give-away was covered and the blue bags with his #1 jersey and so forth, there's a lot of concern about his "Brand" and positive PR, not just about giving back and helping people, so let's keep it Real, too. A lot of us quietly and without fanfare do as much with <10% of his resources and if helping people was his real goal he could do more. I believe Feliciano gave away 300 meals including 19 lb turkeys. And they weren't bagged up in #76 jerseys, though he did give an interview about it.

Exactly. He made it very clear he's not a committed believer in homeopathy, so who knows indeed?

I think Phillips is going to join Ford as one of our draft misses. Part of it, of course, is lack of playing experience. He's a 4th year player, with the experience of a guy just starting his 3rd year. But still, you expect more from him at this point. That's how it goes - a GM who hits on half his draft picks, even in the first 3 rounds, is doing pretty well. He had 6 receptions on 10 targets. I don't have the stomach to go back and find all 4 of the incompletions to see if I feel they were all balls he should have caught. I know I felt at least 2 of them were "c'mon Dawson you gotta catch those" Can you tell me where you are finding this info? Not doubting you, just interested. The thing about adjusted stats is, all QB have drops.

Heh. It's chilblains-like, not chilblains and in most people covid toe can be treated with anti-inflammatories and resolves eventually. Of course, most people don't take whatever it was Aaron Rodgers took for his "immunization", so - who knows in his case?

From the link:

It could set them back on their heels - bad thing for offensive and defensive tackles! They wouldn't be able to go "toe to toe" with opponents.

Thanks. Get better. And I agree, Butler sucked. I thought Oliver was pretty good. Butler was on his way to the bench when Zimmer was injured and went to IR.

On McKenzie I don't remember right now if he were wearing gloves or not, and he can't fumble regardless - but I know there are different gloves for wet or dry weather, and they provide different grip. As far as Breida, I was just reading the article on Jon Feliciano in TBN and this struck me: "There's plays, and then there's players that make plays work" I don't see how you could have a clearer commentary that Breida is able to make some plays work that Singletary and Moss simply can't.

The "lack of focus" allegedly shown at the Bills practice is all based on a few media videos or photos of players dancing or shaking hands or otherwise being goofy during warm-ups/stretching or on their way from one practice session to another. The media is only allowed to watch a small part of practice - the first 20 minutes I think. I actually do feel the Bills have struggled with a lack of focus, but not because Josh Allen does silly handshakes while he's walking over for receiver drills or because there's video of Ed Oliver dancing.

I guess I missed the memo where Ford had a good game vs the Colts? But if he had a good game and things are "clicking" then I would think you would want to keep him on the side where things are, in fact, clicking.

Effectively right now, he's our 3rd string RG. How many teams have great roster management when they're down to their 3rd string RG? Whether Ford is truly better than Jamil Douglas or Ryan Bates at RG, I can't tell you, but the point is, the Bills think Darryl Williams and Jon Feliciano are better. IMHO last year we got better when Boettger took over for Ford at LG and Feliciano took over for Winters at RG But I think you're being sarcastic

Excuse me, Pat Leonard. That's offensive coordinator COACH Jason Garret because that's how we address our coaches here