billsfan1959

Not as painful as reading your analyses...

Prime time game, on the road, in a place that is tough to play. Playing a hot Pittsburgh team with one of the best defenses in the league. Playing, for the most of the game, in a run heavy game plan that is not suited to his strengths. Playing with the pressure of trying to secure a WC playoff birth, with divisional hopes still in play. Takes his team, on his back, for the go ahead TD drive. Solid B.

I actually did not have a problem with the shift to a more run heavy game plan given the environment, the Steeler's defense, and the way the Bills' defense has been playing - and continued to play last night. However; in the red zone (particularly inside the 10), Allen is the biggest threat for the Bills. Out of the 6 plays they ran, before kicking the FG, they took the ball out of Allen's hands on 5 of them. The only play Allen kept the ball was the 3rd and 2 - which he made. Given the fact that this team has scored very few TDs in the red zone outside of runs or throws by Allen, that series was particularly frustrating. Especially in a game that, barring mistakes, was going to be low scoring and one where they were not going to get that many possessions in the red zone.

Being suspended and nationally embarrassed? Right.

My guess is that It is a big deal to Tim Ryan...

Richard Sherman and Dee Ford both stated they weren’t offended and that he had a valid point; however, he could have phrased it better. Honest question: What other way could he have phrased the point that Jackson has dark skin? Sherman phrased it, “ he has a brown arm.” Is that really any different?

Condolences to you and your family

One of the best things about right now is sharing it with my son, who was too young to enjoy the success of the early nineties. Loving it - and I think there are some good years on the horizon.

Another WNY transplant to the Carolinas. Not quite as old as you, but not far behind either!

He may not fit the perception people have of what a franchise QB should be; however, I don't believe any of the talk of him switching to WR, being a product of a gimmick system, or any of the "chipping away at Lamar," as you put it, has anything to do with race. There were some that had question marks about Jackson's ability to translate his ability as a passer to the NFL level. Regardless of how much success he had in college, it is still ok for someone to question his abilities without it being tied to race, just as it is to question whether his style of QB play is sustainable at the NFL level. I didn't / don't hear anyone asking those types of questions about Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, Jacoby Brissett, Cam Newton, Teddy Bridgewater, Jameis Winston, and Dwayne Haskins. As I said in a previous post, because something CAN be interpreted to be insensitive or even racist, that doesn't necessarily mean it is the only, or most important, factor to consider in the evaluation of someone's actions or words. There are plenty of examples every day of overt racism in this country. I believe in picking and choosing your battles. When we make everything a crisis, then everything becomes a crisis. When we are quick to indict people on words or behaviors that are nothing more than mistakes with no intent to be insensitive, derogatory, demeaning, or racist, even when they can be interpreted as such, then we begin to diminish the legitimacy of real racist behaviors.

Not a good trajectory to be on. Winston has somehow managed to eclipse his turnover prone performances of the past 4 seasons and is having a truly Petermanesque kind of year...

I think we have to be careful at times in our indictments of people without a fair evaluation. In this particular instance, I don't believe he had any intention of being insensitive, uncaring, demeaning, or generally racist in any way. That it might be taken offensively by some is a legitimate point; however, it is not the only point and shouldn't necessarily override every other consideration. I don't specifically remember Polian's stance; however, there were those that questioned his passing skills and suggested he move to TE

I'm still waiting for someone to explain the Aaron Maybin pick to me....

Agree. Too much of both ends of the spectrum going on.

Agree. People should be able to consider how their words and actions affect others. On the other hand, people should also not go out of their way to find something offensive in other people's words and actions.

I'm sure it's the gift the Pope always wanted....

Yeah, he could slide like he did in Dallas and still get hit by two defenders... Just kidding Actually, I agree. I want him to use his legs when he needs to; however, I don't want him taking on defenders like a running back. I think he has done a much better job, since that hit in the NE game, of sliding, getting out of bounds, and, generally, not putting himself in a position to take a big hit. Also, I'm not sure about the stat itself. Couldn't find it anywhere other than in that article

You and I have had our disagreements; however, you have supported Allen and your arguments have always been about the style of offense you would like to see with him. I agree with you that they are closer than people want to admit. I posted the stats of Allen and Jackson over the last 8 games in several other threads. I chose that span because Allen has been playing differently since the NE game, and Jackson has been on an 8 game winning streak. From a pure player production standpoint, they have been pretty close: Jackson has only 174 more total yards, less passing yards, more rushing yards 3 more total TDS, 1 more turnover, 2 more wins, and a 109 passer rating to Allen's 99 rating. While Jackson has considerably more rushing yards, he also has almost twice as many attempts in an offense designed specifically to maximize his running skills. Where they differ is overall team scoring - and that is a product of what they do on the opponents side of the field. Excluding kneel downs at the end of the game, Jackson and the Ravens have had only 4 drives inside the opponents 40 yard line where they did not score points. By contrast, the Bills have had 30 drives inside the opponents 40 where they did not score points. Just kicking field goals on 20 of those 30 drives would move the Bills from 19th to 7th in scoring. The Bills are great in the red zone. They have had their troubles between the 20-40 yard lines. Jackson has excelled in that area against some pretty good teams. That is the primary difference in production between the two. If Allen and the Bills had found ways to score TDs and FGs on half of those drives I described above - there may be a completely different national discussion going on right now. I do agree with you that Jackson is evaluated differently than Allen. I think a lot of that has to do with the level of polarization surrounding Allen, and the hard lines drawn by people in their evaluations of him going into the draft. It is starting to change, not coincidentally, with better offensive play over the last three weeks. Here's hoping that change in the national conversation of Allen continues after this game. In the end, I don't care what other people say about Allen, how they think he measures up to other QBs, or which other QBs are better. I think he is the right QB for this team and this city. He is talented, tough, competitive, and smart. Over his last 16 games (a full season), he is 11-5. Over his last 8 games he has 18 TDs and 3 turnovers. Over his last 3 games, we have started to see that talent on display even more - with so much more room to grow. Go Bills!

It is not just the red zone. The Ravens are the best team in the NFL in sustaining drives and scoring points per drive. It is not about making them drive long fields, it's about doing what very few teams have been able to do: Limit the number of drives they have, limit the plays/yards per drive, and limit the number of drives that cross into Bills territory. Forcing some 3 and outs or limiting them to some drives of 15-20 total yards would be a boost. And the Bills offense needs to keep playing like they have the last three weeks. I say 50-50

There are two stats that matters to me: 1. For the year, Jackson is averaging 6.8 YPC and 84 YPG, and over their 8 game winning streak, he is averaging 7.11 YPC and 92 YPG. They need to limit him to under 6 YPC and 50 yards for the game. 2. The Ravens are the number one blitzing team in the NFL and it isn't even close. They blitz on 52% of QB dropbacks. While Allen has gotten better over the last three weeks, for the season, he has only completed 57% of his passes when blitzed for 8 TDs and 3 INTs, and 15 of his 27 sacks have come on blitzes. If Daboll and Allen try to dial up longer developing, deeper routes, like they did in the NE game, then it will be a long game. This is a game for the quick, short to intermediate routes and for Allen to use his legs a little more. Edit: 3. I will add a couple more stats. The Ravens are number 1 in yards per drive and points per drive - and when they get inside the opponent's 40 yard line, they score points. They have failed to score points on only 4 drives inside the 40 all year (by contrast, the Bills have failed to score on 30 drives inside the opponent's 40). The Bills defense is going to have to find a way to limit longer, sustained drives by the Ravens.

That comparison was for the last 8 games (since the disastrous NE game for Allen, and the 8 game winning streak for Jackson). You are right that there is a huge disparity in the rushing. Nobody is in Jackson's category as a rusher; however, aside from his talent, he also has had almost twice as many rushing attempts as Allen in a Greg Roman system designed specifically to take advantage of his rushing skills. The point was about production. Over that 8 game period Jackson has only 174 more total yards, 3 more total TDs, 1 less turnover, and a 109 passer rating to Allen's 99. The difference, as you pointed out, is in the team scoring. One of the reasons, IMO, is because, for most of this year, the Bills were having drives end between the opponent's 20-40 yard lines with NO points. They have been fantastic in the red zone; however, excluding drives where Allen took a knee to end the game, the Bills have had 30 drives this year end, with no points between the 20-40 yard lines. If they had just kicked a field goal on 67% (20 of the 30 drives) they would be 7th in the NFL in scoring, rather than 19th. That is where Jackson has excelled. By contrast, the Ravens have had just 4 drives all season (Excluding drives where Jackson took a knee to end the game) inside the opponent's 40 yard line end with no points. Allen and the Bills have gotten better over the last three weeks. They have had only 1 drive inside the opponent's 40 that did not end in points, and that was a missed field goal. They have also averaged over 400 yds and 26 points per game over those 3 games.So, I think they are getting better. I have been really impressed with Allen over the last three weeks and I believe the uptempo no-huddle suits him well.

I sort of reserve elite status to HOF caliber players, in which case, few players will fall into that category - particularly in their second season. What is your definition of elite passers and what are the criteria? It would be easier to debate if we are coming from the same perspective.

His career, period, has been a disappointment. Extraordinary talent that never manifested in his play in the NFL. Pass

If you are looking to passer rating to confirm it, then, Allen has been doing just that for a number of games now. Edit: Since you used Prescott as an example, as I pointed out in a previous post, Allen has a better QB rating that Prescott over the last 8 weeks.