Mango

I think he can be, which is where I get frustrated. I also don’t hate Josh, but once the season starts there are no more WR. No new HC or OC change to level up. But we can execute. The best way to cover up offensive woes in season is better QB play. I have taken huge issue with the way Beane constructed the roster. It’s going to take 2-3 years to reset. It frustrates me to know end. But he can’t do anything to help us against KC, Philly, Miami, etc right now. We just have to be better with what we have.

This is where I don’t know what to do. Both first and second down had guys wide open, uncovered. I expect Derek Carr or Ryan Tannehill to just “run the play that’s called” as Josh put it in his post game presser. But if your guy is top 5, you have to know not to just chuck it up there. You have to see the play beyond the play call. Just because a call is designed to go to “x” doesn’t mean you have to throw it there if he’s covered and others are open. And if others are open. Is the problem still the call? Part of me is pointing the finger but also I think those are legitimate questions.

I generally agree. But I had an issue with it given the situation. We were down. The defense was smoked and needed more than 90 seconds. We needed to give them a breather. I think we got lucky on that wild set of flags on the Bengals in the second. I think the defense breaks and the offense doesn’t give us a chance in the 4th if that series of events goes differently.

I can’t disagree with anything here. I will add that the defense was on the field a lot in the first half. Huddling up or going no huddle, I think a team should be able to convert a first down or two to give the other side of the ball some rest. The defense wasn’t good in the first half, but the offense also hung them out to dry. The first pass the offense completed after the first drive was with 1:30 left in the half. I thought that the defense was going to totally fold this game with all the 3 and outs and the like. And honestly, I think we got lucky with that wild set of penalties in the 2nd. Kudos to them, they really came out of the half firing.

There’s this sort of unspoken thing where everybody just kind of assumes that just because Josh doesn’t do something then the throw wasn’t there. I am no play call guru, but I do watch the all-22 every week and have been doing it for years. Josh taking the easy throws, and seeing the field has been something I’ve been complaining about since his first full season. That 3rd drive where we threw the INT was about as egregious as it gets. Both the deep throw to Harty and the INT on second down had guys WIDE OPEN. Both throws were terrible decisions.

Amtrak actually. But I’ll be passing through the Yonkers shortly. Ha.

I think some of the issue is Dorsey, some is offensive personnel, but I also think Josh has been figured out a bit. He’s a brute force kind of QB, and when things get tight he doubles down on it. I was driving this am and caught a quick CIN quote post game on NFL radio and he said something like “we just tried to keep the play in front of us, take away the big play, force them to drive the field, don’t let Josh escape the pocket”. Dorsey needs to find a way to get Josh going when teams do this. But man, it sucks to hear teams say stuff like this. This is where we just beat ourselves. Take what they give you!

I am sort of live tweeting this. On the train to NYC and this is a long video. But I take issue with Joes order of operations so far. 1. Coaching fine. 2. Defense. What?…

Worth noting with some of the Gabe Davis criticisms this week. “Where was Gabe?” Diggs and Kincaid did everything we begged from a first and second target. They were open a ton, caught just about everything, 16 catches for about 160. We got that 1/2 production everybody was begging for. Davis was a role player on the outside. That’s what people have pounded the table for. We have to do better at getting him and Cook involved situationally for chunk plays and RAC. Let Shakir find some soft spots. Davis brings some speed and size on the outside, and Cook should be tearing up LB’s in the passing game. Those guys are certainly good enough to fill those roles with the emerging of Kincaid as a legit option.

I have a little bit of an issue with the criticism that trying to get the run game going stalled the offense. On the second drive we took 2 deep shots and a short throw. Completed zero. The problem isn’t two run plays for zero yards. The third drive was 2 terrible decisions in a row from Josh that ended in an INT. Then came back on the 4th drive with run, run pass. We ran the ball 8 times with our RB’s. We can’t honestly be saying trying to run the ball once in a blue moon is what killed us. We ran the ball just 4 more times after that. That’s bonkers.

Just in general I think there I something going on. Dorsey has been here for 5 years and was OC last year. Josh has been the starter for 6. Diggs here for and Davis both for 4. 3/5 returning OL. Cook is back. Sure, McD is getting stale. Time to move on, I get it. But these are vets running together for a while now, with the same staff. I think there’s something else going on in the locker room. I can’t put my finger on it. I don’t know. I’m at a little bit of a loss. It is time for a staff reset I guess. I have some criticisms of Beane. But I have way more of Terry. I hope they don’t let them both walk. I have approximately zero belief in Terry Pegula’s ability to rebuild any franchise without needed a huge bit of luck.

This thought crossed my mind. We have something like 25 FA and -$41M in space. The issue is that to get us to break even well either have to mortgage the future a ton. Like a lot. Or we’re going to have to stink next year. I am tempted to “stink”, load up on OL and WR wart in the next draft, and worry about the rest later.

Definitely making fun of WGR.

Right because on other teams a QQ would never sit with his WR and say something like “the safety is cheating to Diggs, next time we run XYZ, Shakir take that route 5 yards deeper, he won’t be there”. We see it all the time on mic’d ups, NFL films, and a million other docuseries. It happens regularly. I don’t think this is any magic fairy dust. But it would certainly add value. To say communication is for practice and why bother because Davis sucks is silly.

The Bills need to be rotating young talent at WR. Diggs and Allen are hefty costs going forward. I think Diggs, Kincade, Cook, Davis, and Shakir are “OK” not the greatest group, but not as terrible as some would make it seem. Certainly go ahead and upgrade them. I won’t argue against it. But it will have to be cheaply through the draft. Some of the problem is making the plays that are there. The other part is using those guys properly situationally.

I don’t think it’s any new narrative. Josh has been inconsistent since he came into the league. So it’s not some new talking point. Without a draft, FA, or new OC, the best way for this offense to get better than next 2 months is better QB play.

Come on man. We see other QB’s working with their WR on the sideline often. “That’s what practice is for” is a cop out. The offense is going to spiral if somebody doesn’t grab it by the horns. There’s no magic OC that will fix this this year. There are no magic WR. So mid season increased communication should certainly help get help somewhat. Also, Allen hasn’t been throwing much at practice.

What? The second drive we called 2 runs and took 2 deep shots before getting to 3rd down where we took yet another shot we didn’t connect on. On the third drive Allen threw the ball deep to a double well covered Harty when he had Kincaid and Diggs wide open. Then threw a terrible interception with Cook all alone. After completing zero passes in two drives we went run, run, pass on the 4th drive. Allens game has always been hot and cold.

One thing I noticed in the TB game that I liked a lot was that Allen spent a ton of time talking to his pass catchers on the sideline. The more bad games we get from Allen this year the more the blank stare in the corner bothers me. But more than working with Brady or scrolling a tablet. I’d love to see him working with his WR about what they’re both seeing out there and what the expectations are when they see x,y,z. Otherwise they’re just running plays exactly as their drawn up, but when the bullets fly there are a lot of variables. Based on coverages, how a WR releases, and how Allen sets the coverage, routes change on the fly. I’d like there to be more communication.

On the third drive Allen had Diggs and Kincaid wide open and he chucked it to a well covered Harty. Then on 2nd and 10 he threw a terrible interception with Cook wide open. These drives happen all the time. That’s not a “style issue” that’s a “stop being a bonehead issue”. Dorsey deserves some blame. But Allen also needs to be a better decision maker.

A few things. The offense ran 21 plays the first half. 7 were in the first drive. Then they went 4, 2, 3, and 5. I wish the offense would sustain drives and get the run game going too. Your hot take makes zero sense.

Jim Harbaugh would be on my short list. I don’t want the Bills to fire and dive in without a plan. If the Bills move on, I want them to do it already knowing who their top 3 candidates are before they call McD into the office. I’ll say it for the 100th time, Terry Pegula terrifies me. I have a real fear that any major moves could set this whole franchise into a death spiral.

Not on a million billion years. And I’m not saying “don’t fire McD”. I’m saying under no circumstances should Daboll be the replacement. The Giants have a lot of issues, and coaching is near the very top of their list.

Meh. They have a QB. It’s always open. But I’ve been pounding the table that they’ve been trying to keep the train on the tracks by overpaying for too many vets. The Bills needed to start thinking about a step back an offseason or two ago. And the longer they waited the more painful it would be. Now we have to take 2 years to move on from Tre, Von, Morse, Hyde, and Poyer’s contract. Not to mention we have nobody in the pipeline to replace Davis and only 2 DE under contract next year and we are $~41M over the cap for 2024. If taking a year or two to restock the shelves “closes Allen’s window” then it wasn’t really open very wide to begin with. This doesn’t have to be a huge deal.

I agree. I’ve been a little bit of a Dorsey defender. But I’m coming around to getting my pitchfork. I do think there is something else going on with this team outside of McD/Dorsey. If it takes moving on from one, both, or whole FO change, it is what it is. But some things just don’t make sense. Diggs, Allen, Davis, Shakir, Cook, 3/5 OL, and even Dorsey were all so much better as a unit last season.