mjt328

I'm getting tired of hearing about the easy schedule. Even if the Bills manage to ONLY beat the bad/mediocre teams this year, it's still a significant step from where this team has been. Even if we are one/done in the Wild Card Round, it's still a big milestone for this growing franchise. There are only so many really good teams in the NFL. Everyone knows, the Bills played an absolutely brutal schedule last year. Yet when everything was added up, they still only faced 8 games against teams with more than 8 wins. That's the reality of the NFL. If you can take care of business against the teams you SHOULD beat, you are going to be in talks for the playoffs most of the time. The next level is consistently competing against and occasionally beating the really good teams. We aren't there yet. And that's OK. This is a franchise that completely blew up everything (front office, coaching staff, scouting department, roster, salary cap) less than 3 years ago. They hired a first-time General Manager and a first-time Head Coach, who were tasked with fixing one of the most dysfunctional teams in the NFL. They rebuilt the locker room, player by player, and then drafted one of the rawest first round Quarterback prospects I've ever seen. This was always going to be a methodical and grueling process, as opposed to a quick overnight fix. If you would have polled ANYONE before the season, they would have been thrilled with the kind of improvement this team has shown in the first 8 games. But at some point, the standards for a "successful" season changed. Suddenly it's not enough to win games on Sunday. We need to be blowing teams out by 3 touchdowns, or fans are miserable. It's pathetic and I feel really sorry for anyone with that kind of attitude.

First of all, very few people expected this team to win more than 10 games this season. We are currently on pace (depending on the Washington game) to win 10-12. Nothing is going wrong, other than a bad game against a really good opponent. Second, the Defense has been good/great for the majority of the season. Most would consider it a Top 3 unit in the NFL. It is not a problem or a liability, and we don't need a total overhaul on our Front 7. We have literally had ONE bad game (out of seven this season), and Bills fans are suddenly screaming that our pass rushers are ineffective, our tackles are terrible/undersized, our linebackers are out of position, and our scheme is not flexible enough. This is a total overreaction, and I believe they will make the necessary adjustments against their next opponents. Our biggest problem this year has been an offense that turns the ball over, and cannot score enough points. Strangely enough, the team ranks in the middle of the league in actual yardage and moving the ball. And they are among the best in Red Zone percentage. This tells me the problem isn't ability. It's consistency. Each game we have drives that go 30-40 yards, and then suddenly stall. Each game we have 1-2 really good scoring drives, but then struggle badly for 2-3 straight drives and can't get anything going. I don't think it's a coincidence that our young QB is also wildly inconsistent. Last year he was hitting lots of downfield passes, but struggling with accuracy/efficiency on the short stuff. This year he's improved drastically on the short/medium throws, but can't hit the deep ball. In the first few games, he was playing more aggressive and passing for more yardage. But he was making stupid mistakes and throwing too many picks. Which killed too many drives. Now he's being more careful with the ball. But that is leading to more sacks and less yardage. Which is killing too many drives. We are seeing EVERYTHING we need from Josh Allen. It's just happening in spurts. If he can find balance to his conservative/aggressive play, and start putting together full games, the Bills are going to start winning more convincingly.

Never said the players don't shoulder the blame. Our Run Defense was a huge reason for the loss, and it was acknowledged in the original post. If you let up a 65-yard touchdown run, somebody screwed up. If you get run over in the 4th Quarter and can't stop the opposing team, it's clearly a problem. My point was to show the Run Defense wasn't a continual problem for 4 Quarters. It was a single run in the 3rd Quarter, and then two drives in the 4th Quarter. Just because the Eagles took advantage of a scheme or an alignment, doesn't necessarily mean it's the fault of the coaching staff. Like I said, what the Bills were doing on Run Defense was working for the majority of the first 45 minutes. If Josh Allen doesn't fumble, the defense lets up 3 points in the first half. If Hyde takes a better angle to the ball, the big touchdown run never happens. At the time everything fell apart, they really had no reason to adjust on Run Defense. The biggest problem at that point was stopping Philly's screen game. Once the Eagles started ramming the ball down our throat, it was too late for them to really make changes. What they learn from this game will be important when we face Baltimore.

Not the same thing. And I never said the Run Defense had a good day. My point was to show the breakdowns were more isolated than most fans realize, which suggests it would be easier to correct.

But as I detailed in the original post, the sequence of plays you are referring to all occurred in the 4th Quarter - and almost entirely on a single drive. At that point of the game, it was too late for the coaching staff to make significant gameplan adjustments. The Bills were also down by 2 scores and couldn't really afford to use a timeout to get the defense together again. The defense had a really bad game. I'm not excusing that at all. And the Bills coaching staff absolutely needs to shore up the problems revealed during the 4th Quarter, or it will lead to additional struggles down the line. There has been a theme going on since Sunday, stating the Eagles spotted a clear weakness in the Bills run defense, continually exploited it throughout the game, and McDermott/Frazier were totally powerless to make the needed adjustments to stop it. My goal was to show this wasn't completely true. In reality, the Bills run defense was gashed on ONE play in the first 45 minutes of the game. The wheels totally came off in the 4th Quarter, and by that point, the coaches were in a tough position to make drastic changes. Agreed. I think the play was a mix of Milano failing to get off the block, and Hyde hesitating into the hole - then taking a bad angle. I mistakenly said Poyer in another thread, but it was clearly Hyde when I watched the play again. Screens were a completely different issue, and another thing that needs adjusting. As was our ability to stop the Quarterback scrambles. I started the thread to discuss the Run Defense by itself, since that was what had most people in an uproar.

Thought I would share some interesting stats/observations regarding our Run Defense, since so many people now believe the sky is falling. 1. In the first half, Eagles running backs had 31 yards on 11 carries (2.81 ypc). 2. Outside of the 65-yard-run, Eagles running backs had 6 yards on 4 carries in the third quarter (1.50 ypc). 3. Carson Wentz scrambling and a Nelson Agholor end-around accounted for 42 yards. Outside of the big run and some QB scrambles, the run defense played very well until the 4th Quarter. In total, we are talking 15 carries for 37 yards. And the main reason Miles Sanders broke off that big run, was because Micah Hyde was concerned about Wentz scrambling and hesitated flying at the ball carrier. I'm not saying this to excuse a poor performance by the Defense. Not at all. It was definitely a bad game, and one of the primary reasons we lost on Sunday (the offense cannot be excused either). I just want to put things into perspective, for those who believe the Defense was totally exposed or that Sean McDermott failed to make the necessary adjustments. This was the first truly BAD game we've seen from the Bills Defense since the middle of last year. Other teams have tried to run up the middle over the last 13-14 games, and haven't done close to what the Eagles accomplished on Sunday. And most of this damage was done over the course of two drives in the 4th Quarter. By that point, it was too late to make significant scheme changes. It's also possible the Defense was just gassed and worn-down, considering this was the same stretch where our offense couldn't do ANYTHING.

Please watch the 65-yard-run, and tell me how Lotulelei was "dominated" by the blocker. He is clearly angled to the A gap before the snap, and then shoots into and fills the A gap. Which is NOT where the run goes. If you are upset that he didn't knock the OG on his @$$ and blow into the backfield to make the play, your expectations are too high. Not being Aaron Donald does not make him a bad player.

I follow a number of Bills reporters who do All-22 reviews, and their opinion on Sunday's game echos Joe B and what the coaching staff said earlier. Star Lotulelei played well. Too many football fans (not just in Buffalo) see the big tackles as the "first line of defense" and jump on them anytime the team lets up a big run. This is a generic, uneducated and often misguided way of thinking. In many schemes - ours included - the DTs are mostly intended to occupy blockers and allow the Linebackers or Safeties to fly around the field and make the tackle. The Miles Sanders 65-yard-run was a perfect example. Lotulelei angled before the snap and then filled the A gap to the left of the center. He did his job, and helped leave an unblocked defender behind him to make the stop. This play ultimately came down to either Matt Milano shedding the block, or Micah Hyde reacting quickly to the play. Milano is totally blocked out of the play, and Hyde hesitates - allowing Sanders to make the cut and fly past them.

Every coach needs PLAYERS to make his scheme work. Like every other aspect of this roster, the Defense has been a work in progress since 2017. As new pieces have been added, the performance has gotten better and the bad games have decreased. McDermott's defense has ALWAYS needed linebackers playing at a high-level to make his system work. It wasn't until the second-half of 2018 that he was getting strong play from Tremaine Edmunds AND Matt Milano. Over the final 7 games of last year, and the first 6 games of this year - the defense has played very well. So yes. This has only been one bad performance. I'm curious what your definition of a "blowout" is. We lost by 18 points on Sunday, allowing 31 points overall. And I would consider Josh Allen's fumble (led to 8 points at the end of the half) a significant factor in the final outcome. Bad games happen. And most of the time, the can be summed-up in a handful of bad plays. Would it surprise you to know that Buffalo's Defense had allowed only 31 yards on 11 carries to Running Backs in the first half? The only big gains were from a WR end-around and a few QB scrambles. They also had allowed only 3 points, prior to the Allen fumble. The game changed on the Miles Sanders 64-yard run. And that play pretty-much boiled down to Jordan Poyer hesitating and taking a poor angle to the hole. Fair statement. But like I said above, the Bills Defense actually performed very well in the first half. There were really no reasons for adjustments. Outside of the big run by Sanders, things really didn't fall apart until the 4th Quarter. At that point, it's hard to make drastic changes.

Anyone who figured this team was only 1-2 players away from the Super Bowl was kidding themselves. Just like the people who have been overreacting to the Eagles game, and suddenly screaming we need to fire everyone and start over. The 2019 Buffalo Bills were always about winning around 10 games, getting into the playoffs and seeing solid progress from the QB position. We are very much on-pace to reach all of those goals. If we can get to 11 wins, gain a victory over New England or get to the Divisional Round - that would be a nice bonus. Brandon Beane/Sean McDermott are building this team to be a consistent year-to-year contender, who can eventually replace the Patriots at the top of the AFC. They have spent 2 years gutting the roster of overpriced contracts, re-establishing a strong culture in the locker room, getting key cornerstone pieces - all while stockpiling more cap space and draft picks. I don't think overpaying for an injured AJ Green or overrated Melvin Gordon fits into the puzzle. In the offseason, I said that our front office was building a team the right way - as opposed to the hyped-up Jets and Browns. Those teams made some nice draft picks, but then immediately went for broke trading for malcontents and dishing out stupid contracts. We are only halfway though the season, but the evidence is continuing to pile-up that this assessment was correct.

It's hilarious that Buffalo's defense has been considered Top 3 all season long. But then after one bad performance, Sean McDermott has a "bad" defensive scheme and the entire Front 7 needs to be replaced. The Eagles had the perfect gameplan against us, and then executed it perfectly. It doesn't mean this defense has been "exposed" as a fraud, or that we really aren't a good unit.

True. But it's not completely overwhelming with doom and gloom after a win.

This game can't come quick enough. The last two days have been totally unbearable on this message board. Prior to the Eagles game, our defense was considered one of the Top 2-3 in the entire NFL. Three hours later, and we apparently need to replace our entire Defensive Line and Tremaine Edmunds is back to being a bust/playing out of position. On offense, the lack of points is becoming a very disturbing trend that must get fixed immediately. But the overreaction on the other side of the ball is ridiculous.

Lack of continuity is a HUGE problem in this league, and one of the primary reasons the exact same teams win (or lose) every single year. This regime has finished tearing-down the structure setup by the previous group, and is just starting to put the pieces together of their rebuild. We drafted the cornerstones (Josh Allen, Tremaine Edmunds) just a year ago. This was the first Free Agent period where our front office actually had cap space to make moves. Depending on the result of the Washington game, we will be on pace for a 10-6 or 12-4 record. That would be a drastic improvement over the last 20 seasons, and evidence we are moving in the right direction. If I'm the Pegulas, this regime gets to the end of 2020 before I even CONSIDER making a change.

Here is my problem. How many opponents would actually be considered "quality" level? If we had beaten the Eagles yesterday, they would be 3-5 and probably a long-shot to even make the playoffs. Suddenly, nobody considers them a quality opponent. The Titans were generally considered a good team. But us defeating them is the difference between them being 4-4 and 5-3 (and tied with the Texans). Looking in the AFC, I think it's safe to say that New England and Kansas City are considered quality opponents, hands-down. Baltimore, Indianapolis and Houston look fairly imposing at the moment, because they have winning records. But all of them are inconsistent, and a couple bad games/injuries would make victories over those teams suddenly look much less impressive. The other 10 teams in the AFC are considered nobodies. Another example. Most would say, the Bills next TRUE TEST is on Thanksgiving against the Cowboys. But what happens if Dallas drops their games against the Vikings and Patriots... and then we beat them too. The entire world looks at Dallas with a 6-6 record, and says the Bills weren't able to beat a quality opponent. The same could be said for the Ravens in Week 14, who currently sit at 5-2. They face the Patriots, Texans, Rams and 49ers before facing us. If they drop all of those, you have another 6-6 team marching into Buffalo.

This franchise has a history of letting top Cornerbacks walk in Free Agency. Time to break that trend. Stephon Gilmore is the most recent. Longtime fans also remember Nate Clements, Antoine Winfield, etc.

Just keep winning. Don't pay attention to the media.

This part stood out to me, because it's just a silly argument. The NFL absolutely DOES have 32 guys who can play the Quarterback position very well. In fact, every QB that has managed to make a professional roster is extremely good at the sport. But there are always going to be a handful who play BETTER than everyone else. And it's those top guys who are going to set the standard around the league. The worst starting QB in the NFL would be ridiculously good against 99 percent of football competition around the world. But since he's not on the level of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Patrick Mahomes, etc. -- fans consider that player bad.

The upcoming draft is supposed to be EXTREMELY strong and deep with Wide Receivers. Just something to consider... The 2017 draft was loaded with defensive backs (both corners and safeties). The Bills took Tre White. The 2018 draft was considered a strong year for quarterbacks and linebackers. The Bills took Josh Allen and Tremaine Edmunds. The 2019 draft was top-heavy with defensive linemen. The Bills took Ed Oliver.

The Patriots have faced almost ZERO competition (especially from their own division) over the last 15-20 years. NOBODY CARES.

This is a great point. Not just about Ryan Fitzpatrick, but Miami in general. Most Bills fans are disappointed this week, because the team failed to "blow-out" the lowly Dolphins. What they fail to notice, is that Miami was fired-up and actually played VERY well on Sunday. Especially their offense. Playing like he did this week, Fitzpatrick would have lit-up most defenses around the league. He was getting rid of the ball extremely quick, squeezing the ball into tight windows, and his receivers were making contested catches. If Miami played like this every week, they would NOT be sitting at 0-6. As it stands, we took their absolute best shot - and still won by double-digits.

At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is winning. However... Bills fans need to realize that our Defense is NOT going to be capable of carrying this team for the next 10-15 years. If we are extremely lucky, they will be a Top 5-10 unit most seasons and occasionally dominant for stretches. But you can't count on a Defense to consistently carry a team into Super Bowl contention. The best Defenses in NFL history were able to remain elite for 1-2 seasons before trailing off. To be a long-term success, the Bills will need to have a QB playing consistently at a Top 10 level. So yes. It absolutely matters that Josh Allen have a breakout game - proving he can dominate the opponent with his arm and carry the Offense to 35+ points. With that said, I don't think Allen is TOTALLY to blame for his lack of breakout this season. The offense (as a whole) is struggling to complete drives, and struggling to stay in rhythm for an entire 4 quarters. This has been a trend since the opening moments of the Jets game, when we drove 50-60 yards and fumbled on a sack-strip. Strangely enough, this is not a Red Zone issue - as we are among the league's best at converting RZ trips into Touchdowns. Our problem seems to be turnovers, penalties, sacks and drops - always stalling drives once we hit the opponent 30-40 yard line. We also seem to go through extended stretches of 3-4 drives per game where our Offense is incapable of doing anything, before we suddenly get back into playing well. Allen's stats have also suffered because of coaching preference and game situation. Six games in, the Bills haven't really been forced into being aggressive. The only exception being the 16 point deficit against the Jets (in which the Bills rolled-up 17 unanswered points in the 4th Quarter). We haven't trailed significantly at any other point. And where the majority of other teams go for the throat when they are playing well, our staff clearly gets into a conservative shell anytime we get into a double-digit lead. You saw this in the Giants and Bengals games, and then again in the 4th Quarter yesterday. They trust the Defense to hold strong, and start looking to run the clock down when up by two scores. This isn't going to help Allen's passing stats. Bottom line... the glimpses of what we WANT/NEED our QB to be are very visible. We see stretches of them almost every single week. Right now, I think Allen is trying to find the delicate balance of being aggressive enough to consistently score points... versus pushing the ball too much and causing multiple turnovers. It can be very frustrating at times. The good news? Anytime we've needed Allen to step-up during crunch time, he's done it. Don't forget he was driving us down for the go-ahead score against New England before the concussion. Hopefully he will eventually put the pieces together and become more consistent.

That is definitely another factor to consider. QBs with zero ability to elude pass rushers (our old boy Drew Bledsoe immediately comes to mind) face another set of issues. At the end of the day, I think running ability can be a tremendous asset to a QB and a great weapon for the offense. But both the player and coaching staff need to be mindful of avoiding hits, regardless of how it happens. Take advantage of the sidelines, and the rules that allow for sliding. Make the offensive line a priority every season. My hope is that Josh Allen and the Bills staff look towards Russell Wilson as the model to follow. He always makes an effort to protect himself. On the flip-side, you have guys like Cam Newton and Deshaun Watson who act like running backs. You can see how things are finally catching up to Newton, and I hope Watson isn't headed down the same road.

A few points on this study: 1. Not all QB designed runs or scrambles are created equal. Many QBs are smart enough to slide or get out of bounds (which is why Russell Wilson has been so durable despite his scrambles). This is much different than when a QB invites contact like a running back (such as Cam Newton). 2. Quarterback Sneaks Despite the freak injury to Patrick Mahomes last night, the QB sneak is generally a very safe play. Until now, I've never seen anyone get hurt while sneaking. I imagine this skews the numbers in favor of "designed" runs. 3. Running QBs are still exposed to MORE hits Even if you take the numbers above as gospel, running QBs are still going to get hurt more. While pocket passers are only in danger from sacks, the scrambling guys are in danger from BOTH. The more opportunity to get hit, the greater chance for injury. 4. Offensive Line is vital The worst thing for QBs will almost always be sacks/hits while throwing, simply because they cannot protect or brace themselves. This is why Left Tackles get paid so much, to stop the blindside hits.

Ugh... This topic again. If teams want to sign him, of course they should be allowed to. If teams don't want to sign him, they shouldn't be forced into it. And get out of here with that "racism" garbage. Around 70 percent of the NFL is made up on African Americans, despite comprising less than 15 percent of the overall US population. Kaepernick isn't sitting at home because of the color of his skin. He's sitting because he used his job to promote controversial political ideology, infuriated a huge chunk of the NFL's paying customer base... and he simply wasn't a good enough player to warrant the distraction.