RunTheBall

I think it comes down to who makes the mistakes. I think both D’s are going to try and force the other O to March down the field. NE is built that way on O, we are forced to be that way on O. I hope Allen has the patience to take what is given and get over this interception trend he’s had recently. If we can put up some quick points, we win. If our D can stop the run I think we win. If the Pats* get a turnover or 2 or block a Hauck punt I think we lose.

On film it looked exactly what a torn ACL looks like. You can even see the pop if you know what to look for. Tre knew immediately, it was just wishful thinking on our part it was going to be something other than out for the year.

I love this place. Everyone screaming for McD to shake things up, he does, and people are crying “OMG NOT THAT GUY BENCH THE OTHER GUY”. Give me a break. Who the hell is he going to bench instead?? We’ve got zero O-line depth, little RB depth and Diggs, Bease, Sanders, Davis are locks. So who should have been realistically benched instead? He made the right move. He recognizes we need more speed on the field, that’s Stevenson and Brieda. McKittrick wasn’t benched for one fumble he was benched for multiple near misses and bad decisions. The fumble was just the cherry on top and opened the door for Stevenson to see what he can do before the playoffs (hopefully).

He popped it. Watch the replay you can practically see it. Brutal loss he’s done and hope he can be back by next September. Hope I’m wrong but I have a little experience and that looks classic to me.

The eye test tells me Allen is a bit less accurate than last year. I think the reasons are two-fold 1) He doesn’t trust his offensive line 2) He’s been forcing things because like Mahomes earlier in the season, he feels like he needs to carry the team on his shoulders. Daboll needs to scheme him out of this. 1) More protection packages 2) More easy throws early in the game, Allen needs to get in rhythm 3) Find any semblance of a running game using a combo of RBs, Allen, McKenzie, reverses etc. Allen is a gamer and you can see him hanging onto the ball too long or taking bad sacks because he’s pushing to make something happen. I love the fire but it’s up to the coaches to put him in a better position to succeed when he’s playing erratic.

I think a good number of us have been concerned about the lack of a balanced attack for years. There are a lot who’ve been spewing “just pass every down” but I think that’s more from a sense of frustration in the running game and not a complete lack of football knowledge. We can be a pass first offense with an effective running game. Either Daboll doesn’t want to be or doesn’t know how to be. I think after this year we definitely need a new OC. He was great helping Josh develop and the consistency in coaching staff was an big part of that. Josh doesn’t need the same OC anymore, he will be good in any system.

So I think there’s some pretty good agreement on the main problems 1) O-line 2) D-line 3) Bad penalties 4) Crap schemes 5) Attitude/sense of urgency The fact is, we can’t change the personnel too much but we can change a lot of things going forward. IDK how a coach instills discipline in terms of penalties but its been done before. If this team can stop getting in its own way with horrible timed penalties that has a snow ball effect on both sides of the ball. Attitude/energy comes from the leaders on this team. Again, idk what they need to say or do to inspire the rest of this team but maybe, just MAYBE getting absolutely destroyed in your own house will have an effect. If it doesn’t then we aren’t even making the playoffs. The lines are a bigger problem, and this is where coaching comes into play. There is no reason on D we can’t scheme up something better to slow down the run. That doesn’t mean abandoning the nickel, but you don’t have to play it nearly 100% of the time! Switch it up! Throw in some 4-3, some Dime at particular times. Same thing on O. We saw heavier packages against the Jets, I really thought we’d see more of that going forward. Get heavier up front, get more protection, give Josh a few seconds and he will find Digs, Bease, Knox out there. Decrease the number of routes being run and shore up the protection. Finally, McD has to tell DouchBall that if he doesn’t stick with the RB with the hot hand and KEEP RUNNING he’s fired. I’m so sick of seeing Singletary or Brieda show some life only to be pulled for Moss to run into the line for no gain. We absolutely need to establish a running game where teams just can’t ignore it completely and T off on Josh 5 yards behind the LOS. I don’t care how it’s done. Josh, Singletary, Brieda, jet sweeps. Use it all and keep using it. Issue number one with this O is the lack of effective (not all the time, just effective) running. If we can’t develop that, we are going nowhere.

No f’n way we are making the Super Bowl unless this team learns how to slow down the run and run effectively. We will get destroyed in the playoffs when the intensity goes up a notch. Right now, this team is SOFT both physically and mentally and its only the regular season. I never thought I’d say that about a McD lead team in the city of Buffalo but here we are. I don’t want to believe it but I think winning that KC game really hurt. They lost their hunger and their drive. It’s like they collectively decided they had a one way ticket to the Super Bowl since they gave KC a beat down. Humble and hungry? More like arrogant and full of their own hype. I honestly don’t know if we have the coaching minds to turn this thing around. We are going to learn a lot about McD in the next few weeks.

Go read the nice synopsis of Allen earlier in the thread. First series he was running for a first on 3rd and 3 when Ford false started. Then O-line holds and it’s 3rd and 18 outside of FG range. Then the pick which he shouldn’t have thrown but Davis was clearly interfered with. Next time he gets the ball we are down 14-0 and he leads a TD drive. Next time we get the ball was after the McKenzie fumble and he drives into FG range and McD looses his balls and tries a long FG in the wind and rain. 3rd quarter opener had 1 tipped pass, 2 drops (Davis slip). Josh could have played better but he’s #6 or 7 on the list of problems with this game. As for the team, the only positive is we have 7 games to play and control our destiny. That’s all you can ask. We have time to turn it around but it starts Thursday. Idk if they can do it, the deficiencies on the lines are not an easy problem to correct. McD needs these guys to each look inside individually and start playing with an edge. They should be embarrassed at their play. KC turned it around, no reason we can’t with the talent on the team. Again, I’m not saying I expect it to happen, just that the opportunity is there. We are going to see how good of a coach McD really is over the next few weeks.

Naa, you were absolutely right about this D and the D-line especially, they are SOFT. Both of our lines are SOFT. A consistent theme of this team is they fold when they get punched in the mouth. They were much tougher before they started believing in the press clippings. The only thing I’m hoping is that everyone is going to write them off and this team plays better as an underdog. There is a lot of football to be played and they can turn it around, but they need to get nasty. There’s been too many disasters to think they needed another wake up call, we are well past that. Each individual needs to get pissed and start playing with an edge again.

Our lines are soft. That’s it. No running game, can’t stop the run, Josh gets the happy feet. Done.

That's gotta mean Brown is out for next 2 games. O line is a disaster and one of the rare Beane misfires but it could cost us dearly

Bease isn’t going anywhere. It’s like people think you can find a slot guy of his caliber off the street or on the roster already. McKenzie isn’t close to the receiver Bease is. Bease has spacial awareness and an understanding of what the opposing defenses are doing that is just innate. The guy has a feel for the game and it’s not just from film study. Some things you can’t teach. No one at OBD cares about the Covid bru-ha-ha earlier this season. Only some fans are still talking about this. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they sign him to a 3 years extension at some point to spread the money out and keep him in the fold. Only if its a John Brown situation where McBeane think he’s toast from an injury standpoint do they move on. I don’t believe that’s the case.

Speaking about the offense only - The O clicked and got back on track because the O line showed up and wasn’t a friggin sieve. Jets have some good DTs and our line did it’s job in both path protection and running the ball. The running game with the backs is exactly what we need. Not ridiculous yards, but effective running which the Jets had to respect and it opens up the play action game and the entire offense. Everyone blaming Brieda on the Josh sack, we have no idea what the responsibilities are for him on that play. Josh obviously didn’t account for him and didn’t see him coming. Glad he wasn’t hurt and held onto the ball. Daboll getting everyone involved in this game and featuring Diggs is exactly what we need. We have too many weapons not to spread the wealth but you have to feed your all pro WR. When Josh has a little time he more often than not makes the right throw. Against Jax he had zero time and like any QB, his clock got ticking faster and the game sped up.

Toradol isn’t strong enough to mask the pain of a torn ACL. Woods is a tough SOB. I’m surprised he was still able to run from a stability standpoint. Might be a partial tear but the treatment is the same.

How can you not be worried about the running game? It’s absolutely abysmal and the lack of it is why we can’t get teams out of the cover-2 shell. We can’t even run against light boxes. If this team can’t run the ball effectively without counting on JA to do the bulk of it, we aren’t going far in the playoffs.

I’m a 20 year DirecTV subscriber. The minute Sunday Ticket is available on another service is the minute I’m gone.

I think the first 2 offensive drives are going to go a long way in determining our offensive success or not. If the Jets are able to blow up Josh with a free rusher or turnstile guard doing the o-lay! As a DT blows by him right out of the gate, we are in trouble. I think Josh is at a precarious position right now and if his trust in this line isn’t gone yet it’s hanging by a thread. If he gets hassled consistently during that first drive his clock is going to be ticking real fast and we will see similar issues as last week. I don’t care if we have to max protect, get Josh into a rhythm with easy throws right off the bat. Knowing Daboll, he will probably open up with 4 deep wr’s on 5 second patterns. Yeah I’m still pissed at this O-line

It’s very simple. If we can’t run the ball effectively (that doesn’t mean 50% of the time), we will not be going to the Super Bowl. We may not even win the division because right now the friggin Pats* (god I hate them) have a team that is playing the type of game that gives us trouble. I don’t care if it’s scheme, personnel, coaching or whatever. We’ve got a month and a half to figure it out to make a run. Next year there needs to be wholesale changes. I’m sick of this “finesse” BS line that get’s their asses kicked constantly. They are SOFT. We need some large angry men and a scheme that allows them to bury people in the run game.

We will be lucky to win the division. NE looks like they could hammer us easily. This team is SOFT. The O-line is a complete disaster and there’s nothing we can do to improve it this year. The lack of any running game besides Josh running for his life is going to hurt this team badly. I honestly don’t think they are making the AFC Championship game. I hope we make the playoffs. This isn’t doom and gloom after one bad loss, it’s looking at the offense as a whole and I don’t think you can win without the threat of the run. Cody Ford should never see the field again. Beane is to blame for the disaster of O-line and no attempt to bolster it at the trade deadline.

I hear what you are saying. I just have no faith in Tannehill. He's going to have to shoulder the load and it will be interesting to see if he can. I think he's going to crumble. The only positive for him is their weak schedule.

Then you don't really understand their offensive strategy. It starts and ends with Henry, not Tannehill. Everything they do on O is predicated with the threat of Henry (not just any RB) and it dictates defensive strategies and groupings that they can game plan to exploit. That's completely gone now and they can try and replicate it with another RB but it won't be half as effective because Henry demands that much attention. Time will tell.

Titans are done if this is true. Near equivalent to us losing Allen as their entire O runs through Henry. No need to stack the box, double Jones and Tannehill will do Tannehill things.

So many fans have forgotten our history. All that matters is we got the W. Style points don’t matter. The game is week to week and we overcame a horrendous first half on offense to come out in the second half and dominate. You can’t expect every time we play the Dolphins we are going to put up 35 points and blow them out. Crappy Bills teams used to play NE tight for a half and guess what, they’d come out in the second half and put us away. Good teams find a way to win against lesser opponents and this team is good. Do we have things to work on? Absolutely. O-line was horrendous in the first half and our lack of a running game is going to cost us in the playoffs if we don’t figure out a way to at least make opponents respect it. The bottom line is we have a franchise QB who can take a game over and put the team on his back when needed. The key is not to need him to do that too often.

I totally agree with you about NE not being a walk in the park. There are way too many posters on here thinking we are just going to to walk to a 14-3 record and trying to figure out tie breaker scenarios in friggin week 6. There are 11 more games to play and our Bills are just as likely to lay an egg against an inferior team as the Titans are. It’s any given Sunday and I’m kind of shocked at the hubris displayed. I fully expect us to make the playoffs but trying to predict where we are going to end up based on our schedule and say the Titans schedule is ridiculous. Gotta play the games, 1 game at a time.