Rocky Landing

Word. I was born and raised in Penfield. But when asked where I'm from, I will always say "Rochester." That's what anyone from one of those towns would say. Now, I live in Los Angeles. But, in fact, I live in Kagel Canyon. Saying Pittsford isn't part of Rochester is kind of like saying Inglewood (location of SoFi Stadium) isn't part of Los Angeles.

I mean, the size of Rousseau's hands!!!

Of course the Bills don't see the Pats* as a "cake walk," especially with them being a division opponent. They don't look at any game as a cake walk. That is part of the culture of a winning team, IMO. They didn't look at the Jets last season as a cake walk. This coming season, in no particular order, the Bills will face: Patriots (twice) Dolphins (twice) Jets (twice) Falcons Panthers Texans Colts Steelers WFT Jags Saints Bucs Titans Chiefs Of those fourteen teams, and without getting into the variable of home vs. away, I would put the Pats* right around the middle in terms of "teams to worry about." I would certainly put the Dolphins as the more worrisome division opponent, and I wouldn't be surprised to end up, by mid-season, finding the Jets to be more of a threat, as well. But, getting back to the gist of our discussion, I would agree that one season is too short a timespan to draw definitive conclusions on who had a more profound impact on their team. That would be utterly simplistic. However, it is indisputable that when Brady* went to Tampa Bay, he led a team that had previously gone 7-9 to the Super Bowl, and the Patriots*, who had previously finished 12-4, sunk to 7-9. That is a compelling statistic.

Nah, not me. I want them in week one, and I want to rub their noses in a season-opening loss. I keep hearing about how they've upgraded on offense, and especially at receiver. But, I'm looking at a bunch of their WRs walking out the door, Edelman is gone, Burkhead is gone, their O-line is worse, and they've added a red-zone threat in Jonnu Smith, and their #1 WR is going to be... Nelson Agholor??? With N'Keal "Straight Line" Harry as their #2? Whether it's week one, or two, and whether it's Cam, or Mac, they aren't going to be a better team. A week one destruction of the Pats* would be a real nice start to our season... and theirs.

These are the sorts of videos that bring out the homer in me. For me the most exciting element to this is the way McD/Frazier rotate the D-line. The '19 rotation was certainly more effective than the '20. But this year with a rotation that includes Epenesa, and Oliver moving up towards their ceiling, Hughs, the return of Star, and the two monsters Basham and Rousseau? There are going to be some gassed O-lines in the fourth quarters vs. the Bills D, and it's going to be fun to watch! We're going to cut some good depth before the season begins, but what remains should be a really dynamic group.

Well, if you're going to accuse me of having come to a "conclusion," I might ask you to reference a dictionary, and look up the word "maybe." Also, I have to confess-- your phrase, "Nothing that happened last year indicates BB was along for the ride," makes zero sense to me. What the hell are you talking about? Be that as it may, yes. By all means. I'll happily give Belichick* a couple more seasons of what looks to me like poor team management. And, in all honesty, I can't decide which QB I would like the Bills to face in their first game vs. the Pats*, Cam, or Mac. I can't imagine having a whole lotta faith in either of them.

I have felt for a while that the problem with the Bills running backs isn't that they're all pretty average. It's that they're all too similar. That's not to say that each of them doesn't have different things that they excel at. It's that they're all within about 10 lbs, and a few inches of each other. None of them are really a scat back, and none of them are a power back. They all do best breaking one way, or another, and aiming for a gap, which will generally be open for a fraction of a second. If you were to rank them, IMO, Singletary might very well be the best. He certainly wouldn't be the worst! But, at the end of the day (or the end of training camp) he may very well be the odd man out. Moss is exceptional in pass protection (and that makes him a lock, IMO), Breida has the acceleration the others lack, and Williams may be the closest thing we have to a power back, who can reliably get us that first down on third and one. You are absolutely right to say that opposing teams "don't fear any of them." But, what that really means is that opposing teams don't fear our running game. And that is what needs to change, right? Maybe we don't really need a Saquon Barkley, or a Derek Henry. Maybe we just need a comprehensive running attack with the right elements?

It's an interesting thing going on in NE* at the moment. A lot of weird wrinkles come to mind. For example: If Cam starts the season, and somewhere in mid-season Mac Jones takes over, how well is their offense going to be able to adjust? Cam and Mac (I just realized those two name are the same spelled backwards...!) are polar opposite quarterbacks. The hype on Mac is that he is pinpoint accurate (70% completion). But, he is as un-athletic a QB as you're going to find in the NFL. Cam's accuracy is shot, but he still has his legs, and the ability to extend plays outside the pocket. I have to say that I was rather surprised that they kept Cam, and then drafted Mac. Just on its face, that looks to me like poor management. We didn't keep Barkley because he was a decent QB who could win us games. We kept him because of the relationship, and benefit he would provide Josh Allen. And that worked out pretty well, right? What the hell is Cam going to do for Mac? Last season, Belichick* was in the awkward position of playing around his own weaknesses, rather than playing against his opponents weaknesses. That would seem to continue in 2021. If he starts Mac on day one, that dude is going to flounder, no matter who they face (please, God (Goodell), let it be us!). If they switch mid-season, they will have to have an entirely different scheme dialed up. I know Belichick* is "The Greatest Head Coach of All Time 🙄," but just how efficiently can that be done? There was a frequently asked question, last season: Was "The Dynasty*" a result of Belichick*, Brady*, or truly a combination of the two? Well, if records are any indication, It might seem that "The Dynasty*" was a result of Brady*. And, Belichick* was the benefactor of that exceptional individual. I'm not saying that Belichick* isn't a great head coach. He clearly is. But maybe, just maybe, he isn't the GOAT that history has him penciled in as.

I know I am-- to a fault.

Christian Wade is single-handedly making me look forward to the preseason games.

Ahhh... I haven't been to the Lilac Festival in literally decades...

I know a lot of hay has been made that our woes in the running game is more about the O-line than it is about the running backs, and I agree that that is a big element in getting an effective run game.. But, I also think there was a real issue with timing, as well, and that was a question of scheme. I saw a lot of plays where the RB just hit the gap a step, or two too late, and it was just a question of the timing of the play. Sure, the O-line could have held the gap a little longer. But, I feel like I saw a lot of plays where if the RB could have hit the gap a little earlier, they would have had a lane into the secondary before they made contact with the opposing backfield. And that's on coaching.

This is by no means my worst take-- not even close. But, for some reason, I feel like this is a good thread to drop this on. To whit: When we first acquired AJ Klein, I read numerous opinions about what a beast he was, and how he was especially adept at stuffing the run. I read this both on here, in the media, and on the Saints fan forum. So, I went onto GamePass, and watched the three games that Klein had the highest statistical impact from his previous season, and what I saw was a guy who was slow to the ball, would wait until the play came to him, and had less than half the intensity of Matt Milano (a high bar, IMO, but still...) What I saw when he arrived in Buffalo was: Exactly that. In short, I thought Klein was a bum. And then... Somewhere in midseason, and I can't remember precisely which game it was (and perhaps someone, who doesn't think I'm crazy, could remind me), Klein seemed to flip a switch. He was all over the field, making plays, tackles for loss, pressuring the QB, and effectively dropping into coverage. And he kept this level of playing for the rest of the season. This happened, right?

SJF is such a beautiful campus, in a beautiful area of the city. I actually spent my first semester of college at Nazareth College, a nearby sister college to SJF. But, if they end up staying in Orchard Park, it's what-- an hour drive? That's nothing by Los Angeles standards. That's my morning commute on jobs that take me over the 405 pass. But, yeah, SJF would be ideal.

I agree with all of this, as long as ST doesn't suffer as a result. Field position was a consistent asset last season. As to the O-line, I do agree they need to open gaps, and keep them open for longer. But, I also think there was a real issue with timing, as well, and that was a question of scheme. I saw a lot of plays where the RB just hit the gap a step, or two too late, and it was just the timing of the play. That's on the coaching staff.

I really hope they do. I was born, and raised in Rochester, and I've never been to one of the Bills training camps. I've lived in Los Angeles since '91, but I'm itching to get back there for a visit (many family members still living there), and would definitely time it to see one at SJF.

There are going to be some cuts made, and there will be some unhappy fans. In my opinion, running back is going to be perhaps the tightest competition in training camp. Singletary is better than a lot of people realize. I wouldn't be surprised if he were the odd man out-- or more specifically, the player who becomes redundant. I actually think he's a better running back than Moss, but Moss is exceptional in pass protection, and that will solidify his roster spot. Breida may end up being our best FA acquisition. He has the kind of acceleration that Motor, and Moss lack. He had some great plays with the 49ers. If he excels in TC, he could become our feature back. (Although, if he does, I doubt he will see as many snaps as Moss. Moss' pass pro is that good.) Christian Wade also has exceptional acceleration, or at least he did a couple years ago, the last time we saw him in live action. One would assume he would be a long shot to make the roster. But, the truth is, we really don't know how much he has progressed on his two seasons on the PS. Taiwan Jones is probably safe for his special teams, but I hope we don't see him on the offense in anything but garbage time in a late-season, meaningless game. Antonio Williams looked really good in the few plays he had at the end of the season, and he may be the closest thing we have to a power back, which could conceivably place him on the roster.

Quarterback controversy!

As poorly written, and as transparently bitter, and petty as it is, it's actually kind of an interesting read. I don't think I'm alone when I say that I actually had some of the same reservations about Diggs, when we traded for him, that the author is trying tar him with. I think a lot of us saw a clearly talented player that might end up being the prima-est of prima donnas. But, he ain't. He supports his fellow teammates, mentors the rookies, talks up fellow wide receivers, and is, by all accounts, an ideal teammate. He has shown a level of maturity in Buffalo that we can be grateful for. Joe Johnson (the author of the article) can cry in his corn flakes all he wants, but he doesn't seem to have one tenth the integrity of Stephon Diggs.

Jets at 26, lol.

That's actually a really old joke from this board from years ago. I have no business meetings. Ever.

I would be surprised if he led the team in sacks, but I do agree he's primed for a breakout year. He certainly doesn't have the sheer athleticism of Rousseau, but he is extremely coordinated, and has, I think, a remarkable ability to throw opponents off balance. Also, at least towards the end of last season, for someone whose knock was that he was slow, he sure looked pretty fast.

Efe Obada's going to surprise a lot of people. Maybe not the sack leader, but I have a feeling he's going to be one of those players that comes to Buffalo, and thrives.

I've been busy in high-level business meetings all weekend, and haven't had a chance to read through this thread. How many times has the "wild goose chase" joke been made?

CJ Spiller.....