Rocky Landing

I kind of agree with you. I don't remember the opponent, or the year, but a bunch of years ago I remember once the Bills playing late in the season during some god-awful, sleety, crap weather. We punted, and the ball hit the ground and stuck in the mud like a lawn dart. Not a single bounce. The camera just sat on that image for a few moments. I don't know why that image stuck in my head all these years. All the players just looked miserable in that game, and they all walked away covered in mud, and paint, and grime, and blood. I do miss those sorts of warrior games where the teams have to go through hell for a win.

Be nice to start the first half with some runs for 1st downs. Make the Steelers defend the whole field, and they will struggle.

I sometimes wonder if Daboll isn't game planning for the second half before the game even starts. I feel like there have been several games where there was barely a running game in the first half, and then we came out running in the 3rd quarter, and by the 4th we've reverted back to what was working in the first half. There have been at least a couple games where I thought the halftime adjustments were good on both sides of the ball (and halftime adjustment are usually good defensively). But, historically, halftime adjustments have not been Daboll's strong suit.

I think a lot of this game might hinge on who gets an early lead. If I were Mike Tomlin, I would be very focused on going into halftime with a lead. If they come out in the second half having to play from behind, with all the drops, and mistakes their receivers have been making the past few weeks (especially Washington, and Johnson-- but even Ebron has had some issues with drops), they're going to have problems. And if we could have an effective 4-man pass rush under those circumstances, we could dominate them in the second half. Or am I just being a homer...?

Defensively, with Conner, and Pouncey both active, we're going to see a much more balanced Steelers team than last week vs. WFT. If the Steelers have their run game going, I hope we see a lot of 4-3, with Klein, Edmunds, and Milano all out there. And do whatever we can to get Big Ben out of the pocket. Offensively, their LBs are depleted, save TJ Watt. And, they're missing their best CB. They're going to try to force Josh into quick throws so they can bring their DBs in. We need to get them to respect the run, try to keep them to a four man rush, give Josh time in the pocket, and make them defend the entire field. They just don't have the manpower to do that. Just my two cents.

Cowboys also went from Romo the Prescott. I think it's also worth noting that Rodgers spent three years holding Favre's clipboard. A lot of pundits thought that was what Josh Allen should have done, but we didn't have anyone for Allen to play behind. (I don't think Nathan Peterman actually owns a clipboard.) Funny that a Pats* fan wouldn't consider Cam Newton a "bridge" QB. If he isn't that, then what the hell is he?

Andre McXavier Roberts, drafted in the third. (McXavier???)

mmmmm... ham...

I do the same thing. It's interesting to read both what other team's fans are saying about the Bills, and what they're saying about their own team. I'll add this, though, and I'm not being bias: I have never found another team's site that comes even close to the activity on this board, both in terms of insight, and shear volume. Proud to be a Bills fan.

The question would be: would he be better than Moss as a complimentary back to Singletary? (I know what my opinion is.)

Thanks, DSB-- this has become my favorite weekly thread. If I were in Vegas right now, I think I'd make a decent-sized bet on the over (currently 46.5) I just watched the Steelers' Sunday game vs. WFT. Offensively: I was shocked at the drops Washington, and Johnson had in that game. Not just the number of them, but the nature of them-- they had some seriously boneheaded drops! Smith-Schuster, and Claypool are the real deal, though. And so is Ebron, for that matter. He's a complete TE. I think that if they get Connor, and Pouncey back (which sounds likely?), then Pittburgh really does get harder to defend. They really seemed to struggle in the run game, especially up the middle, vs WFT. But, runs up the middle have been a bit of an Achilles heel for us this season, and I would not be surprised to see them have success on those plays. And the games we have struggled in the most this season have been vs. well-balanced teams. A Connor/Pouncey return would add balance to the team that lost to WFT. But, I'll say this, also: To me, the Steeler's offense looked gassed by the fourth quarter. With the kind of rotations McD puts out there, The Steelers will have to enter the second half with a lead to beat us, IMO. Defensively: The loss of Haden is huge for the Steelers, but Hilton is no slouch. He had some great plays vs WFT on Sunday. They rarely played more than a four-man rush. That may change vs. Allen, but to their peril, IMO. Allen has gotten so good at taking what the D gives them, and our O-line is playing well enough that if they add to the pass rush, we'll take them apart on quick passes. They were ripe for short crossing routes, slants, and screens, even with a four-man rush. And Alex Smith ain't no Josh Allen. I might expect them to send TJ Watt after Allen a lot more than they did after Smith, except that they look to be missing LB Spillane, as well. He would also be a significant loss for their D. If they rush Watt, then Beasley, and Diggs will feast on ten-yard pass plays. Either way, I believe we match up really well against the Steelers' D. Expect a high scoring game. But, I feel about as confident as I could considering the Steelers are an 11-1 team.

Don't agree. They look like a Valentine's Day card enough as it is.

My least favorite, by plenty.

From past games where I have really watched him (and I'd be interested in whether @GunnerBill agrees with this) it looked to me like his lateral movement was very good (which made him effective in pass protection), but that he would consistently get backed up. I don't actually recall which opponents we were facing when I saw this, and suffice to say that he had a better time of it yesterday. But, to me, it seems like a bit of a trade-off, between decent pass-pro, and not so decent run blocking. (Also, full disclosure- I had to work late yesterday, and have only seen last night's game, condensed, on GamePass on my computer, and did not key in on Boettger at all.)

I was really referring to last season. But with how well Klein is playing, Edmunds, and Milano healthy-- we would finally have a decent trio of starters.

So, if Milano is back from IR this week, do we go back to a 4-3 base defense?.... please?

Did anyone else notice Klein hopping on his toes at the LOS before a lot of plays? Like he just couldn't wait to get after the ball. He looked like a possessed german shepherd playing fetch. I spent most of the offseason, and half the regular season bashing the guy. Now I love him!

Pretty close to a direct quote from today's game: "fighting for yards... looks like he's got enough for a first down... and he's got it!" I forget which Charger had the ball, but he was nine yards short of a first down. Greg Gumbal was looking at the wrong down marker.

I know. I love the ref's reaction, "... who, me???"

Tre schooling the refs.

Just my two cents, and change: I guess I can't be too mad at this game. Offense looked so undisciplined in the second half, that it's hard to remember the good things from the first. At one point in the first half, the ref announced #71 as an eligible receiver. I had forgotten who that was-- Ryan Bates. But, the rest of the O-line starters were out there. Were they playing him like a TE? Weird. Knox blocks sucks. (And he used a lot more effort reeling in that TD than was necessary) Lee's blocks are damn good. What the hell? Klein is legit? What happened midseason to get him to flip that switch? If we're going to be a base 4-2-5 defense, we need a better nickel than Taron Johnson. Our run game seemed to emerge in the second half, in no small part to improved O-line play in that area. I can forgive Motor's fumble, but I don't feel like we have complimentary backs. I'll take Motor over Moss, although there are people on this board that disagree. And, I'm not saying Moss is terrible, but IMO he's not a good compliment. I'm not sure I wouldn't feel better with Yeldon out there. Moss has been a disappointment, if you ask me. This offense really misses Smoke when he's not there. I think Allen/McD needed to spread the ball around more in the second half. The TEs were invisible, McKenzie was a non-factor, and with Diggs playing so many short routes, there was little speed on the field, and we weren't that hard to cover in the second. Poor offensive adjustments at the half. Great defensive adjustments at the half, though. The Chargers O became demoralized.

I don't generally complain about officiating, but the refs stole 25 yards from the Bills on that drive.

Are you kidding???

Cole Beasley has a much better passer rating vs. the Chargers than Nathan Peterman.

Are they playing Ryan Bates like a TE?