WIDE LEFT

A big part of the problem with our RB screens ( and I can’t figure why Brady doesn’t see this) is that teams often defend the Bills using a “spy” on Allen. Since a screen is a slower developing play, it’s easy for the spy to recognize and disrupt it. Here’s a simple solution - stop calling that play. It hasn’t worked all season. If you don’t recognize WHY it doesn’t work, just accept that it doesn’t and move on to more effective plays. We have the best QB in football; he doesn’t need that.

The only thing I recommend is what my OP stated - it’s not that hard to comprehend- nobody should be convinced that the inconsistency displayed by our kicker this year, and towards the end of last year, is solved, suddenly, by him making a 61 yard field goal. Especially in the same game where he missed an extra point & barely made another. For so many fan boys out there, reality = negativity.

Nobody says a better option is available. It’s a simple point, which apparently u can’t comprehend- his inconsistency all year does not disappear because he made a 61 yard field goal. He was inconsistent in this game as well. The DEFINITION of inconsistency is when u make a 61 yarder & miss extra points.

Everyone seems to think that the great 61 yard field goal solves what was a major problem. Sorry, but no, Bass is still a huge question mark, and could be a fatal flaw in the playoffs. Prior to that great kick, he missed an extra point. Then clanked ANOTHER extra point off the post. After the extra point he barely made, he mishit his kickoff, allowing a return at the worst possible time. So three consecutive shaky kicks, then one spectacular kick, and problem solved? I don’t think so.

The Bills did the new & recent version of a squib kick on their final kickoff. Why do you think they did this? Because they realized (too late) that a regular kickoff into a wind that’s too strong to reach the end zone creates the risk of a long return. Their squib kick resulted in a penalty but that would have been preferable to a TD return. But a squib kick, even one that stays in bounds, has less chance to be returned for a TD, but also is likely to result in a return longer than which results from a standard kickoff. Am I advocating for squib kicks, generally no, of course. But we are talking about game management here, and yes, if I grab a two score lead late in the game and cannot reach the end zone, yes a squib kick reduces the chance of the one thing I cannot have - a return for a TD. That’s the choice the Bills made on their last kickoff, and it’s the strategic choice they SHOULD have made on the kick retuned for a TD

Okay so both kickers in that game kicked it into the end zone when the wind was at their back. Neither kicker could reach the end zone when the wind was against them. The suggestion that Bass “didn’t even try” is just ridiculous. As is the idea that somehow you can “learn” to kick a low liner into a strong wind by somehow “cutting” it through the wind. Sure And yes, it would be great if nobody ever missed a tackle on special teams, but that doesn’t happen anywhere, anytime in the NFL. They are human beings who aren’t perfect. So devising your strategy based on the assumption that nobody should miss a tackle is just foolish. In golf terms, you can always avoid the big miss if you just hit the ball straight EVERY time. That’s never going to happen, so basing your strategy on the expectation of perfection just will not ever work.

Hank Haney, Tiger’s golf coach for many years, detailed in his book “The big miss” his course management strategy- avoid the big miss. If all the trouble on a hole is on the right side, construct your shots to take that trouble completely out of play. If you have a very long putt, don’t try to make it, just focus on getting it close enough to the hole so that a three putt is out of the equation. I wish the Bills would adopt some of this philosophy when it comes to their game management strategy, which currently can be characterized as poor to non existent. As an example: Jets v Fish last year. Tie game, less than 20 seconds left, game heading to OT and the Jets are punting. What’s the big miss here? The one disaster u must avoid? A long punt return obviously. Avoiding the big miss here would be to punt the ball out of bounds. Instead, punt is returned for a TD and Fish win So Sunday, Bills take a two score lead, and are kicking off, with not a lot of time left in the game. What’s the big miss here? Well now we know. The wind was too strong for either kicker to reach the end zone. What do the Bills do. Line drive kick to returner with a disastrous result - the big miss. Best game management decision would have been to do what they did on their last kickoff, squib kick - even if the result is a penalty placing the ball at the 40. It’s often the case that you have to sacrifice something in an effort to avoid disaster (the big miss). In fact, Bills chose to do that (squib kick) on their very last kickoff. But that was one kickoff TOO LATE. I remain a supporter of McD, but too often he comes up short in game management, especially towards the end of games.

You failed to mention that when the KC defense came out of its shell Allen threw 3 bombs that were dropped. You dink and dunk until the D abandons its shell then you hit them deep. Of course, you actually have to catch the ball. To throw out stats like Allen only averaging small amount of yards per completion, without even a mention of the dropped long passes is classic.

While the national media worships at the feet of Patrick Mahomes, a closer examination and a more nuanced analysis reveals Allen to be the better QB. Allen “can’t beat” Mahomes (in the playoffs) simply because it’s a complete coaching mismatch on both sides of the ball. Just watch the playoff loss to KC. Allen is forced to throw darts into the smallest of targets while Mahomes is consistently throwing to wide open targets, ie the TD pass to Kelce, among others. This is not surprising, Reid is a hall of fame offensive genius while Brady is still getting his feet wet. But Allen was the better QB that day, and almost every time he has played KC Whats disappointing is the coaching mis match on the defensive side of the ball. Anybody think Spagnola would have lost that lead with 13 seconds to go. He is constantly making in game adjustments while McD is like a deer in the headlights. Chris Jones ruined what would have been a go ahead TD via his pressure/hit on Allen. Jones had been moved from his DT position to DE on that play. Nice adjustments. In the meantime KC all pro guard Tuney just ate up Ed Oliver all day, but no movement or adjustment. Oliver had zero impact all day. And BTW, you don’t have to be a Reid level offensive genius to recognize & exploit the fact that AJ Klein CANNOT cover Kielce.

Nobody, not even NFL people who do this for a living, can guarantee anything about the draft. But it’s a SECOND round pick ( two 2nds if u count Basham) and the two thirds where if WR were picked, a strong possibility that one of them could be that difference maker. Pass happy team yes, we should be since we have one of the most talented QBs ever. We have had our most success that way. My point is Allen needs weapons. You don’t acquire those type of weapons by wasting high choices on RBs. You don’t need to, they are easy to find. Johnson for example. The main point is you are wasting Allens talents by not providing him sufficient ammunition, you know like the receivers Tua and Burrow have. A lot of NFL analysts, from Chris Simms to Greg Cosell have commented on the lack of talent on Bills offense. But that’s easy to explain when look at how the Bills have drafted

The offense should be better than good. It has a superstar QB. Yes if they picked other offensive positions besides RB ( like, maybe wide receivers) the view would be different. Taking 3 RBs in early rounds is a defensive coaches philosophy, since a ground and pound offense protects your defense.

If you think McD doesn’t have a huge voice in draft picks I just can’t help you. Maybe listen to a podcast or two, as in a Bill Polian interview where he lays out how the process works. I mean really, all those defensive minded picks & free agents, and you think it’s just a coincidence, that Beane is drafting completely on his own. Because he just loves defense. That the head coach, whose specialty is defense, didn’t have a huge say. Please

If I was Pegula I would put strict limitations on McD’s role in drafting players & signing free agents. I will give McD a pass on his decision not to draft Mahomes (which Pegula wanted to do). But draft decisions since then reflect a defensive minded bent, and have negatively impacted Alllen’s career. In an era where you can get a quality RB anywhere, we used (wasted) two third round picks and one second round pick on running backs, two of whom no longer play for Bills. Imagine if those three picks had been used on wide receivers. It’s a good bet that at least one of those WRs would have developed into that field stretching quality threat that Allen so desperately needs. Bills O faced man to man coverages more than any other team in the league - our WRs can’t separate consistently. Then there’s the recent draft where TWO defensive ends were taken in rounds 1 and 2. Huge free agent signing -Miller - defense. And DB Elam with a round one pick. So running backs (to ensure a strong ground game) and multiple picks and signings of defensive assets. A defensive coach’s dream!! But that’s not NFL 2024. Even with all these assets being devoted to defense, it’s been the defense which has repeatedly failed in the playoffs. Stop wasting Allen’s career, give him the weapons he needs and deserves, and let’s go outscore everybody. Step one, keep McD’s role in talent acquisition to a bare minimum. He has earned that

PFF isn’t perfect, but they do extensive film work in breaking down individual performances. And use people with a modicum of experience & expertise in player evaluation. But here we have the typical fan; watches the game ONCE on tv, pounding beers, but somehow knows more

Any QB’s turnover issue really requires more nuanced analysis than is generally given. The REAL turnover problem is the “judgement” turnovers, which generally fall into two categories - interceptions thrown where the QB doesn’t read the coverages, throws interception on a pass play that is covered. A subset of this is just an errant throw to an open receiver. The second category is holding the ball too long, not sensing and/or reading the pressure - resulting in a strip sack. For all the national media whining about Allen’s turnovers after Monday’s game misses the point that after 4 quarters of play Allen had a grand total of ONE judgement turnover - his 2nd interception. His first “ interception” was a perfectly thrown pass to an open WR. A non judgement turnover is generally less problematic- fumbled snap, ball punched out on a designed QB run etc. These things happen to all players, and a QB’s judgement really not an issues in these type of TOS. BUT - Allen has a fairly unique and troubling problem with non judgement turnovers. I can only speculate that he gets too hyped up in big pressure situations & fails to execute routine things. Minnesota game last year - ball on 1 yard line, game in hand. Allen has taken thousands of snaps in his career, but at this very big moment fumbles a routine snap that went directly into his hands. Jets game this year, big moment, in control of game in the 4th quarter and he fumbles away a routine shotgun snap. Again he has handled thousands of these, but again a pressure moment and he messes up the routine. And Mondays game - again he completely mishandles a routine handoff in a huge, pressure moment. This is a pattern here, and it’s a BIG (and fairly unique) problem.