GunnerBill

i am not overall a Dorsey fan, but he was NOT the probelm vs New England. He called a good game.

I think the lack of production from the edge rushers is simply down to New England's offense. The average air yards per Mac's throws was under 4 yards. The ball was coming out super fast. And we couldn't make him hold it because we didn't try and fool him with coverages instead we stupidly blitzed all day and he is good pre-snap. He knew where we were coming from. Was a bad gameplan exacerbated by awful tackling and two DTs who were frankly absolutely useless.

Yesterday was one of the worst defensive game plans of this regime. Though the offense doesn't get a complete pass. They had some piss poor execution errors. The offensive game plan was fine.

If you'd posted this after the Giants I'd have said yes and yes. Dorsey wasn't the problem at all yesterday. He called a good game. It was the players on offense that were the problem. The coaching on defense wasn't good yesterday. I actually wonder whether at some point McD would consider handing over defensive playcalling to Holcomb or Washington.

This is 100% true. He has a really creative run scheme. But his offensive passing scheme is more about keeping it simple and leaning into what his players do well. I think this is encouraging for his future as a Head Coach though. Because understanding your players' strengths and designing a gameplan around them is part of the job.

I agree and the stats of first drive scoring with Dorsey are concerning. But yesterday I don't think he did a lot wrong. Drive 1 - Josh threw a bad pick on the first play. Drive 2 - Murray plays the rub badly and gets called for OPI. Drive 3 - Josh fails to check out of a run play to a side where the Pats have an overload and then we get a DOG penalty. 4th drive we fail to pick up a blitz that ends the drive then Bass misses the kick..... It was a comedy of execution errors.

The loss is not "Josh Allen's fault." I put his performance fourth on my list of reasons last night: 1. Lost the trench battle on both sides of the ball; 2. The slow start (again, 3 in a row); 3. The defensive performance was pathetic; 4. Josh Allen did not play well; And @Gugny - I missed your response to these in the shoutbox last night but I am absolutely NOT excusing coaching. Coaching is implicated most strongly in both #2 and #3. When a team comes out flat as a one off that is normally on the players. When it comes out flat 3 weeks in a row despite the Bills supposedly "putting emphasis" on starting fast this week that becomes a coaching issue. Their scripts, their preparation, their mindset. On #3 see elsewhere on this board where I have been hyper-critical of McDermott's gameplan on defense. Relentlessly blitzing a Quarterback who is throwing the ball within 2 seconds is idiotic. It just means you have one fewer player to cover the short and intermediate zones he is throwing into. Way too reliant on the blitz. At no point did they really step back and make a concerted effort to flood the zones Jones was living in. Confuse him. Make him hold the ball. I hope all the "Frazier sucks cos he doesn't blitz enough" folks are happy. Blitzing is for dummies and Madden players. I do excuse Dorsey actually yesterday having been pretty critical of him last week. I thought he called a good game yesterday. The offensive issues were primarily execution issues not gameplan / playcalling ones IMO.

Sadly I agree with most of this post. I don't completely absolve the D of blame. McDermott's plan was wrong and the expensive depth that Beane has invested cap $$s in at DT utterly sucked and left our linebackers totally at the Patriots' mercy (their guards were getting untouched to the second level all freaking day). But.... you are right. The offense sucked for 3 Quarters again (Cook and Kincaid apart) and our Quarterback did not play well. The offensive line struggled for the 2nd time in 3 games. At the moment Josh is really struggling pre-snap. The number of plays he is running into bad looks is alarming. That is without some questionable throws. They are almost secondary to me at the moment. The thing that is concerning me the most is his lack of control at the line. He does not look in command of this offense. He looks like a passenger in it. I don't understand where 2020 king of all he surveyed Josh Allen has gone? He looked that year like he knew what the defense was trying to do to him every snap.

Nah they blitzed way too often. The New England plan was ball out quick. When the plan is ball out quick the way to generate sacks and pressures isn't to send more guys who won't get there in time it is to confuse the QB with coverage looks, take away his first read and make him hold the ball. It was the way the Bills shut down Miami after trying to blitz more early. The Bills were definitely missing guys up front, but I didn't like McDermott's gameplan. 1. Blitzing a QB who is getting it out in 2 seconds is never that smart anyway and 2. We are not a good blitzing defense as a rule. It isn't our strength. We are a good coverage defense who mix up and disguise coverages well.

Which defense was loaded with talent? The 2017 defense? You must be joking. Jerry Hughes - Adolphus Washington - Kyle Williams - Shaq Lawson Ramon Humber - Preston Brown - Lorenzo Alexander EJ Gaines - Jordan Poyer - Micah Hyde - Tre White Kyle and Lorenzo were great leaders and grizzly vets but they weren't supper talents by that stage. The three best players on the defense were the 3 guys in the secondary were the three McDermott had added. It wasn't a terrible defensive roster by any means but "loaded with talent" is definitely an exaggeration.

Only if we had purposely not scored on 1st down or 2nd down and I think in that scenario you don't bank on scoring on 3rd or 4th down just to milk the clock. You score and trust your defense. Unfortunately the defense sucked. The back breaking play was letting a swing pass on New England's drive go for 30 yards.

I think all the people who judge Ed Oliver by the sack numbers alone should be forced to watch that game 100 times. Because he gets the edge rushers 1v1 match ups and forces QBs into positions that are easier for rushers to find them. Today Mac had the middle of the pocket and was stepping up all day. Doesn't help that Jones is out too of course but Ed Oliver would have made a difference today. Too bad he was out.

The defensive tackles were brutal. All of them. Dreadful. And they are not low round draft picks on rookie deals (Kendal Vickers aside). The other 3 are vets. On mid range free agent contracts. Complete waste of money.

Yea I understand that argument. Still not sure I totally buy it. That said, Brandon Beane deserves to face some tough questions because those three vet DTs that sucked so bad today - Phillips, Settle and Ford - are guys he has invested a reasonable amount in. In no other position do we have such highly paid depth.

Agree. Blitzed way too much. Was a bad performance by McDermott.

If they miss the playoffs you clean house IMO.

Better team won the game. We played terribly. Everyone except Kincaid and Cook.

I mean the slow starts 3 weeks in a row definitely pose coaching questions. But man so many guys played badly.

We gotta do the laterals thing

New England have deserved it. Outplayed us. All over the field.

Benford has sucked today too.

Give Jones credit. That is a great throw.

Oh they missed the hold. Gave it for ineligible.

Hold.

Knox needed that one.