GunnerBill

Not a defense of the Bills but the success rate on 2 pointers across the NFL has plummeted. It was the lowest for 15 years last year. I always said as more teams go for them the math would change on how likely you are to get them. On the Bills they need to freshen up their list of 2 plays. I feel like we have seen that little flare motion they tried on the second one with Cook multiple times and teams are alive to it now.

I disagree that the Bills were not ready to play. Indeed on the Ravens first drive I think they fitted things up pretty nicely. It was after that the wheels came off. Sure, Baltimore's cadance and quick snaps caught us in a bind in some spots - that is true. Could there have been adjustments there? Sure. But the disastrous play of the 2nd and 3rd level is on the players. They have to be accountable. I am not a big Bobby Babich fan but I cannot really put this on him. As I said before, especially first half, I think he was guilty of trying to do a bit too nuch with some of the calls and personnel packages and that is on him. But the stuff the Bills were getting wrong routinely on Sunday night is not stuff experienced players like Milano, Bernard and Rapp especially should be getting wrong. Coaches coach, but players have to play. And those three played dreadfully.

When it is already obvious at the snap that their assignment is blown? Yes. It's the equivalent of a Quarterback throwing the ball into the dirt when the screen he was hoping to throw is blown up immediately. I guarantee when they reviewed the film on Monday his coaches weren't saying "atta boy Cole you played your assignment" they were saying "you are in the pros now you have to be mentally capable of using judgment and adjusting on the fly."

I can't absolve a player for such a just basic common sense error. I'm sorry. Coaches coach. But players have to play. That are not inanimate chess pieces.... though come to think of it a pawn and a rook would be an upgrade on the Bills current safeties.

I actually disagree very strongly. The more I watch the all22 the more convinced I am that the linebackers and the safetys were the primary reason for the defensive failure. I caught Joe Marino's bit on WGR he said that same. I don't think it was primarily coaching (though I do think Babich is continually trying to "do too much" in these games.... some bear front, some base defense, too many blitzes which Lamar killed) it was primarily a more basic inability to gst basic run fits right. Bernard was dreadful, Rapp was worse. Milano was almost as bad. Williams was all over the place and Bishop still looks tentative and late on most plays. It isn't so much about tackling Henry in space. I agree that is darn hard. It is about basic gap discipline and run fits. And the linebackers and safeties sucked at it on Sunday. I don't know what he has been coached but he should not have followed through with that blitz. No way. That is just bad football. Players have to be accountable.

McD's coverage schemes on the backend are more complex than anything Rex ran. Now Rex's D was more complex up front, that is fair. They are just different styles.

I wouldn't go that far but I do think his reputation as a DB whisperer has taken a serious hit. The Bills safety play is desperate.

No, I agree with you. It was the extension I liked the least in the offseason. I'd have had him play out his final year. He was really poor on Sunday.

Yea I am not convinced on Babich either. We had definitely taken a small step back 2022 to 2023, the McDermott calling the defense experiment was a disaster until about week 11 although they ended strong. But no doubt 2024 was worse. From 2023 to 2024 they did have Douglas regress quickly, Poyer depart, DQ regressed... they had injuries to Taron, Milano and Bernard in the first half of the year. I do think the talent had bit by bit been decreasing on that side. But sure the coaching hasn't been as good either. That is not a super big surprise to me as the only Leslie Frazier truther left on planet earth 😆.

Close, but I'm not sure he did actually touch it. If he did it was a very faint brush. I think given how close the kick was would have needed to be a full hand to stop it having the legs to go through. A lot. They didn't go full prevent but they definitely backed their secondary off some and Keon in particular feasted with more room to manouvre. You mean the Bills missed two point conversion? If they tie the game up possibly Baltimore is more aggressive on its last possession, for sure. He was sensational. Jones is definitely washed. I don't know that the Bills totally don't value traditional 1Ts... they have paid DQ twice and they paid Star. Just think they believe it is a vet position so they don't really draft them. I didn't like the 2-year deal for DQ. I always feared exactly what happened. By the second year he is done but you keep him around because he costs to cut. Yep. Don't think they managed the ending well, but up two scores with 7 minutes to play every single coach in football is gonna go softer on defense and try and prevent the quick shot over the top. They lost a game that 99/100 they win. Yea I am close to our on Babich. It just feels a bit too big for him. That said, I think it was fundamentals and execution rather than scheme that was the biggest problem on defense. The Bills gap discipline, contain, pursuit angles and tackling were all sub standard. Agree. Not sure on best win in 20 years, but agree we rarely win those wild ones. We normally come out as the unlucky loser. I agree with this. I am actually with Einstein that I think this time it WOULD have been overturned. But if they have got an extremely high bar now for throwing the flag on spot calls that is a good thing.

Have we been saying it for years? Certainly in the big Chief and Bengal games in the post-season, sure. But the Bills regular season defense has been really good up until last season really. Even in games against supposed top offenses their defensive performance in the regular season was pretty solid. I think it took a bit of a step back in 2023, but then was just bad in 2024, and so far not good in 2025. I think it is mainly talent related. The defense is as untalented right now as certainly any time since 2018 and possibly even before that. And the secondary is unquestionably the worst of the McDermott era. And you took it on from @BillfromNYC didn't you from memory? Is this another torch passing? Tennis is exactly how I think of these battles with Ravens and Chiefs. I have used that analogy in my head for a few years now.

I always thought he was overdrafted. He was more an early day 3 guy to me than day 2. I thought he was a bit of a reach. And you are right he has been a terrible pro.

I think that is a good point on the FG try. He was making the Bills execution be perfrct and maximising his chance of a block because the Ravens could time their jump. I still think they should have run Lamar on 3rd down. That was the call I was fearful of. I was happy to see him chuck it short of the sticks.

Baltimore definitely got us with cadance and quick snaps a few times. The theory on the Cole Bishop brain fart blitz was that they snapped it so early he hadn't started to creep up (though I don't absolve him of blame because if that was Hyde or Poyer they just go "fine, no point blitzing now I'll just sit spare here" I know Cole is young but these mental mistakes are way too frequent).

Yea if Harbaugh doesn't call time out Josh lines them up and spikes the ball once it gets under say 10 seconds. Could he have waited until say 15 seconds then called time out? Possibly. At that point with no time outs I think the Bills probably kick on 3rd down and maybe the Ravens get the chance to try and break a return or do throwbacks etc. That might have been the optimum usage. But the idea that he just doesn't call it and the Bills are panicking I don't think so. It was 3rd down. It would benefit the Bills to get under 10 seconds, spike it and then have the chance to walk the kicker out with a full play clock.

Williams hits the wrong lane on the first Henry touchdown. That was his gap and his missed it and ran into a blocker for an inexplicable reason. Agree though Bernard had a terrible game. Rapp was worse and Milano wasn't much better. Bishop wasn't as directly culpable on a big play from memory but he just still doesn't know where he is supposed to be his head is swimming out there and I don't think right now he deserves to be on the field. He is out there because they are hoping a light comes on and it allows his physical potential to flourish but if you had Sean McDermott, Bobby Babich or Brandon Beane 1on1 in a room gun to their head and asked them to name the two best safeties on the roster right now.... I don't think any of them say Bishop. They are trying to live through the growing pains but it is becoming increasingly difficult. I know the play you mean to Flowers. He is coming across from the left side of the formation of the motion and Strong seems to be following then he pops out the other side for a big gain and Strong seems to have stopped. I need to look back at the all22 but I suspect Strong thought he had passed him on in zone and the guy he had passed on to had read that differently and it was a busted coverage.

Good spot. It is only Ed that's out. I think DQ is trying to disengage and while I do think he is basically washed, I don't put that play mainly on him. Could he have done more? Sure. The bigger errors were Bernard and Rapp. And that was consistent throughout the day. Like @Buffalo716 said... you would hope for a bit more out of your Dline, but the bigger missed assisgnments were the 2nd and 3rd level not getting to their landmarks and filling their gaps.

Ha! Fair point 😂 EDIT: I also think at this stage he is just a better player in week 1 than in the Divisional Round. As great as he is at 31 the long season and impact running style does take a toll. If the Bills faced him in January I think they'd have more success against him.

Not the only issue, sure. But it is a major issue however u frame it. Right now I think it is the 32nd best safety combo in the NFL.

Yea thats my take as well. They caught us backup line in post the long Jackson run (presumably starters blowing). DL tried to play the right responsibilities but Ravens blocked up well and got some movement, Bernard late and washed when he got to his gap. Rapp bad starting body position, slow recognition, bad angle.

Agree I don't think that is roughing. Even the way they often call it now I don't think it is roughing. Could it have been possible that a ref wrongly called it? Sure. But they are reluctant to that on close plays in game on the line moments. The refs tend to just display more caution at those moments.

Yea the contain was an issue - but that was more on the Jackson keepers. The Henry runs specifically were more gap control and lane discipline and lack of fill from the 2nd and 3rd level defenders.

No that is based on what I saw live at the time. Not had a chance to get to the all 22. But Dorian Williams in particular missed multiple gaps that led to big plays. Taylor Rapp missed one as well. You have to fill your gaps to get Henry moving horizontally. Then you have a chance. If you miss or are late to your gap and he gets going north to south you are in trouble. Our gap discipline was by far the biggest issue.

He was dominant on Sunday. As I said above every time we got the Ravens off the field there was a play in those 3 downs that Ed Oliver made. I know people here hate PFF but they gave him a 92.1 grade for the game. That was the 7th best grade they gave to anyone in the league at any position week 1.

Last night wasn't a Matt Milano type game even when he was at his peak, in fairness. I think absolutely he isn't close to Smith at this point. Simpson is a different type of linebacker and after some struggles earlier last season he does seem on the upswing. Where Matt is on the downslope is something to view in games other than Sunday night IMO.