GunnerBill

I am the biggest Ed Oliver fan going. He has actually had 3 years of very high level performance 2021, 2022 and 2023. The flashy numbers in terms of sacks and TFLs only followed in 2023 but he was consistently a pocket mover for three years for the Bills and the underlying analytics in terms of beating double teams, run game penetrations and pass rush wins were pretty close to elite. However, this season he has been pretty terrible beyond a couple of games. The underlying data supports that, the bare "production" numbers support that and the eye test supports it too. I make no case for the defense for his performances this season. They have not been nearly good enough.

Yea, I am not sure that stat quite proves anything given the ST score. Lots of real reasons to be mad with yesterday beyond that stat.

Yep. I mean Smiley getting that job and still having it is a failure ultimately on McDermott. It's like they held a raffle at training camp and let a fan be STC.

No you are not. And in the past he has been a guy where the raw numbers haven't reflected how well he has played. That isn't the case this year. He has not played well enough. Full stop. They blitzed lots yesterday. Probably the most they have all year. It was a disaster.

Yea, scamper and spike would have been better than the timeout. But the real damage was the decision to sneak. Just an atrocious decision.

I vow not to defend him in any form this week. I'm not basing any long term view on last night but I thought he got the decline / accept decision wrong and I know the sneak and timeout decision making at the end was completely inexcusable. So if people want to pile on him this week, go ahead, he deserves it.

Yes I think that's fair. If the Bills were a 3 or 4 win team I'd be all for just letting the younger guy play, he has improved, but he still needs to read the game better and be more consistent.

I am not sure I agree with "Williams has earned that spot". He has been extremely inconsistent. I agree Matt does not look fully back to me.... but I am not sure they are keeping a clearly better player on the bench.

Brady was good last night. He has improved massively as the season has gone on IMO.

I think that's right. They don't. But their returner being a DB affects gameday active numbers too. Of their backup DBs Elam is the guy who does the least. He just plays boundary corner.

That to me was the most simple thing they have ever messed up under him. Most of the game management issues are judgment calls. That isn't a judgment call. Anyone who has ever watched an NFL game knows that the only way to win there is score on that drive and retain 3 time outs. If they'd called incomplete passes and he'd kicked the FG on 4th and 1 he'd have got killed but I'd have defended it. That would have been a decision with some logic even if unpopular. The one thing you can not do there is use your timeouts. It is inexcusable. They didn't first half. That would be fair. Thought we lost both trenches first half. But the oline played a great 2nd half.

If Douglas is out next week Elam will start. He is just a boundary corner whereas Ingram plays teams, and can play nickel and dime and that is why he gets a jersey on the 47. I really hope Elam kills it next week. I am over Douglas at this point. But that might be a folorn hope.

I think Joe called a really good game. But whatever involvement he had in that sneak decision at the end.... brutal.

Yep. First decision was wrong but I can at least understand what the other side of it was and it might not have mattered. The second decision was idiotic. It basically made the game that one play when you didn't need to. You could go 2nd and 1 pass, 3rd and 1 pass, 4th and 1 kick the FG if you needed to and the game still be alive. What you could not do under any circumstances is call time out. They'd have even been better if they were going to try the sneak rushing back to lineup, keep the timeout, snap it and chuck it oob then kick. The one thing you could not do there was use your time out. Once you did it was game over.

To be clear - I wanted him to decline it as well. I said so in this thread. But I don't think the Rams are kicking the FG anyway. I am not saying it wasn't wrong. I think it was. But I can see an argument the other way. There is no argument the other way on the sneak. That is a game losing call. The coaching, special teams and defense lost this game. Without doubt.

Yes. But also yes. They have been brutal at the end here. The take the penalty or not is argauble. The sneak is not. Terrible decision.

It nearly was. We were at the 1 with 1.01 remaining and 2 time outs. If we score and keep 3 TOs this is still a game.

Once you've wasted 1 TO you might as well sneak again. Stupid play call.

That's the game. That's a ***** terrible play call.

DPI!!!

Should have run there.

And thats DPI. Man the Rams have had a break there.

Yep. Kupp on Ingram.

Yea sorry I thought it was 3rd and 7 it was 3rd and 9. They gave them positive 2 on the play. I still think the Rams probably go. But I also think they should have declined the penalty.

They gave him 2 yards I think. But sorry woulda been 4th and 7, not 4th and 5.