Rochesterfan

Those are the 2 from Baldy that I saw - both had already been posted in another thread. He has a couple on offense too I believe. I really like his quick breakdowns and straight forward approach.

It is a fascinating juxtaposition to the defensive snaps. It seems this week the Bills had a plan and stuck right to it. The guys you expect at 100% are there, but to see Davis with essentially 100% of the snaps at WR is pretty shocking for a rookie. Very impressed. The TEs were also interesting with Smith getting a fair number of snaps - mostly in the Red Zone and short yardage and Knox in the rest of the time. The Bills also get a lot out of McKenzie for limited snaps.

I think the snaps breakdown along with the Baldy’s breakdown of how the Bills shifted the D to attack SF rushing attack goes a long way to explain these numbers. Baldy noted that the Bills shifted to essentially a 5 man line (3 guys inside to clog the middle) and 2 guys outside (Hughes&Addison - Edmunds). This covered the gaps in the offense and allowed Klein/Edmunds to fill any cutback lanes that might develop. It also essentially created two OLB type positions where Hughes or Edmunds could drop off into coverage if it was a pass and still allow 4 guys to rush. I think that style gave options for DJ and AJ Epenesa outside until the Bills made the 49ers one dimensional and they could slide back into a more traditional defense - allowing them to rush. We saw on one outside run - the speed and power of DJ getting a big TFL by blowing up the O-Line. The Bills staff did a great job of making adjustments throughout the game and yet still staying true to their Nickel package. There were still a few holes as sometimes the backside fill guys were a step to late to fill giving additional yards to the RB, but overall they did a nice job of locking it down.

It is nice to see the way this staff adjusts on the fly. It is also critical that the Bills have so much flexibility to allow a shift from a standard 4 man line to essentially a 3 down line line and 2 essentially outside backers in Tre and Jerry. Once they clogged that up and made them more one dimensional- then they could get into different looks. What a nice job by the staff and the players to adjust and be ready.

Agreed - I also believe that with the O-line depth they brought in - that gave Beane a chance to recoup some picks to make other moves. Once they settled on a line - I believe they looked at versatility to maintain depth and then who can we maybe spin off for picks. Teams were more interested in trading for a guy like Teller than a guy like Long. I think they knew Teller had potential to be a good guard, but that was his only position (he was not a center or tackle flex player) - so as flexible depth he was not it and he could bring back assets that a guy like Long could not. The goal was to have someone up and coming to replace what they might potentially lose in Teller and that is where Ike (and Bates) come in. Those are the young and up and coming guys that begin to replace the Vets to maintain some growth.

This is all about growth - I am sure as he has interviewed before - McD and Beane have most likely talked with him and provided pointers about what GMs and owners are looking for. My guess is they probably have also used their contacts to help him get in touch with some different coaches that are free to have those types of discussions (as typically an owner/GM wants to know your plan for coordinators and such). I am sure there was lots of discussion in the last off-season about this exact scenario and probably even within Berne’s team about which guys get a potential GM role - who are they interested in on staff to help the Bills plan. Those types of talks and discussions should be part of the year end review and close out.

This is such an important point that people miss. I am sure McD would love to keep Daboll and continue to grow and succeed, but all good leaders want to see their people develop into leaders in their own right. Leaders also have succession planning in place when possible - so they know - if someone moves on who should move up and are they ready or what can I do to help them get ready. McD - I believe (and am quite sure already does) should already have a list of internal and external people to replace not only Dabol, but several other staff members in case of hiring. McD should also be working with these guys during the off season to get them experiences and connections to help them grow. Additionally - if Daboll is looking to move on (which interviews suggestion he is willing at least in the right spot) he should be working with guys like Dorsey and Hall potentially (or other offensive assistants) and talking about what he sees and certain play calls. The coaches spend a ton of time in the off season reviewing tape and they should be talking about the playbook and why plays work. Daboll (if he is a good leader and eventually a good HC) will be trying to develop his team to replace him if he moves on in the same way. I am not convinced Daboll leaves unless he gets a good fit and a GM he can work with. He sees how it works in Buffalo and how it didn’t work in his other stops like Cleveland.

Not sure I see what your saying - Week 17 most likely is not going to be for the division title - so the question is to rest or play. I think it will get treated like the Jets last year - they will prep for a full week and give the starters a series or two and then shut it down. If by some miracle Miami has 2 more wins in the next 3 than the Bills - then you play for the title, but the fact that the Bills have every tiebreaker advantage over Miami - I am not worried.

I think they have found that Ike is much better on the left side. I think the coaching staff wanted Mongo and Dawkins on the Left as they have the most power. I think the big problem is that forced them to put Winters in on the right side as Ike does not seem to be a right side player. I think the Bills coaches realized that Winters was the weak link as he gets pushed back into Josh’s lap. Therefore they put Ike in and shifted Mongo over - not as strong rushing, but the best pass pro line they have.

It could be tough, but Daboll has a bit of a temper and it will be interesting to see him as a HC and letting someone else call plays. I am not sure Daboll and Trevor Lawerence are a great match, but he can help him grow if Lawerence would allow it.

The snap counts came out - Mongo started on the Right and Ike started on the Left as he played every snap. Winters only came in for the Mongo injury for limited plays and then Mongo came back. Winters did not start or get in without injury.

I agree that it is naive to think he won’t leave, but what is nice is that he has options. He loves the city and he and Josh are great together. I think that he can be a bit more picky and make sure he gets the right situation. That may mean taking and internal Bills GM candidate to work with. When Mike Pettine left to take over the Browns - he would of been better off sticking around another year and finding a better situation. That move set him back as a HC candidate years and has not gotten a real sniff since.

So last year just the Bills - won 2 games Miami and Dallas (both handily) and in neither game did we throw for 300 yards and the opponent threw for well over 300 yards even approaching 400. Did we not get the win? Did Miami or Dallas get some hidden unlocked victory point for throwing for 300 yards? I do not get your point or your obsession with that value - it is just a number - it does not mean the coaching is holding teams back by not getting there - it does not show the coaching is aggressive if you get there. It just shows nothing. Matt Stafford and Matt Ryan are the kings of meaningless 300 yard games and they show exactly why is is a stupid stat. In any case - I will reiterate- as the talent got better the offense got better, the completion percentage went up, more drives were extended, that allows more plays and more completions and most importantly more scores. As the talent increased on offense - it allows the coaching staff to look at advanced metrics and decide - I can go for 4th down here because the talent on my offense is better. It allows all sorts of different and expanded choices that the team could not make and hope to succeed early on. This coaching staff understood what they had and what they lacked. They put everything and more on Josh’s plate early. At few points did they harness him and try to limit his throws, but they tried to teach him Hero ball was not the only way. They did not hold him back - they expanded his horizons and pushed him to get better and better and also to understand that others are there to help. Was it perfect - Heck No! It was a solid plan though and it got us here as talent and experience expanded.

It is never important - it is a useless stat. Teams win all the time with under 300 yard passing and teams lose with over 300 yards - the percentage is right around 50% - meaning it is useless. Yes the offense was poorly ranked and that has been addressed - the Bills were a defense oriented team and lacked talent on Offense. The coaching did not hold them back - the lack of talent held them back. The difference was things like completion percentage - the Bills could not keep drives going because of the lack of receiver talent. First downs lead to more drives and more plays and therefore more throws. The argument that the offense was held back by coaching is just wrong - it was lack of talent and lack of experience.

There it is - Ike played every offensive snap - He and Mongo started and Winters was on the bench. The ESPN graphic with starters was not actually reflected by who the Bills played.

Because you are consistently wrong and show it with your big argument continuing to be about useless 300 yard games. I am skeptical of your football knowledge, but oh well.

LOL - would of looked like Beasley and Mongo - putting him to sleep. Totally agree - I did not mind the few mistakes. Not a bad crew - although I think Griese adds very little - I really like Riddick and Levy.

Gilliam is a special teams players and they prioritize some special teams players at times. It is not Gilliam over Kroft - it was Smith over Kroft for the running game. Gilliam is in the starting line up regardless of Kroft/Knox. I think you will see more Kroft/Knox with Smith on the bench as we continue to adjust depending on the defense they are playing.

Nope - ESPN had him listed as a starter, but right from play two- it was Ike on the Left and Mongo on the right. I actually noticed it because in the huddle I saw Mongo next to Williams and at the same time ESPN was running the starters along the bottom and it said Winters. My wife and I then went back and sure enough Ike and Mongo were playing. Winters came in for Mongo - got blown up and as soon as Mongo could get back in Winters returned to the bench.

@GunnerBill - I love this thread and I think it totally shows the evolution of this coaching staff. I think McD recognizes that Mongo is by far their best run blocker and Dawkins is right there with him. I think they toyed with/tried the Dawkins, Ford, Mongo (center) grouping thinking that would be the best rushing/power trio. Injuries kept that from working - so I think they wanted to try the Dawkins/Mongo group and got some nice push, but as Ike seems to be a more dominant left side player that left Winters to play right guard (which caused pass pro issues). The Bills then again recognized the issue and went with Dawkins/Ike and Mongo/Williams and they got some push, but much better pass protection. I think going forward that will be the plan if they can stay healthy and Ike has done a great job getting better week after week. The o-line is not going to find a way to get exceptional push with the current grouping, but as they have become a predominantly passing attack - I think they can make it work and still get enough push to keep teams honest.

And has been repeatedly stated - 300 yards is a stupid, meaningless, and trivial number just pulled out of nowhere because it is round. The Bills have continued to evolve and as they increased the WR talent and as Josh has gotten experience- the passing yards have come. This year with the trust of the offense - McDermont has been one of the more aggressive coaches in terms of 4th downs and kicks - why? Because he knows what they can do.

And as is typical - you would be wrong. It was not Daboll holding him back as has been pointed out to you several times. The Bills were aggressive, but lacked playmakers (as Beane stated in the off-season). The Bills never babied or even slimmed down the playbook - Daboll talked several times about that. The Bills/Daboll’s philosophy was we are going to attack and get Josh as much experience as possible and then use that as teaching moments. Sort of a tough love approach. They were so aggressive even last year that repeatedly true fans talked about why isn’t Daboll running more - you are getting 5 YPC from Singletary and he is only getting 10 runs a game - run him more - pull some passes away from Josh. They recognized that the more they threw - the more he was exposed to and the more he learned. What held Josh back in 2018 was the WR group - it was terrible and they made no plays for him - he was also so raw as to be scary. 2019 - the WRs improved (although Beane stated after last season they needed more) and the passing improved and Josh started to learn, but still had way to much he did not recognize. 2020 is a true WR group that makes plays for him (both routine and special), but the biggest difference is everything he has seen because of how aggressive Daboll was in his first 2 years. Josh is at the point he is at because Daboll did not hold him back in his first 2 years - he trusted him to make some plays and learn from mistakes (and some of those mistakes were costly). Daboll deserves a ton of credit for what he did in 2018 and 2019 to get Josh to this point today.

It could be lost faith, but he was also Banged around earlier in the game and hurt his lower leg/knee. Until I hear (or see who dresses next week) - I will assume that McD limited him, but not that he is in the “doghouse”. He is young and like when Singletary fumbled last year - you need to let him work through it. That was also a bad exchange - so it is not like the ball got ripped out - it was totally a lack of focus on Moss’s part.

He might be, but most likely if he is on the Bills - he is not the “safety valve” that he is for Alex Smith. Alex Smith is a short zone, west coast QB that uses RBs and TEs a lot. He did it in San Fran and KC before coming to Washington. Josh Allen is not that style of QB - he is slowly learning to use TEs and RBs, but he has been a pro style - WR driven QB. I honestly believe if Thomas is on this team - he is easily beat out by both Knox and Kroft (both of whom give you more upside) and Lee Smith is still their blocking back. His numbers in Washington not with standing - he would not be that player here. I do think Dabol would utilize his QB skills in his trick play catalog, but as a TE - Thomas is better suited in the role he is in now and will put up more numbers because of who he has at QB than if he was in Buffalo. Just my opinion, but I am happy for him and do not miss him or think what if - he is a former Bill for a reason.

Saw the stat at the end of the game - With his 33rd TD - Beasley has the most receiving TDs for a player 5’8 or shorter now NFL history. Amazing.