Matt_In_NH

I like Sanders but this is one area the Bills have sufficient depth.

Yes I believe they did, go back and watch some of those games, he had all day to throw at times. I can remember him standing in the pocket with both feet planted stationary looking downfield on a regular basis. That has not happened this year as much. Are teams playing the Bills O different this year, yes they are. And maybe the OL has been exposed more than anything...

Honestly, in these last two games (both heartbreaking losses) I have been really impressed with his poise and I think he has shown growth. The old trying to score 21 points with one throw has not happened. He has been more methodical and focused. It has not worked out but personally I think he has shown growth. No doubt the INT vs TB he would like to have back but for the most part he has not been "trying to do too much".

Agreed! I think this gets addressed in a big way going into next year.

Yeah there is that......something is different this year vs last though. These same guys pass blocked better last year.

I guess talent wise I understand what you are saying but if you put Thurman on the team, do you want to run more than we do now and pass more to RB's than we do now, that will take touches from Knox/Diggs/Sanders/etc.

Maybe. A fair amount of those are scrambles and there are definitely some sneaks and designed runs. I guess I think it is more telling of who Josh Allen is and what he is capable of and not as much about not having an RB. The Bills dont have an RB1....ok I guess I can agree with that. But largely during Josh Allen's tenure they have not seemed to desire to have that. The whole thing is built around what he does well.

That is not actually not all that relevant to this thread

So go for it on all those plays and what “assume” a positive outcome each time? I do think McDermott deserves some criticism for decisions on some calls I don’t think all of what he is getting is justified. People don’t like the outcome so let’s roll it back and do it different. No way they win all those games by going for it all the time.

The first game I went to with JA was at Green Bay. We got shutout and he looked like he was throwing balls to random places in the stadium.

I believe this team can make a run if they get in. I don't care where they go, I think they could win. I think the Bills would not be a welcome opponent in many teams eyes.

My answers to some of these (especially the first one) were tongue in cheek to some degree, sarcasm does not always come off well in text. And I kind of changed my response from pure sarcasm to a mix of sarcasm and an actual response. My bad.... In general, do I think officiating was an issue yesterday, yes. Do I think we need to make a laundry list and make everything so dramatic against the Bills and in favor of TB, no I don't. I don't think everything favored TB. Did I like a couple spots, no but they were close and no clear video to show one way or the other on a couple of them. I did not see an unreasonable spot. I wish they were a little stronger and pushed Fornette back more on the initial contact. For me, its PI and defensive holding I had an issue with. Those I think all did go one way, called on the Bills and not on the Bucs. If you "let them play" (against Diggs) then I don't see how you can make the call in OT. I suspect if the Diggs play in the end zone happens in the third quarter it gets called but because that could have flipped the game, it was not. Same argument but not as strong on the Evans call in OT but that does not give them the game, it gave them a first down in their territory. The one where he was pulling Diggs jersey was just not seen, I am assuming.

1. Agree the Bills hit Tom Brady late a couple times that were not called. 2. Yes you are a homer on this. 3. Same thing, worded differently. Two times Buffalo was called for penalties that would have converted a 3rd down only to be offset by a Tampa penalty. 4. Agree to a point, you wont get all of those, but a couple should have been called, especially if you call the one on Evans in OT. That one killed me after you don't throw on the others. 5. Correct, Tampa had 4 penalties, I think the Bills had 7. Last week the Bills has 3, Pats had 6. In any overtime game you will find fans pointing to "this call" or "that call" or "this noncall" etc. It's the nature of close games, lots of little things could have flipped the outcome. Not sure I think the Bills played well enough to win that game, I was impressed by the 4th quarter for sure but they underperformed much of the game and should blame themselves more than the refs in my opinion.

To address the question in this thread. I would ask him some personal questions and not interrogate him like I (some random fan who is not a trained pro in anything football) know more than him. I would be interested in some behind the scenes work they do about preparing and game day mechanics out of interest and not from a critical point of view.

the OL is different this year be last. There were many times last year Josh would stand in the pocket like a statue with feet on the ground waiting for a guy to come open. This year there is just more pressure. Largely the same guys so I am somewhat surprised by that. I mean not anymore I have gotten used to it this year but I thought the OL would be better. I think they have put resources around Josh but maybe not the right ones. Dawkins Williams Feliciano and Morse are not cheap they are taking up valuable resources.

Probably just a crazy fan but I kind of agree with this thread title. I believe this team can still make a real run. They have to find a way to win close games. They are not far off

Hopefully Allen’s ankle can heal quick. He is the team

Agree if you pronounce heads as “tails”

Lol. Haack picks the end of a half to have a good punt. Nothing wants to go the bills way this year. This team has lost so much in terms of execution.

Might be a beat down in the second half. This team has nothing left to give I guess

Love when these DL think they beat their man only to find out the OL is playing him like a fiddle on a screen

Yeah because you have to respect the run. this team has been figured out

Can we lust makes Haack’s position “Holder” who also punts. Man he sucks at punting.

This team does not need some moral victory. They need an actual victory.

hey if you want an optimistic viewpoint, the Bills with 5 games to do, win the division if they win the rest of their games on the schedule. Are they where we want or expected them to be right now, no we all know that. Obviously this can change tomorrow but if you want to have an optimistic view, this is it...win your games.