Richard Noggin

I just typed almost this exact point in response to someone on FB. (Shared this article with friends, which is something I rarely feel compelled to do with sports writing.) Not only did Daboll deliberately withhold and then unveil an unexpected set of formations, personnel-groupings, and tendencies in order to defeat a specific opponent...but he also just suddenly gave every future defensive opponent THAT much more to prepare for ahead of time and react to on the field. Potential paradigm shift we're witnessing. A multiplication of play-calling possibilities.

There is still plenty of solid journalism out there. (True, long form sports journalism in particular doesn't seem to have a huge target audience these days, when I think of the attention span of the average fan.) Unfortunately, it is now awash in a warm sea of shite.

Between the customary "I love you Josh Allen!"s in the tunnel, and the captioning of Knox's celebratory screams or woos as *Noises* and then *More noises*...this is comedy gold in the collective post-conquest afterglow.

The thing that rings so true in his analysis, even though Connolly never explicitly acknowledges the link, is that: the E-P passing offense Daboll is schooled in relies on running the same route concepts but out of different formations and personnel groupings. This allows for pre-snap motions (which help the QB diagnose coverage) and the illusion of schematic complexity/diversity when in fact the offense is just dressing up the same core route concepts and combinations in different looks. Take the following example of the first Sanders TD (in which the Bills stick with their preferred route concepts while using a different offensive school's formation):

"You don’t serve Châteauneuf-du-Pape at a family barbeque; you crush margaritas." -This MF spittin'

I think both things can be true.

This post is aging...rapidly

This point makes me wonder: does defensive dominance LOOK different in 2021 than it has previously? The Bills defense is absolutely shutting teams down (and yes, holding the Chiefs to 20 at home qualifies). But they're not doing it with a ferocity or physicality or schematic aggressiveness that iconic defenses have historically displayed. Maybe 2021 defensive dominance involves putting "a lid" on explosive offenses and playing disciplined and opportunistic defense underneath?

Let us not forget how good this Colts defense was last season. They have the DNA.

I know a crew of 8 die-hard 30-year old Bills fans (passionate guys despite a veritable lifetime of team mediocrity) who traveled to KC for the game...to my uninformed surprise they were all blown away by how friendly and welcoming the Chiefs fans were. Just saying. The internet allows for all kinds of otherwise suppressed ugliness to emerge. Bills fans post questionable/ugly stuff on other internet/social media sites all the time. We should probably use this thread to illuminate the civil, thoughtful culture cultivated on TBD by mods and posters alike...

No one mentioning the Super Bowl loss hangover?

I agree with basically all of this. Solid breakdown. CB/DB with top pick makes a ton of sense, followed, in my opinion, by possibilities at OG/C, DT, and offensive playmaker (WR, TE, RB...whatever flashes value/upside in the draft). I favor boundary CB in the 1st. The time will be right to add another late-1st round talent in the secondary. Gotta keep the cupboards stocked there. Then again, I'll never be angry about drafting linemen.

I think the poster meant "pressure" to mean blitzing, essentially. Pressure by design, versus pressure by execution.

Could easily photoshop "meals" to read as "emails." Just sayin

Has he been flagged much outside that pivotal play against Pittsburgh? I'm Google-lazy

With respect to the "success" Chiefs DBs had sticking to Bills WRs in the Championship Game, this is the perfect crew to squash all that blatant clutching and grabbing BS. But yeah, I suppose that blade can cut both ways. While I don't think the Bills DBs are particularly handsy, I could see White getting flagged on a big-time, borderline pass breakup (or pick, as we've seen already this season), for example.

Tell me you wear that emblem on your chest...

To express my desired plan on defense this week, I'd like to show a gif of Belichick during last week's matchup with Tampa: he punched his palm and shouted "Hit number eighty-four!" But I can't find one. (He was referring to jamming TB's TE Cameron Brate at the line.) The main idea being that we should take the advice of the best defensive coordinator in NFL history, and disrupt Kelce at the line, while playing tighter to the WRs (and of course giving safety help to whomever is covering Hill). This is how you hope to force Mahomes to come off his first read and hold the ball, which can allow the pass rush to fluster him. Gotta disrupt the Chiefs quick passing game while also keeping a lid on Hill over the top. Then you need the d-line to deliver.

Plus their offense is historically elite. All-time great. Minus a SB game with all reshuffled backups along the o-line.

"Ah I almost broke it!" -Josh Allen while being piled on following a QB sneak. Priceless.

Wait...you thought Tua could play sustained winning football in this league?

The Mahomes-led KC offense might be the best ever.

Not For Long

I'll bet there is data out there to support or refute this observation. Not data I'M gonna track down, mind you.

Fun to see Edmunds play downhill. He had a pop to his game we don't get to see much. Next step: do it against quality competition.