Old Coot

Was he Jeff Kemp? Jeff played QB in the NFL for several teams.

Jack Kemp jersey (a repro)

True but not all disguises are created equal. If your disguise is a common one & on tape, Josh will be prepped for it but if its a new disguise or a new D, that will cause Josh to hesitate and that gives the pass rush a better opportunity to get to him. Again see the KC game where they unveiled a new D. That said, I expect that as Josh gets more experience at recognizing D's he'll make faster decisions.

I like Josh He is a very good QB on the cusp of being elite. His achilles heel is that he holds onto the ball too long. He needs to get the ball out sooner. If I were a DC facing Josh, I'd defense him by disguising coverages to confuse him and blitzing him. I also have concerns about his long term durability. All of those hits he takes when running the ball will add up over the years.

WTF - What the F*** does that mean?

Star is back. He's a traditional 1T DT so Oliver should be able to play a traditional 3T DT. The 3T is supposed to be a disruptive play-maker. Hopefully Oliver can do that this year.

Tasker was a humble lunch pail type of guy. He came to work and did his job -- very well. As has been said, Kelly stated that he was impossible to cover. He was a Welker-Beasley slot WR. My recollection of his early offensive use (1993) is that we had injuries to our WR. I recall one game when the Bills ran the daylights out of some team using the old Single Wing offense with Tasker as the single wing. I hope he eventually makes the HOF on ST

Big Tree Inn is right near the stadium. When I lived in Buffalo (decades ago) you could occasionally run into a Bills player after the game.

A basic intro to the Tampa 2 version of Cover 2: https://footballadvantage.com/tampa-2-defense/

Edmunds isn't elite. He doesn't like sticking his nose in there on running plays. He must have something going for him, however. He has two pro bowl selections & has his 5th yr option picked up. I don't have access to the all-22 film so I can't say for sure but it may be that offenses are gamplanning him as a conflict defender; that is, for example, a high-low technique. One receiver runs high & the other low. Whichever receiver Edmunds covers the throw goes to the other receiver. For what its worth, most defensive schemes will have him cover the high receiver for that's the completion that will net the O the most yards. Others with access to to the all-22 may have more insight. Stastistics can be deceiving. They measure only what they measure and are only as good as that which they measure. For example, Tyrod was a decent QB. His low interception rate was mostly due to the fact that he didn't throw until the receiver was open rather than throwing with anticipation or throwing the receiver open.

Tre White explains some of the nuances of his DB play in an NFL film session.

The Bills D plays alot of Cover 2. This Youtube video explains basically how Cover 2 is played. Pay particular attention to the middle LB's assignment in Cover 2. It's the reason the Bills like Tremaine Edwards. He has the range to cover the hole in the middle of the cover 2 D. There are variations within cover 2 not discussed in this video. The variations are dependent on what the coach likes, defensive personnel strengths and what the opposing offense has shown what it likes to do in particular situations (down, distance, field location).

They need to have better balance. The passing O can win them games but they won't win a SB. By the time you get to the conference finals you face more on-field talent and better coaching. They'll devise schemes to take away whey we do best. An example is the conference final against KC. I think that our running game was more than an afterthought last year. Daboll changed the style of run blocking in an effort to get more out of the run game. It is a mystery to me how the O line can be good at pass blocking but not run blocking.

Charlie Tolar at 5'6" & 210 lbs was the Houston Oilers fullback in the old AFL. His nickname: the Human Bowling Ball

I like Josh Allen but he still has work to do on his accuracy and decision-making. Compared to the cut ups of Mahomes' dropped interceptions, Mahomes was more accurate.

For those readers not familiar with the term "3-technique" here is a simple article explaining the concept: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2011/4/11/2082375/draft-terminology-the-three-technique-and-the-five-technique Here is a much more advanced article on the 3 tech's role in the 4-3 defense: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/3-Technique--Block-Destruction-vs--Run-Blocking-Schemes.html?soid=1104030277664&aid=kBQJqIuy0Ug

The Big Nickle subs in a safety for the slot cover DB. From an X's & O's perspective how is the Big Nickle formation used? Obviously it gives up something against the slot receiver. Those guys are small speedy & shifty and can cut both ways. They are harder to cover than a WR flanked out wide because the DB can't use the sideline defensively. This is probably why the Big Nickle formation is usually a sub package used only against certain formations. I can see that a Big Nickle DB formation would be better against the run than the standard Nickle. Also better coverage matchups against the TE (hear that Travis) and an RB running a pass pattern. Apparently the Big Nickle S is also better at blitzing off the edge than a standard DB. In zone the Big Nickle can cover the middle for slants, low crossers and other shallow to medium routes. Are there any other strengths or weaknesses of the Big Nickle formation Here are some studies of the Big Nickle formation: https://www.footballstudyhall.com/2014/8/22/6052637/college-football-nickel-backs-lamarcus-joyner https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2014/6/23/5829794/will-the-cowboys-use-more-heavy-nickel-formations-in-2014

Some of the 1960 Bills held unofficial workout on the athletic field behind Amherst Central HS. I saw them.

The Cover 2 guys have an insightful analysis of the performances of Moss & Singletary during the 2020 season:

Agreed. But in the playoffs the opponents' D will have more talent and better coaching than the typical NFL defense & therefore is more likely to stymie our offense. It's difficult to conclude whether our poor execution was the result of poor play on our part or the Chiefs' disguising their D. At this level of competition a split second's hesitation is enough to get you beaten.

I agree that Thomas was a key (perhaps the most important) component in the K-Gun. But Kelly called the plays at the line in that no-huddle offense. Kelly's job after the hike (as he described it) was to find & hit the open man. BTW the K-Gun was called that after Keith McKeller, the speedy TE whose nickname was "Killer." (for his killer speed).

The Chiefs did something in the AFC Championship game that the Bills will need to address going forward because they'll see it from other teams: Our offense runs through Josh Allen. Therefor, if a defense can confuse him, it stands a good chance of shutting down the Bills' offense. One Josh looked over the Chiefs' D and after the communication to the sidelines was cut off, the Chiefs' D shifted to another D. Unless Josh's audible play was more effective against the new D, the Bills were running a play designed for the initial D. As an aside I recall a description of what Belichik did to us a the Giants DC in our first Super Bowl loss. Our offense ran through Kelly so they confused him. After every Bills' offensive series Kelly & Marchibroda would discuss what the Giants did on D for that series & decide on plays based on that. Belichik would call defenses on the next series that were unlike what he had called in the previous series. As a result, Kelly seldom got a defense he expected. AS to the Ravens game, I'm not sure what they did to stop us. Comments?

Interesting X's & O's study on Chief's play design that gets Kelce open: https://weeklyspiral.com/2021/01/28/how-the-chiefs-use-travis-kelce-to-make-him-unstoppable/

These re-signings say a lot about how the players view our team. The Bills are no longer a minor league club that develops players who go on to sign with competitive teams.

There's a name I haven't heard in many a year.