[McDermott decision making]

7 minutes ago, chris heff said:

I know this is about McDermott’s decision making, but the oddest decision last night, in my opinion was on Brady. I can’t remember if it was second or third quarter, but on consecutive plays two Dolphins DB were injured. Some UDA from Stanford came in, don’t know who replaced the other guy. As the OC don’t you make a call that tests one of those guys? Instead Brady called a run up the middle, which got stuffed.

 

I think he had Coleman singled up over there and I thought for sure they were going to take a shot at that skinny white boy.

[Buffalo Sabres and the NHL: 2025 - 2026. Sabres already eliminated from playoffs.]

 

 

There's more on this at the Sabres website and Facebook page

[McDermott decision making]

18 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

They had them in 2nd and long. The problem was lacl of execution on defense not the time outs.

 

It was 2nd/5 when he started calling them.

He was trying to repeat the success he had in a similar situation in the Baltimore game, but this was a different scenario and he should not have done it. Nor do I want it to become a habit for him.

[[Incomplete Title]]

26 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Me and the stat sheet guys are having the same problem I suppose.

 

How would you grade his performance thus far? Worth every penny? Serious question

 

The fact that you want to bring a stat sheet into it is part of the you problem.

He's doing exactly what he's being asked to do and doing it very well, as per usual.

If you want to chew on McD and Babich for chaining him to the LOS, have at it.

I agreed with it the first two games and understood it to a point last night, but it's becoming excessive.

 

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2 hours ago, FireChans said:

Greg Rousseau is currently our highest paid defender and our EDGE cornerstone for the foreseeable future and I’m not sure I’ve seen him yet this year.

 

That's a you problem

[Do The Bills Have A Passing Game Problem?]

3 minutes ago, NoSaint said:

I think many of us think Miami is a very bad team though. Not the playoff fins we have at times battled but a true talent lacking squad that has active internal conflict on top of it. 
 

in a special season there will be a few of those that aren’t pretty but you take the win….  But that the gap on the field matched the forecasted gap on paper is what stands out. 
 

josh airmails a couple passes and nobody blinks about the long term because sometimes you just don’t hit everything. Josh stands patting the ball because he can’t find anyone open and that gives pause about the bigger story.

 

I get this if it becomes a trend.

But a division game early in the year on a short week is a breeding ground for unpredictability and inconsistency. 

I'm really hesitant to draw any sort of long-term conclusions from a matchup like this.

[Do The Bills Have A Passing Game Problem?]

Just now, Scott7975 said:

TBF, he has had some clutch catches this year and also drew a big PI call IIRC.

 

I don't mean at all to downplay the improvements he's made; they have been significant and I respect the hell out of the work he's putting in.

But there is still fruit on the vine here.

 

[Deone Walker Deflected the Ball on INT]

1 minute ago, NoSaint said:

If the interior of walker-sanders-Oliver comes together and boss stays healthy plus hoecht coming back…. 

 

I want Hoecht to be taking some of Epenesa's snaps the minute he's allowed to.

[That was a championship level play by Bernard]

Just now, NoSaint said:

if he hits his ceiling, he will be tremendous value for us - the type that can sway huge games. 
 

he’s flashing it.

 

I think he is already moving better than in any of the college film I saw of him.

 

Would it be gruesome to get an O/U going on how many RBs he's going to knock out of games this year?

Cuz it is going to happen.

[Deone Walker Deflected the Ball on INT]

4 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

Not sure he tipped it, but McDermott and Tua both talked about Walker getting his hands up affecting the throw. So it was a big contribution on that play no matter what.

 

That swim forced a half-blind throw from a Tua in full retreat which Bernard was getting hands on regardless.

[Do The Bills Have A Passing Game Problem?]

42 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

I think Coleman will keep getting better. The back shoulder he dropped is a play he will hit more consistently in the second half of the season.

 

That's a concern for me.

He struggled hauling some of those in last year and he doesn't seem to be securing them at a particularly high rate so far this year.

It should get better as he gets better, but I'm worried that it also should have gotten a little better already.

[Do The Bills Have A Passing Game Problem?]

1 hour ago, BillsFan130 said:

Do The Bills Have A Passing Game Problem?

 

No

[New Kickoffs...]

3 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

Kicking it to the 9 just allows the guy to catch it on the run and usually get a good return, with the decent chance of breaking one.

 

Seems like smart teams should just boot it through the end zone and put it on the 35.

 

Am I wrong?

 

 

I think it's kind of a wash right now.

You might be right as time goes on if teams figure out how to create seams that are perfectly timed.

[9/18/25 GAMEDAY Bills vs Dolphins Post Game Thread TNF]

10 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

The best call McDermott made all night was sneaking in a Time Out to negate the Dolphins false start.

 

It was 3rd and 5, and the Dolphins were trying to jump early to get to 3rd and 10, since that was a gimme all night.

 

I think that was the only f bomb I dropped all night. 

2 minutes ago, Cheektowaga Chad said:

This game to me had the feel that the bills didn't really respect the dolphins, like at all 

 

The time outs on first and second down with well under a minute in the half to play where the dolphins were very much already in fg position demonstrate this in my opinion 

 

It got him 3 points vs Baltimore, but it's not something he needs to be making a habit of.

That wasn't the spot for it, imo.

[That was a championship level play by Bernard]

6 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

He looks like he's playing with some confidence and I believe it's probably because he's back with McDermott again 

 

I'm done hijacking the Groot thread after this one, but I'd add that that confidence also probably stems from the fact that his body feels like it's supposed to again and he's willing to cut and drive because he's not worried about further injury. And that is massive news, imo.

 

5 minutes ago, SectionC3 said:

Not making the play on Tua when he had him dead to rights changes the game. 

 

The bad guys make good plays too. That was a great no-look escape that beats 90% of blitzers who have the pedal buried, imo.

[That was a championship level play by Bernard]

4 minutes ago, Special K said:

 

 I wasn't knocking Tre.....I don't expect him to have the speed to keep up with those guys at this point.....he's still a valuable CB to have on the team, but if Hairston was healthy, I'd bet we would've seen a lot of him on the field tonight.

 

I would not make that switch at this point and I bet you McDermott won't either.

 

3 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

He has a lot more left than I thought 

 

As a former defensive back that's the one thing I can see with a really good eye and he looks pretty quick .. better than I thought 

 

And he should actually keep improving since it's a long rehab from that tear he had.. you're going to be better 25 months out than you were 16 months out

 

Agreed with all of this.

His strength, conditioning and confidence are all on point and he's really attacking offenses successfully.

The big turnover out of nowhere is coming.

 

[That was a championship level play by Bernard]

1 minute ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

I thought Tre White had a solid game. Made some key tackles and passes defended. Now that he’s completely over his injury it’s clear that he lost a step, but I think his experience & leadership will prove useful down the stretch. He is what he is at this point which is solid depth, but still a former All Pro that receivers must respect. 

 

He looks pretty live out there to me.

You may be right about the step in regards to long speed, but he's making a lot of short area plays that are negatively affecting offenses.

I'm very pleasantly surprised by what he's been showing.

[9/18/25 GAMEDAY Bills vs Dolphins Post Game Thread TNF]

21 minutes ago, Pine Barrens Mafia said:

This is another one of those bills games that feels like a 3 point loss

 

 

[Is Groot On The Team?]

6 minutes ago, NickelCity said:

 

I have a hard time believing this is the whole truth. Surely there's some execution that's not happening?

 

Watch him.

It's not like he's getting blocked or pushed around; he's setting the edge or rushing contain on most of his snaps.

He's nto getting opportunities to make plays that people see (i.e sacks or tfls) because he's rarely being allowed to actually attack the backfield.

This is what McDermott wants from him because he wants his defense responsible to a fault and Rousseau is also really good at it.

 

[That was a championship level play by Bernard]

Just now, MikePJ76 said:

that play was a direct result of coaching wasn't it?

 

most plays are

[That was a championship level play by Bernard]

 

Don't leave out the swim move from a 330lb DT that turned Tua blind and scared.

[Is Groot On The Team?]

22 minutes ago, No_Matter_What said:

He was invisible these three games but the season is long. 

 

He's not invisible at all, imo.

[Is Groot On The Team?]

 

McDermott has had a length of 6" thick anchor chain on him since he walked in the door.

I get it, running the ball anywhere near him is a waste of a down and his contain rush is almost always correct.

But for gawd's sake coach, cut the young man loose sometimes. 

Not just because he can be a problem when he's allowed to attack the backfield, but it also forces blockers away from blitzers that are usually being picked up.

This is not Rousseau's fault; he's doing what he's being coached to do on too many downs.

[9/18/25 GAMEDAY Bills vs Dolphins Post Game Thread TNF]

1 minute ago, Roundybout said:

 

I mean yeah, but it seemed tonight like we needed a lot of luck. The roughing the punter call, the terrible Tua interception, and so forth. 

 

The pick wasn't luck, imo.