Beck Water

They do have this guy named "Kelce". Teams normally seem to have trouble taking him away To the OP question, that's basically the coverage that the Steelers threw at us on opening day last year, which succeeded and other teams tried - until we adapted by using short passes and a run threat. To some extent, it's close to what Belicheck tried (he was more rushing 4 and dropping 7 into coverage). Belicheck seemed to have designed his defensive game plan to prevent the Bills from getting chunk plays, either from Josh Allen or from receivers. They basically dared us to throw it short, and bet on Josh losing patience and forcing something, or someone fumbling. The Bills answer to that was to run, including from 2 back formations and with sweeps - and to take the short stuff. They did get one fumble but that was it. Josh only had 1 pass completion over 20 yds all day (he threw 3 passes >20 yds, all incomplete), and that was the 21 yd pitch-and-run to Nyheim Hines. But 3 different receivers caught 5 or more passes, and two of them (Cook and McKenzie) have break-away speed and the ability to make guys miss in the open field.

Question: What teams manner of handling injuries would you prefer? I don't think most teams give you substance about injuries. It's part of the "competitive advantage" game, keep the opponent guessing about whether or not a player will be in the game.

No one knows. Banged Up Bills writes a post-game injury analysis and he picked up several injuries or potential injuries during the NE game, but nothing with Milano. Do you now? 2020 Games missed: 6 W-L 3-3 2021 Games missed: 1 W 2022 Games missed: 1 so far L Yes, Milano is important to our offense. But while I think he would have made a difference, I don't think he's the reason we lost that Jets game 17-20 either.

I heard a good discussion recently about how much the QB position in the NFL has changed. (Can't remember where) Anyway, the discussion was about how Rosen was the classic pocket passer and a couple decades ago could likely have had a reasonable career, but the game has changed so much that a QB really needs to have mobility, at least enough to escape the pocket and extend plays; be able to throw accurately off-platform etc. I kind of feel that where Rosen failed was from the neck up, but it was interesting.

It's a good question. Allen and Miller both talk as though the "choice is his". But of course, the "Devil is in the Details" and it *is* Beane's MO to extend an offer and say "here's our offer, if you want to play here and you get a better offer loop back with me" On the other hand....Von Miller has backed off a long way from "I guarentee he will sign here" or whatever he was saying earlier in the season.

Welllllll...... .......it worked for Geno Smith?

He played a good game. A lot of the yardage was on two deep passes to Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore, 54 and 42 yards respectively Guy came out with some swagger last time we played, 5th round pick in 2018 "I should have been picked in the 1st round". Bills picked him - picked him 4x. Has he learned something since then? We'll see.

Josh said it doesn't bother him on game day. Maybe he's getting a shot, maybe it's just adrenaline takes over.

I will say this. I feel better about it with AJ Klein in the mix than I did depending upon Terrell Bernard to pick up the slack. Klein can't replace Milano, but in 2020 with Milano on IR, Frazier cooked up some little tweaks to our normal scheme that allowed Klein to win "Defensive Player of the Week" IIRC. Klein still has it from the shoulders up. Bernard may have a higher physical ceiling but he's got a bit of a climb mentally.

Like the report says - "Vet Rest"

How about 3) he hurt his knee during the Lions game in a way that wasn't observed and reported? These guys get so much adrenaline going during the game that they do get hurt and don't really even feel it. It isn't necessarily serious, but it may need more treatment. Most of these guy's injuries aren't really healed by a week of rest, even when they're not too serious. We'll just have to see. FWIW I mined the practice reports for previous weeks. Bills have had 39 instances where a player was "DNP" 2 days in a row. Outcomes: Out 30 Q, inactive 1 Q, active but left game early 1 Q, active 2 (-), active 4 (-), inactive 1 It really comes down to what the practice status is on Friday. 29 of the 30 "out" designations DNP on Fri also. Milano is one of the guys who previously DNP 2 days, practiced Friday, was questionable for the game, and played.

This kind of clarifies that he was out there and working with his position group, but not out practicing. Hopefully vet rest.

I lost it now, but there was a video clip posted, illustrating another play (maybe the pitch to Hines) which kinda shown what I've seen from Shakir in the slot on the film I've watched. Shakir had to make his way between two players in zone coverage - which he did. As he cleared them, he raised the "mail flag" (arm gesture, I'm open). But there was a 3rd defender moving to pick him up as he cleared the first two, who within a step was covering him closely from behind and who was well-positioned to pick up any slightly errant throw or deflection. I'm not sure what exactly Shakir should do differently in that specific situation - maybe he was just well covered and taken away. Possibly, a "speed guy" like McKenzie might zip to the sideline and gain enough separation that Josh could take a shot, "his ball or no ones". A "surgeon" like Beasley might act like he's racing to the sideline then cut sharply inside and win separation that way. Shakir may be doing what he's coached to do, but to me he seemed oblivious to the fact that he was still very covered. I think the whole "beat the zone" thing is still "progressing" for him. Shakir's catches all seem to me to be outside or deep.

If we must talk OBJ:

Oh, wow, here we go: I wonder if Stevenson was not claimed on waivers, but is off taking a physical for another team for a PS slot. Maybe he doesn't feel he has a legit shot here, and is looking to see if there's a team where he has a better chance to get on the field?

I liked Crowder and agree that he was a significant loss to the O, but honesty compels me to point out that he was rocking a sub-50% catch rate and had an INT scored against him which IIRC was off a bobble or deflection. That's not Beasley-level reliable. You're right that Crowder has that ability to diagnose zone and find the open spots, but he gotta catch it, including in traffic, when he gets there.

You might find it interesting to look up posts by @HoofHearted in this thread, which include play diagrams and explanations of the play being run. A lot of the discussion centers around a play where Josh kept the ball, but my understanding is the sweep play handoff to Hines was the same design. In that play, the DE is unblocked and it's the job of the RB to evade him. The WR may have missed blocks on the sweep, but our WR have been missing blocks on sweeps for years now. So if you know someone who knows Hines, tell him he has to put his mind to it that to make something happen, he's going to have to evade and make yards on his own there, because there is no magic switch to be flipped that will enable our WR to consistently hit on those blocks. Davis and Kumerow can block in the backfield or chip inline like a TE. The rest of our WR even McKenzie can block downfield, but there's something about the blocking needed on a sweep or bubble screen we just don't Get. Maybe we don't practice it enough. Maybe there are "tells" that let the D diagnose and they're ready for it. IDK. But the sweeps haven't been working well all season. Hines is getting them instead of McKenzie IMO because the Bills hope he can break the first tackle and get some yards, like an RB. IMO.

I don't remember your responses to the trades, but in general - my impression is that when the trade was announced, some here were just giddy, as though we'd added our own Christian McCaffrey who was just under-utilized on that Colts team. That turned to indignation when the Bills were not immediately carving him out a big role. I looked at his body of work and felt that we'd added a player who could contribute immediately as a PR/KR, and who could potentially be an important depth piece backing up Cook and McKenzie. We've actually used him a bit more than I expected. So IMO, Yes, you had unreasonable expectations for the contributions of a guy who was the #4 or #5 player on a poor team. He did, and it was an important play - it showed that he has grasped that with Josh Allen, you can not, ever, until the whistle blows, assume that the play is over, and he is able to stay alert and adapt. McKenzie has taken some snaps from the backfield. He's been modestly successful - 9 rushes last season, 5.2 ypa; 6 rushes this season so far, 6 ypa. But the 5'7", 170 lb (maybe) McKenzie isn't going to hold up to a lot of that and is certainly not capable of trucking people and fighting for yards. Hines is an actual running back, and while he's not much taller, he has a stockier almost 200 lb frame, that can challenge more believably as an RB. I think that's a "you" problem The first part of this is a shared feeling here, FWIW. I felt this Spring that the Bills had under-invested in Offense, especially OL and WR. I think we're following a philosophy that Beane learned in Carolina, to count on a great QB to raise the level of the offense and overcome the deficiencies of the OL. It didn't take them over the top to a Superbowl in Carolina, it arguably shortened the lifespan of that great QB, and I'd like to see Beane evolve from it. But if you look at the Hines addition as part of a pattern, it fits right in with that. Another team (*cough*) adds an RB in the 1st, a C in the 2nd, and a WR in the 2nd 3 successive years - we can debate the merits of specific picks, but it shows a commitment to investment on offense. A different team (*cough cough*) adds a WR in the 2nd after its QB in the 1st; a 2nd WR in the 1st last year. In the same 3 drafts, the Bills add an RB in the 3rd, a WR in the 4th, and OL in the 3rd, and a WR in the 5th. We traded back before drafting an RB in the 2nd round, this season. The theme is, "we're not drafting at Nordstrom for offense; we can draft our offense at Kohls, same thing but cheaper" So apply that to Hines. He wasn't contributing as a top-tier player in Coltsland, so why expect him to show up big here? He's a budget add. Now, if Epenesa and Rousseau and Basham step up and come on strong and carry us to a championship, and if Cook starts contributing strongly, I will gladly return to this post and positively GOBBLE my plate of Crow Pie. Post here, get disagreed with here.

It's 10:30 in NYC now, so I'm kinda thinking if someone claimed Stevenson on Waivers yesterday it woulda been reported by now. I expect the Bills to re-sign him to the practice squad, but the coaches probably want to talk about which PS player to release and then talk to that player first, especially given they may want to change things up after yesterday's Von Miller news

Are you trying to play professional football week after week? If he gimps after sitting, what's he going to need 2 days after a game, a hoist and a wheelchair? Question: who are these "many" who thought help at WR would come from Stevenson? There's no special designation any more. Any player on IR can be brought back (up to 2x) during the season But, the team only gets 8 "return" designations total. So, it is a bit puzzling that the Bills would use one of their 8 on Stevenson. What I don't remember is if that carries over past the regular season. If it re-sets for playoffs, the Bills could be counting games and noses and thinking, with 5 games left and only 5 players on IR who could be brought back (Boettger is on PUP which has different rules, Doyle has an ACL), they're probably safe using 1 of their 8 slots on Stevenson and trying to put him on the practice squad to see if he's learned anything. The Bills have been very stingy about putting players on IR. They've had several (3 or 4) players who missed 3 games

Ooh, you free thinker you. But I saw with "1 tbsp ancho chilli powder, 1/2 cup of chilli powder" you were a serious dude. Have to try kidney and garbanzo mixed myself. What's your feeling on Pinto? Fun trivia fact. I moved away from using kidney beans as a working stiff, because I cooked a lot of my dried beans in a slow cooker all day while I worked. Easy peasy, soak a bag o' beans overnight, rinse and toss it in the slow cooker in the morning, beans cooked when I get home. Use some for dinner, portion the rest up and freeze. As long as the freezer has space, cheaper and easier on the digestive tract than canned. Kidney beans are one type of dried bean it's not safe to cook in a slow cooker. They have toxic levels of Phytohaemagglutinin - all beans have some, but kidney beans have toxic levels. The slow cooker doesn't get hot enough to inactivate it. Needs to boil. Canned, of course, are perfectly safe. These days I use an instant pot on those dried beans, but we have more $ so I use more canned beans as well.

One teaspoon cumin isn't nearly enough, and black beans are better.

Why do all you reasonable and rational posters keep engaging with this guy? He doesn't know football, he doesn't say reasonable stuff about the Bills. He's just here for the clicks and outrage.