Beck Water

So the Ravens, Saints, Browns, and Chiefs all had pretty good run games against the Bengals. Ravens and Browns are no surprise, that's their Thing. Saints and Chiefs, that was a little unexpected to me. Kamara ran for 99 yds on 19 carries with a 24 yd long carry - 5.2 ypc. Taysom Hill and Shaheed basically broke 1 long run, but Kamara was evidently pounding the rock regularly against them. The Chiefs are a middle-of-the-league run team, but because they don't run very much. They're tied (#7 through #12) in YPA. My recollection is that the Bengals rushed 4 and flooded the middle of the field to shut down the KC passing attack. Kelce was held relatively quiet, 4 receptions for 56 yds.

Yep. Bills players were traveling on 11/19, getting to the facility during the morning and early afternoon. Travel ban was in effect from 6:30 am on, squarely involving the areas where they were traveling (Orchard Park, W. Seneca, Cheektawoga etc https://www.wbfo.org/local/2022-11-19/saturday-brings-more-snow-leaving-some-areas-buried-under-6-feet-new-travel-bans-announced County said at the time that the only resources involved were providing advice about which routes were plowed - although there was a police escort of the team buses on the clips I saw.

Maybe, but it also happens that teams have a great first half offensively and the opponent's defense makes adjustments, or vice versa? I don't think we can always pin 2nd half mistakes on the QB getting concussed. Though there was speculation that Allen may have hit his head hard when tackled on one of his runs, and it caused some of his INTs vs GB in the 2nd half. There was some speculation here, when the news came out that Tua had passed his baseline testing for concussion vs. the Bills, that as many players do he might have deliberately under-scored on his baseline testing so that he could pass it when dinged up. So unless he showed obvious signs in his balance and gait they might have tested him and still kept him out. TBH I don't know that I would have flagged that hit as a potential concussion just watching it. I don't think every time a player hits his head = concussion. But maybe I'm wrong.

What exactly do any of these entities have to do with the Bills getting home? They weren't driving through the City of Buffalo - and I'm guessing that players living in Downtown Buffalo or anywhere else that's seriously impassible, were told to get a hotel or stay with a friend on the team. Ditto City of Rochester. Monroe County travel advisory was lifted and Genessee/Orleans county Travel Ban lifted before the Bills busses drove through there And totally beats me why he thinks the NFTA has anything to do with it - the buses the Bills road on were not NFTA buses, they were charters. There's really not evidence that government resources were involved in the Bills getting home, though they clearly did break the travel ban once they crossed the Erie County line and again to get in their cars and drive home from the stadium. Nor is there evidence waiting until today would have helped - travel ban is still in effect in many parts of Erie County. This person identifies himself as an undergraduate "political science" major. I think he may need edumacating.

I think there's a need for some perspective here: The majority of the deaths, were people "found dead outside". Why were they outside? Were they homeless or without power and seeking shelter but didn't get there in time? Car stuck and trying to find help? We don't know, but clearly these were extreme conditions and since Buffalo doesn't experience them often, it would be easy for people to under-estimate how quickly they could become disoriented or hypothermic. 3 deaths (so far) were in a vehicle, 3 from an EMS delay. So that's 6 deaths where blocked roads/limited travel were clearly a factor. Those 6 deaths matter - Matthew 10:31. But "Michael Thomas" needs to chill with his "we couldn't leave to see our families on Christmas, it's So Unfair". It's not like the Bills players all drove all over town to see their families on Christmas, they went home and stayed there. And there are stories all over social media (and some on mainstream media) of people whose cars were stuck while they were trying to get home to their kids, pleaded for help and Good Samaritans on snowmobiles or in trucks came and got them and took them home. It's not like ordinary citizens aren't trying to get home by any means if they can, Ban or No Ban. I think Buffalo and Erie County need to Do Better and Be Better about communicating/being more pro-active to get people home and off the streets before the storm hits, so less vehicles stuck and more plowing can take place; by publicizing warming centers better and making sure that warming centers have redundant systems for heating; information about clearing exhaust vents for furnaces and teaching if applicable how to start a gas furnace without power (some can be, some can't be); by organizing/deputizing snowmobile clubs ahead of the storm as assistants to get to people who are stranded and need help. But Bills players staying in a hotel in Chicago on Christmas fixes NONE of that.

They reportedly did not use closed Thruways

I mean, there are different rules for the privileged? Alert the media.

I think we all understand that. And it's a tragedy. But the point is - when did they need assistance and die without it? Logically, if people became stuck in the snow or went out on the streets seeking shelter because of lack of heat, and weren't helped on Friday or Saturday .......the Bills flying into an open airport in Rochester after noon on Sunday and being allowed to bus through plowed streets to the stadium and drive home on Sunday afternoon, did not divert help from those people. It's not like people were dying in their cars on the streets of Buffalo while snowplows were leading a flotilla of Bills busses down the closed Thruway.

Well, it's been a few decades since I lived in WNY, but didn't use to be true that the airport got hit about the hardest. Used to always be Southtowns, closer to the lake. Sounds like this stormy was an equal opportunity mess though.

Yes, but that doesn't change my point. Buffalo has really bad winters - occasionally. It's not as though there are storms like this every year.

Good question. He was injured in the 1Q vs the Pats. Bengals did complete a drive into the 2Q for a FG and a TD drive in the 2Q, but were held scoreless all 2nd half. Had ~2 sacks and 2 INTs in that time. Didn't watch the game, no idea if the backup RT played a role in that. Pretty sure the guy who came in for him (and in a previous game vs. Atlanta, Hakeem Adeniji, played Guard for the Bengals last season. "for all we know" seems a little sketch. Can you tell us why you think the Bills might match up well against the Bengals?

quick follow up: Morris WAS being QB friendly, looking at Josh. On GMFB, Jason McCourtey says "no one else was open", but that's clearly bull####. Diggs is bracketed, Morris is open underneath with a good bit of space, Cook releases from his chip and is open with tons of green. Davis may or may not be open when he finishes his route, since Josh has thrown by then hard to tell.

It truly was. At the point Josh threw it, it was clear the CB was dropping into coverage (see little moving circles thing I put up somewhere else. No one had picked up Morris, the guy who could cover Cook was acting like he was glued to the turf, and Gabe Davis was lonely on the L sideline. It's like a Bad Example in a book on "How to Read an NFL Defense" post-snap. I suppose if Kurt Warner were to break it down, we'd have people explaining that Warner doesn't realize that the Bills aren't a timing offense so Allen couldn't throw to one of the other apparent options. I believe I said we turn on Allen, Coaches, and select "scapegoat" players. It's actually fair game (IMHO) to criticize Dorsey if one is going to criticize, because he IS the OC to a defensive-minded HC so the "Buck Stops There" with the offense. But we scapegoat selected players, like people handing out hate-o-grams to Isaiah McKenzie in this thread - who is not to blame for Allen's decision to throw to him when double covered - or people hating on Dane Jackson or Damar Hamlin, when it's not clear they're the ones responsible for the coverage lapse leading to a deep completion.

I don't think it's "bored...EFF IT". I think Josh has always had the "Bret Favre said Touchdowns First, Coach!" mindset. If he sees a shot for a TD, he will take it. I think the Bills O also has been "going to the well once too often" with that particular play where Josh targeted McKenzie near the goal line. IIRC they used this twice in a recent game - pretty sure it was against Detroit. Josh had one TD to McKenzie on it, and threw to someone else (Diggs?) on a play where he arguably McKenzie was open and he could have thrown to him. I put this up elsewhere I think the idea is if the LB #45 is carried deeper by McKenzie, it leaves Diggs open or 1:1 with LB #53. If he stays shallow and brackets Diggs, then McKenzie is (in theory) running a footrace with the safety, and he's gonna win. Morris is supposed to attract the attention of someone (CB #6 or #9?) but they fundamentally ignore him. Eberflaus was a very very good DC. I think something pre-snap or just after the snap (maybe where Diggs and McKenzie cross?) triggers pattern recognition in the Bears D (there's that damned TD play to that fast smurf!) and CB #6 just SPRINTS for the goal line and McKenzie like his jock is on fire and running will put it out. The result is that at the point where Josh releases the ball, #6 is almost parallel to McK and it's clear he has McKenzie on his mind since there's no one else he could plausibly be covering. I think McKenzie has the safety beat by half a step and has a decent chance at a reception 1:1, but #6 is undercutting him making it very very good double coverage. This is just before the ball is released. Diggs is bracketed, which makes that a dangerous throw in this wind. Assuming they're being QB friendly and looking at Josh, Morris looks like a safe throw and can plausibly get at least half the 2nd and 19. Davis is all by himself on the sideline, and could come close to the 1st down. Cook is releasing from his chip, and will shortly become a checkdown option with a ridiculous amount of green around him. I think McKenzie should drop off Josh's menu as an option the minute Morris takes no one with him and the CB starts dropping deep. Yeah, McKenzie is fast, but he's also being asked to cover a lot more ground than Gordon, whom the Bears regarded as playing a lot faster than his 4.57 40-time Anyway, the bottom line is Allen had options underneath, including options with no defender anywhere nearby. I think it shows how analysis of the QB's tendencies (and the QB ignoring analysis of his tendencies) can influence the defense. Allen seems to be behind the "Chess Match". This is the play from the moving circles diagram Getzenberg posted, as best as I can get it just before Josh throws:

He really needed to be fined for kicking Jaquan Brisker IN the balls Brisker picked him a few plays later But yeah, especially when he's at the bottom of a pile, "Stuff" can happen.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/report-mac-jones-facing-potential-discipline-for-low-hit-on-eli-apple-during-patriots-loss-to-bengals/ar-AA15GdE6 They really need to do something IMO because even though everyone has seen this BS, he's not regarded as a "repeat offender" because he's not been previously fined. So .....Fine him, NFL, please. It's all on film. The time for benefit of doubt is past.

I mean, I can understand the logic of it. -Hackett was the OC for the top-10 Packers offense the last 2 seasons. -Wilson has been a perennial pro-bowl QB with a passer rating >100 and great TD/INT last 4 years -Broncs had a potential 2 >1000 yd receiver combination in Jeudy and Sutton - Jeudy hasn't been all that they hoped, but felt to be more on the limitations of Lock throwing to him. -Top defense It just shows the truth of the saying you can have a great team on paper, but football is played on grass and turf.

Culley w/ Texans Wilks in AZ

LOL. I know opinions on this board vary, but I trend towards crediting some of the film breakdowns pointing out that Wilson has had options, he's just running off-script (or writing his own script) and there actually are open receivers and plays to be had. I don't think we're going to see a change under the same OC (the Packers former TE coach). But, an OC who can either design a system to work with whatever Wilson has left, OR, who can get Wilson to buy-in and work within the offense he designs, could look much more successful with Wilson.

Two Words: Aaron Rodgers.

Denver: "We have parted ways with Nathaniel Hackett" NFL fans: "What Took You So Long?"

That would be great if so (IMO). I think Mike White is pretty much a Ryan Fitzpatrick type player - tough as nails, good head, can put together a string of games where he makes you think "oh yeah, this kid's Got It". But ultimately, his head will start writing checks his arm talent can't cash.

I believe Saleh is a good coach, especially a defensive coach. The Jets have a promising RB in Breece Hall and a very good looking young WR in Garrett Wilson. Elijah Moore might have something if they curry and water him properly. Corey Davis and Tyler Conklin can play. I don't know about Mike LaFleur as their OC. In theory, he has a good pedigree, but TBD if he's a good OC or not. I do think his idea of an offense rests heavily on their OL, and it's just bad luck that Mekhi Becton and 2 other OLmen (I think) have spent much of the season on IR. The Shanahan-tree systems are usually felt to be QB friendly. Frankly, in terms of a good head coach, a good offensive system, and good pieces, it's probably not a bad situation to walk into.

What I keep seeing in my mind's eye, is the day-and-night difference between the OL play when Wilson was under center, vs. that CFL dude - Streveler. The OL was literally getting pushed back into Wilson's lap on every snap when he was behind center. Streveler came in, and part of it was he got the ball out quickly and ran himself so the Jags adjusted how they were defending - but there were snaps when he had time back there. It just highlights to me how much of the game in the trenches is actually mental. The OL has to believe that if they strain every sinew and use every last gasp of muscle they have, the QB behind them will do Good Things.

To be fair though: the negative point differential is more about the quality of the defense, than the quality of the offense, right? The Dolphins still have a top-10 (currently #9) offense for points scored Their defense is #27 for points given up.