BigAl2526

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/bills-qb-josh-allen-calling-plays/ar-AA1fg7SI?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=be03b8a54a004cdf81a938dea0bcf5ef&ei=45 Josh Allen called plays from the sideline during at least part of the time the Bills were on offense on Saturday. Peyton Manning was known for calling his own plays for a good part of his career. I wonder if this little experiment could lead the Bills to follow the precedent of Manning, who was essentially an assistant offensive coordinator for the Colts in addition to his role as a Hall of Fame caliber QB.

I wondered why it was Dorsey getting after Elam about it rather than Butler, his position coach.

Allen is a great QB who can also run. I agree that Lamar Jackson needs to run to be able to function well as a passer, but I think Allen is in a different category. I think Jalen Hurts started out more like Lamar Jackson, but is evolving into a more accomplished passer. I don't really follow the Eagles closely enough to know how far along he is in that development. I do admire Hurts. He got benched at Alabama because Nick Saban thought Tua Tagovailoa was a more natural passer, but Hurts moved on and proved he was good enough to be an NFL starter.

I would guess that among Buffalo's DEs, Groot, Basham and Lawson ar the ones that can best move to defensive tackle on passing downs. I doubt that Ray or Kingsley can do that. Otherwise. there's not a lot separating them.

I think Kyle Allen's skill set is closer to Josh Allen's than Matt Barkley's. However, if Kyle Allen can't learn what Barkley was already relatively familiar with, and make faster reads, he'll force McDermott to name Barkley as the backup.

At defensive tackle, it's obvious that Daquan Jones, Poona Ford and Ed Oliver are locks to make the roster. After that, it gets interesting. Tim Settle, like Phillips, didn't have the year that the Bills hoped. I don't think the Bills have written either Phillips or Settle off. The question is, how many defensive tackles do they keep? If they keep four, then someone between Settle and Phillips is the odd man out. In Phillips' favor is the fact that he's a true 3 tech despite his size (he looks more like a 1 tech). Both Ford and Jones are one tech guys. Settle is flexible but is probably more at home in the 1 tech spot. If they keep five, there's no question, Settle and Philips are both safe (If my read is right). The thing is, Buffalo has some defensive ends who can shift inside, especially on passing downs. That flexibility would seem to suggest Buffalo is more likely to go with five DEs and 4 DTs. Then again, I could be all wet.

I had a surprise chance to attend the scrimmage. My wife's cousin had six tickets and several of his friends were unable to attend. I can't really add any specifics to all the observations that have been reported. Lots of nice plays. The three drops that were already reported (Kincaid, Knox and Davis) were all drive killers. The way scrimmages are run prevents offenses from really gaining a rhythm, but I don't think the coaches are really worried about developing rhythm in this setting. Preseason games will provide opportunities for that.

Bates has played all spots on the O-line, but he's not ideal as a tackle. If Brown is hurt, then Shell is the next guy they'll look to. Gouraige has impressed as an undrafted free agent.

It's great when a rookie can come in and contribute lots of reps, or even start. It shouldn't be a shock when a rookie is not ready to see the field a great deal. It happens a lot on every team. I'm not at all disappointed with Dorian Williams, not yet at least. While if would have been nice if he'd been able to step in at MLB, Beane said shortly after the draft that the Bills were planning on playing him as an OLB. MLB is the position that has been in the news because everybody has been looking for Tremaine Edmund's replacement. With Matt Milano as the undisputed starter at OLB Dorian with get reps as a backup only, and that's not going to garner many eyes looking at him. He has a chance to learn the pro game and the Bills' defense. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets some reps in the season in relief of Milano, but in the meantime, I think he'll get a lot of play on special teams. With his speed and size, he might be deadly on punt coverage. If Buffalo doesn't end up with a MLB they're happy with this season, I imagine Dorian Williams will have a chance to win the spot next year.

I agree with the OP. Buffalo is as good or better in every area but middle linebacker. As others have suggested, though, the loss of Edmunds could be significant. Hopefully Dodson or Spector can step up. If one of them can at least display competence, and they can avoid key injuries, the Bills should be tough to win against.

I understand the defense was very aggressive today, with plenty of blitzing. The offense is going to need to adjust to that because there are teams on their schedule that will do much the same thing to try and get the Bills' offense off kilter.

With Klein, what you see is what you get. His skill set allows him to do some things as a MLB and not others. McDermott would definitely have to tweak the defense to allow Klein to be a fit. Bernard also has a limited skill set. It is a different skill set than Klein possesses. In particular, his size is going to make it tough to him to take on bigger offensive players be they offensive linemen, running backs or tight ends. He should be good in coverage and have better overall range than Klein. Spector is smallish too, though not as small as Bernard. He's also not as fast, but neither is he as limited athletically as Klein. I think Dodson probably has the best overall blend of athleticism and size in the whole group, but I also think it's taken him the first several years of his career to get up to speed with where he needs to be mentally as a middle linebacker in this system. The question on Dodson is, Is he there yet? If he can handle it mentally, I think he's the leader in the race. I agree with others that Klein is probably insurance in case nobody else can handle it. It should be noted that all this is opinion and conjecture only and I have no expertise. Thake it with a huge grain of salt.

I thought Hackett was in over his head as OC for the Bills. After that, I didn't worry about him much. It is clear, however that diplomacy is not Sean Payton's strong suit.

That's a good thing. It means the line has been upgraded, probably at two spots. (I think it is a given that McGovern is an upgrade.) I have no problem with Bates backing up Morse. The question is whether Bates can be a starting quality center when Morse hangs it up.

But perhaps something Mitch Morse should consider.

I don't imagine many will be frightened by the sight of Deonte Harty in pads either. They will be frightened when either of those two players has the ball and is running by them.

I wasn't there, but isn't Allen always in a red "no contact " jersey? A trick play like that does place the defensive player in a difficult spot. He's supposed to make a play while at the same time protect his QB.

I don't know how anyone can place blame based on the You Tube clip. It is evident that Morse is the center on the play. I spotted him after the play at the 13 second mark and got a better view at the 18 second mark, but whether the fault lies with Morse or with Allen, it's probably only those two who actually know, and those they admitted it to, of course.

I think the staff Buffalo has is more thorough in their due diligence than they have ever been in the past. I think they have data on hundreds of players who have been in the NFL, XFL, CFL, Arena football and others (if there are any others). I don't know if they were specifically looking to upgrade the back end of their WR group when they brought in Isabella and Harry (and any others) or it was a routine visit like lots of players make throughout the year. Obviously, the Bills liked what they saw in Isabella over what they saw in Harry, but that doesn't mean they have necessarily eliminated Harry from future consideration should the need arise. In any case, if there is a player out there who can help the Bills, the Bills' pro personnel staff is going to do their best to find them.

Pass the popcorn. This will be fun to watch. I don't think NE has a ghost of a chance to reach the post season. They have the look of a cellar dweller in the AFC East.

The Bills presumably have some reason for signing him. BTW I corrected dots to darts.

The is an old saying about the futility of trying to get blood out of a turnip. I can't imagine Araiza making much money out of this. By getting a positive judgment, it might be one more step toward repairing his reputation. Hopefully, he can get another crack at punting in the NFL.

I'm pretty sure that Andy Isabella is not going to be the next Tyreke Hill for the Bills. I think the Bills are stockpiling candidates for return specialist in response to the injury to Hines. They are hoping that if they throw enough darts at the board, they may get a good score even if they don't hit the bull's eye. As far as depth at WR is concerned, there is plenty of competition at the back end of the roster. Isabella would have to be shockingly good in preseason to carve a path into any kind of significant role as a WR in the regular season.

Rousseau had an inside move against Brown to gain a sack yesterday, but I read somewhere it wasn't all Brown's fault, and that generally Brown has shown improvement. I'm not sure we've heard the end of the Spencer Brown story and the end might be better than most expect. I don't know that for a fact, but am trying to keep an open mind.

I don't think there is any question about Elam making the team. Even if he doesn't win the starting job outright, I think McDermott is going to give him plenty of reps. He posted on his website that he didn't get a ticket for today, but would have one for tomorrow.