Brand J

Well I can tell you now covering with 8 wouldn’t have worked 😂 Maybe it would’ve had a better chance if we weren’t down to our 3rd and 4th CBs, but they couldn’t hold up on routine coverage. Elam in particular was a mess. There were better players on that side of the ball for JAX than we had answers for, it’s the same reason most DCs struggle to stop top offenses. I’m not calling JAX a top offense, but if they have the luxury of playing us with just about half of our defensive starters out, they’ll look like one.

If 4, 5, and 6 isn’t working, what’s the only other alternative? Rush 3 and cover with 8? With a defense missing much of their top end talent?

Problems on defense were pretty apparent: untimely penalties, Jags had 4 first downs converted by a flag IIRC. They had multiple starters get hurt and already had a few missing from the lineup. They couldn’t win with 4, so McD resorted to blitzing to get the ball out of Trevor’s hand quick (which resulted in a crucial completion with Hyde covering Ridley). What matters most is points, so if the Jags moved the ball up and down the field, but the Bills got a timely sack that pushes them out of FG range, or a turnover to negate a drive, you can say they made the plays when it counted. Because they were missing so many crucial starters? I called their performance “admirable.” Anyone on this board would’ve signed up for 11 pts through 3 quarters. And of course the Bills offense can go toe to toe with any other in the league… but they have to do it. And if they don’t, it’s another year without the Lombardi trophy.

Your first sentence is a contradiction. Zeroing in and focusing on one unit (all the while refusing to talk about or acknowledge the impact the other has on that unit) is by definition ignoring the offense. Doesn’t work like that. Can’t throw away circumstances. This team will go as far as the offense carries them, so while all the defensive injuries suck, if the offense can’t duke it out with the KCs and MIAs, and any other unit across from them, it won’t matter anyway. I’m concerned about it all because I hope for a SB win.

Let’s ignore the fact that both teams arrived in London at relatively the same time. Is it possible Trevor Lawrence and that struggling offense got up for and simply played much better against the Bills? What are you trying to get at here? We’ve seen teams look all world one week and then crap the bed the next. Doesn’t mean they’re inferior to the teams they lost to, just means they didn’t have it that day. Even a putrid offense rises to the occasion every once in awhile and I wouldn’t call the Jags putrid, they’ve just been struggling. If the Bills offense could’ve stayed on the field and scored points, I surmise many would still believe the Jags were a struggling offense because they would’ve had less time to move the ball and they still might’ve done the things to shoot themselves in the foot.

Nothing is ever in a vacuum. The defense had its faults, no one is saying otherwise, but to ignore other circumstances that forced them to be on the field longer than they should have, doesn’t make for an intelligent argument. AND they were missing multiple high end starters.

That’s the problem, you should. Can’t fault one undermanned unit for the loss without recognizing the bigger shortcomings on the other side of the ball. But hey, if you’re still the type to complain about a defensive performance that holds the other team to 10 total points, then that’s your prerogative I guess.

Oh okay, so outside of the first two series against the Raiders did the defense atone for their slow start? Was it worth complaining about their performance? Again, you’re expecting perfection, robots, the other team gets paid to make plays too. As I said earlier, if the offense could sustain drives and put up points against the Jags, Bills win. It’s really that simple. There would be no complaints about the defensive performance after the game. But because we lost, here you are…? The defense kept us in that game and got the ball back for the offense multiple times. This was mostly an offensive failure, that’s not to completely absolve the defense, but the game was lost on the offensive side of the ball. There’s no other way to slice it, no matter your dislike of the defensive coaches.

It’s wild that a couple posters here can’t see the obvious - an undermanned defense has to keep taking the field because their offensive counterparts can’t stay on it. And yet they want to tar and feather that unit? Despite allowing only 11 points through 3 quarters? Absolutely crazy.

It was 38-10 against the Raiders and you were complaining about the defense in that game?? Perhaps your expectations of how they should perform are greatly misguided. What are you expecting really? Shutouts every week?

Can’t mention one unit without the other because they go hand in hand. Are you telling me if the offense was able to sustain drives and put up points, you’d still be complaining about the defense? Of course you wouldn’t, because if the offense could stay on the field the undermanned defense wouldn’t be sucking oxygen on the sidelines. And if the offense put up points, Bills win. It was so bad from an offensive perspective at one point, I was hoping the undermanned D could get more than a turnover and score. One unit wasn’t pulling their weight more than the other.

Defense played admirably. Got turnovers when we needed them, held JAX to 11 pts through 3 quarters with a patchwork unit. Untimely penalties and other 3rd down conversions hampered them, but they put up much more fight than the offense. Look, the Bills are gonna go as far as the offense can carry them. This is and should be more an offensive team than a defensive one, we just need that unit to get stops from time to time (a la the Bengals and Chiefs units). To win the SB Allen and the offense will have to elevate their play. No Jets/Jags performances in the playoffs.

Milano didn’t look like an immediate steal. There were even reports out of camp saying fellow rookie Tanner Vallejo was having a more noticeable impact. Ramon Humber also started in front of Milano and Matt didn’t get his shot until Humber was later injured. Of course we know he took control of the position and never let go. Williams definitely flashes more than Dodson and is certainly the more athletic player, so I’d be willing to take the lumps of him learning on the job, but I’m not so sure McD is willing. Dodson out snapped Dorian, shades of Ramon Humber.

Confidence. Does wonders for a player and he’s not playing with any.

Dear McBeane, please stop trading up for non-QB picks and burning further resources in the process. There’s always better players that go after that pick and we’re missing out on other potential contributors. Thanks.

I said at the time I thought it was a bad extension. Not because I thought Knox was a bad player, but because Dorsey/Allen had never utilized the TE all that much, so signing him for $13M/yr wasn’t going to magically change that. It was right around the time Knox’s brother passed and the franchise needed some uplifting news, so I don’t know if that played into it. I will say whenever a ball pops out of a receiver’s hands and hits the ground, I’m tired of seeing Knox or Davis on the other end of it. It’s grown very old.

I saw A LOT of Dodson out there. Was it in place of Dorian? Or were the Bills running a 4-3?

So the question is why was Kendall Vickers activated from the practice squad before former starter Poona Ford got a game jersey? Was Ford injured? In the dog house?

Kendall Vickers over Poona Ford? Wow.

Congrats to JT, well deserved. He and his running back mates deserve a bigger piece of the pie when you consider they’re asked to run the ball, block for the QB, go out for pass routes, and generally touch the ball on average 3x-4x as much as any #1 receiver.

Von was cleared before Beane put him on PUP. I imagine these last 4 weeks he’s been working on his conditioning, but being in shape is quite different than being in game shape. If he can play - and by all accounts he’s fully healthy - then he needs to be out there stacking reps and getting his game feet back under him. I agree with the pitch count, don’t agree with holding him out if he’s physically able and 100% ready to go “just because.”

If Bears fans are feeling down aboht Edmunds, or Ryan Poles is having buyer’s remorse, send these talking points to them that were regurgitated over and over while he was here: - Edmunds takes away the middle of the field, QBs are scared to throw in his direction. - Edmunds impact doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but I promise he’s making plays. - It’s not Edmunds job to rack up sacks and INTs, that’s not his position. - You don’t understand the defense and Edmunds role in that defense. He’s a top 5 MLB. - Edmunds is really young and still improving. He’s basically a rookie. - Edmunds is the evolution of the MLB. Anyone complaining about him just wants Mike Singletary, Ray Lewis, Brandon Spikes, and other such thumpers. That’s just not the NFL anymore. Did I leave any out? I’m sure those points will make the organization feel better.

That was 2021 actually! I had been talking trash about Edmunds to my sister about how he never makes any plays and it was her first game at Highmark and it figures Davis Mills would throw a pick directly to Edmunds 😅

They need to find a happy balance between Tagliabue’s NFL and Goodell’s. Many of these personal foul penalties shouldn’t be personal fouls.

Maybe they’re only grading the Raiders game 😅