folz

No shame in this loss. The boys played their hearts out in what, in my opinion, is one of the best (maybe top 3) playoff games I've seen in my 45 years of watching NFL football (Dolphins/Chargers '82; the Comeback). It's one of those games that it is a shame anyone had to lose. I love the meme of "Cancelling the playoffs and having a best of seven series between Buffalo and KC for the Super Bowl." Once each of these teams (Buf/KC) learned to combat the cover/shell defenses this year, Allen's and Mahomes' games both went up a level. These offenses are at historic levels with these two guys. Look at what each of these offenses did down the stretch and in the playoffs. So, you have to realize that both defenses were completely gassed by the fourth quarter. They held each other to 14 points at the half, but by the end of the third quarter, each offense started to impose its will on the opposing, tired defense. Sure I wanted more out of our defense, but Patrick Mahomes and that offense are just special. It's not like we were playing a bunch of scrubs. You can blame the defense, or the coaching, or whatever. But that's how these games go. One more play...by anyone at any time and it goes the other way. It's tough to swallow. If the coin came up tails and we got the ball first in OT, etc., etc. But just think, about six weeks ago many on this board thought the season was over. New England is back and have the lead in the AFC East. This sucks. Then we got to watch the Bills find their Mojo, rattle off five straight victories, win the AFC East, trash the Patriots in the playoffs with a perfect game, and watch Josh Allen ascend to undoubtable legend in one of the greatest playoff games ever. It's painful now, but let's not forget how fun the ride has been. And it's not over...we have Josh Allen! All year, this has felt like the 1989 season, including now a loss in the divisional round. Big things are still to come...keep the faith! And Go Bills! "Fight on, my men," says Sir Andrew Barton, "I am hurt, but I am not slain; I'll lay me down and bleed a while, And then I'll rise and fight again.

Great article with gifs to really dissect some of the run plays. The Bills finally figured out what they do best in the run game. Pulling, misdirection, etc. Using Bates and Gilliam as the hammers...just awesome. Those two guys have made a big difference. And Daboll is dialing it up now. Some of the formations are very interesting. On the 3rd-and-1 Singletary conversion, this is what the line looks like (from left to right): Knox, Bates, Morse, Williams, Brown, Dawkins, Doyle. Knox slides off the line to the left (taking his man out of the play), Bates pulls to the right, Morse and Williams seal the left side (basically, Morse is now your left tackle), Gilliam comes from the backfield to seal the right side, with Brown, Dawkins, and Doyle at the point of attack. The play is for Singletary to run between Dawkins and Doyle or Doyle and Gilliam, but not before a pulling Bates crashes through the hole first. Singletary rides up behind Doyle, Bates, and Gilliam for an easy first down. So, basically, you have 5 Tackles at the point of attack (yes, Bates and Williams are both playing Guard in traditional sets, but really, the first position for both of them in their careers has been Tackle), Dawkins and Spencer Brown (your LT and RT in traditional sets) are lined up next to each other, and then you basically have Morse playing left tackle. Very creative...using our players to their strengths.👍

Great post as always Virgil! Loved the shout out for Reggie. To the KC play, did anyone else think that should have been a foul on the KC O-Lineman? That's what I thought in real time watching the game. I mean if that was a receiver vs. a DB, and a yard or two off the ball, the receiver just grabs the DB's shoulder pads and throws him to the ground, wouldn't that be a penalty? If not, why don't receivers/TEs try that more often. It's kind of like tackling a man without the ball. Am I wrong here? Everyone seems to be ok with that play for some reason.

I keep hearing this theory/rumor that Josh can't put together back-to-back good games, he lacks consistency, etc. Last season, the Bills won their last six games and then two playoff games in a row. So, they won eight games in a row. Only one of those eight games (the bad weather playoff game vs. Baltimore) did the Bills score less than 26 points. That stretch included games of 56, 48, 38, 34, 27, 27, 26, and 17 (vs. the Ravens). Here is a six-game stretch (in a row) of stats from Josh last year (last 5 regular season games and WC playoff game) Pass Yds Rush Yds TDs INTs Points/Game score 375 11 4 0 34-24 238 28 2 1 26-15 359 33 4 0 48-19 320 35 4 0 38-9 224 3 3 1 56-26 324 54 3 0 27-24 I don't know 392 total yards with 4 TDs and no picks followed up by 355 total yards with 4 TDs and no picks seems like two pretty good back-to-back games to me. There wasn't a lack of consistency down the stretch last year. I think media heads (and now some fans) are taking the up-and-down year that the Bills as a team have had in 2021 and putting that all on Josh. Then just looking at the recent Atlanta/Carolina games and putting two-and-two together, but unfortunately coming up with the wrong answer. If you look at just that stretch: Tampa (great Josh in 2nd half), Carolina (bad Josh), 2nd NE game (great Josh), Atlanta (bad Josh). So, yes, over that 4-game stretch, Josh was up-and-down/inconsistent. But when you weigh in the full season (and Josh's career as a whole), those are two bad games, not some overall pattern that defines Josh. Are you telling me that Rodgers, Mahomes, even Brady hasn't ever had a 2 bad games in a 4 game stretch in their careers? Does that mean they are overall inconsistent? People are still just grasping at straws to prove to themselves that Josh isn't really that good (because they originally thought he'd be trash). And as to the overall ups and downs of the Bills season, they are never looking at context. They are not weighing in the offensive line issues all season until late, the team having to find its new identity, everyone gunning for us this year, defenses catching up to what we did last year, etc., etc. Did not Patrick Mahomes go through many of the same issues earlier this year as well? This year's Bills team had trouble stringing wins together at points this year, but it wasn't always and solely because Josh was having a bad game. And, having said that, the Bills and Josh still strung together 4 big games in a row early this season and now five games in a row to get to where they are now (even though there were a couple of down passing games for Josh in this last stretch). In the early-season stretch, the Bills scored 35, 43, 40, 38. Josh had games of 367 yds 5 TD no INTs; 289 yds 2 TDs 1 INT; 374 yds 4 TDs no INTs; and followed that up with a 379 yds 3 TDs 1 INT performance in the loss to the Titans (but I guess because it's a loss, it doesn't count and means Josh is inconsistent). This year (2021-2022): How many games was Josh's pass % under 65%= 8 games; how about Pat Mahomes? 8 games under 65% pass% How many games did each throw for under 260 yards? Josh 9 times, Pat 8 times How many games did each throw for less than 200 yards? Josh 3 times, Pat twice How many games were they held without a TD? Josh once; Pat twice How many games did they have 2 or less TDs? Josh 9 games; Pat 10 games And let's also weigh in that Josh's worst passing game (vs. Atlanta) also included him rushing for 81 yards and 2 TDs for a win. So, even on an off day, we still have a chance with our defense and Josh's legs/competitive nature. Like I said, pundits are just grasping at straws. I think the inconsistent Josh is a fallacious argument based on looking at one small stretch of games. One last comparison, here is a stretch of games for Patrick Mahomes from earlier this season. Couldn't you, looking at only those games, say Mahomes is inconsistent and can't put together back-to-back good games? @WAS 397 yds 2 TD 2INT @TEN 206 yds 0 TD 1 INT NYG 275 yds 1 TD 1 INT GNB 166 yds 1 TD 0 INT @LVR 406 yds 5 TDs 0 INT DAL 260 yds 0 TD 1 INT DEN 184 yds 1 TD 1 INT

The good news is that the Bills have played at Arrowhead twice in the last year, so they know what to expect, how loud it will be, there won't be an intimidation factor, etc.

So, if we beat KC and Cincy can beat the Titans, the Bills could still host the AFC Championship game. Bills/KC becoming a major AFC rivalry. Should be a great game!

And Jim rocking the Allen jersey. Just awesome!

Watched that like 20 times in a row. Love it! Love Thurman! 🕺😂 I was watching everyone's reactions in the background. Ha...priceless. Anyone else catch who all is there...Jim, Thurman, Bruce, Daryl, Kyle Brandt and his wife (in the back). Looked like there might have been a couple of other former players.

How can you not love FITZ!!! He will always have a home in Buffalo!!! A true blue Bill through and through...however short his time was here!

I voted that I would like Daboll to stay. Feel the same about Frazier. There is a lot of power in continuity...and really, how much can we complain about the results over the last few years. They are both excellent coaches. Their players love them and fight hard for them. But, if they want HC gigs, I hope they get those opportunities. On the other hand, I wouldn't be too worried if they left either at this point. This is now a mature team, who have soaked up Daboll's and Frazier's lessons for the last 4-5 years. I think they'd be ok learning and growing with a new staff (although there might be a break-in period). But, Sean knows what he wants on defense and will be able to find the right person to implement that. And there are plenty of good OCs out there that could work with the talent on this team. Sean just has to be careful to hire a guy that not only is good, but that can develop a good chemistry with the team---and will let Josh be Josh. I am curious though why so many people think Ken Dorsey will either be offered the Bills OC job if Daboll leaves or be poached by Frazier to be his OC if he leaves? Do we really know enough about him (other than his playing career) to assume he would be offered those jobs or be ready to take that next step? Not knocking the guy, just wondering why so many posters seem so sure that he is ready/will be good?

They call Alabama the Crimson Tide, They call me Deacon Blues Morse Congrats to Mitch, his wife, and family! 👍

This should be Poyer's 3rd or 4th Pro Bowl at least...and yet, nothing. I play in a keeper fantasy league where we play individual defensive players. I know fantasy is fantasy, but I have had him for four years, he never comes out of my lineup, and he has been in the top 3-5 in points scored by a DB in each of the last 4 seasons (includes safeties and corners). He is a baller. His tackle totals since coming to Buffalo are insane: 2017: 95 tackles 2018: 100 tackles 2019: 107 tackles 2020: 124 tackles 2021: 93 tackles Plus add in 18 INTs, 6 FFs, 7 FRs, 10 sacks, 29 tackles for loss, 13 QB hits, 8 QB hurries, 1 TD, and God knows how many passes defended...it is a crime that he keeps getting overlooked. An average Poyer season is: 104 tackles, 6 Tackles for loss, 4 INTs, 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, 2 QB hurries, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery. That's what he has averaged for 5 years straight. Sign me up for that all day. And if you added leadership into the discussion, Micah and Jordan should both be perennial Pro Bowl/All-Pro selections. They are the heart and soul of this defense.

I support Cole Beasley...that is all. (well, not quite...just wanted to point out how painfully obvious it is that many posters feelings on Cole is 100% due to his vaccination status. Please stop trying to hide behind his age and production excuses. If he had been vaxed, there is no way that this level of hatred would be directed at him. He is still a very important part of this team and we will need him in the playoffs. Let's put everything else aside for a SB run. Go Bills!)

No question, the offense has had some rough patches, but I'm having a hard time understanding an overall lack of consistency, or the other poster who talked about scoring in bunches. Here are the points scored by the Bills offense this season (from week 1 to week 17): 16 35 43 40 38 31 26 6 45 15 31 10 27 31 33 29 27 The "10" was the New England game in the wind, so you can kind of throw that one out because no team (not even a Brady-, Manning-, Montana-led team would have scored a lot that night). So, that leaves only 3 games where the Bills scored fewer than 26 points (Pitt, Jax, Indy). Only Dallas and Tampa Bay averaged more points per game than we did. Five years ago, if we were told our offense would be averaging 28.4 points per game, for third best in the league, we would all be elated. For some reason, despite going through the drought, it seems that fans' expectations have become way too high (almost unrealistic), expecting perfection every week (despite opponent, weather, etc.). It is strange to me how that happened so quickly. For instance, let's look at the other top 5 scoring teams this year. How many games did they score less than 26 points. Again for Buffalo, it is 3 (4 if you include the NE wind game): Dallas had 6 games with less than 26 points (including games of just 9, 16, and 20 points) Tampa Bay had 4 games under 26 points (including games of just 0, 19, and 19 points---yes, TB got shut out one game) Kansas City had 7 games under 26 points (including games of just 3, 13, and 19 points) The Chargers had 6 games under 26 points (including games of just 6, 13, and 17 points) There are ebbs and flows to an NFL season, for every team, not just the Bills. And I have no problem discussing coaching and personnel decisions, etc. I myself feel that they mismanaged a number of players/positions this year (Devin, Gabe, Bease, McKenzie, Sanders) as far as playing time/snap counts, etc. What the so-called "homers," "kool-aid" drinkers, etc. (like myself) have a hard time understanding is that too many posters (not saying you Dr.Dawk) go to we suck, our coaches suck, fire this guy or that guy when this is where we dreamed of being just a short 5 years ago. Yes, there is always room for improvement, decisions that can be questioned...and obviously, the ultimate goal is the Super Bowl, not just the playoffs...but it seems some people can't actually enjoy where we are, where we came from, and to acknowledge that we are a very good team whose organization is set up to be good for a long time now. Reading some posts, you'd think we luckily snuck into the playoffs, have no shot at winning anything, and need to start revamping things already (coaches, players, etc.). The NFL is known as a game of inches, the margins are razor-thin. For instance, all it would have taken to be the #1 seed was for Allen to not slip on that 4th and goal in Tenn. One play and we would have been the #1 seed. We are not that far from our goal, but listening to some fans, you would think it is still miles away. Go Bills!

4-1/2 game winning streak...damn refs. 🙂 Let's Go Buffalo! I care not for style points, just dubs!

We're Talking Proud Buffalo! SHOUT it out and Billeve! ...a little bit louder now. Go Bills!

True...we are 2.5 games behind the Pats right now (looks bad). But, if we beat Carolina and the Pats lose to the Colts, we are at 1.5 back. The next week we face each other. If we beat the Pats on the rematch, then we are even (same record and 1-1 head-to-head). Buffalo would win the tie breaker at that point with a better division record (4-1 to 3-2). Pats then close the season with Jax and Mia. Bills close with Atlanta and Jets. So, if we win out, all we need to take the division is for the Pats to lose one game to either Colts (very possible), Jax (not likely), Miami (Phins always play Pats tough and Miami has been playing much better of late). Take care of business in Carolina and the rematch with New England and the division should still be ours.

If this gets called, as it should have, we have a 1st and goal at the one-yard line with less than a minute left. Game over. Bills win. This game was called so lopsided. Those who can't believe/don't see that the NFL/refs influence games are just naive in my opinion. First time I became truly aware of it was in Super Bowl XL (2006). Pittsburgh was gifted that game. No doubt, without the refs, Seattle would have won (and I was rooting for the Steelers). And it has been going on ever since. Nothing to do about it but not take it too seriously, and be good enough to beat the other team and the refs at the same time. That's the way it is for small market teams outside of Green Bay.

Let's at least show some pride in the 2nd half boys. Keep fighting!

Get Gabe Davis on the field! At this point, it is pointless to force a run game that isn't there. Let the passing game open up the run game. I'm jut shooting off the cuff here, with very little in-depth knowledge of the Xs and Os. But I say go more 5-wide. Teams are putting a top on the offense, so spread them out wide. Run a short-to-intermediate passing game with your best players on the field. Beasley and Davis need more snaps, more playing time. I do wonder if the addition of Sanders (as good as he is) didn't disrupt things a bit in the WR corps. Beasley is a beast and Davis was poised to break-out this year, yet Sanders has the most snaps of any pass catcher on the team. Season snap counts: Sanders 611 Diggs 603 Knox 502 Beasley 477 Davis 286 Sanders should have come in to fill a WR3 or WR4 role, not be a WR1b to Diggs. Get your best players on the field. To me that starts with Diggs, Beasley, and Davis. It should be Sanders, Knox, and/or the backs rotating in and out. Play some no TE, play some empty backfield. Spread teams out laterally in the 5- to 15-yard area and just keep moving the chains. Eventually the deep shots and running game should open up as teams won't be able to just stack the box and cover over top. No team should be able to cover Diggs, Beasley, Davis, Sanders, and Knox/RB out of the backfield on short routes, if Josh is getting the ball out quickly. Maybe Daboll and Josh are just looking for too many chunk plays in the passing game, but they aren't there because of how we are being defended. I say spread them out wide rather than deep. I'm sure that is all an oversimplification of things, but I do feel like the answer for a while has been take what the defense is giving you, rather than trying to be stubborn about who you think you are. Get back to basics. Put your best players on the field and take what the defense is giving you.

I understand that for some fans, they just want talent at any cost because they just want to win. I get it. And no, I don't think BB cares about if his players are good guys off the field. But I do and I think Sean and Brandon (for the most part) do. I want to like the players that I am rooting for. That may seem strange to some fans, but it's just how I feel. I don't want to root for a bunch of divas or guys who are always getting themselves in trouble, or not treating other people well.

I know there are a lot of knee-jerk reactions after loses, but I have been surprised at how many posters are so down on Beane and McDermott, some even suggesting we need to get rid of them. I get it, the loss to New England, which not only put the Pats in first place for the division, but also in the conference, opened up some very old and deep wounds. Seeing Belichick smile after a win in our house sucked...but it also shows you what he thinks of the current Bills (the hoodie almost never smiles---even after wins, except maybe Super Bowl victories). So, I think we all need a little perspective. First of all, as bad as some aspects of our team is right now (rushing/stopping the run), we are only 4-5 plays away from being 11-1. Take away the blocked punt against the Steelers, if Josh made the 4th down against the Titans, and any one or two plays going our way against the Pats and Jags, and we win all of those games. The margin between the best record in the league and a good/ok record in the NFL is razor thin. Those loses all count, they all matter, but we are not as bad as some are making us out to be. Do we have flaws and warts, players that we need to move on from next year, etc? Of course, almost every team does, but we are still a very good team with a lot of talent. I do expect that we will still make the playoffs this year (whatever seed). That would be 4 out of 5 years of making the playoffs in the McBeane era...after 17 years of no playoffs. The record/win percentage over the last 5 years under McBeane is 45-31 or almost 60% win percentage (59.2% to be precise). And that of course includes 2018 which was an obvious rebuild year where we were depleted of talent (to fix the cap). In the 5 years prior to McBeane, our record was 36-44 (45% win percentage). In the 17 years of the drought, the Bills' win percentage was 41%. McDermott already has the third best win percentage of all Buffalo Bills coaches (behind only Marv and Wade). And Wade only coached three years and lost both of his playoff appearances. McDermott's two playoff wins are the only playoff wins since December 30th, 1995 (26 years ago). This team has fun, exciting players. Great personalities. They are good people, with great work ethics, who like being in Buffalo, and play hard for each other and the fans. A true team with players I enjoy rooting for. There is no way in hell that I would blow things up or get rid of Beane and/or McDermott any time soon. Is there still work to do? Obviously. But in over 60 years of Buffalo Bills football, this is the best we've had it outside of the 4-year AFL run and the 8- to 9-year run in the 90s. Have we already forgotten what New Year's Eve 2017 felt like? That was one of the most emotionally-impactful moments in Bills history, and one of the best New Year's Eves I've ever had (thank you Sean McDermott). Have we forgotten what it is like to have incompetency in the front office? Have we forgotten that they have brought us our first franchise QB in 25 years? There are still 5 games left to right the ship, get into the playoffs, and possibly make a run. In the playoffs, everyone starts 0-0. But even if that doesn't happen, I will be backing Beane and Mcdermott. In that worst-case scenario (missing the playoffs or a quick exit), maybe it would be like the 90s team. In 1988, they had a great record (12-4; a lot of close wins) and went to the AFC Championship game where they were disappointed by the Bengals. In '99, they took a step back with a 9-7 record and a divisional playoff loss to the Browns. Then they went on the run of 4 Super Bowl appearances. Let's not try to kill the momentum that is building. Most success stories are not a straight line up to the top. There are always a few setbacks or apparent regressions along the way---two steps forward, one step back. Now, I'm definitely not putting this season to bed...they can still turn it around and make a run (there are no dominant teams in the AFC this year---once in the playoffs, every game will be up for grabs). But ultimately, maybe this team just needs one more season of acquisitions and seasoning/experience to be true, perennial Super Bowl contenders. I don't know about you all, but I want to stick to the process. We're so close. Go Bills!!!!

Could it be that our run game/blocking schemes don't suit our players' strengths? Morse is an athletic, not stout center; as some said, pulling is Ford's strength; Feliciano trimmed down to be more athletic; not sure about Williams and Boettger, but they don't seem unathletic. Why aren't we running a scheme that has our interior linemen pulling more often for outside runs. Seems like it would suit our backs better too. Get them out into more space. Our guys aren't pounders. Singletary is shifty, Breida fast, and even Moss has shown some elusiveness at times. I'm no expert on run/blocking schemes, just a thought, so if anyone who knows more about the Xs and Os of the run game/O-line blocking has a better perspective on this...please weigh in.

Yeah, a number of people (posters, Greg Cossell, etc.) thought the Bills might have packages where they put 3 LBs on the field against New England. All I can say is I hope that wasn't the Bills' plan and they practiced it all week, only to have to change it on the fly now. So tired of this positive test results the day of a game (for all teams).

Let's face it, the only people who want to see a TB/NE Super Bowl is the media. Sure, Tampa fans and New England fans want their team in the SB, but I could see a lot of New England fans torn about it. Of course they would want the Pats to win, but maybe not at Brady's expense. And they certainly wouldn't want to lose to Brady. And I don't think Tampa fans care who they face as long as they make it back to the big game. And outside of Tampa and New England, what football fan really wants to see NE in another Super Bowl, or Brady win another ring? The TB/NE matchup is purely media driven. It has nothing to do with what fans would want to see. As to the refs...the Bills have often got the short end of the stick over the years from the officials. Can't whine and complain about it, you just have to be good enough to not let the refs affect the game. The Bills are the better team. If they play up to their capabilities, they should be able to overcome any bad calls.