Not Impressed With Roman Today

[Wayne Cubed]

Respectfully K-9, I disagree.

 

The offense was put into a lot of tough situations with the holding/penalty calls. If they did go into a conservative shell or let off the gas peddle, IMO, it wasn't until there was about 5 minutes left in the 4th. They came out in the 2nd half and had a nice 11 play touchdown drive. Then the next Colts possession basically lasted the rest of the 3rd. When the Bills did get the ball, a holding penalty put them in 1st and 19. Still they were able to get a first down with big runs from Ka. Williams and Shady. The drive ultimately stalled. The next possession for the Bills, after a 3 and out by the Colts, again started with a holding penalty, 1st and 20. First play was a deep pass attempt to Watkins into double coverage. Then a run. Then a pass play again which is the one Taylor swatted down. The Bills punted and fortunately recovered a muffed punt. After the recovery instead of 3 straight runs to secure a FG they went for the jugular with a deep pass to Watkins. It was a little long but still an aggressive play, hardly going into a shell.

 

The next time the Bills got the ball was with 5 mins left in the 4th. I'd say then they went conservative and were just trying to run the clock out.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Wayne Cubed

[machine gun kelly]

To the OP:

 

They've advertised ground and pound for 6 months, and did not disappoint. This is Bills Ball now. The Guards could've been better in rushing, but otherwise was a great game. The defense played fantastic, Darby performed, Karlos Williams was fun to watch and seems like a good fit when you're using a FB.

[GunnerBill]

Respectfully K-9, I disagree.

 

The offense was put into a lot of tough situations with the holding/penalty calls. If they did go into a shell or let of the gas peddle, IMO, it wasn't until there was about 5 minutes left in the 4th. They came out in the 2nd half and had a nice 11 play touchdown drive. Then the next Colts possession basically lasted the rest of the 3rd. When the Bills did get the ball, a holding penalty put them in 1st and 19. Still they were able to get a first down with big runs from Ka. Williams and Shady. The drive ultimately stalled. The next possession for the Bills, after a 3 and out by the Colts, again started with a holding penalty, 1st and 20. First play was a deep pass attempt to Watkins into double coverage. Then a run. Then a pass play again which is the one Taylor swatted down. The Bills punted and fortunately recovered a muffed punt. After the recovery instead of 3 straight runs to secure a FG they went for the jugular with a deep pass to Watkins. It was a little long but still an aggressive play, hardly going into a shell.

 

The next time the Bills got the ball was with 5 mins left in the 4th. I'd say then they went conservative and were just trying to run the clock out.

 

I agree 100% with this. I particularly liked the shot on 3rd down after we recovered the muffed punt. That was exactly what I was calling for when we got the ball back... run, run, and if you don't get there (or aren't inches away) take a SAFE shot on 3rd down. Put it out there give your receiver a shot but don't put it where the defender can potentially make the pick and run it back. In that context it was a good call... just a tad overthrown but as I say if you are going to miss there you have to miss long and not leaving it short where it is pickable.

[BreezeMafia]

Glad we won and all, but Roman neutered our offense most of the afternoon. Got the impression he didn't have confidence in Taylor nor was I impressed with his schematic designs. Got way too conservative way too early. No excuse for not targeting Sammy more than one or two times as well. Glad our defense rose to the occasion because, based on one game, I'm not sure Roman can go out and win a game with the mentality he showed today.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

Really think Roman game planned to not target Sammy? Most of us disagree 100%. Why not spin the fact that Sammy didn't have many targets to the tune of Tyrod not trying to force any balls to Sammy and playing smart. Be happy with the win. On to NE.

[dubs]

Is this a topic from The Onion? Unreal! What kind of game would it take to not find some criticism? I bet if we beat the Pats 42-0 and injury Brady for the year there will still be topics about what people didn't like. SMH

[atlbillsfan1975]

Doesn't make any sense to worry about the next opponent in the middle of the game. Isn't this where fans accuse teams of looking past an opponent. They had a nice long drive to start the 3rd, I think he called a smart game.

i didn't see one read option yesterday. Not sure why that was. I don't think Indy has a D that is good at shutting that down. I bet we see the read option against NE. Teams put things away all the time. Smart coaches save plays for certain situations or opponents. That is my thought. Might be wrong.

[billsfan_34]

Sorry, you don't exist in this thread after your 3rd grade stunt above.

 

Not involving Sammy is only one element.

 

But your grasp of the obvious is stunning. Well done.

 

GO BILLS!!!

Maybe you know your stuff maybe you dont. But how is this a third grade stunt? The poster gathered many of the facts that contributed to the win. I have been on the butt end of some OP's too my friend. Just take it in stride. Roman called one hell of a game when you take everything into consideration---minus Cassel on the first play. That was ridiculous. We got a great team win from all 3 phases and Roman knows he has the other 2 parts playing solid so you can change your philosophy just a bit. That being said we did take some shots. When your up by alot you dont need to force anything with this defense, you kill clock and dont turn the ball over. You beter redeem yourself on your next post lol.

[BillsFan-4-Ever]

Glad we won and all, but Roman neutered our offense most of the afternoon. Got the impression he didn't have confidence in Taylor nor was I impressed with his schematic designs. Got way too conservative way too early. No excuse for not targeting Sammy more than one or two times as well. Glad our defense rose to the occasion because, based on one game, I'm not sure Roman can go out and win a game with the mentality he showed today.

 

GO BILLS!!!

it's ground and pound. Get used to it. I posted yesterday that I thought the game was a bit boring / slow. Not enough oomph late in the 2nd half.

 

The Bills won. They defeated the great Andrew Luck. Next up..... Tainted Brady

 

 

more thoughts on why it was so "unimpressive" aka conservative..

 

a) They were protecting a lead

b) Why show the Cheatriots anything more than they have to.

Is this a joke?

 

We scored 27 points, and did so on the ground, deep and short...in balanced fashion, with a decent amount of misdirection...with a first-time quarterback and a new group of personnel.

2 deep passes is not truly deep and short. Hell, Maroon typically only went deep 2 times a game.

Edited September 14, 2015 by BillsFan-4-Ever

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

Maybe you know your stuff maybe you dont. But how is this a third grade stunt? The poster gathered many of the facts that contributed to the win. I have been on the butt end of some OP's too my friend. Just take it in stride. Roman called one hell of a game when you take everything into consideration---minus Cassel on the first play. That was ridiculous. We got a great team win from all 3 phases and Roman knows he has the other 2 parts playing solid so you can change your philosophy just a bit. That being said we did take some shots. When your up by alot you dont need to force anything with this defense, you kill clock and dont turn the ball over. You beter redeem yourself on your next post lol.

I thought the same things. When you consider that the Colts defensive game plan was largely successful, and the team still dominated and put up 27 pts and moved the ball, it is a good sign and not one to be unimpressed! Edited September 14, 2015 by The Thurmanator

[YattaOkasan]

A comfortable win against a SB contender, and we're complaining? Here's what I saw.

-- The Colts were not going to let Watkins and McCoy beat them, and congrats Pagano, Watkins and McCoy didn't beat you. But everyone else did. So three cheers for a lot of options at the skill positions.

-- All Ryan cares about is winning. When the Bills got up 24-0 after a 5 minute drive to open the 3rd quarter, the Colts answered with a TD drive of their own. Were they getting back in the game? NO. The Colts were killing themselves by that slow methodical clock-killing approach. That drive took almost 9 minutes. After their TD they were down 24-8 and there were only 20 minutes left in the game. Sure they scored, but that's what they mean by a Pyrrhic victory, one that costs the victors so much that they lose the battle.

-- The offense was quite effective in the second half. Not trying to score a lot of points, just trying to keep the clock moving and WIN THE GAME.

-- The defense also shifted gears in the second half, with a lot more bend but don't break thinking. That let the Colts control the ball and get two TDs, but at the expense of running out the clock. This was a very professional, cutthroat approach on the part of the Bills.

Agree with most of what you wrote. Particularly point #1. Side note: Colts TD drive finished with <16 minutes left in the game.

 

i didn't see one read option yesterday. Not sure why that was. I don't think Indy has a D that is good at shutting that down. I bet we see the read option against NE. Teams put things away all the time. Smart coaches save plays for certain situations or opponents. That is my thought. Might be wrong.

This also stood out to me. With the way NE couldn't keep the edge against Jennings this might be the strategy. I was talking to a NE fan (as best I could cause they don't use reason), and he was saying that they'll contain TT because Roethlisberger is a running QB. I laughed and walked away.

[xsoldier54]

Glad we won and all, but Roman neutered our offense most of the afternoon. Got the impression he didn't have confidence in Taylor nor was I impressed with his schematic designs. Got way too conservative way too early. No excuse for not targeting Sammy more than one or two times as well. Glad our defense rose to the occasion because, based on one game, I'm not sure Roman can go out and win a game with the mentality he showed today.

 

GO BILLS!!!

Can't you just enjoy the win. Bills thoroughly dominated and were up 24-0 at one point. They were trying to kill clock after that. Pefectly understandable. The only reason Indy scored at all was because they got two huge calls from the refs on that first scoring drive.

[Dibs]

Glad we won and all, but Roman neutered our offense most of the afternoon. Got the impression he didn't have confidence in Taylor nor was I impressed with his schematic designs. Got way too conservative way too early. No excuse for not targeting Sammy more than one or two times as well. Glad our defense rose to the occasion because, based on one game, I'm not sure Roman can go out and win a game with the mentality he showed today.

 

GO BILLS!!!

Though I don't disagree with some of your observations, I think perhaps there most likely are many factors involved....and to conclude that Roman will keep that mentality(assuming of course he had that this game) is IMO a bit panicky.

 

I imagine that the all-22 footage might highlight many of the other factors involved.....and we will have a better picture perhaps of just how much Roman was holding back.

 

Very gutsy btw to voice thoughtful negativity directly after such a big win. 'Twas bound to get you many attacks.

[GunnerBill]

The defense definitely went to bend not break on that long TD drive from the Colts. You could almost see Thurman and Rex saying "go on throw another 5 yard completion we are 24 points up and the clock is against you" The corners were not playing as tight on the line. They were not going to let the Colts go over the top for a quick strike which would have brought them back into the game at that point.

[bobobonators]

Actually, making that accusation about the OP, K-9, is what is embarrassing. Really embarrassing.

OK.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Glad we won and all, but Roman neutered our offense most of the afternoon. Got the impression he didn't have confidence in Taylor nor was I impressed with his schematic designs. Got way too conservative way too early. No excuse for not targeting Sammy more than one or two times as well. Glad our defense rose to the occasion because, based on one game, I'm not sure Roman can go out and win a game with the mentality he showed today.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

Kelly says you know football, but really, I don't follow the logic "not sure Roman can go out and win a game with the mentality he showed today" when our team led all the way and was up 24-zip after a very long drive in the 2nd half. I mean, the mentality a guy shows when he's up 24 pts is just not the mentality a guy shows when he's down 24 points and how can you judge one from the other? I think Roman is constitutionally opposed to putting more on film for the next opponent than he has to, JMO. Keep in mind Watkins has been out with injury, he and Tyrod are still reportedly working on their timing, and Watkins may not be all the way back. If we don't see him targeted week after week I'll worry. I'd be worried also if Taylor ignored him to fix on one guy, but he spread it around. We didn't see a lot from Clay, either.

 

Targets got distributed, handoffs got distributed. McCoy's running stats would look better without all the holding call backs (19 yds and a TD by my count)

 

Things I saw that I didn't like on offense:

1) all those f*@!# holding penalties, especially on Wood and Glenn. How many was that, 4, just split on the 2 of them?

2) even with all the holding penalties, the line's run blocking was not "all that". Either McCoy isn't all the way back yet, or we really need an answer here. McCoy needs run blocking. He's not a guy who creates holes for himself.

3) Tyrod's ball security. I know, I know, it was raining. I know, I know, it was very heads-up of him to recover the fumble and knock the batted pass to the ground before a defender nabbed it. But man, hang onto the rock and don't throw at opposing linemen in the first place.

4) OK, the chop block penalty on Clay was bogus, but the personal foul penalties on D and ST have got to go. We did not look like a well-coached team in that regard. Listen to Marv Levy guys: "Don't be dumb, don't be dirty".

5) Communication errors or whatever it was that left receivers uncovered. Get it straight before next week, guys. Brady was watching, taking notes, and naming names.

 

Things I saw that I liked:

1) poise and vision from Tyrod. He didn't look like a guy starting his first game. He looked like It. Keep it up, Tyrod.

2) Karlos Williams. He hit the hole hard, even when there wasn't much hole. Stay healthy, and he's got a future IMO. That combination of size and speed is hard to defend.

3) All the passes to McCoy. He and Tyrod must be saying "I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship". Free Shady from the need for a run blocking line, and stand back.

4) Very solid tackling. We looked, for a change, like a well-coached team in that regard

5) Nickell Robey. All game. But especially when Andrew Luck was wearing him. Brady would also look very nice in that outfit (the Nickell Robey look) though I'm not fussy - Brady would look great wearing anyone in a Bills uniform, provided he's down on the ground making that "uuuuuuuhhhh" noise Bruce Smith loved.

[PromoTheRobot]

Why do you think the Patriots game next week affected the playcalling today?

Because you don't want to show the Cheaters your whole bag of tricks on offense or defense.

[BigBuff423]

Honestly, it's hard to find too much fault with Roman's Offense or play-calling. For one, can we just enjoy the first win of the season? It was against a team many have going to the Super
Bowl, and almost all pundits have winning their Division. So, for Buffalo to win at all is a real demonstration of well-played football as a team, and second to do so in the manner they did was impressive in some respects. Were there too many penalties? Yes. Was the gadget play to begin the game silly? Yes. But did the Offense do its job? Yes. And more to the point, I don't care how an individual player shows in a game, I care about overall productivity and winning, by any means (except cheating). To me, what stands out even more - is that this team has yet to fully realize its potential. I think the Offense is going to get better, as Shady becomes 100%, as Watkins and Woods feel more comfortable in the Offense, as the line matures and gathers even better chemistry, as Dareus returns next week, and keep in mind one of the starting Safeties was injured on the first play of the game, so Graham coming back at some point is only going to help. Then, after the BILLS' bye week, they *should* get Leo back as well. Barring any additional significant injuries, that means this team is going to get healthier and better, including the QB and his WRs. That, is a major point in all of this. Defense played very well and Offense was good but will get better. First time, in a long time that we can say that and is accurate and fair, IMHO.

[Dorkington]

My only beef with Roman's play calling was the first play... but for all we know that was Rex trying to play games. Everything else, I thought worked well. We were aggressive until we got out to 24-0, then dialed things back to emphasize removing time from the clock.

[nucci]

Because you don't want to show the Cheaters your whole bag of tricks on offense or defense.

Right, because Belichick is an inexperienced defensive coach and there is no film on Roman coaching an offense in the NFL. So no way the Pats* will be ready to play us Sunday.

[NoSaint]

Because you don't want to show the Cheaters your whole bag of tricks on offense or defense.

again, if you can get through your whole bag of tricks in one game, thats quite the issue.

 

 

i dont think K9 is calling for the double reverse flea flicker as much as a few more shots in the intermediate/deep passing game and designing a play or two to get to our best (of many excellent) play maker.

 

I dont think a few crossing patterns would be out of this world, and would accomplish what k9 is talking about in the second half.