THE ROCKPILE REVIEW - Imperfect Wins

[Shaw66]

The Rockpile Review by Shaw66

 

Imperfect Wins

 

The Bills didnt capitalize on takeaways. They didnt manage the clock well. They blew coverages. They took unnecessary timeouts. The quarterback missed open receivers. The Bills didnt pressure the quarterback enough. They were lucky.

 

They won.

 

The Bills beat the Buccaneers on Sunday, 30-27. For the critical fans, there was a lot not to like. We want perfection. For the coach, it was great! He wants wins.

 

In his post-game press conference, McDermott was at times emotional, at times giddy, and at times, as usual, true to the process: he said, in so many words, we made mistakes, well watch the film, we have to get better. Its about continuous improvement

 

And its about wins. In the press conference, McDermott kept coming back to the same simple bottom line: we won. We played hard for sixty minutes and we won.

 

Fans see mistakes and they focus on them, fret over them. Teams arent perfect, and games arent perfect. A lot of things happen during a game, and they dont all go as planned. At the end of the day, there is only one question: did we win?

 

On Sunday, the Bills made mistakes, they werent perfect, but they made the plays they needed to win the game.

 

The Bills offense sparkled at times on Sunday. It converted a lot of third downs, and third down conversions lead to a lot of yards gained. Running backs had room to run, something that couldnt be said for most of the season to date. As the coach says, hell have to watch the film, but the return of Cordy Glenn had to have been part of the reason. Having Glenn at tackle also gave the Bills some flexibility: when Incognito went out of the game briefly and the Bills were third and short, they inserted Dawkins at guard for a play to add some muscle up front.

 

The passing game still dinked and dunked a lot, but this time there were some bigger chunk plays sprinkled in. Taylor found Thompson, OLeary and Thomas downfield for big and important gains throughout the game.

 

The defense, on the other hand, looked softer than it had all season, and they seemed to be making uncharacteristic mistakes. Serious confusion forced a timeout on one play. Still, the defense continued to make big plays: the takeaways, for sure, but also plays like Poyers deflection of a sure touchdown pass. Every play, whether it went for no gain or 20 yards, guys were running to the ball, hitting hard, not quitting.

 

Of course, the Bucs have been giving up a lot of yards all season long, so it may be too soon celebrate an offensive Renaissance. And they also have one of the top offenses in the league (Martin is a seriously good back), so it wasnt a complete surprise that they moved up and down the field as easily as they did.

 

Some observations:

 

1. I really enjoy having LeSean McCoy. He says and does some troubling things from time to time, but the man is a truly special ball carrier and a serious competitor. He gets everything he can on every play, whether its two yards or 22, takes the hits (and avoids a lot of them) gets up and goes back to work. He runs nice pass patterns, he has good hands. He laid out nicely in the end zone when Taylor overthrew him, and it wasnt for show it was a serious effort to catch the ball. Over his career he fumbles one to four times a season, and he has two so far in 2017. Its certainly a problem to turn it over, and it looked like his fumble on Sunday could have cost the Bills the game. Still, his contributions far exceed the pain of an occasional turnover. After the game McDermot said hed keep giving Shady the ball. Im all in on that.

 

2. I think Sunday we saw the good, the bad and the ugly of Tyrod Taylor, all on display in one game. Theres a lot more good than bad. If Brandon Beane sees a half dozen more games this season like that one, I think hes renegotiating Taylors contract again and using all those draft picks to build talent across the lineup.

 

The good? Heck, 260 yards, 8 yards per attempt, 1 TD and no turnovers is good enough for your starting QB; throw in 50 yards rushing, and you have a real problem for defensive coordinators. He was particularly good at moving in the pocket, or escaping altogether, to get time to make throws. He did it on the biggest throw of the day, the long one to Deonte Thompson to start the game-tying drive. That was good quarterbacking.

 

The bad? A lot of little things. Hes missing, by a little, on a lot of throws. It looked like he surprised Matthews once and McCoy once by delivering short balls over the middle with too much pace (plus the one to McCoy was low). Taylor displayed better touch on short balls a couple of years ago. Hes consistently overthrowing deep balls by just a little, like the one to Shady.

 

The ugly? He had Zay Jones with a lot of separation up the left sideline, looked at him and then turned and through incomplete to the right. He just doesnt seem to make the best decisions as consistently as the really good quarterbacks.

 

Just like Shadys fumbles, I can take the ugly when the good is that good.

 

3. Deonte Thompson. Who? Ive already mentioned the guy a couple of times, and I have no idea who he is. To be honest, he was getting wide open as much by play design as by personal elusiveness, but play design doesnt have anything to with his hands. This guy can catch the ball.

4. Combine Thompson with Matthews and Jones, who seems to be coming around, bring back Clay to lead the really solid tight-end grew thats been getting the job done while Clay is healing, and theres an effective pass receiving corps on the field. McCoy is no slouch in the passing game, either. Theyre all getting open from time to time, Taylor generally is finding them, and theyre catching the ball. Do the Bills miss Sammy? Youre always going to miss a talent like that, but Beane and McDermott knew what they were doing they knew that success passing the ball comes from an effective system, and they were confident their system would get the job done. Sunday it looked like they were right.

 

5. Do yourself a favor. Go to the Bills website and watch the video of McDermotts locker room talk after the game. What McDermott has to say is nice, but watch it for what Kyle says next. Its a measure of how screwed up the Bills were that they could have had the leadership of Fred Jackson and Kyle Williams on the team at the same time and play as poorly as they often did. Kyles a quality guy.

 

6. Every defense has weaknesses, and the Bucs found the Bills weaknesses all day. For the first time this season, receivers were finding wide open zones so that they had plenty of room to run after the catch. Until Sunday, receivers were catching balls in the seams but getting dropped pretty quickly by tacklers. And there were a few obvious blown coverages, like Howards touchdown. Theres work to be done to plug those holes.

 

7. McDermott manned up and said the blown opportunity at the end of the half was his fault. It was, in a sense, because he decided there was time for one more play and there wasnt. Actually, though, McDermott took the heat for Dennison, because Dennison called the play. The play was pointless that pattern was not going to result in a touchdown, so what was the point? And if there was another option on that play, an option that made more sense, Taylor should know in that situation that he had to either go to that other option or throw the ball away. That was bad football.

 

8. Do you know how many total tackles TreDavious White had through the Bengals game? 22, in five games. Do you know how many he had against the Buccaneers? 1. Its a measure of how much respect the Bucs had for White that pretty much all day long they through at Gaines, Wright and Johnson. When they finally threw at White, what happened? Takeaway, game over. The guy aint flashy, but he can play.

 

9. The crowd was good, not great. When the fans got into it, we were really loud, but the Bucs silenced the crowd at times with plenty of big plays the crowd has to will themselves through those plays and keep up the noise. Still, you could see the Bills players responding to the noise. In his press conference McDermott seemed almost tearful talking about how great it is to play and coach in Buffalo. There was a big-time fan celebration leaving the stadium after that win.

 

10. The final play. Its a shame that Poyer was injured running around out there. Those plays are a lot of fun to watch, but its agonizing when your team is on defense. The Bucs executed quite well, but what impressed me was how well prepared the Bills were. Talk about bend, dont break. The defenders stayed in position, didnt over-commit, and looked for opportunities to end the play. There were a couple of times when the Bucs the field and looked to have created a lane up the sideline, but the Bills were prepared each time.

 

Great game! Even the half-time was great. The Bills brought in the Ohio State marching band. Maybe you have to be old-timer to like that stuff (I probably saw more or less the same show at War Memorial Stadium in 1962), but the half-time show was a great show, a tribute to New York City with all different kinds of formations and good music. And they entertained pregame, too, finishing up with the classic Ohio spelled out in script on both sides of the field.

 

Did I say great game! Hard fought, some big plays, plenty of excitement and tension. And we WON!!!

 

And it doesnt get any easier. Its time to pay the Raiders back for last year, but it will be tough.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

The Rockpile Review is written to share the passion we have for the Buffalo Bills. That passion was born in the Rockpile; its parents were everyday people of western New York who translated their dedication to a full days hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.

[DCBongo]

2. I think Sunday we saw the good, the bad and the ugly of Tyrod Taylor, all on display in one game. Theres a lot more good than bad. If Brandon Beane sees a half dozen more games this season like that one, I think hes renegotiating Taylors contract again and using all those draft picks to build talent across the lineup.

 

I hope this happens! I am not a TT fan, but if he can become reliably serviceable then the team can still get a QB of the future without rushing him into the lineup. You can also build the team up with a whole lot of picks. A reliable TT gives this team a lot of possibilities. Will this happen, time will tell!

[Shaw66]

I hope this happens! I am not a TT fan, but if he can become reliably serviceable then the team can still get a QB of the future without rushing him into the lineup. You can also build the team up with a whole lot of picks. A reliable TT gives this team a lot of possibilities. Will this happen, time will tell!

Time will tell is right.

 

If you look at the passer ratings by game, Taylor was weak against Carolina and pretty bad against the Bengals. If he could just get his bad games up to an 80 passer rating, the Bills would be in good shape.

[Figster]

The Bills D has carried Buffalo to a 3-2 start which probably should have been even better so it was good to see the O come out and win a football game IMO. The Bucs were a desperate football team and played like one.

 

It was ugly at times Shaw, especially the last play before the half. On the other hand though, when you see the mistakes Buffalo made, the bad penalties , the brain farts and still come out on top with a come from behind victory, it gives Buffalo something to build on in my humble opinion.

 

Play calling was much better on Offense, throwing on 1st down was nice to see, and it was great to see Shady get into the end zone.

 

Pretty or not 4 - 2 puts a smile on my face.

 

thanks for another thorough reveiw buddy, and all you guys for rocking the house/New Era stadium.

 

I'm a Billiever...

Edited October 23, 2017 by Figster

[BadLandsMeanie]

 

 

 

2. I think Sunday we saw the good, the bad and the ugly of Tyrod Taylor, all on display in one game. Theres a lot more good than bad. If Brandon Beane sees a half dozen more games this season like that one, I think hes renegotiating Taylors contract again and using all those draft picks to build talent across the lineup.

 

 

This is my greatest fear.

 

 

That aside, thanks for the RR and the perfect lunch time delivery made it extra special.

[Saxum]

Fans see mistakes and they focus on them, fret over them. Teams arent perfect, and games arent perfect. A lot of things happen during a game, and they dont all go as planned. At the end of the day, there is only one question: did we win?

 

Games will be perfect when fans are - never.

[Stank_Nasty]

i coud be wrong but i think it was white that evans caught the td on. so.... theres that.

 

i love white. and i'm not trying to be a downer but evans did get the best of him there. even still if i remember correctly white was in real solid position and it was more of just a great throw and catch rather than bad defense on his part.

[Shaw66]

This is my greatest fear.

My greatest fear is that they trade a whole bunch of picks to get to the top of the draft and take a guy who doesn't make it.

i coud be wrong but i think it was white that evans caught the td on. so.... theres that.

 

i love white. and i'm not trying to be a downer but evans did get the best of him there. even still if i remember correctly white was in real solid position and it was more of just a great throw and catch rather than bad defense on his part.

Exactly. It WAS White, and postgame he was beating himself up it. He wants to be perfect.

 

But you're also right about the coverage, throw and catch. White did a good job - Winston and Evans were perfect.

 

I've been down on Winston, but give him his due - yesterday he was excellent.

[HappyDays]

My greatest fear is that they trade a whole bunch of picks to get to the top of the draft and take a guy who doesn't make it.

 

 

I am still convinced we need to take a QB with one of our top 4 picks but I definitely dont think we need to trade up. Our interior defensive line needs to be revamped by next season, along with most of our LB corps. We need better CB depth, another receiver, and a RT. We could conceivably fill every hole and still get a QB in the first 3 rounds alone. And my guess is Tyrod isnt looking to be the next biggest salary in the NFL. I genuinely think he likes playing here and will take a slightly reduced salary to come back if it means they can build around him.

 

Tremendous game yesterday. Ill just repost what I wrote in another thread - We kept the Bucs in the game with a missed FG and a missed opportunity at the end of the 1st half, not to mention 2 dropped picks and a fumble we didnt recover. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot and still found a way to win. What else can you really ask for?

 

Every win is imperfect in the NFL.

[GoBills808]

I expected a win yesterday, and for the run/pass game to get going. It's less a testament to how I feel about the Bills this season than it was having seen the Bucs truly bad defense a few times prior. Great to have those expectations met.

[Dan]

Excellent write up and review, as always. I enjoy the read and your take each week. Thank you.

 

2. I hate to even post about Tyrod due to all the incessant derailing, but I agree with you. I think he's good enough to win us plenty of games and keep us competitive for a couple years. But I can't help but think he's one of those guys that does just enough to look good, but never enough to elevate the team to a championship, ala Romo (sorry I just derailed the whole thread!). I'm happy he's on the team; wish him well; and hopeful he can get us further than I imagine. And look forward to the Bills drafting ..and developing.. a franchise QB for decades to come.

 

5. I actually got choked up watching that. For all the "tankers" that want better draft picks... Go tell Kyle Williams he needs to lose on purpose so the team can get better. I dare you. That guy is all heart!

 

7. That end of half play was ...pathetic. I'll chalk it up to a young HC learning and making mistakes. We all do. But it's called situational football. The coaches not only need to be aware of it, remind the players of it, but also practice in these situations. It's precisely these types of situations, this lack of execution by all involved, the missed points; that separate the playoff teams from the good teams.

 

8. White can straight up play! I hope he can continue it into January.

 

Yes, it was a great game and a win we needed to finish out to stay pace with the afc. For those who wanted great, dominant wins every week, the NFL is not designed to give us that anymore. You take wins where you can get them. And this was a good, hard fought win that I'll gladly take! 4-2 is soooooo much better than 3-3.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

well said Shaw, but

 

Imperfect Wins

The Bills didnt capitalize on takeaways. They didnt manage the clock well. They blew coverages. They took unnecessary timeouts. The quarterback missed open receivers. The Bills didnt pressure the quarterback enough. They were lucky.

They won.

 

was all we needed to see

[Royale with Cheese]

It is imperfect but in the past, we lose this game.

Maybe the black cloud hanging over Buffalo sports is letting a little light penetrate....

[BadLandsMeanie]

My greatest fear is that they trade a whole bunch of picks to get to the top of the draft and take a guy who doesn't make it.

 

That could happen.

 

Or they could wind up with stability at the QB spot for the first time in 20 years.

 

We could wind up with somebody who we are not settling for because top QBs are hard to get.

 

We could have somebody at QB who when we inevitably blame them for the losses, that we are actually wrong about it. Actually genuinely wrong.

 

 

Ah well so far the new Bills seem to know what they are doing. We will see how things work out for us I guess.

[RoyBatty is alive]

" He had Zay Jones with a lot of separation up the left sideline, looked at him and then turned and through incomplete to the right. He just doesnt seem to make the best decisions as consistently as the really good quarterbacks"

 

Judged on Zay's history here, I am not so sure it wasn't a good decision. I think Tyrod, justifiably so, doesnt trust Zay at this point, one of the biggest disappointment of the year so far.

 

As far as keeping Tyrod, I think you might be correct and they actually would consider Tyrod next year but for another 2 reasons, 1) most of the elite QBs in this year's class class starting in Darnold have been disappointing and 2) I think MORE teams this year wil need QBs than anticipated before the start of this season. Cardinals need one, only team I can thick of that appears to have answered their QB question this year are the Texans.

 

Great writeuip as always.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

The Rockpile Review by Shaw66

 

2. I think Sunday we saw the good, the bad and the ugly of Tyrod Taylor, all on display in one game. Theres a lot more good than bad. If Brandon Beane sees a half dozen more games this season like that one, I think hes renegotiating Taylors contract again and using all those draft picks to build talent across the lineup.

 

Hey, Shaw, great post! I'm not against reno'ing Taylor. But I'm completely against ignoring QB in the draft.

 

Taylor is the Bills QB equivalent of treading water, or, as was said of SFO/DEN/TAM/KAN QB Steve Deberg "how good is he? good enough to lose with"

He'll tantalize with good flashes, then crap the bed.

 

QB is so important. Nothing less than pulling out all the stops will do

[elroy16]

Tyrod did a good job of running when there was space and more importantly, moving around in the pocket and then finding receivers. The throw to Thompson on the last TD drive was probably the best, but he also had a big conversion on the throw to O'Leary on a 3rd and long. He seems to be getting more and more comfortable in the pocket, both making throws and not bailing out at the first sign of pressure.

 

 

I think they need to find a replacement for Preston Brown. He's just not good enough in coverage. Humber looked good until he got hurt and so far Milano looks good.

 

 

 

Lots of good signs from this team. Like you said, most certainly imperfect, but it was great to get a tight win when it feels like these almost always go the other way.

[Royale with Cheese]

 

Hey, Shaw, great post! I'm not against reno'ing Taylor. But I'm completely against ignoring QB in the draft.

 

Taylor is the Bills QB equivalent of treading water, or, as was said of SFO/DEN/TAM/KAN QB Steve Deberg "how good is he? good enough to lose with"

He'll tantalize with good flashes, then crap the bed.

 

QB is so important. Nothing less than pulling out all the stops will do

 

If Taylor can play a little more consistently the rest of the season, the need to package a ton of picks for a top 3 QB may not be needed.

I still think the Bills need to take a QB in the 1st this year. Heck, maybe a Darnold or Mayfield will be there in the middle 20's (hoping we pick in the middle 20's).

Darnold stock seems to be dropping but I still think he's good....well he may actually stay in school too.

[Beast]

Tampa has one of the worst pass defenses going. If the Bills forego drafting a QB any time soon I hope they pack up and leave.

[Figster]

 

Hey, Shaw, great post! I'm not against reno'ing Taylor. But I'm completely against ignoring QB in the draft.

 

Taylor is the Bills QB equivalent of treading water, or, as was said of SFO/DEN/TAM/KAN QB Steve Deberg "how good is he? good enough to lose with"

He'll tantalize with good flashes, then crap the bed.

 

QB is so important. Nothing less than pulling out all the stops will do

Taylor has been operating out of run heavy systems and receiving the lowest amount of passing reps/attempts in the league for going on 3 seasons now.

 

Myself personally, practice makes perfect and If you want more out of Taylor and the passing game then increase reps /attempts because Taylor has done nothing to show his passing game deserves anything less.

Edited October 23, 2017 by Figster