A few thoughts about the Vikings game, in no particular order

[Jerome007]

2 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Daboll's playcalling in the 2nd half was questionable at best.  

Oh come on now. Just as I was to write how great his gameplan had been. First half or course, but they weren't too conservative in the 2nd half IMO, not that we can say for sure. I'm sure they would have open it up again had the Vikings shown life... and they didn't need to.

 

Think about it: no real running game to speak of and no WRs, again - drops galore and hardly relied on. Hell Benjamin got credited for a catch on what was yet another drop. Yet they scored 27 points! Touchdown reception by a TE and the long pass play was by a running back. The Bills' D won't deliver this field position time and time again, but imagine what that offense can do with a McCoy that gets his yards and some wideouts that finally catch passes!

[Happy]

6 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Daboll's playcalling in the 2nd half was questionable at best.  

 

It was a little too conservative.  I understand with a big lead, run down the clock.  But teams like NE will completely take advantage of soft play calling designed to kill the clock.

[Jkgobills]

Thanks for the thoughts Virgil.  Appreciate you taking this on and continuing this post.

 

 

11 minutes ago, stevewin said:

I'm just confused now if I'm still supposed to give up on the season, or have some hope?  ? 

 

Coaches need to figure out how to get something out of this WR corps.  Seriously - you are an NFL receiver - show some effort and skill and make catches that any receiver should make.   Would like to see them go to Ray Ray and Croom more, keep bombing to Foster and eventually he's bound to catch one ?

 

Was great to see the defense continue where they left off since the 2nd half of Chargers game.  Gives hope that is the real defense - and the first 3 Qs was the anomaly.  The front 7 was dominant - we had a starting corner who was on the PS last week!

 

Ivory looked good in his back up RB role - ran hard, protected the ball, and still has the skill/ability to break one 

 

 STs actually made some plays to down kicks this week too.  Progress.

 

Bills twitter had the Bills not showing up in Minn, looks like Minn didn't either

 

BTW - Cowher gushing about McD on post-game show - praising him as leader of men

Agree with you ! Don't know what to think, but any positives this season should mean good things going forward these next two seasons.

[TPS]

The D did this with essentially pulling a CB off the street too!

[Rocky Landing]

14 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Daboll's playcalling in the 2nd half was questionable at best.  

You can question it. I was a little disappointed they took their foot off the pedal. But, I certainly understand it. Run the ball, and the clock, down. Don't turn it over. Simple, and it worked.

Just now, TPS said:

The D did this with essentially pulling a CB off the street too!

Lewis wasn't bad, was he?!?!

[3rdand12]

always enjoy the write ups Virgil. Thanks for taking the time !  balanced perspective. and willing to adjust it from week to week. A young team like ours ? your mindset needs to flex a bit. 
Bills did show potential today.

Played way over their competition. fantastic indeed.
 this game was inspiring to Fans, Players and  The Coaching .

 

It can be done 

11 minutes ago, Formerly Allan in MD said:

Will Foster ever catch a pass?

yes

 yes he will.
and it will be good and fine.
that was soooo close. timing his steps , when he should just stride. 

Edited September 23, 2018 by 3rdand12

[WhoTom]

43 minutes ago, Virgil said:

8 - Daboll - Another guy I've dogged this season.  His playcalling today was impressive.  His screen passes, quick outs, and even deep shots were well timed.  He knew when to mix in the run game and overall called a pretty perfect game.  Take some drops out of the equation and this game is even more of a blowout.  We were smart, effective, and overall a solid offense out there with limit weapons.  I hope to see more of this.

 

A couple of times, Romo was saying what play the Bills should run, and that turned out to be the exact call. I was wondering if Daboll was listening to the broadcast. ?

 

 

 

[3rdand12]

12 minutes ago, Happy Gilmore said:

 

It was a little too conservative.  I understand with a big lead, run down the clock.  But teams like NE will completely take advantage of soft play calling designed to kill the clock.

but this wasn't NE. its was a broken team who had been figured out by the Bills Coaches.
Notice how they kept lining up over Minnie's LT LG ?
leaving the interior for the LBs to cover the run?
smart football in my opinion. still hate to give up the shut out : )

[Dr. K]

Good comments. It was fun to watch this game. I do wish Foster would catch one of those bombs. It was right there for him. 

[billsfan_34]

48 minutes ago, Virgil said:

From week to week under McDermott, I make a comment about the intensity of this team.  Sometimes they show up and others, well......   Today they showed up an in a way that no one saw coming.  And after two straight weeks where the opening drives dictated the flow and momentum of the game, whether it be through penalty or broken play, this week was no different; except for it being in the Bills favor

 

1 - Allen - I've really took some shots at Allen last week and I'm happy to go the other way this week.  For clarity, these comments are always about the week and only that week.  I want the kid to succeed more than anyone else and this game would make you think he could.  I only have a few things I would like to see improve next week, but he overall played an amazing game.  His touch passes this week were dramatically improved from last week and his accuracy as well.  His first TD pass, albeit wide open, was a pass he may have missed last week.  His two TD runs were a display of his size and athleticism.  On the flip side, not entirely his fault each time, I'd like to see him connect on a deep ball.  He's a little sloppy holding the ball when the pressure is coming.  But to end it on a good note; his dump off pass to Ivory was beautiful.  He stepped away from the pressure, created time, found Ivory, and placed it perfectly.  That was easily my offensive play of the game.  Oh yeah, and if he tries to jump over Barr again, someone needs to slap some sense into him.

 

2 - Hughes - If he's not the defensive MVP, it's close with Milano.  Hughes played out of his mind today.  He was our Mack today and did everything you'd want him to do.  His strip sacks were as important to the outcome of this game as anything else and he didn't slow down.  He killed multiple drives today and had Cousins jittery all day.   Fantastic day

 

3 - Milano - I can't remember seeing a game where Milano was more hyped up than today.  He wasn't just all over the field, he was laying the wood.  I mean, WOW.  If this is the type of player he's going to be, then we are all set for years to come at OLB.  I was just thinking about how we haven't brought in an INT all season and then one literally fell into his lap.  He was great in coverage as well against the run.  Like the rest of the D, just fantastic.

 

4 - The hardest skill to acquire in this sport is the one where you compete all out, give it all you have, and you are still getting beat no matter what you do. When you have the killer instinct to fight through that, it is very special.

 

5 - Edmunds - There's been a few threads and call outs about Edmunds being slow and hesitant.  Not today.  While he didn't make any game changing plays, he was overall solid today.  He was fast, quick to the ball, decisive, and overall showed glimpses of what a first round pick should become.  Great game for him and freed up a lot of other guys to make plays

 

6 - Overall Defense - When you are pitching a shutout for as long as we did, especially after the first two games, it's hard to not focus on them so much.  The intensity we saw from the second half of the Charges game carried over into a tough stadium.  I was impressed by how loud that crowd was to start the game and we shut them up.  The push up the middle and overall pass rush was something we've been waiting for all season.  Even Kyle was having his way today.  We even sent some LB's on blitzes today to mix it up.  Until the game was well in hand, we showed a lot of different fronts and were able to generate pressure.  Tre White was solid breaking up some passes, even on his BS penalty.  With the turmoil at the DB position, it just goes to show what a solid pass rush can cover up.  Overall, if this is how our defense is going to play, we are in good shape.

 

7 - WR's - I was going to make a point about Zay and Kelvin, but why waste the space.  Kelvin's drop on the second drive led to his temporary benching and I was happy to see it.  He needs to realize how little he's proved and his next contract is getting smaller by the game.  With Zay being our #2, we didn't hear his name called until the 3rd quarter.  For us to score like we did without any contributions from these two guys was an interesting point for me.  I'm not sure where we go from here with these guys, but McD needs to figure it out.

 

8 - Daboll - Another guy I've dogged this season.  His playcalling today was impressive.  His screen passes, quick outs, and even deep shots were well timed.  He knew when to mix in the run game and overall called a pretty perfect game.  Take some drops out of the equation and this game is even more of a blowout.  We were smart, effective, and overall a solid offense out there with limit weapons.  I hope to see more of this.

 

9 - Special Teams - Outside of one poor punt, much better performance today from our punter.  Good to see after the past few weeks.  Maybe there's hope yet.  Hauschka was fantastic all day and hit with ease.  Coverage on punts and kick-offs didn't give away dumb yards as we have in previous games.  Solid grade here as well.

 

10 - McDermott - Just when people started to question him as a coach, he pulls you back in.  The team was ready, came out strong, didn't fade out, didn't make mistakes or get comfortable.  This is the team we were hoping to see today and his players really showed up for him.  My biggest question is, will we continue to see this up and down performance this year or can he get these guys on the same page week to week.  I don't expect blow outs nor do I expect playoffs, but coming out flat like we did the last two weeks was unacceptable.  If we can win this game on the road without Shady and the other injuries, then there's no excuse to not be competitive from here on out.

 

Today felt good.  I think we all needed it.  To have the penalties and other things go our way and now squander it was a testament to the process and what we are trying to achieve.  It goes to show that the NFL is different week to week and we are capable of playing with anyone.  This Vikings team is as solid as they come in the league and we blew them out in their stadium.  Enjoy the week everyone knowing what we can do.

Go Bills!

Great post! I wouldnt be surprised if Benjamin is benched next week. 

[3rdand12]

9 minutes ago, Rocky Landing said:

You can question it. I was a little disappointed they took their foot off the pedal. But, I certainly understand it. Run the ball, and the clock, down. Don't turn it over. Simple, and it worked.

Lewis wasn't bad, was he?!?!

he did nicely reading a play or two i noticed. but he was off the field a while wasn't he? Siran Neal and Taron Johnson made some plays

[Rocky Landing]

Just now, 3rdand12 said:

he did nicely reading a play or two i noticed. but he was off the field a while wasn't he? Siran Neal and Taron Johnson made some plays

He got banged up a couple times, but was back out on the field right after. I think Hyde/Poyer were well positioned to help him out, also. And as another poster said earlier, a good pass rush elevates everyone. But, I will maintain what I said in another thread: Ryan Lewis was an upgrade to that other guy he replaced.

[Happy]

2 minutes ago, 3rdand12 said:

but this wasn't NE. its was a broken team who had been figured out by the Bills Coaches.
Notice how they kept lining up over Minnie's LT LG ?
leaving the interior for the LBs to cover the run?
smart football in my opinion. still hate to give up the shut out : )

 

I notice the positioning of the DTs and DEs in the pass rush.  Lots of confidence in the LBs.

Agree that Minny was figured out by our coaching staff, so kudos to McD and crew.  My point was that they can't let off big leads on every team they play.  IF they did this vs NE, Brady would take advantage of the weak play calling and that may not have been a win.  I hope the coaches consider this in the upcoming weeks.

It was smart football and planning against today's opponent.

[Seasons1992]

If the D can rush Aaron next week like today, look the hell out, Ice Bowl!

 

complete team effort. We need some receivers, however. I said the same thing, Virgil, to my friend.....Benjamin is losing money by the snap.

[chovaz]

26 minutes ago, Happy Gilmore said:

 

It was a little too conservative.  I understand with a big lead, run down the clock.  But teams like NE will completely take advantage of soft play calling designed to kill the clock.

I thought the early 2nd half playcalling was actually quite good.  But due to penalties and sacks we ended up in a few long yardage situations and were forced to punt. In the 4th with still a 27-0 lead we clearly shut down the pass to run the clock. 

[GunnerBill]

Pass protection was pretty good again. One of the two sacks was a TE whiff but generally thought our OL had another respectable day. Dion is worrying me though. Seems to lack some power compared to last year. 

[billsredneck1]

20 minutes ago, WhoTom said:

 

A couple of times, Romo was saying what play the Bills should run, and that turned out to be the exact call. I was wondering if Daboll was listening to the broadcast. ?

 

 

 

we all do  that ...don't we? allen needs to get that internal clock and throw it away. other than that. i think we hit on this one.

[Virgil]

6 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

Pass protection was pretty good again. One of the two sacks was a TE whiff but generally thought our OL had another respectable day. Dion is worrying me though. Seems to lack some power compared to last year. 

 

On the first drive when we got the drive extended by the penalty I was ready to lose it because we just plain whiffed. Felt like it was going to be a long day. 

[TroutDog]

1 hour ago, buffalo2218 said:

I’d give some props to Ivory as well. He had a pretty solid game himself

I much prefer his hit-the-hole running style. Shady is electric but the negative run plays he creates are maddening. 

[WideRightRevenge]

Great to see the Kyle Williams sack ... love it .. the motor he still has

 

We had Goodwin .. an almost Olympian in the long jump, now we have Josh Allen for the hurdles

 

Did like the pounding by Ivory ... anyone wondering like me ... what Shady thinks sitting on the sidelines?