THE ROCKPILE REVIEW - “Get Aboard the Josh Allen Train”

[njbuff]

How about we get on the "acquire Julio Jones" train to help this kid out in 2019.

 

I know Jones will be 30 in 2019, but lots of WR's have found second careers after the age of 30. TO and Jerry, just to name a few.

[Shaw66]

3 minutes ago, Buddo said:

As regards Allen's rushing in this game, apart from it being impressive, I think it was, in part, by design. I think his options often included the possibilty there would be running room available, as I think they identified weakness in the Jags contain.

 

I'm not talking about when he stepped up through the pocket into space, but on a number of his runs that got us another set of downs, he always semed to have room available.

 

As to the TD pass to Foster, it's one of the best I've ever seen tbh. Not only was I surprised it came out from under the Jags whole D line (it seemed like), but that it did so and absolutely on the money, was a thing of beauty. Somewhere on MMQB, Benoit says that he thinks it's the best TD pass he's seen this season, due to the duress he was under, and I'm not going to disagree, for sure.

 

It's about time the Bills stood up for themselves. The fact that it got Fournette ejected, was simply a bonus. I think they had decided to stack the box before it all kicked off, and his numbers were down. It may even be that he was frustrated by that, as well as being an idiot. At least it showed an adjustement to the defensive front that might have been working.

 

I liked McDermotts comments about Lawson not being blamed for defending a teammate, especially as it appeared he didn't even think twice about saying it.

 

While we complain bitterly about the penalties, sometimes you have to just say it's because we aren't talented enough to compete fairly. While 'Disney' Coleman is one of the premier buffoons of Zebradom, his crew got some fairly important calls right, including those 2 consecutive passing plays Allen made beautifully, only to be called back.

 

Progress has been being made, but it could still become of the '2 steps forward, one step back variety.' There are further bumps ion the road, I'm sure. One thing that Allen doesn't lack is the moxy to just go for it - as evidenced by the TD throw to Foster, and deciding to truck over the defender when getting his rushing TD - I bet Kelly was loving that one.

 

I think we need some more patience with the kid, until the game slows down more for him, so he can make more adjustments, and get through all of his reads, as I think the options become ar greater then, with his arm. He just needs to see it, because if he sees it, he slings it.

Thanks for the interesting comments, as always.  

 

For sure, like any QB who is decently mobile, the coaches are telling him that when the defense is in man and they're all running away from you, running for the yardage makes sense.  There's no question in my mind that Allen is always thinking about the run.  

 

As the offense gets better, I think they'll cut back on the designed runs, and I'm also sure they're continuing to tell him to slide more.   He took an unnecessary hit on his long scramble.  Should have gotten out of bounds two yards earlier.  McDermott and Beane watched as Newton got banged up with his aggressive running style, and they know in Allen they have a better passer and field general than Newton.   They aren't going to mess with the franchise.

 

Which leads us back to the offensive line.  You can be sure that as they watch Allen do this stuff, they're thinking he needs better protection and a better running game.  

5 minutes ago, njbuff said:

How about we get on the "acquire Julio Jones" train to help this kid out in 2019.

 

I know Jones will be 30 in 2019, but lots of WR's have found second careers after the age of 30. TO and Jerry, just to name a few.

I'd say Julio would be an upgrade.  

[SoCal Deek]

2 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

 He took an unnecessary hit on his long scramble.  Should have gotten out of bounds two yards earlier. 

 

 

 I was a bit upset when one of the Jags put a hit on Allen when he was clearly going out of bounds...but even more upset when Bortles didn't step out of bounds late in the game, while Tauron Johnson let up instead of hitting him.

[Shaw66]

Just now, SoCal Deek said:

 I was a bit upset when one of the Jags put a hit on Allen when he was clearly going out of bounds...but even more upset when Bortles didn't step out of bounds late in the game, while Tauron Johnson let up instead of hitting him.

I think there were several things going on on that play.  One was he didn't want the penalty.  But another was that he wanted turn Bortles to the inside in hopes of tackling him in bounds.  Bortles mad a nice move on that play.   

[njbuff]

I would also like to add..................

 

Everyone needs to get wiser or Allen will get killed out there. Remember he has already been on the shelf in his very short career.

 

Allen needs to be wiser as a runner. Daboll needs to be wiser as a playcaller. And McBeane needs to fix the OL.

 

That 3rd down call alone at the end of the last drive in the red zone really PEED me off. That is how you get the kid killed.

[SoCal Deek]

4 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

I think there were several things going on on that play.  One was he didn't want the penalty.  But another was that he wanted turn Bortles to the inside in hopes of tackling him in bounds.  Bortles mad a nice move on that play.   

Well that's certainly a glass-half-full take on it. What I saw was Johnson saying "Hey...since when do the QBs not run out of bounds...next time I'll take your head off!"

[jimmy10]

Re: Allen’s deep ball. I’m still mystified at his throwing motion. It is so compact, tight and fast. I watch throws on repeat and still can’t figure out how he can put so much zip on the ball and huck it 50 yards on a rope.

 

His delivery reminds me more of Nolan Ryan pitching than any QB I’ve watched before. It’s amazing. 

Edited November 26, 2018 by jimmy10

[Shaw66]

17 minutes ago, jimmy10 said:

Re: Allen’s deep ball. I’m still mystified at his throwing motion. It is so compact, tight and fast. I watch throws on repeat and still can’t figure out how he can put so much zip on the ball and huck it 50 yards on a rope.

 

His delivery reminds me more of Nolan Ryan pitching than any QB I’ve watched before. It’s amazing. 

I don't like his haircut. 

[HOUSE]

I hate trains, lousy food and dirty bathrooms

[Mickey]

6 hours ago, LABillzFan said:

 

First, thanks for your excellent write-up.

 

Second, I hope those convinced that the process sucks and that the coaches suck and Allen is mediocre at best will take a moment to reflect on how many times in the past that the series of events above would send a Bills team spiraling. This was the moment, most Bills fans would agree, that the Jags would score, the Bills would stumble, and the game would be lost for lack of focus and composure.

 

These are the moments I look at to see what kind of team is being built by McBeane, and suffice it to say, if you still hate what McBeane is doing after yesterday's game, you may want to look inward for the problem.

 

That is all.

 

Oh, please. It was better than most anything I'm going to read at BN or that other sports website that took all the BN people.

 

You can open the thread, look, close and move on. Give it a try.

 

Your opinion which you are welcome to express and without rebuke from me. Give that a try sometime. 

[GreggTX]

I like Josh a lot, but I'm not all in yet. I need to see a series of games with some solid accuracy -- especially on the short routes. I'm not saying he can't do it, but he's only been back for a week. These next 6 games will be very telling for him and I don't mean that he has to carry the team with this OL struggling and no premier WR's to throw to, but he has to look steady.

[CSBill]

4 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

How cool was the jet sweep touchdown run by McKenzie, when he got to the edge and it was clear he could sprint to the corner without help, and the two receivers out there each cut down their men simultaneously!!!?!?  It looked like a choreographed bowling trick shot, taking down the 7-10 with two balls.   Talk about execution.   

 

 

Indeed, that may have been the best execution on any one play all season. You knew as soon as he touched it he was going to score.

[Houston's #1 Bills Fan]

8 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

I didn't see that.   Zay had the most important reception, on the onside kick.  

Thanks, Shaw!! I pointed that out in an earlier thread that complained that Zay had no receptions. I said he had the most important one: the onside kick!!!

 

So true, brother, so true! BTW - Excellent write-up as usual. I always look forward to reading your post - win or loss.

4 hours ago, jimmy10 said:

Re: Allen’s deep ball. I’m still mystified at his throwing motion. It is so compact, tight and fast. I watch throws on repeat and still can’t figure out how he can put so much zip on the ball and huck it 50 yards on a rope.

 

His delivery reminds me more of Nolan Ryan pitching than any QB I’ve watched before. It’s amazing. 

Maybe the next Jags game we'll see if Allen can fight like Nolan!!

[transplantbillsfan]

It's funny Shaw, because I kept reading what you were saying and thinking, "man, this sounds overzealous."

 

But ultimately, you're dead right about Allen.

 

He just has it.

 

And I understand that at the end of the season his stats are probably going to look very, very blah.

 

He'll have somewhere around a 50% completion percentage.

 

He'll have somewhere around 200 yards passing per game, but less.

 

He'll have barely double digits passing TDs, if that, along with  a less than 2:1 TD to INT ratio.

 

For that, the national media is almost certainly going to slam him much of the offseason.

 

But dayum... brotha's a gamer. And I can't wait until we surround him with better weapons and a better OL.

 

All things considered: 1st game back, rookie, supporting cast, officiating...

 

Allen was excellent, and I'm super excited to watch the rest of the season.

 

 

[longtimebillsfan]

18 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

The Bills beat the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, 24-21.  It was a big day for the Bills. 

 

The big story, as he’s been all season, is Josh Allen, but this was a team win in a team game, and I’ll get to Allen in a minute.   First, a few reactions to the game.

 

The game was an old-fashioned slug fest, with big hits, big plays and highs and lows.  The Bills took control early, the Jags fought back to tie the game at the half.  Then both teams slugged it out through the third quarter until the Jags finally put together a big punt return and a nice drive to take the lead, 20-14.  The Jags had made a statement, the question was whether the Bills had the heart to respond. 

 

Respond?  It was an epic response.  Bortles’ 30-yard touchdown throw was reviewed and ruled a completion at the one-yard line.  The close play on the completion (was it an interception by Wallace?), the players gathering around the receiver and defender wrestling for the ball at the goal line, and the fight that broke out between Fournette and Lawson all electrified the crowd and the Bills.  Most of the fans missed the next play, because they were watching Lawson and Fournette being escorted down their respective sidelines to the shared tunnel to the locker rooms.  It was raw instinct on display, and everything about Lawson screamed “you don’t want to mess with me!”  

 

Back on the field, the Bills stuffed Hyde for a one-yard loss, the Jags took a false start penalty, a touchdown pass was negated by holding, Bortles gained a yard on a near sack and lost 8 on a sack.  Fourth and goal from the 24, the Jags missed the field goal.  Allen to McKenzie, penalty on the Jags, Allen to Foster, penalty on the Jags, Allen up the middle for the touchdown!

 

It was a classic momentum shift – the Jags took control of a close game, came within a video review of scoring a touchdown, then came away with no points and gave up a 68-yard touchdown drive on three plays.  The Bills made plays and the Jags melted down.  There was more football to play, and the Jags certainly didn’t quit, but the Bills had taken over the game. 

 

It was the kind of sequence that keeps me going to the games.  Sitting in the stands with fellow Bills fans, watching things slipping away and then watching our team rise up as if yelling in unison “NOT IN OUR HOUSE!!!”  It’s a thrill you can’t anywhere else, unless you’re out drinking champagne with Shady McCoy at 3 a.m.

 

Cheap shot at Shady, I know, and he doesn’t deserve cheap shots.  The guy is a gamer.  His heart is on display every game.  If only he had the daylight the Jags gave Fournette and the others in the first half on Sunday.  The Bills run blocking was weak again, and the Bills defense had no answer to the Jags running game; no answer, that is, until halftime, when they regrouped and forced Bortles to start making plays.   It was the kind of adjustment good teams make. 

 

The Bills killed themselves with penalties.   It’s been a recurring theme this season, and it’s worrisome that McDermott has been unable to get more disciplined play out of his team. 

 

The Bills clearly wanted speed on the field against the Jags.  McKenzie and Thompson were out there a lot, and Benjamin was a role player. 

 

Edmunds is still a project.  He doesn’t look anything like the old-fashioned middle linebacker who stuffs the running back in the hole.  He’s usually in the wrong hole (which might be his assignment), or he’s chasing after the play watching someone else make the tackle.   Still, he’s making plays, in the run game and the passing game.  It was hard to see on the Stadium screen, and they showed the replay only once, but it looked like Edmunds got a finger on the pass that came off O’Shaughnessy’s hands into Poyer’s for what turned out to be the points that won the game.  Give Edmunds an off-season to decompress, put on a little muscle and digest all he’s learned, and he’s going to be special. 

 

Okay.  There was a lot to talk about in the game, but if we’re talking special, it’s time to talk about Josh Allen. 

 

I’ve been waiting for Allen’s return.  As McDermott continues with his process, the whole team (not just the quarterback) has to grow and improve, but no one is more important than Allen.  He’s the key to the future, and I wanted to see more of him.  Sunday, I saw everything I needed.  Allen IS the future.  And if the future isn’t now, it’s coming soon. 

 

I’m not not talking Allen’s running.  The guy showed again that he’s a serious threat as a running quarterback.  His cutback behind Bodine’s block on the touchdown run was running-back-intelligence on display.   His acceleration out of a potential tackle on the long scramble was breathtaking, for a quarterback.  But I’m not talking about his running, because running isn’t his future; throwing is. 

 

Allen had a GREAT day throwing.  Don’t look at his stats, don’t say, “well, his passer rating was only 90, he completed less than 50%, other than the bomb he didn’t do much.”  Forget all that.  Just go back and look at each called passing play. 

 

Start from the fact that the Jags have one of the best defenses in the league.  Football Outsiders has them at number 6, 7^th best in pass defense.  They’re 8^th in points per game, 5^th in yards per game.  They’re 5^th in opponent’s passer rating.  They are a good defense.

 

Then recognize that the pass protection was pretty bad for most of the day.  Allen scrambled a lot.  In fact, most of his big runs came on scrambles, but stay focused on the plays where he didn’t run.   Poor protection, but he never was sacked.  Why?  Because Allen always escaped the pressure and did something.  That alone is a big plus. 

 

So was Allen running scared, bailing out of the pocket at the first sign of pressure?  No.  First on the nice deep completion to Benjamin and then on the incredibly beautiful deep touchdown to Foster, he stood in the pocket, knowing the pressure was coming and he was going to get hit, and he delivered perfect throws.  He knew what he wanted, he knew he had just enough time to get it, he didn’t flinch and he delivered.  

 

But he was 8 for 19.  How can he be good if he was 8 for 19?  Well, how many bad throws did he make?  By my count, three:  He missed the first pass of the game, behind Jones coming across the middle, missed Foster in the flat in the third quarter, and mysteriously underthrew McKenzie in the right flat in the fourth quarter.  Three bad throws, one of them the first throw he’s made in live action for over a month. 

 

Three bad throws out of 11 incompletions.  Not great, and Allen will tell you he should have made each of those.  What about the other eight incompletions?  One was a hail Mary, at least two were throw-aways, one was a prayer of a deep ball to Benjamin on third and 26, one was an incredible scramble and throw for a first down that went through Croom’s hands on the right sideline, one was a nearly perfect throw to Thompson over the middle that he dropped after a good defensive play, one was a good throw where Thompson failed to settle in the open spot in the zone, one was miscommunication with Thompson on a sideline pattern to the left late in the game, where Allen was under intense pressure.  (Thompson and Allen have had only one week to practice together.) 

 

Allen made the right throw on eight of his 11 incompletions. 

 

And then there are the throws that didn’t count.  Completion to Logan Thomas for seven yards and a first down, penalty on Miller.  Completion to McKenzie for 16 yards and a first down, penalty on Bodine, completion to Ivory for four yards, penalty on Teller.  Deep sideline throw to Foster at the end of the half, intercepted by Ramsay but only because his illegal contact took Foster out of the play. 

 

Forget the statistics.  Just look at each drop back.  Multiple throws under pressure or on the run.  No sacks.  No interceptions.  Three bad throws.  A few throw-aways.  Everything else was on target and catchable.  Multiple completions called back for penalties.  Two superb throws that the receivers (Thompson and Croom) didn’t catch.

 

Did he fail to see some guys open?  I didn’t see them, but he probably did.  Should he have changed some plays at the line of scrimmage?  I didn’t see them, but he probably should have.  Those are the things that get better with experience.  What was on display yesterday was all we needed to see for now, and more:  Poise, accuracy, decision making, ball security, leadership.  All of it.  Oh, and one of the most beautiful deep balls you ever will see.   

 

Against the Jags, he showed that it’s time to get on board the Allen train.

 

 

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 day’s hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.

Really nice recap of the game and especially the review of Allen. 

 

Thank you for the time it took to create this writeup. 

[billsredneck1]

18 hours ago, leh-nerd skin-erd said:

Early on, JA had a couple of those rookie moments where he tried to extend plays by turning away from the line and moving backward. It appears he figured out that with few exceptions, that rarely works out well. Yesterday he seemed comfortable in the pocket, comfortable when running and 100% committed to winning the game. He also seems able to rally the team and while not a come from behind victory, the td after the missed field goal was huge. 

 

Good stuff. 

i hadn't really thought about that, but it was a notable improvement from him. before the injury, he did have the horrible habit of turning his back to the line and dropping back way too far.  huge improvement in that area.

[freddyjj]

18 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

All year he's had trouble with his touch on some of the short throws.  Seems pretty clear to me that with his natural throwing motion gets too much on the ball for short throws, and he hasn't learned yet how to dial it down.   I'd expect that during the off season he'll work on his technique for shorter throws.   

Shaw - great summary as usual. 

 

I think it's always easier for a right handed QB to throw the ball to his left on bubble screens.   When Josh has to open his hips up to throw short right, there seems to be some footwork issues that make those plays difficult.  Teams will scout tendencies so McD and team need to get him over this hole in his game.

[DuckyBoys]

Good write up, mirrors what I watched  Lets face it , the media will continue to push their Josh Allens sucks agenda.  I noticed every write up and tv clip mentioned his stats minus the long bomb.  I love it,  just give more fuel to push this kid to be great.  The rest of the NFL needs a 6'4 240 lb freak with a canon arm and wheels to be pissed off and motivated

[Shaw66]

6 minutes ago, DuckyBoys said:

Good write up, mirrors what I watched  Lets face it , the media will continue to push their Josh Allens sucks agenda.  I noticed every write up and tv clip mentioned his stats minus the long bomb.  I love it,  just give more fuel to push this kid to be great.  The rest of the NFL needs a 6'4 240 lb freak with a canon arm and wheels to be pissed off and motivated

Ducky -

 

In response to you and transplant and others:  I'm a big believer that the passer rating tells us a lot about how good a QB is.   The best QBs all have good passer ratings, and some not so good QBs may have a good passer rating now and then  but don't stay up in the top 10-15.   Allen's passer rating is nowhere in the range it needs to be by those standards, so I thought a lot about whether to say the things I did about him before i started writing.   I just kept going back to the games, thinking about the plays and asking myself about the bad plays he made (I had trouble finding many), and if he wasn't making bad plays, why was he 8 for 19?   

 

Bottom line for me:

 

1.  He's showing some great, great stuff.   Throwing ability, poise and awareness, decision making, leadership.

2.  He ISN'T showing rookie mistakes.   Not taking dumb sacks, snot making dumb throws, not getting confused at the line of scrimmage.

3.  His shortcomings are, as I said talking with someone here, that he isn't a veteran yet.   The details, the little things, the things that veterans see and do that create three or four completions a game that rookies don't get, or that result in 20 yard gains instead of seven, he isn't seeing and doing that yet.   It would be a miracle if he were.   But I'm confident that will come, because he's clearly a competitor and a guy who wants to do better.  And his Wonderlic score says that he has the kind of brain that will allow him to do it.  

 

 

[Spiderweb]

On 11/26/2018 at 11:31 AM, WhoTom said:

Nice objective assessment of Josh Allen. I agree that his arm is the future, but the fact that he can make plays with his legs, a la Aaron Rodgers, is great. However, I'd like to see less of that in situations where it's not necessary, like late in the 4th quarter, with a 7-point lead, in the red zone. No need to risk a QB running play - all they need to do is burn some clock, kick a FG, and put the game out of reach. Josh ran an option and got tackled in a way that even made the announcers wonder how he escaped injury.

 

There's a time and place to run such a play; that was neither.

 

 

I enjoyed the Allen review, but objective? I think we're all somewhat biased here, just saying...