A Few Thoughts About the Jets Game, in no particular order

[Virgil]

*I wrote this right before the Brown TD as I was utterly defeated.  With that, you’ll see some bullets after some of the thoughts for the sake of fun.  The BBFS was real today.  I’m an anxious mess. 

 

For those of you who’s first rodeo this is, this is going to be about this game and only this game.  Thoughts about any player is not an overall summation of the player for the season or their career.  It’s a snapshot for just this moment.  I’m not going to get into the positives in this game or the “what could have beens” because results matter and in year 3 for this coaching staff, the expectations begin and end with playoff contention.  With that being said.... 

 

1 – Milano –I start here because he’s usually my unsung hero.  Not today.  Outside of one brutal hit, he was absolutely owned by Bell.  Honestly, I put this as much on Frazier as I do Milano, as I don’t think Milano was the right man to be covering him.  Bell’s speed was too much for him and Milano hesitated to cover on a few plays that really bit him in the ass.  Not a great day for the kid overall. 

 

2 – Lawson – Shaq gets my MVP vote today as he made some solid plays today in the backfield and looked like the player we were hoping he’d be when he was taken in the first round.  He showed great speed, bullrush, and tracked some players down from behind.  Strong game and a highlight on a defensive line that did much better today in overall pass rush with only 4 guys going in. 

 

*Post Win – Allen gets Co-MVP.  Regardless of all the mistakes.  Kid didn’t back down and pulled it out.  More on him later. 

 

3 – Offensive Line – I don’t even know what to say about these guys, but I think it’s relevant to talk about them since it was such a focus of the offseason.  The first Allen fumble was completely on Dawkins as he got absolutely smoked, leading to a clean, blindside hit on Allen.  Morse botched the snap on 4th and 2, even though Williams was on him immediately.  Other than that, Allen had a relatively clean pocket.  Now, there’s two points of context here.  The Jets front 4 seemed more concerned with not letting Allen scramble than they did rushing him.  Plus, our offensive scheme was too transparent.  We were either in power run formation or spread out.  There wasn’t a healthy mix of pass and rush to really get them into an overall rhythm.  They did have some strong pull plays in the last quarter to open some holes for Singletary.  Overall, I’d say there was an improvement from this unit, but again, bad game to judge them off of.  

 

*Side Note – Ty finished the game at RT and I completely missed how that happened.  Anyone?  (McD said in the post game that they rotated him in every 3rd series and that was the plan.  Interesting)

 

4 – “Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all-time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit.  Unfortunately, so is losing.” 

 

5 – Daboll – What the hell man?  No, I don’t blame you for the turnovers.  But I do believe you for the safety and overall lack of balanced offense.  I would have cut McCoy too if I knew we weren’t going to run the ball at all.  I get it, Williams runs a scary defense.  But to not even try to run the ball?  We either spread the field or power ran the ball making it a little too east for the defense to prepare for us.  Due to this crap overall playcall, after the first 4 drives, our offense had no real identity established and we never recovered.  Yeah, it looked good on the first drive, but you have to play four quarters and I’m not convinced we just played a top 5 defense today.  Time will tell.  If you want to run spread, then run the ball out of it too man.  Also, if it was your decision to go for it on 4th and 2, then that was a terrible call on 3rd and 2 with the QB sneak.  We needed points there.  The turnovers killed momentum sure, but you didn’t help with that safety and turnover on downs.  Be Better. 

 

*Post Brown TD Pass – I forgive you and with the win...I forgive you.  Just don’t start a game like that again, okay? 

 

6 – Singletary – Maybe it was Mosley leaving the game.  Maybe it was the Jets defense letting up a bit.  Either way, Singletary showed some solids burst and flashes of why Beane felt McCoy was expendable.  Any concerns I had about his speed went away quickly.  I think he could have scored a TD had he cut to the outside on a run, but overall provided a much-needed spark.  He had some nervous eyes and happy feet in the beginning, but rookies gonna rookie.  Maybe next game we can actually start him off earlier.   

 

7 – Tackling – I lost count of how many times we stopped a Jets player on 3rd down behind the first down line, only to have them break free or fall forward and get the first down.  It was infuriating and again, showed flashes of last year.  I didn’t write down the specifics of who specifically, and credit to Anderson and Bell for making plays for the Jets, but no team can give those plays away and let the offense extend drives like that; especially on the 4th and 1 where Bell found a way after getting his in the backfield immediately 

 

8 – Allen – Those fears around poor decision making didn’t get put to rest in this game.  Shockingly, Allen should’ve had more interceptions than the stat line told as a penalty brought back a pass that should never been thrown.  Allen looked great on the first drive.  I mean great.  He was accurate, he ran the hurry up, and looked like we were going to roll on offense.  Then, there was the fumble and then bullet into Beasley’s thigh which shot up into an INT returned for a TD.  After that, we saw first half of 2018 Allen on the field.  Some good, some bad, some head scratchers. 

  

*Post Brown TD Pass – Why you doing this to me Allen?  I thought we were on our way to being boys?  Amazing job having faith in Brown to just throw that ball up.  No matter what dumb things you do, I never see you shaken.  You don’t care what the score is.  The church or Tyrod appreciate that about you. 

 

9 – McD – That passion you showed on the first Jets TD that was eventually called back as offensive PI, maybe bust that out in regards to the turnovers and penalties your team committs.  Was that your decision to go for it on 4th down at the end of the first half?  If so, poor form boss.  You overall own prep, composure, penalties, and the outcome.  This is year 3 for you.  This was not a great showing for you and you need to get it together...fast. 

 

*After the win.  I’m sorry McD.  You know what this BBFS does to me.  But c’mon man, you can’t be turning the ball over like that.  Teams don’t win these games and you did.  Can you not toy with me like this?  But that culture you built in the offseason.  That showed up today.  These guys never quit.  Thank you and eat balls Rex Ryan

 

10 – Reality – We were shutout in the first half, turned the ball over 4 times, and just overall beat ourselves in this game.  Playoff teams don’t play this game often and stay playoff teams.  This is just one game, but it showed a lot of the mistakes we made last year and didn’t do anything to erase the fears that we will continue to give away games.  For a team that thought our offense was set after our Panthers preseason game, we were proven very wrong today.  Can the mistakes be fixed?  Yes.  But if we didn’t this offseason, who’s to say it’s going to happen soon enough 

 

*Post Win – Reality is we won and unlike previous years, this team didn’t roll over. 

 

 

Overall, we were somehow in this game at the end and could have walked away with a win.  We completely shot ourselves in the foot through a series of dumb, Billsy plays.  The final score indicates one game, the stats indicate another, but your eyes showed you a game that we gave away.  In a division where the Jets are up and coming, the Pats just got stronger, and the NFL doesn’t let a lot of teams into the playoffs, we can’t afford to give games like this away. 

 

1-0 Baby!  Go Bills!!!! 

Edited September 8, 2019 by Virgil

[Virgil]

Just now, Joe in Winslow said:

There's always hormone replacement therapy.

 

 

I think I just need to start watching curling

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Just now, Virgil said:

 

I think I just need to start watching curling

 

Maybe more your speed.

 

[JOE IN HAMPTON ROADS]

10 minutes ago, Virgil said:

*I wrote this right before the Brown TD as I was utterly defeated.  With that, you’ll see some bullets after some of the thoughts for the sake of fun.  The BBFS was real today.  I’m an anxious mess. 

 

For those of you who’s first rodeo this is, this is going to be about this game and only this game.  Thoughts about any player is not an overall summation of the player for the season or their career.  It’s a snapshot for just this moment.  I’m not going to get into the positives in this game or the “what could have beens” because results matter and in year 3 for this coaching staff, the expectations begin and end with playoff contention.  With that being said.... 

 

1 – Milano –I start here because he’s usually my unsung hero.  Not today.  Outside of one brutal hit, he was absolutely owned by Bell.  Honestly, I put this as much on Frazier as I do Milano, as I don’t think Milano was the right man to be covering him.  Bell’s speed was too much for him and Milano hesitated to cover on a few plays that really bit him in the ass.  Not a great day for the kid overall. 

 

2 – Lawson – Shaq gets my MVP vote today as he made some solid plays today in the backfield and looked like the player we were hoping he’d be when he was taken in the first round.  He showed great speed, bullrush, and tracked some players down from behind.  Strong game and a highlight on a defensive line that did much better today in overall pass rush with only 4 guys going in. 

 

*Post Win – Allen gets Co-MVP.  Regardless of all the mistakes.  Kid didn’t back down and pulled it out.  More on him later. 

 

3 – Offensive Line – I don’t even know what to say about these guys, but I think it’s relevant to talk about them since it was such a focus of the offseason.  The first Allen fumble was completely on Dawkins as he got absolutely smoked, leading to a clean, blindside hit on Allen.  Morse botched the snap on 4th and 2, even though Williams was on him immediately.  Other than that, Allen had a relatively clean pocket.  Now, there’s two points of context here.  The Jets front 4 seemed more concerned with not letting Allen scramble than they did rushing him.  Plus, our offensive scheme was too transparent.  We were either in power run formation or spread out.  There wasn’t a healthy mix of pass and rush to really get them into an overall rhythm.  They did have some strong pull plays in the last quarter to open some holes for Singletary.  Overall, I’d say there was an improvement from this unit, but again, bad game to judge them off of.  

 

*Side Note – Ty finished the game at RT and I completely missed how that happened.  Anyone?  (McD said in the post game that they rotated him in every 3rd series and that was the plan.  Interesting)

 

4 – “Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all-time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit.  Unfortunately, so is losing.” 

 

5 – Daboll – What the hell man?  No, I don’t blame you for the turnovers.  But I do believe you for the safety and overall lack of balanced offense.  I would have cut McCoy too if I knew we weren’t going to run the ball at all.  I get it, Williams runs a scary defense.  But to not even try to run the ball?  We either spread the field or power ran the ball making it a little too east for the defense to prepare for us.  Due to this crap overall playcall, after the first 4 drives, our offense had no real identity established and we never recovered.  Yeah, it looked good on the first drive, but you have to play four quarters and I’m not convinced we just played a top 5 defense today.  Time will tell.  If you want to run spread, then run the ball out of it too man.  Also, if it was your decision to go for it on 4th and 2, then that was a terrible call on 3rd and 2 with the QB sneak.  We needed points there.  The turnovers killed momentum sure, but you didn’t help with that safety and turnover on downs.  Be Better. 

 

*Post Brown TD Pass – I forgive you and with the win...I forgive you.  Just don’t start a game like that again, okay? 

 

6 – Singletary – Maybe it was Mosley leaving the game.  Maybe it was the Jets defense letting up a bit.  Either way, Singletary showed some solids burst and flashes of why Beane felt McCoy was expendable.  Any concerns I had about his speed went away quickly.  I think he could have scored a TD had he cut to the outside on a run, but overall provided a much-needed spark.  He had some nervous eyes and happy feet in the beginning, but rookies gonna rookie.  Maybe next game we can actually start him off earlier.   

 

7 – Tackling – I lost count of how many times we stopped a Jets player on 3rd down behind the first down line, only to have them break free or fall forward and get the first down.  It was infuriating and again, showed flashes of last year.  I didn’t write down the specifics of who specifically, and credit to Anderson and Bell for making plays for the Jets, but no team can give those plays away and let the offense extend drives like that; especially on the 4th and 1 where Bell found a way after getting his in the backfield immediately 

 

8 – Allen – Those fears around poor decision making didn’t get put to rest in this game.  Shockingly, Allen should’ve had more interceptions than the stat line told as a penalty brought back a pass that should never been thrown.  Allen looked great on the first drive.  I mean great.  He was accurate, he ran the hurry up, and looked like we were going to roll on offense.  Then, there was the fumble and then bullet into Beasley’s thigh which shot up into an INT returned for a TD.  After that, we saw first half of 2018 Allen on the field.  Some good, some bad, some head scratchers. 

  

*Post Brown TD Pass – Why you doing this to me Allen?  I thought we were on our way to being boys?  Amazing job having faith in Brown to just throw that ball up.  No matter what dumb things you do, I never see you shaken.  You don’t care what the score is.  The church or Tyrod appreciate that about you. 

 

9 – McD – That passion you showed on the first Jets TD that was eventually called back as offensive PI, maybe bust that out in regards to the turnovers and penalties your team committs.  Was that your decision to go for it on 4th down at the end of the first half?  If so, poor form boss.  You overall own prep, composure, penalties, and the outcome.  This is year 3 for you.  This was not a great showing for you and you need to get it together...fast. 

 

*After the win.  I’m sorry McD.  You know what this BBFS does to me.  But c’mon man, you can’t be turning the ball over like that.  Teams don’t win these games and you did.  Can you not toy with me like this?  But that culture you built in the offseason.  That showed up today.  These guys never quit.  Thank you and eat balls Rex Ryan

 

10 – Reality – We were shutout in the first half, turned the ball over 4 times, and just overall beat ourselves in this game.  Playoff teams don’t play this game often and stay playoff teams.  This is just one game, but it showed a lot of the mistakes we made last year and didn’t do anything to erase the fears that we will continue to give away games.  For a team that thought our offense was set after our Panthers preseason game, we were proven very wrong today.  Can the mistakes be fixed?  Yes.  But if we didn’t this offseason, who’s to say it’s going to happen soon enough 

 

*Post Win – Reality is we won and unlike previous years, this team didn’t roll over. 

 

 

Overall, we were somehow in this game at the end and could have walked away with a win.  We completely shot ourselves in the foot through a series of dumb, Billsy plays.  The final score indicates one game, the stats indicate another, but your eyes showed you a game that we gave away.  In a division where the Jets are up and coming, the Pats just got stronger, and the NFL doesn’t let a lot of teams into the playoffs, we can’t afford to give games like this away. 

 

1-0 Baby!  Go Bills!!!! 

this entire essay encapsulates the emotional roller coaster ride that is being a Bills fan.

 

 

[Maine-iac]

We drove into scoring position on the first drive and we drove into scoring position on the second drive so I have a hard time following the Daboll hate as far as you do.  The 4th down call blew up in his face and the safety but either one of those were plays where they were really just looking for a yard or two and  the O line play had a lot to do with the failure.  I can't argue with Milano on Bell but realistically speaking the Jets had like two weapons, Bell and Crowder, so a little help might have been in order.  Milano still was all over the place and had pass deflections and some good tackles.  Clean up the turnovers and this probably is a pretty nicely packaged win and even with the turnovers a W is pretty nice.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Maine-iac

[Virgil]

Just now, Maine-iac said:

We drove into scoring position on the first drive and we drove into scoring position on the second drive so I have a hard time following the Daboll hate as far as you do.  The 4th down call blew up in his face and the safety but either one of those were plays where they were really just looking for a yard or two and  the O line play had a lot to do with the failure.  I can't argue with Milano on Bell but realistically speaking the Jets had like two weapons, Bell and Crowder, so a little help might have been in order.  Milano still was all over the place and had pass deflections and some good tackles.

 

It’s really about the lop-sided playcalling to start the game.  I understand being in passing mode, but to not attempt a rush at all on the first few drives doesn’t help the team.  Then, when we does run, it’s power formation.  There was no keeping the defense guessing. 

 

It was shades of Mike Martz

[Happy]

It's good to get a win against a division rival on the road, but yeah, they need to be MUCH better going forward.  Otherwise, it will be painful against teams like NE x2, Philly, Dallas, Pitt, and Balt.  McD still needs to be better.  Go for some points up only 1 in the 4th quarter, you can't count on a 1 point lead to win a game.

[MiltonWaddams]

6 minutes ago, JOE IN HAMPTON ROADS said:

this entire essay encapsulates the emotional roller coaster ride that is being a Bills fan.

 

 

Don’t quote the whole post when it’s that long. Please.

Just now, Happy Gilmore said:

It's good to get a win against a division rival on the road, but yeah, they need to be MUCH better going forward.  Otherwise, it will be painful against teams like NE x2, Philly, Dallas, Pitt, and Balt.  McD still needs to be better.  Go for some points up only 1 in the 4th quarter, you can't count on a 1 point lead to win a game.

So, you wanted to see the ball thrown instead of running out the clock? Glad you’re not the coach

[Maine-iac]

Just now, Virgil said:

 

It’s really about the lop-sided playcalling to start the game.  I understand being in passing mode, but to not attempt a rush at all on the first few drives doesn’t help the team.  Then, when we does run, it’s power formation.  There was no keeping the defense guessing. 

 

It was shades of Mike Martz

I can't disagree with that.  I just know that Daboll being of the NE lineage will do what he thinks will work.  He must have thought that would work.  If he wasn't driving up and down the field both times we turned the ball over I would have a larger problem with his playcalling but we weren't having a problem moving the ball.  We were having a problem with turnovers.

[Virgil]

Just now, Maine-iac said:

I can't disagree with that.  I just know that Daboll being of the NE lineage will do what he thinks will work.  He must have thought that would work.  If he wasn't driving up and down the field both times we turned the ball over I would have a larger problem with his playcalling but we weren't having a problem moving the ball.  We were having a problem with turnovers.

 

I get that and I agree for the most part. 

 

But when we wanted to run, we just couldn’t.  

 

It wasn’t until we ran out of the gun in the second half did we put them on their heels 

[ghostwriter]

Singletary and Brown

[qwksilver]

I'm a wreck as well. I agree on most points. So nice work as usual.

I thought all the passing early was to set up the run game but they really never went to it. 

It was ugly at times (except for the def) so I'll take the division road win.

On to the G-Men.

[Happy]

3 minutes ago, MiltonWaddams said:

 

So, you wanted to see the ball thrown instead of running out the clock? Glad you’re not the coach

 

What happens when you try running out the clock vs NE or KC when you're up ONLY 1 POINT?  I think, at least hope, you know the answer.

[Maine-iac]

We haven't been able to run when we wanted to run since Lynn and Roman left.  At this point, if Allen is up to it, I'm willing to pass to make the run work instead of the other way around.  I do have my reservations about that but in today's NFL most offense have to do it.

[John Adams]

Josh’s confidence is him. I love that he’s unshakeable. But it gets him in trouble too. 

 

I’ll forgive Josh some of his actual turnovers but he had two others he got lucky on so ball control remains an issue. 

 

Maybe be next week Daboll will give Josh some help with more running plays early!

Edited September 8, 2019 by John Adams

[billsfan1959]

They went on the road, against a division rival, for their home opener, and things didn't exactly go their way that entire first half. They persevered and Allen led a forth quarter comeback. This was going to be a tough game to win and they won. Good teams find a way to win and the Bills did that today. Enjoy it.

 

IMHO, if you think Allen was the same as he was early last year before the injury, then you are seeing what you want to see. Not even close to the same.

[Kelly the Dog]

I think that the first 15-20 plays being passes is a little over-played. It looked to me that Josh was given a binary choice on half of them. If the Jets line up one way it’s a run; if they line up another it’s a pass. And the Jets kept doing what they were doing. 

[DRA3196]

Interesting thoughts OP.  I viewed the game as a tale of two halves. The first half execution was reminiscent of the first preseason game against the Vikings. Lots of nerves and uncertainty by the offense. They looked like they hadn't had many snaps together as a unit. The second half reminded me of our 3rd preseason game against Carolina. The execution was better and we looked like we had a plan on offense and we were able to execute it efficiently. Mosley being out in the 2nd half definitely helped. But the team showed a lot of HEART when it mattered. Anytime you can come from behind on the road and get the win, says a lot about the team as a whole.  I look forward to the game against the Giants next week.

[Nihilarian]

26 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

It’s really about the lop-sided playcalling to start the game.  I understand being in passing mode, but to not attempt a rush at all on the first few drives doesn’t help the team.  Then, when we does run, it’s power formation.  There was no keeping the defense guessing. 

 

It was shades of Mike Martz

This is what Daboll did all last year when the team was behind in points...only he called for deeper passes with a much worse offensive line.

 

It was a win and a comeback for Allen! Despite all the bad that happened the team managed a win...I'll take it!

[billsfan_34]

McDermitt did not coach a bad game today. Theres a few things that can be cleaned up but the HC didn’t fold under pressure. 

 

At the end of the game, why not take a delay of game and punt from the 40 ? Probably wouldn’t of mattered thou as our punter stinks.