Week 1: The good, the bad, and the missing

[Alphadawg7]

Good:

1. Teams heart:  This team never gave up and kept challenging the Jets on both sides of the ball the whole game.  I am going to say this right now, this teams makeup reminds me of none other than the PATRIOTS the FIRST year they won the SB and upset the Rams.  They didnt have the flashy names, they had no egos, they did no individual intros at the SB and came in as a team.  I know we all hate the Pats today, but THAT year, they were a team that was easy to root for (before we knew what would be coming later from the Cheatriots).  Bills truly are a team first team and they seem to genuinely love each other and fight for each other.  
2. McDermott:  Credit him for #1 above, but I said it at halftime to everyone in the room...McD is a good halftime adjuster and we always play hard in the 2nd half.  This is fact, not an opinion, and proven by how many 4th quarter comebacks Allen already has as a guy who just started his 12th game.  These guys seem to love playing for him and he is already IMO one of the best young HC's in the NFL and will be in the COY discussion this year.
3. Allen:  Yes he was good, I get the 4 turnovers he was linked to might counter that, but honestly, only 1 was truly his fault.  Fumbles were on the OL more than him, Cole INT was all on Cole, and the tip ball was just one of those things that happens from time to time to all QBs as those DL are big dudes.  There is even reason to believe on the overturned INT that he saw the flag and knew he had a free play and threw it up.  In the end, he kept moving the ball, never got rattled, and was excellent in the championship rounds when it mattered the most leading TWO 85 yard TD drives.
4. Defense:  DOMINANCE.  End of story.  
5. Singletary and Brown:  Performance speaks for itself,

 

Bad:

1. Daboll:  I think Daboll struggled to find a groove this week.  I dont care about the all passing first quarter, that was by design and I am good with that against a stout front 7 and short handed secondary.  However, the use of Gore and lack of use of Singletary was a mistake as was a lot of play calls that were questionable.  Quite honestly, the safety was a STUPID call by Daboll.  You got a monster QB, why not just run a sneak to get a couple yards and some breathing room?  Running a draw with an old RB who had done nothing to that point in the game was averaging less than 2 ypc was puzzling to me.  He did rebound later in the 2nd half and made adjustments, so credit him for that.  
2. Gore:  Hard to say what the issue was here, but he looked good in preseason, but yesterday he did not look like a guy who had the ability to start for this team.  Not going to over react to one game, but I think Singletary will be starting sooner rather than later, and hopefully week 2.
3. Beasley:  Love the signing, love the potential still this season.  But there is no sugar coating this, he had a bad game and made two huge mistakes, both of which could have cost us the game.  The pick 6 put us in a hole, and then the best pass by Allen on the day he dropped in the 4th quarter.  Both plays almost lost us this game and the offense as a whole bailed him out or we would have lost this game and either play would have been big reasons why.  

 

Missing:  

1. Zay Jones:  Obviously he made the roster after I felt he may be a trade candidate.  And yes, that prediction was wrong, but Zay validated a lot of the concerns that had me thinking that in the preseason.  His biggest supporters still talked him up, but here we are again, and 5 targets for 2 rec and 18 yards despite starting again.  He did make a key catch in the 4th, so give him credit for that, but someone needs to step up opposite Brown or life is going to start getting tougher for Brown.
   1. In the last 7 games with Allen (the final 6 after Allen came back last year and week 1) he has 22 yards or less in FOUR of them.  I was told Allen and Zay really started to gel last year, but in more than half the games, he has 22 yards or less while Allen has had some big games with Foster and Brown.  
2. Robert Foster:  Where was he?  I saw him on the field a couple times, but he didn't get a lot of snaps and wasn't targeted once.  Same case for Foster...someone needs to step up or life will get tough for Brown as the season moves on.  
   1. I don't know what Fosters health situation is, but as far as I know he is healthy.  Talk about falling off a cliff after a strong end to the season last year.  Easily most disappointing Bill so far leading into week 1.
3. McKenzie:  Same question, where was he yesterday.  Don't expect as much from him, but for a guy holding a WR spot over someone like Duke Williams, they better get something out of his spot.
4. HONORABLE MENTION:  Duke Williams:  I am sure I will get flack here, HOWEVER, watching the game yesterday I could not help but think Allen could have really used someone with a big catch radius who goes and fights for the ball.  If the above 3 cant start making an impact, I think Duke may get his chance sooner than some think.  And I don't expect Duke to come in and make a Pro Bowl, but his big catch radius and reliable hands could be useful to a young Allen IMO.  

 

I think this team is going to be a gritty and tough team for each opponent most weeks and we will be a tough out in the Playoffs this year.

Edited September 9, 2019 by Alphadawg7

[MDH]

You've questioned where the 3 other receivers were. There are only so many balls to go around. Unless you think Allen is going to put up 300+ yards every game with 50 attempts you're going to have guys that aren't targeted that much, it's simply math.

 

If Brown is getting open, and he was yesterday, that's going to be Allen's #1 target the majority of the time. After that, it's Cole. When teams start taking those guys away is when Zay and company will get more targets. I have a feeling that will be sooner rather than later.

[Mike in Horseheads]

Pretty spot on. Bob Foster will end up cut, he was the best of the worst wr's in the league last year. No he's a after thought.

[Reader]

How many snaps did the three missing WR's get? I thought Zay caught everything that he could.

[Big C]

Snap counts for Zay, Foster and McKenzie were low (especially Foster and McKenzie). Just not a part of the game plan, which will change week to week. Brown and Beasley were brought in to be immediate contributors and they did just that. Zay had one deep ball go too far I remember, but he caught the balls that hit him in the hands.

 

Daboll's plan started decent, got really iffy in the middle and finished strong. calling the QB sneak on 3rd and short around midfield that one time was kinda rough. We talk about the Jets front 7 being their strength, don't load the box and try to sneak it. Spread out and do it. Lots of OCs make that mistake, but of course if the OL gets the push and he gets the first we don't talk about it. 

Edited September 9, 2019 by Big C

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

1 minute ago, Mike in Horseheads said:

Pretty spot on. Bob Foster will end up cut, he was the best of the worst wr's in the league last year. No he's a after thought.

 

Spicy. This take should get you a healthy dose of hate mail

 

lol

 

[Alphadawg7]

1 minute ago, MDH said:

You've questioned where the 3 other receivers were. There are only so many balls to go around. Unless you think Allen is going to put up 300+ yards every game with 50 attempts you're going to have guys that aren't targeted that much, it's simply math.

 

If Brown is getting open, and he was yesterday, that's going to be Allen's #1 target the majority of the time. After that, it's Cole. When teams start taking those guys away is when Zay and company will get more targets. I have a feeling that will be sooner rather than later.

 

You do realize Allen threw  the ball 37 times right?  We didn’t even run until the final play of first quarter.  That’s a lot of balls for just Brown to show up.  We need some help or Brown is going to see his job get harder.  

[MDH]

1 minute ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

You do realize Allen threw  the ball 37 times right?  We didn’t even run until the final play of first quarter.  That’s a lot of balls for just Brown to show up.  We need some help or Brown is going to see his job get harder.  

 

And? Brown had a big game as the #1 target and Allen completed 65% of his passes. How many more receptions were there to go around?

[John from Riverside]

The fact is....Devin Singletary is a very good player.....he brings the juice and excitement

 

This is not a knock on Gore....who frankly has a place on this team as that stead reliable veteran back.....I think game 1 was a blip

 

I would like to see Duke up on the 53......but we could also use Dawson Knox in this fashion

 

How about ED OLIVER.....one man wrecking crew!

[Alphadawg7]

Just now, MDH said:

 

And? Brown had a big game as the #1 target and Allen completed 65% of his passes. How many more receptions were there to go around?

 

How many more excuses are we going to make for all the holdover WRs no showing in a football game?  Serious question, they never end.

[Freddie's Dead]

Trade Zay, move up Foster, McKittrick, and activate the Duke.

[MDH]

1 minute ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

How many more excuses are we going to make for all the holdover WRs no showing in a football game?  Serious question, they never end.

 

WTF are you talking about? If Zay had 6 receptions you'd be questioning why Brown didn't have a bigger day. There are only so many balls to go around, everybody can't have big numbers unless they throw it more.

 

If Brown gets a safety rolled over on him and Allen can't get him the ball and Zay and company don't pick up the slack, THAT'S the time to call them out. Not after a game like yesterday. You're just looking to call these guys out because you want to be proven "right."

[nedboy7]

Good post.  Not sure if we are better w/o shady 

[GunnerBill]

20 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Good:

1. Teams heart:  This team never gave up and kept challenging the Jets on both sides of the ball the whole game.  I am going to say this right now, this teams makeup reminds me of none other than the PATRIOTS the FIRST year they won the SB and upset the Rams.  They didnt have the flashy names, they had no egos, they did no individual intros at the SB and came in as a team.  I know we all hate the Pats today, but THAT year, they were a team that was easy to root for (before we knew what would be coming later from the Cheatriots).  Bills truly are a team first team and they seem to genuinely love each other and fight for each other.  
2. McDermott:  Credit him for #1 above, but I said it at halftime to everyone in the room...McD is a good halftime adjuster and we always play hard in the 2nd half.  This is fact, not an opinion, and proven by how many 4th quarter comebacks Allen already has as a guy how just started his 12th game.  These guys seem to love playing for him and he is already IMO one of the best young HC's in the NFL and will be in the COY discussion this year.
3. Allen:  Yes he was good, I get the 4 turnovers he was linked to might counter that, but honestly, only 1 was truly his fault.  Fumbles were on the OL more than him, Cole INT was all on Cole, and the tip ball was just one of those things that happens from time to time to all QBs as those DL are big dudes.  There is even reason to believe on the overturned INT that he saw the flag and knew he had a free play and threw it up.  In the end, he kept moving the ball, never got rattled, and was excellent in the championship rounds when it mattered the most leading TWO 85 yard TD drives.
4. Defense:  DOMINANCE.  End of story.  
5. Singletary and Brown:  Performance speaks for itself,

 

Bad:

1. Daboll:  I think Daboll struggled to find a groove this week.  I dont care about the all passing first quarter, that was by design and I am good with that against a stout front 7 and short handed secondary.  However, the use of Gore and lack of use of Singletary was a mistake as was a lot of play calls that were questionable.  Quite honestly, the safety was a STUPID call by Daboll.  You got a monster QB, why not just run a sneak to get a couple yards and some breathing room?  Running a draw with an old RB who had done nothing to that point in the game was averaging less than 2 ypc was puzzling to me.  He did rebound later in the 2nd half and made adjustments, so credit him for that.  
2. Gore:  Hard to say what the issue was here, but he looked good in preseason, but yesterday he did not look like a guy who had the ability to start for this team.  Not going to over react to one game, but I think Singletary will be starting sooner rather than later, and hopefully week 2.
3. Beasley:  Love the signing, love the potential still this season.  But there is no sugar coating this, he had a bad game and made to huge mistakes, both of which could have cost us the game.  The pick 6 put us in a hole, and then the best pass by Allen on the day he dropped in the 4th quarter.  Both plays almost lost us this game and the offense as a whole bailed him out or we would have lost this game and either play would have been big reasons why.  

 

Missing:  

1. Zay Jones:  Obviously he made the roster after I felt he may be a trade candidate.  And yes, that prediction was wrong, but Zay validated a lot of the concerns that had me thinking that in the preseason.  His biggest supporters still talked him up, but here we are again, and 5 targets for 2 rec and 18 yards despite starting again.  He did make a key catch in the 4th, so give him credit for that, but someone needs to step up opposite Brown or life is going to start getting tougher for Brown.
   1. In the last 7 games with Allen (the final 6 after Allen came back last year and week 1) he has 22 yards or less in FOUR of them.  I was told Allen and Zay really started to gel last year, but in more than half the games, he has 22 yards or less while Allen has had some big games with Foster and Brown.  
2. Robert Foster:  Where was he?  I saw him on the field a couple times, but he didn't get a lot of snaps and wasn't targeted once.  Same case for Foster...someone needs to step up or life will get tough for Brown as the season moves on.  
   1. I don't know what Fosters health situation is, but as far as I know he is healthy.  Talk about falling off a cliff after a strong end to the season last year.  
3. McKenzie:  Same question, where was he yesterday.  Don't expect as much from him, but for a guy holding a WR spot over someone like Duke Williams, they better get something out of his spot.
4. HONORABLE MENTION:  Duke Williams:  I am sure I will get flack here, HOWEVER, watching the game yesterday I could not help but think Allen could have really used someone with a big catch radius who goes and fights for the ball.  If the above 3 cant start making an impact, I think Duke may get his chance sooner than some think.  And I don't expect Duke to come in and make a Pro Bowl, but his big catch radius and reliable hands could be useful to a young Allen IMO.  

 

I think this team is going to be a gritty and tough team for each opponent most weeks and we will be a tough out in the Playoffs this year.

 

McKenzie was out there on kick offs. But the one think the Norwegian terror has is a big leg and he kept kicking through the back of the endzone. They didn't use him on offense yesterday, we didn't see any bubble screens, sweeps (except for the QB sweep on 3rd and short) or reverses. I imagine his use on offense will be gameplan specifc. 

 

 

[Alphadawg7]

12 minutes ago, MDH said:

 

WTF are you talking about? If Zay had 6 receptions you'd be questioning why Brown didn't have a bigger day. There are only so many balls to go around, everybody can't have big numbers unless they throw it more.

 

If Brown gets a safety rolled over on him and Allen can't get him the ball and Zay and company don't pick up the slack, THAT'S the time to call them out. Not after a game like yesterday. You're just looking to call these guys out because you want to be proven "right."

 

Dude come on...do you even know how an offensive play works?  There are MULTIPLE options out there and WR's get the ball when they beat their man on the read.  If Zay, Foster, and McKenzie were beating their guys, they would not have combined for TWO catches on a day Allen threw THIRTY SEVEN times.  Zay and Foster had plenty of snaps on the field collectively.

 

You act like all 37 passes went to Allen first option and the only reason the other guys didn't contribute was because of that.  Go back and watch every pass and tell me how many times Allen dropped and fired on his hot read.  HINT:  It wasn't very often, he had to keep going through progressions until someone was finally open.  Are you claiming Zay is like the 4th option and didn't get more work because one of the first 3 came open every time before him?  If so, thats pretty sad for a starting WR.  Foster too...he couldn't garner a single target? 

 

Never seen so many excuses for mediocrity or less.  McKenzie is less of an issue as he just isnt going to get many opportunities like the others.  But Zay now has 23 career games out of 32 (all of which he mostly started) with less than 40 yards.  And in the final 7 games with Allen since coming back from injury he has FOUR with 22 yards or less as a STARTER.  I dont care what excuses you make, we need more out of the WR position opposite of Brown and that means either Zay or Foster need to make an impact.  

 

Edited September 9, 2019 by Alphadawg7

[DabillsDaBillsDaBills]

I'm more than a  little worried that Gore had 11 carries to Singletarys 4. I'm having the worst flashbacks to Michael Tolbert, I thought I had repressed those memories.  

[MDH]

1 minute ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Dude come on...do you even know how an offensive play works?  There are MULTIPLE options out there and WR's get the ball when they beat their man on the read.  If Zay, Foster, and McKenzie were beating their guys, they would not have combined for TWO catches on a day Allen threw THIRTY SEVEN times.  They had plenty of snaps on the field collectively.  

 

 

 

Foster had, I believe, 4 snaps. McKenzie zero. It's hard to call them out for not contributing when they weren't even on the field.  But have at it.

 

As for Zay, do you know how math works? 65% of his balls were completed. If Zay has more catches that takes the ball out of Brown's and Beasley's hands. Is that REALLY what you want? If those other guys are getting open consistently Zay won't get many touches. It's just the way it is.

 

I have no idea what you're complaining about. You don't like Zay Jones yet you're bitching he's not getting the ball enough. It's like going to a restaurant, saying the food SUCKS then also complaining that the portions are way too small.

[Alphadawg7]

1 minute ago, MDH said:

 

Foster had, I believe, 4 snaps. McKenzie zero. It's hard to call them out for not contributing when they weren't even on the field.  But have at it.

 

As for Zay, do you know how math works? 65% of his balls were completed. If Zay has more catches that takes the ball out of Brown's and Beasley's hands. Is that REALLY what you want? If those other guys are getting open consistently Zay won't get many touches. It's just the way it is.

 

I have no idea what you're complaining about. You don't like Zay Jones yet you're bitching he's not getting the ball enough. It's like going to a restaurant, saying the food SUCKS then also complaining that the portions are way too small.

 

You ignored what I said in the last post.  

 

And stop about Zay...you are making this about Zay.  I literally criticized every single WR on this roster not named Brown.  Cole was listed in the bad and we challenged anyone not named Brown to step up.  

 

You want to make it SOLELY about Zay then go ahead.  I said SOMEONE needs to step up.  You came back with 100 excuses again for starting a game and not contributing.  3 years in, and we are still making excuses for 22 yard games.  Unbelievable.  

[Chandler#81]

15 minutes ago, MDH said:

 

And? Brown had a big game as the #1 target and Allen completed 65% of his passes. How many more receptions were there to go around?

AD7 already called it out; 2 catches on 5 targets. That’s been Zays MO for 2+ seasons now. 

P.S. it’s unacceptable.

When DiMarco catches 2 1st quarter passes, someone isn’t working hard enough to get open. McKittrick wasn’t trusted to handle ONE punt and this wasn’t a game where his gadget ‘expertise’ could be attempted.

[NewEra]

The good:  I enjoyed that part.  

 

The missing:  belongs in another thread