THE ROCKPILE REVIEW - An Emotional Loss

[Shaw66]

The Bills lost to the Patriots on Sunday, 16-10.  It’s never good to lose, and it’s never good to lose to the Patriots.  They always do something that makes you angry. 

 

It was a day full of highs and lows, and it was the kind of day that makes the NFL perhaps the most successful entertainment vehicle of all time. 

 

I stood in the mob of people waiting to get through security at gate 2.  It was partly cloudy, the temperature was in the high 60s.  I was struck by how happy people were; hundreds and hundreds of people around me, smiling and laughing, enjoying the fact that they had tickets to the big game, enjoying the thrill of just being part of it.  You don’t often see that many people that happy. 

 

Every time there’s a flyover at the stadium, I think it’s kind of hokey and what’s the big deal, and every time there’s a flyover, I really enjoy it.  There’s nothing hokey about four F-16s in formation!   That was great!   And there was a football game, too, and what a game!

 

You want hokey?  How about a couple getting married at halftime on the 50-yard line?  But even that was fun, Kyle Williams presiding over the ceremony and Kim Pegula presenting a football signed by all the Bills and two tickets to the Super Bowl to the happy couple. 

 

Putting aside for a moment that the Bills lost and their quarterback got knocked out of the game, just looking at it from a fan’s perspective, that was a really entertaining game.  The defenses were outstanding.  There were big plays – interceptions, including Hyde’s dramatic interception in the end zone, a blocked punt, a couple of great runs from scrimmage by Gore, momentum shifts, and drama from beginning to end.   I almost wished I wasn’t a Bills fan, so I could have enjoyed the entertainment without having to be so disappointed in the outcome.

 

All right.  I’ve postponed talking about the game long enough, in part because I don’t know exactly what to say, so I’m just going to spill it out and we’ll see how it goes:

 

1.  The Bills’ defense was amazing.   Just amazing.  My friend at the game commented about how uncomfortable Brady was in the pocket, and it was true.  He didn’t get hit much, but it was clear that he didn’t like being back there.  He was antsy.  Making him uncomfortable is the key to controlling Brady, and that’s what we saw yesterday.   He missed some easy throws, he threw too hard to Edelman one time and it went through Edelman’s hands.   He wasn’t exactly confused, but he wasn’t able to do what he wanted.   The pass rush was just aggressive enough, and the back seven covered up receivers all day long.  I heard that Brady’s passer rating on Sunday was the lowest one-game passer rating he has had since 2006!

 

There were times during the game when I wondered whether Levi Wallace is the best corner back on the team. 

 

I have growing appreciation for Milano.  His open field tackling is great.  Brady likes to throw to his receiver who is one-on-one with a linebacker, and late in the game when he desperately a completion for a first down, Brady tested Milano up the sideline.   Nothing doing.   Great defense. 

 

2.  As usual, the game turned on a half dozen plays.  One of them was the blocked punt, which was a huge mistake by the Bills.  How could the Bills not be prepared for a 10-man rush?   Haven’t they practiced that?   When the teams lined up it was obvious the punt was going to be blocked – there simply weren’t enough blockers to handle all the rushers, and you knew the Patriots were doing it because they had identified something on film.   Someone needed to recognize the problem and call time out.  It turned out to be the most important play of the game, and the Bills blew it. 

 

3.  Most of the other big plays were Josh Allen interceptions, which leads to a general discussion of Josh Allen.  I didn’t do a game-by-game analysis, but that had to be Allen’s worst game as a pro.  He was more or less terrible, right from the beginning, when he made an ugly overthrow in the right flat, followed immediately by an ugly wide overthrow in the left flat.   He never misses two throws in a row like that.  

 

Looking at the game as a whole, and taking into consideration McDermott’s post-game comments, I’d say the moment was too big for Allen.   Put another way, he choked.  McDermott said that Allen didn’t do the things he’s been taught to do.  He didn’t recognize the double coverage on McCourty’s interception, and he threw the ball up for grabs on his other two interceptions.   McDermott said, and it was true, that Allen settled down at half time and came out doing what he’d been taught to do.   Then he lost it again.

 

Comparing Allen’s performance to Brady’s, they both struggled against really good defenses.  The difference was that Brady knows that things going bad doesn’t mean he should start doing stupid things.  Allen obviously doesn’t.   Brady knows that there’s always another play, and Allen doesn’t.

 

A case in point was Allen’s scramble and injury.   I haven’t seen a replay and won’t comment on the hit other than to say that a QB needs to expect to get hit when he’s running for an important first down.   First, the first down was important only because Allen had played so poorly for the first three quarters; if he’d done his job, he wouldn’t have felt he needed those extra yards, and he would have gone down to avoid the contact.  But, second, even under the circumstances, what Brady understands and Allen doesn’t is that there’s always another play.   Go down, and if you’re two yards short of the line to gain, so be it.  Let the coach decide whether to go for it or punt.  Would you rather get the first down and let Barkley play the rest of the game, or punt and have Allen continue to be your QB?   The Bills needed Allen, and he put himself in a position that resulted in his being unavailable the final possessions. 

 

Josh Allen just has to get better. 

 

4.  I try not to beat up players too much in these reports, but I have to make an exception in the case of Zay Jones.  I’ve never been a big Zay booster, but I’ve watched him some this season and been impressed by his size and speed and willingness to run routes.   He’s looked to me like a threat on the field, even if the production isn’t there.

 

After the Patriots game, if it were up to me, he would be off the team.   McDermott is a big believer in second chances, teaching opportunities and all that, and McDermott may take that attitude with Zay, but I wouldn’t.

 

I’ve bought McDermott’s process, and it starts with accumulating players who are intense, relentless competitors.  When Tre’Davious White got his second interception last week, the play that clinched the win over the Bengals, McDermott praised him for continuing to run, which put him position to make a play when Hyde tipped the ball.  Natural competitors, guys who fight for everything on every play, are at the core of what McDermott is trying to do.  Against the Patriots, Zay was exposed as a guy who doesn’t want to compete.  

 

On three plays, Zay showed he doesn’t want to fight for the ball:  The interception down the right sideline in the first quarter, when Zay kept running on a slightly underthrown ball instead of stopping and making an aggressive play on the ball.   The interception on the right sideline in the third quarter, when Zay completely gave up on a ball he could have caught and allowed the Patriots to take it.  The incompletion on fourth down in the end zone with ten minutes left.  I would have kicked the field goal, but the Bills had a play, Barkley made the throw and Zay must win the fight for that ball.

 

Three plays, two interceptions and a missed touchdown, all because Zay Jones didn’t compete.   I’m a believer in the McDermott process, and Zay doesn’t fit the mold. 

 

5.  Is there more to say?  Sure.  Frank Gore.  Jerry Hughes.  Tremaine Edmunds.  John Brown.  Cole Beasley.  Matt Barkley, who did an excellent job under really difficult circumstances.

 

 

The national press seems to be reporting this game as another mail-in Patriots win over the Bills, but I’ll tell you this:   No NFL teams are going to look at the film of that game without concluding that the Bills have an awesome defense.  The Pats were averaging over 400 yards per game; the Bills held them to 225.  They were averaging over 30 points a game; the Bills held them 16 and 7 came on a blocked punt.  No NFL teams are going to think the Bills offense is impotent.   The Pats were giving up 190 total yards per game; the Bills gashed them for 375 and it would have been much worse if Allen hadn’t decided to throw INTs all over the field. 

 

Going into the game I thought that the Bills being competitive was more important than the win.   They had to show themselves they could play with the Pats, and they did.  After the game, of course, the Bills still have a loss and still looking at the mistakes that cost them the game; they have to live with the disappointment and learn from it.  But to a man they know now that they can play with the best.   Now it’s time to get better and beat the best. 

 

 

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.

[Seasons1992]

Beautiful write up and 100% accurate. 

 

I hope the loud crowd continues Sunday in TN and it's a home-like atmosphere. We need that W.

[boater]

7 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Going into the game I thought that the Bills being competitive was more important than the win.

The Bills did not embarrass themselves.

 

Josh looked terrible, but I buffer that aspect with the reality: the Patsies secondary is exemplary, probably the best in the NFL. The Pats secondary has been embarrassing opposing quarterbacks all season.

 

I think we just witnessed a game with the #1 and #2 defenses in the NFL.  Brady was held to 16 points, even after he was gifted tremendous field position due to Buffalo turnovers.

 

A third year Josh Allen would have won that game. A second year Josh Allen with a Devin Singletary would have won that game.

[Maine-iac]

I've wavered back and forth on my feelings with Josh and the amount of turnovers.  In some respects I feel like he is going to cost us in important games and the Pats game was a fairly clear sign.  That said the guy is just dangerous to the opposing teams.  Like an 8 year old waiving a gun in a crowded room dangerous.  Everyone is on high alert.  You feel like a big play could happen any time.  On a bad day the Pats game is what you get but even with that, as bad as it was, you have to feel like if he gets his head wrapped around everything and settles down it will be a dangerous that only the opposing team and fans are afraid of instead of everyone in the stadium.  That one pass makes it to Zay (the one that was intercepted) and there's a good chance it's a TD and we win.  Winning is the great eraser.  As bad as he played, for the most part, he throws that one TD and he's still a savior.

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

2 minutes ago, boater said:

The Bills did not embarrass themselves.

 

Josh looked terrible, but I buffer that aspect with the reality: the Patsies secondary is exemplary, probably the best in the NFL. The Pats secondary has been embarrassing opposing quarterbacks all season.

 

I think we just witnessed a game with the #1 and #2 defenses in the NFL.  Brady was held to 16 points, even after he was gifted tremendous field position due to Buffalo turnovers.

 

A third year Josh Allen would have won that game. A second year Josh Allen with a Devin Singletary would have won that game.

not to be technical but marcia and her offense were only good for 9 points.

 

yes OP, it was a bit emotional but games against the evil empire always tend to be.

[H2o]

Nice write-up brother 

[MTBill]

Agreed on all counts.  Thanks.

 

Defense is for real.

 

Josh Allen had a tough game.  Not sure if he was just too excited and lost focus - but it wasn't the same Josh Allen we've seen the other 3 weeks (albeit against teams far far weaker than the Patriots).  I am hopeful that his concussion is not severe, he certainly looked fine running off the field on his own, but the protocol covers a wide spectrum of concussions.  Billy B also did what he needed to, rattle Josh with the play of the defense, to put him in that panic mode.  This is year 2, Josh will get past this and learn from it.

 

Matt Barkley played pretty subpar in relief.  Singletary will be back - if not this week, soon.  Josh will be back too.  While I am very impressed by Frank Gore, we need Singletary back there too.

 

3-1 at the quarter pole is a good start.  4 quarters like this and you'd be 12-4.

[Dan]

Good write up, as always.   One thing I'd like to add regarding Zay Jones and the passes to him.  We see that type of stuff every Sunday... QBs throw a pass to somone they shouldn't and the WR "goes up and makes a play".  Then the announcers and ex-player pundits all rave on how you gotta give your guys a chance to make a play, and praise the QB for doing that.    

 

The only difference yesterday is... Zay did not out jump, out muscle, out play any one.  He failed to make a play. And Josh is being vilified for throwing the passes.   Yes, Josh needs to be better with his decisions. Yes, Josh needs to take what the defense gives him.  But, just once, once... I'd like to see a Bills a receiver make a play for the guy.  Wait I did... It was Knox on that crazy, falling down, ball behind him catch.    He made the play, and made Josh look good.  Zay just rarely does that.  I hate to rag on Bills' players.  But Zay needs to be moved well down the depth chart and surrendering playing time to someone that can make a play.  

[RoyBatty is alive]

Two observations on a great post,  on #

 

2) On the blocked punt, I believe the Pats 'knew" they would be able to block it, a matter of simple numbers , they had that schemed up days ago, it was something unforgivable in the NFL, a gimme.  Poor Dimarco, before the ball was snapped he knew he was "screwed". There is no way he could block both the interior and outside guy so he blocks the interior guy only and then sticks out his left hand which didnt impede the rusher one millisecond. So whose "fault" was it.  Whoever had responsibility for calling a timeout.  Did DiMarco have authority, did Bojo?  The "up and coming" special teams coordinator clearly deserves blame, he should have been watching and identified the weakness immediately.  To make matters worse, Bojo is still inexperienced and very slow and deliberate.  The Pats obviously know how long he takes having him for an entire off and pre-season.  

 

3) Josh.  So many things to be concerned about, yes it was one game yes it was against a great D but the most troubling was his decision making, his off balance throw and poor mechanics? Where is Jordan Palmer when you need him?  J Allen has actually 'regressed".  Pats laid out a game plan against Josh, keep him in contain make him throw the ball. Some of his "escapes" and runs last year were remarkable, some borderline comical.   I think last year Josh "got away" with with his heroball and know think he can always squirm out of trouble.  l.   Yesterday i hope he learned the hard way he can't.  He took two sacks knocking us out of make able field goal range which was the difference in the game. Josh needed to watch Brady, as poorly as he played he learned to give up oj plays, throw it away, not prolong the play, back up trying to squirm free and eithre throw it away or take a 5 yard loss instead of  a 10 yard loss.

 

The sad thing about this game is it was so easily winnable, the Pats played terrible.  How about unforced errors on their part, too many men on the field, Slater going out of bounds and not returning, a terrible Brady throw for an easy INT in the end zone?

13 minutes ago, MTBill said:

Agreed on all counts.  Thanks.

 

Defense is for real.

 

Josh Allen had a tough game.  Not sure if he was just too excited and lost focus - but it wasn't the same Josh Allen we've seen the other 3 weeks (albeit against teams far far weaker than the Patriots).  I am hopeful that his concussion is not severe, he certainly looked fine running off the field on his own, but the protocol covers a wide spectrum of concussions.  Billy B also did what he needed to, rattle Josh with the play of the defense, to put him in that panic mode.  This is year 2, Josh will get past this and learn from it.

 

Matt Barkley played pretty subpar in relief.  Singletary will be back - if not this week, soon.  Josh will be back too.  While I am very impressed by Frank Gore, we need Singletary back there too.

 

3-1 at the quarter pole is a good start.  4 quarters like this and you'd be 12-4.

 

If I wanted to be charitable about it, almost from the beginning, it looked like the moment was "too big " for Josh.  This game was a national spotlight, one of the most important games the bills have players in a long time.

 

As for Barkley, i was really disappointed me,  I thought J Allen had accuracy problems  

[bmur66]

Nice writeup. We went to the same game.

[CardinalScotts]

well get over it Sis we have a game Sunday

[Fan in San Diego]

Great write up brother!

 

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

Excellent game assesment .... I just can't get with the folks who say "Well, if Josh didn't get hurt, he would have won that game" ... 'if's" dont get you "W's" ... And the "hit"  Yeah, it was dirty but if Josh doesn't learn to slide and protect himself, rather than getting stood up and taking a finishing hit like that, he's gonna be moving on to his post-NFL career sooner than he planned

Edited September 30, 2019 by AlCowlingsTaxiService
typo

[ChattanoogaBills]

I was very disappointed in Zay Jones effort to catch and fight for the ball. The third quarter interception was a easy play for any wr thats dialed in. Zay simply couldve pulled the defender out of bounds (where zay already was ) instead of the feeble attempt he made which probably helped the db stay upright and inbounds. 

Josh Allen should learn from this and get better. Its not always critical to get the first down get what you can and get down.

I hope Josh can play next week

Go Bills

[poblano]

 Zay Jones isn't a ball fighter and never will be, I'm against he being cut him  but totally in favor of bench him. Sometimes don't even extend his arms to get to the ball, it's so frustrating

[Troll Toll]

I recall an AFC Championship game where Peyton Manning threw 3 INTs in the first half against the Patriots. Every analyst lambasted him at halftime, then he proceeded to win the game in the 2nd half. Josh was unfortunately not able to finish out the 2nd half, but I felt like he had us marching towards a W right before the helmet to helmet hit. We’ve had many QBs that couldn’t move the ball against the Patriots. Allen has now proven he can move the ball on them, he just has to cut down the turnovers. 

 

I’ll also say that the turnovers are largely a part of trotting out 3 #3 / slot type receivers as your starters. Gordon and Edelman are far better than any option Josh has.

[Shaw66]

50 minutes ago, Maine-iac said:

I've wavered back and forth on my feelings with Josh and the amount of turnovers.  In some respects I feel like he is going to cost us in important games and the Pats game was a fairly clear sign.  That said the guy is just dangerous to the opposing teams.  Like an 8 year old waiving a gun in a crowded room dangerous.  Everyone is on high alert.  You feel like a big play could happen any time.  On a bad day the Pats game is what you get but even with that, as bad as it was, you have to feel like if he gets his head wrapped around everything and settles down it will be a dangerous that only the opposing team and fans are afraid of instead of everyone in the stadium.  That one pass makes it to Zay (the one that was intercepted) and there's a good chance it's a TD and we win.  Winning is the great eraser.  As bad as he played, for the most part, he throws that one TD and he's still a savior.

Josh will learn.   He will be one of the premier QBs in the league, because of his talent, his brains and the system he's playing in.  

[One Buffalo]

Well said!  There is much to be hopeful for after this game, as well as much to be learned.  Hoping the team (especially Josh!) uses this game as a foundational learning experience and propels them to better in the days to come.  

[Jerome007]

NFL and MSM media have actually said how it was a tough W for the Patriots and how the Bills' D is for real.

 

And you are right to start with the happy people observation. It really is something to behold in our cocooning world. 

[oldmanfan]

Excellent write up as always.  I can't count the number of times yesterday I yelled two phrases:

 

Get rid of the ball!

Stupid mistakes!

 

Josh was bad yesterday, and all we can do is hope he learned a really good lesson from the master in Belichick.  The kid has all the potential in the world, and we have seen he can do it, but my exact text to my daughter yesterday was " too big a moment for him right now".  When he plays within himself, takes the shorter throws, etc. he looks great, but he reverts to trying to put the entire game on his shoulders and make huge plays down field, tries to buy too much time backing up scrambling.  They have to coach that out of him. 

 

Stupid mistakes are what killed them yesterday, and not all from Allen.  You cannot have a veteran TE take four penalties in such an important game.  You cannot have a LT hold when you have a defensive offside that gives you a first down.  You cannot allow them to block a punt, someone has to recognize what's happening and either adjust blocking or call time out.  You have to have your spotters give the HC better input on challenges so time outs aren't wasted, and so you have challenges when you really can use them.  You can't drop passes you should catch.  And so on.

 

For the first time in a long time, I think we can say the Bills have enough raw talent on both sides of the ball to compete with New England.  But against a Belichick-coached team you cannot make dumb mistakes.  We did and it lost the game.

Edited September 30, 2019 by oldmanfan