Rational Thoughts Day After Eagles

[corta765]

I’ve been doing this for the season with the goal of giving 24 hours to calm and have rational thoughts not impulsive. Here’s the eagles version:

 

1. The game and momentum something I’m not a big believer in swung in 7:38 seconds. Up until the Allen fumble the Bills seemed to be fighting toe to toe with Philly and you felt pretty decent about winning. Then in 7:38 from the end of the first to 9:15 left in the third the Allen fumbles Philly scores and instead of feeling good with a 7-3 halftime lead your down 11-7 thanks to the missed FG by Hasuchka. By this point the Eagles smell blood and you could see the defense we’re back on their heels. Then Sanders TD 17-7 and it’s bad. To the offense credit they did get a TD to get it back to 17-13 and you could see the energy was back in the crowd and team. But the dagger came on the Jeffery 38 yard catch. In a season where a sequence like above they had made the stop or turnover the wilted. If at home I could feel the energy die the stadium looked like a black hole of emptiness after that. It didn’t take that long but that 7 minute stretch saw Buffalo go from a 7-3 halftime lead to trailing 24-13 with an energy killing play at that moment. It felt like this season we’ve played with fire with situations like this and I think they just finally got burned against an Eagles team that desperately needed and wanted this game.

 

2. For a team that had a bye two weeks ago I am incredibly disappointed in the entire group as a whole. Against Miami they came out very flat and yesterday they wilted in the 2nd half. Perhaps it’s me maybe someone can explain so sports science on byes having negative effects, but I have been very disappointed in how unprepared they’ve seemed after the bye.

 

3. DaBoll I want to show where I have to graded him in three chunks for the season before analyzing. 
Games 1-3: A    Thought he was very good at creating plays that maximized our players and exposing matchups

Games 4-5: B    He still did some exposing of matchups but started being slightly predictable with play calls

Games 6-7: D-   Both games he was farrr too cute with his play calls with very little creativity and goes to the well far too many times on calls that did work.

 

I have been a supporter of DaBoll this season and think in general he has done a nice job moving Allen from a brash talented rookie into at least a somewhat serviceable starter who can make some plays. Let’s not underscore how hard that is and how many teams fail to even make that step. I want more from the offense and Allen which I’ll touch in below but I will give credit for where it’s due.

 

That said Madden gamers have put together more creative less predictable game plans compared to him the last two weeks. Yesterday when the defense is bleeding having a bad day and it’s 24-13 why are you not running the ball? Why are you not doing screens to Singletary is they are hitting you so hard up front? For gosh sakes we scored a TD because of this. In the 12 plays Buffalo had after it was 24-13 before the Eagles got their last TD the Bills passed on 8 of them being sacked once with one Allen scramble and two runs. The pressure Allen has seen the last two weeks I thought DaBoll had done a good job scheming from pre bye. Next week is a big test for him as much as it is for the team.

 

3. On the fourth down failed pass to John Brown a lot of people got on Allen including myself but post game Brown said he ran the wrong route. It was suppose to be a comeback route which had he done its 1st in goal. Instead he ran the post and the past was just behind. 
 

4. The defense is very good it’s not elite and that’s fine. Elite is used wayyyy to widely in sports. A defense that is elite dominate happens every few years. The last truly elite defense I remember seeing where they never had a bad day was Seattle in 2013. This Patriots defense is close but I do want to see what happens against some better opponents. The Bills defense finally got worn down yesterday and I don’t want to say there not still really good. I think in the second half of the season they will have another game like this and also have a few games where they don’t allow more then 13 pts. They are missing that game breaking pass rusher and the DT spot hurts without Harry. But I think

when the season ends they still are top 5 in almost all categories and the rushing issues are a blip not a trend.

 

5. Was it me or did the crowd not seem into it? It looked like a miserable day to be outside and compared to every other home game the crowd seemed lackluster throughout. Not a slight more a question if you were there.

 

6. Matt Milano balled out. He and Jordan Phillips were the two defenders throughout who kept making plays . Great finds by Beane.

 

7. After 8 weeks of games coaches have enough film to start attacking in both sides of the ball how they see fit. I believe one reason the last two weeks Buffalo has faced what feels like an uphill climb is the season has hit the point where teams can really start game planning at certain things because enough film exists to show the flaws. Allen is facing a lot more 3-4 rushes which leaves a lot of men in coverage. Against Miami he figured it out and closed the day well. The Eagles front 7 though is much better and the offense never could win at the point of attack to do much.

 

8. Allen. The fumble was a killer, but otherwise he was like the rest of the team and overmatched by the end. This is the first game I think his o line let him down, but we are getting to the point we’re I understand fans wanting more. He has taken the step from raw rookie that’s flawed to an Ok starter. His numbers are Tyrod in a nutshell 2 TD 200 yds 20-30 yds rushing weekly with a bit better 4th quarter composure. At some point we want him to take that leap to breaking a defense when everything on your team isn’t going well. Not a ton of guys can do that but he also was drafted top ten. I don’t care about him breaking 300 yds as much as he has not had a game like at Miami last year where he was unstoppable and there best player on either team. The longer the season goes without this the louder the unrest feeling many fans have will increase for him to do more. I think his best play is to come still, but he failed both tests this year so the question remains.

 

9. In closing I am happy to see the fanbase is not satisfied with 5-2 and just making the playoffs. I am happy expectations are higher like they should be. For far too long I think Buffalo settled for break the drought or just make it. We should want more as fans and it’s refreshing to see mostly well thought out feelings by fans on here.

Edited October 28, 2019 by corta765

[1st Ammendment NoMas]

good post. pretty much sums up my feelings.  The sad reality for me yesterday was that the team is regressing instead of improving. Good playoff teams get better as the season wears on. Teams like the Patriots seems to hit their groove and peak by the end of the season.

 

Instead of improvements, we are getting exposed and haven't realized or fixed the problems. The optimist in me was really hoping that we would be getting better and Brady would get older and slow down and we'd take the AFC East. That's not happening the way this train is rolling. We will end up 9-7 or 10-6 and sneak into the playoffs as the 6th seed. We could even end up missing the playoffs if teams like the Chargers, 

Titans, Texans and Jaguars get on a roll. 

 

I think we need a little shakeup this week and bring up DT Taylor from the PS. Send Peko back down and make a trade for a WR or RB and a DT.

Now we will see if our coaching is good. My fear is that Daboll is Daboll, an OC who consistently ranks in the bottom 10 no matter what talent he has.

 

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

The crowd was into it, despite it being miserable outside. 

[RoyBatty is alive]

Great post.

 

If you believe in momentum in the NFL then we "lost" the game with the Allen fumble, even with the Singletary TD that followed.  We should have gone in halftime with a lead.

 

We have to do something abut CB position, Levi Wallace on WR#2 aint getting it done, every team now wil attack him on the side, then as our D softens up runs up our gut.

 

And i was not at the stadium but it did seem as though the crowd was not in to it as much as a 5-1 Bills would warrant.  And Way too many Eagle fans.

 

 

Edited October 28, 2019 by RoyBatty is alive

[Lofton80]

The good news is we wont see an offensive line that is so strong up the middle until Dallas. Both defensive tackles were getting single blocked and Kelce was sealing off

the plays. Philly earned that victory. Buffalo was not getting off the blocks in the second half.

[BillnutinHouston]

6 minutes ago, Joe in Winslow said:

The crowd was into it, despite it being miserable outside. 

Correct.  There were a lot of Philly fans in attendance, maybe that drove the OP's perceived lack of crowd enthusiasm.

Edited October 28, 2019 by BillnutinHouston

[Jrb1979]

5 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

And i was not at the stadium but it did seem as though the crowd was not in to it as much as a 5-1 Bills would warrant.  And Way too many Eagle fans.

 

 

Thats a Buffalo syndrome. The Sabres are the same. For fan bases that are passionate about their teams, a lot of visiting fans seem to take over both stadiums. So much for home field advantage. 

[RoyBatty is alive]

1 minute ago, Jrb1979 said:

Thats a Buffalo syndrome. The Sabres are the same. For fan bases that are passionate about their teams, a lot of visiting fans seem to take over both stadiums. So much for home field advantage. 

well at least we are not the Chargers and we took over the Titans stadium the second half

[Do The Reich Thing]

Pretty spot on post OP!

 

Additional food for thought:

 

1) We drafted JA for conditions like this, right? Let the kid rip it and don't be afraid. If we're scared of playing in shaky conditions then build a damn dome.

 

2) The coaches seem content with conservative Jauron-ball. This team is FAR too passive at this point in the season and McD seems satisfied with playing not to lose. I really get the feeling they overthink things more than my ex-girlfriend and think more of what could go wrong rather than what could go right.    

 

3) In hindsight this was just one game. The Ravens got blown out at home by the Browns and now everyone is saying they're the biggest threat to beat the Pats. Do I believe that the Bills will make adjustments moving forward and this will make them better? No idea and I am skeptical, but we will see. 

[Jrb1979]

3 minutes ago, Do The Reich Thing said:

 

3) In hindsight this was just one game. The Ravens got blown out at home by the Browns and now everyone is saying they're the biggest threat to beat the Pats. Do I believe that the Bills will make adjustments moving forward and this will make them better? No idea and I am skeptical, but we will see. 

Its been 2 games. Last week the defense was just as bad. They were lucky they played Miami. If the game against Washington is a close game I would start to worry. If the Bills are supposed to be a good team, Washington is a team they should beat easily. 

[Do The Reich Thing]

1 minute ago, Jrb1979 said:

Its been 2 games. Last week the defense was just as bad. They were lucky they played Miami. If the game against Washington is a close game I would start to worry. If the Bills are supposed to be a good team, Washington is a team they should beat easily. 

I agree with Washington. They need to blow them out at home

[Mat68]

On offense they need to get younger and athletic.  I like Gore Smitg and Kroft but they should be regulated to smaller roles.  Singeltary and Knox need to be a larger part of the offense.  Both have yac abilty and will help Buffalo succeed against man to man.  Unless, there was an injury I was surprised to see McKenzie not dress.  Like Knox, and Singeltary he is an explosive player.  Yesterday the offense looked slow.  

 

Defensively, Oliver is going to be an issue Mcd has to figure out.  LA Rams have a similar problem with Donald.  Due to their size they can get washed out at times.  Peko is a good story but should not see the field imo.  Overall, this was one of the games we wanted but didnt need to have.  Buffalo wasn't going to go 15-1.  Buffalo still hasnt peaked or played a complete game yet. 

[london_bills]

It always feels like we are so many players away doesn't it -

 

WR, RT, LB, RB, CB, DT

Edited October 28, 2019 by london_bills

[TC in St. Louis]

Take way that fluke 69 yard run and the Wentz scrambles, and it wasn't horrible.  They made some good plays, but the Philly line pushed our guys around more than usual.  On the 69 yard run, it was as if our guys were the o's in the way of the x's on the diagram.

[Mango]

22 minutes ago, Jrb1979 said:

Its been 2 games. Last week the defense was just as bad. They were lucky they played Miami. If the game against Washington is a close game I would start to worry. If the Bills are supposed to be a good team, Washington is a team they should beat easily. 

 

WAS has been a tough team, and better than their record indicates. They aren't good by any metric, but they aren't as bad as their record indicates. 

Haskins looks lost currently. They are much better with Case. 

 

 

[cgg716]

Great post, but as I did in my own post, I wanna defend Allen a bit. In the past, he’s been criticized, very fairly, for trying to do too much, for wanting to be the hero. And now we have a Tyrod comparasion. All I’m saying is I believe that Allen most certainly believes, he can make any throw/play and given the opportunity will attempt too. I don’t think the play calling allows it by and large, against that secondary yesterday, hero ball should have happened, shots should have been taken, they were not 

[hjnick]

Against the wind in the first quarter, we played pretty well overall and only gave up 3 points. *That is a huge win*

 

Now, the second quarter is where we were faltered.  Our defenses got beat with short dinks and dunks by Philly when they were against the wind.  Seriously, what did you think they were going to do against the wind???  We just let them keep doing that all the way down the field... it was pathetic IMO.  Our defense should have used the 12 defender (the wind) to our advantage and be up in their face... That's what philly did to us when we were against the wind.

 

The fumbles hurt especially the one at the end of the half.  Our kick missed, it was a tough kick in that environment.

 

IMO, we were still in that game, down 11, and our offense finally starting blowing philly off the line 2 plays in a row and Gore ran for like 6 yards each play... THEN what do we do??? Pass, pass, pass.  Why?  That was when we should have kept running the ball and took it to philly...  That IMO is when we truly lost the game.

 

Well, we weren't going to win them all...  We need better playcalling. (4th and 2/3yrds and we run a QB sweep to the right??? smh terrible call)

Edited October 28, 2019 by hjnick

[row_33]

14 minutes ago, TC in St. Louis said:

Take way that fluke 69 yard run and the Wentz scrambles, and it wasn't horrible.  They made some good plays, but the Philly line pushed our guys around more than usual.  On the 69 yard run, it was as if our guys were the o's in the way of the x's on the diagram.

 

fluke?

 

that was a full out badass destruction of MIlano and others.

 

i remember when the Bills used to do that 25 years ago.....

 

 

[corta765]

56 minutes ago, BillnutinHouston said:

Correct.  There were a lot of Philly fans in attendance, maybe that drove the OP's perceived lack of crowd enthusiasm.

Seemed like it. And wasn’t a shot at Bills fans if you went to that rain fest props to you

20 minutes ago, TC in St. Louis said:

Take way that fluke 69 yard run and the Wentz scrambles, and it wasn't horrible.  They made some good plays, but the Philly line pushed our guys around more than usual.  On the 69 yard run, it was as if our guys were the o's in the way of the x's on the diagram.

Hyde said he took a wrong angle which allowed it. That said they were not good but it  is one game

[GottaRun]

The crowd was into it until Josh fumbled, like you said the momentum shifted in a very short period. 

 

Hard to get psyched up as a fan in the second half after we had just handed them the ball deep in our own territory (JA fumble) and they had just scored in 58 seconds to start the 3rd.  Add in the wind and the rain and you had a lot of fans choosing to chill out and save their voices.  Hammer's lot seemed half empty when the game ended.  I'll take snow over wind and rain any day.  Wind and rain just wear you down.

 

Lots of Philly fans there.  Most of them were a lot of fun and we had a great time tailgating with them.