Playoff #1 Bills @ Texans PostGame Thread

[WideNine]

5 hours ago, Chaos said:

his 19 points in regulation was so much better than allens 19 points in regulation. like night and day different.

 

This. And Watson is in his 3rd year and has guys like Hopkins to throw to.

 

Not taking anything away from Watson's gutsy play towards the end of the game, but some folks have to have some perspective when making these comparisons.

 

Josh made some great plays, and put the ball where it needed to be a number of times early in the game that should have led to scores, but they were dropped, or receivers could not step in bounds. He also did a bunch of bone-headed hero-ball things in the 2nd half of the game that made me wonder if anyone was talking to him to settle him down and remind him of the game situation, that he had time, to settle down.

 

Either way, the up and down play is what most reasonable fans expected from Allen this year.

 

Allen is also the guy who after throwing a bunch of interceptions against NE early in the year vowed not to do that again and really changed his approach to the game and was not a turn-over machine for the rest of the season. He made mistakes today, he will learn from them.

 

Beane needs to get him some better blockers and at least one more legit receiving weapon, and a running back that can do some damage when he spells Singletary, and an OC that will not abandon the run when it is working.

[CincyBillsFan]

26 minutes ago, TwistofFate said:

It was questionable for sure, but they let Josh "be Josh."

 

Isn't this exactly what his hardcore fans wanted? 

 

Also, there is a difference between playing smart and playing wreckless.  He let the moment overcome him. 

 

I don't know about that. 

 

Getting the Bills into position to kick the tying FG was a big moment and while it wasn't pretty Allen got it done. 

 

And OT was a big moment in which Allen was coolly moving us into position to kick the winning FG  and then we had a QB sweep that should have gone for 20 yards except that the blockers inexplicably forgot to block the only defender on the edge.  Then of course the bad penalty on Ford.  And I haven't even got started on how the defense played in the 4th quarter & OT.

 

Seems to me the moment was to big for the whole team including the coaches.  Let's hope this is 1989 and not 1999.  I happen to think we're closer to a 1989 scenario where a bad playoff loss to Cleveland launched us into the Bills most glorious period.

 

 

Edited January 5, 2020 by CincyBillsFan

[White Linen]

33 minutes ago, TwistofFate said:

It was questionable for sure, but they let Josh "be Josh."

 

Isn't this exactly what his hardcore fans wanted? 

 

Also, there is a difference between playing smart and playing wreckless.  He let the moment overcome him. 

 

If they let Josh be Josh as you suggest, what is McD complaining about?

 

So are you confident in our offensive coaching acumen should we just get a QB you like more?

[TwistofFate]

25 minutes ago, White Linen said:

 

If they let Josh be Josh as you suggest, what is McD complaining about?

 

So are you confident in our offensive coaching acumen should we just get a QB you like more?

He's complaining about stupid mistakes that he continues to make.  Carelessness with the ball for one.   The lateral, the fumble, the intentional grounding, etc. 

 

The fumble gave them 3pts, the grounding lost us 3 pts and the lateral lost us yards on a penalty. 

 

This loss isn't solely on Allen, but his second half performance certainly didn't help. 

[oldmanfan]

2 hours ago, TwistofFate said:

He's complaining about stupid mistakes that he continues to make.  Carelessness with the ball for one.   The lateral, the fumble, the intentional grounding, etc. 

 

The fumble gave them 3pts, the grounding lost us 3 pts and the lateral lost us yards on a penalty. 

 

This loss isn't solely on Allen, but his second half performance certainly didn't help. 

The grounding?  He doesn’t try to make a play he gets sacked and we’re out of range anyway.

[Billsfaninto]

Hey all first time poster here. Been a fan since 2007 and loved the way Marshawn ran angry. Been to a few games including the epic comeback win with Fitz. I know where all bummed out from the loss as I clearly am to be up this late. Anyway in my own assessment I think the road ahead must address a few things 

For Allen: is he a franchise QB? Atm no. There are many who see the potential and many who don't. I'm on the fence but in order to take the next step Josh and only Josh need to improve in 3 key areas.

1) he needs to learn to step up into the pocket and not rely on his athleticism so much. The Bradys, Brees and Rodgers are so good because of this. The ability to know when the climb and shift is something that is absolutely crucial to succeed. Too often Josh bails to early or spins out. While he may have made some positive plays this is not sustainable long term.

2) related to this is his ability to know when to throw the ball away. If the play is not there do not force the issue. Take a short sack or an incompletion. Too often Josh will run around and try to force it leading to either a ridiculously long sack, a holding penalty or a spectacular play. Yes, that seems contradictory but it is not sustainable. I'd rather he learn that an incompletion or coverage sack is not the end of the world than to heave it. Which brings me to number

3) I'm not saying Josh should never run, or use his athleticism and running ability. It's a key part of his game. I'm saying he has to be smart about when and where to use it. It should either be a scripted play or, used in a conservative manner. Meaning when he runs he needs to run as though he's a RB and secure the ball the second he is no longer anticipating a throw. He has lost the ball numerous times and for a while he was covered by luck as it's popped out after being down. Today his luck ran out. Improve these three things and he takes another step forward. 

For the Defense. If I'm being 100 percent honest I don't think this defense is as good as we think it is. It's above average but it's not elite. Considering the caliber of QB we faced this year (AFC east, NFC east, the AFC North and Titans and Broncos) there were no elite throwers on this D and lots of below average QBs. The entire offence in the NFL runs through the QB. We are a bend but don't break Defense disguised as an elite D because of the schedule The same applies to NE. That does not mean the D isn't playoff caliber especially considering the end of the Brady era is near. They gang tackle well, and they communicate well  but are succeptible to the run and at times the screen game. I think we need to pump the brakes about how good they truly are. 

Which leads to the offence. This was undoubtedly the Achilles heel of the team. Too often they put the D in crap situations and relied on them to carry the team. This is another reason why I say the D became and is a very good unit, the reps and pressure they have been out under was immense all season long. The biggest concern for me is an bigger picture focus that has two aspects to it.

1) Does the GM, HC and OC know where the positional weaknesses lie? In one sense I want to say yes because they clearly recognized the need to revamp the O and took the necessary steps to address it.They picked up a few nice pieces in the draft and off-season in singletary and Beasley.

2)The concern is do they actually know how to use the pieces once acquired. The Peterman debacle notwithstanding, for me this is a big fat question mark. Singletary was and should have been the main focal point of the offense after it became clear how good he was. The team also needed a tall possession receiver to complement Beasley in the slot and the deep threats. Duke fit the bill and to his credit Daboll got him involved but it's irritating to think how the season may have played out had he been on the active roster more often. I don't hate Daboll, but I don't think he can be anything beyond average. He does not seem to recognize the strengths of the personnel he and his play calling is questionable for long stretches of the game. For whatever reason the screen game, slants and checkdowns seemed like an afterthought in his scheme, which was baffling considering you have a young QB who can get rattled at times and a suspect O line. Daboll can scheme well and Josh has missed his fair share of looks, but overall as a collective the pieces are an unstable fit. 

At the end there's the HC. I don't necessarily agree with the conservative label McD gets as he has gone for 4th down on occasions where other HC might not. What I don't understand is his clock management. Our four and two minute no huddle offense is surprisingly good, however the other half of the equation is understanding how to manage the time given the situation, which is purely on a HC. While relatively inconsequential during the regular season, it can become suffocating in the PS where every point, possession and timeout matter. Settling for a FG on it's face may seemed conservative, but I think it was more a fundamental lack of strategy in time management than conservative play.  Second, McD commenting that Allen tried to do too much was complete bs in my opinion and reflects on his disconnect with the O. The entire season Daboll leaned far too heavily on a young QB to be self sustaining. 3rd quarters in particular were brutal as Ds adjusted to what the O was showing. Allen does too much because he was expected to without the benefit of a friendly scheme to support him. While the jet sweeps and roll outs helped the options beyond that were questionable at best.  Long developing routes can be effective but when the protection wasn't there there didn't seem to be a back to basics approach. Throw a slant to Beasley. Bubble screen to Mackenzie, fade to Duke. Don't abandon the run or have empty backfields It's the little things to pick Allen up. When they don't happen you have Josh having to orchestrate late comebacks which in turn compounds the reckless habits. 

In conclusion I think we're at a cross roads in the McD era. This season could not have been any more favourable in terms of injury and opponent strength. Some are rightfully pointing out that it's too early to know how much tougher a schedule will look next season but it's hard to imagine it'll be easier than this season. It's also not a forgone conclusion that the draft and FA will be successful. I believe the decisions made in this off-season specifically will determine whether the team will end up trending up or down in the long term.

[TwistofFate]

4 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

The grounding?  He doesn’t try to make a play he gets sacked and we’re out of range anyway.

Um, no... 

 

 BUF-J.Allen, Intentional Grounding, 14 yards, enforced at HST 28.

 

6 yard loss vs 14 yard loss.   

 

6 yards puts is at 34 yard line, making it kickable. 

[oldmanfan]

1 minute ago, TwistofFate said:

Um, no... 

 

 BUF-J.Allen, Intentional Grounding, 14 yards, enforced at HST 28.

 

6 yard loss vs 14 yard loss.   

 

6 yards puts is at 34 yard line, making it kickable. 

I think it would have been more than a 6 yard sack

[TwistofFate]

3 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

I think it would have been more than a 6 yard sack

Lol, you're a funny guy.  

 

Intentional grounding took us out of range and lost a down. 

 

You don't take a sack in that situation, and if you do, you step up or go down, not run back. 

 

It was a stupid play, period. 

[ProcessTruster]

I am totally good.  No way I had them getting this far this year.

This team will only be better next year.   Time to take back the Division and get some home playoff games.  

Trust the Process.  Out. 

[Codyny13]

4 hours ago, TwistofFate said:

It was questionable for sure, but they let Josh "be Josh."

 

Isn't this exactly what his hardcore fans wanted? 

 

Also, there is a difference between playing smart and playing wreckless.  He let the moment overcome him. 

This. You’ll never be able to satisfy everyone. When they were running into brick walls at the end of the game I said let the kid throw the ball, but you can’t run away, spin around, and turn your back on the defense in those situations. Fans hate play calls when the don’t work out. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t the right call, if the play isn’t executed. 

[oldmanfan]

48 minutes ago, TwistofFate said:

Lol, you're a funny guy.  

 

Intentional grounding took us out of range and lost a down. 

 

You don't take a sack in that situation, and if you do, you step up or go down, not run back. 

 

It was a stupid play, period. 

It would have been fourth down anyway as I recall.  And as I also recall there was a second penalty on the play.

 

What he should have done is thrown the ball away earlier true.  But taking the grounding call would not have changed things over being sacked.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

Had a hard time sleeping last night after that loss. 

[Mr. K]

I slept great... and then I woke up and thought "Remember that time Pat Dimarco ran a streak into double coverage and JA threw him the ball?"

 

 

[Teddy KGB]

5 hours ago, TwistofFate said:

It was questionable for sure, but they let Josh "be Josh."

 

Isn't this exactly what his hardcore fans wanted? 

 

Also, there is a difference between playing smart and playing wreckless.  He let the moment overcome him. 

You could always buy a bigger tv, then you could see Duke drop a touchdown or the penalty that prevented the gw fg attempt. 
 

or you could just stick with the tired crusade 

 

??‍♂️??‍♂️

20 minutes ago, JR in Pittsburgh said:

Had a hard time sleeping last night after that loss. 

are you Matt Milano? 

[TwistofFate]

Just now, Teddy KGB said:

You could always buy a bigger tv, then you could see Duke drop a touchdown or the penalty that prevented the gw fg attempt. 
 

or you could just stick with the tired crusade 

 

??‍♂️??‍♂️

No crusade.  I was completely impressed with Allen in the first half.   It was the greatest 30 min performance of his career....and the loss wasn't soley his fault, but he melted down. 

[Teddy KGB]

4 minutes ago, TwistofFate said:

No crusade.  I was completely impressed with Allen in the first half.   It was the greatest 30 min performance of his career....and the loss wasn't soley his fault, but he melted down. 

running gore and the “blindside” block assisted the “meltdown” 

 

Duke lost the game for us in the first half. 

[John in Jax]

6 hours ago, White Linen said:

 

Exactly.  How does a HC say our 2nd year QB is trying to do too much in empty backfield sets?

 

It's mind numbingly stupid.

I like what the Bills did this season, and it does APPEAR that they are a team on the rise, but we shall see about that.

 

All the comments about McDummy are right on the mark. He seems like a good person, but as an NFL head coach, it's rather obvious that he's in over his head. 

 

Lots of posts in here calling out Daboll for the puzzling 2nd half play calling, specifically throwing too much and not using Singletary more....and those posts are absolutely correct. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HEAD COACH!? Isn't it HIS JOB to see that, and direct Daboll to change what he's doing?

[Wayne Arnold]

7 minutes ago, John in Jax said:

I like what the Bills did this season, and it does APPEAR that they are a team on the rise, but we shall see about that.

 

All the comments about McDummy are right on the mark. He seems like a good person, but as an NFL head coach, it's rather obvious that he's in over his head. 

 

Lots of posts in here calling out Daboll for the puzzling 2nd half play calling, specifically throwing too much and not using Singletary more....and those posts are absolutely correct. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HEAD COACH!? Isn't it HIS JOB to see that, and direct Daboll to change what he's doing?

 

If McDermott was "in over his head" then the Bills aren't in the playoffs two of his first three seasons.

 

He's not perfect, but few football coaches are. 

[stevewin]

5 hours ago, CincyBillsFan said:

 

I don't know about that. 

 

Getting the Bills into position to kick the tying FG was a big moment and while it wasn't pretty Allen got it done. 

 

And OT was a big moment in which Allen was coolly moving us into position to kick the winning FG  and then we had a QB sweep that should have gone for 20 yards except that the blockers inexplicably forgot to block the only defender on the edge.  Then of course the bad penalty on Ford.  And I haven't even got started on how the defense played in the 4th quarter & OT.

 

Seems to me the moment was to big for the whole team including the coaches.  Let's hope this is 1989 and not 1999.  I happen to think we're closer to a 1989 scenario where a bad playoff loss to Cleveland launched us into the Bills most glorious period.

 

 

Woke this AM, read this, and just the mental picture of those 3 blockers out in front hitting no one - it literally makes my somach turn. To think after all the mis-steps up to that point, just one person throw a block or at least get in the way, and a minute later i'm celebrating a win with my son (instead of storming out in a profanity-laced tirade minutes later after Missed Sack).  Sigh