Popular Post Virgil Posted September 13, 2020 Popular Post Posted September 13, 2020 (edited) Life in a COVID world definitely has made the build up to this season feel different. We saw players on the field today that we didn't get to see in either preseason games or practice. We didn't get to tailgate or even get together in person for fantasy football drafts. All of a sudden, the Bills are just there on TV, and the season has begun. It almost feels strange to be writing this, because I still don't feel like I'm in my normal rhythm. But it's not just that. I'm about to write some things that I've never written before. It makes me thankful that I've made myself wait a few hours before writing these reviews, so that I can let it all sink in. With that being said.... 1 - Daboll - If there were a most improved part of this organization that contributed to this game today, it's Brian Daboll. I've been a huge critic of his in recent years and was very curious to see what he would do with all these weapons and how the team would carry themselves on the field. He went up against a Gregg Williams defense that brings a lot of pressure and is strong against the run. We saw some hurry up, an aggressive call on 4th and 1, and honestly; not a single drive where you didn't feel like they couldn’t score. You always hear coaches talk about execution and the players defend them because they didn't do their job on the field. I'm not going to point blame at anyone for miscues, as sometimes plays don't work out, but this is an offense that scored 27 points, and had two missed field goals two turnovers inside the redzone. Do the math, and this offense could have scored 40 points EASILY today. We looked like a completely functional offense who was only held back by the execution on the field. If this was week 1 without preseason games, watch out NFL 2 - Allen - Josh Allen, a Buffalo Bills QB, threw for over 300 yards. Let me repeat. Josh Allen threw for over 300 yards. We didn't lose. There were no garbage time yards. He threw for a legitimate 300 yards. Oh yeah, he also was responsible for 3 touchdowns, and should've had 4. Yes, QB's are going to miss throws, but he John Brown miss was all bad. Accept it and move on. Allen was hyped to start this game and you could feel his energy. If there were fans in the stands, he might have exploded with energy. I wasn't a fan of how much he ran the ball, which resulted in two fumbles (which I'm also not going to argue whose fault they were), but he showed why he's a tough guy to bring down as he shed quite a few would-be-sacks. For me, his play of the game was his 3rd TD, where he audibled and inside screen to Smoke for a TD. He also had a beautiful touch pass lob to Diggs for a solid gain; something many picked apart about Allen in years past. Allen had a total of 4 plays he wishes he could have back. With 300 yards, over 70% completion percentage, and getting everyone a touch, Allen clearly showed the step forward through one game that people asked for. For the naysayers, I challenge you to watch all these games you boast QB's and find mistake free games with those kind of stats. Allen won on the field and the box score. Celebrate. 3 - Defensive Line - I had a hard time picking out an MVP of the defensive line because all of them made plays. Frazier brought pressure with a 5th rusher from time to time, but the front 4 did a terrific job of making Darnold run for his life for most of the game. Oliver was particularly noticeable on the first few series, but Trent and Hughes were also flying to the ball. Harrison was stout up the middle and they all shifted the pocket. Darnold has decent legs, but had he not, I think we would have seen a lot more sacks this week. 4 - Take a snip of this then play a little riff, don't be afraid to try Don't need no airplane to get off the ground there's more than one way to fly Have a little taste, Baby, don't hesitate, every hit don`t have to be a song Gonna take you to the cosmos, Baby, and boogie with you all night long 5 - Moss - I was pleasantly surprised by how often Moss was on the field, and sometimes with Singletary! The reports out of camp were true that he's established himself as a pass catcher, and made some solid blocks. He did a great job of finding space on his TD, which was also greatly helped by the two defenders who abandoned him in fear of Allen rushing. He showed good hands and solid power with the ball in his hands. The Jets did a decent job of waiting on the rush, so we didn't get to see him in space much. I overall just like that he looks to be a factor in our offense and we are going to see a lot more of him. 6 - Smoke - While everyone was excited about Diggs, and they should be, Smoke showed why the year rapport with Allen is so important. Diggs got targeted on a lot of scripted plays, but Brown seemed to be where Allen's eyes went first on the improvised ones. His TD was all Allen and the audible. Brown should have absolutely had a second touchdown, if not for Allen's "rookie of the year" arm. I saw a prediction before the game that Brown and Diggs would have 1k seasons. I 100% believe that now. 7 - Offensive Line - While the running game wasn't strong today, Allen had plenty of time to throw today, minus a few DB blitzes by Greggo. On the runs, the Jets were in a rush contain front, which waited for the Bills RB's to come to them. They weren't going to get beat by Moss/Motor, and they didn't really. There really wasn't a play where I felt the offensive line missed or didn't give Allen the time he needed. Ford was kicked out to RT a few times and did just fine. Again, good first game for a unit many were looking to see progress from. 8 - Linebackers - Not to name names, but I know a guy who predicted that Milano was going to get the first INT of the season. Besides the Bell wheel route pass and the missed tackle by Edmunds on the Crowder TD, these guys played a good game today. Edmunds played closer to the line most of the game, taking good first steps and Milano was primary in coverage most of the game. Klein seemed fairly invisible to me, and he's going to be asked to do a lot more very soon. However, and this is by far the biggest concern coming out of this game, neither Edmunds nor Milano finished the game. Our depth at LB is now priority number one going forward and I really hope we get some positive news. If not, we are going to need to make some moves. 9 - Special Teams - Besides not taking one to the house, Roberts had one of his best games as a Bill. The Jets punter out-kicked his coverage a few times, but Roberts made people miss, showed great burst, and gave us solid field position a few times. As for Bass, well... Not the first game we hoped for. You could argue if his first miss was actually a miss. He did a solid job on Kick Off's, placing it at the 1. But the misses...oh, the misses. Not a great look and we all know that kickers have some of the shortest leashes in the NFL. My biggest concern was that you could see it on his face before his second miss. The kid clearly has an electric leg, but let's hope he figures this out quick as 6 points is a lot in an NFL game. 10 - McD - At one point in the game, the Bills had 18 first downs to the Jets 1. The Bills also had 3 penalties to the Jets 8, going into the 4th quarter. The Bills came out flat to start last season. They most definitely did not today. The Bills had a game that the box score would indicate pure domination. Fans, the media, everyone wanted to know if Bills were going to look like the complete football team the roster indicated it could be. The simple answer, Yes. I look at the journey Darnold and Josh have been on the last 3 years and to see the difference between these two teams on the field today is night and day. McD deserved every dollar of his mystery contract and today just showed that this team is in good hands and on the right path. Football is back and I couldn't be happier. This is year 3 of the Josh Allen experiment and a full McD and Beane roster. You can pick apart this game for negatives, but the Bills absolutely manhandled the Jets in this game. Also, Brady got flagged for intentional grounding. What more do you want right now? 19-0. Go Bills!!!!! Edited September 13, 2020 by Virgil 58 1 12 20
Bills fan since 87 Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 (edited) Love these write-ups sir! Football IS back! Regardless of how different it feels, when I'm watching the Bills I'm as locked in and intense as always. I was glad I felt that today. Edited September 13, 2020 by Bills fan since 87 2 1 1
TheCockSportif Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 You did well here, @Virgil! Allen still does some things that are maddening to me, but at the end of the day? As someone who remembers watching Bills' football since 1974 (born in 1971), I've seen many, many QBs come and go. While I'm not married to a 300-yard performance as a benchmark to success, I am 100% on board that we have a hard-working QB who has skills that I haven't seen on this team for decades. 1 2
Mr. WEO Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 Run game: Moss had 9 caries for 11 yards (7 on one carry). He was a zero factor. Same with Singletary. This against a weak Jets D. This needs to be figured out before October. 1 1
Whitey13 Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 5 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said: Run game: Moss had 9 caries for 11 yards (7 on one carry). He was a zero factor. Same with Singletary. This against a weak Jets D. This needs to be figured out before October. The Jets who if they did anything well last year was stop the run. Let's not over react to the lack of running game against them 10 3
Mr. WEO Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 2 minutes ago, Whitey13 said: The Jets who if they did anything well last year was stop the run. Let's not over react to the lack of running game against them The majority of the lack of running game is because the OC ran the 2 RBs a combined 18 times. This Jets D is without it's 2 best players from last season.
fansince88 Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 13 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said: Run game: Moss had 9 caries for 11 yards (7 on one carry). He was a zero factor. Same with Singletary. This against a weak Jets D. This needs to be figured out before October. Exactly cut him now. Or we can look at the positives. Because he played his first game and made some good plays in the passing game. Also blocked well.
Buddo Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 13 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said: Run game: Moss had 9 caries for 11 yards (7 on one carry). He was a zero factor. Same with Singletary. This against a weak Jets D. This needs to be figured out before October. Jest have got a great Run D. 2nd overall, I think last year. No surprise they were stout again this one, at least to start with. Do we want better from our guys? For sure, but we never remotely looked like losing, and the gameplan worked pretty well without them. 3 1
mannc Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 17 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said: Run game: Moss had 9 caries for 11 yards (7 on one carry). He was a zero factor. Same with Singletary. This against a weak Jets D. This needs to be figured out before October. It was disappointing, but I think it was forgivable. This was the first game of the season, with no preseason tuneup games, two new OL starters, going up against a defense that is very good against the run...It will improve... 3
CSBill Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 The best thing about Josh's performance, he took what the Defense gave him. The only long pass I can remember was the beautiful hookup with Diggs. everything else was short and intermediate routes that the Jets D gave him. Clearly, one of his best and most complete performance as a Pro (just get rid of the fumbles, tuck the ball away young man!). 7
Mr. WEO Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 6 minutes ago, fansince88 said: Exactly cut him now. Or we can look at the positives. Because he played his first game and made some good plays in the passing game. Also blocked well. There's many ways to miss the point. This is a good one... 1
whatdrought Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 One of my favorite Sunday evening posts! Love it. To add to #8: Dodson looked good when he was in there. Will be interesting to see if we have something there. Hopefully our guys are back soon though. 1 1
RocCityRoller Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 26 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said: Run game: Moss had 9 caries for 11 yards (7 on one carry). He was a zero factor. Same with Singletary. This against a weak Jets D. This needs to be figured out before October. The Jets had the #2 or #3 Defense against the rush last year. I think the strategy was to stop the run and make JA beat them. Well JA was up to the task. 3 1
Mr. WEO Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 6 minutes ago, Buddo said: Jest have got a great Run D. 2nd overall, I think last year. No surprise they were stout again this one, at least to start with. Do we want better from our guys? For sure, but we never remotely looked like losing, and the gameplan worked pretty well without them. See above. The Bills were outscored in the second half. Penalties aided the Bills in the first half. Josh played well, but the play calling won't hold up against better teams. 1
WhoTom Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 4 minutes ago, Buddo said: Jest have got a great Run D. 2nd overall, I think last year. No surprise they were stout again this one, at least to start with. Do we want better from our guys? For sure, but we never remotely looked like losing, and the gameplan worked pretty well without them. ^ This. Knowing that the Jets have a great run-D, the game plan was not to run a lot - to exploit the opponent's weaknesses, not play to their strengths. For all the complaints about McD and Daboll being conservative, where's the love for a game plan that featured the QB? (And going for it on 4th-and-1 from midfield.) 2 1
Mr. WEO Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 (edited) 2 minutes ago, RocCityRoller said: The Jets had the #2 or #3 Defense against the rush last year. I think the strategy was to stop the run and make JA beat them. Well JA was up to the task. See above. I was responding to what Virgil said about Moss running. Edited September 13, 2020 by Mr. WEO
RocCityRoller Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 Just now, Mr. WEO said: See above. Check 😉, concurrent posts perhaps. And things did loosen up a bit for Motor as JA kept finding the open man.
HappyDays Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 56 minutes ago, Virgil said: For the naysayers, I challenge you to watch all these games you boast QB's and find mistake free games with those kind of stats Thank you for pointing this out. I will say to beat teams like the Chiefs and Ravens, Allen won't be able to make those kinds of mistakes. But he also had to be the entire offense today. I'm just thankful we finally cleaned up drops. Beasley had one and Brown had one on a free play but otherwise there weren't big mistakes from the receivers. 2
fansince88 Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 Just now, Mr. WEO said: See above. You need to see above. Way above at the score board. We won the game and all intent and purpose it was a preseason game situation that meant something. Your reply to me made no sense either.
Mr. WEO Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 5 minutes ago, fansince88 said: You need to see above. Way above at the score board. We won the game and all intent and purpose it was a preseason game situation that meant something. Your reply to me made no sense either. Maybe this will help: "He showed good hands and solid power with the ball in his hands." I disagreed with that bit because it didn't happen today.
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