ROCKPILE REVIEW - Evolution

[Shaw66]

The Bills lost to the Chiefs on a raw, rainy Monday night in Orchard Park, 26-17.  The Bills are now 4-2, a game ahead of the Dolphins in the AFC East, and they look like they’re headed to the middle of the NFL pack.

 

We tend to want to make definitive statements about teams – “they’re good,” “they’re bad,” “they’re building” – but the most that can be said today about the Bills is that they are evolving.  It’s survival of the fittest in the NFL, and if the Chiefs game is any indication, the Bills need to adapt.   

 

What happened in the NFL in the early part of the 2020 NFL season is now clear:  Several teams, including the Bills, were able to throw the ball all over the field, any time they wanted, wherever they wanted.  It was exciting, but we should have realized it wasn’t going to last.  Teams adjusted.  The adjustment was to play coverage; keep one or two safeties back, flood the defensive backfield with defenders.  Defenses said “you will NOT beat us with that passing game.  You may beat us some other way, but not throwing the ball like that.”  The Raiders did it to the Chiefs last week, the Titans did it to the Bills, everyone’s doing it to the Cowboys. 

 

The Bills did it to the Chiefs, and the Chiefs did it to the Bills.  Each said to other, “Find a different way to win.”  If you can’t win throwing, all that’s left is running.  Running means controlling the line of scrimmage.  The Chiefs totally controlled the line of scrimmage against the Bills.  The Chiefs found a way to win.  The Bills need to adapt.

 

There’s not much to say about the game that wasn’t obvious to anyone who saw it, but I’ll give you my take aways.

 

1. The front four was dominated by the Chiefs all night.  The game film could be used as a training film for offensive linemen.  It truly was a clinic.  It wasn’t simply that the Chiefs over-powered the Bills; they out-finessed the Bills.  They knew exactly how the Bills defense attacked the run, and they took advantage of the Bills strategy.  Chiefs linemen consistently took the correct angles to create running lanes, and there was nothing the Bills could do about it.   Every upcoming opponent will see it on film.   The Bills have to adapt, quickly, or they will get run over.

 

2.  Edmunds made some poor decisions in the middle, often getting caught in the wash, choosing bad angles, but it’s tough to blame much on him.  He led the team in tackles, primarily because it would have been hard not to – running backs were coming at him all night.

 

3.  Singletary and Moss would have gone for over 200 yards running behind the Chiefs’ offensive line; unfortunately, they had to run behind the Bills line.  It was tough yardage all night.  It’s easy to tell when the Bills running game isn’t working – they resort to running Josh Allen.  When Allen gets designed runs, it means Brian Daboll has run out of answers.   Allen led the team in rushing, not because he had a couple of 30-yard scrambles, but because he took the pounding that running backs ordinarily are asked to take.  That’s not a formula for success.

 

4.  Despite the numbers, Allen wasn’t bad passing.  Yes, he missed badly on a couple of throws early in the game.  (Troy Aikman was classic.  He blamed the early misses on the reeemergence of Allen inaccuracy, but as soon as Mahomes, the golden boy, missed badly, it was because of the weather.)  After the early misses, Allen had bad drops by Brown and Kroft, and then he got going.  He threw two spectacular deep balls to Diggs, one that almost drew a penalty and one that did.  His touchdown pass to Diggs was a pinpoint throw after a good scramble out of the pocket.  In fact, Allen worked well in the pocket all night, avoiding the rush and finding the right targets  His inteception was a desperation throw with the clock running out.  The Bills still have their franchise quarterback.

 

5.  The Bills didn’t play with the poise that Sean McDermott expects of his team.  The successive unnecessary roughness penalties from White and Poyer were surprising, two veterans trying to fire up their team with physical play, two veterans out of control.  Diggs taking a penalty after dawdling back to the line of scrimmage late in the game was ominous; the first sign this season of the Diggs who frustrated the Vikings.

 

6.  And yet, with all that went wrong, with all that was so disappointing, the Bills were in this football game from start to finish.  They were the lovable losers of the Dick Jauron era. The Bills scored first. The Bills escaped the first half down only three (and would have been tied, but for Bass’s bad misfire on the last play).  They held the Chiefs to a field goal in the second half when a TD would have ended the game.  They answered immediately with a six-play 75-yard drive to get back within 6.  That was not a garbage-time score; that was the time of the game when Andy Reid asked his team to win the game with a stop; instead, the Bills blew away the Chiefs for the score.  Then the Bills forced a fumble, and for thirty seconds, until we saw the replay, it seemed like the Bills would steal the win, despite the Chiefs’ dominance.  The fumble was overturned, the Chiefs marched downfield one more time and kicked the field goal to end it. 

 

The Bills must adapt.  On the fly. 

 

 

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.

Edited October 20, 2020 by Shaw66

[SoCal Deek]

The Chargers?

[Big Turk]

It was frustrating to watch because it was almost like the Bills tried to reel Allen in and made him play conservatively or called the game conservatively...as if they were trying to win the game 20-17. 

 

What's the point of having all these weapons when you throw 5 yard passes every play? You can't take everything away. If they are dropping 8 into coverage players are gonna be open in zones...Bills drop 8 and people are wide open all over the place...like seriously WTF is up with these 5 yard passes every play the last 2 weeks?

 

Let Allen loose. Let him throw it and make a few mistakes. If you want him playing conservative and timid then why bother getting Diggs? You didn't get Diggs to get into a 20-17 game with the Chiefs you got him to get into a game like the Raiders did with them last week and win.

 

I just don't get the gameplan at all on offense. Stop acting like we don't have the firepower to keep up with teams anymore. We clearly do, so use it.

Edited October 20, 2020 by matter2003

[Straight Hucklebuck]

11 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

What happened in the NFL in the early part of the 2020 NFL season is now clear:  Several teams, including the Bills, were able to throw the ball all over the field, any time they wanted, wherever they wanted.  It was exciting, but we should have realized it wasn’t going to last.  Teams adjusted.  The adjustment was to play coverage; keep one or two safeties back, flood the defensive backfield with defenders.  Defenses said “you will NOT beat us with that passing game.  You may beat us some other way, but not throwing the ball like that.”  The Raiders did it to the Chiefs last week, the Titans did it to the Bills, everyone’s doing it to the Cowboys. 

 

4.  The Bills still have their franchise quarterback.

 

 

Why should we have realized it wasn't going to last if Allen is the Bills franchise QB?

 

I think Allen is the Bills franchise QB, but I think it's clear that Beane has to get more elite level players all over the field, because Allen is regressing back to the middle of the pack. 

 

Last night reinforced the following: Cody Ford is a bust (could have had DK Metcalf) so Beane has been right to keep the focus on acquiring lineman, the 40 yard dash times on Singletary and Moss matter, we have no Tight End, take out John Brown and this elite WR group isn't as deep as advertised, Oliver isn't a disrupter, just a 280 pound DT that gets a mop up sack here and there, Edmunds gets by on youth/speed/height, but has no instincts, Josh Norman is done as an NFL player, our Safeties are quietly getting older.

 

We're a better version of the Browns. We can beat bad teams, and medium teams. So we can win 10 games and be in the Playoffs. But we don't have enough elite level talent to prop up Allen. We saw this last year with the defense, when they had to have it they can't make stops, and the offensive line is leaky all the way around. The Coaches see that our running backs are not good enough, that's why they went after Bell. Allen has made progress, but trying to spin last night as a good performance is not going to fly.  

 

The sky isn't falling, but Beane has to keep adding elite talent everywhere to help Allen, and he's been up to that task so far. 

[RoyBatty is alive]

A lot of good points.

 

Yes Singletary (i would argue not Moss) could have gotten 200 yards behind the KC O line running against the Bills D.  O Line and its coaching is dreadful.

 

Good observation about Dabol; when he is out of answers he resorts to QB designed runs, let Allen take the beating and that is no long term answer.

 

But I disagree, the Bills were not in this game from start to finish..yes maybe score wise by by the mid Q3 KC was solidly in control.   I think the Poyer &  White roughness penalties was a manifestation of the frustration.  Same with Diggs and his borderline benchable attitude and penalty...that was the action of a defeated loser.  Yes after 4 weeks people were talking about Allen being an MVP and the Bills in the Super Bowl, getting our arse handed to us two weeks in a row was an incredible humbling.  And yes I think KC handed us our arse.

 

Even great teams get blown out, look at Green Bay this weekend.  But we have had it done to us twice in a row.

 

Last night was enough evidence for me that the Bills are a good team, not a great team, a good team.  I think we are on about the same level as the 2-3 New England Patriots, so in my mind that is not half bad.

 

So now we have some adversity, this team is supposed to be built on character, are we going to Trust the process?

 

Bills have arguably the worst team in the NFL coming up, the Jets.  At some point the Jets could win a game, I would bet they are looking at a short week for the Bills on a two game skid thinking this could be our shot.

 

After next week versus the Jets no excuses.

Edited October 20, 2020 by RoyBatty is alive

[Thurman#1]

16 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

It was frustrating to watch because it was almost like the Bills tried to reel Allen in and made him play conservatively or called the game conservatively...as if they were trying to win the game 20-17. 

 

What's the point of having all these weapons when you throw 5 yard passes every play? You can't take everything away. If they are dropping 8 into coverage players are gonna be open in zones...Bills drop 8 and people are wide open all over the place...like seriously WTF is up with these 5 yard passes every play the last 2 weeks?

 

Let Allen loose. Let him throw it and make a few mistakes. If you want him playing conservative and timid then why bother getting Diggs? You didn't get Diggs to get into a 20-17 game with the Chiefs you got him to get into a game like the Raiders did with them last week and win.

 

I just don't get the gameplan at all on offense. Stop acting like we don't have the firepower to keep up with teams anymore. We clearly do, so use it.

 

 

Looked to me like the Bills coverage was working really well, just as well as the Chiefs coverage was. But Mahomes had tons and tons of time back there on most plays and eventually someone got open. Whereas Allen had much less time. 

 

The 5 yard passes are because defenses are taking away the longer passes, which they will continue to do, as it's working and we can:t find an effective counter yet.

[LABILLBACKER]

#5 concerns me alot. The roughing penalties and Diggs lack of urgency will have to be monitored. Edmunds getting lost in the wash is a weekly/ yearly occurrence. We're used to it by now. Sean is too stubborn to move him outside. Our trenches are Terrible.  The OL is completely incapable of run blocking.  Its almost comical. And the DL is not even worth mentioning. 

[Thurman#1]

4 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

A lot of good points.

 

Yes Singletary (i would argue not Moss) could have gotten 200 yards behind the KC O line running against the Bills D.  O Line and its coaching is dreadful.

 

Good observation about Dabol; when he is out of answers he resorts to QB designed runs, let Allen take the beating and that is no long term answer.

 

But I disagree, the Bills were not in this game from start to finish..yes maybe score wise by by the mid Q3 KC was solidly in control.   I think the Poyer &  White roughness penalties was a manifestation of the frustration.  Yes after 4 weeks people were talking about Allen being an MVP and the Bills in the Super Bowl, getting our arse handed to us two weeks in a row was an incredible humbling.  And yes I think KC handed us our arse.

 

Even great teams get blown out, look at Green Bay this weekend.  But we have had it done to us twice in a row.

 

Last night was enough evidence for me that the Bills are a good team, not a great team, a good team.  I think we are on about the same level as the 2-3 New England Patriots, so in my mind that is not half bad.

 

So now we have some adversity, this team is supposed to be built on character, are we going to Trust the process?

 

Bills have arguably the worst team in the NFL coming up, the Jets.  At some point the Jets could win a game, I would bet they are looking at a short week for the Bills on a two game skid thinking this could be our shot.

 

After next week versus the Jets no excuses.

 

 

I don't really understand how someone can argue we weren't in the game. Being in the game is precisely related to the score. 

 

We were in it even though we weren't playing well.

 

I certainly agree that they far outplayed us, but that doesn't matter if you end up with more points than the other guy. We were right there till the last few minutes. We bent but didn't break much. But we couldn't score the way we've grown accustomed to.

 

 

Good wrap-up, Shaw.

[Bleedbuffaloblue]

17 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

It was frustrating to watch because it was almost like the Bills tried to reel Allen in and made him play conservatively or called the game conservatively...as if they were trying to win the game 20-17. 

 

What's the point of having all these weapons when you throw 5 yard passes every play? You can't take everything away. If they are dropping 8 into coverage players are gonna be open in zones...Bills drop 8 and people are wide open all over the place...like seriously WTF is up with these 5 yard passes every play the last 2 weeks?

 

Let Allen loose. Let him throw it and make a few mistakes. If you want him playing conservative and timid then why bother getting Diggs? You didn't get Diggs to get into a 20-17 game with the Chiefs you got him to get into a game like the Raiders did with them last week and win.

 

I just don't get the gameplan at all on offense. Stop acting like we don't have the firepower to keep up with teams anymore. We clearly do, so use it.

Totally agree. No doubt the defense has a lot of issues right now and hopefully a majority of them can be remedied, but regardless of that and regardless of the weather conditions you cannot plan to go out and beat a team like the Chiefs or the Titans for that matter  by scoring less than 30 points. The offense needs to be full throttle from start to finish. The Bills have all these weapons , so go out there and use them!

[RoyBatty is alive]

3 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

#5 concerns me alot. The roughing penalties and Diggs lack of urgency will have to be monitored. Edmunds getting lost in the wash is a weekly/ yearly occurrence. We're used to it by now. Sean is too stubborn to move him outside. Our trenches are Terrible.  The OL is completely incapable of run blocking.  Its almost comical. And the DL is not even worth mentioning. 

 

 

I am ready to call Oliver a bust and small for DT, Hughes is old &  a one trick pony, Philips & Murphy sat for valid reason, Espenoza is also small and we might have the worst starting guards in the NFL.   Both our trenches are laughable.  I am about ready to pack it in on both Edmunds & Ford, they need a couple more years til they are ready.  

6 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

I don't really understand how someone can argue we weren't in the game. Being in the game is precisely related to the score. 

 

We were in it even though we weren't playing well.

 

I certainly agree that they far outplayed us, but that doesn't matter if you end up with more points than the other guy. We were right there till the last few minutes. We bent but didn't break much. But we couldn't score the way we've grown accustomed to.

 

 

Good wrap-up, Shaw.

 

Oh I can, quite easily.  Last night felt like an old Pats-Buf game when Belichek decided not to run up the score, just do enough absent one fluke play, they still when.  After mid Q3 we need multiple breaks to get back in the game.  There are no 9 point fluke plays in the NFL.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

I think we get to this point every single year with the Bills it seems.

 

Can you step up in class and beat a really good team?

 

And the answer is always no.

 

The answer is always, you’re close, but not there.

[Houston's #1 Bills Fan]

8 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

Why should we have realized it wasn't going to last if Allen is the Bills franchise QB?

 

I think Allen is the Bills franchise QB, but I think it's clear that Beane has to get more elite level players all over the field, because Allen is regressing back to the middle of the pack. 

 

Last night reinforced the following: Cody Ford is a bust (could have had DK Metcalf) so Beane has been right to keep the focus on acquiring lineman, the 40 yard dash times on Singletary and Moss matter, we have no Tight End, take out John Brown and this elite WR group isn't as deep as advertised, Oliver isn't a disrupter, just a 280 pound DT that gets a mop up sack here and there, Edmunds gets by on youth/speed/height, but has no instincts, Josh Norman is done as an NFL player, our Safeties are quietly getting older.

 

We're a better version of the Browns. We can beat bad teams, and medium teams. So we can win 10 games and be in the Playoffs. But we don't have enough elite level talent to prop up Allen. We saw this last year with the defense, when they had to have it they can't make stops, and the offensive line is leaky all the way around. The Coaches see that our running backs are not good enough, that's why they went after Bell. Allen has made progress, but trying to spin last night as a good performance is not going to fly.  

 

The sky isn't falling, but Beane has to keep adding elite talent everywhere to help Allen, and he's been up to that task so far. 

I agree with all of your points. After a night to think it over, I am actually OK with the defensive game plan. We did limit Mahomes to the ground. We *should* have been tied at halftime, but I'm going to give a break to "Bass-O-Matic". He's still a rookie and it was pretty crappy game conditions.

 

The issues are essentially on the defense. The lack of a true runner stuffer, solid linebackers and cornerbacks are very concerning. Tre got paid and hasn't been the same. Edwards isn't getting better and probably needs to move to the SAM LB position. Oliver has been a disappointed for sure. Josh Norman has made some "special" plays (forced fumble, fumble recoveries) but is not an asset on coverage. Last night, I was watching as he was giving 10-12 yard cushions and then doesn't even make the tackle. Why are you there? 

 

What's concerning is that it may not get fixed until after the season is over. That's sad with such promise in the off-season and first 4 games. Oh well, kick the S*** out of the Jets and Pats and all will be good again!! 🤣

 

GO BILLS!!!

[RoyBatty is alive]

Just now, Straight Hucklebuck said:

I think we get to this point every single year with the Bills it seems.

 

Can you step up in class and beat a really good team?

 

And the answer is always no.

 

The answer is always, you’re close, but not there.

 

 

A lot of people want to be in denial but the last two games where the harsh realization the Bills are not a great team, good team yes.

[Jrb1979]

3 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

 

 

A lot of people want to be in denial but the last two games where the harsh realization the Bills are not a great team, mediocre team yes.

Fixed for you. The Bills are what they have always been. Good enough to beat the bad teams but can't hang with the top teams. The defense is bad and now teams have enough tape to know how to beat them and unfortunately Allen has regressed back to being inconsistent. 

[Do The Reich Thing]

55 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

1. The front four was dominated by the Chiefs all night.  The game film could be used as a training film for offensive linemen.  It truly was a clinic.  It wasn’t simply that the Chiefs over-powered the Bills; they out-finessed the Bills.  They knew exactly how the Bills defense attacked the run, and they took advantage of the Bills strategy.  Chiefs linemen consistently took the correct angles to create running lanes, and there was nothing the Bills could do about it.   Every upcoming opponent will see it on film.   The Bills have to adapt, quickly, or they will get run over.

 

4.  Despite the numbers, Allen wasn’t bad passing.  Yes, he missed badly on a couple of throws early in the game.  (Troy Aikman was classic.  He blamed the early misses on the reeemergence of Allen inaccuracy, but as soon as Mahomes, the golden boy, missed badly, it was because of the weather.)  After the early misses, Allen had bad drops by Brown and Kroft, and then he got going.  He threw two spectacular deep balls to Diggs, one that almost drew a penalty and one that did.  His touchdown pass to Diggs was a pinpoint throw after a good scramble out of the pocket.  In fact, Allen worked well in the pocket all night, avoiding the rush and finding the right targets  His inteception was a desperation throw with the clock running out.  The Bills still have their franchise quarterback.

 

5.  The Bills didn’t play with the poise that Sean McDermott expects of his team.  The successive unnecessary roughness penalties from White and Poyer were surprising, two veterans trying to fire up their team with physical play, two veterans out of control.  Diggs taking a penalty after dawdling back to the line of scrimmage late in the game was ominous; the first sign this season of the Diggs who frustrated the Vikings.

Good post, OP

 

Expanding further:

 

- You speak of an everyone speaks of adapting. Yes, the coaches can adapt, but what if you just don't have the personnel? The Bills, as you said, got dominated in the trenches. That has happened all year against good opponents even in wins. 

 

- Allen wasn't horrific, but he wasn't great. We need him to start playing great against the better competition. I believe in Allen, but that has been the one thing missing in his career thus far. Will he get better? Hopefully.

 

- McD is a good coach, but super frustrating to witness at the same time. He and his staff breathe being content, timid, and conservative. He plays not to lose. This absolutely reflects on the players in the players mentality and performance. Even when the Bills get big leads they fall into a soft zone defense which allows teams to come back. *See every win this year* McD constantly says, "we need to look ourselves in the mirror," well... he needs to do that his damn self and realize playing not to lose does not win you championships in the NFL.

Edited October 20, 2020 by Do The Reich Thing

[Jrb1979]

2 minutes ago, Do The Reich Thing said:

Good post, OP

 

Expanding further:

 

- You speak of an everyone speaks of adapting. Yes, the coaches can adapt, but what if you just don't have the personnel? The Bills, as you said, got dominated in the trenches. That has happened all year against good opponents even in wins. 

 

- Allen wasn't horrific, but he wasn't great. We need him to start playing great against the better competition. I believe in Allen, but that has been the one thing missing in his career thus far. Will he get better? Hopefully.

 

- McD is a good coach, but super frustrating to witness at the same time. He and his staff breathe being content, timid, and conservative. He plays not to lose. This absolutely reflects on the players in the players mentality and performance. Even when the Bills get big leads they fall into a soft zone defense which allows teams to come back. *See every win this year* McD constantly says, "we need to look ourselves in the mirror," well... he needs to do that his damn self and realize playing not to lose does not win you championships in the NFL.

Its hard to win in this league. 🙄

[Straight Hucklebuck]

14 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

 

 

A lot of people want to be in denial but the last two games where the harsh realization the Bills are not a great team, good team yes.

Yes.

 

The sky isn’t falling, the Bills will beat bad teams and medium level teams and win 10 games, but last night showed that Beane is going to have to keep acquiring elite level talent because we don’t have enough difference makers on either side of the ball. 

 

And on defense, our draft picks aren’t playing well - Oliver, Edmunds, Epenesa.

 

 

Edited October 20, 2020 by Straight Hucklebuck

[Do The Reich Thing]

Just now, Jrb1979 said:

Its hard to win in this league. 🙄

When he said that it gave me terrible flashbacks.

 

Quick call Scooby-doo and unmask McD. He may be Jauron in disguise.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

With the Bills, the past two games just illustrate the same point: you can’t be all in until you see it. 
 

You can’t call Allen elite until he beats an elite team, same thing with McDermott.

 

The Bills get to the doorstep, but never can win the big game that breaks it open.

 

Dallas last year was the closest they got, but in the end, they still couldn’t finish off the Patriots or Ravens.

 

And the mistakes/lack of talent we’re seeing now will show up again against New England, Seattle and in the Playoffs.

[FlaFitz1]

41 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

 

 

I am ready to call Oliver a bust and small for DT, Hughes is old &  a one trick pony, Philips & Murphy sat for valid reason, Espenoza is also small and we might have the worst starting guards in the NFL.   Both our trenches are laughable.  I am about ready to pack it in on both Edmunds & Ford, they need a couple more years til they are ready.  

 

Oh I can, quite easily.  Last night felt like an old Pats-Buf game when Belichek decided not to run up the score, just do enough absent one fluke play, they still when.  After mid Q3 we need multiple breaks to get back in the game.  There are no 9 point fluke plays in the NFL.

 

The guards aren't good and the center of the D-line misses Star BADLY!!!

 

That being said Edmunds was a pro bowl level player last year at 21 years old - a little early to pack it in on young guy who is just entering his 3rd season.  No Reid wasn't cutting the Bills a break and not running up the score because he's a nice guy and Belichek never did that either.

 

As for Epenesa - he's young with no rookie camp, no mini camps, no preseason games and limited training camp but he's not "small".  He's 6'6" 260 lbs - the top 5 DEs in sacks so far this season are Garrett 6'4" 270lbs, Graham 6'2" 265lbs, Ogbah 6'4" 275lbs, Ngakoue 6'2" 245lbs and Hendrickson 6'4" 270lbs.   That's an average of 6'3" 265lbs.   Epenesa isn't small - he's about average