Buscaglia's Bills-Chiefs All-22 Takeaways include Oliver playing well and the Interior OL being overpowered

[Bob in STL]

It’s won’t be a sexy pick but do not be surprised to see the Bills select OG with their first pick.  You can get one of the best guards in the draft at 30, one that is equally capable at both pass and run blocking, and plug him in right away.  
 

With the current cap situation Morse could be gone, although they will have to carry dead money instead of just keeping a  pretty solid player.  Mongo could rotate to C, a better run blocker but less capable pass blocker.  Boetger is a solid backup IMO.  The key is Ford.   Is he going to stay healthy and become the player they thought he was?   Williams at RT really needs to be retained, adding to the stress of the situation.  
 

Maybe there are other Guards that they like at pick 62, and they can go either DL or CB at 30, but I can see the OL addressed in one of the first 2 picks. 

[Doc]

3 minutes ago, Bob in STL said:

It’s won’t be a sexy pick but do not be surprised to see the Bills select OG with their first pick.  You can get one of the best guards in the draft at 30, one that is equally capable at both pass and run blocking, and plug him in right away.  
 

With the current cap situation Morse could be gone, although they will have to carry dead money instead of just keeping a  pretty solid player.  Mongo could rotate to C, a better run blocker but less capable pass blocker.  Boetger is a solid backup IMO.  The key is Ford.   Is he going to stay healthy and become the player they thought he was?   Williams at RT really needs to be retained, adding to the stress of the situation.  
 

Maybe there are other Guards that they like at pick 62, and they can go either DL or CB at 30, but I can see the OL addressed in one of the first 2 picks. 

 

If OL at 30, I'd go C.

[RyanC883]

the TE writeup is somewhat alarming.   What does everyone think of going after Everett from LA?   Seems to flash, albeit inconsistently for whatever reason.  

[balln]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

 

And Winters and Ford did better against the Chefs' DTs. 

in no world did winters do better. hes awful

[BuffaloRebound]

7 minutes ago, RyanC883 said:

the TE writeup is somewhat alarming.   What does everyone think of going after Everett from LA?   Seems to flash, albeit inconsistently for whatever reason.  

He was terrible in the Arizona game that they needed to make the playoffs. Then again, it was just 1 game so not fair to completely judge him off that but he was noticeably bad in that game.  

[RochesterLifer]

I have a tendency - well - a 40 year habit, of really embracing and supporting anyone wearing a Bills uniform. Morse, Brown and Knox are guys I root hard for. However, continuous improvement means bold off season moves. That may include leaving Morse and Brown behind and investing in another young tight end, keeping Knox through the end of his rookie deal. 

[Buffalo Bills Fan]

4 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

Oliver was comfortably our best dlineman. That was obvious just from the TV angle. The flashes from Ed are of a guy with real outstanding talent. A guy who can be in that Chris Jones conversation as the second most disruptive interior lineman in the league after you know who. It is just consistency. Down in down out and game in game out. Brandon Beane said as much when he spoke to the media on Wednesday. If we can get that out of Ed he will be a difference maker. 

 

Agree. Get a really good pass rusher with Oliver. Pick you're poison double team that guy or Oliver as well as free up Hughes more.

22 minutes ago, Bob in STL said:

It’s won’t be a sexy pick but do not be surprised to see the Bills select OG with their first pick.  You can get one of the best guards in the draft at 30, one that is equally capable at both pass and run blocking, and plug him in right away.  
 

With the current cap situation Morse could be gone, although they will have to carry dead money instead of just keeping a  pretty solid player.  Mongo could rotate to C, a better run blocker but less capable pass blocker.  Boetger is a solid backup IMO.  The key is Ford.   Is he going to stay healthy and become the player they thought he was?   Williams at RT really needs to be retained, adding to the stress of the situation.  
 

Maybe there are other Guards that they like at pick 62, and they can go either DL or CB at 30, but I can see the OL addressed in one of the first 2 picks. 

 

Maybe Chris Jones just might be best pass rusher there is right now. He tops to me at the moment.

[RichRiderBills]

We do have a lousy RB1. Singletary needs to be upgraded. He was terrible all playoffs. That wiffed catch was a huge blown play. Not just the interior line.

[Buffalo Bills Fan]

Just now, RichRiderBills said:

We do have a lousy RB1. Singletary needs to be upgraded. He was terrible all playoffs. That wiffed catch was a huge blown play. Not just the interior line.

 

Agree. Chiefs didn't respect Bill's run game. Do what they wanted in coverage.  Moss would help little bit. Power  speed back, make people miss tackles. (maybe combo) would hurt Chiefs lots. Play the passing game and run game.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

7 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

For those of you who get the Athletic, it's here:

 

https://theathletic.com/2354616/2021/01/29/buffalo-bills-kansas-city-chiefs-all-22/

 

 

Joe wonders if the fallout of this game will affect their offseason moves. That seems a very reasonable thought to me.

 

I read the article and came here expecting there'd already be a thread on it. I searched "Buscaglia" but couldn't find one. If I missed it, I apologize.

 

 

Otherwise, here are a few excerpts:

 

 

Joe:  "For much of the game, the Chiefs were daring the Bills to run the ball on them. As the Bills rarely complied or went with heavy personnel, the Chiefs settled into using four defensive linemen, one linebacker and six defensive backs throughout the game, complete with successfully disguising coverages and blitzes before the snap to confuse Josh Allen. None of it would have been possible without the Chiefs defensive line, particularly the tackles, dominating the Bills offensive line the way they did."

 

Ouch. He includes Feliciano in the group of guys who struggled, though many will struggle against Jones. Thoughout the season Joe has graded Feliciano well, but not here, and Morse and Boettger also had problems. 

 

6 DBs consistently? I hadn't noticed that, and haven't gone back to look again at the game. It'll be another few weeks before I can stand to look at it, I would guess. But being able to use 6 DBs consistently is going to make it hard on any QB.

 

 

 

Joe:  "The last part of their struggles is the most important both to the undoing of the matchup and moving forward. The Bills weren’t able to run the ball with their preferred power scheme consistently at all during the season. Without that trio winning their matchup against a lighter defensive set, it clogged up the rushing lanes. It prevented either Devin Singletary or T.J. Yeldon from taking pressure off Josh Allen, which then allowed the Chiefs to get creative with their blitz calls, knowing that the Bills were more than likely to pass on every down."

 

This makes you wonder whether we might see major changes in the interior this offseason. Morse hasn't appeared himself since the concussion, and might well return to his usual form before next year, but it's hard to be sure of that at his age.

 

 

 

Joe:  "There wasn’t a lot that went well for the Bills, but second-year defensive tackle Ed Oliver was excellent versus a banged-up Chiefs offensive line. The Chiefs successfully moved the pocket, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is, at times, a magician with how he’s able to escape pass rush contain to rip apart a zone defense. However, in one-on-one battles and run-defending opportunities, Oliver stood out on multiple plays. He showed excellent hand usage and quickness to dip under the offensive line assignments and helped force stops because of his victories."

 

It's always seemed that way to me on tape after he recovered from his early season injuries.

 

 

 

Joe:  "As the offensive line and running backs both deserve blame for the rushing attack’s inefficiency, tight end Dawson Knox was a major disappointment as a blocker as well. Knox lost his blocking assignment on several handoffs that directly led to the demise of a running play. It isn’t only a one-week occurrence either.  ... His output as a receiver has slightly increased, but he’s nowhere near where the Bills would like him to be at this point in his career. His routes also aren’t crisp enough to deceive defenders, and the majority of his receptions rely either on scheme working him open or physicality to win a contested catch."

 

This is a real concern. I keep hoping for a breakthrough, but so far we have only seen flashes and they've been few and far between. He's going to have to take a major leap up to have a long-term future here. I hope he does, but maybe the Bills should take a look at TE, perhaps even on the first couple of days of the draft.

 

 

It's a great article with a lot more to it. Highly recommended.

in hindsight, maybe you activate Kroft, and have more Lee smith and Kroft sets out there, and just force those guys out of their dime packages. 
 

I know the tradition run game wasn’t great, but the read options running was absolutely there. The very few times we tried it, it was successful. 
 

I suspect the Daboll and company would re-do their entire gameplan if given another chance. For a OC who prides himself on tailoring the gameplan and being unpredictable, our game plan was very predictable— and it allowed the chiefs D to dictate the game. 

[RichRiderBills]

27 minutes ago, Bob in STL said:

It’s won’t be a sexy pick but do not be surprised to see the Bills select OG with their first pick.  You can get one of the best guards in the draft at 30, one that is equally capable at both pass and run blocking, and plug him in right away.  
 

With the current cap situation Morse could be gone, although they will have to carry dead money instead of just keeping a  pretty solid player.  Mongo could rotate to C, a better run blocker but less capable pass blocker.  Boetger is a solid backup IMO.  The key is Ford.   Is he going to stay healthy and become the player they thought he was?   Williams at RT really needs to be retained, adding to the stress of the situation.  
 

Maybe there are other Guards that they like at pick 62, and they can go either DL or CB at 30, but I can see the OL addressed in one of the first 2 picks. 

Im fine with this, but might also trade back a few slots too. Guards are going higher it seems, so not as sure a thing. Plenty of all pro gaurds drafted in later rounds, cough wyatt teller cough....

[Simon]

7 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

Joe:  "For much of the game, the Chiefs were daring the Bills to run the ball on them. As the Bills rarely complied or went with heavy personnel, the Chiefs settled into using four defensive linemen, one linebacker and six defensive backs throughout the game, complete with successfully disguising coverages and blitzes before the snap to confuse Josh Allen. None of it would have been possible without the Chiefs defensive line, particularly the tackles, dominating the Bills offensive line the way they did."

 

Before the Bills second possession:

Attack the front, Daboll

 

Very disappointing that the Chiefs gave the Bills exactly what they needed to keep Mahomes off the field and keep the game close, but he refused to take advantage of it. Right on the edge of qualifying as Dabollish. 

 

 

 

 

[Green Lightning]

3 hours ago, Gugny said:

I don't know how I can take anything he wrote seriously.

 

Everyone knows that Ed Oliver is a bust and that we have no running game because our RBs are terrible.

Word. The basis of this thread is faulty. Just draft a RB in the first round and nothing can stop us. I know it's right because I read it on TSW.

[Rock'em Sock'em]

3 hours ago, machine gun kelly said:

The only way we take a shot at a guy like this is if the owners find a way to keep the cap at $200 mil.

Some quick cap analysis:

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/cap/

 

We are about 6M over the cap right now with top 51.

Rookies may be just a bit more expensive than the bottom players, so perhaps we are 8M over after rookies.

 

Possible cap savings:

L Smith 2M

M Addison 6M

J Brown 8M

Q Jefferson 6.5M

V Butler 7M

 

Of those, perhaps Brown and Butler underperformed in 2020.  In fact, for 2021, perhaps all of them project to underperform, given that there will be serviceable veterans available this year for a one year deals closer to league minimum.  Those cuts would be enough to re-sign our three guys listed and maybe a couple other one-year fill in players.  I suspect a couple one-year fill-ins will play an important role in the 2021 Bills.

 

Possible re-signings:

Milano

Williams

McKenzie

[Success]

5 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

Oliver was comfortably our best dlineman. That was obvious just from the TV angle. The flashes from Ed are of a guy with real outstanding talent. A guy who can be in that Chris Jones conversation as the second most disruptive interior lineman in the league after you know who. It is just consistency. Down in down out and game in game out. Brandon Beane said as much when he spoke to the media on Wednesday. If we can get that out of Ed he will be a difference maker. 

 

I think Oliver gets unwarranted criticism.  The common complaints are that he's an average player who doesn't play anywhere near the expectation that should come with his draft position.

 

That's not what I've seen, at all. When I watch him play, he's aggressive and disruptive. He finds his way into the backfield more often than not. And opposing DC's recognize how good he is, because he gets more double teams than anyone else on the Bills line.

 

Put better players around him, and he'll really start to shine.  He was a great pick, imo.

[Buffalo Bills Fan]

Just now, Success said:

 

I think Oliver gets unwarranted criticism.  The common complaints are that he's an average player who doesn't play anywhere near the expectation that should come with his draft position.

 

That's not what I've seen, at all. When I watch him play, he's aggressive and disruptive. He finds his way into the backfield more often than not. And opposing DC's recognize how good he is, because he gets more double teams than anyone else on the Bills line.

 

Put better players around him, and he'll really start to shine.  He was a great pick, imo.

 

Right man 100%

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

19 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

Before the Bills second possession:

Attack the front, Daboll

 

Very disappointing that the Chiefs gave the Bills exactly what they needed to keep Mahomes off the field and keep the game close, but he refused to take advantage of it. Right on the edge of qualifying as Dabollish. 

 

 

 

 

it was seriously so obvious. People like to rip on Singletary. Maybe give the guy more than 5 carries before we see what he can do. Against that defense, if he committed to the run, we would have had success. 

[Buffalo Bills Fan]

Just now, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

it was seriously so obvious. People like to rip on Singletary. Maybe give the guy more than 5 carries before we see what he can do. Against that defense, if he committed to the run, we would have had success. 

 

Should of ran more agree. 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

I think center is actually a top priority for the Bills this offseason. I read a while back that the Bills have scouting centers.

[Andy1]

There are several interesting options at TE in the draft. I think Knox needs some competition at his position.