Preseason Predictions - What were you right about and wrong about ?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

14 hours ago, Locomark said:

Things I was right about… 
- Dane Jackson was not going to mount a heavy challenge at CB2

- Dawson Knox will continue to have the dropsies no matter what off-season drills he did

 

Things I was totally wrong about…

- Rousseau wouldn’t be ready to make an impact until later in the season

- Moss would clearly set himself apart from Singletary as the starter

- AJ Epenesa could be a bust 

 

What are yours?

 

Things I was right about:

-Trubisky would look good

-Hollister would be a nice addition

-McKenzie would win the KR/PR competition over Stevenson and Powell (not as sure a thing since he's now injured and Stevenson got his Shot)

-AJ Epenesa would look ready to make a step

 

Things I was wrong about:

-Lamp and Douglas would make a serious challenge to start at G

-Knox would show great improvement in focus/drops

-Rousseau would look very raw and not ready to contribute

-Wade would make a splash

[nedboy7]

10 hours ago, ScottLaw said:

The misdirection plays seem to completely fool our defense EVERY TIME…. I suspect the Patriots will throw a lot of this in their game plan when we play them and just target Edmunds all game.

 

What did you think of Davis's performance? Not bad for having to prove himself ha? 

[RobbRiddick]

I was right that if Wilson looked good in preseason then Jets fans would be predicting Super Bowl

[Allen2D̶i̶g̶g̶s̶TBD]

I thought that Rousseau was going to be a project that that his long frame would lead him to get pushed around by NFL tackles until he added more bulk. Instead he had an immediate impact in preseason and was able to overpower an OT drafted in the top 10.

 

I also thought that Ford/Knox/Edmunds would breakout in preseason, but I didn't see too much of that. Ford was outplayed by Boettger, Knox by Hollister, and Edmunds by Andre Smith.

Edited August 29, 2021 by Allen2Diggs

[Locomark]

4 hours ago, Dopey said:

Seems a lot of folks here still don't get it with Star. I thought he played well in the GB game. Was there a run or two while he was in, sure. But they are way better with him in there. Just as an example, we stopped them at the goal line in the first qt. He was a big part of that stance. Also, on the play where Kline knifes through for a tackle behind the LOS, you can see Star throw his opponent to his left like a rag doll. Star was missed last year, big time.

I am fine with Star but we have little beyond him to stop the run at true 1 tech DT, plus at his age I figure they will have to draft DT first round next year. The reality is Harry isn’t the answer and Oliver isn’t stout so we need another gifted big body who can really contribute inside. 

[Locomark]

2 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Things I was right about:

-Trubisky would look good

-Hollister would be a nice addition

-McKenzie would win the KR/PR competition over Stevenson and Powell

-AJ Epenesa would look ready to make a step

 

Things I was wrong about:

-Lamp and Douglas would make a serious challenge to start at G

-Knox would show great improvement in focus/drops

-Rousseau would look very raw and not ready to contribute

-Wade would make a splash

Hollister will make some plays for us this year. Throw in the new adds of Breida and likely TD Jesus and maybe Stevenson and they will have many chances to diversify game plans this year whereas last year their TE2, RB3, and WR6 served little offensive use. 

I also thought Lamp would at least contend for a backup role. 

[HappyDays]

5 hours ago, That's No Moon said:

They didn't fix it, and I don't think they can fix it this year which is why I said the solution is better offense. However, I'm not sure they did that either and their offensive flaws look to be the same.

 

I think there are plenty of factors that could lead to a better offense this year:

 

1) Allen takes his game to yet another level.

2) Singletary gets back to his rookie self.

3) Sanders upgrades Brown.

4) Davis progresses in his 2nd year.

 

And based on the offseason so far all of these seem fairly likely at this point. I don't see a spot where the offense got worse. As good as we were last year there is always room for improvement.

 

Defensively I agree I don't see us being too much better than last year. I was hoping to see players like Edmunds and Oliver take a big step but I haven't seen evidence of that so far this offseason. Hopefully Rousseau has a big impact this year but I'm not going to rely on a rookie to take our defense to an elite level.

 

Last year our defense was average to bad for most of the year and our offense still carried us to the AFC Championship where they happened to have their worst game of the season. If our already elite offense does manage to take a step forward, even if our defense is mediocre that is still a winning formula for the Super Bowl as Kansas City has proved.

[LeGOATski]

A lot of people just coming in here to give a summary of what they currently think...that wasn't the question 😄

 

The doubt in Gabe Davis prior to the pre-season was surprising. The dude was great as a rookie.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Joe B and Matt Fairburn have a shot at right about/wrong about question, in the form of biggest surprise, biggest disappointment

 

https://theathletic.com/2795735/2021/08/29/bills-preseason-wrap-biggest-surprise-disappointment-and-questions-from-buffalos-summer/?source=emp_shared_article

 

Quote

Who was the biggest surprise of camp?

Buscaglia: (...)I’ll take fullback/tight end Reggie Gilliam for this. Coming into camp it appeared as though Gilliam would have a tough time making the roster ahead of Tommy Sweeney. However, little things started to add up. First, they “moved” Gilliam to fullback a day before camp began. (...) Gilliam appeared on all the major special-teams units and started getting time with the top offensive unit in preseason games.(....)He offers multi-position versatility and special-teams ability, which the Bills covet. Gilliam went from outside looking in to firmly on the 53-man roster for me.

Fairburn: Wallace’s performance took me by surprise. During the spring practices we saw, Jackson seemed to have closed the gap on Wallace in the competition to be the Bills’ No. 2 cornerback. But before a late hip injury that has kept him out of practice recently, Wallace has made it clear that’s his spot. Now entering his fourth season, Wallace carries himself like someone who belongs in the starting lineup. He makes so few mistakes with his technique and positioning, but Wallace sprinkled in some big plays during camp.

 

Quote

Who was the biggest disappointment?

Fairburn: Basham was billed as one of the most pro-ready defensive ends in the draft, but he struggled to earn reps with the first and second-team defense throughout the summer. T(...)  This is hardly a reason to be concerned about Basham’s long-term potential. But after he picked off a pass early in camp, he had the look of a player who could make an instant impact. Instead, Rousseau, Epenesa and even Obada passed him on the depth chart.(...)

Buscaglia: (...) I’ll go with 2019 second-round pick Cody Ford as the biggest disappointment. General manager Brandon Beane said during the offseason that he would be surprised if Ford wasn’t one of their best five offensive linemen. Yet, against the Packers, Ford split first-team offensive series with Ike Boettger. On top of that, when Ford was in the game, he continued to give up pass-rushing pressures as he has a lot this summer.

 

Quote

Preseason is over, so what is one Bills opinion you have now that you didn’t think you’d have before camp?

Fairburn: The Bills have the right mix at running back. This was a question mark heading into training camp after the running game underwhelmed in 2020. But Devin Singletary’s offseason work translated into a strong preseason. Zack Moss battled through some bumps and bruises to put together a productive summer. And Matt Breida adds needed speed to this backfield. Between those three backs, Brian Daboll has enough to work with at running back. (...) when they need plays from their running backs, they’ll get them. Singletary, Moss and Breida may not be individually destined for stardom, but as a group, they’ll produce enough results.

Buscaglia: Rousseau is ready for a big role right away. (......) Rousseau was giving starting right tackle Daryl Williams all he could handle, and the two had one of the best back-and-forth battles all camp. Rousseau took the strong practice performances into the preseason and has consistently won pass-rushing reps to get into the backfield.  (.....)   Rousseau has been so effective, that it would not be a surprise to see him being the starting right defensive end with Hughes over on the left side. The  Bills teased that with their first two defensive series against the Packers.

 

 

[Solomon Grundy]

I was on the Rousseau wagon since the draft. Call me Rocket😎

[LABILLBACKER]

Was wrong and disappointed in Dane's camp. I guess we'll have to settle for him or Siran to backup Wallace. So happy our 3 young DE's are developing. But I'm afraid teams will run A gaps or RPO often. 

[CSBill]

What I was right about: Preseason games still don't count. 🤪

 

What I was wrong about: Zack Ertz would make a big splash on his new team. 😩

[machine gun kelly]

What I believe I was wrong about as the games haven’t been played, but just purely on PS.

 

I thought Dane would’ve had a better camp and pushed Levi harder.

 

I thought like many GROOT would be raw and Boogie would be more polished.  
 

I was right (I believe) Breida will be a nice add to this team in jet sweeps and short passes.

 

I’ll add a category I am pleasantly surprised at Andre as a LB.  I don’t think he’ll get much playing time, but good depth.

[Patrick Duffy]

I don't know about necessarily being wrong about anything, but I will say a couple players didn't have quite as good of a TC/preseason as I was hoping they would.

[nedboy7]

14 hours ago, ScottLaw said:

Davis looked great…. A 2nd year receiver who looked solid but inconsistent his rookie season has nothing to prove? Got it.

 

Just was trying get you to say something positive for once.  Well done.