Alpha's Good, the bad, and the ugly week 1...

[Alphadawg7]

First, wow did I ever love my first trip to Buffalo, and BIG THANKS to everyone who chimed in on helping me find our way around!  Quick hits on our trip:  First food was at Bar-Bill where we did the gauntlet...wings the way Josh Allen orders them, Pizza, and Beef on Weck...all delicious.  We also did Elmos for wings, Duffs, and Anchor Bar (although Anchor Bar was at the airport on the way out).  Bar-Bill and Elmos were our favorite wings.  Niagara was incredible and exceeded expectations, especially Cave of the Winds and Made of the Mist where we never really expected to be so close to the falls themselves to feel their raw power and beauty.  

 

We also ate at Toutant and had a great meal there and did breakfast at Sophias which was also excellent.  Thanks @Augiefor showing us around Hammers Lot, we had a great time and loved our seats for the game where we sat with all Levi Wallace's friends from college and we all had a blast.  Result wasn't what we all wanted, but our first experience none the less was incredible.  

 

Now on to the game...The GOOD:

1. Defense...without question this was the best part of this game.  Our defense held its own despite having too be on the field more than we all expected with the offense sputtering too much.  I was encouraged by the performance of the DL, and surprised to see Rousseau starting opposite Hughes instead of AJE already.  But the rotation was exciting to see lots of fresh legs in there.  Our secondary for the most part looked good too, I still feel Tre got screwed on the penalty with the INT as well.  Levi gave up the TD, but I felt it was great coverage as he deflected the ball, but the WR just made a great play himself.  
   1. The PI with Levi was unfortunate, but I think it was more of circumstance of how poorly thrown the ball was as it was way short and it just happens sometimes.  Ideally you want Levi to get his head around there, but he had great coverage on the play until the ball just died and came in way short.  Overall, I think Levi had a pretty strong outing otherwise. 
2. McKenzie as a KR...I think he did quite well as our new returner, even returned back to the game after aggravating his shoulder again.  
3. Singletary...before the season, I predicted he would eclipse 1000 yards this year, and after week 1 he is on pace for 1224...of course I don't think he is going to continue to run at an average of 6.6 ypc, but IMHO he looked good when given opportunities.  And most importantly, he nice runs on plays better designed to run on.  He picked up first downs when he needed as well.  This was a good first showing for him, I hope this at least gets Daboll to consider upping his touches more, because we were a better offense on the drives he was being used properly Sunday.

 

The BAD:

1. Josh Allen...I don't want to harp on him too much, his OL and Daboll did him no favors (see below), and I absolutely love and believe in Allen without question.  However, it was clear as day that Josh was pressing way too much in this game to make something happen, particularly the big play.  Josh excelled last season because he learned to take what the defense was giving him, and far too many times Sunday he had wide open easy throws and chose to air out into poor coverage down the field instead trying to force a big play.  He also was off on some throws he consistently makes.  It wasn't all bad for him, but in regards to the new standard he set for himself by his play last year, this would qualify as a bad day.
   1. On a positive side, he still made some incredible throws, including the TD to Davis and a couple of other lasers.  I think the lack of playing time, the new contract, the new expectations, first home game with full stadium in since 2020, etc just all led to him just pressing too much.  I am SUPREMELY confident he will have a big bounce back game next week.  
2. Receivers...I didn't think our receivers had the best game either.  There were some drops and also a few plays where it seemed Allen and Sanders were not on the same page, but that's to be expected when they havent had a lot of time together, especially in an offense where the receivers are allowed to improvise a lot.  

 

The UGLY:

1. BRIAN DABOLL!  I intentionally put that in all caps because he was that bad!  
   1. STOP WITH THE RPO!  Josh Allen is NOT a RB or a running QB!  He is a QB who can make you pay with his legs in the right moments, he is not Murray or Lamar!  How the hell does Daboll not know this already?  Josh excels at running when he is either extending plays and escaping, rolling out of the pocket and taking off if the lanes are open, or a QB sneak...THATS IT!  Why on earth are you having him take off on the snap like a RB up the middle while the Box is still full of defenders?  Thats going to lead to fumbles or injury!  Geezus, this is NOT complicated!
   2. WTF are you thinking on 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1??????  Josh over 3 years has converted every QB sneak but I think 1, including ones where the snap was fumbled or sneaks when it was down and 2!  Instead you FAKE a sneak???? Then throw the ball 3 yards backwards making the runner need 4 yards while the line is crowded??? STOP GETTING CUTE TO LOOK LIKE A GENIUS!  Just play OUR game!  
   3. What is with the lack of adjustments?  He was just flat out bad Sunday and totally out coached.  He had no response to the lack of blitzing and just tried to ram his square plan into a round hole.  
2. The OL...pretty obvious here, they couldn't protect Josh or keep themselves from committing horrible penalties.  We even had another holding call that is not on the stat sheet simply because Beasley dropped the 3rd down pass making it 4th down and they declined the penalty.  

 

THE BETTER NEWS:  I feel like this team is still well coached overall, they will learn from this game, and fully expect a big bounce back game for the offense next week against the Fins.  

Edited September 14, 2021 by Alphadawg7

[scuba guy]

So I am glad you liked your first game and your stay in Buffalo it is Turley an all American city.

 

I was not able to get into hammers we got there at 750am and the line was very long and got a text saying lot was full.

 

Hope you and your fiance had a great trip back to California 

[Patrick Duffy]

Agree with pretty much everything you have here. The thing that irritated me the most I think was Daboll's play calling

 

 

Side note: You take a lot of good pics at your first game?

Edited September 14, 2021 by Sheneneh Jenkins

[Freddie's Dead]

Agree with all of it 'dawg.  I'd add the Haack to the ugly for the blocked punt.  True, the blocking up front was poor, but a two-step technique still gets that punt off.  Haack can't use a three-step technique (with a stutter step!) from his own 10-yard line. 

[Alphadawg7]

Just now, Freddie's Dead said:

Agree with all of it 'dawg.  I'd add the Haack to the ugly for the blocked punt.  True, the blocking up front was poor, but a two-step technique still gets that punt off.  Haack can't use a three-step technique (with a stutter step!) from his own 10-yard line. 

 

That is a good point, I actually didn't see that kind of detail on that play.  Our seats were closer to the other side of the field, so it looked more to me it was a mistake in the protection up front, didn't notice the 3 steps.  

4 minutes ago, Sheneneh Jenkins said:

Agree with pretty much everything you have here. The thing that irritated me the most I think was Daboll's play calling

 

 

Side note: You take a lot of good pics at your first game?

 

Yeah, lots of good footage!

[Freddie's Dead]

Just now, Alphadawg7 said:

 

That is a good point, I actually didn't see that kind of detail on that play.  Our seats were closer to the other side of the field, so it looked more to me it was a mistake in the protection up front, didn't notice the 3 steps.  

 

Check out the replay, he takes two steps and kicks (the kick is included as a step), with a small stutter step on the first step.  That extra .5 was all the Squeelers needed to get there.

[billybrew1]

Pittsburgh did not really blitz and that was the big problem. We horribly lost the LOS. When your front four penetrates fast and you can cover with seven there is not a lot a coordinator can do.

 

The good news: we played this team three times and won twice. The Stealers are a tough team. In our wins we didn't pull away till later so all the games were closely fought.

We won the first two because the OL forced the Stealers to blitz. They didn't have to Sunday. Additionally, Josh Allen wasn't right for most the game. We won 15 games last year because JA17 was freakin' fantastic most of the time. Not so yesterday.

He has got to hit that open streak to Sanders next time.

He just looked off most of the game, Pittsburgh's rush got to him, imho....

 

Yeah, trick plays really look horrific when they don't work. I think what a fan has to do is recall all the times they do work and then add the time DC's have to put into their week warning their players to stay in the gaps and not to take too many chances.  I love trick plays ever since Parcells put them into his plans. They are part of our offense thankfully, and hopefully we are brave enough to keep running them. I bet we hit one next week (if we try one).

[Alphadawg7]

1 minute ago, billybrew1 said:

Pittsburgh did not really blitz and that was the big problem. We horribly lost the LOS. When your front four penetrates fast and you can cover with seven there is not a lot a coordinator can do.

 

The good news: we played this team three times and won twice. The Stealers are a tough team. In our wins we didn't pull away till later so all the games were closely fought.

We won the first two because the OL forced the Stealers to blitz. They didn't have to Sunday. Additionally, Josh Allen wasn't right for most the game. We won 15 games last year because JA17 was freakin' fantastic most of the time. Not so yesterday.

He has got to hit that open streak to Sanders next time.

He just looked off most of the game, Pittsburgh's rush got to him, imho....

 

Yeah, trick plays really look horrific when they don't work. I think what a fan has to do is recall all the times they do work and then add the time DC's have to put into their week warning their players to stay in the gaps and not to take too many chances.  I love trick plays ever since Parcells put them into his plans. They are part of our offense thankfully, and hopefully we are brave enough to keep running them. I bet we hit one next week (if we try one).

 

(Use of CAPS below is just to emphasize key words, not yelling in response to you, more yelling it at Daboll lol)

 

I agree with some of this and disagree with other parts.  The parts I agree with were already covered in my OP, so will focus on the disagree..

 

The Trick Plays:  I love trick plays as much as the next guy, and I agree with you that its great we have them in our game plan.  BUT...and its a big BUT...there is a time and place for them, and Daboll has a tendency to try them at bad moments.  The flea flicker was fine, thats a fine moment to try that.  The 4th and 1 was a STUPID call.  You have one play to get the 1 yard, or its a TURNOVER.  That is NOT the time to try a trick play when you have a QB who has like a 99% success rate of picking up the 1 yard on sneaks over his 3 year career.  It was a KEY movement in the game too where Pitt has some momentum, our D been on the field a lot, and our offense needed to keep the chains moving.  That was one of the all time stupidest calls I have ever seen for those reasons.  

 

If it was 3rd and 1, and you already knew you were going to go for it on 4th down regardless (so you have 2 shots at it), then I can live with an aggressive trick play.  But on 4th and 1 and in a situation you need this conversion, you go to your HIGHEST percentage play, not a gamble on a trick play with a much lower probability of succeeding.  

 

And Daboll's overall calling of the game was poor, he failed to adjust to the lack of blitz by Pittsburgh and was just out coached in this regard.  

[BillsFanSD]

Allen obviously didn't have a good game, but I'm not seeing him as being anything close to the problem on Sunday.  The Steelers were getting consistent pressure, often right up the middle, with just 3-4 rushers and they did a good job of keeping him in the pocket instead of rolling out where he could improvise.  There is no quarterback in the NFL who would look good under those conditions, including Mahomes in the super bowl last year.  Combine that with some questionable (at best) playcalling, and here we are. 

 

I really think the issues on offense this weekend were about 90% on the offensive line and about 10% on Daboll.  The reason why I place so little weight on Daboll is because we still would have won the game probably by multiple scores if our linemen had just been able to keep the Steelers' DL under control.  Good blocking covers up all sorts of shaky play calls.

[Patrick Duffy]

1 hour ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

Check out the replay, he takes two steps and kicks (the kick is included as a step), with a small stutter step on the first step.  That extra .5 was all the Squeelers needed to get there.

He did that every punt if I'm not mistaken. Looks very slow getting his kicks away. I recall when watching the game and his very first time coming out to punt I said to my wife," he's getting that kick away too slow, probably see a blocked punt at some point in this game".

 

I get the blocking wasn't good and all, but the way he's getting those kicks off it's likely going to be more blocked punts to come.

Edited September 14, 2021 by Sheneneh Jenkins

[34-78-83]

1 hour ago, Alphadawg7 said:

The BAD:

  He also was off on some throws he consistently makes.

 

regarding the above, I submit this video evidence:

I am surprised you didn't make mention of the gusts as part of your visit to the stadium, but for sure it affected both QB's on multiple throws.

 

 

Glad you enjoyed your time in the area! Good choices of places to check out too!

 

 

[Alphadawg7]

3 hours ago, BillsFanSD said:

Allen obviously didn't have a good game, but I'm not seeing him as being anything close to the problem on Sunday.  The Steelers were getting consistent pressure, often right up the middle, with just 3-4 rushers and they did a good job of keeping him in the pocket instead of rolling out where he could improvise.  There is no quarterback in the NFL who would look good under those conditions, including Mahomes in the super bowl last year.  Combine that with some questionable (at best) playcalling, and here we are. 

 

I really think the issues on offense this weekend were about 90% on the offensive line and about 10% on Daboll.  The reason why I place so little weight on Daboll is because we still would have won the game probably by multiple scores if our linemen had just been able to keep the Steelers' DL under control.  Good blocking covers up all sorts of shaky play calls.

 

But thats just it...Daboll should have adjusted in that situation, and we just didn't do that.  He was out coached and had no answer for the lack of Blitz

[Scott7975]

4 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

First, wow did I ever love my first trip to Buffalo, and BIG THANKS to everyone who chimed in on helping me find our way around!  Quick hits on our trip:  First food was at Bar-Bill where we did the gauntlet...wings the way Josh Allen orders them, Pizza, and Beef on Weck...all delicious.  We also did Elmos for wings, Duffs, and Anchor Bar (although Anchor Bar was at the airport on the way out).  Bar-Bill and Elmos were our favorite wings.  Niagara was incredible and exceeded expectations, especially Cave of the Winds and Made of the Mist where we never really expected to be so close to the falls themselves to feel their raw power and beauty.  

 

We also ate at Toutant and had a great meal there and did breakfast at Sophias which was also excellent.  Thanks @Augiefor showing us around Hammers Lot, we had a great time and loved our seats for the game where we sat with all Levi Wallace's friends from college and we all had a blast.  Result wasn't what we all wanted, but our first experience none the less was incredible.  

 

Now on to the game...The GOOD:

1. Defense...without question this was the best part of this game.  Our defense held its own despite having too be on the field more than we all expected with the offense sputtering too much.  I was encouraged by the performance of the DL, and surprised to see Rousseau starting opposite Hughes instead of AJE already.  But the rotation was exciting to see lots of fresh legs in there.  Our secondary for the most part looked good too, I still feel Tre got screwed on the penalty with the INT as well.  Levi gave up the TD, but I felt it was great coverage as he deflected the ball, but the WR just made a great play himself.  
   1. The PI with Levi was unfortunate, but I think it was more of circumstance of how poorly thrown the ball was as it was way short and it just happens sometimes.  Ideally you want Levi to get his head around there, but he had great coverage on the play until the ball just died and came in way short.  Overall, I think Levi had a pretty strong outing otherwise. 
2. McKenzie as a KR...I think he did quite well as our new returner, even returned back to the game after aggravating his shoulder again.  
3. Singletary...before the season, I predicted he would eclipse 1000 yards this year, and after week 1 he is on pace for 1224...of course I don't think he is going to continue to run at an average of 6.6 ypc, but IMHO he looked good when given opportunities.  And most importantly, he nice runs on plays better designed to run on.  He picked up first downs when he needed as well.  This was a good first showing for him, I hope this at least gets Daboll to consider upping his touches more, because we were a better offense on the drives he was being used properly Sunday.

 

The BAD:

1. Josh Allen...I don't want to harp on him too much, his OL and Daboll did him no favors (see below), and I absolutely love and believe in Allen without question.  However, it was clear as day that Josh was pressing way too much in this game to make something happen, particularly the big play.  Josh excelled last season because he learned to take what the defense was giving him, and far too many times Sunday he had wide open easy throws and chose to air out into poor coverage down the field instead trying to force a big play.  He also was off on some throws he consistently makes.  It wasn't all bad for him, but in regards to the new standard he set for himself by his play last year, this would qualify as a bad day.
   1. On a positive side, he still made some incredible throws, including the TD to Davis and a couple of other lasers.  I think the lack of playing time, the new contract, the new expectations, first home game with full stadium in since 2020, etc just all led to him just pressing too much.  I am SUPREMELY confident he will have a big bounce back game next week.  
2. Receivers...I didn't think our receivers had the best game either.  There were some drops and also a few plays where it seemed Allen and Sanders were not on the same page, but that's to be expected when they havent had a lot of time together, especially in an offense where the receivers are allowed to improvise a lot.  

 

The UGLY:

1. BRIAN DABOLL!  I intentionally put that in all caps because he was that bad!  
   1. STOP WITH THE RPO!  Josh Allen is NOT a RB or a running QB!  He is a QB who can make you pay with his legs in the right moments, he is not Murray or Lamar!  How the hell does Daboll not know this already?  Josh excels at running when he is either extending plays and escaping, rolling out of the pocket and taking off if the lanes are open, or a QB sneak...THATS IT!  Why on earth are you having him take off on the snap like a RB up the middle while the Box is still full of defenders?  Thats going to lead to fumbles or injury!  Geezus, this is NOT complicated!
   2. WTF are you thinking on 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1??????  Josh over 3 years has converted every QB sneak but I think 1, including ones where the snap was fumbled or sneaks when it was down and 2!  Instead you FAKE a sneak???? Then throw the ball 3 yards backwards making the runner need 4 yards while the line is crowded??? STOP GETTING CUTE TO LOOK LIKE A GENIUS!  Just play OUR game!  
   3. What is with the lack of adjustments?  He was just flat out bad Sunday and totally out coached.  He had no response to the lack of blitzing and just tried to ram his square plan into a round hole.  
2. The OL...pretty obvious here, they couldn't protect Josh or keep themselves from committing horrible penalties.  We even had another holding call that is not on the stat sheet simply because Beasley dropped the 3rd down pass making it 4th down and they declined the penalty.  

 

THE BETTER NEWS:  I feel like this team is still well coached overall, they will learn from this game, and fully expect a big bounce back game for the offense next week against the Fins.  

 

Nice write up.  All I want to comment on really is the McKenzie shoulder.  I heard it was his other shoulder he tweaked, not the injured one.

[Alphadawg7]

35 minutes ago, Scott7975 said:

 

Nice write up.  All I want to comment on really is the McKenzie shoulder.  I heard it was his other shoulder he tweaked, not the injured one.

 

Oh, I was in the stands and didn't hear that detail, thanks for that info.  

[MasterStrategist]

5 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

First, wow did I ever love my first trip to Buffalo, and BIG THANKS to everyone who chimed in on helping me find our way around!  Quick hits on our trip:  First food was at Bar-Bill where we did the gauntlet...wings the way Josh Allen orders them, Pizza, and Beef on Weck...all delicious.  We also did Elmos for wings, Duffs, and Anchor Bar (although Anchor Bar was at the airport on the way out).  Bar-Bill and Elmos were our favorite wings.  Niagara was incredible and exceeded expectations, especially Cave of the Winds and Made of the Mist where we never really expected to be so close to the falls themselves to feel their raw power and beauty.  

 

We also ate at Toutant and had a great meal there and did breakfast at Sophias which was also excellent.  Thanks @Augiefor showing us around Hammers Lot, we had a great time and loved our seats for the game where we sat with all Levi Wallace's friends from college and we all had a blast.  Result wasn't what we all wanted, but our first experience none the less was incredible.  

 

Now on to the game...The GOOD:

1. Defense...without question this was the best part of this game.  Our defense held its own despite having too be on the field more than we all expected with the offense sputtering too much.  I was encouraged by the performance of the DL, and surprised to see Rousseau starting opposite Hughes instead of AJE already.  But the rotation was exciting to see lots of fresh legs in there.  Our secondary for the most part looked good too, I still feel Tre got screwed on the penalty with the INT as well.  Levi gave up the TD, but I felt it was great coverage as he deflected the ball, but the WR just made a great play himself.  
   1. The PI with Levi was unfortunate, but I think it was more of circumstance of how poorly thrown the ball was as it was way short and it just happens sometimes.  Ideally you want Levi to get his head around there, but he had great coverage on the play until the ball just died and came in way short.  Overall, I think Levi had a pretty strong outing otherwise. 
2. McKenzie as a KR...I think he did quite well as our new returner, even returned back to the game after aggravating his shoulder again.  
3. Singletary...before the season, I predicted he would eclipse 1000 yards this year, and after week 1 he is on pace for 1224...of course I don't think he is going to continue to run at an average of 6.6 ypc, but IMHO he looked good when given opportunities.  And most importantly, he nice runs on plays better designed to run on.  He picked up first downs when he needed as well.  This was a good first showing for him, I hope this at least gets Daboll to consider upping his touches more, because we were a better offense on the drives he was being used properly Sunday.

 

The BAD:

1. Josh Allen...I don't want to harp on him too much, his OL and Daboll did him no favors (see below), and I absolutely love and believe in Allen without question.  However, it was clear as day that Josh was pressing way too much in this game to make something happen, particularly the big play.  Josh excelled last season because he learned to take what the defense was giving him, and far too many times Sunday he had wide open easy throws and chose to air out into poor coverage down the field instead trying to force a big play.  He also was off on some throws he consistently makes.  It wasn't all bad for him, but in regards to the new standard he set for himself by his play last year, this would qualify as a bad day.
   1. On a positive side, he still made some incredible throws, including the TD to Davis and a couple of other lasers.  I think the lack of playing time, the new contract, the new expectations, first home game with full stadium in since 2020, etc just all led to him just pressing too much.  I am SUPREMELY confident he will have a big bounce back game next week.  
2. Receivers...I didn't think our receivers had the best game either.  There were some drops and also a few plays where it seemed Allen and Sanders were not on the same page, but that's to be expected when they havent had a lot of time together, especially in an offense where the receivers are allowed to improvise a lot.  

 

The UGLY:

1. BRIAN DABOLL!  I intentionally put that in all caps because he was that bad!  
   1. STOP WITH THE RPO!  Josh Allen is NOT a RB or a running QB!  He is a QB who can make you pay with his legs in the right moments, he is not Murray or Lamar!  How the hell does Daboll not know this already?  Josh excels at running when he is either extending plays and escaping, rolling out of the pocket and taking off if the lanes are open, or a QB sneak...THATS IT!  Why on earth are you having him take off on the snap like a RB up the middle while the Box is still full of defenders?  Thats going to lead to fumbles or injury!  Geezus, this is NOT complicated!
   2. WTF are you thinking on 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1??????  Josh over 3 years has converted every QB sneak but I think 1, including ones where the snap was fumbled or sneaks when it was down and 2!  Instead you FAKE a sneak???? Then throw the ball 3 yards backwards making the runner need 4 yards while the line is crowded??? STOP GETTING CUTE TO LOOK LIKE A GENIUS!  Just play OUR game!  
   3. What is with the lack of adjustments?  He was just flat out bad Sunday and totally out coached.  He had no response to the lack of blitzing and just tried to ram his square plan into a round hole.  
2. The OL...pretty obvious here, they couldn't protect Josh or keep themselves from committing horrible penalties.  We even had another holding call that is not on the stat sheet simply because Beasley dropped the 3rd down pass making it 4th down and they declined the penalty.  

 

THE BETTER NEWS:  I feel like this team is still well coached overall, they will learn from this game, and fully expect a big bounce back game for the offense next week against the Fins.  

Heck of a recap and write-up.

 

As a fellow out of towner, albeit closer to Pittsburgh, was cool to read about the great food options discussed above and the other thread you started.  Look forward to trying Bar Bill sometime soon.

 

I'd add, that it was a pleasant surprise to see fewer Steeler fans than I expected.  Historically, the stadium would have been 40%+ Steeler colors.

 

As far as the game, your takeaways and recap was exactly what I noticed. I was sitting in front of the Davis TD and that was one heck of a pass/catch.  

 

Regarding Daboll, I was livid that we didn't run or attempt to run more with Motor (agreed with your other thread he looks like a stud back this year).  But after watching the replay and couple days to digest the loss, I do think Josh missed more throws and opportunities than I originally thought. 

 

We moved the ball well at times and just stalled.  I put more blame on Daboll originally, but think this was balanced between him and Josh/oline lack of execution.  I still would like to see Daboll adjust, but he's seeing these guys up close in practice each day and likely how talented this passing game can be.

 

I question McDermott not kicking the FG with Bass either.  4th and 9, is a small window for a good outcome vs a strong legged kicker from 55 yards out (against the wind, yes, but I'd think higher chance of success).

 

 

[Buffalo716]

I'm glad you enjoyed the city

 

I honestly was thinking about your trip and how disappointed you must have been because bills lost

 

I was really hoping you had a great time in the city and that it embraced you

 

@Alphadawg7

[NewEra]

7 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

First, wow did I ever love my first trip to Buffalo, and BIG THANKS to everyone who chimed in on helping me find our way around!  Quick hits on our trip:  First food was at Bar-Bill where we did the gauntlet...wings the way Josh Allen orders them, Pizza, and Beef on Weck...all delicious.  We also did Elmos for wings, Duffs, and Anchor Bar (although Anchor Bar was at the airport on the way out).  Bar-Bill and Elmos were our favorite wings.  Niagara was incredible and exceeded expectations, especially Cave of the Winds and Made of the Mist where we never really expected to be so close to the falls themselves to feel their raw power and beauty.  

 

We also ate at Toutant and had a great meal there and did breakfast at Sophias which was also excellent.  Thanks @Augiefor showing us around Hammers Lot, we had a great time and loved our seats for the game where we sat with all Levi Wallace's friends from college and we all had a blast.  Result wasn't what we all wanted, but our first experience none the less was incredible.  

 

Now on to the game...The GOOD:

1. Defense...without question this was the best part of this game.  Our defense held its own despite having too be on the field more than we all expected with the offense sputtering too much.  I was encouraged by the performance of the DL, and surprised to see Rousseau starting opposite Hughes instead of AJE already.  But the rotation was exciting to see lots of fresh legs in there.  Our secondary for the most part looked good too, I still feel Tre got screwed on the penalty with the INT as well.  Levi gave up the TD, but I felt it was great coverage as he deflected the ball, but the WR just made a great play himself.  
   1. The PI with Levi was unfortunate, but I think it was more of circumstance of how poorly thrown the ball was as it was way short and it just happens sometimes.  Ideally you want Levi to get his head around there, but he had great coverage on the play until the ball just died and came in way short.  Overall, I think Levi had a pretty strong outing otherwise. 
2. McKenzie as a KR...I think he did quite well as our new returner, even returned back to the game after aggravating his shoulder again.  
3. Singletary...before the season, I predicted he would eclipse 1000 yards this year, and after week 1 he is on pace for 1224...of course I don't think he is going to continue to run at an average of 6.6 ypc, but IMHO he looked good when given opportunities.  And most importantly, he nice runs on plays better designed to run on.  He picked up first downs when he needed as well.  This was a good first showing for him, I hope this at least gets Daboll to consider upping his touches more, because we were a better offense on the drives he was being used properly Sunday.

 

The BAD:

1. Josh Allen...I don't want to harp on him too much, his OL and Daboll did him no favors (see below), and I absolutely love and believe in Allen without question.  However, it was clear as day that Josh was pressing way too much in this game to make something happen, particularly the big play.  Josh excelled last season because he learned to take what the defense was giving him, and far too many times Sunday he had wide open easy throws and chose to air out into poor coverage down the field instead trying to force a big play.  He also was off on some throws he consistently makes.  It wasn't all bad for him, but in regards to the new standard he set for himself by his play last year, this would qualify as a bad day.
   1. On a positive side, he still made some incredible throws, including the TD to Davis and a couple of other lasers.  I think the lack of playing time, the new contract, the new expectations, first home game with full stadium in since 2020, etc just all led to him just pressing too much.  I am SUPREMELY confident he will have a big bounce back game next week.  
2. Receivers...I didn't think our receivers had the best game either.  There were some drops and also a few plays where it seemed Allen and Sanders were not on the same page, but that's to be expected when they havent had a lot of time together, especially in an offense where the receivers are allowed to improvise a lot.  

 

The UGLY:

1. BRIAN DABOLL!  I intentionally put that in all caps because he was that bad!  
   1. STOP WITH THE RPO!  Josh Allen is NOT a RB or a running QB!  He is a QB who can make you pay with his legs in the right moments, he is not Murray or Lamar!  How the hell does Daboll not know this already?  Josh excels at running when he is either extending plays and escaping, rolling out of the pocket and taking off if the lanes are open, or a QB sneak...THATS IT!  Why on earth are you having him take off on the snap like a RB up the middle while the Box is still full of defenders?  Thats going to lead to fumbles or injury!  Geezus, this is NOT complicated!
   2. WTF are you thinking on 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1??????  Josh over 3 years has converted every QB sneak but I think 1, including ones where the snap was fumbled or sneaks when it was down and 2!  Instead you FAKE a sneak???? Then throw the ball 3 yards backwards making the runner need 4 yards while the line is crowded??? STOP GETTING CUTE TO LOOK LIKE A GENIUS!  Just play OUR game!  
   3. What is with the lack of adjustments?  He was just flat out bad Sunday and totally out coached.  He had no response to the lack of blitzing and just tried to ram his square plan into a round hole.  
2. The OL...pretty obvious here, they couldn't protect Josh or keep themselves from committing horrible penalties.  We even had another holding call that is not on the stat sheet simply because Beasley dropped the 3rd down pass making it 4th down and they declined the penalty.  

 

THE BETTER NEWS:  I feel like this team is still well coached overall, they will learn from this game, and fully expect a big bounce back game for the offense next week against the Fins.  

Glad you enjoyed yourself and met @Augie.  That’s a class act right there. The outcome of the game sucked but we all know Super Bowls aren’t won in September.

Hopefully the loss will have a positive affect on our coaching staff.  Last season ended because all of our coaches were dominated by their counterpart.  I hope that our season ends this year because our players won or lost the game, not 💯 on the coaching.

[Augie]

15 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

I'm glad you enjoyed the city

 

I honestly was thinking about your trip and how disappointed you must have been because bills lost

 

I was really hoping you had a great time in the city and that it embraced you

 

@Alphadawg7

 

Trust me, the experience will long outlast the win or loss. @Alphadawg7 met our son this week. I brought each kid to a game when they turned 16. He makes ME look like a casual fan. 

[Buffalo716]

Just now, Augie said:

 

Trust me, the experience will long outlast the win or loss. @Alphadawg7 met our son this week. I brought each kid to a game when they turned 16. He makes ME look like a casual fan. 

You are a great father

[JerseyBills]

Solid post. I agree with most.

Let's see how this progresses.  Week 2 in Miami is suddenly a huge game for us... 

 

We need the W.

Don't care how we get it but starting 0-2 would really be brutal.

 

Willing to give them a pass in week 1, the stadium rocking, playing against a phenomenal front 7 and 3 very good WRs(Johnson,Claypool,Juju). I think their passing O will have much success going forward and we'll look back and say we did very good vs an elite D. 

 

Not looking forward to seeing them in January though