No random thoughts this week (LAMP)

[Virgil]

6 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

I couldn't stop, so I swerved to the right

 

I'll never forget, the sound that night
The screamin' tires, the bustin' glass
The painful scream, that I heard last

 

That songs is just brutal  I know it's a remake, but damn

[Just in Atlanta]

Here comes the B team ...

Thoughts about the Jags game, in no particular order:

1. The Cover 2 "shell" concept was credited for stymying Josh. Seems like a vanilla defensive plan to this fan. A quick google of the scheme yielded this: "The main weakness of the Cover 2 shell occurs in the middle of the field between the safeties. At the snap of the ball, many times the safeties will move toward the sidelines in order to cover any long passes to quick wide receivers. This movement creates a natural hole between the safeties that can be attacked." I find it hard to believe our offensive coordinator would be dumbfounded against this scheme. Something else is amiss IMO. 

 

2. Seemed to me the Jags were bringing the house all game long but the reality is they blitzed on only 12 of Allen’s 55 dropbacks. Our o line, or lack thereof, made it look like a jailbreak. 

 

3. Zack Moss has a way to break his first tackle. He's solid and reliable. But he isn't scaring anyone. He'd be a solid No. 2 next year but it's clear we need a home run hitter that defenses will game-plan against. 

 

4. Those refs! Those flags! My God something should be done to that crew. Four times, they missed players' numbers, called phantom calls, got the wrong team (!) once and flat out missed the entire Jags line moving prematurely. These turd burglars were throwing flags every chance they got and made an already unwatchable game more unwatchable. 

5. Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains /
And there's no end in sight /
I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights

6. Cole Beasley's a beast. But he was dropping awfully quick after his catches. I think the Jags were hitting mighty hard. As sloppy as this Urban Meyer coached team has been they hit hard and are fundamental with their tackling. Very little YAC for any of our receivers. 

7. The thing I'm most worried about? It's not the line per se. We had the same line more or less last year and we were explosive. It's the lack of consistent rhythm on offense. Last year, you'd see this O moving like a bullet locomotive. The Jets are next. Let's get the band back together, Daboll. 

OK, that's it out of respect of Virgil. 

Better see your post next week!
 

[Virgil]

3 minutes ago, Just in Atlanta said:

Here comes the B team ...

Thoughts about the Jags game, in no particular order:

1. The Cover 2 "shell" concept was credited for stymying Josh. Seems like a vanilla defensive plan to this fan. A quick google of the scheme yielded this: "The main weakness of the Cover 2 shell occurs in the middle of the field between the safeties. At the snap of the ball, many times the safeties will move toward the sidelines in order to cover any long passes to quick wide receivers. This movement creates a natural hole between the safeties that can be attacked." I find it hard to believe our offensive coordinator would be dumbfounded against this scheme. Something else is amiss IMO. 

 

2. Seemed to me the Jags were bringing the house all game long but the reality is they blitzed on only 12 of Allen’s 55 dropbacks. Our o line, or lack thereof, made it look like a jailbreak. 

 

3. Zack Moss has a way to break his first tackle. He's solid and reliable. But he isn't scaring anyone. He'd be a solid No. 2 next year but it's clear we need a home run hitter that defenses will game-plan against. 

 

4. Those refs! Those flags! My God something should be done to that crew. Four times, they missed players' numbers, called phantom calls, got the wrong team (!) once and flat out missed the entire Jags line moving prematurely. These turd burglars were throwing flags every chance they got and made an already unwatchable game more unwatchable. 

5. Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains /
And there's no end in sight /
I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights

6. Cole Beasley's a beast. But he was dropping awfully quick after his catches. I think the Jags were hitting mighty hard. As sloppy as this Urban Meyer coached team has been they hit hard and are fundamental with their tackling. Very little YAC for any of our receivers. 

7. The thing I'm most worried about? It's not the line per se. We had the same line more or less last year and we were explosive. It's the lack of consistent rhythm on offense. Last year, you'd see this O moving like a bullet locomotive. The Jets are next. Let's get the band back together, Daboll. 

OK, that's it out of respect of Virgil. 

Better see your post next week!
 

 

This!  Great pick-up and I noticed the same thing.  I wish they would have put Diggs in the slot more and let him just abuse that safety in coverage

[LeGOATski]

1 minute ago, Virgil said:

 

That songs is just brutal  I know it's a remake, but damn

I knew it was a remake, but I just learned it was first written in 1961. Seems like the wrong decade for a depressing song like that. The late 90s was the perfect time for Pearl Jam to take advantage, lol.

[Jauronimo]

6 minutes ago, Just in Atlanta said:

Here comes the B team ...

Thoughts about the Jags game, in no particular order:

1. The Cover 2 "shell" concept was credited for stymying Josh. Seems like a vanilla defensive plan to this fan. A quick google of the scheme yielded this: "The main weakness of the Cover 2 shell occurs in the middle of the field between the safeties. At the snap of the ball, many times the safeties will move toward the sidelines in order to cover any long passes to quick wide receivers. This movement creates a natural hole between the safeties that can be attacked." I find it hard to believe our offensive coordinator would be dumbfounded against this scheme. Something else is amiss IMO. 

 

2. Seemed to me the Jags were bringing the house all game long but the reality is they blitzed on only 12 of Allen’s 55 dropbacks. Our o line, or lack thereof, made it look like a jailbreak. 

 

3. Zack Moss has a way to break his first tackle. He's solid and reliable. But he isn't scaring anyone. He'd be a solid No. 2 next year but it's clear we need a home run hitter that defenses will game-plan against. 

 

4. Those refs! Those flags! My God something should be done to that crew. Four times, they missed players' numbers, called phantom calls, got the wrong team (!) once and flat out missed the entire Jags line moving prematurely. These turd burglars were throwing flags every chance they got and made an already unwatchable game more unwatchable. 

5. Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains /
And there's no end in sight /
I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights

6. Cole Beasley's a beast. But he was dropping awfully quick after his catches. I think the Jags were hitting mighty hard. As sloppy as this Urban Meyer coached team has been they hit hard and are fundamental with their tackling. Very little YAC for any of our receivers. 

7. The thing I'm most worried about? It's not the line per se. We had the same line more or less last year and we were explosive. It's the lack of consistent rhythm on offense. Last year, you'd see this O moving like a bullet locomotive. The Jets are next. Let's get the band back together, Daboll. 

OK, that's it out of respect of Virgil. 

Better see your post next week!
 

Attacking a 2 deep shell isnt a mystery but you need to be able to execute.  In the example you posted, the deep shot to Sanders we have been attempting all year is the answer.  But you need to pass protect long enough for that route to develop.  The other way is to run the ball down their throats and make them pull a safety into the box.  Nothing works when your line play is abysmal.

[LeGOATski]

8 minutes ago, Just in Atlanta said:

1. The Cover 2 "shell" concept was credited for stymying Josh. Seems like a vanilla defensive plan to this fan. A quick google of the scheme yielded this: "The main weakness of the Cover 2 shell occurs in the middle of the field between the safeties. At the snap of the ball, many times the safeties will move toward the sidelines in order to cover any long passes to quick wide receivers. This movement creates a natural hole between the safeties that can be attacked." I find it hard to believe our offensive coordinator would be dumbfounded against this scheme. Something else is amiss IMO. 

 

2. Seemed to me the Jags were bringing the house all game long but the reality is they blitzed on only 12 of Allen’s 55 dropbacks. Our o line, or lack thereof, made it look like a jailbreak. 

 

They took advantage sometimes. That Beasley drop really sticks out. Right in the middle of the field on 3rd down with no one around him. Ugh.

 

Number 2 speaks to how bad the OL was, but with all the attention on the OL I feel like we need to highlight Josh's tendency to hold the ball too long in this game. He had plenty of clean pockets, but I found myself getting frustrated that he wouldn't let it loose. I'm not sure if it was something else the Jags were doing in coverage.

[SoCal Deek]

11 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

Attacking a 2 deep shell isnt a mystery but you need to be able to execute.  In the example you posted, the deep shot to Sanders we have been attempting all year is the answer.  But you need to pass protect long enough for that route to develop.  The other way is to run the ball down their throats and make them pull a safety into the box.  Nothing works when your line play is abysmal.

I disagree. Tom Brady has played against every type of defense with every type of O Line in front of him. If they play two deep you just dink and dunk it in front of them. Protection isn’t a problem with eight yard passes. You FORCE them to come out of it! 

[Freddie's Dead]

These words of Robert Hunter came to me as I watched with incredulity while the Bills gagged away the game to the Jagoffs (my hope that the Bills shake off the funk they're in):

 

Take up your China Doll (take up your China Doll)
It's only fractured -
And just a little nervous
From the fall

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

I blame the Bills fans in that pool thingy they showed at the start of the game 

[2003Contenders]

56 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

They took advantage sometimes. That Beasley drop really sticks out. Right in the middle of the field on 3rd down with no one around him. Ugh.

 

Number 2 speaks to how bad the OL was, but with all the attention on the OL I feel like we need to highlight Josh's tendency to hold the ball too long in this game. He had plenty of clean pockets, but I found myself getting frustrated that he wouldn't let it loose. I'm not sure if it was something else the Jags were doing in coverage.

 

The biggest problem is the OL. When a team can get pressure by only rushing 4, it allows the other 7 to occupy coverage. With no threat of a running game, teams will continue to do this.

 

For those complaining about Josh holding the ball too long, notice that his average completion was well short of 10 yards. So they were going with plenty of dump-offs. The problem is that the Jaguars did a good job swarming to the ball and preventing YAC. Our RBs just don't do a very good job of making tacklers miss - and Beasley seems to drop to the ground after every catch. Possibly to protect himself, given the sore ribs?

 

An imperfect storm of bad coaching, terrible OL play, season-worst QB play (easy to understand given the circumstances -- but Josh has to at least do a better job not turning over the football), and frankly an inspired performance from the opponent.

 

On that last note, while the Jags are certainly terrible (a better team with a competent offense would have blown the Bills out yesterday), they played about as well as they are capable of playing. Just goes to show that every team has talent and can't be taken lightly. The Bills now represent a "strong win" for an opponent, so we will continue to get their best shot. And a team with any ounce of pride can only listen to how much they suck and are home 2-TD dogs for so long.

 

The Jags' coaching staff won the gamesmanship battle from the outset -- as they clearly nudged the officials before the game to watch the Bills for dirty play. Then the Jags set out to instigate the dirty play, while the Bills drew the majority of the penalties. The officiating was awful, but I won't go there because the Bills don't deserve that excuse for this overall poor performance.

 

As much as the loss pains us all, I wonder if this will be better in the long term than a last second (for example) 13-9 victory may have been. The glaring reality of the loss SHOULD invoke immediate changes. I am not sure what else can be done at this point to fix the biggest problem (Offensive Line) -- but I hope that we never see C. Ford on the field again. Someone also needs to sit the two high-priced tackles down and say WTF? From the first game of the season both Dawkins and Williams have under-performed. Maybe getting Brown back at RT will help.

 

[Bill from NYC]

8 hours ago, Virgil said:

Mods, I honestly didn't know what else to call this or where to put it.

 

I won't be able to write my random thoughts post this week.  I apologize as I know there are a few who look forward to that weekly post.  Other have posted similar threads and did an excellent job. I recommend taking a look. 

 

My apologies

 

Edit - many are assuming this is because they lost and I’m upset about it.  That is not the case.  I am pissed they lost, but I’ve written plenty of these after a bad loss.  Other things, that I don’t feel like sharing came up, and I don’t want to half ass it.  Also, my seats made a lot of things difficult to see, so I don’t even know if my notes are accurate.  
 

All things I didn’t think I had to go into, but apparently some look for the negative 

Hang in there my friend. I hope the problem you face will be sorted out in a good way. And, fear not! The Bills used to win games as long as they meant nothing and assured us a worse draft pick. This game was a fluke and the Bills will win the Super Bowl. Good teams respond from a kick in the ass most of the time.

 

We appreciate what you do here and trust me, I know that it entails a lot of work when you could be drinking and screaming like everyone else. It is however worth it because you promote discussion about a topic that means SO much.....at times TOO much to all of us and you are great at it.

 

Hang tough and God bless.

[NewEra]

Thanks for posting @Virgil

 

I always appreciate the time and effort you put into your weekly recap.  
 

Don’t be discouraged.  Do you brother

[Hapless Bills Fan]

5 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

I disagree. Tom Brady has played against every type of defense with every type of O Line in front of him. If they play two deep you just dink and dunk it in front of them. Protection isn’t a problem with eight yard passes. You FORCE them to come out of it! 

 

That's where the TE is so important.  It takes a bit more time for a smaller guy who can be manhandled off the line to get open.

[Billznut]

7 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

You actually traveled to watch that "game?"

 

My condolences.

 

 

Yesterdays game helped me make my decision to cancel my plans for the New Orleans Thanksgiving game. I cancelled my hotel and flight reservations about 3 hours after yesterdays game finished. I gave myself time to cool down and make a calm decision. 24 hours later NO regrets with my decision. Not taking any chances on this team ruining what would otherwise be a fun trip to New Orleans. I still get to watch at home and hope they find a way to win. 

[Nihilarian]

6 hours ago, Just in Atlanta said:

Here comes the B team ...

Thoughts about the Jags game, in no particular order:

1. The Cover 2 "shell" concept was credited for stymying Josh. Seems like a vanilla defensive plan to this fan. A quick google of the scheme yielded this: "The main weakness of the Cover 2 shell occurs in the middle of the field between the safeties. At the snap of the ball, many times the safeties will move toward the sidelines in order to cover any long passes to quick wide receivers. This movement creates a natural hole between the safeties that can be attacked." I find it hard to believe our offensive coordinator would be dumbfounded against this scheme. Something else is amiss IMO. 

 

2. Seemed to me the Jags were bringing the house all game long but the reality is they blitzed on only 12 of Allen’s 55 dropbacks. Our o line, or lack thereof, made it look like a jailbreak. 

 

3. Zack Moss has a way to break his first tackle. He's solid and reliable. But he isn't scaring anyone. He'd be a solid No. 2 next year but it's clear we need a home run hitter that defenses will game-plan against. 

 

4. Those refs! Those flags! My God something should be done to that crew. Four times, they missed players' numbers, called phantom calls, got the wrong team (!) once and flat out missed the entire Jags line moving prematurely. These turd burglars were throwing flags every chance they got and made an already unwatchable game more unwatchable. 

5. Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains /
And there's no end in sight /
I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights

6. Cole Beasley's a beast. But he was dropping awfully quick after his catches. I think the Jags were hitting mighty hard. As sloppy as this Urban Meyer coached team has been they hit hard and are fundamental with their tackling. Very little YAC for any of our receivers. 

7. The thing I'm most worried about? It's not the line per se. We had the same line more or less last year and we were explosive. It's the lack of consistent rhythm on offense. Last year, you'd see this O moving like a bullet locomotive. The Jets are next. Let's get the band back together, Daboll. 

OK, that's it out of respect of Virgil. 

Better see your post next week!
 

Whoa, good stuff. 

 

First, hope everything works itself out for ya Virgil as I enjoy reading your thoughts after a game...and it is a game. RL comes first.

 

 

What perplexes me is that the Buffalo Bills have an offensive coordinator being paid millions to do his job. Twenty plus years as an NFL assistant and he can't figure out how to compensate / adjust his offense to defeat a ''cover 2 shell" defense? 

 

Just googled it to see that usually the TE is the "cover 2 killer" as the seem threat who will be defended by a LBer. Yet, Tommy Sweeny had only 2 targets, 2 receptions for 10 yards. 

 

The vulnerability of cover two is that you only have two deep defenders. Problem was that Allen didn't have time to wait for his receivers to get open on deep throws, 5 to 7 step drops.

 

What really bothers me is the Jags were the 28th ranked defense and that's against the pass. Their corners, secondary stinks in comparison to Buffalo.

 

I dunno how the guy can show his face after a game like that... 6 offensive points against the 28th ranked defense. That big hearted young QB got his arse handed to him all game because the OC failed to help him with a decent run game or a passing game plan to defeat a 1-6 team.

 

 

BTW, Bills RB's. Singletary, 6 carries for 16 yards a 2.7 YPC AVG.

Moss, 3 carries for 6 yards a 2.0 YPC AVG. 

 

Yes, the offensive line was struggling badly. So, call offensive plays that help get the ball out quickly like Miami did against Buffalo the week before. 

 

The 2021 Buffalo Bills fielding a championship defense with great talent on offense...along with an OC who...

[MJS]

7 hours ago, Just in Atlanta said:

Here comes the B team ...

Thoughts about the Jags game, in no particular order:

1. The Cover 2 "shell" concept was credited for stymying Josh. Seems like a vanilla defensive plan to this fan. A quick google of the scheme yielded this: "The main weakness of the Cover 2 shell occurs in the middle of the field between the safeties. At the snap of the ball, many times the safeties will move toward the sidelines in order to cover any long passes to quick wide receivers. This movement creates a natural hole between the safeties that can be attacked." I find it hard to believe our offensive coordinator would be dumbfounded against this scheme. Something else is amiss IMO. 

 

2. Seemed to me the Jags were bringing the house all game long but the reality is they blitzed on only 12 of Allen’s 55 dropbacks. Our o line, or lack thereof, made it look like a jailbreak. 

 

3. Zack Moss has a way to break his first tackle. He's solid and reliable. But he isn't scaring anyone. He'd be a solid No. 2 next year but it's clear we need a home run hitter that defenses will game-plan against. 

 

4. Those refs! Those flags! My God something should be done to that crew. Four times, they missed players' numbers, called phantom calls, got the wrong team (!) once and flat out missed the entire Jags line moving prematurely. These turd burglars were throwing flags every chance they got and made an already unwatchable game more unwatchable. 

5. Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains /
And there's no end in sight /
I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights

6. Cole Beasley's a beast. But he was dropping awfully quick after his catches. I think the Jags were hitting mighty hard. As sloppy as this Urban Meyer coached team has been they hit hard and are fundamental with their tackling. Very little YAC for any of our receivers. 

7. The thing I'm most worried about? It's not the line per se. We had the same line more or less last year and we were explosive. It's the lack of consistent rhythm on offense. Last year, you'd see this O moving like a bullet locomotive. The Jets are next. Let's get the band back together, Daboll. 

OK, that's it out of respect of Virgil. 

Better see your post next week!
 

You can only exploit the middle of the field in Cover 2 if you have time to let route combinations develop. Allen is having to elude free rushers, sometimes two, within two seconds or less of the ball being snapped.

 

In order to get a receiver into the hole behind the linebackers and between the safeties, you need more time than that.

 

By the time receivers are in position, Allen has already been forced out of the pocket and is sprinting towards the sideline and receivers have to scramble to get open on the sideline.

 

So yes, it is undoubtedly more complicated than everyone is making it seem, but it just comes down to the oline performing (which they don't) and Allen staying patient (which he doesn't). One of those is easy to fix, though. Allen can easily decide to be patient and take the quick throws, and I suspect he will be willing to do that now after such a tough loss.

 

As for the oline? Well, getting healthy would be a good start. Brown has shown promise. Williams seems to perform better inside. Feliciano isn't great, but he is better than what we put out there Sunday. And what you can't fix you can try to mask with good schemes and help from other players.

14 minutes ago, Nihilarian said:

Whoa, good stuff. 

 

First, hope everything works itself out for ya Virgil as I enjoy reading your thoughts after a game...and it is a game. RL comes first.

 

 

What perplexes me is that the Buffalo Bills have an offensive coordinator being paid millions to do his job. Twenty plus years as an NFL assistant and he can't figure out how to compensate / adjust his offense to defeat a ''cover 2 shell" defense? 

 

Just googled it to see that usually the TE is the "cover 2 killer" as the seem threat who will be defended by a LBer. Yet, Tommy Sweeny had only 2 targets, 2 receptions for 10 yards. 

 

The vulnerability of cover two is that you only have two deep defenders. Problem was that Allen didn't have time to wait for his receivers to get open on deep throws, 5 to 7 step drops.

 

What really bothers me is the Jags were the 28th ranked defense and that's against the pass. Their corners, secondary stinks in comparison to Buffalo.

 

I dunno how the guy can show his face after a game like that... 6 offensive points against the 28th ranked defense. That big hearted young QB got his arse handed to him all game because the OC failed to help him with a decent run game or a passing game plan to defeat a 1-6 team.

 

 

BTW, Bills RB's. Singletary, 6 carries for 16 yards a 2.7 YPC AVG.

Moss, 3 carries for 6 yards a 2.0 YPC AVG. 

 

Yes, the offensive line was struggling badly. So, call offensive plays that help get the ball out quickly like Miami did against Buffalo the week before. 

 

The 2021 Buffalo Bills fielding a championship defense with great talent on offense...along with an OC who...

Our TE is injured and that is a major reason why the offense is struggling. Knox has been groomed to be a major part of the offense. Sweeney just isn't good enough to execute and be that "Cover 2 Killer" that you described. In fact, I was a little surprised he made the team because he hasn't ever really shown anything.

[Sherlock Holmes]

12 hours ago, Virgil said:

Mods, I honestly didn't know what else to call this or where to put it.

 

I won't be able to write my random thoughts post this week.  I apologize as I know there are a few who look forward to that weekly post.  Other have posted similar threads and did an excellent job. I recommend taking a look. 

 

My apologies

 

Edit - many are assuming this is because they lost and I’m upset about it.  That is not the case.  I am pissed they lost, but I’ve written plenty of these after a bad loss.  Other things, that I don’t feel like sharing came up, and I don’t want to half ass it.  Also, my seats made a lot of things difficult to see, so I don’t even know if my notes are accurate.  
 

All things I didn’t think I had to go into, but apparently some look for the negative 

 

11 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

I'd be upset, too, if I spent all that money and traveled all that way to watch the Bills mail it in.

 

Look forward to you getting back in the saddle next Monday, Virg!

 

P.S. - Let me know if you need a hug ... or want to spoon.

Yes, let us know Virgil!

7 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

That songs is just brutal  I know it's a remake, but damn

Last Kiss!

[WhoTom]

Hope all is well with the personal life, Virg.

 

As for a game analysis, this pretty much sums it up:

 

 

[The Poojer]

This week i honestly don't want any recaps

 

On 11/8/2021 at 9:49 AM, Virgil said:

Mods, I honestly didn't know what else to call this or where to put it.

 

I won't be able to write my random thoughts post this week.  I apologize as I know there are a few who look forward to that weekly post.  Other have posted similar threads and did an excellent job. I recommend taking a look. 

 

My apologies

 

Edit - many are assuming this is because they lost and I’m upset about it.  That is not the case.  I am pissed they lost, but I’ve written plenty of these after a bad loss.  Other things, that I don’t feel like sharing came up, and I don’t want to half ass it.  Also, my seats made a lot of things difficult to see, so I don’t even know if my notes are accurate.  
 

All things I didn’t think I had to go into, but apparently some look for the negative 

[DCbillsfan]

Look forward to your next writeup Virgil.  On a different note, I have yet to watch the Bills Jags game.  I had out of town visitors this weekend who are not football fans.  I heard that they lost and came to TBD to read comments.  I got so depressed hearing about the details.  I'll watch it some point this week.  The last game I missed was before Directv was invented.