Mashups of my thoughts after this game, losing confidence in the coaching.

[MAJBobby]

I havent rally made a thread about a game at all this season, and while I have commented in a couple places about my thoughts, this game really sticks with me, even more than the Tenn or Even the Jax game mainly because it did push me finally to losing confidence in the coaching staff, I will address each.  I will start off with yes if there was better execution even with this gameplan and spineless coaching Bills would have won, Knox drops, Diggs Drop comes to mind.   

 

Let me start with McD:

  

     I just think he has regressed this year.  I thought about all his talk in the offseason about running, and needing to be more balanced, and got worried that we would see McConservative again, and that is exactly what I have started to see this season.  But I will point out a couple things.  He coached scared, not to lose, spineless, whatever you want to call it.  When you allowed Josh to throw it finally in the 4th QTR (mind you against the wind) he was still effective, Almost like you said the reasons you drafted him was for games like this.  When you talk before halftime with a statement like "we need to run better, we cannot rely on Allen's arm" or something along those lines tells me all i need to hear.  You have a Stud QB and you want to take the ball out of his hands.  That is inexcusable, people ask about the Bills identity on offense, it is the same as it was last year, the offense runs through Allen.  To make that offense run through him while putting handcuffs on him is inexcusable.  This teams identity is muddled because the HC made it that way.  He coached scared the entire game, a couple things on that: If you were so scared of the wind, why not call more timeouts, run the no huddle and maximize your time with the wind?  Why is it that too many times this year have we waited until after the half or even the 4th (while behind) have we seen the Bills say screw it we are throwing all over (like last year).  The team was Built to still run the offense they are built for in all conditions, but the coaching staff gets scared in bad weather.  That is on McD.  Also all the stuff I will say with Fraiser and Daboll are also on McD as he is the HC and the buck stops with him on everything coaching.   Oooo also your player management this season has SUCKED.  Inexcusable you have McKenzie AND Stevenson inactive (man that speed on misdirection and in the passing game would have been nice on a questionable footing day).  This far into the season and Davis is still playing only spot duty and blocks more than he is in routes, Sweeney playing at all.  Why is it Sean that we insist on playing the other teams game and not our own?  

 

Daboll:

 

      I was giving you a pass for the most part partly because i know the HC has gone back into conservatives mod this season, and also because of your personal tragedies, but *****.  My biggest complaint with you is where is your creativity anymore, I am sick of Moss, Brieda or Singletary running right into the Backs of OGs all game long, there is absolutely zero creativity in your run game.  Actually all your creativity in the offense is gone.  In a game like this why isn't there more run Calls with Allen?  Speaking of that where have the Run calls with Allen gone in the red zone.  There is a reason he sits alone in the NFL being the first QB with 90+ Passing TDs and 25+ rushing TDs in his first 4 season.  You take a weapon away from the Bills in the redzone with your predictability and again those runs over the OGs.  TBH I am ready for you to move on to a HC job already.  You got all these weapons on the outside, went and got Sanders and the offense playcalling has regressed.  

 

Fraizer:

 

     Though you have been getting pretty high praise at times this season you should with all those high end picks on that defense.  However it was clear last night the Pats were not going to throw the ball why not bring a 5th DL on the field?  I also know the defense has gotten fat on BU QBs and bad football teams.  Still cannot control the run game, and to be honest I do not put that all on you because easiest way to get a team out of running it all day long is SCORE.  I still am not 100% sure if this is your defense or McDs, but I will also say at this point it is the least of the problems, just this game really irked me because the Patriots were not going to pass they didnt want to expose "Mr ROTY" to some wind, on a side note, that tells me a TON about what patriots think of Jones.

 

 

This game would have been over easily and we would be talking about a Win and back in the Lead of the AFCE if McD and Daboll didnt coach like spineless cowards.  If the entire game was like the 4th we win this game by two scores.

[Coach Tuesday]

The GM, OC and HC are not on the same page.  They don’t have a coherent vision for what the offense should look like, how best to build out the line and running game, when and how to lean on Allen (who despite being erratic was still the best athlete on the field last night), and what kind of running game to have.  These problems should’ve been solved in the offseason but they weren’t, and you can see the uncertainty on game day.  The Patriots have a clear vision for how they want to present on offense and defense and they execute it.  The Bills, at least on offense, lack a clear vision - Daboll does a little bit of everything but nothing particularly well. It’s telling that on 4th and long with the division on the line they don’t even have a core, trusted play to fall back on.  
 

Not a good season of executive leadership from Beane and McDermott, two guys who were handsomely rewarded for early success and may be coasting a bit.

[Billl]

7 minutes ago, MAJBobby said:

 

Daboll:

 

      I was giving you a pass for the most part partly because i know the HC has gone back into conservatives mod this season, and also because of your personal tragedies, but *****.  My biggest complaint with you is where is your creativity anymore, I am sick of Moss, Brieda or Singletary running right into the Backs of OGs all game long, there is absolutely zero creativity in your run game.  Actually all your creativity in the offense is gone.  In a game like this why isn't there more run Calls with Allen?  Speaking of that where have the Run calls with Allen gone in the red zone.  There is a reason he sits alone in the NFL being the first QB with 90+ Passing TDs and 25+ rushing TDs in his first 4 season.  You take a weapon away from the Bills in the redzone with your predictability and again those runs over the OGs.  TBH I am ready for you to move on to a HC job already.  You got all these weapons on the outside, went and got Sanders and the offense playcalling has regressed. 

This is the most tired narrative in sports.  Play calling barely matters.  If there was ever a game that proved it, it was this one.  McDaniels ran the same 4 plays over and over and over.  The Bills didn’t lose because they called better plays.  They lost because they didn’t execute.  Diggs lost track of a sure TD.  Knox dropped balls like it was a paying job.  The defense got gashed one a play that went 70 yards.  Bass missed a short FG.  Brieda somehow tried to take a handoff without using his hands.  Play calling doesn’t change that.

 

Last night was about discipline and mental toughness, not creativity.  

[colin]

so first of all, yes 100% the buck stops at the head man in charge, and that's the clappy one.

 

i think the case for daboll being good, or even above average, as an nfl OC is simply flimsy.  he had trash numbers his first couple of years, and good numbers last year and this year, but that's on the back of allen and diggs just being much better than other players.  he can't scheme up something creative to get us tds with multiple trips in the redzone, and every fan and the entire d of the opponents knows exactly what trash gut run or obvious forced short pass we are doing on way way too many downs.  we put ourselves behind the sticks, and beg allen to cast a magic spell.

 

so ya, mcclaps leaves me with a lot to be desired, but daboll is the weakest link (honorable mention to our just bottom of the barrel dirty cheeks trash OL coaching too).

[Roundybout]

1 minute ago, Billl said:

This is the most tired narrative in sports.  Play calling barely matters.  If there was ever a game that proved it, it was this one.  McDaniels ran the same 4 plays over and over and over.  The Bills didn’t lose because they called better plays.  They lost because they didn’t execute.  Diggs lost track of a sure TD.  Knox dropped balls like it was a paying job.  The defense got gashed one a play that went 70 yards.  Bass missed a short FG.  Brieda somehow tried to take a handoff without using his hands.  Play calling doesn’t change that.

 

Last night was about discipline and mental toughness, not creativity.  

 

It does, though, when you're refusing to use your best weapons. This can be Josh's rushing ability in the red zone, gadget plays with McKenzie, screens or tosses to get Breida in space, and so on. 

[bmur66]

I see we all watched the same game. It must be a nice, warm feeling to handoff the ball and watch a RB and O line do their thing. I hope Josh Allen gets to experience that someday. 

[RMCM]

My opinion is this they were out coached. Belichick does nothing fancy the bills decided not take the wind in the 4th quarter after they won the toss that is on McDermott. He has done a nice job building this team and changing the culture. I start to ask myself is this the farthest he can take this team an organization. This bills lost bc they played the patriots game. They always do. They will lose to Tampa and will more than likely miss the playoffs. I agree I would have ran a ton of 5 to 6 man fronts last night to make the pats throw. I give McDermott one more year if it is like this again it’s truly time to move on. 

[Billl]

3 minutes ago, BillsEnthusiast said:

 

It does, though, when you're refusing to use your best weapons. This can be Josh's rushing ability in the red zone, gadget plays with McKenzie, screens or tosses to get Breida in space, and so on. 

Josh running in the red zone, sure.  The rest I just can’t disagree with strongly enough.  You don’t run gadget plays in a tornado, and no NFL game has ever been lost because Matt freaking Breida didn’t get enough touches.

 

All Buffalo had to do was not beat themselves.  New England made 2 big mistakes.  Buffalo made more.  BB was perfectly content to turn the game into a rock fight and dare Buffalo to execute.

[MAJBobby]

10 minutes ago, Billl said:

This is the most tired narrative in sports.  Play calling barely matters.  If there was ever a game that proved it, it was this one.  McDaniels ran the same 4 plays over and over and over.  The Bills didn’t lose because they called better plays.  They lost because they didn’t execute.  Diggs lost track of a sure TD.  Knox dropped balls like it was a paying job.  The defense got gashed one a play that went 70 yards.  Bass missed a short FG.  Brieda somehow tried to take a handoff without using his hands.  Play calling doesn’t change that.

 

Last night was about discipline and mental toughness, not creativity.  

I can say the same, your entire paragraph is the tired narrative coach speak.  How about play YOUR Football game, let me ask you How many misdirection plays called last night in a bad footing game?  How many designed QB runs in the RedZone (this year and last night)?  How about calling a game in line with your players Skills?

[RoyBatty is alive]

Yeah maybe that did tell you what the Pats think of Jones, they think they can beat us without Jones and did.

[Billl]

1 minute ago, MAJBobby said:

I can say the same, your entire paragraph is the tired narrative coach speak.  How about play YOUR Football game, let me ask you How many misdirection plays called last night in a bad footing game?  How many designed QB runs in the RedZone (this year and last night)?  How about calling a game in line with your players Skills?

Like calling a deep shot to Diggs only to have it bounce off his forearm?  Like calling pass plays to get Knox open only to have him crap all over himself?  Daboll’s play calls, bland as they may have been, were infinitely more creative than McDaniels’s.  

[MAJBobby]

4 minutes ago, Billl said:

Like calling a deep shot to Diggs only to have it bounce off his forearm?  Like calling pass plays to get Knox open only to have him crap all over himself?  Daboll’s play calls, bland as they may have been, were infinitely more creative than McDaniels’s.  

Again point to me the Jet Sweeps, and Allen Runs in the Redzone, you know things that in 2020 made this one of the better Redzone teams in the NFL, now we are one of the worst.  It is ok Mrs Daboll he isnt getting fired, however I wont cry is he leaves in the offseason.

[goldenboy81]

The play calling is so vanilla on offense.

The defense waited til the 4th to blitz Milano.

And now 2 games where bills couldn't get one td drive could cost them the playoffs.

Maybe last year was our year

[SCBills]

24 minutes ago, Billl said:

This is the most tired narrative in sports.  Play calling barely matters.  If there was ever a game that proved it, it was this one.  McDaniels ran the same 4 plays over and over and over.  The Bills didn’t lose because they called better plays.  They lost because they didn’t execute.  Diggs lost track of a sure TD.  Knox dropped balls like it was a paying job.  The defense got gashed one a play that went 70 yards.  Bass missed a short FG.  Brieda somehow tried to take a handoff without using his hands.  Play calling doesn’t change that.

 

Last night was about discipline and mental toughness, not creativity.  

 

I think it was a mix of both.  Yes, execution was - yet again - an issue.  However, there is merit to wonder why we drafted Allen to be able to throw the ball in all conditions and then played the Patriots game until the 4th Quarter desperation mode...at which point we found out that, yes, Allen CAN throw the ball in any conditions.  

 

Also, Daboll basically gives us 2 downs to score a TD in the red zone when he feels the need to constantly waste a run play on zero vision Zack Moss every time.  

 

No Allen runs and no McKenzie/Stevenson active for jet sweep action, even if to just slow the reaction time of NE a split second on run plays?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

29 minutes ago, Billl said:

This is the most tired narrative in sports.  Play calling barely matters.  If there was ever a game that proved it, it was this one.  McDaniels ran the same 4 plays over and over and over.  The Bills didn’t lose because they called better plays.  They lost because they didn’t execute.  Diggs lost track of a sure TD.  Knox dropped balls like it was a paying job.  The defense got gashed one a play that went 70 yards.  Bass missed a short FG.  Brieda somehow tried to take a handoff without using his hands.  Play calling doesn’t change that.

 

Last night was about discipline and mental toughness, not creativity.  

 

I hate to agree with you, but when You're Right, You're Right.

[Gisele]

Not running Allen more is kind of like when Mickey had Rocky fight right handed to throw off Apollo, except we forgot to switch back to our strength, which is unleashing Allen in the run game.  This entire season's failures fall directly on coaching.  Other coaches game plans aren't beating us, we're beating ourselves.  

[pocoboy]

15 minutes ago, Gisele said:

Not running Allen more is kind of like when Mickey had Rocky fight right handed to throw off Apollo, except we forgot to switch back to our strength, which is unleashing Allen in the run game.  This entire season's failures fall directly on coaching.  Other coaches game plans aren't beating us, we're beating ourselves.  

 

I thought for awhile they were trying to put video down of some bland BS to save up the best for NE and the playoff stretch. Maybe they did, and couldn't do much to change it last night because of the weather. If that were the case, it might also explain a certain arrogance & lack of focus from the team - if they're being asked to win while hamstrung, maybe they would take that as a sign they don't need to take these games seriously.

 

Edited December 7, 2021 by pocoboy

[BillsVet]

57 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

The GM, OC and HC are not on the same page.  They don’t have a coherent vision for what the offense should look like, how best to build out the line and running game, when and how to lean on Allen (who despite being erratic was still the best athlete on the field last night), and what kind of running game to have.  These problems should’ve been solved in the offseason but they weren’t, and you can see the uncertainty on game day.  The Patriots have a clear vision for how they want to present on offense and defense and they execute it.  The Bills, at least on offense, lack a clear vision - Daboll does a little bit of everything but nothing particularly well. It’s telling that on 4th and long with the division on the line they don’t even have a core, trusted play to fall back on.  
 

Not a good season of executive leadership from Beane and McDermott, two guys who were handsomely rewarded for early success and may be coasting a bit.

 

I see a HC who drives the strategy for this team, but refuses to evolve even with a franchise QB on the roster.  After 80+ games as a NFL HC, McD is still trying to balance defense with offense and seems scared of anything else.    

 

Agree that right now there's a huge disconnect between the HC and OC...which is concerning because after 4 seasons together you'd think they'd be in lock step.  I attribute that to my first point: McD cannot evolve and is stubborn to a fault.  I've been waiting for him to be bold in a big game, but unless he gets a lead, they go into their risk-avoidance decision making.  At the same time, Daboll loses himself in-game and McD probably thinks he needs to keep him on a leash.  

 

Also agree with the alignment with Beane, who needs to man up and tell McD that it's time to go all in on Allen and stop this nonsense of needing every piece on defense.  The highly paid LBs and depth DL aren't providing the value in the way better interior OL or better TE would.  This team wins or dies with Allen, but McD hasn't gotten the memo yet.  I don't think he ever will and the ceiling will be lower than we want.   

[Do The Reich Thing]

1 hour ago, MAJBobby said:

I havent rally made a thread about a game at all this season, and while I have commented in a couple places about my thoughts, this game really sticks with me, even more than the Tenn or Even the Jax game mainly because it did push me finally to losing confidence in the coaching staff, I will address each.  I will start off with yes if there was better execution even with this gameplan and spineless coaching Bills would have won, Knox drops, Diggs Drop comes to mind.   

 

Let me start with McD:

  

     I just think he has regressed this year.  I thought about all his talk in the offseason about running, and needing to be more balanced, and got worried that we would see McConservative again, and that is exactly what I have started to see this season.  But I will point out a couple things.  He coached scared, not to lose, spineless, whatever you want to call it.  When you allowed Josh to throw it finally in the 4th QTR (mind you against the wind) he was still effective, Almost like you said the reasons you drafted him was for games like this.  When you talk before halftime with a statement like "we need to run better, we cannot rely on Allen's arm" or something along those lines tells me all i need to hear.  You have a Stud QB and you want to take the ball out of his hands.  That is inexcusable, people ask about the Bills identity on offense, it is the same as it was last year, the offense runs through Allen.  To make that offense run through him while putting handcuffs on him is inexcusable.  This teams identity is muddled because the HC made it that way.  He coached scared the entire game, a couple things on that: If you were so scared of the wind, why not call more timeouts, run the no huddle and maximize your time with the wind?  Why is it that too many times this year have we waited until after the half or even the 4th (while behind) have we seen the Bills say screw it we are throwing all over (like last year).  The team was Built to still run the offense they are built for in all conditions, but the coaching staff gets scared in bad weather.  That is on McD.  Also all the stuff I will say with Fraiser and Daboll are also on McD as he is the HC and the buck stops with him on everything coaching.   Oooo also your player management this season has SUCKED.  Inexcusable you have McKenzie AND Stevenson inactive (man that speed on misdirection and in the passing game would have been nice on a questionable footing day).  This far into the season and Davis is still playing only spot duty and blocks more than he is in routes, Sweeney playing at all.  Why is it Sean that we insist on playing the other teams game and not our own?  

 

Daboll:

 

      I was giving you a pass for the most part partly because i know the HC has gone back into conservatives mod this season, and also because of your personal tragedies, but *****.  My biggest complaint with you is where is your creativity anymore, I am sick of Moss, Brieda or Singletary running right into the Backs of OGs all game long, there is absolutely zero creativity in your run game.  Actually all your creativity in the offense is gone.  In a game like this why isn't there more run Calls with Allen?  Speaking of that where have the Run calls with Allen gone in the red zone.  There is a reason he sits alone in the NFL being the first QB with 90+ Passing TDs and 25+ rushing TDs in his first 4 season.  You take a weapon away from the Bills in the redzone with your predictability and again those runs over the OGs.  TBH I am ready for you to move on to a HC job already.  You got all these weapons on the outside, went and got Sanders and the offense playcalling has regressed.  

 

Fraizer:

 

     Though you have been getting pretty high praise at times this season you should with all those high end picks on that defense.  However it was clear last night the Pats were not going to throw the ball why not bring a 5th DL on the field?  I also know the defense has gotten fat on BU QBs and bad football teams.  Still cannot control the run game, and to be honest I do not put that all on you because easiest way to get a team out of running it all day long is SCORE.  I still am not 100% sure if this is your defense or McDs, but I will also say at this point it is the least of the problems, just this game really irked me because the Patriots were not going to pass they didnt want to expose "Mr ROTY" to some wind, on a side note, that tells me a TON about what patriots think of Jones.

 

 

This game would have been over easily and we would be talking about a Win and back in the Lead of the AFCE if McD and Daboll didnt coach like spineless cowards.  If the entire game was like the 4th we win this game by two scores.

It's typical coaches. They ride and die with their schemes and refuse to adjust. It's the inevitable downfall of every failed coach in the league. 

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

Everything matters, it's not that simple that you can ignore any aspect. You think BB would ignore little details like play calling or lack of execution.