THE ROCKPILE REVIEW - Highmark Rocks

[DaggersEOD]

55 minutes ago, arcane said:

I figured, and grudgingly believed, this to be the case from the stands last night. But then I saw the reverse happen - a Bill jumped offside, and it looked like he got back in plenty of time but was still called, was that one also legit? 

I recall that too!  It seemed like our guy got back and reset before the snap. 

[Ralonzo]

The fine point in the down-the-line views was, that the Titan flinched but I do not believe entered the neutral zone. In the Bills case the lineman did. Neutral zone infraction requires that the D player at least enter the neutral zone, they do not need be set before the snap. However they cannot just do anything they want... if they are deemed to "simulate" that the snap has occurred and caused the offensive player to move, that would be assessed against the defense. That might have been an out for them, but merely flinching on their side of the line, that wouldn't qualify in this case. In the GDT I thought they got the call right - assuming the explanation is that the Titan never entered the neutral zone, and I don't believe he did on replay.

[stuvian]

19 minutes ago, Just Jack said:

 

Umm... what?  He was wearing a Choose Love shirt.  Here's the whole speech.

 

 

This was very moving. Thank you for posting

[DaggersEOD]

Fantastic Shaw as always. I’ve always looked forward to The Rockpile Review. 

[K-No]

How was the new security entering the stadium? Did the lines move quickly?

[Shaw66]

1 hour ago, Just Jack said:

 

Umm... what?  He was wearing a Choose Love shirt.  Here's the whole speech.

 

 

Whoops.  Thanks.  My memory obviously failed me. 

[Richard Noggin]

2 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

 

First, overall, the place was electric.   

 

The noise when the Titans had the ball was as loud as it gets in Highmark.  Sometimes it hurt your ears.   

 

It was another great night at Highmark Stadium. 

 

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

 

 

I saw readings of 105, maybe 106, on the scoreboard db meter. Had never seen such high readings there. Anyone see any concrete discussion of the decibels to verify/refute?

[TheCockSportif]

Yep, the Bruce speech was moving.  100%.  It had the intensity and passion of David Ortiz's speech after the Boston Marathon bombing.  It was special.

[The Dean]

2 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

I suspect that buried somewhere in one or more threads are comments about the stadium for the Titans game on Monday, but I haven't seen them, so I thought I would share my thoughts about it. 

 

First, overall, the place was electric.   Pregame and early in the game, there was a level of excitement that I've rarely heard there.   Fans are still processing the success of recent years, the signing of Von Miller, the emergence of Josh Allen and the Bills on national media as relevant.  The months and months of waiting energized everyone in the first half.  There were times when the crowd wasn’t just loud; it was frenzied.  Sometimes it sounded like we were ready to storm the field, all 70,000 of us.  It was special.

 

Second, Titans fans were kind enough not to have shown up for the game, at least not in any numbers sufficient to be heard.  I saw a few Titans jerseys here and there, but they were hard to find.  Once inside the stadium, Titans fans quickly figured out that there was absolutely no sense in trying to make noise for their team – their cheers literally weren’t going to be in the same ball park.

 

Fans in the parking lot pregame were happy.  It was a party atmosphere, for sure.  Everyone seemed to be celebrating. Some, I suppose, thought it was a foregone conclusion that the Bills would win, and it turned out they were right.  But most just seemed to be genuinely happy to be there with thousands of their friends, celebrating a team that, whatever may happen in the coming months, has finally arrived. 

 

Traffic was bad, the crowds at the gate were pretty big, but the stadium filled in pretty well, and for all those who made it inside early, the pregame was pretty special.  Bruce Smith, wearing his number 78 jersey, came on the field with survivors and relatives of victims of the May 14th attack at Tops Market in Buffalo.  He spoke beautifully, with power and emotion, with love and compassion.  He thanked all who have responded.  He challenged all of us to continue to love and support the survivors and our community.  He celebrated Buffalo and its future.  An excellent “Choose Love” video ran on the video screens.

 

Then, the now-traditional “Let’s go, Buffalo” cheer lead by a former Bill brought tears to the eyes of fans all around the stadium.  Jim Kelly, wearing number 12, walked onto the field in the corner of the end zone, tunnel end, Bills sideline.  The public address system volume was no match for the crowd noise, so pretty much no one could hear Kelly lead the cheer.  We heard just enough to know when to respond, and we did.  Following “Let’s go, Buffalo,” it was time to ask “Where would you rather be than right here, right now?”  And Marv Levy took the microphone.  People went nuts!   Kelly and Smith, now wearing number 40, flanked him.  The past and the present came together in one special moment that was lost on no one.

 

The noise when the Titans had the ball was as loud as it gets in Highmark.  Sometimes it hurt your ears.  We sit in what the Bills staff calls the “girlfriends’ section” (covered, with heat), and there are plenty of women in those sections, proportionally more than in most of the open space in the stadium.  The result is that there is more high-pitched shrieking.  It was hysteria. 

 

In the second half, the noise quieted down, but the party was on.  It was a lot like the second half of the Patriots playoff game last season.  Score after score, the fans turned more and more joyous.  How could this be happening?  How could this be our team?  We exploded in joy when Allen found Diggs deep downfield for a touchdown that put the game out of reach.  And when Milano delivered his pick six, well, the fans were delirious. 

 

Then the fans left.  Tuesday’s a work day, so I suppose plenty of people wanted to get a head start to get home and get to bed.  Maybe 20% of the fans were left when Case Keenum took the last knee to end the game.  It was like the Bills Mafia remaining in the stadium at an away game win.  Still, we made noise and celebrated with the team. 

 

It was another great night at Highmark Stadium. 

 

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

The Rockpile Review is written to share the passion we have for the Buffalo Bills. That passion was born in the Rockpile; its parents were everyday people of western New York who translated their dedication to a full day’s hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.

 

 

 

Fantastic. I feel almost like I was there. Thank you.

[Blaise321]

You know it was a great night for the Bills when the only thing we can nit-pick is an offside call. What a game!

[Beck Water]

3 hours ago, Simon said:

 

Titans DT jumps just offside but doesn't make any contact.

Bills C goes to tap him on the head to create contact and activate the penalty.

Titan DT was barely offside and then jumped back onside immediately.

By the time the Bills C touched his helmet the Titans DT was just barely back on his own side of the LOS.

Since he was no longer in the neutral zone, the penalty goes to Buffalo for movement/initiating contact.

 

 

Thanks @Simon

 

Speaking of C, has anyone taken up a collection yet to upgrade the Bills backup C situation?  Thank God Allen has sure hands for the ball and great reflexes because Van Roten did NOT impress.

[Scott7975]

4 hours ago, Simon said:

 

Yeah, that was almost exactly a reverse image of the earlier one that was called on the offense.

I thought stripes might call it that way again to keep things square, but I think in the 2nd case, the Bills DT (was it Phillips again?) was .1 second slower getting back onside and got tapped on the hat when he was still just barely in the neutral zone.

It was finer than frog hair, but I thought they actually got both calls right.

 

The only one I was actually mad about was the Titans TD.  They clearly jumped and it went uncalled.

[Scott7975]

3 hours ago, Just Jack said:

 

Umm... what?  He was wearing a Choose Love shirt.  Here's the whole speech.

 

 

 

Amazing video.  Amazing and genuine speech.  This is something that should have been broadcasted.  I think the TV station can afford to skip a pizza pizza commercial to broadcast this message.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Scott7975

[BADOLBILZ]

4 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

I suspect that buried somewhere in one or more threads are comments about the stadium for the Titans game on Monday, but I haven't seen them, so I thought I would share my thoughts about it. 

 

First, overall, the place was electric.   Pregame and early in the game, there was a level of excitement that I've rarely heard there.   Fans are still processing the success of recent years, the signing of Von Miller, the emergence of Josh Allen and the Bills on national media as relevant.  The months and months of waiting energized everyone in the first half.  There were times when the crowd wasn’t just loud; it was frenzied.  Sometimes it sounded like we were ready to storm the field, all 70,000 of us.  It was special.

 

Second, Titans fans were kind enough not to have shown up for the game, at least not in any numbers sufficient to be heard.  I saw a few Titans jerseys here and there, but they were hard to find.  Once inside the stadium, Titans fans quickly figured out that there was absolutely no sense in trying to make noise for their team – their cheers literally weren’t going to be in the same ball park.

 

Fans in the parking lot pregame were happy.  It was a party atmosphere, for sure.  Everyone seemed to be celebrating. Some, I suppose, thought it was a foregone conclusion that the Bills would win, and it turned out they were right.  But most just seemed to be genuinely happy to be there with thousands of their friends, celebrating a team that, whatever may happen in the coming months, has finally arrived. 

 

Traffic was bad, the crowds at the gate were pretty big, but the stadium filled in pretty well, and for all those who made it inside early, the pregame was pretty special.  Bruce Smith, wearing his number 78 jersey, came on the field with survivors and relatives of victims of the May 14th attack at Tops Market in Buffalo.  He spoke beautifully, with power and emotion, with love and compassion.  He thanked all who have responded.  He challenged all of us to continue to love and support the survivors and our community.  He celebrated Buffalo and its future.  An excellent “Choose Love” video ran on the video screens.

 

Then, the now-traditional “Let’s go, Buffalo” cheer lead by a former Bill brought tears to the eyes of fans all around the stadium.  Jim Kelly, wearing number 12, walked onto the field in the corner of the end zone, tunnel end, Bills sideline.  The public address system volume was no match for the crowd noise, so pretty much no one could hear Kelly lead the cheer.  We heard just enough to know when to respond, and we did.  Following “Let’s go, Buffalo,” it was time to ask “Where would you rather be than right here, right now?”  And Marv Levy took the microphone.  People went nuts!   Kelly and Smith, now wearing number 40, flanked him.  The past and the present came together in one special moment that was lost on no one.

 

The noise when the Titans had the ball was as loud as it gets in Highmark.  Sometimes it hurt your ears.  We sit in what the Bills staff calls the “girlfriends’ section” (covered, with heat), and there are plenty of women in those sections, proportionally more than in most of the open space in the stadium.  The result is that there is more high-pitched shrieking.  It was hysteria. 

 

In the second half, the noise quieted down, but the party was on.  It was a lot like the second half of the Patriots playoff game last season.  Score after score, the fans turned more and more joyous.  How could this be happening?  How could this be our team?  We exploded in joy when Allen found Diggs deep downfield for a touchdown that put the game out of reach.  And when Milano delivered his pick six, well, the fans were delirious. 

 

Then the fans left.  Tuesday’s a work day, so I suppose plenty of people wanted to get a head start to get home and get to bed.  Maybe 20% of the fans were left when Case Keenum took the last knee to end the game.  It was like the Bills Mafia remaining in the stadium at an away game win.  Still, we made noise and celebrated with the team. 

 

It was another great night at Highmark Stadium. 

 

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

The Rockpile Review is written to share the passion we have for the Buffalo Bills. That passion was born in the Rockpile; its parents were everyday people of western New York who translated their dedication to a full day’s hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.

 

 

 

Definitely felt like a continuation of the playoff game versus NE.   Very loud, electric crowd for sure.

 

Left the tailgate at 7:02(we actually had a bunch of people there who just rode up without tickets to watch the game on tv at the tailgate so the party never stopped there), we walked thru empty gate and watched the kickoff from inside the tunnel..........so it was no problem getting in.

 

I never think "how could this be our team?" But perhaps some do.   It felt a lot like the early 90's.......you expect to win.......the team dominates a lesser opponent and you celebrate.

 

Fans did start leaving a little early but our group of 30 or so all stayed and tailgated well into the am........much of our lot did and we re-played the game on youtube tv.....and we all had to be at work in am but it was well worth it.

 

 

[Marv's Neighbor]

11 hours ago, UKBillFan said:

Highmark looked stunning in the overhead shots which aired during the match.

A lot of old people/things look stunning in the dark, and from 1500 feet.

[UKBillFan]

9 minutes ago, Marv's Neighbor said:

A lot of old people/things look stunning in the dark, and from 1500 feet.

Be fair, the floodlights were on.

[Son of a K-Gun]

Right after Marv shouted "Right here, right now" my son turned to me and asked if I was okay...my eyes might have been leaking a bit.

 

12 hours ago, UKBillFan said:

Highmark looked stunning in the overhead shots which aired during the match.

 

One of the first things I noticed when we took our seats was the Goodyear Blimp floating overhead, as if we needed further confirmation that this team had arrived!

 

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

13 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

 

 

The noise when the Titans had the ball was as loud as it gets in Highmark.  Sometimes it hurt your ears.  We sit in what the Bills staff calls the “girlfriends’ section” (covered, with heat), and there are plenty of women in those sections, proportionally more than in most of the open space in the stadium.  The result is that there is more high-pitched shrieking.  It was hysteria. 

 

I

I think that's where our group sat for the Patriots game. Let me tell you, it was worth it on that bitterly cold night. I've been to three Bills games in my life in person and I will never forget that one.

 

 

13 hours ago, CNYfan said:

Maybe not the appropriate place but can someone explain the "false start"/"Offside" controversy from the first half.   I don't listen to the audio during Bills games.  How was that explained away by the official?

The argument, as much of the spin that the annnouncers put on it that while the defense did in fact flinch and in doing so caused the offense to flinch (because they are trained to do that, because 99% of the time it's an Offside) that the defense hadn't moved "enough" into the neutral zone and had reset by the time the offensive line moved, and this it was a false start.

Which is utter BS, and I expect there was an attempt at point shaving at that point.

[poo]

it was an incredible atmosphere. We're in the upper 311 and I can say it was as full as I've ever seen it. Patriots playoff game last year was more lightly attended because of how intensely cold it was. Marv Levy seemed shocked by the intensity of the reaction when the crowd roared "right here, right now." Shame the tv broadcast shows Jim Kelly handing the mic but doesn't show Marv. I am looking forward to the Steelers game in October to see you all again.

 

It was absolutely beautiful to watch the sun set over the scoreboard. I'd love to attach a photo showing the sunset  from inside the stadium but 200kb is the attachment max. 

[NC Lifelong Bills fan]

It was a great a relief to see the Rockpile Report after the Titans’ game. When there was no word from you after the Rams game, I feared that you had retired your report for good. Perish the thought!

 

Your insight is why I check the boards. I laughed when you described the sound of women’s voices in the covered/heated section where you sit, and those of us who weren’t there can only imagine the loudness quotient throughout the stadium. It DID come across on our tvs.

 

Please keep going here, especially with this year’s talent to discuss, and know that you have a fan club. Go Bills!(from NC.)