A Few Thoughts About the Dolphins Game, in no particular order

[CincyBillsFan]

2 hours ago, 78thealltimegreat said:

Blaming Allen for a loss man I haven’t heard that since the Pats wind game like old times 

Blaming Allen here is 100% wrong IMO. 

 

First, there were no "4 easy interceptions" thrown by Allen.  I saw three passes that if the DB makes a spectacular play might have been intercepted. 

 

Second, Allen made some great throws under all sorts of pressure.  Most QB's playing with that O-line today would have been sacked 8 times.

 

Third, if people are going to point fingers at Allen here and IMO it's entirely unwarranted, how abut a dropped TD pass and two dropped passes on the last drive either of which would have put us in FG range.

 

At times the Bills were without HALF of the players who started on Monday night.  HALF, including 60% of the O-line and a THIRD STRING CENTER.  The only thing worse then this loss are the loons trying to pin the result on Allen.

 

 

 

 

[DuckyBoys]

plain and simply its a team game and they are asking Allen for far too much  At some point there has to be some sort of complementary football  Were running the most qb centric offense in nfl history

[CincyBillsFan]

1 hour ago, HappyDays said:

I think the expectations around Allen have gotten ridiculous. I'll agree this is his worst game since the regular season last year but he was also the only reason we were in it. Davis didn't look right, Diggs got cramped up and exhausted, McKenize and Knox had to get IVs at one point, Kumerow left the game early. Allen was getting beat up and running around all day in 100 degree weather with very little rest in between drives. He made several exceptional plays. We needed someone else on offense to make one.

I agree.  Under the circumstances Allen was phenomenal today. If you want to see what happens to a great QB when under the pressure Allen was today check out the week one games played by Matt Stafford and Joe Burrow.

 

 

[HappyDays]

8 minutes ago, Nihilarian said:

63 pass attempts is downright ridiculous to ask a QB to throw in one game... This OC put the entire game on the QB's shoulders. That is on the OC! 

 

 

 

In Dorsey's defense, part of the reason for so many pass attempts was that every one of our drives other than the first one went on forever. In the drive starting from our 2 and the drive ending with the missed TD to McKenzie there were 37 combined plays on those 2 drives alone, and I'm sure most of them were passes. Miami's defense got us into a game that McDermott would have loved, forcing us to dink and dunk our way down the field without making mistakes and shutting us down in the red zone.

 

Dorsey needs to figure out ways to beat the blitz other than just 4 yard throws to Singletary. The defense blitzing shouldn't completely take away our downfield passing game that easily. We played right into their hands.

[CincyBillsFan]

33 minutes ago, newcam2012 said:

He didn't drop it. It got knocked out of his hands. 

I disagree.  He had both hands on the ball.  DB's try to knock it away all the time.  But once you have TWO hands on the ball you have to hold onto it.

 

 

[Virgil]

8 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

Blaming Allen here is 100% wrong IMO. 

 

First, there were no "4 easy interceptions" thrown by Allen.  I saw three passes that if the DB makes a spectacular play might have been intercepted. 

 

Second, Allen made some great throws under all sorts of pressure.  Most QB's playing with that O-line today would have been sacked 8 times.

 

Third, if people are going to point fingers at Allen here and IMO it's entirely unwarranted, how abut a dropped TD pass and two dropped passes on the last drive either of which would have put us in FG range.

 

At times the Bills were without HALF of the players who started on Monday night.  HALF, including 60% of the O-line and a THIRD STRING CENTER.  The only thing worse then this loss are the loons trying to pin the result on Allen.

 

 

 

 

This is that all or nothing mentality that I don’t understand.  

When he had the chance to win the game, he choked.  Sometimes it’s that simple.  Did other people suck, sure.  But does that make missing McK on that touchdown okay?   
 

He made a lot out of nothing sure.  But when the 42 mil man had to make the throw that mattered most, he missed and we lost.  
 

 

3 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

I disagree.  He had both hands on the ball.  DB's try to knock it away all the time.  But once you have TWO hands on the ball you have to hold onto it.

 

 

It’s both to me.  Gabe should have caught it, but the DB also made a good play.  If you ask Gabe, he’ll say it’s on him 

[UKBillFan]

Josh was fine for the most part but not phenomenal, not by any stretch. Other players played their part in the defeat (Davis, McKenzie, Milano, Bass) but failing to complete a simple five yard throw and only putting up three points in the second half, excluding the safety, is not good.

[CincyBillsFan]

2 hours ago, Norcalbillsfan said:

 

I mean if Gabe makes that td catch is there even a whisper that josh played like trash today?

Anyone saying that Allen played like trash today is crazy.  I'm so sick of the unrealistic and flat out lunatic expectations around Allen.  In week one 2 of the best QB's in the NFL (Stafford & Burrow) faced less adversity then Allen faced today and got blown up.  Frankly, Allen was outstanding today and the last person on the roster responsible for this loss.

 

 

[Turbo44]

2 hours ago, thenorthremembers said:

Love these recaps Virgil but to say Josh lost the game on offense is totally wrong.  Offensive line played like dog crap, too may injuries, and no one outside of Josh made plays.  Josh was the reason they were in the game to start with.  Without him this game is 21-0

Blaming Josh is pure garbage.  Ignoring stats is an easy cop out.  He was a warrior, playing balls out behind 3 o-lineman who have no right playing in the NFL and with virtually all of his receivers in and out of the game with injuries or heat exhaustion.  He made Gilliam and Morris look like viable NFL receivers.  He still threw for 400 yards and 67% completion rate.  He did miss McNasty on 4th down, but guessing he couldn't feel his hand at that point?  Thank God the other "elite qb's" - Rodgers, Brady, Mahomes and Herbert weren't playing for the Bills today - can only imagine what would have been said about them.  I'm no an Allen aplogist and realize he's not perfect, but this is ridiculous.

[Sestak4ever]

1 hour ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

This was a coaching loss today. 

 

- Dorsey not getting plays in on time

- The second drive was an absolute joke

- Delayed handoffs being called over and over'

- 2nd and Goal from 1 and you don't call three straight dives??

- Too many times the playclock running down to 3, 2, 1 and barely getting the snap off, and that's what made Bass miss that field. 

 

Another coaching error came on the 3rd and 22 play where we only rushed 3 and dropped everyone else into coverage. Terrible call in that situation. Need to make Tua uncomfortable and they didn't. He had way too much time on that play.

[TH3]

2 hours ago, Virgil said:

Well, if you're going to post angry, go big or go home.  If you are on team "we were injured," feel free to stop reading now.  This game was embarrassing in all aspects of the game, and even beyond to the NFL. 

 

1 - Everyone else - This whole week has been about the players we don't have on the field, yet it was the guys who stayed healthy that made some of the biggest impacts on the game.  In a game of "what if's", there were countless plays you could point to that could have sent this game in a different direction.  Milano with an inexcusable dropped pick 6, Josh with at least 4 passes that should have been easily intercepted, multiple lost yardage plays due to bad snaps, Brown getting just abused at RT until he also leaves the game sick, Bass with an short FG miss that could have been the game winner, and again Allen missing a wide open McKenzie for a touchdown. 

 

2 - Inevitable - If there were one thing that kept me up at night going into this game, it was fear of miscommunication and gap integrity between the safeties and corners.  In a game where the Bills did a great job of limiting Tua, Waddle, and Hill, they folded when it counted the most giving up an inexcusable 3rd and 22 to the Bills goal line.  Without that play, of all of them, the Dolphins stat line is pedestrian and pull off a miracle defensive performance.

 

3 - Safety - I don't know enough about all of the medical protocols or options for teams in a game like this, but you really have to question the NFL after this game.  How Tua was able to clear concussion protocol so quickly makes absolutely no sense.  I haven't seen a QB stagger off the field like that since Joe Montana with the Chiefs against the Bills in the playoffs.  I don't care how well he passed tests in the locker room, there's no way he should have been allowed to play.  To be clear, this has nothing to do with the Bills losing and I don't think Tua beat us on any level.  Between that, the amount of play stoppages for dehydration and cramping, and the amount of players who left the game early, something needs to be done differently.

 

4 - Come and take a walk on the wild side
Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain
You like your girls insane ("Louder!", "Alright")
So choose your last words, this is the last time
'Cause you and I—we were born to die

 

5 - Allen - You are either a stat person or you aren't, and for this game, I don't care about Josh's stats.  He lost this game for us on offense and I think he would tell you the same thing.  Josh's accuracy on crossing routes was poor, throwing multiple passes behind the receivers.  He threw at least 4 passes that easily should have been picked off, plus the miss to a wide open McKenzie last goal line drive.  While he overcame it, the PF call to lose 15 yards was inexcusable.  Josh was clearly rattled in the second half and started to press too much.  Maybe it was the heat, frustration of some terrible snaps, or playing with only 3 active receivers at times, but Josh needs to be better than this.

 

6 - Play calling - I have to hand it to the Dolphins as they had a very good game plan for our offense and did enough to keep the Bills offense at bay.  Again, you can look at stats all you want, but Diggs was relatively shut down in this game after the first quarter.  Howard left the game for a while and Diggs still couldn't do anything.  Davis was also quiet as we heard Gilly's name more than his.  As for the Bills, they continue to collapse on short yardage plays, can't run to save their life, and flirted with turnovers a lot.  Nothing ever felt fluid for the Bills on offense or defense, in a game that's almost impossible to describe to someone who didn't watch it.

 

7 - Motor - I understand that Moss had a big run in this game.  But beyond that, Motor was the only back doing anything on the field and it's been this way through three games.  Additionally, the running plays on the RPO or out of the shotgun were some of the slowest developing plays I've ever seen.  You would think the offense was running on quicksand and showed no push or burst up front.  And before you point to the loss of the entire right side of our line, this was before those injuries and were runs to the left side.  I know we are a passing team, but this is inexcusable.

 

8 - McKenzie - If there were one shining light on offense, it might have been that we finally saw a McKenzie jet sweep in this game.  McKenzie used his speed on quite a few plays to pick up nice chunks of yards, to the point that makes you wonder why he hasn't been used more up until now.  His 20+ yard catch was a beautiful touch pass by Josh, but an equally great catch by McK.  I also want to know why McK wasn't returned the free kick after the safety.  Was that because it was still a punt, in theory?

 

9 - Special teams - Between the Bass missed FG, being pinned inside our 20 a few times, and Crowder not even getting back to the 25 after the safety, the special teams was another group who found a way to not show up in this game.  Absolutely horrendous job by unit that was healthy coming into the game.

 

10 - Bye Week - I'll be honest, I don't know what to expect through the next 3 weeks.  You can find some solace in how the defense held Waddle and Hill down, but I'm not one willing to crown the Dolphins as a top tier team yet.  Going into Baltimore next week is going to be brutal, and then we still have the Chiefs after that.  I know that it's early, and thankfully we get to play the Dolphins again.  But we may very well need the tie breakers for the Ravens and Chiefs, so it sucks to have these games coming up when we aren't even 50% healthy.  Out of everything, I just hate having a season be defined by injuries, and that's exactly what this season is shaping up to be.

 

For those looking for more about the game, my apologies.  I'm not going to cool down from this game for a long time.  I can handle a loss and was expecting one.  But to lose like this is just pathetic to me.  The Dolphins were better prepared, had more energy, and played harder.  Lose, but don't get beat in those three phases.  That's on McD.

 

 

Should have slept on it

[GETTOTHE50]

We had one too many injuries. If Mitch is still in, we wouldn’t have those rotten snaps. That guy needs to be off the team 

[CincyBillsFan]

2 minutes ago, Virgil said:

This is that all or nothing mentality that I don’t understand.  

When he had the chance to win the game, he choked.  Sometimes it’s that simple.  Did other people suck, sure.  But does that make missing McK on that touchdown okay?   
 

He made a lot out of nothing sure.  But when the 42 mil man had to make the throw that mattered most, he missed and we lost.  
 

 

What I don't understand is an expectation of perfection in a sport that is never perfectly played.

 

He missed a pass.  It happens.  To say he choked is wrong.  That Allen was even functioning at that point of the game after the beating he took and the heat he endured was amazing. 

 

I think you would have been better served waiting until tomorrow to write your review.  Your reviews are normally level headed but your take on Allen is flat out wrong IMO and reflects the heat of the moment.

 

 

 

 

[UKBillFan]

5 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

Anyone saying that Allen played like trash today is crazy.  I'm so sick of the unrealistic and flat out lunatic expectations around Allen.  In week one 2 of the best QB's in the NFL (Stafford & Burrow) faced less adversity then Allen faced today and got blown up.  Frankly, Allen was outstanding today and the last person on the roster responsible for this loss.

 

 

I’d argue that the second string members of the defense are the last persons on the roster responsible for the loss. Held up brilliantly considering the pressures and having to deal with the likes of Hill and Waddle. 

[Turbo44]

2 hours ago, UKBillFan said:

 

If Josh had got the ball to McKenzie there wouldn't be this discussion either. Plus I don't think he played like trash, but he had the opportunity to lead us to a close win and failed to do so. And our record in those games since the start of last year is now 0-7.

so you are a sightseer too to go along with a QB coach? How do you know Tua doesn't take Miami down the field in the last 1:40 and win it or kick the tying FG if Allen hits McKenzie?

[CincyBillsFan]

7 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:

Josh was fine for the most part but not phenomenal, not by any stretch. Other players played their part in the defeat (Davis, McKenzie, Milano, Bass) but failing to complete a simple five yard throw and only putting up three points in the second half, excluding the safety, is not good.

Was this Allen's best game?  No but under the circumstances it was a very good game by the QB. IMO he earned an A-.  Of course you can grade him lower if you think that having more then half the offenses starters out of the game at times was no big deal.

 

 

[Virgil]

Just now, Turbo44 said:

so you are a sightseer too to go along with a QB coach? How do you know Tua doesn't take Miami down the field in the last 1:40 and win it or kick the tying FG if Allen hits McKenzie?

I don’t know that.  But our defense overall played well minus the one deep pass to Waddle 

[Sweats]

I'm still in shock that Tua came back into the game and wasn't sidelined by the concussion protocol.......AND, that the helmet to helmet hit on Knox wasn't a penalty. It's hits like that where a guy can get a broken neck.........and, no call

 

Absurd

[UKBillFan]

Just now, Turbo44 said:

so you are a sightseer too to go along with a QB coach? How do you know Tua doesn't take Miami down the field in the last 1:40 and win it or kick the tying FG if Allen hits McKenzie?

True. But then the defeat would have been on the defense, akin to 13 seconds. But, considering how depleted we were, I thought the defense did great overall today.

[CincyBillsFan]

1 minute ago, UKBillFan said:

I’d argue that the second string members of the defense are the last persons on the roster responsible for the loss. Held up brilliantly considering the pressures and having to deal with the likes of Hill and Waddle. 

Allen's impressive ball control offense, that took up huge amounts of TOP, had a lot to do with that.