Cowherd killing Bills coaching in his monologue

[DieHardBillsFan]

On 9/26/2022 at 12:18 PM, zow2 said:

In a nutshell,  

Bills have a defensive coach. Allen is being used like Cam in Carolina.

6 years in, No ability to run the ball unless it’s Allen.  

No ability to create offense outside of Allen.

This can’t last with Allen. He will age out overnight down the road like Cam or Big Ben.

Great knockout punch but Only the Texans are as bad as Buffalo in close games since beginning of last year.

Not a fluke, happens because QB is exhausted and gets sloppy at the end from being overused.

 

 

We need audibles on run plays that are different run plays not involving JA.

[Augie]

16 hours ago, HappyDays said:

I think any statistic that uses data from the previous season is really stupid. Every season is a new season. We were 0-6 in close games last year and are 0-1 this year. You can't combine the two and act like it means something. People are reaching to find some overarching coaching or player issue that led us to lose a close game in Miami. It's actually really simple - we were down a bunch of players, we lost more during the game, everyone was exhausted by the end. Trying to pick any meaningful data out of a game like that is a waste of time.

 

We had two coaching failures - the play calling on the 2nd drive (not debatable) and the 3rd and 22 (kind of debatable, I think most defenses would have played it the same way). McDaniel had coaching failures too. On our 1st TD he foolishly blitzed Allen in the red zone which left Singletary wide open. He didn't go max protect on the final run play on 3rd down at their own goal line and it directly led to a safety. But we don't talk about that because the Dolphins won the game.

 

I think it's interesting to discuss the multitude of reasons that the Bills managed to lose a game where they statistically dominated their opponent, but one game does not define the coaching staff or the whole season. It's week 3 for cripes sake. By most analytical measures we are still the best team in football. Josh Allen slipping against the Titans 12 months ago has nothing to do with this conversation.

 

Why start counting at the beginning of last season. As far as I’m concerned we are 0-1 this year. Go back two seasons and we were, I believe, 6-0 in one score games. So we were very good in that regard. But that year doesn’t count this year either.

 

If you want to go back in time, why chose the starting point of last year?  Why? Because they want to make in imaginary point to have something to whine about. Over this season and the last two seasons, we are about .500 in one score games, which still means absolutely nothing.

 

The only game that matters now is the next game. 

 

EDIT: BTW, for those making a big deal about what Cowherd had to say, he still had us as the #1 team in the NFL on today’s hierarchy. He’s not saying we suck. We DO need a reliable running game that does not include Josh carrying the ball. That is real, and I think most reasonable people agree. 

 

 

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Edited September 27, 2022 by Augie

[HappyDays]

Just now, ScottLaw said:

Nah not in retrospect… a FG attempt was a chicken ***** call at that time IMO. That’s a point in the game where you stay aggressive. That was a typical coaching scared moment we’ve come to expect from McD when the going gets tough. 

 

Admittedly I am more conservative than most on this board when it comes to decisions like that. I've seen a ton of coaches lose games because they were too aggressive early on. In a shootout of course you play aggressive. In a game where points are at a premium you take the easy points. If Bass had simply made that chip shot field goal we probably would have won. It would have put us in position to just need another field goal to assure a win.

 

The truth is decisions like that are always in hindsight. If you make the FG but ultimately lose by 3 points it was the wrong decision. If you go for it and fail to convert and then lose by 2 points that was the wrong decision. Since no one knows how the game is going to end I believe in taking easy points while you can. 4th and inches on the 40, sure, go for it. 4th and 4 with a gimme FG, take the points. Unfortunately the ball was either tipped or came off his foot weird. So in hindsight it was the wrong decision. In the moment I didn't feel that the flow of the game dictated an aggressive decision. It's not like our short yardage offense has been unstoppable and the players on offense were already exhausted and cramping at that point in the game.

[GreggTX]

This is why he's not a coach.

[HappyDays]

8 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Nah. I thought the flow of the game absolutely called for going for it…. A FG attempt was a huge momentum boost for the Phins… a conversion and subsequent TD would’ve taken the sails out of them IMO. Momentum shifted even more so after he missed the kick. 

 

It's an interesting debate but at the very least you can't say McDermott failed by going for a FG there. It was a valid decision. He isn't inherently overly conservative, he went for it on 4th and goal earlier in the game. He decided at that moment in the game that getting easy points was the right decision. I agree with him, you don't, and that's fine. Just don't act like his decision was objectively wrong or a sign of his coaching acumen.

[HappyDays]

Just now, ScottLaw said:

He has a propensity to be aggressive early in games and then turtle when aggressiveness would put away a close game. 

 

Against Tennessee last year he chose to go for it on 4th and short instead of kicking a game tying FG. I agree with that decision of course. I don't know where you came up with this idea. He tries to make the best decision in the moment, he isn't particularly aggressive or conservative which IMO is the best coaching style. It doesn't mean his decisions will always work out but he very rarely makes totally head scratching decisions.

[wppete]

On 9/26/2022 at 12:21 PM, BuffaloBill said:

Cowherd is an idiot.

Cowherd is definitely an idiot but we need to get Josh a running game and a real Oline. We need to protect him if we want him playing like this for another 8-10 years for us. 

[Success]

They're called hot takes.

 

[KHAN]

Cowherd is only slightly less unwatchable than Stephen A.

[wppete]

1 hour ago, KHAN said:

Cowherd is only slightly less unwatchable than Stephen A.

I don’t know Steven A. Smith wins the  🏆 for the biggest hack in sports. What a joke. 

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

On 9/27/2022 at 1:11 AM, Airseven said:

All that is fair. And it carries weight since Cowherd usually praises the Bills.

 

The sloppiness at the end of games happens without fail. Allen presses. Also, he fumbles nearly every time he’s touched in the pocket but that’s a separate issue.

Literally none of it is fair lol we were missing 5 offensive linemen down the stretch in that game.   We were an injury away from Gilliam having to play guard.  If we called more running plays and averaged 2 ypc blowhards like cowherd would’ve been the first to criticize the playcalling.  We were vastly undermanned to close out that game it’s kind of incredible we kept it close.  This whole ‘Miami had injuries too so injuries don’t matter’ thing is easily disprovable when you look at both teams snap counts. They had hunt and little miss like 2 total plays and that was pretty much it 
 

we couldn’t rotate players because of how depleted our roster was and gassed players not being able to get substituted out is obviously going to lead to sloppiness. 

Edited September 28, 2022 by Generic_Bills_Fan

[AlfaBill]

32 minutes ago, Generic_Bills_Fan said:

Literally none of it is fair lol we were missing 5 offensive linemen down the stretch in that game.   We were an injury away from Gilliam having to play guard.  If we called more running plays and averaged 2 ypc blowhards like cowherd would’ve been the first to criticize the playcalling.  We were vastly undermanned to close out that game it’s kind of incredible we kept it close.  This whole ‘Miami had injuries too so injuries don’t matter’ thing is easily disprovable when you look at both teams snap counts. They had hunt and little miss like 2 total plays and that was pretty much it 
 

we couldn’t rotate players because of how depleted our roster was and gassed players not being able to get substituted out is obviously going to lead to sloppiness. 

Seven is right. Fire the staff, cut Allen and force the owners to sell. This team is done. 

[Rat-boy]

27 minutes ago, Generic_Bills_Fan said:

Literally none of it is fair lol we were missing 5 offensive linemen down the stretch in that game.   We were an injury away from Gilliam having to play guard.  If we called more running plays and averaged 2 ypc blowhards like cowherd would’ve been the first to criticize the playcalling.  We were vastly undermanned to close out that game it’s kind of incredible we kept it close.  This whole ‘Miami had injuries too so injuries don’t matter’ thing is easily disprovable when you look at both teams snap counts. They had hunt and little miss like 2 total plays and that was pretty much it 
 

we couldn’t rotate players because of how depleted our roster was and gassed players not being able to get substituted out is obviously going to lead to sloppiness. 

Yep. It’s the NFL. We lost one game. Happens to most good teams for diverse reasons.

 

In nearly 20 years of following and occasionally posting here, I still don’t understand why anyone gives a flying F about hot takes from these guys like Smith, Cowherd, and others who deliberately push buttons to ge5 clicks or reactions.

 

Anyone who watched the last three Bills games and spot-checked the rest of the NFL knows who the teams who have the talent to win the SB are this year. The Bills are one of them.  It would take something catastrophic for us to miss the playoffs. We need the fortune to have our best players available when we do to make the final push. Long season, we will see.

 

 

 

 

[BobbyC81]

On 9/26/2022 at 9:28 AM, 2003Contenders said:

If we want to blame the coaching in this game, I put it on Dorsey for 2 poor sequences:

 

-- 2nd possession of the 1st half, from the 12-yard line run Moss on two consecutive plays for no gain, followed by the strip sack.

 

-- Next-to-last possession in the 2nd half. 2nd and goal (about a foot to go): Allen in shotgun for 3 straight plays, beginning with RPO that loses almost 2 yards.

How about the end of the first half?  Has anyone explained that?  If the play was to fake the spike and throw to Diggs, why didn’t Josh just spike it after bobbling the ball to allow a FG try?

[mjt328]

16 hours ago, par73 said:

The record in one score games is troubling. The Bills (Allen and the coaching staff) need to maintain composure when the chips are down. Too many bungled plays, poor challenges (costing timeouts) and execution when the game is on the line (and at the end of the first half). These are recurring issues.

 

There has never been a football game, where the losing team looked back and said... "Well, we did everything perfect and still got beat."

In every single close loss, you are going to be able to look back at a handful of plays that would have changed the outcome.  A blown timeout.  A dropped pass.  A missed block.  A missed tackle.  Etc.  Etc.

EVERY.  SINGLE.  ONE.

 

If there actually WAS a recurring theme in these close losses, maybe we could point to something the Bills could fix.

But that's the thing.  All of these close losses are due to different issues:

• The narrative the entire summer was about how clutch Josh Allen was in the AFC Divisional Playoff, and the NFL needed to change overtime rules because of it.  He literally won the game twice, only for the defense to fall apart on three consecutive drives to lose in overtime.  This game literally disproves Colin Cowherd's ridiculous take that Allen "gets tired and makes mistakes" at the end.  This loss was due to bad pass defense the entire game (but mostly the end) and miscommunication on the kickoff, not squibbing it.

• On Sunday, it was the defense who totally stonewalled the Dolphins at their own goal line.  Allen missed the touchdown to Isaiah McKenzie, which would have put us ahead.  This is probably the only time in the last two seasons you can point to Allen and say he "made a mistake" that cost us at the end.  Regardless, he still helped us drive back to midfield.  But McKenzie failed to get out of bounds, costing us the chance to kick a field goal.  

• Before that, we had the overtime loss to Tampa Bay.  The offense rallied and scored 17 points in the 4th quarter, but did nothing on the first possession of overtime.  Then it was the defense who failed to tackle the receiver on a crossing route.  This was really gets shared blame by both sides, but the final play comes down to our coverage and failure to tackle.

• Then we have the wind bowl against the Patriots.  Problem here was not having a rushing offense to counter the bad weather.  Defense played strong all game, minus one big run.  We drove into the Red Zone at the end, but couldn't get a TD.  There wasn't a particular "mistake" that cost us at the end.  It was just very tough to throw.

• Then we have the Jags game, where our offense was pathetic all day.  Problem here was everything on offense, but mostly the O-Line.  Defense was great all day.  We had a chance to drive the field at the end, but another sack killed the final drive.

• Titans Monday night.  Offense drives down to the goal line at the end.  Allen scrambles for the first down, but is marked an inch short.  O-Line which had been good most of the game, got blown up on one play.  We fail on fourth down.  Problem most of the game was defense, but on the O-Line if you are only counting the final play.

• Steelers opening day.  The Bills should have lost by more than one score.  They were down 10 in the closing minutes, then kicked a field goal and prayed for an onside kick.  Problem in this game was the O-Line and a blocked punt.

 

[TPS]

8 hours ago, wppete said:

I don’t know Steven A. Smith wins the  🏆 for the biggest hack in sports. What a joke. 

I kind of like him when he's had too much wine and cracking on the Dallas Cowboys...

[timekills17]

47 minutes ago, TPS said:

I kind of like him when he's had too much wine and cracking on the Dallas Cowboys...

 

I kind of like (anybody) when they've had too much wine and are cracking on the Dallas Cowboys...

[timekills17]

6 hours ago, BobbyC81 said:

How about the end of the first half?  Has anyone explained that?  If the play was to fake the spike and throw to Diggs, why didn’t Josh just spike it after bobbling the ball to allow a FG try?

 

This was answered by both Josh after the game and McDermott later.

The gist of it was Allen was concerned that the referees would see it as either a fumble or at best call it grounding. The rules allowing a spike are specific and that play would normally be an "intentional grounding". So JA17 made a snap decision to try and get something out of it rather than risk a loss of down and 10 second runoff of clock.

 

McDermott later said that he thinks the referees would have had some leniency and recognized it wasn't an intentional try to fake spike and then actually spike - but I'm not sure JA17 isn't right in his assessment.

 

Either way, it was *intended* to be a spike to stop the clock.

[TwistofFate]

On 9/26/2022 at 12:34 PM, Jukester said:

It’s funny how we were media darlings before this week. Really?!! He has absolutely no perspective on this last game. Yes it was all Allen centric because we had no other choice. Hello:

No Hyde
No Poyer
No White
No Jackson
No Phillips
No Oliver
Limited Diggs
Limited McKenzie
Limited Knox
Limited Davis
No Morse
No Brown
No Bates
No Van Roten

…and we still should’ve won. 

And the common response to this is....everyone has injuries, it's no excuse. 

 

We legit faced Miami with half a team as injuries got even worse during the course of the game.

[QLBillsFan]

On 9/27/2022 at 6:58 AM, NastyNateSoldiers said:

Outstanding is averaging 3.5 yds per carry on the yr facing light boxes 65% of the time? 
 

i hate how people want to blame just the Oline for the bad running back play without truly breaking it down our backs are slow and can’t threaten the outside with consistency which makes life miserable on our Oline because the defense knows when we run most likely it’s between the tackles.  We need a back that can challenge be defense and make teams pay for these light 6 man fronts they employ against us at will. 

Watch the games. When do Bills backs face first contact vs league average. It’s immediate. It’s time for Kromer to coach this group up and 76 to get it going. Those two were expected to improve the run game. Cook is that explosive guy we have been waiting for. Not so much as of yet. But 3 it’s only games in so time to improve. Morse being out hasn’t helped.