All-22 Grades for Bills/Chiefs (The Athletic)

[HappyDays]

I'm actually going to start with a couple snippets from Joe's post-game article. Some good info here:

 

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2. When the going got tough, the Bills switched Von Miller to the left… again

 

Essentially, Miller was solely a right defensive end for nearly the entire first half, and that’s been the theme early in games. The Bills feel second-year pass rusher Greg Rousseau is at his best rushing from the left side, so with Miller being able to rush from the right side effectively they line him up against the left tackle. But there’s just another gear when Miller is coming from the left, and the Bills’ actions in a dire situation shows they seem to agree. In the second half, on 19 of Miller’s 22 defensive snaps, the Bills lined him up on the left side. Even dating back to the end of the first half, 22 of his final 27 snaps came from the left. Both of Miller’s sacks came from the left side, and the pressure that helped force the game-winning interception occurred with Miller rushing from the left.

 

And then when you recall the Ravens game, 26 of Miller’s final 32 snaps all came from the left side, and all came when the Bills were in a close contest. That means over the Bills’ last two close games, the team used Miller on the left side in crunch time on 81.4 percent of his snaps.

 

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5. The multi-TE look that the Bills hid against the Ravens and Steelers

 

It’s all about tendency breaking, and the Bills likely caught the Chiefs by surprise in how much 21 personnel (two tight ends, or a tight end and a fullback) they used throughout the game on Sunday. In the Ravens and Steelers matchups, the Bills used 21 personnel on five snaps total out of 118 non-kneeldown situations — a rate of 4.2 percent.

 

This was the first time this year the Bills have made all three of their tight ends, plus fullback Reggie Gilliam, active for the matchup. Gilliam only had nine snaps over his previous two games and had 19 against the Chiefs alone. If the Chiefs were basing their prep on the most recent games, it might have been something they slightly overlooked in preparing for throughout the week. But in the actual game, the Bills made it a staple of their offensive attack. They utilized 21 personnel on 24 of their 72 non-kneeldown snaps, a rate of 33.3 percent. Through the first half, those plays were quite fruitful and averaged 7.3 yards per play. It was just a fascinating wrinkle to their attack on Sunday, and they had their best rushing day of the year.

 

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7. Shakir ate into McKenzie’s snaps down the stretch

 

At least in the early stages, the Bills stood by McKenzie. Through the first drive of the second half, McKenzie out-snapped Shakir 25 to 7, and the duo were on the field only once together throughout that time.

 

After some inconsistency from McKenzie throughout the game though, that ratio began to turn in Shakir’s favor. Through the Bills’ final three offensive series, McKenzie only out-snapped Shakir 13 to 8, showing that the Bills were looking for a little extra from that third receiver role and had liked what the rookie had done to that point in the game. McKenzie’s snap rate dominance went from a 77:23 ratio early, to a 62:38 ratio late.

 

And here's the all-22 review:

 

https://theathletic.com/3709749/2022/10/20/bills-all-22-film-review-chiefs?source=user-shared-article

 

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2. Edmunds has a résumé reel worthy outing for his contract year

 

Against the Chiefs, Edmunds had what I’d qualify as a ceiling game. Everything the Bills had hoped Edmunds would become was on display Sunday.

 

The linebacker was hyper-aware of his surroundings at all times pre- and post-snap. He was dynamic in coverage, both picking up receivers and clogging up lanes while in zone. He was instinctive in his play recognition and had an excellent reaction time to get himself in proper position. Part of that was in how quickly Edmunds was getting sideline-to-sideline, flashing the elite movement skills of a linebacker with his size. And finally, the last piece of the puzzle was how capably Edmunds shed his blocks against the Chiefs. He used his hands well and kept blockers off his pads, instead keeping his arms extended and getting away to impact the play. The block shedding has been his primary weakness throughout his career, but it wasn’t an issue on Sunday.

 

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3. Morse has the best game of any Bills O-Lineman this year

 

After some early struggles, it appears the Bills’ offensive line has turned a corner and is playing closer to its optimal level. A big part of that against the Chiefs was center Mitch Morse, who had a jaw-droppingly good game against his former team. Morse is an outstanding athlete for the center position, and how fluidly he moved as a puller and getting to the second level looked effortless. On multiple occasions, he crashed down on a defender while on the move that helped spring a big Bills gain. There was even one play where Morse faked a pull one way to get the defense moving with him, had the athleticism to spin out the other way and still got downfield in front of Devin Singletary for a big block. As a pass blocker, Morse had his best showing in how he anchored down against more powerful opponents and helped out his guards in combination blocks to deal with stunts. 

 

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4. Quessenberry recovered nicely after some early difficulties

 

Quessenberry had a handful of beats, including a sack given up right after the Chiefs took a 20-17 lead. Although Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones appeared to trip Allen, it was still an instant loss by Quessenberry to allow Jones to be in that position in the first place. If not for the Bills’ defense stepping up on the ensuing drive, the offense may not have gotten another chance to win the game. Following that loss, Quessenberry settled in well the rest of the way, which was important not only to the outcome but for the Bills to know they could trust Quessenberry in the lineup should Brown miss any time. Especially with right guard Ryan Bates starting to play better as of late, the Bills will want to keep their offensive line momentum going after the bye.

 

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5. The three young cornerbacks are starting to clump together

 

After a solid start to the year, Dane Jackson has leveled off slightly and has struggled more often in coverage and as a tackler in the open field. He was the obvious answer early in the year about who would start with White, but he has allowed rookies Kaiir Elam and Christian Benford to catch up. Elam’s timely interception on Sunday will surely have a lasting impact in the Bills’ minds, but he had some regrettable reps throughout the game after that big play. And the fact Benford was still getting time after Elam’s play is telling. The Bills are likely waiting for one of these three to stand out above the rest, but that hasn’t happened just yet. Jackson may still get the initial call to start alongside White when that time comes, but there might be a lot more mixing and matching than we initially anticipated upon White’s return.

 

Top 5 grades:

1) Josh Allen (A)

2) Mitch Morse (A)

3) Von Miller (A-)

4) Tremaine Edmunds (A-)

5) Matt Milano (A-)

 

Bottom 5 grades:

1) Isaiah McKenzie (C)

2) Tim Settle (C)

3) Dane Jackson (C+)

4) David Quessenberry (C+)

5) Rodger Saffold (C+)

Edited October 20, 2022 by HappyDays

[The Firebaugh Kid]

Good for 49. Nice to see our "message board whipping boy" play well in a huge game. 

As for Shakir getting more snaps, this will continue.

[SectionC3]

28 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

I'm actually going to start with a couple snippets from Joe's post-game article. Some good info here:

 

 

 

 

And here's the all-22 review:

 

https://theathletic.com/3709749/2022/10/20/bills-all-22-film-review-chiefs?source=user-shared-article

 

 

 

 

 

Top 5 grades:

1) Josh Allen (A)

2) Mitch Morse (A)

3) Von Miller (A-)

4) Tremaine Edmunds (A-)

5) Matt Milano (A-)

 

Bottom 5 grades:

1) Isaiah McKenzie (C)

2) Tim Settle (C)

3) Dane Jackson (C+)

4) David Quessenberry (C+)

5) Rodger Saffold (C+)

I don’t usually pay attention to or quibble with stuff like this, because it’s just noise.  (I like reading it, but I wouldn’t comment about it or get worked up about it.)

 

I have to say, though, I don’t know on what planet Isaiah McKenzie played an average game that merited a C grade.  Sunday was not a good (or even average) day for him.  

[Freddie's Dead]

The Saffold Report vehemently disagrees with the C+ given to Saffold by the All-22.  Saffold effectively erased Chris Jones whenever he went against him, while Quessenberry gave up multiple pressures and a sack to Chris Jones on the tripping play.  Saffold's guy only made the tackle twice, on reach blocks where he missed.  Every other time he blocked his guy straight up.  Did the false start knock him down a grade or 2?  I don't get it.  How does he get the same grade as Quessenberry?

[whorlnut]

Hard for me to take these grades seriously when he gave McKenzie a C. 

[HappyDays]

14 minutes ago, SectionC3 said:

I have to say, though, I don’t know on what planet Isaiah McKenzie played an average game that merited a C grade.  Sunday was not a good (or even average) day for him.  

 

1 minute ago, whorlnut said:

Hard for me to take these grades seriously when he gave McKenzie a C. 

 

Joe isn't PFF, he actually watches and grades every snap. If there are plays where McKenzie gets open but doesn't get the ball he will still get some sort of positive grade for that snap. It's easier for a WR to avoid a really bad grade compared to an o-lineman because the WR isn't directly involved on every snap.

[whorlnut]

1 minute ago, HappyDays said:

 

 

Joe isn't PFF, he actually watches and grades every snap. If there are plays where McKenzie gets open but doesn't get the ball he will still get some sort of positive grade for that snap. It's easier for a WR to avoid a really bad grade compared to an o-lineman because the WR isn't directly involved on every snap.

I don’t know man…you can try to hide it all you’d like, but McKenzie was brutal this past Sunday. We could def stand to upgrade at slot receiver. 

[NewEra]

16 minutes ago, whorlnut said:

I don’t know man…you can try to hide it all you’d like, but McKenzie was brutal this past Sunday. We could def stand to upgrade at slot receiver. 

I dub you Lieutenant Colonel of the Sadness Brigade.  Congratulations on your promotion!  Well deserved

[DrDawkinstein]

52 minutes ago, SectionC3 said:

I don’t usually pay attention to or quibble with stuff like this, because it’s just noise.  (I like reading it, but I wouldn’t comment about it or get worked up about it.)

 

I have to say, though, I don’t know on what planet Isaiah McKenzie played an average game that merited a C grade.  Sunday was not a good (or even average) day for him.  

 

39 minutes ago, whorlnut said:

Hard for me to take these grades seriously when he gave McKenzie a C. 

 

33 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

 

Joe isn't PFF, he actually watches and grades every snap. If there are plays where McKenzie gets open but doesn't get the ball he will still get some sort of positive grade for that snap. It's easier for a WR to avoid a really bad grade compared to an o-lineman because the WR isn't directly involved on every snap.

 

I dont follow these regularly. Does Joe ever give Ds or Fs?

[HappyDays]

3 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

 

 

I dont follow these regularly. Does Joe ever give Ds or Fs?

 

Never seen give him an F before, but he gave a D- to Saffold in one of our games this year, and has handed out several D+ grades.

[GoBills808]

39 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

 

Joe isn't PFF, he actually watches and grades every snap. If there are plays where McKenzie gets open but doesn't get the ball he will still get some sort of positive grade for that snap. It's easier for a WR to avoid a really bad grade compared to an o-lineman because the WR isn't directly involved on every snap.

I appreciate his write ups, but I don't believe he watches and grades every snap. Grading every snap accurately for each player on offense and defense between Sunday evening and Tuesday afternoon in an insane amount of film to crunch.

[DrDawkinstein]

1 minute ago, GoBills808 said:

I appreciate his write ups, but I don't believe he watches and grades every snap. Grading every snap accurately for each player on offense and defense between Sunday evening and Tuesday afternoon in an insane amount of film to crunch.

 

I take all grades with a grain of salt considering none of these "civilians" really know assignments and responsibilities even if they do watch all the film.

 

I see the grades more as a general guide and jumping off point for discussions among friends and message board posters.

[MJS]

46 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

 

Joe isn't PFF, he actually watches and grades every snap. If there are plays where McKenzie gets open but doesn't get the ball he will still get some sort of positive grade for that snap. It's easier for a WR to avoid a really bad grade compared to an o-lineman because the WR isn't directly involved on every snap.

Joe is just a sports journalist who isn't really qualified to give out grades. Everything he says should be taken with a big grain of salt. He seems to have his biases as well.

 

It's interesting stuff for sure, but nobody should be taking this very seriously. It's just his guesses. It's especially hard to grade oline and dline because you don't know what their blocking assignments are. Even a WR who runs a wrong route and happens to get open. How would you know? You probably get a good grade for that even though you deserve an F for running the wrong route.

Edited October 20, 2022 by MJS

[TPS]

The Miller sack discussion and pics is interesting.  JoeB gives credit to Epenesa for collapsing his side, but it also looks like Big Phil played a big part.  It looks like he has his man beat but is not taking advantage of it, rather he stops and jumps to prevent Mahomes from throwing to the left side where he's focused on.  That delay provides the time for Miller and Epenesa to sack Mahomes.  Now it could've been coverage that prevented PM from throwing, but I think the big man deserves credit too.

[Beck Water]

1 hour ago, HappyDays said:

Top 5 grades:

1) Josh Allen (A)

2) Mitch Morse (A)

3) Von Miller (A-)

4) Tremaine Edmunds (A-)

5) Matt Milano (A-)

 

Bottom 5 grades:

1) Isaiah McKenzie (C)

2) Tim Settle (C)

3) Dane Jackson (C+)

4) David Quessenberry (C+)

5) Rodger Saffold (C+)

 

Do others find it frustrating to just have these letters and +/- thrown out there without context or explanation of methodology by Joe B?

 

For example, Why is Milano an A-minus?  We had a gentleman here go play-by-play through Rodger Saffold and conclude he had a pretty good game.  What is Joe B seeing that is so different he rates it as a C-plus?

 

And, Tim Settle played 1TDT, I didn't notice him in his 17 snaps, which is usually a Good Thing in a 1TDT - why does he get a C, same as McKenzie (who, even to people who acknowledge his contributions, had a bad game)?

 

OK, now this is a nit, I acknowledge but:

 

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5. The multi-TE look that the Bills hid against the Ravens and Steelers

 

It’s all about tendency breaking, and the Bills likely caught the Chiefs by surprise in how much 21 personnel (two tight ends, or a tight end and a fullback) they used throughout the game on Sunday. In the Ravens and Steelers matchups, the Bills used 21 personnel on five snaps total out of 118 non-kneeldown situations — a rate of 4.2 percent.

 

This was the first time this year the Bills have made all three of their tight ends, plus fullback Reggie Gilliam, active for the matchup. Gilliam only had nine snaps over his previous two games and had 19 against the Chiefs alone. If the Chiefs were basing their prep on the most recent games, it might have been something they slightly overlooked in preparing for throughout the week. But in the actual game, the Bills made it a staple of their offensive attack. They utilized 21 personnel on 24 of their 72 non-kneeldown snaps, a rate of 33.3 percent. Through the first half, those plays were quite fruitful and averaged 7.3 yards per play. It was just a fascinating wrinkle to their attack on Sunday, and they had their best rushing day of the year.

 

I have no problem with people who don't use specialized football terminology.  Joe could just write "heavy personnel - two tight ends, or a tight end and a fullback".

 

But a (2,1) personnel set is 2 RB or a RB and a fullback with 1 TE.  A two TE set (or 1 TE and an extra OL) and an RB is (1,2).  So which was it the Bills were using?  It makes a difference to understanding - FB are almost never asked to block in line, while TE sometimes are.  And I've never seen Gilliam asked to block in line since the Bills decided he was a FB (maybe he has and it didn't attract notice)

 

Again, just a nit - he could write without it, but IMO if Joe B is going to use specialized terminology, shouldn't he should use it correctly?

 

-----------

 

Joe is probably onto something as far as rushing success.  The Bills rushed more successfully at the end of last season when they went to (1,2) and even (2,2) sets, often using Ryan Bates and then (after Boettger's injury) Tommy Doyle in a TE role as an extra OLman, and when they stepped away from the zone to pin-and-pull plays.  The Bills ran more run plays this week - 31 vs 18 against the Steelers and 25 against the Ravens.  When you take out the JA runs (unfair because some of them are called runs) it's 19, 13, and 14 respectively.

 

However, unsure from the info given whether this difference was solely designed to facilitate the run game.  What I'd like to understand is whether the Bills were using more 2 TE sets specifically on run plays, or whether they used them also for protection?  Chris Jones is a Terror, right up there with Aaron Donald.  It would make sense that the Bills would feel extra blockers to give Allen more time were a good idea.  So how many times were heavier sets used on pass vs run plays? 

 

The other strategic question about heavy sets is...heavy sets can pull the opponent out of nickle into a base defense package, which may provide better matchups, especially since the Bills are comfortable rolling both Morris and Knox into the passing game and even using Gilliam as a pass catching back.  Heck, even Sweeney caught a pass - Romo couldn't believe it for a moment, he started to say Knox. 

 

Anyway, just from the uptick in rush plays from 18 to 31, it seems pretty clear that the Bills came into the Chiefs game determined to succeed as a 2-dimensional team and force the Chiefs to defend the run.  Contrary to whoever it was who said no one can run on the Chiefs, the Bills clearly came in saying "not only can teams run on the Chiefs, WE gonna run on the Chiefs."

 

BTW, I have to take back another 1/3 of all the bad things I've said about Sweeney's blocking after this game.  He did well.

 

 

Edited October 20, 2022 by Beck Water

[HappyDays]

20 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

I appreciate his write ups, but I don't believe he watches and grades every snap. Grading every snap accurately for each player on offense and defense between Sunday evening and Tuesday afternoon in an insane amount of film to crunch.

 

This is how he summarizes his process at the end of every article:

 

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When the All-22 film becomes available, we’ll go through and watch every player on every play as many times as necessary to assess letter grades. It is a subjective analysis, and it’s important to note we do not know the play calls and full responsibilities. The grades stem from technique, effort and presumed liability.

 

The study accounts only for players who take a snap on offense or defense. Players with fewer than 15 snaps — unless they significantly impact the game — will not factor into weekly rankings. The grades range from an ‘A’ (a perfect 4.00 GPA) to ‘F’ (0.00 GPA). There is no such thing as an ‘A+’ on this grading system. Season-long grades will be tallied and documented, with a single game’s grade weighted based on how much the player was on the field in a given week.

 

So no it isn't perfect and he admits that. But I do believe him when he says he watches all the snaps for every player. If you assume 70 snaps for offense and 70 snaps for defense it's a little over 1,500 total player snaps and he doesn't have to look at every player that closely on each snap.

 

Edited October 20, 2022 by HappyDays

[Da webster guy]

59 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

The Saffold Report vehemently disagrees with the C+ given to Saffold by the All-22.  Saffold effectively erased Chris Jones whenever he went against him, while Quessenberry gave up multiple pressures and a sack to Chris Jones on the tripping play.  Saffold's guy only made the tackle twice, on reach blocks where he missed.  Every other time he blocked his guy straight up.  Did the false start knock him down a grade or 2?  I don't get it.  How does he get the same grade as Quessenberry?

Yeah I agree.  I watched Saffold pretty carefully after he got lit up on this message board the week before, and watching the Chiefs Dline do some damage vs the Raiders, I was worried that the interior wasn't going to be stout enough for Josh to operate and the running game to work.  To me the guy seemed to have a really good game, moved well, anchored, got downfield when necessary.   Nobody is going to play perfect against Dunlap, Jones and Clark, especially with lots of twists, stunts and blitzes coming at them, but all three interior linemen looked solid to me.

[Freddie's Dead]

8 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

This is how he summarizes his process at the end of every article:

 

 

So no it isn't perfect and he admits that. But I do believe him when he says he watches all the snaps for every player. If you assume 70 snaps for offense and 70 snaps for defense it's a little over 1,500 psnaps. snaps total and he doesn't have to look at every player that closely on each snap.

 

 

Sorry, not buying it.  It took me two hours to review every Saffold play and grade it.  That's 44 hours for every player, and I doubt he's up around the clock.  To get it done by Wednesday strains credulity.

[GoBills808]

10 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

This is how he summarizes his process at the end of every article:

 

 

So no it isn't perfect and he admits that. But I do believe him when he says he watches all the snaps for every player. If you assume 70 snaps for offense and 70 snaps for defense it's a little over 1,500 total player snaps and he doesn't have to look at every player that closely on each snap.

 

As a non expert myself I can say I have to watch each snap at least 3x myself just to get an idea of whether the guy does a good/bad job any given play. So that 1500 figure I estimate conservatively is more like 4500+

[hemma]

I think there’s a certain amount of inertia on grading.  

As an example, Pff had Saffold at a fairly crappy grade before the season started.

Posters here, along with pff, Buscaglia can take the lazy approach and assume more of the same.

 

It may take him 5 solid games in a row to shower off last year (good or bad).