Gabe shines, the O-line dominates, and Cook adds another dimension

[finn]

Did we just see a game with competent, fair officiating? 

[hondo in seattle]

I think all three backs looked good today, though Cook was the most dynamic.

 

I thought it was interesting the way Dorsey intermixed the backs.  I didn't think anything Dorsey did last week was interesting at all.  

[Simon]

47 minutes ago, NewEra said:

That was a great play by Benford.  I thought it was pi at first too.  But  after rewatching. It was perfect coverage.  Very little contact 

 

His balance, discipline and self-control there were extraordinary.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

1 hour ago, NewEra said:

That was a great play by Benford.  I thought it was pi at first too.  But  after rewatching. It was perfect coverage.  Very little contact 

 

I do agree seeing slow motion on replay it didn't look as bad.  But still shocked they picked it up.

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

3 hours ago, Chaos said:

if last weeks loss of a game which was tied at the end of regulation was entirely Josh's fault.  Today's win is entirely Josh's win:
83.8% completion, 124.5 passer rating are why the rest of the offense looked good.  (I mostly jest, last weeks was a team loss, this week was a team win)

It was not entirely Josh’s win. Cook had a hundred yard game and the defense played lights out. The o-line and special teams both also played a very solid game. This is 100% a team effort and I’m super glad. 

[Cray51]

1 hour ago, John from Riverside said:

This game plan would’ve beat the Jets

I don’t think the game plan was all that different.  The execution was

[Jerome007]

Dorsey deserves the credit (and Josh for playing along). Seriously, ALL the things we have been clamoring about, short throws, more run plays, screens, short throws to Cook so he runs outside the box, misdirections and on and on, he dit it ALL. Suddenly, the OLine looks amazing. Not that they weren't, but these types of plays help them, and that's the way it should be. Brown indeed had his best game ever so far IMO.

 

Josh could be Josh on broken plays, like the throw to Davis while running towards the sideline, and that amazing TD pass to Shakir. BTW I don't think they can keep being "that safe" and do only short game stuff from now on, but it can always be used and just adds to the nightmare of defending that offense!

 

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by Jerome007

[Simon]

1 minute ago, Jerome007 said:

BTW I don't think they can keep being "that safe" and do only short game stuff from now on

 

Why?

Do you think teams are going to start sitting on it? With that cannon standing back there?

I kind of hope they do...

[Bubba Gump]

1 hour ago, Jerome007 said:

BTW I don't think they can keep being "that safe" and do only short game stuff from now on, but it can always be used and just adds to the nightmare of defending that offense!

 

 

 

That game plan seemed to work pretty good for the Pats and Brady. 6 Superbowls playing that way in NE??

[Big Blitz]

After the first series and then the Milano INT, they came out with Murray - it completely changed the complexion of the game that I’m not sure the Raiders expected. 

Allen to Diggs for 5 

 

Murray for 8 yards first down.  
 

Then Allen did Allen things.  
 

Then Murray 4 yards, TD. 

 

Murray started the next drive to.  On that drive the only runs were Murray, an 11 yard run from Harris.  

 

14-7 Bills end of Q 1. 
 

Then they went back to featuring Cook and he played well.  
 

Maybe the change up early on sparked him.   
 

Just thought it was a great move to not mess around and get the ground game going.  

[Buffalo716]

5 hours ago, FrenchConnection said:

I really like that draw play where Josh rolled to his left and handed it to Cook. That's a play that I don't think we saw last week.

We actually did run it on 2nd and 15 in overtime 

 

It's actually the most frequent James Cook run attempt out of shotgun.. he doesn't get inside zones he gets that scramble draw

[Mikie2times]

3 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

I think all three backs looked good today, though Cook was the most dynamic.

 

I thought it was interesting the way Dorsey intermixed the backs.  I didn't think anything Dorsey did last week was interesting at all.  

I still think Harris can do some great things for us. He really hasn’t been used much after being hurt in the preseason. Murray can set it up well for Cook. Murray being more of a physical plodder at this point. 

[ColoradoBills]

2 hours ago, Simon said:

 

Why?

Do you think teams are going to start sitting on it? With that cannon standing back there?

I kind of hope they do...

 

When those safeties pinch in Josh will go over their heads.

[SoTier]

8 minutes ago, Mikie2times said:

I still think Harris can do some great things for us. He really hasn’t been used much after being hurt in the preseason. Murray can set it up well for Cook. Murray being more of a physical plodder at this point. 

 

Agree.  I think that the improved guard play complements of Torrence and McGovern enabled Murray and Harris to be effective on inside runs, which the Bills weren't last season.   I think that Harris will be the RB to keep defenses honest since he's fast enough to run off tackle consistently too, so that Ds can't assume that only Cook will run outside.   I liked that the Bills had a real running game today -- and that Allen was simply a complementary piece rather than the major piece.

 

[Sierra Foothills]

44 minutes ago, Big Blitz said:

After the first series and then the Milano INT, they came out with Murray - it completely changed the complexion of the game that I’m not sure the Raiders expected. 

 

Exactly. It wasn't until after Murray got snaps that Cook started playing at a higher level.

 

40 minutes ago, Mikie2times said:

I still think Harris can do some great things for us. He really hasn’t been used much after being hurt in the preseason. Murray can set it up well for Cook. Murray being more of a physical plodder at this point. 

 

Harris looked excellent on that kickoff return. I didn't think of him as a guy who could help us in the return game but he looked very comfortable and competent on that play.

 

The beauty of this game wasn't the win or the margin of the win. It was that everything the Bills contemplated for their offseason moves came to fruition. The specific roles of each player played out exactly as they forsaw. The upgrades at both guard positions enabled them to run the ball effectively and create a stronger interior pocket. Their faith in Gabriel Davis was rewarded. Kincaid is doing exactly what they wanted from him. Cook has made the next step in his development. Latavius and Damien Harris have made exactly the contributions they were expected to make. Leonard Floyd has been an excellent addition and Greg Rousseau is fulfilling his promise. Terrell Bernard has allayed most of the concerns about his suitability for the position. The only players who haven't yet met expectations are Harty and Sherfield but they'll always be on the fringe, competing for touches with Shakir.

 

Clearly after last season there was a lot of self-scouting and honest soul searching by McBeane. The team they envisioned during the offseason came into sharp focus today and that (and Josh's play) was what I was most happy about.

 

 

[Special K]

2 hours ago, Simon said:

 

Why?

Do you think teams are going to start sitting on it? With that cannon standing back there?

I kind of hope they do...

 

Exactly....instead of Josh getting frustrated and throwing deep into double coverage, just keep taking the underneath stuff until its the Defense that gets frustrated and changes their coverage, then take your shots down the field.

[Gunsgoodtime]

I dont understand your language, but I agree.  We dominated the line

[Simon]

36 minutes ago, Sierra Foothills said:

Exactly. It wasn't until after Murray got snaps that Cook started playing at a higher level.

 

I hope that young man picked up a lasting lesson about running to the goalline today. 

[Not at the table Karlos]

12 hours ago, FrenchConnection said:

I really like that draw play where Josh rolled to his left and handed it to Cook. That's a play that I don't think we saw last week.

If it's the play I'm thinking of we ran it a lot against the jets. Had some success early but once they saw it a bunch of worked less and less. 

[Matt_In_NH]

11 hours ago, NewEra said:

That was a great play by Benford.  I thought it was pi at first too.  But  after rewatching. It was perfect coverage.  Very little contact 

I thought he affected him with his arm before the ball got there...pretty sure if that was on Diggs the sentiment here would be the opposite.