Friday 8-2 Return of Blue & Red at Highmark Stadium; Open to public 5:30 pm — 7:30 pm

[NewEra]

10 hours ago, Simon said:

 

How in the hell do you go from striking a ball so cleanly like he was, to regular blundering like he is?

💴 💰 💵 

10 hours ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

I’m sorry but Elam HAS to be the starter next to Benford 

I’m sure he will as long as he keep up this level of play-  but remember, it’s only august 3rd-  he hasn’t earned anything yet

[BobbyC81]

10 hours ago, Simon said:

 

How in the hell do you go from striking a ball so cleanly like he was, to regular blundering like he is?

Yips!!!

[NewEra]

7 hours ago, BillsFan130 said:

Ya McDermott seems to like the "floor" players who know the system compared to the upside players. At least on defence.

 

Dorian Williams in my opinion was a soup sandwich in pass coverage, especially on play action passes.

 

But there was 0 reason to start a washed up AJ Klein over him against KC

I disagree-  there was one obvious reason-  he’s better at making the calls on D. 
 

Dorian can run and hit and I like his upside, but we know nothing about his ability to call the D.  He was playing outside all season.  Now he’s to be expected to step in and call the d vs Mahomes?  He had zero experience doing so from my knowledge.  
 

I also would’ve liked Dorian to have gotten those snaps- but there was a reason Klein got the nod

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

 

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

 

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

10 hours ago, HiMark said:

I hope the vendors don't miss a game!

Ducking autocorrect 

 

But oh man, Conehead is my childhood. I still hear him after not going to a Bison's game in over a decade.

 

"The Comehead guarantee 

You get a warm beer from me

You drink it for free" 

[SectionC3]

10 hours ago, stevewin said:

One thing to note the ball was slick tonight with the rain  - I don't view the balls going through some wrs hands that they can't catch as maybe a wake up to focus more in conditions that are less than ideal

That's a fair point.  It probably was their first wet practice.  And for some, it was the first wet practice with Josh Allen fastballs headed at them.  But the drops still were ugly. 

13 hours ago, Simon said:

 

It's an aberration not worth worrying about.

The kid has outstanding hands.

I hope you're right.  The one of off the chest plate was particularly brutal.  He had an alarmingly rough day. 

2 hours ago, NewEra said:

I disagree-  there was one obvious reason-  he’s better at making the calls on D. 
 

Dorian can run and hit and I like his upside, but we know nothing about his ability to call the D.  He was playing outside all season.  Now he’s to be expected to step in and call the d vs Mahomes?  He had zero experience doing so from my knowledge.  
 

I also would’ve liked Dorian to have gotten those snaps- but there was a reason Klein got the nod

Don't forget that there was a question whether Dodson (I think) would go.  So the safe play was to put the steady hand in the middle and let the weak side situation play out all week.  People forget what a mess the defensive side of the ball was at the end of the year.  Starting LBs out. Starting corner out.  Old safeties.  Jones playing hurt.  Miller obviously still recovering.  Taron Johnson six days off of a concussion.  And yet, with a non-existent Diggs, we still took the Super Bowl champs to the limit.  

4 minutes ago, SectionC3 said:

That's a fair point.  It probably was their first wet practice.  And for some, it was the first wet practice with Josh Allen fastballs headed at them.  But the drops still were ugly. 

I hope you're right.  The one of off the chest plate was particularly brutal.  He had an alarmingly rough day. 

Don't forget that there was a question whether Dodson (I think) would go.  So the safe play was to put the steady hand in the middle and let the weak side situation play out all week.  People forget what a mess the defensive side of the ball was at the end of the year.  Starting LBs out. Starting corner out.  Old safeties.  Jones playing hurt.  Miller obviously still recovering.  Taron Johnson six days off of a concussion.  And yet, with a non-existent Diggs, we still took the Super Bowl champs to the limit.  

And, I'll add, I believe Dodson did play, but basically with one arm.  

[Roundybout]

11 minutes ago, SectionC3 said:

That's a fair point.  It probably was their first wet practice.  And for some, it was the first wet practice with Josh Allen fastballs headed at them.  But the drops still were ugly. 

I hope you're right.  The one of off the chest plate was particularly brutal.  He had an alarmingly rough day. 

Don't forget that there was a question whether Dodson (I think) would go.  So the safe play was to put the steady hand in the middle and let the weak side situation play out all week.  People forget what a mess the defensive side of the ball was at the end of the year.  Starting LBs out. Starting corner out.  Old safeties.  Jones playing hurt.  Miller obviously still recovering.  Taron Johnson six days off of a concussion.  And yet, with a non-existent Diggs, we still took the Super Bowl champs to the limit.  

And, I'll add, I believe Dodson did play, but basically with one arm.  

 

Samuel did have that one really nice catch along the sidelines, about halfway through practice. 

[SectionC3]

2 minutes ago, Roundybout said:

 

Samuel did have that one really nice catch along the sidelines, about halfway through practice. 

No doubt.  Opposite side of the field from me, but I saw it.  Problem I had was the balls bouncing off of him and getting intercepted.  

[Roundybout]

Just now, SectionC3 said:

No doubt.  Opposite side of the field from me, but I saw it.  Problem I had was the balls bouncing off of him and getting intercepted.  

 

For sure, I was in the end zone, non-tunnel side, and had a good view of that drop. Really bad on Samuel's end, he totally allegator armed it. 

[strive_for_five_guy]

11 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

I think it’s more possible our WRs are what we thought they are.

 

But that’s the fun of camp. We’ll soon find out.

How dare you not drink the Bills Kool-Aid yet? 😂 When the offense is firing in camp, everyone gets so excited about that.  When Elam is balling out in camp, oh man, he’s ready to have a huge year.

 

Like you said in a subsequent post, the real truth will all come out soon enough.  Preseason means close to nothing in my book.

 

And also, I need to say the black helmet looks horrible!  Reminds me of Jim Kelly on the Houston Gamblers, or this:

 

[Don Otreply]

13 hours ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

I’m sorry but Elam HAS to be the starter next to Benford 

I here ya, but has he cleaned up the holding/handsey stuff, DPI can become a detriment,  I will say Elam has been Enfuego, as of late, it’s a tuff decision 

[BillsFan130]

3 hours ago, NewEra said:

I disagree-  there was one obvious reason-  he’s better at making the calls on D. 
 

Dorian can run and hit and I like his upside, but we know nothing about his ability to call the D.  He was playing outside all season.  Now he’s to be expected to step in and call the d vs Mahomes?  He had zero experience doing so from my knowledge.  
 

I also would’ve liked Dorian to have gotten those snaps- but there was a reason Klein got the nod

For sure and i understand that. But I think in hindsight it was clearly the wrong decision.

When Dorian came in, their defence looked so much faster and actually got a couple stops in the 4th.

 

It's a double edged sword I totally get it. Dorian starts and is probably overwhelmed mentally.

Klein starts and he is overwhelmed physically.

 

I still would have taken the upside with Dorian

[Slippery Rubber Mats]

So, the final word is that Bass was good yesterday? I hear he went 6/7 with the one miss being 58 yards.

 

Confirmation?

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

11 minutes ago, Don Otreply said:

I here ya, but has he cleaned up the holding/handsey stuff, DPI can become a detriment,  I will say Elam has been Enfuego, as of late, it’s a tuff decision 

I mean with the way the secondary is banged up I would not be upset if they roll him over to safety. They need a more center fielder type and it might hide the grabbies

2 minutes ago, Slippery Rubber Mats said:

So, the final word is that Bass was good yesterday? I hear he went 6/7 with the one miss being 58 yards.

 

Confirmation?

I mean people freaked out over the 58 but yeah

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

14 hours ago, Simon said:

 

How in the hell do you go from striking a ball so cleanly like he was, to regular blundering like he is?

He's like a golfer who's developed the yips. Very hard to fix

[Don Otreply]

11 hours ago, 34-78-83 said:

“K Tyler Bass ended the period with a missed field goal from 58-yards. Bass then followed it up with made field goals of 23, 28, 33, 40, 44, and 51-yards, before ending practice with a made 44-yard field goal.”

 

 

 Seriously can we slow the roll on this narrative? ( it’s the reporter as much as your response) Yes, He had a tough end of 2023. But we’re now saying missing a 58 yarder ( the very limit of his range) and otherwise going 7-7 is shaky? Nah 

 

 

 

Fans will get carried away by the first thought that pops into their heads at times, it’s human nature, that’s why “eye witnesses “ aren’t as reliable as one would think…, 

[Slippery Rubber Mats]

2 minutes ago, WhitewalkerInPhilly said:

 

I mean people freaked out over the 58 but yeah

 

Yeah the impressions here and the results of last night don't seem to match LOL

[buffblue]

13 hours ago, I Am The Liquor said:

First off, this is awesome,  have never seen that!  He made from 28,33,40,44, and 51.  A dude that is in the top ten of highest paid kickers should hit those in his sleep.  I was watching that kick against KC in the playoffs through my hat because I had zero confidence he was going to hit it.   The game against Philly was when I started thinking he may be a liability when it comes down to high stakes moments.

Exactly. What about the 20 something yarder on the Bills first drive against KC? He damn near missed that one. 

 

This is setting up like the Bills keeping Norwood in 1991 after missing the kick in the Super Bowl. He was already a declining kicker, and the big postseason miss messed with his head. Norwood was an absolute disaster that year. I still remember the Raiders game where he missed 4 kicks before finally hitting the game winner. I don't care if Bass goes 28 of 30 this year in the regular season. When it comes to a clutch, must make situation in the postseason, it is not going to turn out well. I don't think I can handle a 3rd wide right scenario. 

 

Last thing - think of the kicker before Bass, Steven Hauschka. That was a guy who was actually deserving of his nickname. He hit numerous big kicks for the Bills (the 2017 season to end the drought was amazing) and was one of the most accurate kickers ever. Even when it became clear in 2019 that his leg strength was in decline, he still made the pressure kick against Houston in the WC game to force OT, and you never felt that inside 40 he might miss. 

 

The Bills are playing with fire here big time, and it is so unnecessary.

 

 

[Shaw66]

26 minutes ago, BillsFan130 said:

For sure and i understand that. But I think in hindsight it was clearly the wrong decision.

When Dorian came in, their defence looked so much faster and actually got a couple stops in the 4th.

 

It's a double edged sword I totally get it. Dorian starts and is probably overwhelmed mentally.

Klein starts and he is overwhelmed physically.

 

I still would have taken the upside with Dorian

This is an interesting discussion you two are having, because it's a microcosm of McDermott decision making.  McDermott seems always to go with the steady, consistent play over playmakers who are inconsistent.  He tends to value no mental mistakes over physical superiority.   

 

Part of that philosophy is driven by McDermott's insistence on team success, not individual success.   On defense, a guy like Klein is more or less always going to go where he's supposed to go, which means that his teammates all can do their own jobs, knowing that some guy or some space is covered.  It may not be covered very well, because of his physical limitations, but it's covered.  And if Klein's more-talented teammates on the field can stretch themselves a little bit, at least sometimes they'll cover for Klein's shortcomings.  In other words, Klein is never a hole in the defense that can be attacked, just an opportunity for a relatively easy play for some yards, and occasionally Klein or is teammates will stop that play.  

 

The physically more talented but less consistent player creates problems that his teammates on defense can't cover up.   Every once in a while, he creates a hole, because he simply doesn't go where he's supposed to go.  When that happens, he can't be saved by his teammates, because some offensive player is essentially running free.   That more talented guy will make some plays for the team that Klein won't make, but on average (in McDermott's mind) the occasional great play that Klein wouldn't have made can't make up for the damage done by missed assignments.  

 

McDermott's entire philosophy is premised on this.  A defense playing together, with 11 guys all doing what they're supposed to do, is better than 10 guys doing what they're supposed to do and one guy, no matter how talented, running around and making some big plays. 

 

McDermott and Jerry Hughes is a good example.   In his early years in Buffalo, Hughes would make some great plays and be out of position and hurt the team sometimes.  When McDermott arrived, he told Hughes that he couldn't play like that any more.   Hughes became less of a flashy playmaker, but more of an effective team player.  He was challenged to make plays within the system, and he did it.  

 

One other benefit of McDermott's approach is that when you're playing the guy who is less spectacular physically but who executes regularly, when that guy gets injured, you can replace him with another guy who executes, and the drop off in team play isn't so bad.   If your defense is based on having Deion Sanders at corner, shutting down whoever is over there, when Deion gets hurt, the design of your defense is a problem.   I think we see the benefit of the McDermott approach in the wide receiver group this season.  It certainly looks like that if one receiver goes down, any one, next-man-up will result in no significant drop-off in performance, because it looks like there's a group of about eight or ten receivers who can make plays.   Sure, some guys may be more important than others, but not like the past few years when I was always troubled about ho would or could make a play when Diggs was out.  

 

I'm not sure McDermott's approach is correct.  I think it is, but I'm not sure.  The opposite philosophy is captured in the phrase, "You can't coach speed."  McDermott's view is, "Absolutely, give me speed, but that speed has to play in the system or I don't want it."  

 

Pretty clearly, Dorian Williams challenge is that notwithstanding his physical gifts, he won't play unless he executes his assignments.  

5 minutes ago, buffblue said:

Exactly. What about the 20 something yarder on the Bills first drive against KC? He damn near missed that one. 

 

This is setting up like the Bills keeping Norwood in 1991 after missing the kick in the Super Bowl. He was already a declining kicker, and the big postseason miss messed with his head. Norwood was an absolute disaster that year. I still remember the Raiders game where he missed 4 kicks before finally hitting the game winner. I don't care if Bass goes 28 of 30 this year in the regular season. When it comes to a clutch, must make situation in the postseason, it is not going to turn out well. I don't think I can handle a 3rd wide right scenario. 

 

Last thing - think of the kicker before Bass, Steven Hauschka. That was a guy who was actually deserving of his nickname. He hit numerous big kicks for the Bills (the 2017 season to end the drought was amazing) and was one of the most accurate kickers ever. Even when it became clear in 2019 that his leg strength was in decline, he still made the pressure kick against Houston in the WC game to force OT, and you never felt that inside 40 he might miss. 

 

The Bills are playing with fire here big time, and it is so unnecessary.

 

 

I agree with what you say here.   It's all about the big kick.  Before last season, we trusted Bass with it, and before that we trusted Hauschka.  Now, the trust isn't there and it will come back only if he makes all his big kicks this season, and makes them relatively cleanly.  That is, as you say, playing with fire.  

 

Why do you so it is so unnecessary.  What opportunity did the Bills have to reduce the risk of that uncertainty?