A Few Thoughts about the Cardinals Game, in no particular order

[RunTheBall]

11 minutes ago, Jerome007 said:

I usually really love your take and all too, but I can't stand points #3 and #8. Stop this "Billsy" and doom nonsense. Watch Youtube video of crushing losses, of snatching defeats from the jaws of victory. Many many teams have suffered this, but of course we emotionally connect only with our team's losses. And the other teams come to win too!

 

Oliver and Kincaid were indeed invisible, but one game is never any indication. Strangely, most big name TEs have had uneventful games. Kelce, Andrews, Laporta, etc.   

 

I too have been mostly disappointed in the Von Miller effort overall. We'll see. Not like Epenesa killed it either. Hopefully Torrence has the bad game out of his system. 

The whole defensive line game plan was to do a contained rush to keep Murray in the pocket. It didn’t really work, which is why Babich dialed up the heat in the second half, but it may explain why Oliver was MIA as he’s a penetrator. At least I hope so, because Ed tends to disappear when we need him most in the playoffs. He’s a streaky player who can be dominant at times but is no where close to a Chris Jones type player.

 

Kincaid was MIA because AZ decided their defensive game plan was to take him out of the game. Watch the All 22, they were triple covering him at times and they always had 2 guys close to him. AZ obviously thought our game plan was to feed Kincaid to get the offense moving. The one thing I like about this “Everybody Eats” philosophy is that it seemed to work. They took away Kincaid, so Josh hit 9 other guys at different times to move the chains.

 

IDK why everyone is down on Von. Guy had his best game since 2 seasons ago and a huge sack on 3rd down. I’m optimistic he can round into form.

 

AJ Epenesa didn’t do jack that I could see but idk his snap count. He gets to play Miami Thursday where he usually puts on a performance so maybe he can lay out Tua a couple times.

 

Edited September 10 by RunTheBall

[Rockinon]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

 

You're not wrong.  And I honestly realized it as I was writing it to the point that I thought about switching up the order a bit.  But, then I realized that I was writing it in the order of how I felt during the game, which was frustrated, happier, and then finally scared 

Understandable after that 1st half. The Bills looked awful on both sides of the ball. And then adjustments were made and we started to see the real Buffalo Bills. Then after going up 2 scores, they run a KO back for a TD. After the game, I just felt the Cards were very lucky to have a game down to the wire like it did.

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

23 hours ago, balln said:

Im gonna go against the grain here. Allen had a great game as usual. 
 

but. He’s still too “up and down.” We need more up and no play. I don’t want him running throwing his body around this much. We and He need to be able to  execute goaline O better as a passer. Hes already hurt. 
 

And it’s still a trend. We seem to have a late drive in the 4th q to ENd the game on O (chiefs playoffs, eagles , @pats , ect)  And instead we’re leaving it up to special teams kicker) and our D. I don’t want bass and our McD and defense involved AT All At the end of games. I have had enough of that movie. Not particularly on josh (thot a lot of play calls were conservative and garbage )- here other than he dirted an easy 3rd throw to Ty for a potential first down. 

Just need more CLeAN games from him. On the fumble. Just dirt at Samuel feet if he’s that worried about the “robber”

I mean idk how you can get much better than a 78 completion rate, 270 all purpose yards, and 4 TDs. Average that out to 17 games and it’s 4,590 yards, 64 TDs 0 interceptions 😂

[balln]

Just now, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

I mean idk how you can get much better than a 78 completion rate, 270 all purpose yards, and 4 TDs. Average that out to 17 games and it’s 4,590 yards, 64 TDs 0 interceptions 😂

It’s a very fine constructive criticism. Hes gonna have to more elite than he already is. He’s still not as crisp as mahommes w short / intermediate / decision making. 

[Allen2Coleman]

On 9/9/2024 at 12:42 PM, Virgil said:

Hey everyone, it's been a minute.  I honestly didn't know if I was going to write one of these this year, as they started to feel a bit stale to me over time.  But after seeing our final depth chart and watching the game yesterday, I found myself with a lot of things to say.  Now, I didn't take notes like I have in the past, nor did I look anything up to confirm what I think I saw out there, so I may be horribly wrong on some things.  As for the writing style and commitment to writing these every week, I can't comment on either right now.  So for those who weren't a fan in the past, feel free to move along now.

 

1 - Under 200 yards - This really isn't so much about the Bills game, as it is a reminder that it's only week 1.  I was really surprised at how few quarterbacks did not throw for more than 200 yards yesterday.  I was honestly surprised to see that Murray didn't break that mark either.  I bring it up because, we know that type of performance isn't going to hold up over time and many teams are working out the kinks.  Additionally, we have no idea how good the Cardinals will be this season.  We could have beaten a decent playoff team for all we know.  Basically, it's week 1 and there's still a lot to learn.  I mean hell, Baker Mayfield scored the most fantasy points in some leagues.  

 

2 - The damn rotation - Let's get my first potential fact check gone wrong out of the way now.  Is it me, or on the first two Cardinal touchdowns occur when we had 3 out of 4 backups playing on the defensive line?  I understand that the Cards had long drives and our guys were getting tired, but c'mon McD/Babich, we can't commit to the rotation THAT much.  One of my biggest concerns about our team going into this year is the lack of depth at key defensive positions and I felt like that showed up in moments today.  However, when the game was on the line, it looks like our main guys were in and you could see a difference.  

 

3 - Clenched for no reason - If there's one thing I don't miss about the NFL season, it's that feeling of inevitable doom.  Maybe it's the BBFS still alive in me, but I could feel my cheeks clench every time Cook carried the ball, Bass lined up for a field goal, Hamlin dropped deep in coverage, and Cam Lewis was on the field.  I kept waiting for one of them to make a huge mistake, and was pleasantly surprised when it never happened.  I think Cam took some bad angles a few times, but nothing that really overall hurt us.

 

4 - Most of the time change is a good thing and I think that’s what it’s all about–embracing change, being brave, doing whatever you have to so everyone in your life can move forward with theirs, and maybe it’s the only way you can truly make her be happy.

 

5 - Von Miller - While I have to give credit where it is due, as he did push the lineman into Murray at the end of the game that led to him tripping for a sack, I was concerned about his lack of impact and playing time in this game.  I don't know if Von is still being conditioned back into playing shape or if it's all part of the rotation, but AJ seemed to be taking more snaps by a bit.  I know it's not my money, but I just see millions of dollars going to waste with him on the bench.  But if this is his output level, then oh well.

 

6 - Groot - I can't help but feel pessimistic when I write this, but I just watched this monster earn 20+ a year this game.  Groot was a game wrecker in so many ways today and, while I loved it, couldn't help but think about yet another cap hit coming up.  But seriously, he impacted so many plays and was easily the defensive MVP out there.

 

7 - Hello? - While I loved the ball distribution on offense, anyone else surprised at the lack of catches/targets to Kincaid?  I say targets more so because Josh did not miss much, so I'm surprised we didn't utilize him more.  And speaking of players I'm surprised I didn't hear their name more, Ed Oliver anyone?  And last on my, "what was that?" parade; I really hope O'Cyrus isn't taking a step back.  I think he had a rough game today.

 

8 - Billsy - Be honest, was anyone surprised that we were the first team to allow a kick-off return for a touchdown in this new format.

 

9 - TJ - Has anyone heard an injury update on Taron yet?  This might be the biggest dark cloud from this victory to me.  TJ is a absolute anchor in our ability to run a nickel defense and I think his absence would absolutely force some adjustments to our scheme.  The idea of Hill and motion next week seems a lot scarier without him.

 

10 - MVP - The Josh Allen MVP conversation started yesterday and I'd say he overall lived up to the billing.  Not just because of his play, but by his comments after the game as well.  Josh acknowledged that he had Coleman open on his first TD run, but made the decision to keep it for himself.  Beyond that, he did hold onto the ball too long on the fumble, just missed the deep shot to MVS, and then had one bad throw at the feet of someone on a third down play.  Other than that, Josh was an absolute monster.  We only had 3 points going into the last 2 minutes of the first half and still hung up 30 points.  That's incredible if you think about it.  If the defense could have gotten off the field at all in the first half (thanks refs O'Cyrus), I think this game is out of hand much quicker.  

 

Side note - Did anyone else feel like we got the C squad to support this game?  The refs, announcers, and even the camera crew all seemed shaky to me.

 

Moving on - I'm still very worried about our defense (depth and size).  I think Miami will be a very interesting test for us, but as long as the offense is humming like it did, we will be in every game.  However, like last year, I believe McD will improve the defense as we go alone and the team will gel.  It was fantastic to see the offense gel well so early on.

 

Go Bills!!!!

This is almost exactly as I felt about the game. I went searching for Kincaid stats and was shocked he played a lot more than Knox. If anyone looked at the all 22 could you enlighten us as to what was he doing? Blocking? Covered too tightly? That was a head scratcher. I’m reserving judgement for Von and Groot for a few more games. If Groot can eat Tua once or twice I’ll be very impressed.

[Ned Flanders]

On 9/9/2024 at 12:57 PM, Solomon Grundy said:

Kaiir Elam missed the tackle on KO return. IJS

Looked like a clear block in the back at about the Cards 25 yard line...

 

 

[Shaw66]

On 9/9/2024 at 12:42 PM, Virgil said:

 

7 - Hello? - While I loved the ball distribution on offense, anyone else surprised at the lack of catches/targets to Kincaid?  I say targets more so because Josh did not miss much, so I'm surprised we didn't utilize him more.  

 

It isn't a utilization question.  The Bills call the play, the the defense deploys, and the Bills run the play the way the defense dictates.  The system is designed so that all the receivers run their routes and Allen knows which guy is open.  I think the completion to Knox was one of those.  Allen just knew that Knox was going to be the open man.  If the open man is Kincaid, great.  If not, he isn't targeted.  

 

The way we can tell it works that way is that other than maybe the long pass to Coleman late in the game, Allen wasn't throwing contested balls.  They were because a passing offense like this generates predictable open receivers, so Allen knows where to go on each play.   It was quite impressive yesterday.  

 

As great a day as Allen had, imagine if he'd also connected with Valdez-Scantling!   Allen knew he had THAT open receiver, too.   Tough throw in that wind, but Allen nearly dropped it in there.  Well-thrown ball to an open receiver. 

[Shaw66]

2 hours ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

I mean idk how you can get much better than a 78 completion rate, 270 all purpose yards, and 4 TDs. Average that out to 17 games and it’s 4,590 yards, 64 TDs 0 interceptions 😂

68 TDs.

 

The only thing he didn't do was hit Valdez-Scantling on the deep ball.  

[GASabresIUFan]

28 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

The way we can tell it works that way is that other than maybe the long pass to Coleman late in the game, Allen wasn't throwing contested balls.  They were because a passing offense like this generates predictable open receivers, so Allen knows where to go on each play.   It was quite impressive yesterday.  

 I think people are finally grasping what Allen, McD and Brady are trying to accomplish this season and if it continues to work it could lead the Bills back to at least a division championship and Josh to the MVP.  I can see the headlines now; "Allen dominate despite a lack of receivers."  All the while our receivers collectively catch 80% of their targets and put up over 3000 yards, put no one wideout puts up 1000 yards for the season, but Shakir and Coleman come close.

 

What a novel concept throw to the open guy rather than feed a prima donna.  

Edited September 10 by GASabresIUFan

[Ballhawk]

Aside from Kincaid, I was really surprised with how little Curtis Samuel was utilized. I realize it's only one game, but I was sure he was going to be a jack of all trades for this offense. 2 receptions for 15 yards...oof.  

[Simon]

2 minutes ago, Ballhawk said:

Aside from Kincaid, I was really surprised with how little Curtis Samuel was utilized. I realize it's only one game, but I was sure he was going to be a jack of all trades for this offense. 2 receptions for 15 yards...oof.  

 

I've got to beleive they are easing him in while he recovers from the turf toe that has been nagging at him.

I bet his snaps and opportunities go up as the season progresses.

[Augie]

On 9/9/2024 at 12:55 PM, Success said:

Groot has to be a Bill for the long-term. It will hurt cap-wise, but he is so disruptive.

 

 

That’s what you pray for when you draft a guy. You want them to be wildly productive and worthy of a big deal. It stings a bit when you have to pay, but eventually you want to have that problem. Even in preseason he was tossing starters around in his few snaps. 

 

As people say, we need more elite playmakers, and Groot could very well be one of those guys at a premium position.

 

.

Edited September 10 by Augie

[WideNine]

On 9/9/2024 at 9:42 AM, Virgil said:

Hey everyone, it's been a minute.  I honestly didn't know if I was going to write one of these this year, as they started to feel a bit stale to me over time.  But after seeing our final depth chart and watching the game yesterday, I found myself with a lot of things to say.  Now, I didn't take notes like I have in the past, nor did I look anything up to confirm what I think I saw out there, so I may be horribly wrong on some things.  As for the writing style and commitment to writing these every week, I can't comment on either right now.  So for those who weren't a fan in the past, feel free to move along now.

 

1 - Under 200 yards - This really isn't so much about the Bills game, as it is a reminder that it's only week 1.  I was really surprised at how few quarterbacks did not throw for more than 200 yards yesterday.  I was honestly surprised to see that Murray didn't break that mark either.  I bring it up because, we know that type of performance isn't going to hold up over time and many teams are working out the kinks.  Additionally, we have no idea how good the Cardinals will be this season.  We could have beaten a decent playoff team for all we know.  Basically, it's week 1 and there's still a lot to learn.  I mean hell, Baker Mayfield scored the most fantasy points in some leagues.  

 

2 - The damn rotation - Let's get my first potential fact check gone wrong out of the way now.  Is it me, or on the first two Cardinal touchdowns occur when we had 3 out of 4 backups playing on the defensive line?  I understand that the Cards had long drives and our guys were getting tired, but c'mon McD/Babich, we can't commit to the rotation THAT much.  One of my biggest concerns about our team going into this year is the lack of depth at key defensive positions and I felt like that showed up in moments today.  However, when the game was on the line, it looks like our main guys were in and you could see a difference.  

 

3 - Clenched for no reason - If there's one thing I don't miss about the NFL season, it's that feeling of inevitable doom.  Maybe it's the BBFS still alive in me, but I could feel my cheeks clench every time Cook carried the ball, Bass lined up for a field goal, Hamlin dropped deep in coverage, and Cam Lewis was on the field.  I kept waiting for one of them to make a huge mistake, and was pleasantly surprised when it never happened.  I think Cam took some bad angles a few times, but nothing that really overall hurt us.

 

4 - Most of the time change is a good thing and I think that’s what it’s all about–embracing change, being brave, doing whatever you have to so everyone in your life can move forward with theirs, and maybe it’s the only way you can truly make her be happy.

 

5 - Von Miller - While I have to give credit where it is due, as he did push the lineman into Murray at the end of the game that led to him tripping for a sack, I was concerned about his lack of impact and playing time in this game.  I don't know if Von is still being conditioned back into playing shape or if it's all part of the rotation, but AJ seemed to be taking more snaps by a bit.  I know it's not my money, but I just see millions of dollars going to waste with him on the bench.  But if this is his output level, then oh well.

 

6 - Groot - I can't help but feel pessimistic when I write this, but I just watched this monster earn 20+ a year this game.  Groot was a game wrecker in so many ways today and, while I loved it, couldn't help but think about yet another cap hit coming up.  But seriously, he impacted so many plays and was easily the defensive MVP out there.

 

7 - Hello? - While I loved the ball distribution on offense, anyone else surprised at the lack of catches/targets to Kincaid?  I say targets more so because Josh did not miss much, so I'm surprised we didn't utilize him more.  And speaking of players I'm surprised I didn't hear their name more, Ed Oliver anyone?  And last on my, "what was that?" parade; I really hope O'Cyrus isn't taking a step back.  I think he had a rough game today.

 

8 - Billsy - Be honest, was anyone surprised that we were the first team to allow a kick-off return for a touchdown in this new format.

 

9 - TJ - Has anyone heard an injury update on Taron yet?  This might be the biggest dark cloud from this victory to me.  TJ is a absolute anchor in our ability to run a nickel defense and I think his absence would absolutely force some adjustments to our scheme.  The idea of Hill and motion next week seems a lot scarier without him.

 

10 - MVP - The Josh Allen MVP conversation started yesterday and I'd say he overall lived up to the billing.  Not just because of his play, but by his comments after the game as well.  Josh acknowledged that he had Coleman open on his first TD run, but made the decision to keep it for himself.  Beyond that, he did hold onto the ball too long on the fumble, just missed the deep shot to MVS, and then had one bad throw at the feet of someone on a third down play.  Other than that, Josh was an absolute monster.  We only had 3 points going into the last 2 minutes of the first half and still hung up 30 points.  That's incredible if you think about it.  If the defense could have gotten off the field at all in the first half (thanks refs O'Cyrus), I think this game is out of hand much quicker.  

 

Side note - Did anyone else feel like we got the C squad to support this game?  The refs, announcers, and even the camera crew all seemed shaky to me.

 

Moving on - I'm still very worried about our defense (depth and size).  I think Miami will be a very interesting test for us, but as long as the offense is humming like it did, we will be in every game.  However, like last year, I believe McD will improve the defense as we go alone and the team will gel.  It was fantastic to see the offense gel well so early on.

 

Go Bills!!!!

 

Keep them coming Virgil.

 

I may not always agree with every take but still enjoy them.

 

I thought it was noticeable when our rotational DEs were in as they seemed to lose contain often.

 

Groot was huge.

 

Torrence looks out of shape and slow getting to his spots and playing over his base with balance/leverage. Took some costly penalties.

 

I thought he was going to put in the work, but he has been struggling.

 

I think AZ was doing things to take Kincaid away, rolling coverage his way, etc..

 

Just opened things up for the other receivers and Knox.

 

 

 

 

[Pete]

55 minutes ago, Ballhawk said:

Aside from Kincaid, I was really surprised with how little Curtis Samuel was utilized. I realize it's only one game, but I was sure he was going to be a jack of all trades for this offense. 2 receptions for 15 yards...oof.  

Don’t forget he had turf toe and it’s a 17 game season

[buffaloboyinATL]

On 9/9/2024 at 12:42 PM, Virgil said:

 

 

5 - Von Miller - While I have to give credit where it is due, as he did push the lineman into Murray at the end of the game that led to him tripping for a sack, I was concerned about his lack of impact and playing time in this game.  I don't know if Von is still being conditioned back into playing shape or if it's all part of the rotation, but AJ seemed to be taking more snaps by a bit.  I know it's not my money, but I just see millions of dollars going to waste with him on the bench.  But if this is his output level, then oh well.

 

6 - Groot - I can't help but feel pessimistic when I write this, but I just watched this monster earn 20+ a year this game.  Groot was a game wrecker in so many ways today and, while I loved it, couldn't help but think about yet another cap hit coming up.  But seriously, he impacted so many plays and was easily the defensive MVP out there.

 

 

Regarding Von, I am hoping that he will have the impact that many of us said from day one, would be enough to justify his contract. Meaning, he needs to make game changing plays at critical times in games, and late in the season and into the post-season.  So to me, if that means he is used conservatively, but has an impact when called upon, he is earring his keep.

 

As far as Groot goes, try and enjoy it, and worry about contacts etc, after the season.  I have a feeling he will be giving us a good show.

[JP51]

16 hours ago, buffaloboyinATL said:

Regarding Von, I am hoping that he will have the impact that many of us said from day one, would be enough to justify his contract. Meaning, he needs to make game changing plays at critical times in games, and late in the season and into the post-season.  So to me, if that means he is used conservatively, but has an impact when called upon, he is earring his keep.

 

As far as Groot goes, try and enjoy it, and worry about contacts etc, after the season.  I have a feeling he will be giving us a good show.

agreed, Von is getting too much money for a 3rd down guy... BUT, thats spilled milk, I think the contract is what it is, however, as a football coach you need to maximize production and effectiveness regardless of what they are getting paid. I like the plan here.. conservative use... if down the line he becomes more effective then he plays more. But no sense over utilizing if he isnt going to be effective as a 3 down guy or a 2 down guy. 

 

Groot, I couldnt agree more... I hope he becomes dominant we are gonna need someone in that vein on Defense. He I think is our best shot for an all round dominant defensive playmaker. 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

17 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

68 TDs.

 

The only thing he didn't do was hit Valdez-Scantling on the deep ball.  

Fans are so spoiled. I feel bad for all the post-Allen QBs. They are going to have monolithic shoes to fill

[Virgil]

18 hours ago, Ballhawk said:

Aside from Kincaid, I was really surprised with how little Curtis Samuel was utilized. I realize it's only one game, but I was sure he was going to be a jack of all trades for this offense. 2 receptions for 15 yards...oof.  

 

Everything I've heard post game is that the Arizona focused the majority of their coverage on Kindcaid, sometimes even triple teaming him

34 minutes ago, JP51 said:

agreed, Von is getting too much money for a 3rd down guy... BUT, thats spilled milk, I think the contract is what it is, however, as a football coach you need to maximize production and effectiveness regardless of what they are getting paid. I like the plan here.. conservative use... if down the line he becomes more effective then he plays more. But no sense over utilizing if he isnt going to be effective as a 3 down guy or a 2 down guy. 

 

 

All I'm hearing post game is that Von had a great game.  I didn't notice in the moment, but I've heard it enough to where I believe it

 

[JP51]

1 minute ago, Virgil said:

 

Everything I've heard post game is that the Arizona focused the majority of their coverage on Kindcaid, sometimes even triple teaming him

 

All I'm hearing post game is that Von had a great game.  I didn't notice in the moment, but I've heard it enough to where I believe it

 

Dont disagree... he wasnt "Dynamic" but quite effective and clearly an improvement over last year. I like them utilizing him situationally so he can be paced. Then who knows maybe they increase his workload. 

[Big Turk]

22 hours ago, RunTheBall said:

The whole defensive line game plan was to do a contained rush to keep Murray in the pocket. It didn’t really work, which is why Babich dialed up the heat in the second half, but it may explain why Oliver was MIA as he’s a penetrator. At least I hope so, because Ed tends to disappear when we need him most in the playoffs. He’s a streaky player who can be dominant at times but is no where close to a Chris Jones type player.

 

Kincaid was MIA because AZ decided their defensive game plan was to take him out of the game. Watch the All 22, they were triple covering him at times and they always had 2 guys close to him. AZ obviously thought our game plan was to feed Kincaid to get the offense moving. The one thing I like about this “Everybody Eats” philosophy is that it seemed to work. They took away Kincaid, so Josh hit 9 other guys at different times to move the chains.

 

IDK why everyone is down on Von. Guy had his best game since 2 seasons ago and a huge sack on 3rd down. I’m optimistic he can round into form.

 

AJ Epenesa didn’t do jack that I could see but idk his snap count. He gets to play Miami Thursday where he usually puts on a performance so maybe he can lay out Tua a couple times.

 

 

Bills scored 34 points regardless of what they tried to do and left points on the field...it's kinda crazy.