The Thousand-yard stare

[harmonkillebrew]

I don't know how anyone can criticize Josh for that blitz.  It was disguised too well, all frigging game, and then when it occurred there were multiple other guys that failed to adjust.  Torrence should have realized his assignment was going left and gotten a mitt on the blitzing S. If Spencer Brown had blocked Karlaftis he wouldn't have put Josh on the ground and the pass to Kincaid would have been a little better (hopefully Kincaid would have actually caught it).  Ty Johnson also didn't break his route off when his guy blitzed, to give Josh a clear hot option.

 

So many failures across the board on that play. Can't hang it on Josh.

 

There are other plays that were left on the field by Josh, but after just rewatching it, he also had some amazing, gutsy plays on 4th and 3rd downs. 

 

I think the Bills need to have a few more go-to plays in crucial situations and go-to players, particularly at WR.  That 1st and 2nd and 10s right before the critical 4th down were shambles. Even the Cooper blitz, screen buster should have gone for more with a more dynamic player on the receiving end. 

 

Bills played all out, going for it on 4th down at least 5 times. The Chiefs are just slightly better in clutch moments at almost every position and coaching

[LABILLBACKER]

I'd have that same stare too if my players and coaches were constantly failing me in support.  He knows the Bills history.  He knows the weight of all Western NY is on his shoulders.  I guarantee you even his coaches expect him to " just go out and make a play" rather than scheming up better plays to support him.  Those failed tush pushes were a testament to how weak our coaching is.  Throw in his fellow players not stepping up ( besides Cook, Hollins) and that stare is more than justified.

[LABILLBACKER]

5 hours ago, Dablitzkrieg said:

If you know a blitz is coming, why would you not have your RB in to block?

I'm just shocked Brady didn't call another tush push on 4th & 5.  7th time is a charm. 

[LABILLBACKER]

5 hours ago, All_Pro_Bills said:

Basically the Bills lost because in the most critical point in the game, the Chiefs executed a defensive play or two that were variations out of a familiar defensive look. Our offense got fooled. Our defense did no better.

 

I'm thinking we lose these games to the Chiefs because their coaching staff prepares and game plans extremely well for the Bills and clearly understands the tendencies of the opposition, both its players and coaches. And our coaching staff never disappoints by giving them exactly the looks and plays they prepare for every time. There's no element of surprise or disguise going on here.

 

Maybe we should be marveling not about how the Bills manage to lose these game by the slimiest of margins every time but instead be amazed the players can keep it so close given the other team's players and coaches perform like they're in the Bills practice and game planning sessions all week before the game. 

Name me 1 new clever play Brady implemented for this game.  Nothing

[Old Coot]

As I said in another post, that play was hugely risky against that KC look.

 

They are showing an overload blitz to our weak(right) side and we have no RB in to block. Also, when chased, Josh is known to run to his right and that's what he did on this play.

 

Fitz says, it did not matter which way the OL shifted against that look.

 

This is THE crucial play of the game. If its not successful, we go home for the year.

 

You cannot take the risk that they will blitz from our right.

 

Josh should have audibled out of that play or called a TO to talk things over, if a suitable audible wasn't available.

 

Don't blame Brady for the play call. Remember, Brady calls down the play and any audibles to Josh. Brady is blocked from communicating with Josh when the play clock reaches 15 seconds. The D will wait to lineup until after that

 

So, it's the QB's job to evaluate the D formation and decide whether to go with the called play, the audible(s) or to call a TO.

 

This is constructive criticism.

 

I love Josh; he's an excellent QB but his game is not perfect. He can improve and to say so, isn't bashing Josh, or on this play, trying to excuse Kincaide's flub.

 

In the offseason, a coach would be remiss to just let this go without comment to Josh (privately).

 

Hopefully Josh learns from his mistakes, he'll be a better QB for it.

 

WE all learn more from our mistakes than from our successes.

 

On the positive side, I think Josh made great strides this season. He was more active pre-snap -- pointing at the D to set its strength, sliding protection, tc. plus post snap he seems less likely to lock onto one receiver. That shows growth.

 

 

[julian]

4 hours ago, Sojourner said:

Yeah, I might have misunderstood that. There wasn’t much clarity so apologies on my end. 
 

With you on Oliver. He was about the only guy I can give credit to for putting in a shift the whole game. Groot, let down. AJ, let down. Von, let down. A guy that can disrupt the middle will be a remedy to help anyone we have going into next year on that line which in turn should help the secondary. Sadly, it could end up being another season too late. 

No worries, everyone is just trying to figure out what needs to be done and sometimes points get lost in translation in written format.

 

 I’m not very hopeful they’ll get it right, but I desperately want to be wrong.

[muppy]

10 hours ago, billsgpr88 said:

Whether or not Bills fans agree with its implications, we’re all familiar with the image: Josh Allen on the sidlines, eyes glazed, staring into the distance. I recall seeing it in the horrendous Jaguars game a few years back (in Jacksonville iirc, not the one in England), in his first playoff game against the Texans, and now in back to back playoff games against the Chiefs. It doesn’t happen often, but it always seems to foreshadow a Bills loss. 
 

I love watching Josh Allen play; having watched nearly every game during the drought, I could never say enough about how he has uplifted the organization and the community. I’d argue he means as much or more to Buffalo than any athlete does to their respective team in American sports. He’s the most important individual in the building, and it’s not even close. The issue is, he knows it. He knows about the superbowl losses and the drought, and how desperately Buffalo wants one, just one, Super Bowl victory. And I believe this is what weighs on his shoulders every time I see that absent-minded stare from the sideline. 

I’ll always root for Josh; he’s almost beyond criticism, knowing how much he does to win, what he’s already accomplished in his career, and especially for being a genuinely great person and leader. But, when I see that stare, I immediately get the sense that the game is over. We can point to specific plays, bad calls by the refs, poor coaching, or simply talent, but Josh is the unquestioned leader of the team, even more than McDermott, and I think when his teammates see that from Josh, they feel it, and their confidence is drained from it. And the worst part is that it keeps happening against the chiefs in the playoffs, and with each year the pressure is amplified. Although he played pretty well overall against the chiefs, he didn’t display that heroic, game-dominating mentality that was on display against the chiefs in the regular season game. As much as I hate to admit, I felt the Bills would lose last Sunday as early as the first quarter, though I didn’t initially realize why. Now looking back, I am convinced it is the thousand-yard stare that reveals how overwhelming the pressure is to be the savior of the Buffalo Bills.

this is SO DRAMATIC.  And the OP is speaking from what he really thinks. It's a different take than what we read here

 

I'm not mad. It's a free chatroom.  the 1000 yard stare is the harbinger of bad things aka Losses  Overall OP likes Josh Allen. Thinks he is not perfect. 

 

well I will take an imperfect #17 over ANY QB in the NFL.   And IF ONLY HE WERE SUPERMAN and PERFECT we would ALL be  so happy eh?

 

lol 

 

 

Edited 5 hours ago by muppy

[ControllerOfPlanetX]

The  Chiefs did this..

 

[CincyBillsFan]

7 hours ago, Dablitzkrieg said:

My point is he deserves some criticism. 

Why?  He played a very good game and was not the reason the Bills lost.  In fact Allen's play likely kept the Bills in the game and in position for a walk off win.  Any other QB and the Bills probably lose that game by 2 scores.

 

The need for some posters to criticize Allen whenever he doesn't play a perfect game is insane and I'm suspicious of their motivation.  The Bills Super Bowl window is open only as long as Allen continues to play at the level he's playing.  If over the next 5 years Allen doesn't get any better he will not be the reason the Bills don't win a Super Bowl.

 

The NFL is not the NBA where an elite generational talent can will his team to a championship. Football is the ultimate team game involving dozens of players.  If only one of those players is consistently great in the playoffs, and I would argue that only Allen has met this criteria, the Bills will not a win a championship.  The fact that the Bill's have gotten as far as they have is amazing and probably the limit of where a single player can take them.

 

 

 

 

[78thealltimegreat]

7 hours ago, thenorthremembers said:

I wouldnt say Jeremy White is some kind of astounding football analyst.   I would love to see some of these guys who talk about football on a daily basis sit in front of a white board or game film and be able to determine if a defense was in man or zone, or be able to know what personnel an offense is in.   I think you'd be surprised how little they actually know.   The Bills pay Josh more than the Chiefs pay Mahomes.   There has been noise that Josh wants a new contract in the offseason.    If you want to be paid better than the best player in the league, you sure as hell better make sure you are better than him on the field.   

 

The bottom line is Josh is the highest paid player on the Bills.   I imagine Hasek was paid a pretty penny by the Sabres as well.  Because of that they are held to a higher standard.   When the Bills lose to the Chiefs I dont want to hear how Cole Bishop or Kaiir Elam did.  I want to hear that Josh outplayed the guy on the otherside of field.  When the Sabres lost in the conference finals were people blaming Brian Holzinger for not scoring more goals?   No, it’s up to your superstar to get you there.

Right now there are 14 quarterbacks who make more then Allen and he is signed through 2028. If you want to blame Allen for losing to the Chiefs that’s fine it’s your prerogative. I was pointing out Jeremy Whites comparison to Hasek when he brought up in the last 8 playoff games the Bills defense has forced 5 punts in the first half. Joe Burrow went to a Super Bowl cause Mahomes had a QBR of 8 in the second half of the AFC championship game. 
The defense just doesn’t produce at that level. 

3 hours ago, Old Coot said:

As I said in another post, that play was hugely risky against that KC look.

 

They are showing an overload blitz to our weak(right) side and we have no RB in to block. Also, when chased, Josh is known to run to his right and that's what he did on this play.

 

Fitz says, it did not matter which way the OL shifted against that look.

 

This is THE crucial play of the game. If its not successful, we go home for the year.

 

You cannot take the risk that they will blitz from our right.

 

Josh should have audibled out of that play or called a TO to talk things over, if a suitable audible wasn't available.

 

Don't blame Brady for the play call. Remember, Brady calls down the play and any audibles to Josh. Brady is blocked from communicating with Josh when the play clock reaches 15 seconds. The D will wait to lineup until after that

 

So, it's the QB's job to evaluate the D formation and decide whether to go with the called play, the audible(s) or to call a TO.

 

This is constructive criticism.

 

I love Josh; he's an excellent QB but his game is not perfect. He can improve and to say so, isn't bashing Josh, or on this play, trying to excuse Kincaide's flub.

 

In the offseason, a coach would be remiss to just let this go without comment to Josh (privately).

 

Hopefully Josh learns from his mistakes, he'll be a better QB for it.

 

WE all learn more from our mistakes than from our successes.

 

On the positive side, I think Josh made great strides this season. He was more active pre-snap -- pointing at the D to set its strength, sliding protection, tc. plus post snap he seems less likely to lock onto one receiver. That shows growth.

 

 

Disagree about calling a time out as if they didn’t make it they still had 2 time outs left to get the ball back.
But then the Bills defense does what it usually does when it faces Mahomes gave up 2 first downs and the game over. 

[Old Coot]

28 minutes ago, 78thealltimegreat said:

isagree about calling a time out as if they didn’t make it they still had 2 time outs left to get the ball back.

We can agree to disagree on this. After all, social media would be incredibly boring without disagreement.

 

You are more of a risk taker than I. I would prefer to burn a TO and get in a play with possibly more chance of succeeding than the formation they were in with that KC look.

 

If they make the first down they don't have to worry about getting the ball back from a KC offense that had been getting first downs allnight against our D.

[Dablitzkrieg]

2 hours ago, CincyBillsFan said:

Why? 

Because he made a critical error on the most important play of the game.

[Ga boy]

2 hours ago, CincyBillsFan said:

Why?  He played a very good game and was not the reason the Bills lost.  In fact Allen's play likely kept the Bills in the game and in position for a walk off win.  Any other QB and the Bills probably lose that game by 2 scores.

 

The need for some posters to criticize Allen whenever he doesn't play a perfect game is insane and I'm suspicious of their motivation.  The Bills Super Bowl window is open only as long as Allen continues to play at the level he's playing.  If over the next 5 years Allen doesn't get any better he will not be the reason the Bills don't win a Super Bowl.

 

The NFL is not the NBA where an elite generational talent can will his team to a championship. Football is the ultimate team game involving dozens of players.  If only one of those players is consistently great in the playoffs, and I would argue that only Allen has met this criteria, the Bills will not a win a championship.  The fact that the Bill's have gotten as far as they have is amazing and probably the limit of where a single player can take them.

 

 

 

 

Great take.  Without Jones and Kelce, Mahomey, KC wouldn’t be the juggernaut.  

[CincyBillsFan]

51 minutes ago, Dablitzkrieg said:

Because he made a critical error on the most important play of the game.

It wasn't a critical error.  He didn't recognize Spags sneaky blitz but was still able to get the pass off and put it on the hands of his TE at the KC 35. 

[Dablitzkrieg]

8 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

It wasn't a critical error.  He didn't recognize Spags sneaky blitz but was still able to get the pass off and put it on the hands of his TE at the KC 35. 

It was a critical error.  I'm not sure why you feel the need to die on this hill.  He also did make other poor throws and poor reads, it's going to be ok.  

[CincyBillsFan]

4 minutes ago, Dablitzkrieg said:

It was a critical error.  I'm not sure why you feel the need to die on this hill.  He also did make other poor throws and poor reads, it's going to be ok.  

How was it a critical QB error when he made the throw to the guy who was open for the 1st down?

 

 

[Dablitzkrieg]

16 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

How was it a critical QB error when he made the throw to the guy who was open for the 1st down?

 

 

The protection was not set properly and Allen had 4 guys in his face immediately.  The play was dead from the start.  Low probability throw, instead of letting the play develop.

[Man with No Name]

12 hours ago, Kelly to Allen said:

 

 

21-13 seconds Allen does Elway the drive (((twice))) in the final 2 mins. Team loses ,36 pts scored 

 

23- Allen leads team to game winning td, Dawkins gets bull rushed into Allen and takes the td away. Bass misses easy fg...Team loses, 24 pts scored 

 

24- Allen leads multiple comebacks, gets screwed on a spot call, still leads team to tie , then is leading team down only for amari cooper not to outrun a de for a 1st down and then a bad blitz pickup cause an insane throw right in the bread basket to be dropped by Kincaid... Obviously defense can't get a stop and team loses.... 29 points scored 

 

Allen's past 3 games vs kc, 2 on the road, 1 team is very injured at home 

 

Almost 1000 yds

9 tds

Zero turnovers. 

29.6 ppg with bass miss

30.6 ppg if bass made it

 

 

He's being failed catastrophically by the ppl around him. Go get him some wrs , pass rushers and CBS that can win the game outside Allen like great teams do everywhere else....

 

I wish Allen could win 2 super bowls like Eli Manning doing nothing basically 

 

I'm tired of this 

 

 

 

 

that's just it. where's our david tyree play?