Rousseau on Cover1

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

11 minutes ago, ProcessTruster said:

Correct on Diggs.   That was a cap disaster and cost Beane an entire season from a FA market perspective.  

 

Cover 1 has taught me quite a few scheme design things for sure, and I like to think I know what I'm looking at. 

 

Sure, they are WNY homer guys for sure, just like the rest of us..... but they take a very film analysis viewpoint, and the film doesn't lie. 

 

I'd have to look at the exact ramifications... but I'd have to say it limited things the bills were able to do during the season.  It created a hole that they were only realistically able to fill with cooper from a salary perspective.  

[corta765]

2 hours ago, Lothar said:

I think many of you are being too harsh on the coaches for that specific game. When you lose (arguably) your best defensive player of an already statistically tepid defense, there's only so much you can do. I thought the D, given their state, did a good enough job in allowing the Bills offense to go win the game. They tried playing more man, caused a couple critical takeaways but simply didn't have the horses. It wasn't ideal but in these playoff matchups of best on best, I'd 100% be happy with giving Josh and the offense the ball to go tie or win the game. Every time.

The problem is it isn't one game or post season, collectively in every single Bills playoff loss to end the year since Josh was the starter the defense has wilted. Texans and Chiefs in 23' are the closest you've seen to the defense putting up a fight and I have been pretty vocal 23' the coaching staff did a good job given the lineup being so decimated. But when other opponents of KC the weeks before and after blow apart their offensive line but our defense can't it says something. Yes Benford was out, but the Bills got beat by Mahomes on scrambles left and right and other teams overcome injury yet we lose one guy and its 30 + points allowed again. 

 

Josh and the offense have scored 24, 36, 24, & 29 points vs KC. Until PHI ran rough shot on them in the SB they have been the only offense to put that many points on the Chiefs defense in the post season the last two years. The offense had a B level performance and still had the team to 29. At some point it would be nice for the defense to actually hit Mahomes, get some sacks, hold them to under 24 points or less once?! Not allow literally Mahomes to have some his best games of his career. You do realize the Bengals in both matchups with KC held the Chiefs to 24 and 20 points allowed? If Josh had that level of defensive support once they are in the SB or the AFC title game again. 

 

It is far more a coaching thing then talent at this point. Spags throwing the sink at Josh on the final play showed it in spades. It was a gutsy move but one that was unexpected and got Josh off just enough to force a tough throw he still almost landed. That is coaching at its finest.

[RoyBatty is alive]

4 hours ago, Low Positive said:

Because it made no sense and it should have been impossible. It was a very risky move that sort of worked out. I wouldn't have made it.

WHAT?

 

Your thesis has been totally proven wrong so obviously it was not "impossible".

[K-9]

4 hours ago, MJS said:

Come on. They certainly know a lot more than you do.

 

And on Diggs, it didn't make sense from a cap perspective at all. The move hurt the team. That's why it seemed impossible.

With what was going on in the building, keeping Diggs was an untenable situation and he had to go, regardless. Everyone in the organization involved in the decision, from ownership on down, was fully aware of the cap consequences and they still made the move. That alone is indicative of how bad the situation became.

[DJB]

All this video shows me is that our scheme is flawed and our DE’s not able to pin their ears back except on 3rd and long is unfortunate

 

Its not always the players but coaches as well 

Edited Tuesday at 07:01 PM by DJB

[Low Positive]

1 minute ago, K-9 said:

With what was going on in the building, keeping Diggs was an untenable situation and he had to go, regardless. Everyone in the organization involved in the decision, from ownership on down, was fully aware of the cap consequences and they still made the move. That alone is indicative of how bad the situation became.

But we didn't know any of that. All we saw were some cryptic tweets and the dead cap number. It also set a bad precedent; complain enough on Twitter and Beane (and pretty much every Bills fan) will cave. We're seeing this all play out again with Cook. I'm not as hard on coaching as most here, but the Diggs situation is a poor reflection on McDermott. One of his primary jobs is to manage the egos in the locker room. The fact that it got to that point is his biggest failure as the Bills' coach. I mean, AJ Brown pouted all season on social media and was even reading a book on the sidelines during a game. Is he about to get traded?

[nedboy7]

Oh yeah?  What did this board do during that game?  I’ll tell you!  Put on hundreds of pounds combined. Still trying to lose that weight. 

[T.E.]

4 hours ago, MJS said:

And on Diggs, it didn't make sense from a cap perspective at all. The move hurt the team. That's why it seemed impossible.

It made a ton of sense from a team morale standpoint. The Bills went on to score more points than in any season in team history and Allen won the first MVP ever for a Bills passer. It didn't hurt the team at all.

[Buffalo716]

1 hour ago, DJB said:

All this video shows me is that our scheme is flawed and our DE’s not able to pin their ears back except on 3rd and long is unfortunate

 

Its not always the players but coaches as well 

Sean McDermott has been a head coach or defensive coordinator for 16 years 

 

8 top 10 in YPG... 6 in top 10 in ppg

 

Spagnola has 5 top 10 ypg and 6 in top10 ppg

 

McDermott 14 out of 16 years has had a top 10 defense in takeways.. spags 4

 

If our scheme is flawed so is spags lol

 

Sean McDermott has numbers that are as consistent is everybody in a league of turnover.. 14 out of 16 seasons top 10 is takeaways is world class

 

We just haven't had the dogs in February when it mattered usually.. even in our last playoff game we lost our best cover corner and had to put out a bum

 

We never could just stay healthy for one game

Edited Tuesday at 08:04 PM by Buffalo716

[MJS]

43 minutes ago, T.E. said:

It made a ton of sense from a team morale standpoint. The Bills went on to score more points than in any season in team history and Allen won the first MVP ever for a Bills passer. It didn't hurt the team at all.

I was obviously talking about the cap. 30 million in dead cap does hurt the team.

[Nihilarian]

2 hours ago, Aussie Joe said:

Why is Bishop being a rookie an excuse ? He was a second round pick …I dont think it’s unreasonable to expect that he would be a starter by the time they got to the playoffs…The Chiefs have started a few rookies against us in playoff games over the years …

Kaiir Elam was a first-round pick that the Bills traded up for and he failed big time even after three seasons, and like I said it wasn't because he didn't work hard at his profession.

 

Buffalo runs one of the more complicated/sophisticated secondary defensive schemes in the NFL and not everybody gets it right away. Kind of the reason that McD tends to not play rookies as starters if he can help it. 

 

I didn't mention it previously but Buffalo had a rookie DC calling plays too. I don't think that he was a big factor though when that secondary failed them so badly. There is also a real reason as to why the Bills didn't resign CB Rasul Douglas. That secondary stunk! The lack of pressure by the D line didn't help either. 

 

 

"Once Benford left the game with a concussion, it felt like the defense was going to struggle. Kaiir Elam filled in for Benford, but the former first-round pick was toasted on several occasions. He struggled in man-to-man and zone coverage, getting beat and taking penalties. 

With Benford questionable leading up to the game, there would be the hope that Elam was a bit more prepared for this matchup. Whether it was Elam or coaching that led to the struggles, it ended up being a major problem for how the Bills defense needed to recover from Benford’s loss."

 

https://billswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bills/2025/01/31/what-went-wrong-for-buffalo-in-afc-championship-game-vs-chiefs/78080666007/

[Doc Brown]

7 hours ago, FireChans said:

if you ever want a laugh, go watch their videos last year where they get so exasperated about how moving on from Diggs would make no sense and was impossible. 

I'm as guilty as they are and anything's possible I guess.  I didn't realize the level of toxicity within the building though as I never thought they'd eat $31m in dead cap space.

[GunnerBill]

3 hours ago, Virgil said:

The Chiefs lost to us in every single regular season game over the past 4 years.  I’d argue it’s really not that important.  Obviously, you need to make the playoffs, but we are past that.

 

But it is flat our bizarre that they ran plays against the Bills in the AFCCG that they hadn't run all season long. Five of them on offense including the one that finally iced the game. Maybe they did on D as well I don't know I only have the number for their O. And then when they couldn't move the ball basically at all for a half they ran zero new plays against the Eagles in the Superbowl. I am not claiming conspriacy or anything but far from playing the Chiefs being the Bills Superbowl it actually feels the other way around. The Chiefs put more effort into beating us than they did into trying to win a third consecutive Lombardi. 

 

They definitely outcoached us in the AFCCG (although they out executed us too). Probably their biggest coaching win vs us in the playoffs since the first AFCCG. But it was like they threw everything at the Bills and had nothing left for Philly.

Edited Tuesday at 08:37 PM by GunnerBill

[K-9]

1 hour ago, Low Positive said:

But we didn't know any of that. All we saw were some cryptic tweets and the dead cap number. It also set a bad precedent; complain enough on Twitter and Beane (and pretty much every Bills fan) will cave. We're seeing this all play out again with Cook. I'm not as hard on coaching as most here, but the Diggs situation is a poor reflection on McDermott. One of his primary jobs is to manage the egos in the locker room. The fact that it got to that point is his biggest failure as the Bills' coach. I mean, AJ Brown pouted all season on social media and was even reading a book on the sidelines during a game. Is he about to get traded?

The Diggs issue went far deeper than on the field and in the locker room, which really wasn’t that big of a deal. Diggs was having issues with people around the rest of the building as well. He had worn out his welcome and like I said previously, it became an untenable situation. 

[Doc Brown]

5 hours ago, BullBuchanan said:

100%

This is why I laugh off anybody that makes an argument that we were "just a play away" from winning any of these games against the Chiefs. When you're at the levels that the Bills and the Chiefs are, you've already fully optimized your roster, your gameplan, playcalling, and your gametime decision making as far as you can. From the opening snap, you're already managing the clock and you have an idea of how many scoring opportunities you're going to have and what percentage are likely to succeed.

Getting that "one play" to swing your way at that level is like asking for a whole quarter to shift your way, because the margins are razor thin. In the case of the Chiefs, there hasn't been a time that they haven't had us completely outclassed in every phase of the game since Mahomes came into the league. Until that changes, I don't see us beating them in games that matter unless an insane amount of luck drops into our lap, or the Chiefs self-destruct. If they keep building their team like they have been, and keep planning and executing the way they have been, they are effectively unbeatable with McD and Beane at the helm - as good as they otherwise are.

We literally were a squib kick away.  I'm laughing at you for laughing at other people.  No offense.

[Aussie Joe]

29 minutes ago, Nihilarian said:

Kaiir Elam was a first-round pick that the Bills traded up for and he failed big time even after three seasons, and like I said it wasn't because he didn't work hard at his profession.

 

Buffalo runs one of the more complicated/sophisticated secondary defensive schemes in the NFL and not everybody gets it right away. Kind of the reason that McD tends to not play rookies as starters if he can help it. 

 

I didn't mention it previously but Buffalo had a rookie DC calling plays too. I don't think that he was a big factor though when that secondary failed them so badly. There is also a real reason as to why the Bills didn't resign CB Rasul Douglas. That secondary stunk! The lack of pressure by the D line didn't help either. 

 

 

"Once Benford left the game with a concussion, it felt like the defense was going to struggle. Kaiir Elam filled in for Benford, but the former first-round pick was toasted on several occasions. He struggled in man-to-man and zone coverage, getting beat and taking penalties. 

With Benford questionable leading up to the game, there would be the hope that Elam was a bit more prepared for this matchup. Whether it was Elam or coaching that led to the struggles, it ended up being a major problem for how the Bills defense needed to recover from Benford’s loss."

 

https://billswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bills/2025/01/31/what-went-wrong-for-buffalo-in-afc-championship-game-vs-chiefs/78080666007/

Do you expect the CB they take this year to be a starter come the playoffs? Otherwise is the plan to rely on Jackson ? 
 

I was referring to Bishop , and you have changed the argument to Elam… I agree that he  was terrible and had no business being on the field in that game … mentally he was cooked … Im actually surprised they persevered with him for so long 

Edited Tuesday at 09:02 PM by Aussie Joe

[Doc Brown]

18 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

But it is flat our bizarre that they ran plays against the Bills in the AFCCG that they hadn't run all season long. Five of them on offense including the one that finally iced the game. Maybe they did on D as well I don't know I only have the number for their O. And then when they couldn't move the ball basically at all for a half they ran zero new plays against the Eagles in the Superbowl. I am not claiming conspriacy or anything but far from playing the Chiefs being the Bills Superbowl it actually feels the other way around. The Chiefs put more effort into beating us than they did into trying to win a third consecutive Lombardi. 

 

They definitely outcoached us in the AFCCG (although they out executed us too). Probably their biggest coaching win vs us in the playoffs since the first AFCCG. But it was like they threw everything at the Bills and had nothing left for Philly.

It might have been different if they played the Eagles during the regular season and saw what their tendencies were on offense and defenses.  How could they exploit it for the next possible match up?  It's also likely they focused heavily throughout the year because the odds of them meeting us in the playoffs were far greater than one of the five or six NFC teams that could make the Super Bowl.  I rolled my eyes every time people said that the Chiefs were using the regular season games as practice.  I may have been wrong.

[Nihilarian]

Just now, Aussie Joe said:

Do you expect the CB they take this year to be a starter come the playoffs? Otherwise is the plan to rely on Jackson ? 

No. As thin as they are at CB I would have expected a decent FA pickup and a trade for one is still possible. However, I do think that they go first-round for a CB in this year's draft and yet don't view him as a starter. Perhaps they resign Douglas even though he has lost a step.

 

I always wonder if that in 2022 the Bills had targeted CB Trent McDuffie and the Chiefs traded up to #21 to snag him and it left Buffalo grasping for straws in Elam. 

 

Still, this team is in a desperate position for their secondary and also have to wonder if the concussion problem with Benford is keeping them from redoing his deal.

 

Desperate situation IMHO. many are thinking the Bills go DL with their first three picks and I wouldn't be surprised to see the first three for CB/S/CB

[Aussie Joe]

6 minutes ago, Nihilarian said:

No. As thin as they are at CB I would have expected a decent FA pickup and a trade for one is still possible. However, I do think that they go first-round for a CB in this year's draft and yet don't view him as a starter. Perhaps they resign Douglas even though he has lost a step.

 

I always wonder if that in 2022 the Bills had targeted CB Trent McDuffie and the Chiefs traded up to #21 to snag him and it left Buffalo grasping for straws in Elam. 

 

Still, this team is in a desperate position for their secondary and also have to wonder if the concussion problem with Benford is keeping them from redoing his deal.

 

Desperate situation IMHO. many are thinking the Bills go DL with their first three picks and I wouldn't be surprised to see the first three for CB/S/CB

well … Im hoping that if they pick someone in the first or second then they won’t take long to be the starter … particularly with the way things stand on the roster at the moment with the depth … Douglas was terrible last year … I dont really want him back either ..,

 Tre White and even Benford have been able to make the leap to starters  as rookies so it’s not an impossible task 

Edited Tuesday at 09:15 PM by Aussie Joe

[3rdand12]

8 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

My biggest problem with them.... well let me be more specific, with Erik, is that he is incredibly thin skinned to legitimate disagreement. It's like their narrative is the only narrative. 

For me ? It's his voice.

 Probably my speakers are sucky for the TV monitor I use. But that pitch and tone just irritate me no end. Better for me to read Cover1

 But I do like Groot . His clarity and sincerity.

That gap is my job and that's what we preach.

Really like this guy and I AM very glad we kept him in Buffalo for all the right reasons