Buffalo Bills 2019

[Melancer46]

Gotta beat The Skins and figure out how to stop Chub when we play the Browns as the blueprint is out there on how to beat the Bills. Beat Skins, Jets, Phins, and two more wins versus Browns, Broncos, Ravens and Steelers.

This game reminded me of the Saints game two years ago, where we just got trounced versus a better team. Eagles played well yesterday and when they gave the bills an opening with the muffed punt they did nothing. McDermott always seems to rally the troops when they need it.

Offense is so frustrating because they look like they can run the ball effectively on a conisistent basis but they are so quick to abandon the run game for no apparent reason. whether he loses them or not I think Josh has something like 18 fumbles in 18 starts, I think he's lost 5 or 6. ( Not sure this is 100% accurate but heard it on the radio driving home yesterday from game

Ridiculous number of Eagles fans there yesterday.

And yes if they can get a run stopping DT by Tuesday well that would be nice. Good luck with that

I'm pretty much chalking up the Ravens game as a loss. I just think they're a much better team and after seeing the way this defense is getting pushed around in the run game, it's not hard to see the Ravens blowing us out. I guess we'll see what the trade deadline holds for us, but I think that game looks very, very difficult for us.

I think we likely end up at 9 or 10 wins with my expected losses being Baltimore, Dallas, New England, and either Cleveland or Denver (probably Cleveland but we'll see).

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I'm pretty much chalking up the Ravens game as a loss. I just think they're a much better team and after seeing the way this defense is getting pushed around in the run game, it's not hard to see the Ravens blowing us out. I guess we'll see what the trade deadline holds for us, but I think that game looks very, very difficult for us.

I think we likely end up at 9 or 10 wins with my expected losses being Baltimore, Dallas, New England, and either Cleveland or Denver (probably Cleveland but we'll see).

Just hoping they can hang in there and get the wildcard birth but not going to be easy with the way things have been going. Problems are starting to pile up and being further exposed on a weekly basis but McDermott does a good job rallying the troops, they will hang in there but nothing is ever easy with the way they play.

You would have figured they would have kept running the ball with what the wind was doing yesterday it was crazy windy. Josh was 3 for his last 12 I think throwing the ball

 

[Melancer46]

Just hoping they can hang in there and get the wildcard birth but not going to be easy with the way things have been going. Problems are starting to pile up and being further exposed on a weekly basis but McDermott does a good job rallying the troops, they will hang in there but nothing is ever easy with the way they play.

You would have figured they would have kept running the ball with what the wind was doing yesterday it was crazy windy. Josh was 3 for his last 12 I think throwing the ball

Maybe, but the run game wasn't exactly working very well either and literally one of the biggest reasons Beane drafted Allen was specifically so that they could continue throwing the ball in conditions like yesterday's, especially against a team that is horrific against the pass and strong against the run.

 

[ForCuseSake]

Ridiculous number of Eagles fans there yesterday.

I drove to Orchard Park on Saturday for a family get together.

The number of Pennsyltucky asshats doing 70 in the left lane on the Thruway (while people lined up to pass behind them) was predictable and frustrating.

Nearly all of them had Iggle paraphernalia on their car. Half of them were looking down at their phone or holding it to their ear in conversation.

(As someone who went to college in that commonwealth, it will always be Pennsyltucky to me).

Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[chugg21]

Star hasn’t regressed really though. He’s been bad for like 5 years now.

But he was a Panther!

 

[BuffOrange]

Not much to add. I had a bad feeling about playing a desperate, talented team whose biggest weakness is something we can't exploit. But not being able to do that is a big glaring fundamental problem.
And the defense, idk, I guess I can sign off on Phillips being an underrated loss but c'mon, it's been easy street in the McBean era as far as injuries go; how many guys were the Eagles down.

 

[Melancer46]

Not much to add. I had a bad feeling about playing a desperate, talented team whose biggest weakness is something we can't exploit. But not being able to do that is a big glaring fundamental problem.
And the defense, idk, I guess I can sign off on Phillips being an underrated loss but c'mon, it's been easy street in the McBean era as far as injuries go; how many guys were the Eagles down.

I think it pretty much boiled down to the fact that minus Phillips, our defensive line isn't very strong at the point of attack and Philly's OLine is still among the best in the NFL if not the best. And in conditions where it was difficult to get your footing, it just made a mismatch even more of a mismatch and also helped to negate Philly's biggest weakness (secondary).

Certainly isn't much evidence to suggest we could have taken advantage of their secondary even in normal conditions, but the conditions yesterday made it even more difficult.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I think it pretty much boiled down to the fact that minus Phillips, our defensive line isn't very strong at the point of attack and Philly's OLine is still among the best in the NFL if not the best. And in conditions where it was difficult to get your footing, it just made a mismatch even more of a mismatch and also helped to negate Philly's biggest weakness (secondary).

Certainly isn't much evidence to suggest we could have taken advantage of their secondary even in normal conditions, but the conditions yesterday made it even more difficult.

Yeah the wind was some of the worst I have ever encountered at a football game for sure. Even more reason to run the football? mindboggling.

I mean in the 2nd half, You can go 3 and out running the football just as easy as you can throwing it.

 

[Melancer46]

Yeah the wind was some of the worst I have ever encountered at a football game for sure. Even more reason to run the football? mindboggling.

I mean in the 2nd half, You can go 3 and out running the football just as easy as you can throwing it.

The conditions definitely suggested that you should run the ball more. But if you think back to when Buffalo drafted Allen, Beane literally said one of the main reasons they wanted Allen was because his arm allowed them to throw the ball more even when the Buffalo weather began to set in, and just being at the game, you could tell that the wind affected Wentz' throws big time whereas it didn't seem to affect Allen much (with the exception of the deep ball to Foster where it looked like the ball just hit a wall at the tail end). Like you could literally see Wentz' passes curving in a significant way.

So I think aside from the results (which obviously is the thing that fans care about but the front office might not REALLY care at this moment), yesterday was more or less what the organization wanted to see out of Allen and the offense. The wind and rain didn't render Allen's arm useless the way it would have for most QBs. I think it impacted the WRs a lot more since basically the entire WR group is made up of guys that rely on being quick in and out of cuts. The conditions definitely made it more difficult for them to separate, especially with the refs letting DBs from both teams hold a lot and with the exception of Duke, we don't really have a guy that with the size mismatch to take advantage of contested balls.

I think the Bills are still looking long-term right now, so they're not as bothered by the loss as fans probably are. They know they're still one more offseason away from bringing in at least one more WR that can fill that role for them plus development from the young guys (Knox and Singletary in particular) to sort of complete the picture offensively.

I think we'll still see Beane swing a trade or two at the deadline just because we have some picks that we can afford to burn if the right fit is out there. I would think WR and DT (maybe DE) are at the top of the list right now.

 

[longislandcuse]

Maybe, but the run game wasn't exactly working very well either and literally one of the biggest reasons Beane drafted Allen was specifically so that they could continue throwing the ball in conditions like yesterday's, especially against a team that is horrific against the pass and strong against the run.

Nobody is throwing the ball around in conditions like that. Wentz has a strong arm as well and had one long pass to Jeffery. Everything else was the Eagles running and throwing screen passes.

It’s super frustrating that home conditions played into our weakness and an opponents strength, but while Buffalo has tough late season conditions, those conditions yesterday were not normal.

Even so, Allen was ok until the game was out of hand.

Something is missing on offense though. We know they have some holes, but they seem like, even for the talent deficiency/youth, they are just always stuck in second gear. We desperately need a legit WR opposite Brown. We have guys who can take the top off but Brown is the only threat in the intermediate...which is Allen’s bread and butter.

 

[Melancer46]

Nobody is throwing the ball around in conditions like that. Wentz has a strong arm as well and had one long pass to Jeffery. Everything else was the Eagles running and throwing screen passes.

It’s super frustrating that home conditions played into our weakness and an opponents strength, but while Buffalo has tough late season conditions, those conditions yesterday were not normal.

Even so, Allen was ok until the game was out of hand.

Something is missing on offense though. We know they have some holes, but they seem like, even for the talent deficiency/youth, they are just always stuck in second gear. We desperately need a legit WR opposite Brown. We have guys who can take the top off but Brown is the only threat in the intermediate...which is Allen’s bread and butter.

Agreed. The WR group in particular is incomplete at the moment. It's still missing a true go-to guy that can make contested catches.

The conditions yesterday rendered basically all of the WRs mostly useless (though Brown still did a good job), but we need one of those guys where even in ugly conditions where you can't separate, you can still count on him to make tough catches on 50/50 balls.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Lots of food for thought on moving forward and I agree they need a go to WR and help at the D Line. Granted I was at the game yesterday and didn't always see a ton of details but curious what the early take on Ed Oliver is? I haven't really been watching too closely.

What sucks is getting to your seats and realizing you are surrounded by Eagles fans. Good guys but Eagles fans nonetheless.

 

[bpo57]

I drove to Orchard Park on Saturday for a family get together.

The number of Pennsyltucky asshats doing 70 in the left lane on the Thruway (while people lined up to pass behind them) was predictable and frustrating.

Nearly all of them had Iggle paraphernalia on their car. Half of them were looking down at their phone or holding it to their ear in conversation.

(As someone who went to college in that commonwealth, it will always be Pennsyltucky to me).

Thanks for letting me vent.

haha I was at the game with some guys I do business with and Eagle fans were all over the place. These guys wanted to go to Anchor Bar Saturday night but we couldn't get in because it was a private party for Eagles fans and most of our crew were Bills fans. Bizarre.

Not gonna lie, Philly fans were at their usual boorish best as the game unfolded. Never gonna defend their behavior, often embarrassing. Of course with Dallas fans you have unbearable smugness. Take your pick - boorish or smug.

Btw I spoke to a few Bills fans next to me and they said they had rarely seen so many opposing fans in their stadium. No doubt Eagle fans travel. Maybe they want to leave Pennsyltucky.

 

[ForCuseSake]

haha I was at the game with some guys I do business with and Eagle fans were all over the place. These guys wanted to go to Anchor Bar Saturday night but we couldn't get in because it was a private party for Eagles fans and most of our crew were Bills fans. Bizarre.

Not gonna lie, Philly fans were at their usual boorish best as the game unfolded. Never gonna defend their behavior, often embarrassing. Of course with Dallas fans you have unbearable smugness. Take your pick - boorish or smug.

BtwI spoke to a few Bills fans next to me and they said they had rarely seen so many opposing fans in their stadium.

All true, great post. Surprised the Bills fans in your crew allowed an Anchor Bar visit. Tourists go to the Anchor Bar, kinda like Geno's/Pat's. I recommend going to Gabriel's Gate, or even a Duff's, if you go back in 2027 and want some decent wings.

Edit - Ironically, my worst Philly fan encounter was at Flyers/Sabres game (back when it was First Union Center). Every fanbase has em.

 

[rrlbees]

Ridiculous number of Eagles fans there yesterday.

I don’t go to many nfl games, but man were there a ton of Philly fans. Never seen so many visiting fans. Even in traffic leaving it seemed there were as many Philly fans walking along the sidewalks as Bills fans.

 

[bpo57]

All true, great post. Surprised the Bills fans in your crew allowed an Anchor Bar visit. Tourists go to the Anchor Bar, kinda like Geno's/Pat's. I recommend going to Gabriel's Gate, or even a Duff's, if you go back in 2027 and want some decent wings.

Edit - Ironically, my worst Philly fan encounter was at Flyers/Sabres game (back when it was First Union Center). Every fanbase has em.

Haha great minds think alike.

I told them from the jump that Duffs (I had been there before) was much better so when the Anchor Bar option went away we went to Duffs in Amherst. These Bills fans live in NYC and went to school in upstate NY but not in western NY so I'm actually more familiar with the area than they are. It was a good weekend. Played golf at Oak Hill in Rochester on Saturday. Beautiful course and club.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I don’t go to many nfl games, but man were there a ton of Philly fans. Never seen so many visiting fans. Even in traffic leaving it seemed there were as many Philly fans walking along the sidewalks as Bills fans.

Agreed, I have been to countless Bills games and that was as big a number from opposing fan base that I can remember, even more than Pats fans

 

[STEVEHOLT]

30 pts to this eagles team, wooof.

13 points vs the eagles D is worse. that Philly defense is terrible when healthy, putrid when not. But when you have Gronk as your QB..not sure you can exploit that crappy and banged up secondary.

 

[longislandcuse]

13 points vs the eagles D is worse. that Philly defense is terrible when healthy, putrid when not. But when you have Gronk as your QB..not sure you can exploit that crappy and banged up secondary.

Imagine making this statement and not mentioning the gale force winds all game.

 

[bpo57]

13 points vs the eagles D is worse. that Philly defense is terrible when healthy, putrid when not. But when you have Gronk as your QB..not sure you can exploit that crappy and banged up secondary.

That crappy banged up secondary actually had their two starting corners back for the Bills game- Darby and Mills. Not pro bowlers but def an upgrade over Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas. When they get Jernigan, Maddox and Bradham back shortly they'll be a long way from terrible.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Imagine making this statement and not mentioning the gale force winds all game.

I watched the game .. Gronk fumbled the ball three times ..was that the winds fault ? Philly put up 33 in the same conditions .. Allen is going to waste this defense

 

[longislandcuse]

I watched the game .. Gronk fumbled the ball three times ..was that the winds fault ? Philly put up 33 in the same conditions .. Allen is going to waste this defense

Yes, Philly put up 33. I noticed you didn’t say Carson Wentz put up 33... because he completed about one pass over 10 yards all game.

...but Josh Allen, in abnormally high winds (even for WNY), with lesser WRs and RB’s was supposed to match a team that was able to run alllllll over our defense?

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I watched the game .. Gronk fumbled the ball three times ..was that the winds fault ? Philly put up 33 in the same conditions .. Allen is going to waste this defense

I think the defense has been exposed up the middle the past two weeks and although the offense has issues the defense has as well the past two weeks.

 

[chugg21]

Yes, Philly put up 33. I noticed you didn’t say Carson Wentz put up 33... because he completed about one pass over 10 yards all game.

...but Josh Allen, in abnormally high winds (even for WNY), with lesser WRs and RB’s was supposed to match a team that was able to run alllllll over our defense?

But does he generally match anyone that isn't terrible? Was debating with friends today if we would rather have Josh Allen or Jameis at this point if they were on the same contract. That's sad. Both are turnover machines but Jameis can at least go for 350 and win you a game. He will also lose you a game but so will Allen. Jameis has better weapons...but also knows he has to score 30 to win most weeks. Allen's potential won out but all agreed if we're going to Houston in the wild card round that we would rather have Jameis starting that game then Josh.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

But does he generally match anyone that isn't terrible? Was debating with friends today if we would rather have Josh Allen or Jameis at this point if they were on the same contract. That's sad. Both are turnover machines but Jameis can at least go for 350 and win you a game. He will also lose you a game but so will Allen. Jameis has better weapons...but also knows he has to score 30 to win most weeks. Allen's potential won out but all agreed if we're going to Houston in the wild card round that we would rather have Jameis starting that game then Josh.

there are better options freely available but when you draft a qb that high, you're married to him for four years minimum. It's the biggest sunk cost in sports. It's not the wasted pick that is the problem so much as the double and triple down effect that follows. Look at the Bears, they're going to waste their championship defense era on MVP Mitch and i guarantee you the thought of reassessing whether or not he's the guy hasn't even crossed Pace's mind