Buffalo Bills 2023 Thread

[mjd1001]

Preseason games are next to meaningless to me.  Other than who came out of the game injured, I don't think anything means much of anything.  I'm sure the coaching staff didn't like the penalties, but their reaction to them might simply be you put a microphone in front of them and they have to talk into it so they talk about what happened.  

From hearing what we hear from coaches and players over the years, and seeing simply how someone who looks great in the preseason might not make the team, and 'vets' who look bad in the preseason turn into their usual selves in the regular season.....well I probably think 60 random plays run in practice not open to the public mean as much (or more) than an entire preseason game.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

The Bills will be fine.

SB contenders again.  One of many and not the favourite to win it, which is probably going to help.

Hot take incoming .. the Bills will go 12 - 4 and win the East again and will be the 3 seed in the AFC.  They will won their WC game at home.  Win the division game on the road and win the AFC Championship on the road.  They will lose the SB only to win it in 2025.

Edited August 20, 2023 by Sabres Fan in NS
more goodly and hotly ..

[nfreeman]

The Bills are going to have a major problem this year if the play from both OTs isn't substantially better than it was last year.

Last night, Dawkins and Brown were just as bad as they were last year.  That doesn't mean it will be same once the real games start, but it sure wasn't a positive sign.

[Gatorman0519]

Normally I would pass it off as a rusty preseason game.  What i saw was disturbing for a supposed contender.  I do not have a good feeling about this year.  Hope I am wrong.

[That Aud Smell]

3 hours ago, Taro T said:

Was extremely disappointed in Elam's play on the other side of the ball.  Flip Benford's and Elam's draft slots and nobody cares, but a 1st rounder looking so bad in his 2nd season is problematic.  Chalked Elam's problems getting on the field last year as being due to being a man corner in a zone D but he's got to figure this out.

The following is a quote from the Bills DBs' coach during training camp:

“I think one of the things with Kaiir that we all have to understand, and me specifically as a coach, is you’re always trying to figure out what that player does best. If you compare him to Dane and to Christian, they all have different skill sets. And the thing that Kaiir really does best is play at the line of scrimmage. His ability, his length, his size, his strength, and the more he’s able to get his hands on a wideout, the higher level of success that he has.

So [we want to] put[] him in positions on our defense where he can do that and then emphasizing that while trying to develop some of his play in space but realizing that OK, this is what he does best. And all those plays that he’s made so far in this camp, whether it be in one-on-one situations, which he’s done a nice job of in our individual one on ones or in team, have been when he starts at the line of scrimmage, can contest the wide out, he can minimize the space.”

[That Aud Smell]

And here's what I do not get. At. All.

McDermott's defense is predicated on DBs who are excellent at playing in space. Coming out of Florida, Elam was tapped as a guy who excelled at press man but would not be a (natural) fit in a complex zone heavy scheme.

Ronald Darby, anyone?

I still don't get why Beane took Elam. My pet theory: Beane's admitted fondness for defenders who get described as "long" (and otherwise get talked about for their remarkable physical attributes) got the better of him. Think Edmunds and Rousseau (sp?). But this guy was a bad fit out of the gate, and he remains a bad fit more than a year later. Seems like bad drafting.

[Randall Flagg]

6 hours ago, nfreeman said:

The Bills are going to have a major problem this year if the play from both OTs isn't substantially better than it was last year.

Last night, Dawkins and Brown were just as bad as they were last year.  That doesn't mean it will be same once the real games start, but it sure wasn't a positive sign.

Spencer had a few excellent pass block reps against TJ Watt. I only saw him cleanly lose one rep when I was looking in real time

Erik Turner of Cover 1 mentioned that they ran way more 5-7 step dropbacks than they ever do in normal games, which is of course not part of any sensible gameplan against a front like this. Which is why they did it - put guys through the fire when it doesn't matter and see how they respond. The Dawkins play I've seen fans angry about the most on twitter was blocked just fine, but Allen dropped back about 9 steps. You are asking for tackles to fail when that happens

The coaches look for different things in these games than the fans do, and the fan reaction to this game on One Bills Drive and Twitter is completely embarrassing

Everything I"m reading confirms what I hoped I was seeing from Torrence - it sounds like that guy is going to be a PLAYER.

[LTS]

6 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

Man you bills fans worry about everything lol yikes.

Aren't 55% of your lifetime posts in the "have they signed Dahlin thread?"  Talk about worrying.

[Buffalonill]

21 minutes ago, LTS said:

Aren't 55% of your lifetime posts in the "have they signed Dahlin thread?"  Talk about worrying.

You guys are a super bowl Contender. " Let's over react To a pre season game."

Sabres haven't been Relevant to anybody outside of buffalo For a decade it's different 

[Indabuff]

Stephen A. Smith is a jackass.

[Night Train]

After this recent warmup game that I missed while traveling, I  see the sky is falling yet again. I'll watch the Jets opener just to spite the masses. 

[LGR4GM]

On 8/20/2023 at 8:02 PM, Buffalonill said:

You guys are a super bowl Contender. " Let's over react To a pre season game."

Sabres haven't been Relevant to anybody outside of buffalo For a decade it's different 

Probably have to make at least the conference final to be consider a contender. Buffalo did that once. They've never made a superbowl with Beane/McDermott. Can't contend for something you've never literally contended for. Maybe this year will be different, but the same problems as last year are still showing up. 

[Buffalonill]

31 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Probably have to make at least the conference final to be consider a contender. Buffalo did that once. They've never made a superbowl with Beane/McDermott. Can't contend for something you've never literally contended for. Maybe this year will be different, but the same problems as last year are still showing up. 

? Your team was the most dominant team untill injuries and the "Incident" happened. 

Maybe you should wait after the actual game to decide this 

[mjd1001]

4 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

? Your team was the most dominant team untill injuries and the "Incident" happened. 

Maybe you should wait after the actual game to decide this 

I think Allen hurting his arm against the Jets was a big deal to this team.  They have issues down the middle on D, and the OL I think has been below average for the past few years, but with a healthy Josh Allen, IF he is fully healthy, they are as good of a contender as anyone.

Allen got hurt in that November game against the Jets. As a reminder the Bills played 11 games from then until the end of the year, including 2 playoff games. In those 11 games:

Team was 8W-3L with 26.9 points per game.  Allen completed 60.9% for 2701 yards, 19td, 11ints.

For comparison, I looked at the previous 11 games (including 2 playoff games) before the injury (matching the 11 game number to get the best comparison):

Team was 9W-2L with 31.1 points per game. Allen completed 69.4% for 3074 yards, 30td, 6 ints.

Oh, and before the injury 3 games against the consensus best team Chiefs, all on the road at Arrowhead, 2 wins and the only loss being the 13 second game.

To me, that is a big difference and many of the problems this team has can be 'solved' with a fully healthy Josh Allen.

Edited August 22, 2023 by mjd1001

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, mjd1001 said:

I think Allen hurting his arm against the Jets was a big deal to this team.  They have issues down the middle on D, and the OL I think has been below average for the past few years, but with a healthy Josh Allen, IF he is fully healthy, they are as good of a contender as anyone.

Allen got hurt in that November game against the Jets. As a reminder the Bills played 11 games from then until the end of the year, including 2 playoff games. In those 11 games:

Team was 8W-3L with 26.9 points per game.  Allen completed 60.9% for 2701 yards, 19td, 11ints.

For comparison, I looked at the previous 11 games (including 2 playoff games) before the injury (matching the 11 game number to get the best comparison):

Team was 9W-2L with 31.1 points per game. Allen completed 69.4% for 3074 yards, 30td, 6 ints.

To me, that is a big difference and many of the problems this team has can be 'solved' with a fully healthy Josh Allen.

You're not solving the problems, You're using Allen to hide them. It's not the same thing. 

Again, the Bills have yet to contend for a superbowl and only have contended for 1 afc championship. If they are such a contender they sure don't contend often. 

[mjd1001]

17 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

You're not solving the problems, You're using Allen to hide them. It's not the same thing. 

Again, the Bills have yet to contend for a superbowl and only have contended for 1 afc championship. If they are such a contender they sure don't contend often. 

 I don't think I said or even implied in any way they needed to 'solve' the problems. I actually admitted they have problems, I listed a couple in my post that I think are major problems, but the whole point of my post is they CAN contend for a Superbowl with just Allen if he is healthy. 

Give me a team that has problems but a QB that is good enough to hide those problems and I'll take it.  Before his injury against the jets, for a full season and a half that is exactly what the Bills were, a team with some problems but a QB good enough to hide them and make them one of the best teams in the league over that period.

You have a different definition of a contender than I do. If you make the playoffs as one of the top 5-6 teams, you are a contender for sure.  Most people beleive that each of the past 2-3 years they have been one of the top 5-6 teams in the league. I do. To me that makes them a 'contender'.

In those 11 games before the injury, or even say the full season and a half before he got hurt, the Bills still had an average at best O-line, and they had some injuries/issues on defense and with coaching. But in that year-and-a half before his injury, they could, and did compete with anyone, and I would take that team with a healthy Josh Allen against anyone in the league on a given sunday. Does that mean they win every game? Nope, but it means no team over that time was head-and-shoulders better than them.  I'll take that going into any season.

Edited August 22, 2023 by mjd1001

[Buffalonill]

21 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

You're not solving the problems, You're using Allen to hide them. It's not the same thing. 

Again, the Bills have yet to contend for a superbowl and only have contended for 1 afc championship. If they are such a contender they sure don't contend often. 

You're Judging all this on a pre season game lol

[That Aud Smell]

1 hour ago, mjd1001 said:

You have a different definition of a contender than I do. If you make the playoffs as one of the top 5-6 teams, you are a contender for sure. 

Agreed. If the Bills were to make the playoffs as a division winner or strong wild card team this year and they were mostly healthy at the key positions, they will be "a contender." 

[Marvin]

17 hours ago, Indabuff said:

Stephen A. Smith is a jackass.

Water is wet too.

[LGR4GM]

2 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

You're Judging all this on a pre season game lol

No I'm not. But ppl like you don't care, it's easier for you to ignore things that don't conform to your opinion. 

All I'm saying is that for a "contender" how come this team has never contended?

Maybe they will this year but they didn't fix their issues in the offseason. 

[Buffalonill]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

No I'm not. But ppl like you don't care, it's easier for you to ignore things that don't conform to your opinion. 

All I'm saying is that for a "contender" how come this team has never contended?

Maybe they will this year but they didn't fix their issues in the offseason. 

 Besides the two Messed up years where you guys got played ? 

13 seconds  and the hamlin situation.

Your team could of been to the superbowl both years just bad luck.

 

Edited August 22, 2023 by Buffalonill

[Randall Flagg]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

No I'm not. But ppl like you don't care, it's easier for you to ignore things that don't conform to your opinion. 

All I'm saying is that for a "contender" how come this team has never contended?

Maybe they will this year but they didn't fix their issues in the offseason. 

The two worst positions on the team last year were guard and they brought in two brand new Guards, who have both had outstanding camps and preseason games

"People like you"

"Ignoring what you don't want to hear "

 

Why can't you ever just have a discussion with someone and assume they are talking and thinking in good faith 

[LGR4GM]

2 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

The two worst positions on the team last year were guard and they brought in two brand new Guards, who have both had outstanding camps and preseason games

"People like you"

"Ignoring what you don't want to hear "

 

Why can't you ever just have a discussion with someone and assume they are talking and thinking in good faith 

Ok. 

[nfreeman]

So leaving aside for a moment the anguish over OT, MLB and general sloppiness, the FNG looks pretty nice:

 

[That Aud Smell]

1 minute ago, nfreeman said:

So leaving aside for a moment the anguish over OT, MLB and general sloppiness, the FNG looks pretty nice:

I tried to manage my excitement over the kid for a while, and then I was like "ahh fuggit - he's the next Travis Kelce."

More seriously: There seems to be something in the eye test with him that suggests he could be special. We'll see how he looks in a regular season game first, I suppose.

If Kincaid delivers on his early signs of promise and if the Torrence kid (mountain of a kid) continues to hold firm at RG, 2023 could end up being a fantastic draft for the Bills.