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The stage was set for another epic Buffalo disappointment. So much buzz about Pegula, Kelly being healthy, and the unexpected victory in Chicago last week. And the team set up the inevitable disappointment further by playing well in the first half. We all know the Bills have to get our hopes up so the fall is even harder Sure enough, Miami made better halftime adjustments and came out ready to play in the third quarter. Here comes the collapse....
But then something strange happened. As it turned out, the disappointment WASN'T inevitable. The Bills didn't dominate Miami like they did in the first half, but they made more big plays and fewer mistakes than Miami did and still won the game easily.
Is this the turning point? Did we start the Pegula era, where the team will be defined by rallying and justifying our hopes instead of constantly letting us down? Well, let's not get carried away. But it couldn't have started any better than it did.
Random thoughts:
-The one glaring negative was the red zone offense. Officially it was 1 for 7 on touchdowns, but realistically it was more like 1 for 5 since the last two trips were more about killing clock than truly trying to score. It simply has to improve if this team is going to keep winning.
- in the rare instances where the Dolphins moved the ball, it seemed like it was always right in front of Robey. Not one of his better games.
- Sentrell Henderson was impressive against awake.
- Sammy Watkins- enough said.
-EJ had his moments and his misses. He's doing a good job avoiding big mistakes but also still has accuracy and consistency problems. Missing Watkins in the end zone was terrible.
-late in the first half, I remember thinking "it's been a long time since Spiller has made a big play." Then he made two, which basically saved the game.
-on a related note, excellent performance by S/T.
- the defensive line was dominant.
- I don't understand Marrone's logic on the 4th and 4 late in the first half. He should have left the O out there, tried to draw them offsides, then called timeout if they didn't bite, or intentionally taken the delay of game for extra punting room if they didn't bite. Calling timeout to talk about what to do came off as unprepared.
- overall I thought the coaching was good. The play calling wasn't predictable, and they got the ball into the hands of the weapons (Spiller and Watkins). Also, I'm always critical when the coaches misuse a challenge, so to be fair, I should point out that challenging the Chandler reception was a great use of a challenge.
- 2-0. Didn't see this coming. We've had false positives at this point in the season before, so I'm not sold on the team yet. But I'm in the "cautiously optimistic" category.
But then something strange happened. As it turned out, the disappointment WASN'T inevitable. The Bills didn't dominate Miami like they did in the first half, but they made more big plays and fewer mistakes than Miami did and still won the game easily.
Is this the turning point? Did we start the Pegula era, where the team will be defined by rallying and justifying our hopes instead of constantly letting us down? Well, let's not get carried away. But it couldn't have started any better than it did.
Random thoughts:
-The one glaring negative was the red zone offense. Officially it was 1 for 7 on touchdowns, but realistically it was more like 1 for 5 since the last two trips were more about killing clock than truly trying to score. It simply has to improve if this team is going to keep winning.
- in the rare instances where the Dolphins moved the ball, it seemed like it was always right in front of Robey. Not one of his better games.
- Sentrell Henderson was impressive against awake.
- Sammy Watkins- enough said.
-EJ had his moments and his misses. He's doing a good job avoiding big mistakes but also still has accuracy and consistency problems. Missing Watkins in the end zone was terrible.
-late in the first half, I remember thinking "it's been a long time since Spiller has made a big play." Then he made two, which basically saved the game.
-on a related note, excellent performance by S/T.
- the defensive line was dominant.
- I don't understand Marrone's logic on the 4th and 4 late in the first half. He should have left the O out there, tried to draw them offsides, then called timeout if they didn't bite, or intentionally taken the delay of game for extra punting room if they didn't bite. Calling timeout to talk about what to do came off as unprepared.
- overall I thought the coaching was good. The play calling wasn't predictable, and they got the ball into the hands of the weapons (Spiller and Watkins). Also, I'm always critical when the coaches misuse a challenge, so to be fair, I should point out that challenging the Chandler reception was a great use of a challenge.
- 2-0. Didn't see this coming. We've had false positives at this point in the season before, so I'm not sold on the team yet. But I'm in the "cautiously optimistic" category.
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