Some Interesting Comments on offense from former Bill Mckenzie

[ghz in pittsburgh]

I'll still say that McKenzie is fairly straightforward. You get more from him than others who dodges tough questions.

Two things worth noting. One is the running game. We all know it but still fairly shocking to hear an offensively player say it straight that "we don't run the ball". Not even to keep the opponent honest. I'll say it again that you hear all the former coaches/analysts say we put too much burden on Josh by ignoring the running game. We play in Buffalo right? To this date, the success Buffalo had in those Kelly's year had a constant threat: Thurman Thomas. Yes you need a QB, but in Buffalo, you may also need a Thomas to fully get the home-field advantage.

The other is the complexity of the passing game. McKenzie brought up the difference between Bengals and Bills passing game. He basically said snow does not affect the Bengals' but does a lot to the Bills' because Bengals are doing fairly simple concept. I'm getting the feel that we are an offensive show for regular season but when the playoff is around, when the weather gets bad, we are not well fitted for playoff football.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJmsaOgjKM8

[Goobylal]

I'll still say that McKenzie is fairly straightforward. You get more from him than others who dodges tough questions.

Two things worth noting. One is the running game. We all know it but still fairly shocking to hear an offensively player say it straight that "we don't run the ball". Not even to keep the opponent honest. I'll say it again that you hear all the former coaches/analysts say we put too much burden on Josh by ignoring the running game. We play in Buffalo right? To this date, the success Buffalo had in those Kelly's year had a constant threat: Thurman Thomas. Yes you need a QB, but in Buffalo, you may also need a Thomas to fully get the home-field advantage.

The other is the complexity of the passing game. McKenzie brought up the difference between Bengals and Bills passing game. He basically said snow does not affect the Bengals' but does a lot to the Bills' because Bengals are doing fairly simple concept. I'm getting the feel that we are an offensive show for regular season but when the playoff is around, when the weather gets bad, we are not well fitted for playoff football.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJmsaOgjKM8

Simplifying the offense is easier than needing to make it more complex. And that's part of the maturation process we'll have to deal with from Dorsey.

[Forward_Lateral]

Dude couldn't catch anything in poor conditions, then blamed the poor conditions. He's nothing but an excuse maker, and a crybaby, IMO. Good riddance.

[sukie]

Not a fan but valid points. The routes were ALWAYS long to develop and always out patterns or deep bombs… middle of field unused for so many plays. When it gets crappy out… there should be a basic lay book and let your players win battles.

[Night Train]

I'm guessing our 1st round pick and signing 2 Vet RB's more or less addresses some of that thinking.

Dorseys rookie year is officially over. We'll see come the fall.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

Well there is an interesting answer from McKenzie on the question of difference between Daboll and Dorsey. McKenzie said Daboll is more about putting-the-ball-to-your-play-maker-hands and let-them-do-their-thing philosophy. That's why you see sweeps etc. kind of run-equivalent plays; Dorsey is more of a big play guy, and maybe a bit too much as McKenzie alluded to.

If Dorsey is what we think is, he should learn and we see significant changes this year. You always try to match your philosophy to the people you have. Everyone last year at this time last year thought Davis is going to pose serious big play threat every game. That didn't turn out too well. Everyone thought McKenzie can stretch the middle more than Beasley was capable of. That idea bombed as well. So you left with Diggs as the lone threat.

[Oaf]

I'll still say that McKenzie is fairly straightforward. You get more from him than others who dodges tough questions.

Two things worth noting. One is the running game. We all know it but still fairly shocking to hear an offensively player say it straight that "we don't run the ball". Not even to keep the opponent honest. I'll say it again that you hear all the former coaches/analysts say we put too much burden on Josh by ignoring the running game. We play in Buffalo right? To this date, the success Buffalo had in those Kelly's year had a constant threat: Thurman Thomas. Yes you need a QB, but in Buffalo, you may also need a Thomas to fully get the home-field advantage.

The other is the complexity of the passing game. McKenzie brought up the difference between Bengals and Bills passing game. He basically said snow does not affect the Bengals' but does a lot to the Bills' because Bengals are doing fairly simple concept. I'm getting the feel that we are an offensive show for regular season but when the playoff is around, when the weather gets bad, we are not well fitted for playoff football.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJmsaOgjKM8

Thanks for sharing. It was time to move on but I really liked the guy. Did he seem to harbor hard feelings about being cut and having to leave BUF?

[Turf]

Dorsey is the key to this season. He either has it or doesn't.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

Thanks for sharing. It was time to move on but I really liked the guy. Did he seem to harbor hard feelings about being cut and having to leave BUF?
He actually did. Harty's signing prompted him to ask his agent to call the Bills about what's going on. He knew Harty is a direct replacement for him and he went on to vent that "what Harty has done compared to him" and he's making peanuts compared to Harty's deal.

The other thing is about last year that he admitted it was the first time he got the slot position and he learned quite a bit, giving himself a C+. And he was expecting to do better this year blah blah blah.

There is certainly some truth to the 2nd point but for a fringe guy like him in NFL, there is NO 2nd chance, especially for a team with superbowl aspirations. I do believe, however, that Davis will get the 2nd chance to be the WR #2 this season though.

[Mr. Pink]

I have two interesting words for former Bill Mckenzie.

JUGS machine.

[daryls61]

Allen doesnt take what the defense gives him and always looks downfield. Miami and Bungals exposed this weakness by blitzing and knowing Allen would not take the hot route and continue to look downfield. Plays were there and Dorsey schemed people open. Allen has to adapt and get ball into playmakers hands even if it just a short pass.

I alos think the elbow injury impacted his short accuracy so that could have been part of the issues as well.

[notacon]

It’s not a matter of “moving on” from McKenzie. McKenzie took full ownership of his own inconstancy in grading himself a C+. (which seems pretty accurate)

What’s critical is his very astute analysis of why the Bills struggled in the Cincy game and it’s appliable to the offensive struggled that were apparent as last season progressed, despite the fact that the Bills lost only 3 regular season games (which I have repeatedly accurately pointed out were all mostly the fault of the OFFENSE).

Here are the pertinent passages of what he had to say….as detailed in Tyler Dunne’s (the guy that conducted the podcast) follow up article….

All eyes on Ken Dorsey's counterpunch (https://www.golongtd.com/p/all-eyes-on-ken-dorseys-counterpunch?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email)



The events of Jan. 22 have befuddled locals for five months. A Buffalo Bills offense that did whatever it pleased for most of three years earned a home playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals and, with a trip to the AFC Championship Game at stake, here’s how the unit performed:

Seventeen incomplete passes.

Thirty-eight rushing yards from running backs.

Ten points.

Not the work of a juggernaut. It was strange. Exactly one year removed from an all-time fireworks display at Arrowhead Stadium in the same divisional round, scoring any points at all became an exercise in futility. Maybe the Bills were exhausted from a surreal season. The Tops shooting, two historic blizzards and Damar Hamlin nearly dying on the field unquestionably affected the team. PTSD could’ve lingered on the individual level. Still, several players have refused to cite the scary scene Jan. 2 in Cincy as The reason for their dud 20 days later. Captain Taiwan Jones told us the Bills lacked urgency (https://www.golongtd.com/p/the-buffalo-bills-can-win-the-super). “We were deer in the headlights,” he said. “We were all waiting for someone to make a play that never came.”

More than likely, there’s a tangible explanation.

And when it boils down to nitty-gritty details — What happened? — Isaiah McKenzie supplies a deeper explanation.

He agrees with Jones… explains why… and everything starts to make sense.

At first blush, it may sound silly.

During our Happy Hour (https://www.golongtd.com/p/happy-hour-isaiah-mckenzie-says-goodbye) last week, McKenzie began by staring into the camera and saying: “I’ll tell you this: That snow had a lot to do with it.”




What McKenzie said….


"Josh has a cannon and that’s how he throws the football. Josh wants to sling the football. That was tough for him getting the balls in the right spots and receivers getting open because of the routes we run. And the Bengals ran simple routes. Maybe we should’ve done that. Ran basic routes. Out routes. Go balls. Instead of running routes where we have to be going lateral or coming back to the football or turning and running curls. Things like that.

That snow had a lot to do with it. If we were in a dome, it would’ve been a totally different game. Or if it was like the first Bengals game, it would’ve been a totally different game. Once we got down 14, everybody was kind of ‘Ahh."

Tyler gives his commentary…..



In retrospect, assuming a Dorsey offense would mimic a Daboll offense to a “T,” was foolish. Every coach will bring his own fresh ideas. As he should. Who doesn’t dream of calling plays, let alone one quarterbacked by (https://www.golongtd.com/p/how-this-became-a-josh-allen-world)Josh Allen (https://www.golongtd.com/p/how-this-became-a-josh-allen-world)?

This version was explosive, yet restless.

In theory, it makes sense. This is a big-play league. But the Bills became overly reliant on the deep ball. This scheme lost its rhythmic flow. Under Daboll, the Bills could string together drives of six-, and 11- and four- and 16-yard gains in their sleep. A cat toying with a mouse. This short passing game, fueled by Cole Beasley, was essentially the Bills’ rushing attack. Beasley gobbled up 100+ targets in three straight seasons, asserting himself as the best pure slot in the NFL in 2020.

Last summer, Buffalo moved on from the aging vet and staged a competition between McKenzie and Jameson Crowder for the job.

McKenzie was the victor.

The season did not go as planned.

…snip…

The slot receiver in this offense wasn’t used like the slot in Daboll’s offense — a surprise to No. 6.

McKenzie expected to feast on option routes. Like Beasley. A common sight at training camp was McKenzie schooling younger receivers on how to react vs. man or zone on option routes. That is, run to the second level of a defense and turn left or right based on the coverage. He dominated camp himself.
Yet, on gamedays, McKenzie was more often told to run deep and clear routes up for Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis.




What McKenzie said….

"It wasn’t the same offense from when Beasley was there to when I was there. It was more, ‘Isaiah, take the top off. Be a decoy. We’ll get you in where you fit in. I was like, ‘OK, that’s not really working for me. Because I’m just clearing the top off for Gabe.’ Every now and then, you’ll throw a ball deep here or there. But I’m not really getting this ball like Cole Beasley was. I’m not really running the option routes. I’m not really running the return routes. I’m not really running read routes. I’m not really running the plays that you guys had for Cole Beasley.

And I understand that we’re two different guys. Cole is quick and very lateral. I’m more vertical. But I felt like I could do those things. I just never got the opportunity. I probably got a chance here and there, but that’s not enough. Because you’ve got to let a guy go through their hiccups."


Tyler’s commentary continues….




He isn’t blameless. Perhaps the Bills were still worried about his fumbles seasons past and wanted to play the odds. Feeding McKenzie 100+ targets, in their calculation, might’ve increased the odds of turnovers. But it’s also true that Dorsey essentially siphoned the exclusive slot receiver out of the offense. Those layups weren’t emphasized. When the Bills did call option routes for an inside receiver, McKenzie added, Diggs took his spot and he was told to clear DBs with his speed.

Confusing after thinking he won the slot job in camp.

The Bills clearly lacked trust in him, and that was a theme. Running back Nyheim Hines, a true dual-threat in Indianapolis, had 13 touches in 11 games. Rookie James Cook averaged five carries per game despite averaging 5.7 yards per attempt. One could argue Buffalo had the talent to win the Super Bowl last season but the talent wasn’t used correctly.





What McKenzie said….


"I wasn’t the most consistent, but I felt like as things went on that I’d get better. If we were to call the plays differently and not try to take shots every time or give me the ball in different ways — underneath, over the top, in the backfield — it works. It worked in years past. But I can’t say it’s Buffalo’s fault. Some of it’s mine. Some of it’s playcalling. A little bit of everybody’s. But I felt like I was the guy who was going to get bounced around if anything. They felt like, ‘I can do this with Isaiah and he’s going to accept it,’ because that’s the type of guy I am. You’re going to bench me? OK, I’ve got to accept that. You’re not going to play me this game? OK, I’ve got to accept that. You want me to go out there and do this? OK, I’ve got to accept that. I had to accept whatever they wanted me to do and they thought, ‘He won’t mind. Let’s just get him out of here.’

I just do my job and whatever you see or whatever you don’t see, do what you want with it. I’m not going to sit here and beg you to give me more money or beg you to give me the ball or beg you to start running these types of plays or beg you to… I don’t know. I’m not a begger."


Tyler puts it in perspective….



The long ball is why Buffalo survived a scare in the wild card vs. Miami.

The next week, not so much.

Conversely, Joe Burrow completed passes to seven different receivers in the first quarter alone. Snow or not, death by a million papercuts typically trumps the knockout haymaker in the postseason. That’s why Tom Brady reached 14 conference championship games and won seven Super Bowls. Coverages tighten. Defensive coordinators dust off their best stuff. It pays to be patient underneath and then strike deep when the time’s right. Brady was always more Floyd Mayweather than Mike Tyson, methodically making opposing defenses pay for any schematic sin. No matter how minuscule. And whereas Joe Mixon ran for 105 yards, the Bills got nothing out of their ground game. Even pass-first operations need a rushing attack in their back pocket. Between Cook and Hines and Harris and Latavius Murray, the OC will have options in 2023.

And, of course, the Bills selected Kincaid as their new weapon in the middle of the field.

….snip….

Kincaid and Dawson Knox should pose a major problem.

Harty is one of the fastest receivers in the NFL.

Diggs remains entrenched as the No. 1. Davis, the No. 2.

Weaponry is not the problem in Buffalo. There’s enough here to win a championship. Dorsey now must devise a way to maximize this all.



No, McKenzie is neither a “cry baby” nor is trying to shift blame. His truly blunt and very honest reflection of what is holding back the Bills contains critical insight and very intelligent observations...from the inside.


Yeah. The Bills have all the talent they need. They just have top use it is a way that maximizes it, while challenging defenses to try and stop it.

There is little doubt that the Bills were more one-dimensional under Dorsey than Daboll.


He seemed to be enthralled with Josh’s cannon arm and once defenses countered that scheme after the first six games or so, he just did not adjust enough.

They denied Hines many touches. They abandoned the short, safe pass game. Some of that is on Josh as he tends to ignore the easy “gimme” and instead goes for the big play jugular. The running game (outside of Josh) was barely a second thought.

If we can, and McKenzie can see this, there is little doubt that the Bills coaches and GM see it is well and are addressing all of the issues that plagued the Bills disappointed end to the season.

Every off season move has pointed in that direction. Now it’s a matter if Dorsey (and McDermott) can take advantage of the talent that is assembled.

They have all the pieces they need to be a Championship team, THIS year.

[Mr. Pink]

What a crappy explanation. They suffered on offense because of the snow? A. the weather wasn't that bad for that game and B. snowy conditions on the field when they're not a blizzard favor the offense and the receivers. Receivers can run exactly what they want to run and defenders are forced to read and react to what they do. Reading and reacting to someone is more difficult than just doing it in the first place.

A curl is not a difficult route to run, it's way more difficult for a DB who has his back to turn and react to it on a snowy field...regardless if Mckenzie wants to claim the opposite. And running go routes? You're not giving an advantage to the offense there because again there is nothing there for the DB to try and react to, he's just running a straight line.

Go watch the Patriots 59-0 drubbing of the Titans in the snow and you'll see Brady's receivers aren't just running go routes all game long.

[notacon]

What a crappy explanation. They suffered on offense because of the snow? A. the weather wasn't that bad for that game and B. snowy conditions on the field when they're not a blizzard favor the offense and the receivers. Receivers can run exactly what they want to run and defenders are forced to read and react to what they do. Reading and reacting to someone is more difficult than just doing it in the first place.

A curl is not a difficult route to run, it's way more difficult for a DB who has his back to turn and react to it on a snowy field...regardless if Mckenzie wants to claim the opposite. And running go routes? You're not giving an advantage to the offense there because again there is nothing there for the DB to try and react to, he's just running a straight line.

Go watch the Patriots 59-0 drubbing of the Titans in the snow and you'll see Brady's receivers aren't just running go routes all game long.
Actually, it’s a very astute and knowledge explanation.


I laugh every time a “fan” thinks he has ANY CLUE as to what it’s like to be on the field in a NFL game.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2023/05/19/jamarr-chase-tells-isaiah-mckenzie-he-lacked-snow-experience-after-buffalo-cincinnati-dome-claim/70234665007/

I'm sorry to say I don't think the Bills beat Bengals last year, snow or not, dome or not. And I don't have any confidence things changed enough this year that we'll beat them.

The Bengals offense is just a nightmare match for our defense. Von Miller may have a chance to change my opinion. Burrows does not need to play a super great game to have their way with us.

And Bengals D again is a great match against our "big" play offense. It reminds me of the 2017 Bills D where not many superstars but teams just don't make big plays on them, not KC, and not Bills.

[Mr. Pink]

Actually, it’s a very astute and knowledge explanation.


I laugh every time a “fan” thinks he has ANY CLUE as to what it’s like to be on the field in a NFL game.

History of the NFL will show you differently.

Were the Bengals just running go routes all game? No.

They were running out routes, they were running slants, they were running curls.

It's stuff like this that makes some of us question if you even watch the games because if you did then you wouldn't have bothered posting Mckenzie's comments in the first place, at least about the routes chosen.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

I do want to make Josh to share a lot of the blame. It looked to me that Daboll is like a father figure to Josh. Those scenes where he screamed at Josh in plain sight of 80000 people live at the stadium and millions watch on TV, I doubt I'll ever see Dorsey do that. But the truth is, Josh needs that from time to time, even now he's highly paid top 5 QB in the league.

You watch Josh's passes, best to wide open guys (like McKenzie in his famous Pats game) or guys who have great hands (Diggs --- well Diggs is good at getting open too). Don't under estimate the ability of getting balls to wide open guys because in NFL, the open window is small and you need to anticipate to hit that open window. Burrows and Mahomes, in my opinion, can do a little more in terms fitting balls to places for the receiver even he's reasonably covered, especially in 10 - 15 yard distance. The main point is short to medium passes is not Josh's strength, but it is something he has to do and it showed with someone he trusts, like Beasley, he has pretty good success there.

I heard his recent interview with Kyle Brandt that he's reviewing his films looking for things like "why my eyes are in this place for this play" etc. My interpretation is like why I look for this route (big play) instead of other routes (easier plays). It is part of mindset that even if (big IF) Dorsey called a shot play, there were outlets Allen could have executed based on coverage he saw.

[notacon]

History of the NFL will show you differently.

Were the Bengals just running go routes all game? No.

They were running out routes, they were running slants, they were running curls.

It's stuff like this that makes some of us question if you even watch the games because if you did then you wouldn't have bothered posting Mckenzie's comments in the first place, at least about the routes chosen.
Jesus. As usual, you don’t understand what McKenzie is even talking about because you don’t want to or even try.

He is criticizing the Bills offensive planning and strategy.

When I read your silly simpleton reaction it’s stuff like that that makes me question if you even watch the games. You have certainly shown that you know a LOT less about football (and reality) than you think you do.

[Mr. Pink]

Jesus. As usual, you don’t understand what McKenzie is even talking about because you don’t want to or even try.

He is criticizing the Bills offensive planning and strategy.

When I read your silly simpleton reaction it’s stuff like that that makes me question if you even watch the games. You have certainly shown that you know a LOT less about football (and reality) than you think you do.

And he's praising the Bengals for keeping it "simple."

Even though the Bengals were running all those routes that he was bagging on the Bills for running.

The Bills were flat out out executed and we have a crappy WR with sour grapes because he flat out knows he'll never get another chance to win a Super Bowl.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

So looks like more mental than physical as the Bills want Allen to improve
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bills?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bills</a> Head Coach Sean McDermott says that in order for Josh Allen to take another step this season, he has to be a better decision maker. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BillsMafia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BillsMafia</a></p>&mdash; Ajay Cybulski (@AjayCybulski) <a href="https://twitter.com/AjayCybulski/status/1661027616894140416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Forward_Lateral]

Notty,

With respect,

You are dead wrong.

McKenzie whined after dropping numerous balls in cold weather. He blamed the weather on his drops. He was absolute garbage last year. He had a golden opportunity to seize the slot WR job, and he blew it. He has nobody to blame but himself. He won't be in the league in 2 years.

[Forward_Lateral]

So looks like more mental than physical as the Bills want Allen to improve
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He needs to take what's given to him. He did it very well last year, early in the year, then for some reason stopped. If teams are going to give you free easy completions, take them every single time until they stop giving them.


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[Mr. Pink]

Oh yeah, Jamaar Chase reacted to Mckenzie's comments...

Asked via Twitter what he thought about McKenzie's assessment, Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase replied, "my first time ever playing ina snow bro. just gotta play at the end of the day roun."

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2023/05/19/jamarr-chase-tells-isaiah-mckenzie-he-lacked-snow-experience-after-buffalo-cincinnati-dome-claim/70234665007/

Some guys show up for the big games and some guys don't and make excuses later, unfortunately we had the latter.

[notacon]

Notty,

With respect,

You are dead wrong.

McKenzie whined after dropping numerous balls in cold weather. He blamed the weather on his drops. He was absolute garbage last year. He had a golden opportunity to seize the slot WR job, and he blew it. He has nobody to blame but himself. He won't be in the league in 2 years.

With respect,

YOU are dead wrong.

Funny that McKenzie echoed almost exactly what so many posters here have been saying in the underwhelming offensive scheming of the Bills.

McKenzie is spot on, and he was not making excuses for his performances (which he graded accurately) nor was he "absolute garbage last year”.

Maybe he did have "a golden opportunity to seize the slot WR job, and he blew it” IF the Bills had a similar strategy for the slot receiver when Daboll was OC.

Clearly, Dorsey’s offensive scheme was much different than Dabolls’, and I believe Dorsey ****ed up more than McKenzie.

[Forward_Lateral]

With respect,

YOU are dead wrong.

Funny that McKenzie echoed almost exactly what so many posters here have been saying in the underwhelming offensive scheming of the Bills.

McKenzie is spot on, and he was not making excuses for his performances (which he graded accurately) nor was he "absolute garbage last year”.

Maybe he did have "a golden opportunity to seize the slot WR job, and he blew it” IF the Bills had a similar strategy for the slot receiver when Daboll was OC.

Clearly, Dorsey’s offensive scheme was much different than Dabolls’, and I believe Dorsey ****ed up more than McKenzie.
He specifically blamed the weather on his drops after a game.

It's a direct quote.

All he does is make excuses about catching a wet ball, etc,

https://youtu.be/hCHT4e1fxC0

[notacon]

He specifically blamed the weather on his drops after a game.

It's a direct quote.

All he does is make excuses about catching a wet ball, etc,

https://youtu.be/hCHT4e1fxC0

If you want to make a point of what McKenzie actually said, don’t just post a link to an hour long video....post a (partial) TRANSCRIPT on exactly what he said like I did right here (http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php/263191-Some-Interesting-Comments-on-offense-from-former-Bill-Mckenzie?p=5024435&viewfull=1#post5024435).


He did NOT "All he does is make excuses about catching a wet ball, etc, “ That is simply not accurate.


Maybe you should read what I highlighted and try and understand the full scope of what he was saying.

[Forward_Lateral]

I watched that interview. He made numerous excuses. Winners don’t explain why they dropped passes. They take responsibility and say they have to do better. He’s clearly not a winner. He’s a crybaby and a me first player. Stop licking his ass

[ghz in pittsburgh]

He needs to take what's given to him. He did it very well last year, early in the year, then for some reason stopped. If teams are going to give you free easy completions, take them every single time until they stop giving them.


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Allen leads QBs with 19 turnovers 2022. I'm pretty sure that's what McDermott is referring to. 14INTs and 15 fumbles (lost 5). You can say most of the games the Bills lost are direct result of Allen's turnovers. Jets and the Vikings game to my mind.

[Forward_Lateral]

Allen leads QBs with 19 turnovers 2022. I'm pretty sure that's what McDermott is referring to. 14INTs and 15 fumbles (lost 5). You can say most of the games the Bills lost are direct result of Allen's turnovers. Jets and the Vikings game to my mind.
The INTs dont' worry me much. The fumbles, yes. Most of those fumbles are from carelessness. INTs happen, but fumbles should not (obviously there's a few that happen that aren't his fault, but you get what I mean).

[notacon]

I watched that interview. He made numerous excuses. Winners don’t explain why they dropped passes. They take responsibility and say they have to do better. He’s clearly not a winner. He’s a crybaby and a me first player. Stop licking his ass


We are talking about two completely different podcasts.

I provided excerpts from the May 15th, 2023 podcast where McKenzie offers up a very honest critique of the Cincy game and the effects of snow, but more importantly the issues with the design of the offense and how a lack of a running game hinders the same. The podcast that is THE subject of this thread.

You are presenting his in-season “Show” from Dec 13, 2022….after week 14 game vs the Jets....a completely different podcast.

The Jets game that many “fans” were whining about how “bad” the Bills (as a TEAM) looked despite the FACT that they were on a FOUR game winning streak (they never lost another regular season game…ending seven wins in a row) and sitting atop the AFCE AND the AFC Conference with a 10-3 record.

The idea that “all McKenzie did” was “make excuses” in this podcast and the one I quoted is comically absurd and totally false.


Do you understand what “all he does” means?!?!? Jesus.

In FACT, DIRECT QUOTES show a different reality….when the discussion turns about playing in a dome (yeah….a subject of numerous discussions right here for years, especially NOW because they are building a new stadium)….as compared to playing outside in the elements….and then very pertinent discussion on just how whiny and stupid “Twitter” (read: social media, which includes some posters on THIS site)....and expectations....preparations for bad weather games and many other interesting subjects with insightful and thoughtful discussion....not “excuses”!

This podcast was after a tough fought WIN vs NY Jets, in extremely bad conditons., In fact, the very opening paragraph in the “Gamecast recap (https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap/_/gameId/401437889)” was…



Greg Rousseau (http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4362506/greg-rousseau) and the Buffalo Bills (http://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/buf/buffalo-bills) didn’t want to let down Von Miller (http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/13976/von-miller).

On Sunday, they collectively filled the absence of their star pass rusher by not letting up on Mike White (http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3051381/mike-white) and the New York Jets (http://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets).

With Josh Allen (http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3915239/josh-allen) and the Bills offense having difficulty finding its footing on a slick field, the defense combined for four sacks, forced two turnovers and clinched a 20-12 win by having White turn the ball over on downs by throwing four straight incompletions — the last batted down by A.J. Epenesa.


McKenzie was talking about “WE”, meaning the whole team, more than himself.

What he said was brutally HONEST. And ACCURATE. Coming from one on the actual field, instead of watching the game all warm and cozy on their couch.

I value what McKenzie says exponentially more than so much of the hubris we read here from the whiners that are quick to **** on players.

BTW…the stat line for Diggs and McKenzie were almost identical……

5 targets each, 3 catches each. Diggs for 37 yards, McKenzie for 21 yards.

It was a tough day to throw and catch the ball. Josh finished with 16/27 (only 59%) for only 147 yards.

Here is the transcript that started with a discussion about he elements, and went from there, touching in just how much some “fans” like to ***** and moan about stuff they have no idea about.




McKenzie: I mean the biggest biased question the thing is for me is I get it you know it is an advantage (playing in bad weather) and I'm I'm fine with it you know saying no matter you know whatever people say I'm fine with being playing outside I don't care but it's just like when things like this happen like it rains no rain the whole game and we throw the ball and yes Josh can cut it in the wind but where's the ball the wind takes the ball or he slips off his hand or and then we got to worry about catching the ball from this Gunslinger so so it's just like you know it's I don't know it's just a little it's just you got to focus a little more which you can't focus on the main thing is that's just like playing football

Taylor Dunn: yeah I don't know though football is a it's a violent game Yeah by violent people as the football Gods intended Lombardi Palace Landry nagursky they want it to be in the conditions right

McKenzie: yeah I mean that's fine

Dunn: the mud you know what don't even take care of the field just make make it a big mud pit all right what was it like out there Sunday then because it was the wintry mix.

McKenzie: yeah

Dunn: it was windy and a little windy but wet yeah

McKenzie: it was mostly wet the field so I

Dunn: I'm not making excuses

McKenzie: yeah

Dunn: we're not letting you off the hook with excuses

McKenzie: um no it was it was like rain snow rain snow it never really stopped and the field was what I'm saying so you had to watch how you ran routes and all that stuff so it's just like and we were switching our gloves in and out because they were getting soaked like every time we touched the ground it was getting soaked so but as we drive down the field the ball was like soaked but the first play yeah it'd be fine but after that the ball's hitting the ground it's rolling everywhere it's just but we do wet ball drills in practice and I'll tell you the whole the main person that hates it…

Josh.

Dunn: he doesn't like the wet ball drill

McKenzie: yeah he hates it

Dunn: really

McKenzie: he hates it

Dunn: how does it work then do you just have like a big bucket of water

McKenzie: no, so coach comes has yeah well we don't you well I think we did a bucket of water before but he started using the spray bottle he'll spray the whole ball just with water soak it the whole bottle just soak it right and then it's a hike and then you just throw the ball and yeah whatever happens happens

Dunn: well I don't know I mean we were going to have a wet ball drill today you put it out there for those you know hopefully people don't live on Twitter because Twitter's awful it's a gross disgusting place but you did throw a tweet out today saying that we should just have a wet ball drill here at the show

McKenzie: yeah

Dunn: and I thought you were serious I brought a football John put the kibosh to it too he doesn't
want you know any injuries so we're not doing the wet ball drill sorry for everybody was looking forward to that unless you can find John and convince him and tell Isaiah we should then I'm open to it we got a football so I don't know. How hard is it to catch a wet football

McKenzie: oh it's hard especially with gloves on

Dunn: it's like they take the gloves off

McKenzie: yeah good luck [Laughter]

um but no that's why the thing is I was trying like the first pass it was like okay I thought the ball was so dry I was like I'm so confident because I went up I was like oh and then it went it hit my hands and then it's as I was trying to bring it in it was slipping I was like Oh and it got all the way down to my lap and then he pushed me out of bounds and I didn't know the ball was that wet and so I'll go to the sideline ah okay

cool so then the next case I just started catching it with my body and that's the reverse I got nobody would know because I'm a professional um the reverse I got Josh pitched it to me and I grabbed it and my left hand slipped off the ball so I just put it in my right hand so if you see me I'm running down the left sideline with the ball in my right hand I couldn't switch it because it was slippery but it won't look like it because that's just what I do right

So and then the other one that was up here right I was like there's nothing I could do with that one so it's like whatever so yeah I …

Dunn: got a hold on one of them

McKenzie: yeah

Dunn: it was that one yeah right that kind of gets lost in the mix

McKenzie: yeah I don't think people watching that part I don't think people are watching the game it's just watching like Isaiah what the hell is he doing

Dunn: I don't know I mean it's not real life on Twitter so I don't think they're even bringing it up but you caught a lot of crap on there like a lot of people you know all the time really I guess everybody kind of needs somebody to pick on so why not the little guy why not

McKenzie: yeah right like before halftime like I didn't just catch the ball and drive us downfield right the that's why somebody asked me they said uh uh uh they say oh yeah would you catch the ball I was like well I'm the one that got it started like who was catching the ball besides me before half after that before halftime to get us and then Dawson scored I was like okay cool

Dunn: does it bother you I mean does does this bother you when you hear from people

McKenzie: no

Dunn: no

McKenzie: no

Dunn: it's funny it seemed like there was some good replies there yeah people giving
you some unsolicited advice

McKenzie: yeah

Dunn: on how to catch the football

McKenzie: exactly

Dunn: yeah

it's all good you know it's just. oh one guy said um he's losing me a lot of money in my bets and I was like well stop betting on me It's like I don't even bet on myself.
Don't bet on me how about you just watch the game and enjoy and have fun


Dunn: right I think gambling does kind of uh

McKenzie: oh yeah

Dunn: turn the thermometer up a little bit

McKenzie: yeah yeah

Dunn: we but the good thing is you know the NFL's you know they're sponsored by DraftKings and they're you know throwing it all out there but they do tell you there's a hotline to call if you have a problem so that's nice it's just it's just so I hypocritical as always. um but yeah I don't know like you don't care what people think about you

McKenzie: no

Dunn: but it it is interesting that you know scapegoats are needed people to blame are needed

McKenzie: oh yeah

Dunn: and right now it's it's kind I don't know I get the sense though that everybody's just kind of wondering why the offense is in a little bit of a funk right now and trying to piece that together

McKenzie: I think for the most part it's just I'm I don't know everybody I mean we doing what we can you know we're doing like during the week we're like okay like every week we're like we got the place we're we're practicing hard we're doing well bam but the week as well the sun is out yeah everything's fine and then Sunday comes and it's like it's raining we got to change the game plan we got to run different catch the ball different it's like those say I play a little role you know I'm saying when during the week you're like ah I'm feeling good I'm feeling good and then you get out there and it's a snowstorm and you gotta adjust the offense you got to call certain plays a different way catch the ball to throw the ball a different way it's just it's different you know I'm saying I feel like besides that game other games before that when it was just nice outside and we weren't playing too well it was just everybody going through their bumps and bruises like Josh you know he went to a state where he was throwing two interceptions a game and it was like okay well he's he's in the funk right now but it's not like he can't get out of it you know he's you know what he's capable of you know so it's just

Dunn: is it more mental or physical because right I mean there's going to be elements right football's always been played in the wind and the snow and the Heat and the everything um so how can these coaches get you guys better prepared to handle whatever's thrown at you on Sunday

McKenzie: um I don't think there's a preparation when it comes to elements or or anything you know I'm saying there's anything besides it it's just I'll be honest I don't know you know we just got to play better football you know we understand that it's not like we don't understand we gotta play better football it's just like you know it's it is what it is you know but at the same time like I don't know like how like what do you think like how like if I'm trying to figure it out and I'm on the team it's like what what do you do to be better it's like if we're not doing it and we're doing we're…

Dunn: probably running the ball better I guess I don't know it seems like you know if it's bad weather just run it more

McKenzie: yeah

Dunn: is it that simple?

McKenzie: no

Dunn: I don't know

McKenzie: because we can barely run the ball when it's sunny out so you know like it's it's like we

Dunn: yeah

McKenzie: we doing what we can and it's like it's it's not working it's working it's not working so I just we got it we gotta take the bumps and bruises as they come but we understand like the best footballs played in November and December and a win is a win I'm saying you just don't want to L at the end of the day

Dunn: that's true I mean it it's weird to nitpick and and try to dissect everything that's
wrong with this bill's offense

McKenzie: yeah

Dunn: but when you're 10-3 and I get it maybe the argument stops there at the same time the expectations were super bowl or bust for this team this year

McKenzie: and in beginning we said I said we can't Bank on that you know because I mean the bills are still going to be the bills 10 years from now like you still gotta you know so we can't just Bank on one year you know even though these last few years have been our best years you know and I just feel like if you think about that a lot of people don't think about the process that's what a trusted process
comes in you know

Dunn: that was one of the words we're gonna ban on this show we don't we don't use trust to process on this podcast, but it it kind of agitated enough

McKenzie: it kind of goes into play like everybody's thinking oh the bills are down to one super [ __ ] they have to Once well they're they're the same to win the Super Bowl

Dunn: as a player to handle that pressure I mean it is real

McKenzie: yeah

Dunn: nobody has bet on a team to win the Super Bowl more than the 2022 Buffalo Bills

McKenzie: exactly. I mean it's just but there's also in the mix of winter it's not like we can just jump from Camp to the Super Bowl you know and so because if we could do that then okay let's do it but

Dunn: I know

McKenzie: along those lines we got like uh okay we gotta win this game we gotta win that game we gotta lose this game we got to win that game we gotta you know like we gotta get injured here we gotta do we gotta fly to Detroit because it's snow on the ground like things happen you know what I'm saying like Joshua's interception I drop a ball ditch score touchdown like it's gonna happen like you know like it's just but what we could let's say yes if God's willing we go to the Super Bowl then all that's out the window then you know so but that's like that's that's life in general I'm saying if something good happens and something bad happened the good of I mean how depending on how good the good is the bad doesn't really matter anymore

Dunn: and you would still prefer home field advantage even though the elements can kind of throw this offense off Maybe not maybe a neutral site maybe pop over to the Carrier Dome

More…



What you brush aside as “excuses” were just the HONEST TRUTH.

Brutally honest and doing what McKenzie always did on his podcast with Tyler Dunn....give the HONEST scoop...no “football interview talk” when a player says nothing, except tired cliches. Yeah...he AVOIDS the kind of “happy talk” that tells us nothing about what actually happened during a game....or the mindset of the TEAM.


The REAL “cry babies” are WAY too many Bills “fans” and no, I am not “licking his (McKenzie’s) ass”…it’s more like YOU are licking your own ass with unbridled hubris, hyperbole and misleading dishonest rubbish.


Too many “fans” just cant handle the truth and would rather to live in their own world of knee jerk hyperbole that is based on nothing except their own bias and ignorance (as in they have NO IDEA what it is like playing in ANY NFL game much less under adverse conditions like the Jets game).

[TigerJ]

So, what is Bill McKenzie's name now? Now that I've got that bit of silliness out of the way, I think that overall Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott have a solid reputation of being up front with and caring about their players, but I believe that even when you have a generally honest and open staff, there can be crossed signals. It is hard to have perfect communication all the time. As far as running the ball is concerned, I agree that the Bills didn't do enough of it. Moreover, they were erratic at it. Sometimes they were very effective at it and other times it looked like they were trying to run into a brick wall. I think the explanation is that Buffalo had a lack of power at running back coupled with deficiencies on the offensive line. At least that's what the Bills seem to think. They let Singletary walk and acquired two running backs that have a reputation for power running in Harris and Murray. Coupled with that, they acquired three new guards, all of which have the potential to compete for a starting position. McGovern and Torrence in particular have reputations for consistency and perhaps more power than they guys they could potentially replace (Saffold and Bates) Of course, Saffold is long gone. Bates may stick around, but he is smaller than the guys they brought in. He may be fairly quick and athletic, but I think that physically he could be overcome by power on the defensive line. The Bills wanted to change the equation.