The elephant in the room

[notacon]

We've been hearing...and repeating...the mantras for a few seasons now.

"We beat ourselves."
"We left a lot out there today."
"We've all got plays we'd like back."
"We didn't play up to expectations and that starts with me."
"I'm proud of how we battled today, even though we lost."
"We'll learn from this and be better next time."

It's getting old with the rationalizations. And they don't get better next time, if it's a single-digit game they lose.

Make a ****ing play that helps win the game and quit putting yourself in a position to have to make excuses. THAT'S the next step this team has to make, and they seem to be having a lot of trouble getting over that hurdle.

We know they can do it. I'm starting to wonder if they know they can too.

Yep. Sore loser mentally.

[notacon]

The Bills held Tyreek Hill to 2 catches on 33 yards. They held Waddle to 3 catches on 60 yards, besides that 45 yard mishap.

They were playing with 4 guys who had combined to start 3 NFL games before this. By the end of the game, there were down to a dude off of the practice squad out there.

Those two WRs went off for about a bazillion yards vs Baltimore last week.

Am I the only one who sees a bit of encouragement out of that? Or no

And they did that with one rookie CB (Elam) who was not even named the starter for the first two game....only two NFL games experience

The other CB (Benford), another rookie who missed more than half of the game.....also with just two NFL game experience.

The CB who took his place is the rawest of rookies....undrafted practice squad player....Ja’Marcus Ingram....zero NFL game experience, and barely had any pre-season experience played 56% of the defensive snaps.

Two safeties taking the place of two of the best safeties in the NFL....Jaquan Johnson, who is mostly a special teams player with little regular season experience at S because the Bills have two of the best safeties in the NFL. The other, Damar Hamlin, who is only a second year player with zero NFL starts....and only 50 defensive snaps all 2021.

On the D-line, practice squad players, Bryant and Prince Emili who was brought back to the PS after being cut on Sept 14th....had to be signed to the active roster because of limitation on how many players can be elevated from the PS....played, respectively 28% and 16% of the snaps.

The only defensive position that was not decimated by injuries and heat were Edmunds and Milano....both payed 100% of the snaps and did so with solid games, with Milano let a winning pick six slip through his fingers.

So, yeah, I (and any other realistic person) sees a HUGE but of encouragement out of that!!

[kscdogbillsfan1221]

And they did that with one rookie CB (Elam) who was not even named the starter for the first two game....only two NFL games experience

The other CB (Benford), another rookie who missed more than half of the game.....also with just two NFL game experience.

The CB who took his place is the rawest of rookies....undrafted practice squad player....Ja’Marcus Ingram....zero NFL game experience, and barely had any pre-season experience played 56% of the defensive snaps.

Two safeties taking the place of two of the best safeties in the NFL....Jaquan Johnson, who is mostly a special teams player with little regular season experience at S because the Bills have two of the best safeties in the NFL. The other, Damar Hamlin, who is only a second year player with zero NFL starts....and only 50 defensive snaps all 2021.

On the D-line, practice squad players, Bryant and Prince Emili who was brought back to the PS after being cut on Sept 14th....had to be signed to the active roster because of limitation on how many players can be elevated from the PS....played, respectively 28% and 16% of the snaps.

The only defensive position that was not decimated by injuries and heat were Edmunds and Milano....both payed 100% of the snaps and did so with solid games, with Milano let a winning pick six slip through his fingers.

So, yeah, I (and any other realistic person) sees a HUGE but of encouragement out of that!!

I do agree that the second stringers and practice squad players for the most part played quite admirably


It’s funny, that the game could have been won if not the miscues of the STARTERS, not the other guys

allen skipping a fourth down pass
milano dropping a pick six
bass missing a relative chip shot
McKenzie not getting out of bounds.

All these mishaps were by the regulars

[Mace]

As for as preparing for the heat, there is only so much you can do when the heat index gets upwards of 100 degrees. Living for several decades in a climate where a heat index of 100 degree or more is common, there are a few things to keep in mind:

-If, as reported, the difference in temps between sidelines was 15 degrees, due to the stadium shading, that is a massive difference. You almost hit a wall with the HI of 100 or more. 90s is bad, but over 100 can be intolerable. This really can't be stressed enough. You go outside and you can feel the 10 degree difference. This is especially true when doing any type of outdoor activity;

-They did the right thing by hydrating immediately after the Titans game. You can't hydrate overnight;

-In terms of acclimation, it takes a week or 2 to acclimate to heat that high, if you can ever be acclimated to it. Some can't. This also can't be stressed enough. You can't show up there on...A Tuesday and expect to be acclimated by Sunday;

-High schools here aren't even allowed to practice outdoors when the HI is 100 or more, because the risk of heat exhaustion is too great. Even then, you still see a high school player or 2 dying of heat exhaustion each year;

-standing outside in heat that bad is one thing, moving in it is another, even if it is something as simple as walking. Take some 300+ plus lb. guys trying to push other 300+ lb plus guys around, or WRs basically running wind sprints for 90 minutes, guys WILL go down. This is especially true when the other guys were in a shaded area that is 10-15 degrees cooler;

-Here, we are given high heat tolerance tips, almost ad naseum every summer. When you listen to them, staying hydrated, wearing light, loose clothing and limiting outdoor activity, you understand that you can only do so much. Heat is by far the highest weather related killer. Higher than floods, hurricanes and tornadoes;

-I guess what they could have/should have done was to bring some Official Buffalo Bills pop up gazebos to provide shade on the sideline. It might have helped. Of course, the NFL could have scheduled the game in Buffalo in Sept. and in Miami in Dec. But that would make too much sense.

idk..I didn't have many expectations after the injuries accumulated in the defensive backfield. And yeah, it hurts losing another close game, realizing how even one miscue would have won the game. On the other hand, Damn, that was a valiant effort.

I understand what you're saying, see, I'm a 60 year old dude carrying too much beer weight who works at a marina without shade. Don't buy that "cool breezes off the water" thing, sometimes the water just acts like a mirror. I spend most of my days walking one end to another carrying equipment. We soak rags in an iced cooler and wear them, sometimes you need a bottle of water to walk across a parking lot. I've had days where I've drank 5 bottles of water and 3 big gatorades without needing to go to the bathroom halfway through my shift. I get it. And I'm still not playing football.

But this is not a new thing for the Bills or professional football, or Miami opponents. They were not prepared.

It was indeed a valiant effort by a skeleton crew. I see this game as entirely abnormal, and can't fit it into the pattern of close losses, though I recognize the pattern of close losses.

Sure the heat was a huge factor, so was the skeleton crew, so was Miami keeping their heads on straight, and we still almost won.

This game was not catastrophic in terms of long view, it was a situational mess. But the training staff doesn't get a flyer. We have played there yearly for decades.

[notacon]

I do agree that the second stringers and practice squad players for the most part played quite admirably


It’s funny, that the game could have been won if not the miscues of the STARTERS, not the other guys

allen skipping a fourth down pass
milano dropping a pick six
bass missing a relative chip shot
McKenzie not getting out of bounds.

All these mishaps were by the regulars

Don’t forget....


Allen fumbling the ball deep in our own territory virtually handing a TD to the Fins.
Messing up a simple snap exchange to spike the ball at the end of the first half.

[Forward_Lateral]

The fact that they thought they could "hydrate" starting Monday is ridiculous.

[kgun12]

Don’t the Bills put the visitors in the shady side of the field and during the late season on cold sunny days there a 10-15 degree difference from the sunny side to the shady side? It’s called home field advantage. Injuries are one thing, one or two players having dehydration issues is one thing, but almost the entire team? That’s on the training staff and players.

[Typ0]

The fact that they thought they could "hydrate" starting Monday is ridiculous.

why is that ridiculous?

[kgun12]

why is that ridiculous?

Trying to get enough fluids the day of the game is impossible.

[Mace]

Trying to get enough fluids the day of the game is impossible.

Not really. A number of players did and played 100% of the snaps.

[Typ0]

Trying to get enough fluids the day of the game is impossible.

Not when you use a needle.

[kgun12]

Not really. A number of players did and played 100% of the snaps.

I would bet those guys didn’t wait until Monday.

[kgun12]

What Happens When You Drink Too Much Water?

When you drink too much water, you may experience water poisoning, intoxication, or a disruption of brain function. This happens when there's too much water in the cells (including brain cells), causing them to swell. When the cells in the brain swell they cause pressure in the brain. You may start experiencing things like confusion, drowsiness, and headaches. If this pressure increases it could cause conditions like hypertension (High Blood Pressure) and bradycardia (Low Heart Rate).

Sodium is the electrolyte most affected by overhydration, leading to a condition called hyponatremia. Sodium is a crucial element that helps keep the balance of fluids in and out of cells. When its levels drop due to a high amount of water in the body, fluids get inside the cells. Then the cells swell, putting you at risk of having seizures, going into a coma, or even dying.

[Mace]

What Happens When You Drink Too Much Water?

When you drink too much water, you may experience water poisoning, intoxication, or a disruption of brain function. This happens when there's too much water in the cells (including brain cells), causing them to swell. When the cells in the brain swell they cause pressure in the brain. You may start experiencing things like confusion, drowsiness, and headaches. If this pressure increases it could cause conditions like hypertension (High Blood Pressure) and bradycardia (Low Heart Rate).

Sodium is the electrolyte most affected by overhydration, leading to a condition called hyponatremia. Sodium is a crucial element that helps keep the balance of fluids in and out of cells. When its levels drop due to a high amount of water in the body, fluids get inside the cells. Then the cells swell, putting you at risk of having seizures, going into a coma, or even dying.

Not sure we're arguing the same thing, but game days in football have salt tablets, gatorade, IV's, ice water, and we've done this before.

My thought is that most vets had this down, and the newer players didn't, which is on the training staff. Allen, Edmunds,Milano, Dawkins, Saffold, etc, took 100% of the snaps, the big guys left on the DL maintained, and Spencer Brown dropped like a stone. even Diggs was on a cart with 2 IV's and total body cramping, but McKenzie was still running around.

It just looks to me like the training staff wasn't so prepared. I'll still write the loss off for injuries, but the training staff is not blameless.

[kgun12]

Not sure we're arguing the same thing, but game days in football have salt tablets, gatorade, IV's, ice water, and we've done this before.

My thought is that most vets had this down, and the newer players didn't, which is on the training staff. Allen, Edmunds,Milano, Dawkins, Saffold, etc, took 100% of the snaps, the big guys left on the DL maintained, and Spencer Brown dropped like a stone. even Diggs was on a cart with 2 IV's and total body cramping, but McKenzie was still running around.

It just looks to me like the training staff wasn't so prepared. I'll still write the loss off for injuries, but the training staff is not blameless.

We are arguing the same thing. This is on the training staff and even to some extent the younger players. This wasn’t there first hot weather game they played.