Tweet
My immediately thoughts is the 32 days from Sept 12 to Oct 14. 5 quality opponents, 4 road games. More than likely by the end of Oct 14, you know what this team is about.
This Bills team is like a race car. For 17 years they finished nowhere near the top group because they don't have a top engine. They got the engine that can match to anyone in 2018. They experimented and found the right tires, the body pieces and was able to compete in the front of the top group year in and year out. But it comes to a time where all the adjustments they made could not make it across the finish line first. In the process, some tire treads wear out; some body parts have cracks that can no longer hold together with duck tapes.
Some say the driver is the issue. But they decided to change the proven tires, not just replacing them with like kind but entirely new types of tires. They ripped off the cracked pieces in the car and replaced them with unproven new pieces. And they don't get a chance to test the new car in home track to check the new pieces. Instead they have to drive it to speed way, to muddy road, thru rain/storm against some Ferrari, some Hummer.
The biggest concern for me is actually on defense. Can the safeties hit the ground running like Hyde and Poyer in 2017? The Dolphins are going test them for sure. Can DaQuan be like where he was Sept last year? Can someone on the edge to stand out like the Bills lucked out with Floyd last year?
For Jaguars, I do worry about Davis, Morse, not for their on field performance, but schematic concern, especially Morse. Bills and Jaguars are not teams very familiar with each other. Inside knowledge of the concept, scheme that Morse and Davis give to Jags' defense can be very valuable, especially at the beginning of the season where adjustments are not made yet.
The Ravens game is always a tough physical game. I actually think the Bills D match up to Lamar's offense well, just that I hope no significant injury happens in that game.
Texans' game is dangerous, unless Stroud regresses from his rookie year. Diggs will spill all the beans of Allen and Bills offense. And without saying, Allen and the Bills will try to run 100 mile/per hour (even if the coaching staff will do their best to temper that emotion) to prove they can win without Diggs, and that is usually a recipe for disaster.
The Jets game will be interesting. The main point for me is that the Jets have defensive talent to suffocate the Bills offensive weapons. In the past, when Diggs is covered, we need Davis to have a big game. When Davis can't beat his man, we are really off rhythm and go into the ugly mode - that's when our defense rose up and beat their offense. If Roger is playing, I don't know our defense can do that again in NY. But to me, the interesting part is that it is the closest our offensive against a playoff caliber defense in the regular season and the Jets D always treat it like a playoff game. I want to see how our new offense fare against that D -- for the analogy, how our entirely new tires run in that muddy soggy field where the old ones often stuck.
I'm looking for a 3-2 or 2-3 finish in those 5 games. Confidence wise I feel we can win the Dolphins game because I think McDermott will find a way to slow down the receivers and the Dolphins have D-Line injuries from last year, as well as lost their best DT and the new rookie DE may not be that impactful yet. My next game likely to win is actually the Ravens game. Just feel we have the match up. Then the Jags game, MNF at home, extra rest might help. Not sure it off-sets the negatives.
This Bills team is like a race car. For 17 years they finished nowhere near the top group because they don't have a top engine. They got the engine that can match to anyone in 2018. They experimented and found the right tires, the body pieces and was able to compete in the front of the top group year in and year out. But it comes to a time where all the adjustments they made could not make it across the finish line first. In the process, some tire treads wear out; some body parts have cracks that can no longer hold together with duck tapes.
Some say the driver is the issue. But they decided to change the proven tires, not just replacing them with like kind but entirely new types of tires. They ripped off the cracked pieces in the car and replaced them with unproven new pieces. And they don't get a chance to test the new car in home track to check the new pieces. Instead they have to drive it to speed way, to muddy road, thru rain/storm against some Ferrari, some Hummer.
The biggest concern for me is actually on defense. Can the safeties hit the ground running like Hyde and Poyer in 2017? The Dolphins are going test them for sure. Can DaQuan be like where he was Sept last year? Can someone on the edge to stand out like the Bills lucked out with Floyd last year?
For Jaguars, I do worry about Davis, Morse, not for their on field performance, but schematic concern, especially Morse. Bills and Jaguars are not teams very familiar with each other. Inside knowledge of the concept, scheme that Morse and Davis give to Jags' defense can be very valuable, especially at the beginning of the season where adjustments are not made yet.
The Ravens game is always a tough physical game. I actually think the Bills D match up to Lamar's offense well, just that I hope no significant injury happens in that game.
Texans' game is dangerous, unless Stroud regresses from his rookie year. Diggs will spill all the beans of Allen and Bills offense. And without saying, Allen and the Bills will try to run 100 mile/per hour (even if the coaching staff will do their best to temper that emotion) to prove they can win without Diggs, and that is usually a recipe for disaster.
The Jets game will be interesting. The main point for me is that the Jets have defensive talent to suffocate the Bills offensive weapons. In the past, when Diggs is covered, we need Davis to have a big game. When Davis can't beat his man, we are really off rhythm and go into the ugly mode - that's when our defense rose up and beat their offense. If Roger is playing, I don't know our defense can do that again in NY. But to me, the interesting part is that it is the closest our offensive against a playoff caliber defense in the regular season and the Jets D always treat it like a playoff game. I want to see how our new offense fare against that D -- for the analogy, how our entirely new tires run in that muddy soggy field where the old ones often stuck.
I'm looking for a 3-2 or 2-3 finish in those 5 games. Confidence wise I feel we can win the Dolphins game because I think McDermott will find a way to slow down the receivers and the Dolphins have D-Line injuries from last year, as well as lost their best DT and the new rookie DE may not be that impactful yet. My next game likely to win is actually the Ravens game. Just feel we have the match up. Then the Jags game, MNF at home, extra rest might help. Not sure it off-sets the negatives.
Comment