Well we all saw what transpired yesterday. A repeat dud of a performance, at home, against a team that was reeling. It was a statement game, one that they should have won and one that should have put them well at the top of the division and put the Patriot’s season in peril. Instead we got very much what we saw last week against the Chargers: bad decisions, poor play-calling, putrid pass defense, and overall a poor performance.
Yes Josh made a bad throw. He CANNOT throw that ball in that situation. There is no excuse for that. He should shoulder much of the blame because the Bills had plenty of time left to score a TD and win, much less to get a FG to tie and force OT. With three time outs left and the ball on the Bills 24 yard line there was plenty of time left. A first down pass to Kincaid for seven, a holding penalty against the patriots, and the Bills had a first down at their own 31. A scramble for 4 and it’s second and 6 from the 35. Not sure what the pla call was here but it shouldn’t have been throw the ball deep into two or three defenders. Stupid.
Now let’s get to Brady. He is a first year head coach who is also calling the plays. His play-calling the past two games has been abysmal. Last week, faced with a 3rd and 15 from the Chargers 25 yard line he called his favorite play, the wide receiver screen which gained four yards. How many time last year did he call that same stupid play. How many times did it backfire. Well, predictably yesterday he called it two more times. Each time it was blown up. His play calling was bad. Josh has, when healthy which he’s been this year, a huge weapon in Dalton Kincaid. His usage the first two games was tremendous. Last week he was invisible. Yesterday he was targeted on the first drive once and then NOT TARGETED AT ALL until the Bills last unsuccessful drive. Why? What would make a team go away from him for two straight games? Especially once DJ Moore went out. He should have been a main focus of the offense.
Let’s get back to Brady. Cook had a terrible first half. 16 yards on 6 carries. In the second half, however, he started to look like last year’s league leading rusher. And that’s when Brady’s brutal play calling screwed us. We were down 21-17 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. 1st and ten at our own 20. Cook up the middle for 8, Cook left end for 17 and Cook up the middle for 10. Three runs for 35 yards. 1st and ten at the Bills 45. The next seven Bills plays Cook never touched the ball. short pass for three, incompletion, 22 yarder to Coleman, Ty Johnson (yes him) up the middle for 3, a Josh Allen designed run (when has this play been successful this year??) for minus 3. You’ve got a second and 7 at the NE 17 and you have Josh on a designed run? Cook had been torching the Patriots but he wasn’t even in the game. WHY??? Instead of getting a touchdown there and taking a 4 point lead we settled for a field goal and are still down by a point in chasing points the rest of the game.
Let’s continue with Brady for a moment. We get the ball down 21-20 What's 6 minutes and 36 seconds left in the game. He puts Cook back in. Gain of sixteen and gain of 6. A phenomenal catch by Coleman and then a touchdown pass to Coleman and we are up 26-21. Time for the two point conversion. Last week I pointed out how putrid the two point conversions have been over the past two years. Last year we were two for 9. Last week's two point try was abysmal and resulted in a ball thrown out of the back of the end zone. This is the biggest play of the game. If we make the two point conversion we go up by 7. If we make the two point conversion and the Patriots score on their next drive they don't go for two, they would kick the extra point and it's a tie game. Time to dial up something special. Instead Josh is in the shotgun, has no one open and throws the ball into the ground in the back of the end zone. We are now two successful two point conversions in our last 11 tries. Think about that. Needing a play that gets us two and a half yards should not be that difficult. Look how easy it was for New England when they needed the two point conversion to go up by three. Simple, easy and successful. Brady seems in over his head in trying these simple plays. Cook had run 5 times in the 4th quarter and it gained 60 yards. But he's not even on the field. No one's worrying about a run here. He is so predictable in his play calling and his usage of Cook. When Cook was drafted he was seen as a three-down back, a running back that could run the ball and catch the ball out of the backfield. He was thrown to twice yesterday for 8 yards. He’s been thrown to 6 times the whole year. Why? Do you watch Bijon Robinson or Jaymir Gibbs play? How many times are they targeted for more than dump-off passes each game? Brady still hasn’t figured out how to get Cook involved in the passing game and he’s been here for four years. Brutal.
Maybe a first year head coach has too much on his plate to be calling the plays during game time. He’s not Andy Reid who had years of success as a play caller before becoming a head coach. Brady is in over his head.
Enough about Brady let's talk about this pass defense if you want to call it that. Max Hairston is terrible. In one three play series he was beaten for completion, was called for holding in the back of the end zone (a play where he grabbed the receiver's jersey from behind right in front of the referee when the receiver wasn't even in the play) and then gets beat for a touchdown on the next play. This is the guy that pumps his chest when the ball is overthrown and it ends up in incompletion not as a result of anything that he did. Just look at the game clinching play. Patriots have a third and 10. We have all three of our timeouts left. We stopped them here we get the ball back. Hairston can’t keep up with the tight end and we give up a 12 yard gain and game is over. Not once yesterday did he make a play on the ball. Another Beane bust in the secondary. Kair Elam may be better than him.
How many times yesterday did the Patriots successfully make a third down and long were second down and long situation? On 3 long yardage situations Drake Maye got out of the pocket to run for a first down. Missed tackles in the backfield, bad angles, poor rushing lanes. Except for Rousseau and Walker This defense has been terrible this year. If I were I would be bringing back Tre’davios White In hope that he can help with the secondary. We have no answer, however, for our or linebacking play. They are too slow, missed tackles right and left, can't cover tight ends and for most of the year just been bad. Again, Beane has done nothing To rectify the situation. Having Buffalo Joe on the sidelines kind of says it all. He is your backup. We all love the story but he's not an NFL football player.
Let's get back to the offense one more time here. Where is the Josh Allen that gets out of the pocket runs for 10 or 15 yards? Not once yesterday did he do that. That is one of the things that makes him so successful. Are they intentionally telling him not to run? If so, We are in for a long season. Just look Drake Maye did yesterday with his feet. The Bills have a huge weapon and it wasn't used at all yesterday. Now let's look at the offensive line. Dawkins has been terrible this year. Holding penalties, sacks given up, missed blocks… He is supposed to be an all pro caliber tackle. He's been nothing of the sort this year. Maybe losing that 40 pounds made him quicker but it sure hasn't helped his pass protection. All year Josh has taken a beating in the pocket. Yesterday's bad interception was partially the result of a pass rusher coming free up the middle and Josh making the guy miss which took the timing out of the play resulting in the interception.
Now let's go to our recently promoted GM Beane. Picking up DJ Moore in the offseason was a great move. Having no one behind him, however, just shows how poorly planned out the season was if something happened to Moore. Keon Coleman has been tremendous. He was an afterthought going into the season. Josh Palmer is useless without Moore in the line. His drop yesterday turn the ball brighten his hands Was overshadowed by the penalty that was that made the play irrelevant. That said, He doesn't get open unless Moore is on the field. I can't believe that Josh has much confidence in throwing the Palmer. It’s time for Skyler Bell to get a chance. Beane’s early round draft failures are coming back to haunt us. A perfect example is How so many of our starters from last year's team who left after their contracts ran out haven't even been signed by any other team in the NFL. What they were doing on our team last year He made no sense. We've seen getting a true number one wide receiver She has done for Josh. When he had Diggs to throw to The offense flourished. With Moore in the lineup Josh looks like the best quarterback in football. When Moore goes out of the lineup, however, Our offense has no answers. Beane has done a terrible job At addressing this team's weaknesses. He is reactionary rather than being proactive.
unless things change quickly we could be in for a long season.Unless things change quickly we could be in for a long season. This defense can't stop anyone. The Patriots had three touchdowns in 3 games. They scored four touchdowns yesterday against us, at home, in a big game. Jim Leonard our new defensive coordinator needs to take some of the blame also. The Patriots were faced with the fourth and 3 at our 15 yard line. Instead of taking the points they decided to go for it. Hairston was lined up 10 yards off the ball. The Patriots receiver took three steps towards him turned and caught a pass for the first down. How can you line up ten yards off the wide receiver on a fourth and 3? Either Leonard's defensive call was brutal or Hairston was just not paying attention. Either way, That's the type of play which costs games. Instead of turnover on downs The Patriots went on to score a touchdown. Inexcusable at this level.
Now we go to LA to the Rams. Good luck stopping that offense and good luck protecting Josh. I see another loss on the horizon and I see the Patriots catching us pretty quickly. Great seasons are made on taking advantage of opportunities. Yesterday was a huge opportunity which turned into a huge failure.