They talk about a 24 hour rule. I was all set to rant Sunday night but needed to calm down a bit. Upon reflection, this is my take:
1 Josh had a poor game. Obviously, two interceptions and a fumble in the end zone rarely result in a good outcome. The fact that we were so close in spite of the first pick, Singletary’s fumble and the Allen fumble/TD is what makes it so maddening. Josh is trying to doo too much. That is obvious. That said, let’s look at a few things that have gone pretty much unmentioned over the past two weeks:
a. Drops: In the Jets loss Gabe davis dropped a 60 yard bomb which, had he caught it, could have resulted in a Bills victory. Davis has had some huge drops this year. Dropped TD pass in Miami. Dropped 1st down reception in Jets game. I count five drops so far this year.
b. Drops in Vikings loss: Knox drops pass that wins game in regulation. Yes he was bumped. Yes there was coverage. Yes he dropped it. In addition, Diggs malso dropped a 50 yard bomb that would have sealed game earlier. This drop, along with his huge drop late in the Miami game which would have set up game winning FG.
2. 3rd and short: Early on in the season I was gravely concerned about the Bills inability to make 1st downs/TDs on short yardage situations. We failed miserably the first few weeks but won anyway. It came to a halt, however, in the Miami loss when we had 1st and goal at the 2 yard line and couldn’t score. Three passes and an ill suited Josh run. Subsequently, the Bills appeared to solve the situation by sneaking Josh and having him get first downs on five consecutive 3rd or 4th and shorts by QB sneak. At the trade deadline I was hoping the Bills would pick up a big back for those short yardage situations. Instead they pick up James Cook II in Hines. Small, quick, good hands, multi purpose and predominantly a outside runn/pass catching back. I still can’t understand why they picked Hines up. he’s basically a veteran version of Cook. Well the failure to get someone who can run a short yardage offensive play again haunted the Bills v the Vikings. In a huge situation in the fourth quarted while trying to hold onto the lead we had a 3rd and two. What did the Bills do? The brought in Duke Fucking Johnson. Everyone in the stadium knew he wasn’t going to get a pass thrown to him right? He gets stuffed. Fast forward and the Bills have the Ball at Vikings 15. Allen hits McKenzie for 8 yards. It’s now 2nd and two at the seven. Three straight passes and the third is intercepted and returned to the 35 yard line. Minnesota turns that TO into a touchdown. Come on Bills. 2nd and two. Get the first down. Singletary scored twice earlier inside the red zone.
3. Coaching and play calling. Again, McDermott missed on his fourth down calls. Take the points and go up 13 with a quarter left. Instead he goes for it and it turns into a four point game (Joseph missed Extra Point). Dorsey seems clueless on how to convert short yardage situations. I’d much rather see the Bills in 3rd and 7 than 3rd and two. In addition, it seems that once defenses aren’t worried about deep balls (ie. redzone and short yardage situations) they’ve figured out how to stop the Bills. They take away the short intermediate routes and know the Bills won’t run well. This has lead to terrible 3rd and short conversions (I count 19 failed 3rd or 4th and short conversions so far this year).
To get back on track Bills need to take some pressure off Josh and he needs to realize that the short dump off to a wide open Singletary (on Bills last play Interception) is better than forcing the ball into coverage. In addition, Dorsey and McDermott need to figure out how to make two yards when they need it. Forccing Josh to throw the ball inside the 10 is a recipe for disaster. Bills need to give other options.
still think Bills will be Super Bowl. Need changes, however.