Bills Post Game Thread

[Deus Irae]

... And the NFL has now admitted what many of us have been saying...

The Watkins play should have resulted in a clock stoppage:

“He is down in bounds, but he’s not contacted,” Blandino said as he showed video of the play. “He’s attempting to get out of bounds, you want to give that player the opportunity to get out of bounds, and really, that’s what should have happened.”

NFL admits Sammy Watkins got out of bounds with two seconds left

 

[PatsBoy12]

Upon further review:

• Butler had a rough first half, but was better in the second. Overall, his performance was nowhere near the performance in the game against the Giants, but it was still #1 CB type stuff. He was beat a few times and he legitimately blew coverages. He missed some tackles. He played better in the second half. He's good. He could eventually be great, based on what I understand about the CB position. Size may be the only concern with him, but it really has not shown up big to this point in his young career.

• I know it's probably circumstance, but Chung is being asked to do too much in coverage and that is what got him and them in trouble in his first tenure. He has improved, but it's apparent he has not improved to the level he's being asked to play now. Again, this may be due to how thin we are at CB and, frankly, he's just better than Melvin at this point (ouch).

• This one is more cumulative than just limited to the Buffalo game. I think when you discuss Chandler Jones, you just have to understand that he is who he is and that's someone who is very good, but he probably does not deserve the kind of contract he will get. And that's why I ultimately think that even though I'm sure he wants to be here and the team wants him here, I feel they will not give him the type of money he will command on the open market (though I obviously hope they find a way). I'd take Ninko over someone like him most days of the week. Here's why. Jones may be leading the league in sacks, but other than maybe one or two of them, they really don't change games like when Ninko does it. Think about the third-down sack on Wilson early in the third quarter of the SB (IIRC) that ended a promising drive. Think about the sack against Eli Manning that took them out of field goal range after a NE turnover. His plays are game-changing. Jones has not consistently shown up this way. It's something to ponder.

• Freeny, who looked good in a more limited role earlier, is being exposed in pass coverage. This has been two weeks in a row now that they've sort of picked on him, though the Bills did not do it enough, IMO. I understand Shady is a tough cover for anyone, but Freeny was toast. He's just slow. He kind of reminds me of a slightly better Skinner. He has made some plays, but he's just not up to snuff just yet.

• Which brings me to Mayo, who I feel looked really good against the Bills. It looks as though he's starting to get his legs and timing back. I was never of the mindset that he was done. I continued to view him as a player still rehabbing. I don't know what is future is in NE and I'm not saying he necessarily looks like the Mayo of old, but I do like the way he was moving around out there.

• Thank goodness for Amendola.

• Stork settled the line when he was inserted. I wonder what that means for Andrews. I would hate to see him benched. He has played well enough to deserve one bad game, I suppose. But then again, protecting the Franchise is no laughing matter. He struggled against what I thought was a brilliant game plan. Teams with the personnel to do it will definitely be watching tape of Buffalo's defense.

• Blount has been uninspiring mostly this season, game plan-specific team or not. He had another underwhelming performance against the Bills. I get that the line was struggling, but I saw some lanes that Blount just could not hit. I like him but he's not a workhorse. He's a RB that performs extremely well against certain teams.

• The Bills did about as well as you'll ever see a team do against Gronkowski. He was a non-factor in the passing game. He was up and down as a blocker . . . definitely more up than down.

I'll be back as I think of more . . .