I WONT BLAME THE ROOKIE HERE. I WILL ALWAYS BLAME ALL THE OTHER ROOKIES FOR NOT PRODUCING DESPITE CLAIMING THE 2023 BB DRAFT WAS A BUST EVEN THOUGH 6 GUYS ARE NOW ACTUALLY PRODUCING
Goats at Buffalo
- Thread starter Eddie Jurak
- Start date
MAYO AND AVP ACUTALLY MADE SOME DECENT CALLS EVEN THOUGH THEY LOST AND WE SHOULD NEVER BE HAPPY WITH LOSSES IN A LOST SEASON
MAYO IS THE GOAT. THEY LOST. MAYO. GOAT. MONDRE, GOAT. HIS PLAY WAS THE REASON WE LOST. NOT WHAT I MENTIONED IN MY FIRST PARAGRAPH.
Another reason Drake Maye deserves my GAME BALL, not my GOAT: I love him for how genuinely upset he was when he hospital-balled Austin Hooper late in the game. He's a great kid and he played really well today.
It’s not really relevant because he should, in fact, know not to throw that pass but he’s only really been a high end QB for maybe 4 years. 2 in college and maybe 1-2 in high school plus a bit in the pros.
He was focused on basketball/baseball in high school more than football (which he did play obviously). It’s not like he’s been focused on being a pro QB since he was 8 years old
Braindead move by Mapu but one has to wonder if better coaching/situational practice would have made him realize to take a knee (or his teammates should be telling him to get down in the end zone)
7 guys, Ryland is looking like a guy they probably shouldn't have given up on after one year
All mostly true but what’s your bottom-line point?
I would say: he does some really good things but he’s not a really good quarterback yet, in large part because of turnovers. Obviously that needs to be cleaned up and maybe it will and maybe it won’t. But there’s a very reasonable chance he will be a really good quarterback.
I told my son after the Pats went up 14 - 0, that Mayo should pull all the starters because they made a statement, so I'm guessing it was me.
If you had told me before the game that it was going to be a one score game and that they were keeping the Bills under 30, I would have taken it. They played well enough to keep the game in reach. Three straight turnovers cost them the game. A pattern like that is symptomatic of coaching, or lack thereof. So, instead of me, I blame the coaching.
If you had told me before the game that it was going to be a one score game and that they were keeping the Bills under 30, I would have taken it. They played well enough to keep the game in reach. Three straight turnovers cost them the game. A pattern like that is symptomatic of coaching, or lack thereof. So, instead of me, I blame the coaching.
View: https://twitter.com/tkyles39/status/1871198277544415530?t=8O0z2SxsBuw_ADPVaN5Afg&s=19
Kyles with some context on the botched screen... Rham looped his route too much, Jacobs whiffed his block... And if they didn't looked like a big play. Call caught them in the matchup they wanted..... Just horrific execution
Kyles with some context on the botched screen... Rham looped his route too much, Jacobs whiffed his block... And if they didn't looked like a big play. Call caught them in the matchup they wanted..... Just horrific execution
Three straight turnovers is a coaching problem? Maye made a mistake. It happens, he is a rookie. Rookies tend to make mistakes. The fumbles also happen. One of the things they have improved on as the season progressed is they were not fumbling nearly as much and ball security. Yesterday was bound to happen as Mondre seemed to have worked through his early season fumble struggles. But, Buffalo also had 3 fumbles (and better fumble luck) and an INT (should have been 2-3). Perhaps we chalk that up to the cold, and the other team trying to win the game too.
I don't disagree with SJH on this one, this play should be removed or completely reworked so it is not a backwards pass. And the execution was horrible.
Instead of focusing on the negatives, I thought the defense played very well yesterday. The run defense has continuing issues but the pass coverage and rush were better and highly competitive against the presumptive MVP. They didn't give Allen escape lanes up the middle, made him roll out to his right a ton and the secondary held up for 6-7 seconds on some plays. The Schooler spy package was only used 7 times but seems like a nice wrinkle against mobile QB's. Maybe teams will figure out how to beat it going forward but in limited use it appears to work. Buffalo scored 35, 42, 48 points in their previous 3. Cold weather, Buffalo letdown, whatever. Holding them to 17 (3 of which came on a 10 yard drive after the Stevenson fumble) feels like a nice performance for the unit as a whole and they were down Peppers and Marcus Jones.
Buffalo’s safety had this sniffed out and was gonna deck Rham imo. But prob still a short gain and not a horrific fumble. Their Tackles are disasters.
I thought with the backwards pass at the goal line that Rhamondre looped back too much and Maye rushed it a bit/threw too hard so Rhamondre wasn't expecting the pass so soon. I don't know why you would ever call a backwards pass there, the risk seems too high when you could design the play slightly different and have it be a forward pass (unless it's going to be a double pass which isn't happening at the goal line either). Maye should have ate it probably but it also shouldn't have been called.
I would also argue this is a point in favor of AVP -- if he calls "safe" plays maybe sometimes it's because the team can't consistently execute the riskier ones.
Here's what I wrote in the Rham re-signing thread:
I would also argue this is a point in favor of AVP -- if he calls "safe" plays maybe sometimes it's because the team can't consistently execute the riskier ones.
Here's what I wrote in the Rham re-signing thread:
I hope he is not getting much PT next year.
Three straight possessions. Agreed, they've gotten better, but, if this were last year, I can almost hear Belichick say that they need to coach better while preaching ball control.
My issue with the lateral play is the whole thing relies on Jacobs getting the cut block. "If Jacobs cuts the edge rusher..." just seems like really big "if." The line has a lot of issues, Jacobs might be the biggest liability out there. Running a play at your own 10 where he's the focal point seems like inviting trouble.
Maybe I'm wrong but I believe Jacobs was the LT in the Houston game that missed a cut block on a WR screen. The one that the edge rusher tipped and the ball was picked off Douglas (I think) back. Lowe got hurt IIRC, can't remember if Jacobs or Thomas was the LT on that play. If it's Jacobs, that's two INT's because he couldn't execute a cut block.
Maybe I'm wrong but I believe Jacobs was the LT in the Houston game that missed a cut block on a WR screen. The one that the edge rusher tipped and the ball was picked off Douglas (I think) back. Lowe got hurt IIRC, can't remember if Jacobs or Thomas was the LT on that play. If it's Jacobs, that's two INT's because he couldn't execute a cut block.
That cut block attempt was pathetic.
At the end of the day, football is blocking and tackling. There’s no offensive scheme that is resilient to guys just completely whiffing blocks.
After watching the "highlight" above about 20 times, this seems like the correct take to me. They did not call a designed backwards pass. Rham had to alter his route due to the defender already being nearly in the backfield. When Maye starts his throw, the defender hasn't yet defeated the cut block and looks like he may be going down. I don't blame him for throwing it. It also looks like a fine throw and a very catchable ball. Rham knows he's about to get killed and takes his eyes off the ball, causing the worst-case scenario to become reality. If that cut block is executed, that play is almost certainly a positive play. If Gibson makes his downfield block on the safety, it could have been a big play. Lots had to go wrong for that to end up a TD for Buf as well. That ball could have bounced a lot of places and the play could have ended up harmless. Bad execution on the cut block and bad luck. It happens to all teams; it just happens to bad teams more often.
Also looked like a missed penalty on good ol' Ja'Lynn Polk, who's engaged as a blocker before the ball reaches Stevenson.
Since it was a lateral, that is legal.
Edit: I also believe you can block downfield once the pass is thrown, it doesn't have to be caught.
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Probably why it wasn't called then, but since it wasn't meant to be a lateral it's nevertheless a blunder by Polk.
Think it's legal anyway because Polk doesn't engage his block until after Maye has released the ball. Unless I've got the rule wrong.
About to post that. If it was supposed to be a lateral then cool. If not? More Polk hate.
Also...
This is my game goat.
Jacobs is quite possibly the worst right tackle I have ever seen start this many games.
We are at the point of faulting him for non-penalties not called on him. My goodness.
And it’s really not his fault. The man is not an NFL player. He was a guy that was given an opportunity on a practice squad after being undrafted, then cut from that practice squad when he still had eligibility. He should be well into his post football career right now, and no where near starting at right tackle for the New England Patriots. The fact that he’s in that position is gross negligence on the part of Eliot Wolf and the entire front office.
It wasn't the wrong route. It was, however, a poor decision jump ball. If the defender and WR hadn't tangled feet, it was a 1on1 jumpball situation. Probably doesn't end in a pick, but also probably doesn't end in a completion. Not a horrible decision, but definitely one that he probably should have swallowed.
Seems like a penalty to me.
Why not? The guy has been fucking up all season and if the play comes off as it should and went for 15 yards it would have been called back because he's got a 10 cent head.
You are literally blaming him for the refs not throwing a flag on a play that he did not commit a penalty. Holy shit does this EEI level nonsense need to stop.
I'm not thrilled Polk has not been a good player so far, but we are literally beyond any semblance of rationality or reason when discussing anything remotely related to the guy. He may very well never be good. Hell, he could be a bust. But, we do not know yet if that will be the case after his first 15 games.
Defense held Allen to one of his worst (if not worst) days of the year, although Cook roasted them for almost all of the damage. Covington's best game.
I said it in the game thread but it looked like Hoops got pushed just before his cut to the front of the end zone causing him to tumble to the back corner on the first int. DB (Lewis) did a great job of picking up Hooper's route for the easy pick.
The lateral was a ball that never should have been thrown regardless of whether Rham catches it and Maye will learn from that one.
Fake punt took everyone by surprise, even the cameraman. Too bad it didn't affect the score of the game.
Rham still gets a GOAT for the other fumble ... looks like he simply dropped it. And certain members of the OL. Everyone else gets a "meh" (aside from the defensive kudos).
Fumble luck gets a huge GOAT as well (Bills +3?)
I said it in the game thread but it looked like Hoops got pushed just before his cut to the front of the end zone causing him to tumble to the back corner on the first int. DB (Lewis) did a great job of picking up Hooper's route for the easy pick.
The lateral was a ball that never should have been thrown regardless of whether Rham catches it and Maye will learn from that one.
Fake punt took everyone by surprise, even the cameraman. Too bad it didn't affect the score of the game.
Rham still gets a GOAT for the other fumble ... looks like he simply dropped it. And certain members of the OL. Everyone else gets a "meh" (aside from the defensive kudos).
Fumble luck gets a huge GOAT as well (Bills +3?)
Part A is missing the important word. Blocking more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage by an offensive player prior to a bass being...? I think it's thrown based on how part B is writen.
Part B says blocking downfield while the ball in the air is legal unless the block is in the vicinity of the intended receiver. Vicinity is obviously a grey area and we see the officials are pretty liberal with "vicinity" with regards to intential grounding and things like uncatchable balls on PI's. On this particular play, Stevenson is at the 3, Polk is at the 13. Is that "in the vicinity"?
I dunno. I think Polk was fine on the play even if he sucks in general.
The distinction between not a penalty due to the play being executed improperly and not a penalty because it's not against the rules seems pretty important. Executing plays seems to be a pretty important part of football and the entirety of that play was a massive clusterfuck. I'll hang up and take your answer off air.
I don’t think you can call offensive pass interference on a play where there is no forward pass. Not only is that intuitively correct, but I think Article 1 clarifies this issue:
‘ Article 1. Definition
It is pass interference by either team when any act by a player more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage significantly hinders an eligible player’s opportunity to catch the ball. Pass interference can only occur when a forward pass is thrown from behind the line of scrimmage, regardless of whether the pass is legal or illegal, or whether it crosses the line. (…)’
If you read Article 4 in a vacuum I can sort of see why you may think there is ambiguity in the rule.
‘ Article 1. Definition
It is pass interference by either team when any act by a player more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage significantly hinders an eligible player’s opportunity to catch the ball. Pass interference can only occur when a forward pass is thrown from behind the line of scrimmage, regardless of whether the pass is legal or illegal, or whether it crosses the line. (…)’
If you read Article 4 in a vacuum I can sort of see why you may think there is ambiguity in the rule.
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Safety or ILB {Dorian Williams - 42}? Either way, there was an unblocked defender headed for Rham that barring a whiff was going to limit the play to at best a few positive yards.
Making up reasons to hate the guy is really something. I think you are disappointed he was not flagged for a penalty on a play where his actions were not against the rules. Less hate ammo for that proverbial gun.
Plenty of rational reasons to be unhappy with his play. This is not one of them.
Not a penalty. The pass was in the air prior to Polk engaging so (a) does not apply and Polk's defender was not "in the vicinity" (the point there is that you can't block a guy who has a chance to intercept the ball or disrupt the catch itself, which his defender did not) so (b) doesn't apply either.
Polk actually timed his block perfectly.
Dig around and you'll find posts where I'm defending Polk in this board. So yeah, it is you, unfortunately.
I did not like Mayo's decision to punt in the fourth quarter--but it actually would have been fine if they had scored quicker, which they were totally on pace to do until just a comedic series of failed attempts to score near the goal line before the two minute warning. That killed so much time and made it so that the Bills only needed one first down to ice the game.
IDK if you want to blame overall coaching, playcalling, players underperforming, bad refereeing, whatever--the inability to score quickly, after doing a very good job moving the ball down the field in short order, was painful to watch and along with the free touchdown they handed Buffalo on the fumble, it cost them the game.
IDK if you want to blame overall coaching, playcalling, players underperforming, bad refereeing, whatever--the inability to score quickly, after doing a very good job moving the ball down the field in short order, was painful to watch and along with the free touchdown they handed Buffalo on the fumble, it cost them the game.
He is blocking a player that could plausibly contest the ball or disrupt the catch if able to break on the pass (ie, that was "in the vicinity"). That's the difference.
Polk's guy was nowhere near able to disrupt the catch (even had the pass been a forward one).
Seems cut and dry. You can't block a guy more than one yard down the field while the ball is in the air. Wouldn't the guy who's within one yard be one of the guys on the field who's actually in the best position to break up these kinds of passes yet it's legal to block them? If you have the relevant part of the rule you're referring to please post it. I really don't think there's a distinction made between a guy being blocked from potentially defending the ball in the air and preventing a guy from potentially making a tackle. Screen plays would look a lot different if blockers could truck guys while the ball is in the air.
