Two most disappointing things this season for the Bills

[Mr .Bluto]

1. Losing to the Vikings at home in OT.  The Bills had a 17-point lead late in the 3rd quarter. With under 5 minutes to play they had a 10-point lead. Josh threw a couple of interceptions into the Bills end zone.  Game Over!  A win in this game would have eliminated all the nonsense for the play-offs.

2.  Von Miller.  He never dominated an opposing team.  His sacks were mostly cover sacks.  He was an opportunist but not a force for the defense.        

                                               

[Herodotus]

8 minutes ago, Mr .Bluto said:

1. Losing to the Vikings at home in OT.  The Bills had a 17-point lead late in the 3rd quarter. With under 5 minutes to play they had a 10-point lead. Josh threw a couple of interceptions into the Bills end zone.  Game Over!  A win in this game would have eliminated all the nonsense for the play-offs.

2.  Von Miller.  He never dominated an opposing team.  His sacks were mostly cover sacks.  He was an opportunist but not a force for the defense.        

                                               

On the other hand, he is a major reason why the AFC title game may be held at a neutral site.  He came up big in KC.  He also taught the rest of the DL a lot

[Woody]

I try to forget about that Vikings game.  That was the Billsiest loss out of the three.  As for me, I think the loss to the Jets disappointed me the most.  Seeing Zach Wilson smiling and laughing like a girl as he walked off the field at the end has been burned into my mind.  Unbelievable.  I'm still gnashing my teeth.

As for Von, I can't be disappointed in him.  Did anyone expect him to last the entire season?  I know I didn't.   In the bigger picture I think his mentorship will pay dividends down the road. 

 

 

[Psycho79]

I don’t expect Von Miller to last a full season again in his career.

[theAteam]

That Vikings game broke me for a day. 

[mixum]

- Injuries/secondary being abysmal 

- Allen’s injury 

- Gave Davis massive regression 

- 3rd and long issues every game 

[Greg]

How about the WR group. Diggs has been great but after that ...

[Buffalochief2]

34 minutes ago, Greg said:

How about the WR group. Diggs has been great but after that ...

Why anyone thought a WR-4 in Davis and a WR-5 in McKenzie from 2021 would magically become viable options as WR-2 and WR-3 in 2022 is beyond me.  Maybe we see Davis step it up in the playoffs, but I don’t know how JA trusts Davis, half of his interceptions are on throws to Davis, Davis leads the team in drop rate, and JA completion percentage is its lowest on throws to Davis.  I like Davis as WR-4 but we need to address WR 2 and 3 in the off-season.

[jpp]

1 minute ago, Buffalochief2 said:

Why anyone thought a WR-4 in Davis and a WR-5 in McKenzie from 2021 would magically become viable options as WR-2 and WR-3 in 2022 is beyond me.  Maybe we see Davis step it up in the playoffs, but I don’t know how JA trusts Davis, half of his interceptions are on throws to Davis, Davis leads the team in drop rate, and JA completion percentage is its lowest on throws to Davis.  I like Davis as WR-4 but we need to address WR 2 and 3 in the off-season.

Most including myself thought Davis would of been a good-decent 2 coming off the playoffs last season...but serious regression this entire season.....We need a consistant 2 WR moving forward!

[HipKat]

7 hours ago, Woody said:

I try to forget about that Vikings game.  That was the Billsiest loss out of the three.  As for me, I think the loss to the Jets disappointed me the most.  Seeing Zach Wilson smiling and laughing like a girl as he walked off the field at the end has been burned into my mind.  Unbelievable.  I'm still gnashing my teeth.

As for Von, I can't be disappointed in him.  Did anyone expect him to last the entire season?  I know I didn't.   In the bigger picture I think his mentorship will pay dividends down the road. 

 

 

I expected him to last the whole season, I just never expected him to be the dominant Von Miller of the past. Partly because of his age and partly because of the bills defensive schemes.

The Vikings and Jets losses were equally painful, for the reasons stated here.

Added to the list, the incredible decision to keep going to McKenzie, over and over and over and failing constantly

[Greg]

1 minute ago, HipKat said:

I expected him to last the whole season, I just never expected him to be the dominant Von Miller of the past. Partly because of his age and partly because of the bills defensive schemes.

The Vikings and Jets losses were equally painful, for the reasons stated here

The losses to the Jets and Dolphins were close games that went back and forth throughout. The Vikings game was the worst. The Bills had the game won or at least we thought so. Up 27-10 with a minute left in the 3rd quarter and playing at home. They never should have lost that one. The Jets and Dolphins losses sucked but sometimes you lose close games. You should never blow a 17-point lead at home with just 16 minutes left in the game.

[HipKat]

Just now, Greg said:

The losses to the Jets and Dolphins were close games that went back and forth throughout. The Vikings game was the worst. The Bills had the game won or at least we thought so. Up 27-10 with a minute left in the 3rd quarter and playing at home. They never should have lost that one. The Jets and Dolphins losses sucked but sometimes you lose close games. You should never blow a 17-point lead at home with just 16 minutes left in the game.

Truth! And divisional games always have a chance to go the other way. Miami did it to NE constantly during their run.

[Victor7]

Von Miller coverage sacks ???? .... That's just not right. 

 

Most disappointing for me was the amount of injuries. After years and years of being one of the healthiest teams in the game the football gods came to collect the bills with a vengeance. It was insane. At one point in the year more than half our D was out. 

Vikes game is a close second. Bills found a new way to lose a game which is really hard with everything we've seen over the years. So many chances, all squandered. 

[Herodotus]

3 hours ago, mixum said:

- Injuries/secondary being abysmal 

- Allen’s injury 

- Gave Davis massive regression 

- 3rd and long issues every game 

Well the good news is the regular season is done, you can stick a fork in it, 13-3.  On to the playoffs.  The real question, and I do expect a thread about it, is, "are the playoffs toast?"  Now if the playoffs are toast which toast are they? Do you put butter and jam on them? Do you use syrup and confectioner's sugar and make French Toast? Do you buy Texas Toast? Also, do you make a panini or a grilled sandwich with the playoff toast?

[Mr .Bluto]

14 hours ago, Greg said:

How about the WR group. Diggs has been great but after that ...

bringing back Beasley and Brown certainly sends a message.

[jamsim67]

14 hours ago, Buffalochief2 said:

Why anyone thought a WR-4 in Davis and a WR-5 in McKenzie from 2021 would magically become viable options as WR-2 and WR-3 in 2022 is beyond me.  Maybe we see Davis step it up in the playoffs, but I don’t know how JA trusts Davis, half of his interceptions are on throws to Davis, Davis leads the team in drop rate, and JA completion percentage is its lowest on throws to Davis.  I like Davis as WR-4 but we need to address WR 2 and 3 in the off-season.

And the other half are where he magically throws the ball into the waiting arms of someone wearing a different colored jersey. Often all alone, just standing there with a big grin on his face waiting for the ball to arrive.

[FanBack]

On 1/12/2023 at 1:05 AM, Mr .Bluto said:

1. Losing to the Vikings at home in OT.  The Bills had a 17-point lead late in the 3rd quarter. With under 5 minutes to play they had a 10-point lead. Josh threw a couple of interceptions into the Bills end zone.  Game Over!  A win in this game would have eliminated all the nonsense for the play-offs.

2.  Von Miller.  He never dominated an opposing team.  His sacks were mostly cover sacks.  He was an opportunist but not a force for the defense.        

                                               

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[SpikedLemonade]

Such negativity from this poster.

 

[seandelevan]

I find it amusing that everyone is disappointed by the lack of production from the WR group…and at the same time worried about facing the bengals…a team fucking stacked at WR. 

And the Bills could have built their team the same way…but opted to sign and draft guys to sAcK tHe qB…yet it really hasn’t happened…just like I predicted. That money to sign Von should have gone to a stud on the offense. What a dumb move. Shit like this makes me question if this team can take the next step. 
 

 

 

[FanBack]

8 hours ago, seandelevan said:

I find it amusing that everyone is disappointed by the lack of production from the WR group…and at the same time worried about facing the bengals…a team fucking stacked at WR. 

And the Bills could have built their team the same way…but opted to sign and draft guys to sAcK tHe qB…yet it really hasn’t happened…just like I predicted. That money to sign Von should have gone to a stud on the offense. What a dumb move. Shit like this makes me question if this team can take the next step. 
 

 

 

Nice vote in 2020.  Boy, I sure hope you get your way with the Buffalo Bills.   Not.

[Herodotus]

My disappointments? Wasn't even the losses.  Until the Jets got injured to hell and back they were a playoff calibre team.  Yes, I absolutely mean that.  The vikings? They are a number two seed, and look at their schedule, with a couple bad blowout losses they had this habit of playing their opponents very close and then capitalizing on a mistake or two to win the game.  The Dolphins in Miami? Hell, our secondary was depleted, our O Line was too and take out a horrifically stupid penalty on that final drive we probably win that game on a last second field goal.   So no, no game was my disappointment.  Actually, there is no disappointment, but there are reasons for concern:

My biggest reason for concern:  

Hero Ball.  I love Josh Allen, I am wearing his jersey.  His Jersey is part of a weekend long superstition (I have to wear an Allen Jersey on Friday, a Kemp Jersey on Sunday, and if they win a Kelly jersey on Monday).  However, that boy loves throwing stupid -what the fuck are you looking at Josh- passes in the redzone.  I think a big reason for this is that Josh wants to be the hero.  He wants the kill shot when a short pass, or a keeper, or just handing the ball off and getting 5 yards or a first down would be a lot better.  Its why I compare him to Brett Favre.  Josh is going to be one of the all time greats by the time its over, but he loses ball games because he needs to be the hero even though there is no need for it.

Stupidity: By this I mean mindnumbingly stupid penalties.  Late in the game at Miami you get a hold that sets you back 10 yards and fucks up a chance to kick a game winning field goal.  You are in the shadows of your goal posts and you fumble the fucking ball.  You are playing Miami and beginning to pull away and instead you decide to plow into their punter on 4th and forever.  You are at Miami and you are down to like 16 seconds left and you receive a short pass and instead of getting the fuck out of bounds you burn precious time for about 5 more yards.  

If we minimize these, we'll go far.

[Crazy Legs]

On 1/12/2023 at 1:05 AM, Mr .Bluto said:

1. Losing to the Vikings at home in OT.  The Bills had a 17-point lead late in the 3rd quarter. With under 5 minutes to play they had a 10-point lead. Josh threw a couple of interceptions into the Bills end zone.  Game Over!  A win in this game would have eliminated all the nonsense for the play-offs.

2.  Von Miller.  He never dominated an opposing team.  His sacks were mostly cover sacks.  He was an opportunist but not a force for the defense.        

                                               

I was worried about that 6 year contract for Von Miller, considering his age.  But after looking at the details, it is not too heavy. 

Just an FYI.   

His 2023 Cap Hit is $18,705,000.     Not horrible  (but his dead cap is $40 million)

His 2024 Cap Hit is $21,205,000.   

*** Beane built in an out after the 2024 season.   Dead Cap is "only" $7,400,000 at that point.  My assumption is he would be gone after 2024.

 

I love what Von Miller has done in his career, but I would have liked to spend that same amount of money on Tyreek Hill, to be honest. 

[StraightJ]

On 1/12/2023 at 2:15 PM, HipKat said:

Truth! And divisional games always have a chance to go the other way. Miami did it to NE constantly during their run.

Even Rex seemed to get in on that action a little bit....  when he was with the Jets.

[StraightJ]

On 1/12/2023 at 6:14 AM, Herodotus said:

On the other hand, he is a major reason why the AFC title game may be held at a neutral site.  He came up big in KC.  He also taught the rest of the DL a lot

PFF or whomever does the weekly grades, and then shows "the core" season average has Von Miller currently at #2 for season grade.  There's more to being an edge rusher than just compiling sacks.

And beyond the talent and hard work, that leadership component in addition to his focus on inner game is important.  Long ago he said he would be back helping in what ways he could, and I don't have any reason to think he has not been.  I also recall reading he was going to be "shadowing" GM Brandon Beane, and acquiring skills to continue a career in football when it is time to move to the next chapter.  With his love for the game and drive, I would not bet against him nor think he'd need any "Rooney Rule"(though I doubt any team would turn down the free draft picks or whatever out of principle lol).   Go Von, heal well, go Bills!

[StraightJ]

According to TruMedia, eight teams since 2000 have been favored by at least 10 points. In those games, the favorites are 7-1 against the spread and are undefeated (8-0) in the actual result.

On 1/12/2023 at 6:05 AM, Mr .Bluto said:

1. Losing to the Vikings at home in OT.  The Bills had a 17-point lead late in the 3rd quarter. With under 5 minutes to play they had a 10-point lead. Josh threw a couple of interceptions into the Bills end zone.  Game Over!  A win in this game would have eliminated all the nonsense for the play-offs.

2.  Von Miller.  He never dominated an opposing team.  His sacks were mostly cover sacks.  He was an opportunist but not a force for the defense.        

                                               

I hear you on that MIN game, but for critical thinking analysis, it can be useful.    There were any number of things that |could" have went differently, all resulting in a Bills victory, yet they did not.  The likelihood of some of them alone was very, very steep....but combined? 

I seemed to recall someone in the Shoutbox asking something like "Could Cousins even see his receiver on that pass?" when he had multiple defenders rushing at him.  I'm not going to bother listing any more examples.   One also might recall that it was MIN in particular who this same season beat "The Comeback" record, which kind of makes 17 points seem a bit pedestrian in comparison.

Now I can foresee some wanting to spin the following negatively, but the articles that I finally saw it included it was always a mindnumblingly positive stat that I had already been proclaiming!  The combined defect in all the losses for the season was 8 points.  One possession.  I'm not sure how many(if any) teams in the 16 game era have matches or exceeded that.

Even not onsidering the slew pf injuries, literal storms, deaths, near death, etc....that is monumental.   I know coach of the year decisions are said to be more about performance vs pre-season expectations, but in a fair and just world HCSM would at least be in the conversation for what he has lead the team through, though I'd guess a few here are likely to hateful to admit that and prefer to find whatever is negative to focus on and amplify rather than being in awe of the work of art this team is.  (MrBluto, that is not aimed at you specifically, you seem to go back and forth and even found appreciation for guys like Tyrod Taylor).

My main disappointment was with Beane, in the offseason, and it now looks like it may have been at least somewhat mitigated.

 

 

The Super Bowl is not far away.  If she Bills secure a world title when the dust settles, I suspect the majority of folks will not need much if any effort to have these traumas and disappointments subside.  Get them out now, like an ayahuasca/peyote purge, and then like Von Miller admonished the community to do, burn it all to the ground.  These things will make any title far sweeter than if it had been an easier road.  They are part of the experience, to be appreciated.  Go Bills.