Tag: bills bengals

Bills’ Sean McDermott on any change to offense play-calling duties: ‘No’

#Bills’ Sean McDermott on any change to offense play-calling duties: “No”

The Bills struggle with offensive consistency this season has raised questions about whether there will be a change made at the coordinator position or playcalling on offense.

Head coach Sean McDermott was to the point responding to just that line of questioning after Sunday’s 24-18 loss to the Bengals.

“No,” the coach said to the press. “Well, I get it. I understand everyone’s frustration, I absolutely do, and we’re working extremely hard to make the adjustments we have to make. And Ken is doing the same. So I remain confident in Ken and our offensive staff, and we continue to work hard at improving and getting the results we need.”

Dorsey responded to questions about Sunday’s performance as well, citing field position as part of the reason for a lack of tempo.

“We were in some backed-up situations so we couldn’t quite get into the tempo stuff at times there,” he said. “We definitely started off in it this past game. We realized it was effective for us, but at times the crowd noise became a factor with the communication in some of those backed-up situations.

It’s something we want to continue to utilize, we just have to make sure we’re effective in what we do and stay on the field. The big thing for us is when we start racking plays together, then you start getting into that rhythm. We need to find a way to get into that groove, however it is.”

Between the numbers, there’s been a different start for Dorsey than his predecessor, Brian Daboll.

Daboll had several stints as a coordinator for college and pro-level offenses before calling the Bills offense. He had a creative touch, tailored scheming, and a balanced approach that first-time OC Dorsey has, at times, lacked.

He acknowledged after the game it was important they “Make sure we’re balanced in our approach. The big thing for us is not to become one-dimensional and predictable. We’ve got to be able to do that to keep the defense off balance and we have to do that in a way that’s efficient for us while still being able to generate some explosive chunk plays. We’ve got to find ways to do that.”

Doing so successfully on the field and not merely in press conferences or in hindsight is what will matter.

No public indication has been given by the Bills front office or coaching staff that a change is imminent. Though since the offensive roster has gotten more talented players success will be expected.

One of the most successful coordinators in the NFL, Josh McDaniels, is available due to a recent exit from the Raiders. Some may start to draw attention to that or a need for change should Dorsey’s struggles continue.

Time will tell, beginning next Monday night against the Denver Broncos.

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Bills’ Ken Dorsey: ‘Got a lot of faith in who we are’

#Bills’ Ken Dorsey: ‘Got a lot of faith in who we are’

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott’s message remained steadfast mid-week ahead of their next game against the Denver Broncos.

At a 5-4 record trailing the AFC East-leading Dolphins, with one more loss than their 2022 season total, and on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, he believes in his team’s ability to rise to the challenge ahead.

“I feel like these guys know what’s ahead of us, but they also know we got to take it one game at a time,” McDermott said. “I think they’re ready for the challenge. I know they’re ready for the challenge. And, you know, that’s what the Buffalo Bills do.”

In fact, in one word he expressed just how he feels about the team he has.

“Confident,” he said to the press. “Confident in our team. Confident in our coaches. Confident in our players. Confident in our staff. It doesn’t mean we don’t have work to do. It doesn’t mean we don’t have a gap to close.

“And there’s different things that make up that gap,” McDermott added. “And so we’ve got to continue to drill down on those areas and play better as an overall team, complementary-wise, and reset some things that we need to reset. You go back and re-teach certain things or re-establish certain things this time of year when you’re going through things. Even when you’re not going through things, it’s the right thing to do. But my confidence remains high in our group.”

Lack of execution and consistency across all three phases, along with some costly turnovers culminated in a loss last Sunday night to the Bengals.

Shoddy officiating and injuries didn’t help, but the coach has made no excuses, and instead taken responsibility for what he says they can correct.

“I think it starts with our level of execution, our level of complementary football,” McDermott said. “As I mentioned (Sunday) evening, it’s hard to win when you turn the ball over twice and you lose the field position battle by 12 yards approximately. There’s a formula here we’ve used for winning and we’ve got to execute that.”

While Allen and McDermott sounded like they may have felt unhappy with some of the offensive gameplan and overall inconsistency after the loss, McDermott has continued to throw support and place confidence behind coordinator Ken Dorsey.

Standing by personnel is nothing new for Buffalo’s head coach.

He did so early in his Buffalo tenure for both former Bills starting Quarterback Nathan Peterman as well as former assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier when questions arose about their performance.

Dorsey is confident in their team moving forward as well.

“I think they’ve got a lot of faith in who we are and what we’re about,” he said. “We’ve got a mentally tough group, a group of guys who have been through things together, been through some ups and downs and good and bad. We’re able to come together for one common goal and that’s win a football game.”

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Sean McDermott on Bills vs. Bengals: ‘Just too inconsistent overall’

Sean McDermott on Bills vs. Bengals: ‘Just too inconsistent overall’:

The Buffalo Bills found themselves in a familiar place against a familiar foe on Sunday Night Football, as the Cincinnati Bengals ran out the clock to secure a 24-18 victory.

While the Buffalo offense staged a fourth-quarter scoring drive to bring the game within a touchdown, they were inconsistent, and their defense failed to get a needed third-down stop in the final minutes. Cincinnati went into victory formation, taking knees on snaps until time ran out.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott, whose emphasis since the beginning of his tenure has been complimentary football and competing in all three phases, was to the point when asked after the game about what cost his squad a win.

“Just too inconsistent overall,” McDermott said to the press. “Not enough complementary football. Turned the ball over twice, I thought the defense got off to a slow start the first drive in particular… Too much inconsistencies in the kicking game as well as just the offense overall. Some good plays and just not enough of them.”

Inconsistency and execution issues have been a common issue for this year’s Bills team, as has been finding a rhythm.

While they did just that last week against the Buccaneers and started to find a similar rhythm early in their matchup against the Bengals, they did not sustain it.

“I thought we got off to a really good start in a rhythm and then after that, it was tough sledding,” McDermott added. “And that can’t happen against a good football team that is known for scoring points.”

In both matchups last season, the NFL Week 17 game that was cut short due to Bills S Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest, and the divisional round of the playoffs, the Bills looked outmatched by the Bengals.

In this most recent matchup, the game was winnable for Buffalo, if not for the inconsistency in performance across their three phases.

The Bills time of possession on only nine total possessions was exacerbated by two turnovers as well. One was a fumble punched out TE Dalton Kincaid’s grasp by Cincy LB Germaine Pratt, and the other was an interception by QB Josh Allen who underthrew WR Gabe Davis on a forced pass after a double clutch where Bengals CB Cam Taylor-Britt would take it away instead.

“We had our opportunities, didn’t score before half, didn’t get six in the first drive of the second half,” Allen said after the game. “That’s not complementary football, you’ve got to double dip and get the points there.”

The loss drops Buffalo to 5-4, to third in their division behind the Jets and Dolphins, and out of the AFC playoffs for now. They’ll have a chance to right the ship next week against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.

Bills’ Josh Allen says elbow injury changed things ‘mechanically’ for him

#Bills’ Josh Allen says elbow injury changed things ‘mechanically’ for him:

As the Bills season concluded over the weekend, the team began the process of looking back on everything they overcame this year as well as how to improve.

One of the challenges for their offense lay in the right elbow of quarterback Josh Allen, who suffered an ulnar collateral ligament injury.

It happened on the last offensive drive during an uncharacteristic Week 9 loss to the Jets in New Jersey that added insult to injury.

The injury required him to alter his mechanics, and according to him it wasn’t until two weeks ago he was able to get back to his usual throwing motion.

The good news is that there appear to be no plans for offseason surgery. The QB said Monday that “rest and recovery is gonna be really good for it.”

After the Bills’ second-round playoff exit in a 27-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Allen was asked about the effect the injury had on him. 

“I mean, there was a period, obviously, right after for a few weeks, where it was pretty bothersome, but again, it didn’t affect me all that much,” Allen said. “Just kind of felt like maybe I was trying to throw it a little differently mechanically, had to change a few things and got away a little bit from how I’m used to throwing the ball. That’s just kind of a byproduct of that. But again, it didn’t affect me too much.”

Allen’s injury occurred on a play where a Jets defensive lineman got the best of backup right tackle David Queensberry, who was filling in for starting tackle Spencer Brown. The offensive line has been scrutinized at times in recent years for their protection of Allen as well as opening things up for the running game.

While he did not miss playing time following the Jets game because of the banged-up elbow, he was listed on the Bills injury report for the remainder of the regular season. It wasn’t until the playoffs that he felt like himself as a passer, he said.

“I think, really, two weeks ago is when I kind of felt like I got back to mechanically what I like,” Allen said when asked later about the specific impact of adjusting his mechanics. “Again, being the rotational thrower, it’s very kind of elbow prevalent, and maybe I got a little bit to more of a linear-type deal ’cause I just couldn’t really use all that much force and kind of flicking it out there, but, again, just adapting.”

On one hand, it’s good news to hear that surgery might not be required and that the injury can be rested and rehabilitated.

On the other hand, Allen’s answering the question as to whether it affected his performance during the season or not may have raised other questions about why the team didn’t advance and about the offense.

Among those questions might be the playcalling by first-year offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, as well as questions about QB coach Joe Brady and the performance and depth of the offensive line.

Dorsey has a tough act to follow in Brian Daboll, who is now the Giants head coach. Dorsey didn’t turn heads in his first full season in the new role. Allen appeared to look downfield for knockout-punch big plays instead of going to open receivers for shorter yardage.

While head coach Sean McDermott thew support behind Dorsey this week, noting there is a first-year learning curve for anyone, including the OC, Allen also mentioned in his press conference he doesn’t question the plays Dorsey calls.

When interviewing for the position prior to the season, the Bills brass notably looked at wide receivers coaches before going with Dorsey. Given some of his playcalling and overall game plans, but especially their results, the front office and coaching staff will need to give a close examination in assessing that shift in the offense. 

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Von Miller: ‘Proud to be a Buffalo Bill’ after resilient 2022 season

Von Miller: ‘Proud to be a Buffalo Bill’ after resilient 2022 season

As the Bills 2022 NFL season has come to a close, there will be plenty of opportunity for reflection and putting things under the microscope.

and while the team will look for ways to improve for different results and more success in 2023, they might also find something else… Pride.

Von Miller did.

“It was so many different things that made me feel proud to be a Buffalo Bill and made me feel proud to be a part of this community,” Miller said to the press this week. “So this adversity that was presented, I’ve always been a fan of adversity, reveals character and we have some high character guys in this locker room. Not only in a locker room, but in the front office in this community. And it’s just an honor and a privilege to be associated with the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park and the city of Buffalo.”

The Bills season concluded in an underwhelming loss to a now AFC Championship game-bound Cincy squad on Sunday in Orchard Park, which certainly was not the ending the team and its fans wanted.

While the team fell short of their goal of a Super Bowl win this season, there is a silver lining. They overcame a lot and turned in a solid outcome despite adversities and obstacles.

The tragic loss of tight end Dawson Knox’s brother,

More instances followed, such as the off-field matters that resulted in the loss of a player and sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft meant to be a long-term game-impacting special teams solution, the team playing three road games in 12 days, plus having one of their home games relocated one week, and getting stuck in Chicago on Christmas Eve during another, both due to weather. Not to mention challenges presented by issues with playcalling and overall performance.

And then there were injuries.

The team was already without star corner Tre White for about half the season but also saw an elbow injury hinder QB Josh Allen up until their final two games. And then there were the season-ending injuries to defensive staple and NFL star safety Micah Hyde, as well as fellow league-wide star and the Bills’ big free-agency acquisition, OLB Von Miller.

And of course, the near-fatal heart attack on the field for Damar Hamlin that required game cancellation and multiple resuscitations after a square hit. 

None of that was lost on Hyde, who echoed Miller’s sentiments as well.

“The weather issues, the injuries, just a lot of things that happened this year and to see these guys really keep fighting, keep coming to work, keep being positive, keep getting up in the morning, which is hard to do when the weather’s bad, it’s snowing,” the Bills safety said. “To see all that, I learned a lot about my teammates and I’m very, very proud of the players, the coaches, this organization.”

While each injury brought some bitter taste to a season that fell short of the sweetness a Super Bowl victory would have, there is still a silver lining.

Most professional sports teams do not face nearly as many adversities in a season.

Not to mention, most sports franchises haven’t been to and lost four consecutive championship games in the past, nor were many a Super Bowl favorite this year. But the Bills were.

And through it all, they endured and overcame to finish with a 13-3 record in the regular season, winning the AFC East for the third consecutive year and then advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

It won’t be enough for a team with championship aspirations but still speaks to how Buffalo battled throughout the season.

“There are no moral victories,” Miller added. “But when you look at what this team went through, what this community went through … the resiliency … that’s what stands out … I feel honored and privileged to be associated with the Buffalo Bills.”

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It’s past time for the Buffalo Bills to reconsider their offensive approach

The Buffalo Bills built their entire offense out of Josh Allen. It’s past time for them to reconsider that particular approach.

In the end, any team based primarily on the efforts of one player, no matter how great that player may be, is doomed.

The Buffalo Bills just found that out the hard way. While the Cincinnati Bengals, who beat the Bills 27-10 in the divisional round to advance to their second straight AFC Championship game, has built their team on both sides of the ball over time, Buffalo’s primary construct, with all due respect to a bunch of really good players on that roster, has been to put too much in the hands of quarterback Josh Allen, and assume that it will all work out.

The Bills team-built to a point to get to where they are, to be sure, but Allen has been in the crucible all year long, and against the Bengals, he simply ran out of gas. As big and strong and gifted as he is, and as much as he has put his own indelible stamp on the quarterback position in his five NFL campaigns, he was also trying to take the Bills to their first Super Bowl since the end of the 1993 season with an iffy-at-best offensive line, one star receiver in Stefon Diggs, and a multi-back run game that could never carry the load for any real stretch of time.

Allen is good, but he’s not that good. Nobody is. Even the greatest quarterbacks need help. Tom Brady spent a few years in the mid-2000s lost in the weeds with Deion Branch, Troy Brown, and Reche Caldwell as his primary targets. The New England Patriots got tired of it, grabbed Randy Moss and Wes Welker in the 2007 preseason, and put up one of the greatest single-season offensive performances in pro football history. Not that they won the Super Bowl in their nearly-undefeated 2007 season, but they were back in the hunt.

Right now, Allen has one gun with which to hunt. He has his Randy Moss in Diggs, some average-to-good receivers in Gabe Davis, Isaiah McKenzie, the recently re-signed Cole Beasley, and tight end Dawson Knox. an offensive line that isn’t a big help, and a three-pronged running back group in James Cook, Devin Singletary, and Nyheim Hines that doesn’t really scare anybody. The only Bills runner who strikes any fear in enemy defenses is Allen, which reinforces the overall point.

The Bills and Josh Allen must find the bridge between boom and bust

Buffalo’s wild-card win over the Miami Dolphins perfectly summarized the boom-or-bust nature of this offense. His 352 passing yards marked a career high — but so did his three turnovers and seven sacks. Buffalo pulled that win out, but it was much closer than people imagined it would be, especially after the Bills worked up a 17-0 second-quarter lead, and got out of there with a 34-31 squeaker.

Anybody who watched the Skylar Thompson-led Dolphins nearly pull off that particular upset had to have a suspicion that a Bengals team led by Joe Burrow, Burrow’s three-headed hellscape of receivers in Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd, an offensive line that performed magnificently despite the absence of three starters due to injury, and the underrated efforts of running back Joe Mixon, could blow the Bills right out of their own stadium.

Which is exactly what happened. The Bengals bracketed Diggs, got after Allen over and over (one sack, but eight quarterback hits), and limited the Bills to 63 yards on 19 carries. Allen completed 25 of 42 passes for 265 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a lot of frustration.

Diggs’ frustration — he caught four passes on 10 targets for 35 yards in this game — was also evident.

What can the Bills do about it? Not a lot in the upcoming free agency period. Based on an estimated 2023 salary cap of $225 million (it may be more), Buffalo is more than $8 million over that number, and there aren’t a lot of obvious cuts to be made, because general manager Brandon Beane pushed contracts into the future, thinking that the window was now.

So, it’ll be up to the draft. The Bills would do well to get a legitimate running back like Texas’ Bijan Robinson or Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs. Maybe they go with the best possible option in a stacked receiver class in the later rounds, and they need at least one new offensive lineman to round it out.

It’s a lot to ask of the Bills, but the Bills have already and clearly asked too much of Josh Allen. Now, it’s time for everybody else to step up.

Anatomy of Two Plays: How the Bengals are using smashmouth to beat the Bills

Two early Joe Mixon runs personify how the Bengals are punching the Bills’ defense right in the mouth with their ground game.

Coming into Sunday’s divisional round game, the Buffalo Bills ranked third in Football Outsiders’ Defensive Adjusted Line Yards metric, which is to say that their run defense has been quite good all season. They’ve stuffed opposing runners on 25% of all plays (stuffs are tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage), which leads the league, and they’ve been one of the best teams in power situations — they haven’t allowed a ton of runs on third or fourth down, two yards or less to go, that achieved a first down or touchdown.

So, it stood to reason that even though Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is a top-quality player, the Bills would have Cincinnati’s running game on lock. Through the first two Bengals drives of the game — both of which ended in Joe Burrow touchdown passes — Mixon had five carries for 34 yards, and it was the ways in which Mixon was able to make big gains on two specific plays that should have Buffalo’s defense worried.

The first run came with 1:45 elapsed in the first quarter, and this was a pitch to Mixon from Burrow in which Mixon followed a perfectly-blocked path for 10 yards, running over top safety Jordan Poyer in the process.

Then, with 9:24 left in the first quarter, Mixon had this 16-yard run. As ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky points out, this was by design — the Bengals used motion to create a formation advantage, and Buffalo’s defense has struggled to deal with this kind of stuff throughout the season.

If the Bills are going to get back into this game, they’ll have to figure out how to counter Cincinnati’s offense — especially an offensive line that is starting several backups due to injury, but is looking like a line of All-Pros early on.

Bills at Bengals: 5 things to watch for during Week 17’s game

#Bills at #Bengals: 5 things to watch for during Week 17’s game:

The Buffalo Bills (12-3) continue their regular season journey on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) in Week 17.

Once the battle arrives, there will be a few particular things to keep in mind.

Here are seven things to watch for during Monday’s Bills-Bengals matchup:

Report: Former Bills OL Quinton Spain to visit Bengals

Former Bills Bills OL Quinton Spain to have free-agent visit with Bengals.

After being released by the Buffalo Bills last week, offensive lineman Quinton Spain is reportedly going to make his first free-agent visit this upcoming week.

The Bengals will host Spain on a visit, Bengals Wire reports.

While Cincy isn’t in a playoff race currently at 1-5-1 overall, the Bengals do have huge concerns on their offensive line. Rookie quarterback Joe Burrow has flashed in his first season, but he’s been beaten up, too.

Spain would compete with linemen Mike Jordan, Billy Price and Alex Redmond for playing time.

After the 29-year-old was released by Buffalo last week, Bills Wire named the Bengals as one of his potential top-landing spots.

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Tre’Davious White, Ochocinco have Twitter exchange

Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White is an All-Pro on the first and an All-Pro jokester off of it.

Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White is an All-Pro on the first and an All-Pro jokester off of it. Some of the same can be said for former Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson.

On Wednesday, White and Johnson exchanged some fun jabs at least other on Twitter. Also known as “Ochocinco,” the wideout shared a video of him on the social media site. White had a response that said he’d have no problem covering Johnson:

White had since deleted the tweet, but once on the internet, always on the internet, Tre. Interestingly, Johnson responded with a nice comeback, one which he didn’t delete:

https://twitter.com/ochocinco/status/1255697681269297152

Here’s the full Ochocinco message, with Tre’Davious adding that he’s interested in actually finding out who could cover who:

 

Maybe one day we’ll find out how this one turns out. Could be fun.

 

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