Buffalo Rumblings - Bills vs Titans: Buffalo opens 2022 home slate with familiar foeBuffalo Bills news, notes, discussions, opinions and analysis. 24/7/365 since 4/7/2007.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48063/buffalorumblings_fave.png2022-09-25T06:15:00-04:00http://www.buffalorumblings.com/rss/stream/231168952022-09-25T06:15:00-04:002022-09-25T06:15:00-04:00SB Nation Reacts: Bills fans are riding high
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<figcaption>Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Very confident Bills fans</p> <p id="O2cqhJ">Fans of the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> are riding high after two dominating performances. Since we knew they were confident in the direction of the team, we asked a slightly different question this week in our SB Nation Reacts polling.</p>
<p id="cKMxse">Are the Buffalo Bills the best team in the NFL?</p>
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<p id="fYlDE5">The vast majority of Bills fans, 93%, said yes Buffalo is the best team in the NFL.</p>
<p id="0xEhZh">The fan confidence was 100%, though. For some reason, only 99% of fans were confident in the direction of the Bills. Injuries? Who knows.</p>
<p id="PnJXa3">After the drubbing on Monday, only 5% of Tennessee Titans fans were confident in the direction of their team.</p>
<p id="zkzqV4">In the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills (99%) lead the <a href="https://www.thephinsider.com/">Miami Dolphins</a> (98%) and the <a href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/">New York Jets</a> (87%) with the <a href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">New England Patriots</a> (55%) bringing up the rear.</p>
<p id="tPONXV">Check out <a href="https://www.draftkings.com/sportsbook">DraftKings Sportsbook</a>, the official <a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/featured">sportsbook</a> partner of SB Nation.</p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/9/25/23371112/buffalo-bills-fans-confidence-miami-dolphinsMatt Warren2022-09-24T10:55:00-04:002022-09-24T10:55:00-04:00Bills vs Titans: Breaking down FB Reggie Gilliam’s TD
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<figcaption>Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>OC Ken Dorsey and Gilliam were dialed in Monday night</p> <p id="K1udP3">The first touchdown drive for the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> against the Tennessee Titans came courtesy of a Reggie Gilliam screen pass. There were multiple things that went right for the offense with this great design by offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. This play had it all, from breaking tackles to fantastic blocking and athleticism.</p>
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<p id="AaRR9U">Part 1: The play fake </p>
<p id="VOvFro">The first thing to look at here is the play fake that sets up the screen pass for Reggie Gilliam. This play fake ends up drawing the eyes of several Titans defenders. What makes the play fake successful is that the Bills sell the run hard. They pull left guard Rodger Saffold to the right side. Saffold is specifically pulling into Spencer Brown’s right tackle spot as he goes out to the second level of Tennessee’s defense. Then quarterback Josh Allen turns around and does a routine play fake with running back Devin Singletary. Singletary runs behind the pulling Saffold. This hard run sell to the right forces five Titans defenders to collectively stare at the right side of the field toward Singletary. Allen then turns around and throws an easy completion to Gilliam, which starts the screen.</p>
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<p id="6ZW6Py">Part 2: OL Greg Van Roten’s double block</p>
<p id="I8IGXI">You love to see the big guys work! Greg Van Roten is at the center position so he’s in the middle of the offensive line. He runs all the way out to the left side of the field to block for Gilliam, who just caught the ball on the screen. Van Roten just barely gets there in time to make a tackle-saving block on Titans linebacker Zack Cunningham. The block on Cunningham was the single most important part of the play to me. Van Roten gets a tiny piece of Cunningham, which is just enough to keep Gilliam upright. If Van Roten doesn’t get just enough of Cunningham, then the LB gets to square up on Gilliam and the Titans probably get a tackle for a loss here. What’s more impressive than this screen-saving block is what Van Roten does next. He turns around, keeps his balance then blocks EDGE DeMarcus Walker. What makes this all the more impressive to me is that things are moving so fast on a football field. So, to have that level of awareness and athleticism is amazing. This is also a sign of phenomenal teaching by offensive line coach Aaron Kromer. He’s making sure his guys aren’t just content with their own assignments, but going above and beyond them. </p>
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<p id="zvbjKA">Part 3: RT Spencer Brown’s shoulder block </p>
<p id="MBi2Um">Spencer Brown is the unsung hero on this play. It’s important to remember the play starts with Brown going out to the second level and Saffold replacing him on the pull to help with the play fake. Brown never blocks a single linebacker as he works his way to the left side of the field. By the time the screen is set in motion, Brown is already patiently scraping in perfect position. He then shoulder blocks linebacker David Long Jr. This block seals the touchdown run, as Long was the only defender who had any chance of making the touchdown-saving play on Gilliam. </p>
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<p id="Ra6m02">Part 4: Reggie Gilliam running in for the score</p>
<p id="IAWvg1">The last part of this play is of course Gilliam himself. If I didn’t know whose jersey he had on, I would think he was Derrick Henry during this run. Gilliam breaks the tackle of Cunningham. He shows great contact balance and strength by staying upright after an attempted tackle, where the defender grabbed cloth and wrapped around him. Gilliam then has the wherewithal to gather himself and run to the endzone. He outruns the entire defense to the end zone, when he gets into his full sprint. The strength, balance, and acceleration here were all high-level running back stuff. </p>
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<p id="P4ZD0N">Summary</p>
<p id="U4cpmF">Reggie Gilliam’s touchdown was without a doubt an amazing play call by Ken Dorsey. The Bills sold the run hard to the right side. Then they got the screen they wanted all along. The offensive line gave outstanding blocking during the screen. Then Gilliam makes an extremely impressive run, where we see high-level balance and acceleration (something you don’t expect from a fullback). Plays like this show the Bills have the Jimmy's and Joes as well as the X’s and O’s, which is quite a dangerous combination.</p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/9/24/23368773/buffalo-bills-tennessee-titans-breaking-down-fullback-reggie-gilliams-tdDarrell Lane2022-09-23T13:40:24-04:002022-09-23T13:40:24-04:00Pat McAfee loves him some Buffalo Bills
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<figcaption>JAMIE GERMANO / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>He called them an “absolute wagon” in his Tweet </p> <p id="Repa1g">Former <a href="https://www.stampedeblue.com/">Indianapolis Colts</a> punter and current sports analyst Pat McAfee is a huge fan of what the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> are currently doing in the 2022 NFL season. After their drubbing of the Tennessee Titans on <em>Monday Night Football</em>, the Bills are making major national waves and McAfee loves it.</p>
<p id="o0jWkm">On his show recently, McAfee said the Titans were on the road in a very tough place in Buffalo. He stated that Bills Mafia made the stadium “deafening.” “They were having a good time. Von Miller got to experience it for the first time in his career as a member of the Bills. He chatted about how fantastic it was,” stated McAfee. </p>
<p id="IORp5F">“This Buffalo Bills team might go on to be the greatest of all time,” he said in excitement. “That’s what it certainly appears like here early. First against the Rams, last night against the Titans. Those are two formidable foes if you look at last year’s records and outcomes. And it didn’t seem like the Buffalo Bills slowed down at all.”</p>
<p id="nZUcBp">McAfee then goes on to gush about the rapport between quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs, which was heavily showcased on Monday night. When talking about why the duo couldn’t be stopped, he explained, “Brand new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey might be better than Daboll and Josh Allen might be better than Josh Allen was last year when we thought he couldn’t get better.”</p>
<p id="K5Xnmv">Finally, he discussed the defense and how incredible they’ve been. He also wondered if the Bills have peaked too early and stated that that might be the only question there is for the team. </p>
<p id="JrIyh4">Watch the full video below but note that it contains language that might not be safe for work. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Buffalo Bills are an ABSOLUTE WAGON<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PMSLive?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PMSLive</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BillsMafia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BillsMafia</a> <a href="https://t.co/PnDSArJz0e">pic.twitter.com/PnDSArJz0e</a></p>— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1572260169253556224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a>
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https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/9/23/23365946/pat-mcafee-loves-him-some-buffalo-billsDanyel Geist2022-09-23T10:15:00-04:002022-09-23T10:15:00-04:00Peter Schrager: The Buffalo Bills are a “locomotive”
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<figcaption>JAMIE GERMANO / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>It’s full steam ahead for these Bills</p> <p id="wdTkz0">Last football season, a few mishaps kept the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> from their ultimate dream of playing in and winning the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl">Super Bowl</a>. A Josh Allen slip against the Tennessee Titans. The last few seconds against the <a href="https://www.arrowheadpride.com">Kansas City Chiefs</a> in the divisional round of the playoffs. </p>
<p id="Re6g7y">This year, however, the Bills seem to be built different and the crew of <em>Good Morning Football</em> needed to discuss this very thing. </p>
<p id="C8eZG3">Check out the full clip below or you can read the recaps. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/BuffaloBills?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BuffaloBills</a> have outscored last season's Super Bowl champs & No. 1 seed in the AFC by a combined score of 72-17 <a href="https://twitter.com/PSchrags?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PSchrags</a>: "This is a locomotive." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BillsMafia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BillsMafia</a> <a href="https://t.co/SVGaxiGPSJ">pic.twitter.com/SVGaxiGPSJ</a></p>— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) <a href="https://twitter.com/gmfb/status/1572183003732017153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a>
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<p id="o9KWr6">Peter Schrager opens the segment talking about quarterback Josh Allen’s slip in Tennessee last season and how it was similar to the end of the first half of Monday night’s game. “Last night, they had a similar situation and it was at the end of the first half,” said Schrags. “You go down there and it’s 10-7 and they’re up and it’s stopped at the one!” Instead of kicking the field goal, Allen encouraged head coach Sean McDermott to try for the touchdown and he obliged. </p>
<p id="1csTKr">The ensuing play was a beautiful TD strike to wide receiver Stefon Diggs. “That right there. That is a different team!” shouted Schrager. The Bills certainly didn’t come up short this time. </p>
<p id="PXaadP">“They beat the Super Bowl Champions and the number-one seed in the AFC from last year by a combined score of 72-17,” said a mystified Schrager as Kyle Brandt made sounds of approval in the background. “This is a locomotive. What a statement!”</p>
<p id="o9cXmF">“The Bills have played so well these last two weeks that you find youself questioning ‘Are they playing real opponents?’” Jason McCourty chimed in. He believes that Buffalo made the <a href="https://www.turfshowtimes.com/">Los Angeles Rams</a> and Titans look like high school teams. In fact, star running back Derrick Henry only had 25 yards all game. </p>
<p id="FOuHjM">Speaking of Henry, McCourty told the audience that Monday night was his worst game statistically in the last 50 starts. The Bills’ defense truly made him a non-factor all night long. </p>
<p id="JKFTfa">Jamie Erdahl wanted to give a shout out to Buffalo Bills coach. “There was another person that would have been involved in that conversation to go for it on the goal line and that’s Ken Dorsey,” said Erdahl. “The decision-making that he has made and whatever he has implemented since taking over as offensive coordinator for the Bills has been unbelievable.” </p>
<p id="gYkARo">Erdahl then referenced this clip that’s trending viral on social media of Dorsey picking up his charts near the end of the game and getting up to leave with a smile. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ken Dorsey is a weapon <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BillsMafia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BillsMafia</a> <a href="https://t.co/oSNeenlK1D">pic.twitter.com/oSNeenlK1D</a></p>— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) <a href="https://twitter.com/SabresBuzz/status/1572053206196420608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a>
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<p id="trXtpn">“Right now, they just show up and they just wreck people,” said Kyle Brandt. “As good as Allen is and as good as Diggs is, don’t ever get seduced enough by Josh Allen to think this is the Josh & Stefon show. This is a top-to-bottom team that’s been built from the ground up to be unbeatable. They’re the number-one team, guys.”</p>
<p id="UR1At9">However, Brandt isn’t willing to give the Bills any gold medals for their performance because this is what the team promised they would do. “You’re beating the crap outta teams. You’re supposed to,” reminded Brandt. </p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/9/23/23365359/peter-schrager-the-buffalo-bills-are-a-locomotiveDanyel Geist2022-09-23T10:10:00-04:002022-09-23T10:10:00-04:00Bills vs Titans: All-22 analysis of Buffalo’s rookie CBs
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<figcaption>Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>All eyes on the defensive backs</p> <p id="MfYNsD">The <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> routed the Tennessee Titans on Monday night, 41-7. Buffalo’s defense looked spectacular, only allowing the Titans 187 total yards. This defense was fun to watch producing four turnovers (technically one turnover was on a muffed punt), including an interception returned for a touchdown by linebacker Matt Milano. Unfortunately for the Bills, they had to deal with a handful of <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/9/20/23362460/buffalo-bills-have-a-short-week-to-get-healthy-injured-defense-micah-hyde-dane-jackson">injuries</a> throughout the game on the defensive side of the ball. With a scary injury to starting cornerback <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/9/20/23362908/buffalo-bills-cornerback-dane-jackson-walks-out-of-hospital-tuesday-morning-injury-tremaine-edmunds">Dane Jackson</a>, both of Buffalo’s rookie corners had to step up. Here’s an All-22 look at how they fared versus the Titans.</p>
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<h2 id="2WWUH1">Christian Benford</h2>
<p id="jn5T4Z">Christian Benford led all defensive players with 51 <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/9/22/23363875/bills-vs-titans-snap-counts-jake-kumerow-leads-all-receivers-james-cook-running-backs">snaps</a> (91%) played. This is a glowing endorsement of the Bills’ confidence in the sixth-round rookie. Benford started the game's first two series and then switched off with fellow rookie corner Kaiir Elam. Once cornerback Dane Jackson was injured (thankfully he is okay), both Benford and Elam played the rest of the game together.</p>
<h3 id="L7fe27">Play 1</h3>
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<p id="0nSZDA">Benford jumps right in on the first defensive series of the game and makes a huge tackle on Titans running back Derrick Henry. It’s great to see a young player have the tenacity to challenge in the run game—something both head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane have said they look for in cornerbacks. At the snap, Benford immediately recognizes the toss play and forces the issue by running UP field, not sitting back. This ultimately puts him in a good position to set the edge four yards deep in Tennessee’s backfield. Henry tries to bump the run outside to no avail because Benford strings the play out nicely and makes an excellent tackle for a four-yard loss. </p>
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<p id="rqJKkQ">Benford played well but here’s a play where he could have had better coverage. On this 3rd & 14 play by the Titans, they lined up in a bunch formation to Benford’s side. The Bills show a Cover 2 look with 2-high safeties. In this situation Benford should be thinking three things:</p>
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<li id="ewuJop"> One of the WRs of the bunch should go out towards the sideline. They most likely won’t run all three of them towards the short side of the field.</li>
<li id="IdOIoF">Realize that all of his help is inside, so he should have outside leverage.</li>
<li id="8Y32sZ">Be aware of the first-down marker—they are likely going to run routes at the marker because they are already in close field goal range. The Titans have nothing to gain by throwing a short dump-off.</li>
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<p id="QphDrR">Understanding situational football is a key component to understanding what your opponent is trying to do. This was a critical play that gave the Titans a 4th & 1, which led to a touchdown on the next play.</p>
<h3 id="D1ruvN">Play 3</h3>
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<p id="lhuoOf">Let’s end on a good one! Benford does a wonderful job recognizing the “wheel route” on this play. He seamlessly passes off the in-route to the linebackers and then picks up the vertical wide receiver while squeezing the route to the sideline. Good coverage!</p>
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<h2 id="v7kGDS">Kaiir Elam</h2>
<p id="LjsnUo">Kaiir Elam played 37 <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/9/22/23363875/bills-vs-titans-snap-counts-jake-kumerow-leads-all-receivers-james-cook-running-backs">snaps</a> (66%) on Monday night. Although he didn’t “start,” it was nice to see him out there getting more playing time. Elam carries high expectations from being a first-round pick in this year's <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft">NFL draft</a>, but McDermott and defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Leslie Frazier are staying patient with him and letting him develop as the season progresses. Let’s take a look at some plays from his encouraging performance.</p>
<h3 id="Bzz8yd">Play 1</h3>
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<p id="5LjrP8">Another cornerback on the Bills who is a willing tackler. Bills Mafia should be excited about the aggressiveness that these two young corners showed Monday night. On this play, Elam immediately recognizes the run play and flies up to the line of scrimmage for his run fit on the edge. Watch as he approaches the edge. Titans running back Derrick Henry sees him and turns it back up inside... perfect! Then Elam jumps in on the tackle to stop Henry for a minimum gain. Great play! Elam had another tackle almost identical to this play in the third quarter where he ended up taking Henry down on his own. </p>
<h3 id="CokfGJ">Play 2</h3>
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<p id="bALqDl">Another great tackle here, this time in the open field. Kaiir Elam played a lot of press coverage in college at the University of Florida. He seems more comfortable when he’s playing up on the wide receiver as he does here. On this play, he shows a nice jam on the line of scrimmage of the wide receiver and sticks with him for some solid coverage. As soon as Elam sees quarterback Ryan Tannehill turn to throw the swing pass, he drives up the field to close the gap to the ball carrier. This is paramount in an open-field tackle. It gives the ball carrier less space to make a move. This play ends up for no gain thanks to Elam’s quickness and sound open-field tackling technique.</p>
<h3 id="X2OQlP">Play 3</h3>
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<p id="gCWxSM">Elam executes his role in Cover-2 perfectly on this play. The Titans run a “switch route” where the outside receiver runs a post and the inside receiver runs an “out and up” or “wheel” route. This route is usually to try and confuse the cornerback and safety on defense, but it doesn’t phase Elam. He calmly drops back into position and realizes he has two vertical routes. Elam closes the window on the post route, carrying it to the safety. Then he switches off the wheel route and squeezes his man to the sideline, leaving no room for a throw.</p>
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<h2 id="2p5Or7">Summary</h2>
<p id="ePZKTz">With the injuries stacking up in Buffalo’s secondary, all eyes will be on the rookie cornerbacks heading into their Week 3 matchup against the <a href="https://www.thephinsider.com/">Miami Dolphins</a>. The cheetah (Tyreek Hill) and the penguin (Jaylen Waddle) are some of the most explosive wide receivers in the NFL. Miami is coming fresh off of an impressive offensive performance in their big comeback win against the <a href="https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/">Baltimore Ravens</a> in Week 2. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and company present some challenges for the Bills' secondary, but it was encouraging to see the young rookie corners play well in Week 2. We’ll find out quickly if they are up for the uniquely challenging task the Dolphins present.</p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/9/23/23367394/bills-vs-titans-all-22-analysis-of-buffalos-rookie-cbsB.J.Monacelli2022-09-23T10:03:32-04:002022-09-23T10:03:32-04:00Bills vs Titans: Analysis of Buffalo P Sam Martin
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<p>It’s video—I’m talking to you now!</p> <p id="mUV78u">Hey everyone! Same old Skarekrow doing <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> game analysis. Not the same old methodology. This season I’m trying something new—a video breakdown narrated by yours truly. The name for this series hasn’t been finalized yet, so feel free to suggest one in the comments. If I choose your suggestion, you’ll win a five-pound bag of pride (actual prize may vary). </p>
<p id="9P9B1p">This week I’m taking a look at the one player we never wanted to see do his primary job. That’s right, Bills punter Sam Martin is our first topic for this series. </p>
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<p id="Lc9PyW">In this week’s edition, I take a look at Sam Martin’s three punts on <em>Monday Night Football</em> as the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> trounced the Tennessee Titans. As we all know, all three punts went well for Buffalo with Sam Martin an unlikely hero in a game where the Bills dropped 41 points on the number-one seed from the AFC last season. Dominance in all three phases of the game!</p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/9/23/23366197/bills-vs-titans-analysis-of-buffalo-p-sam-martinSkarekrow2022-09-23T08:24:04-04:002022-09-23T08:24:04-04:00Bills vs Titans: DE Greg Rousseau was a terror
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<figcaption>Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Rousseau was the man under the lights of Monday night</p> <p id="qOOnn7">Perhaps lost among the endless highlights from the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a>’ through domination of the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football was the outstanding performance by defensive end Greg Rousseau. A true force all night, Rousseau’s final numbers on the evening: four tackles, one sack, and two tackles for a loss in the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> 41-7 blowout win. Let’s head to the tape and review his great play.</p>
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<h3 id="VVxkgp">Play 1</h3>
<p id="wBnUnG">The most important thing for any EDGE rusher is the ability to bend around offensive tackles. Here we have Rousseau on the left side, with his hand in the dirt and lined up on the outside shoulder of the tight end. When the ball is snapped the tight end makes no effort to chip Rousseau at all to slow him down. He goes to his speed rush then finishes as he lowers his level and bends around the tackle to cause the pressure. This speeds up quarterback Ryan Tannehill and forces him to quickly get rid of the ball. Rousseau is getting to the level now where he needs to be chipped in order to slow his pass rush down or he’s just going to beat offensive tackles. </p>
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<h3 id="9CjbRJ">Play 2</h3>
<p id="sNQfi0">To be a top EDGE rusher you can’t just win with speed and bend. You need to win with power as well. Here we see Rousseau standing up outside the tackle pre-snap on the left side. At the snap, Rousseau pushes the tackle back on initial contact with his power. He then beats the tackle in the hand fight, rips inside, and beats the tackle in a foot race to Tannehill who throws the football away. </p>
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<h3 id="yDPLRl">Play 3</h3>
<p id="VVjZ8I">The final part of being a disruptive EDGE is competence in the run game. Rousseau has his hand in the dirt on the right side, this time lined up outside the tackle. The Titans pull their guard to the left to block Rousseau. He just straight-up beats the guard in a foot race. The Titans’ guard barely even touches Rousseau. Rousseau goes around the guard because he isn’t able to get a good block on him. He then tackles running back Derrick Henry below the knee for the stop. This was a textbook and extremely difficult tackle by Rousseau. To have the quickness to beat the pulling guard then bend around for the perfect low solo tackle on Henry shows substantial development as a player.</p>
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<h3 id="3bdH4P">Summary</h3>
<p id="cXR94P">Greg Rousseau has become a pretty disruptive force for the Bills, as a key part of a deep defensive line. He can stand up or have his hand in the dirt. In terms of his pass rush, he can win with power or with speed and bend. He can be a force as a pass rusher but plays the run well too. The sky’s the limit for the 6’7” defensive end out of the U.</p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/9/23/23367098/bills-vs-titans-de-greg-rousseau-was-a-terrorDarrell Lane2022-09-23T08:21:30-04:002022-09-23T08:21:30-04:00Bills vs Titans: Rookie review
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<figcaption>Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>A couple of rookies were thrust into monster roles on Monday</p> <p id="JqU68y">It was another week of punishment for the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> as they stymied the Tennessee Titans and running back Derrick Henry. Just a ten-point lead at half for the Bills quickly bloomed to 34 in the third quarter. Thus, many of the starters took a seat for the entirety of the fourth frame. <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/9/20/23362774/buffalo-bills-setting-precedent-for-rookie-starts-in-the-nfl#comments">Plenty of rookies have had their fingerprints on the Bills’ rise to the class of the NFL</a>. That was no different in this game, and well before garbage time even began. </p>
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<h3 id="r0cznn">CB Kaiir Elam</h3>
<p id="w1vqGC">Once again, Elam didn’t start the game at corner. An scary injury to starting veteran cornerback Dane Jackson in the second quarter that involved him leaving in an ambulance quickly thrust Elam into the down-to-down lineup. Elam stepped up big-time in his opportunity with a key pass breakup and multiple run stops where he was put on an island against Derrick Henry and Tennessee’s pass catchers. He did appear to give up one catch in man-to-man coverage for a medium gain. Elam’s likely to start against the <a href="https://www.thephinsider.com/">Miami Dolphins</a> and the their explosive passing game this Sunday, barring a miraculous one-week recovery from Jackson.</p>
<h3 id="qtflZA">RB James Cook</h3>
<p id="yyVNG9">Cook barely played before garbage time for the Bills in Week 2. But his ball handling was much better and every touch he receives without putting the ball on the ground is going to earn Cook more trust with the coaching staff. Cook got a bunch of late-game carries, including a 33-yard pop on an I-Form toss sweep play to the boundary. The flashes exist for the second rounder, but he has yet to establish himself as even a third-down back in the offense. Perhaps his late-game performance on Monday night will earn him a few more touches when it matters.</p>
<h3 id="HppPWX">LB Terrel Bernard</h3>
<p id="g4po9Q">Bernard got some snaps as early as the first defensive drive when the Bills committed to slowing down the Derrick Henry show with three linebacker sets. It went as the depth chart shows with Bernard getting the run over veteran Tyrel Dodson when the defense wanted bigger bodies occupying the box. Bernard quietly had three tackles on the night, but his role diminished once the Buffalo’s defense realized they could slow down the Titans while playing in nickel. Bernard is much more likely to be involved in games where stopping the run is a priority challenge.</p>
<h3 id="Xp6cVF">WR Khalil Shakir</h3>
<p id="TFBXCJ">Shakir was active with the surprise late ankle injury for wide receiver Gabe Davis. Despite being active, Jamison Crowder got the nod at punt returner and Shakir was consistently outsnapped by wide receiver Jake Kumerow—who made a couple of plays in the passing game. Shakir got a couple of uncatchable “targets” late in the game, but he was ineffective with his opportunity. Shakir may receive more time later in the season, but a healthy Bills receiving corps does not include him being a part of the rotation at this point. </p>
<h3 id="oiniwc">CB Christian Benford</h3>
<p id="YBb02D">The sixth-rounder led the entire defense in snaps on Monday. Benford’s already looking extremely comfortable in coverage and as a tackler. One of the highlights of the night came on an outside run to Derrick Henry where Benford held the edge and obtained a solo tackle on Henry—chopping him down in the backfield for a loss. Benford continues to be a net positive for what is likely the best defense in the NFL as it stands today. A big test awaits against wide receivers Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and the rest of the Dolphins. </p>
<h3 id="SgjLMO">LB Baylon Spector</h3>
<p id="U7uSc4">Spector was inactive for this game after being active in Week 1. He’s yet to receive a defensive rep and appears to be more of an insurance option on the defense in his rookie year rather than a contributor.</p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/9/23/23367439/buffali-bills-vs-titans-rookie-review-kaiir-elam-christian-benford-james-cookMaxwell Owens