Big Blue Huddle

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on January 23, 2024, 09:09:54 AMI look at performance in its totality. I don't throw away the first 58 minutes and only look at what a QB does in the last 2 minutes and then slap a grade on his whole game. Having said that, I absolutely do weigh the last 2 minutes considerably higher than any other 2 minute segment of the game for obvious reasons, but the bottom line is the only reason why the Bills were in the position to tie the game with a makeable field goal was because of Allen's play all game. He was by far the best player on his team in that game (not even remotely a discussion), which was a razor close loss to the defending champs. No way I'm giving him a B grade for that game. He played great.

I think I have been very fair with Jones. Hell, I said up until this past year that I rated him as a middle of the road starting QB, somewhere in the 14th-18th range. Because I rated him that way, I was grouped in with the "hater" community here, but it now appears that if anything I was generous. Does anyone in the league besides John Mara and maybe Gettleman still think he's in the 14th-18th range? We know they didn't before this season (see the Athletic poll), so there is no way they do now. When he had good games I noted that he had good games and was always objective about that. So I don't think your remark about my treatment of Jones (which I get had a smiley face next to it and wasn't intended to be an aggressive dig) was a bit off base.

To the point in bold, and I appreciate not everyone likes PFF grades


Bills players

David Edwards- 90.4 (21 snaps)
Dion Dawkins- 81.2 (77 snaps)
Von Miller- 90.5 (15 snaps)
Tyrel Dodson- 89.3 (39 snaps)
Greg Rousseau- 81.3 (32 snaps)

Josh Allen- 79.6 (77 snaps)

Pat Mahomes- 90.2 (50 snaps)

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on January 23, 2024, 08:53:00 AMThere may have been. Romo was speaking with near-reverence about his play for the vast majority of the telecast, and I thought it was justified (with the context that Romo tends to speak in extreme language).

I would give Allen no less than an A- for that game. He played nearly perfectly for almost the entire game. His receivers let him down on multiple occasions, and on plays where there was nowhere to go he ran very effectively with speed and power. I am fine with dinging him for the incompletion play where Diggs was open, but to stick the loss on him in any way would be insane in my opinion (I'm not saying you are doing that MG). They would have been obliterated in that game with a less talented (but still solid) QB like Goff.

I wish you were this easy when you were grading Daniel Jones      That game-winning drive (or not having that game-winning drive) is often the metric we use to measure QB greatness.   There are QBs who will put up great passing stats, like Dak and Cousins, but the special ones come up big with the game on the line.  Were conditions ideal?  Not really, but they were no worse than what Eli Manning faced. en route to two SB championships.   The great ones overcome and win the critical games, not make excuses about why they came up short.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on January 23, 2024, 08:41:39 AMIn hindsight Allen certainly should have just hit Diggs on the safer, crossing route. If any QB can be relied on to make the big throw into the end zone in that situation though, it's him, and to be fair the guy was open in the end zone so it's not like he was forcing it in to some tight window there while foregoing the easier play.

With the above said though, one could be critical about his pocket awareness on that play. I have never been of the belief that when a QB gets affected by the D it's always automatically the fault of the blockers. Pocket awareness is a real thing in my opinion, and Allen had a lapse of it on that play. And to his credit, he said exactly that about himself in the postgame.

Allen also put the ball on the ground late in the 4th quarter, albeit it was recovered by his teammates. Still, it is fair to say he was less than perfect late in the game when the situation was most dire.

Apart from that, I thought he played fantastically throughout. His receivers let him down in a pretty glaring way on a number of plays, and had those gaffes not happened he might not have been in a situation where he was depending on his kicker to make a long field goal in freezing weather in order to extend the game.

Here's the thing, we expect QBs to have some pocket awareness.  He should have noticed Dawkins being driven back and went to a quicker option.  If I recall there was another play on that drive where Romo faulted Allen's progression and choices.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on January 23, 2024, 08:43:12 AMInteresting.

Most of this is just sound health advice in general, so if you do all these things and actually stick to them long term you're going to be healthier overall, even if your memory doesn't change much.

Jeff,

I think it's a given that a healthy body tends to lead to a healthier mind. 

https://www.prevention.com/health/sleep-energy/g23538015/how-to-improve-memory/

I will confess I fell asleep watching the 4th quarter of the game. I recorded it, and I rewatched what I missed last night.  I really think that game was all qued up for Josh Allen to bring home a victory.  As I am watching it, I wondered how on earth the Bills ended up losing the game.   Josh made a couple of mistakes in that last drive.  Of course, the punter missed, and Pro Bowler Dion Dawkins had that terrible pass block that made Allen miss a TD thrown (of course, Allen should have taken the quicker, shorter route that would have given them a fist down and allowed them to continue to control the game.

I heard the Podcast this story is based on.  In terms of who trained him and the results, he seems like a solid hire.   On the other hand, good O-line coaches are like gold, so I have to wonder why Pierce and the Raiders let him walk.

Hard luck QB or another Dak Prescott

https://x.com/nfl_dovkleiman/status/1749583489006031039?s=46&t=1vcQIN8GqF5J2oLdxEVEJQ

If the Bills hadn't stopped the Chiefs again, I think people would be talking about this blown call a lot more than they are.

Swing and a miss

https://x.com/dduggan21/status/1749567979547734175?s=46&t=1vcQIN8GqF5J2oLdxEVEJQ

Here is a good article comparing the two.  If we (the US) focused on building out the hydrogen infrastructure and the economy of scale kicked in, hydrogen is the clear winner as it has the best long term potential

https://energy5.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-hydrogen-fuel-vs-electric-vehicles

Quote from: Ed Vette on January 22, 2024, 01:48:49 PMI think there will be EV vehicle discounts coming soon. I lobbied for Hydrogen 20 years ago but they didn't listen to me or Arnold.

https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/zero-emission-vehicle-and-infrastructure-statistics/hydrogen-refueling

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a42796089/2024-honda-cr-v-powered-by-hydrogen-details/

On one of my walks, I walked by a relatively isolated industrial property.  In the past, it's been used by car dealers to store the overflow of vehicles.   A few weeks ago I walked past it, and there were 7 acres of Teslas.

Quote from: Ed Vette on January 22, 2024, 01:48:49 PMI think there will be EV vehicle discounts coming soon. I lobbied for Hydrogen 20 years ago but they didn't listen to me or Arnold.

https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/zero-emission-vehicle-and-infrastructure-statistics/hydrogen-refueling

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a42796089/2024-honda-cr-v-powered-by-hydrogen-details/

Hydrogen cars take 3 to 5 minutes to refuel and have a range of 300 - 400 miles.

Jim Nagy scouts Senior Bowl QBs, WRs, Biggest Risers w/ Ari Meirov



Jim Nagy, Director of the Senior Bowl, joins Ari Meirov to preview the 2024 Senior Bowl. They discuss top QB & WR prospects, plus which players Jim expects to rise up draft boards.

~ Analysis from NFL players, head coaches, GMs, execs and more. Founded by former NY Jets GM, MIA Dolphins EVP,  Mike Tannenbaum. ~

https://x.com/JFowlerESPN/status/1749470724148830444?s=20

@Jolly Blue Giant I am a military history and technology buff.  So, of course, I heard of the A-10; it's one of my favorite aircraft.  The engines are mounted high to protect them.  The pilot sits in a titanium armor tub for protection.  It's slow, can carry a sh1tload of ordinance, and as you said, it's got a killer 30 mm Gatling gun that can make short work of nearly anything.  It did start to show its age in terms of sensors in the various desert conflicts, but I believe that was resolved with upgrades.

Edit to add:  Much like the B-17 in WW 2, there were many stories of A-10s getting shot up and still bringing their pilots safely back to base.