It was a pretty day at Highmark Stadium as 50,000 Bills Mafia got to see The General take target practice and the defense thirsted for live rounds. Though it’s only preseason, fans and players should be proud of the new culture we’ve established here in Buffalo. Let’s break down the things we liked, and lick our wounds in the #POSTGAMEWRAPUP.
Each week I’ll break down the emotions of the tide, strategic advantages and weaknesses in the armor as we wrap up, close the book on the week and move onward to our next opponent.
D Line Is Thirsty
My Oh My can this defense smell a Super Bowl. They clearly understand the magnitude of this roster, as well as the tactical assassin in 17 that they have calling the shots on the other side of the ball. The defense has shown the culture throughout preseason, but seeing the starters out there makes any fan start to tremble in anticipation for seat-slappin.
Rousseau looks green, the Jolly Green Giant, but it is clear his size and tenacity will be unmatched. His skill and mechanical creativity will only continue to develop with more live NFL battle. A.J. Epenesa was lost in the shadows of Aaron Maybin, almost becoming a quiet bust, but quietly has surpassed expectations and developed into a threatening player on all 3 downs. Tre White, Micah, and Jordan were quietly very good on the back end in time with the 1’s, but Siran Neal really impressed me with his gut wrenching torpedo hitting and hair on fire pursuit. Let me get a little more of that #33-love bringing him in to kill QB on passing sitch’s. I wish that Tremaine Edmunds played with 1/3 of the passion that Siran Neal showed today, but we’ll save criticism for real games. Andre Smith Jr. put ANOTHER bloodthirsty #REMEMBERMEHIT on QB Jordan Love, following his controversially perfect hit on Justin Field last week.
The General Set the Tone for Crowd
Allen looked dialed in, and like a guy who’s figured it out. We’ve long talked here about Allen as a competitor, and nicknamed him The General for his incredible overpowering desire and willingness to win, but his playbook knowledge is still growing. Early on we speculated that one thing Allen will need to overcome this year is crowd noise, both on the road-but at home as well. What did we see as 17 trotted out for the first celebratory jaunt on the game field? A roar from the Bills’ faithful, met with an immediate “quiet down” motion with his hands to set the tone for the year. A la Sheriff Payton Manning, who many will remember was the maestro behind pin-drop silent RCA Dome as he barked out his signals and got his final calls in to each soldier before the shot clock hit 00. I loved seeing Allen locked in and dialed in on offense, but I also loved seeing him tell Billsmafia to be quiet while we work on O. As to say- We will give you reasons to cheer. You will Cheer when we give you a reason to. Another sign of different Bills Bar.
Beasy Breezy Beautiful
Even though Cole Beasley is missing his front tooth, which does make him look a little bit like Cricket from Always Sunny in Philadelphia, his hair, smile, and swagger look gorgeous. His attitude is clearly close with the team, and it’s evident why some of the off-field questions from twitter-haters weren’t able to run the Rodeo Clown outa town. He is a real baller and he knows how to play some fuckin’ football. His wiley Texas style is so perfect for the General and co. Gabe Davis shows us once again that he has the ability to carry the load for this team as a #1 as Diggs wasn’t on the field today. Davis has improved and shows serious All-Pro potential. The only problem that the Bills have personnel wise is.. too much talent. Emmanuel Sanders will be able to chip in, but his value as a leader will be demonstrated all year. You like to see the drop on arrow route now, so it doesn’t happen in the real show. Kumerow has the ability to shine bright in Buffalo and is clearly a real football warrior.
All in all, you just DON’T see this type of chemistry-depth at this level. The Chiefs, Bucs maybe feature as much star power, but you don’t see the type of chemistry 17 has with each WR. They move together in rhythm and are sharp to Allen’s direction. Seeing the timing with 17 & 13 on quick routes, 17 and 1 on misdirection, and the chemistry of 17 and 11 on broken plays shows just how special this WR crew is. Dawson had a few splashes, but the depth-chemistry of WR position group really shined, looking like a really good, emotionally close basketball team on turf. One more thing to look at this year will be how the threat of Allen’s gun in the pocket, as well as his threat to run, will open up Matt Breida for a few HUGE breakout runs. He only needs a SECOND.
It’s going to be an exciting year for the Bills as we enter the end of the preseason and into a Super Bowl caliber season. Remember to tune in to BLEUMAFIA each week for the Pregame, Postgame, and Weekly previews. Subscribe to the BLEUMAFIA podcast for weekly breakdowns so you can listen on the go!
