What's up Bills Mafia! Football is back and the Buffalo Bills started a new campaign with a hard fought win over the Detroit Lions, 16-15.
We all know preseason Win/Loss records are meaningless, but a lot of stuff we can see there isn't. So, here are my thoughts about this preseason week 1 game:
Rousseau ready to wreck havoc
When the Buffalo Bills selected Miami's DE Greg Rousseau with the 30th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, I wasn't excited. In my mind, they got a guy who wouldn't be able to contribute right away and that should have been a priority in my opinion, with the Bills Super Bowl window open.
After two weeks of training camp and one preseason game, I'm confident I was wrong about “Groot". The guy is just built different and his mix of size and length should cause problems to opposing offensive linemen right away.
Rousseau has a lot to learn, obviously, but I'm confident he can be a productive piece in the rotation early on with his physical skills. He knows how to take advantage of his long arms to control opponents and disengage at the right time, not allowing QBs to escape. This kind of skill should perfectly match with Jerry Hughes’ speed rush on the other side, giving the rookie a lot of “clean up” sacks opportunities.
With mobile QBs dominating the conference, Rousseau's skillset fits perfectly with what the Bills need. By playoff time he might be ready to be a difference maker in Buffalo's favor, something I really wasn't expecting for 2021.
Davis Webb Surprises
What a nice surprise was the 3rd year pro performance. Webb is known for his smarts and contributions in the QB room, helping Josh Allen with film study and being, essentially, a type of coach on the field, despite his young age. However, when finally given an opportunity, he showed he can be more than that.
I know, I know, it's only preseason but hear me out: right now I'm more comfortable with Webb, in case of necessity, than Trubisky. The former Bear is obviously more experienced and talented, but Webb has been there longer, is more familiarized with the offense and, as crazy as it sounds, he can be poor (very very poor) man's Josh Allen in there.
Webb has some surprising wheels (not so surprising if you're familiar with his pre practice races against Allen) what allows Daboll to call some of the plays he'd call if Josh were there. He's a former 3rd round pick, the talent is there too. He's arm is far from Allen's but it's not bad and, despite some happy feet here and there, he made plays and showed a good command of the offense.
Yeah, it's just one preseason game and I need to watch more. I know Trubisky also has a comparable skillset and way more experience in real games. However, he surely isn't as comfortable as Webb in this offense yet, he hasn't had enough time for it. The former Giant has been developed by this staff for a couple of years now and seems ready to take advantage of it. It's a longshot to belive he can beat Trubisky for the QB2 job, but if he continues to play well and a trade offer appears…
Tyler Bass: A star kicker in the making
About one year ago I felt confident to make a prediction: Josh Allen was ready to become the next NFL's superstar (Not bragging about myself, just go to my Twitter handle and search for Josh Allen draft day tweets, it's a shame but I'm not deleting it, I'm not hiding my mistakes).
One year later, I feel confident to make another statement: Tyler Bass is going to be a star kicker (Is it possible? Well, if so, he's gonna be).
Bass didn't have the most impressive college resume and was drafted on potential, because of his powerful right leg. After a shaky start, he became more consistent and built confidence. By playoff time, Bass was ready to hit incredibly tough kicks, in a really big stage.
Now, starting his second NFL season, he's the unquestionable starter and his confidence is at an all time high level. You can see in the way he carries himself that the stage never is too big for him. His leg continues to impress, as he effortless hits 50+ yarders. Even during kickoffs the hang time of his kicks makes it possible to invite opponents to return it just to be stopped inside the 25-yard line. Bass already is a weapon and he should be a very reliable one for a long time.
Other Quick Thoughts:
Efe Obada played 5-tech DT on early downs, something that can be taken into consideration when the final cuts are made. If the Bills coaching staff are comfortable with his performances there, some DTs like Harrison Phillips, Justin Zimmer or maybe even Vernon Butler, can be in trouble. Obada played outside too, on both sides, his versatility makes him a lock to the 53, IMO.
Speaking of Phillips, he's got a lot of opportunities today and took advantage of it. Impressive play in a 4th down stop, being an unmovable piece in the center of the Bills defense. He also blew by the RG in Rousseau's first career sack. All around good performance but I can see the Bills shopping him before the final cuts. I personally would like to keep him, I still belive in him as Star's replacement at 1-tech. However, with Vernon Butler renegotiating his deal to stay, Oliver and Star Lotulelei as starters, Zimmer and Obada as options inside, plus several DEs that the Bills would like to keep, it's becoming harder to see him making the cut. Again, I hope I'm wrong on this.
Not good to see Siran Neal being torched by a rookie mid round pick. After receiving a lot of praise from his teammates during the last couple of weeks, I expected more from him as the nickel CB. Although he never is going to be very good in coverage it seems, at least not when matched against WRs, he's a great tackler for the position, and can play all defensive backfield positions. Add his special teams prowess and he's also a lock to the 53-man roster IMO. Anyway, I'd like to see a better performance today.
Devin Singletary is the Bills best back, and it's not even close. He has some elite traits in his vision and especially his cutting on a dime ability. He's got stronger and can finish his runs too. If he becomes more consistent receiving the ball, he might be primed for big things this year. I also like Matt Breida's speed to compliment him, and I still trust Antonio Williams, despite today's fumble.
Isaiah McKenzie was impressive in the practices but, today, Marquez Stevenson was the most impressive player. He looked more decisive as the returner and, playing inside and out, did a good job at WR, catching a clutch, game saving long ball from Jake Fromm in the 4th quarter. Stevenson path to the 53-man roster is rough and McKenzie is a proven commodity, but the rookie started the preseason impressively.
Great play by Levi Wallace to save a TD. He started on his usual right side, with Dane Jackson on the left. It looks like Levi is ahead and Dane will need some big time plays to take his job.
Tyler Matakevich and Tyrel Dodson were the first linebackers to see the field, followed by Andre Smith, Tyrell Adams and Joe Giles-Harris. It looks like McDermott gave the guys who were already on the team the first opportunities. Curious to see the rotation going forward.
AJ Epenesa wasn't impressive as Greg Rousseau, but he also flashed sometimes. He looks way faster than he was last year. I also liked what I saw from Boogie Basham and Darryl Johnson. The former played both sides and found some success with some spin moves, the latter showed some explosiveness turning the corner. He's a big piece in the special teams, what can be a factor in the DT choices when the final cuts are made.