Bills Week 4 Preview - Taking On a Team With Nothing to Lose | UR - Under Review

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
A new week is upon us after another Bills win.
The team stands at three to oh and they are
hosting a team that has not been to Buffalo, New
York in quite a long time, in the New Orleans Saints.
And on tonight's episode, we will cover all of the
most important details of this matchup, including how these teams
stack up against one another in offense, defense, and special teams,

(00:31):
and talk about the matchups that we think are going
to be key for the Bills to secure another victory
and end the month perfect for an OH. I appreciate
each and every single one of you for tuning into
this week's episode of Under Review, and without further ado,
let's go previous play.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
We'll go under Review.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
Citizens of Earth, lend me your ears. Thank you so
much for tuning into this week's episode of Under Review.
My name is Joe DeRosa and you can find me
on Twitter slash x at show Underscore DeRosa and you
can see the tagline tonight is Buffet Joe, Folks. I'll
be at that game on Sunday, and I am so
freaking excited to be back in Buffalo to be able

(01:41):
to go see this team in person and get my
final experience at high Mark Stadium before they close its
doors for good and a new stadium opens up. It's
going to be exciting. I'm looking forward to the game.
I have a lot of personal investment into this game,
and I'll explain that a little later on the show.
But before we continue on, I have to introduce my
wonderful guest, someone who has been on the show show
a few times now, someone that has attended the draft

(02:03):
with me when he was with our network, someone that
I appreciate very dearly, and that is the mister John
helm Camp. John, welcome back. It is good to see
your smiling, bearded face. My bear will never be as
nice as yours, but I try my best, so I
went with a backwards hat to commemorate you as well.
How are you doing tonight, my friend?

Speaker 2 (02:22):
I am good man. I think that we might be
slightly passed a few appearances. I'm not sure. I think
this has got to be got to be five or
six something like that enough to be I don't know,
quasi regular, somewhat yeah, somewhat regular presence. I don't know,

(02:42):
however you want to say, but yeah, man, happy to
be here. I'm stoked about it. Man, what to start
for the Bills this year. A lot to talk about.
You know, we have the benefit of paying attention to
and analyzing one of the best teams in the NFL,
which gives us an ability to nit pick a team
that's three and zero and has scored over thirty points
a game every game out. So it's a great start.

(03:07):
And if you take take the thirty thousand foot view
of it and take a step back, man, Bills are
off to a scorch and start this year with a
lot to show for it.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
About as good of a start as you can have
with some bumps and bruises in the road. But this
is a situation you'd love to be in. And if
you told me this before the season started, I wouldn't
have been shocked, but I also would have been extremely
grateful because that implies you have three AFC wins. You
beat the Baltimore Ravens in the rematch, and you also
took on two division opponents and beat them both. It's

(03:36):
a great spot to be in if you're Buffalo, and
this upcoming game is a great way to close out
September non conference opponent, but one that you know you
feel just looking at the numbers for these two teams
pretty good about facing but any team is a tough
task in the NFL, and I want to give the
Saints credit where the credit where it's due. On tonight's
episode one. We can, but before we get into the

(03:57):
you know, the real specifics offense, defense, special teams. I
do just want to get a general overview of this matchup. Again,
it is the first time that the Saints have been
in Buffalo since twenty seventeen, where that wasn't fun. That
wasn't fun at all. In fact, that was one of
the worst games of the Sean McDermott era. They came in.
I didn't even look up the score. I don't want

(04:17):
to look up the score. You can't make me. But
they steamrolled the Bills in that game, just by again
a brutal rushing attack of mark Ingram and a young
rookie Alvin Kamara paired with Drew Brees to game manage
where he really didn't even have to do much. It
was ugly, really really ugly. But then you go to
the next matchup between the Saints on Thanksgiving Day just
a few years ago, and the Bills get much needed

(04:38):
revenge against what was a depleted Saints team. Now the
Saints are marching back to Buffalo, and it's interesting to
see him because one, it's a team you don't really
get to see in Buffalo very often, but also because
I don't really think it's a team that, from twenty
twenty one to now has really put themselves in the

(05:00):
greatest of positions where like you know, you see some
teams in the past come and they're like contenders when
they used to be dormats. The Saints have been a
team that's been in basically perpetual transition since Drew Bree
has retired. So, John, I flip it back to you
just to ask about your general thoughts on this matchup.
I mean, apart from obviously the details we're going to
get into, but what are you most excited to see?
I mean, what has really caught your interest about these

(05:22):
two teams facing each other.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
I don't know that I can just give an elevator's
speech on that. I mean, it's on one hand, you
have a team that should be one of the best
teams in the NFL. On the other hand, you have
a team that could potentially be vying for the number
one overall pick in next year's draft, but anything can happen,

(05:46):
and I think the Saints are kind of one of
those teams where I'm not sure they're quite as bad
as the perception of them. So I don't know. We're
going to dig into it a little bit, but I
don't want to just walk into this being like, Oh,
we're gonna waltz to a three touchdown win here. And
it's very possible that the Bills do. It's also very

(06:07):
possible that the Saints are a little bit of a
trap and that this becomes a little bit more than
what a lot of people expect it to be.

Speaker 1 (06:16):
Yeah, these types of games are ones I'll never sleep on.
And it's the nervous fan in me right, And I
feel like a lot of people are this way, where
you know, the team could have not scored a single
touchdown in three games, the team could be the absolute
trending towards the worst team in NFL history, and I
will still be uncomfortable. I just that's the way I am.
I'm a nervous fan. I'm a superstitious fan, and I

(06:38):
just sit here kind of like when we face a
team like this, I try to find the things that
they're good at so I can almost like mentally prepare
myself because you know how it goes John. Good team
plays bad game. Bad team has gasps of life in
a game where like they go up by an early
touchdown on a scripted drive or hell even it's ten
ten at halftime, kind of like the Titans game last
year and people are like, oh, yep, I knew it

(07:01):
was going to show. I knew it was going to
show once on here. I'm so. I don't have any
celtzer on me right now. I have to get more.
But I appreciate you paying homage to the night of.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
Oh yeah it is.

Speaker 1 (07:13):
I just always appreciated.

Speaker 2 (07:15):
But the bubbly tradition lives on.

Speaker 1 (07:17):
Man.

Speaker 2 (07:17):
I always bring one, you see.

Speaker 1 (07:19):
Next time I get you on the show, I have
to remember to go get a case or at least
just one, like can if you can get those individually,
just so I can be with you on this. I
don't have a sprite or anything. I'm just shrinking my
obnoxiously large water bottle. But all this to say, oh, man,
I lost my trade of thought. I feel like these
types of matchups will always make me nervous because what
you're playing is a team that has nothing to lose.

(07:40):
It's a team that's oh and three. Kell Moore is
a first year head coach. Spencer Rattler is a player
that is still feeling himself out in the NFL, maybe
for in his case, everything to lose in the sense
that Tyler shucked the second round pick is behind him
and he doesn't want to lose this job. But the
team is just so lost in the current state of
affairs right now that I feel like they don't really

(08:01):
have as much urgency to be great. So why not
go into Buffalo against a team that has a fifteen
and a half point spread, which I'm sure they'd seen
and give them your role? And that's always the thing
that worries me is you can't be caught sleeping against
teams like this, because, like you just said, John, you
will get The Saints' first three games, and we have
to remember the first two games of the season for
them were one score affairs. They were close games. They

(08:23):
were playing tight, tough, and I feel like that gets
glossed over with the record. And obviously, last week they
play Seattle, Seattle blows the doors off them. But if
you watch that game back and again, The Saints were
not good in this game. I'm not trying to say
that it was fluky or anything like that. It was
kind of one of those games where it got out
of hand so quickly because of some just insanely bad

(08:44):
errors early on from their special teams and from penalties.
There wasn't really much to take away from it after
like the first quarter, Like the game was twenty eight too,
I think it was twenty eight to three before halftime,
like you can't, No, it was actually thirty one to
three before half. Tome you can't really walk away from
anything from that. And a team that deals with that
kind of loss isn't just gonna like roll over and

(09:06):
die the next week. They're gonna want to come in here.
They're gonna want to punch you in the mouth. So
for that reason, I don't sleep on them, But I
know Allen and co. Have said they're not doing that either.
They're not sleeping and that's very reassuring to hear. So
I want to get into the offense, John and just
starting with that, So talking about how these two teams
stack up. We obviously know the Bills numbers at this point,
but just to rehash if we're going into just total

(09:27):
EPA against or per pass. It is Buffalo Bills at
fourth and the New Orleans Saints are sitting at twenty fourth.
And then when you talk about EPA for rushing, Buffalo
Bills are number one in the NFL at a plus
point one point nine. The New Orleans Saints, if I scroll,
are sitting at oh I lost it nineteen in the NFL.
So it's below middle of the pack numbers for the

(09:48):
Saints right now. In terms of total offense. It is
a unit that isn't completely lacking in talent. I mean,
we got to remember the skill group for the Saints
is still I would have should call it solid. Because
Alvin Kamara might be older, he still has plenty of jews.
If you watch him. I mean some of those outside
zone runs that they had against Seattle, Camara looked like himself.

(10:09):
He looked flashy, he looked fun. Chris o'lave is healthy.
He is still, in my opinion, one of the best
young receivers in the NFL. Injuries have gotten the best
of it, but when he can stay on the field,
he is a consistent producer all over, especially downfield, and
that poses a threat for a Bill secondary that is
still finding itself. And Rashid Shaheed still exists. He's still
a viable threat. He's coming off in acl tear, but

(10:30):
that's not someone you could sleep on. And Juwan Johnson
probably the most underrated tight end in the NFL in
my opinion. He is a receptions machine. He is a
stick worker. He is someone that Spencer Ratler trusts immensely
to get the ball to in quick situations. And this
Saints offense will get the ball out quickly. That's what
they pride themselves on. They are quite literally the fastest
team in the league on a place per drive basis.

(10:52):
So you have to be ready for this team to
really try and not give you any chances to get
into specific types of coverages to disguise anything gonna come
out firing. And the Bills, in the case of some
of the weaknesses that they have on their defense, which
we'll talk about, there are matchups that the Saints could
potentially exploit, but again, they also beat themselves up a lot.
It is the most penalized team in the NFL. It

(11:13):
is a team that I think because of how often
they get in their own way, the Bills are probably
comfortable letting them, you know, have these long drives and
try to have as many plays as possible. So John,
I turn it back to you. Give me your thoughts
on really the Saints offense this season, what you know,
what you like, what you don't like, and how it
pertains to this matchup.

Speaker 2 (11:33):
Yeah, it's really interesting to me because everyone's dogging on
Spencer Rattler, and I don't think he's played bad football.
You know, he only has one turnover, He's completed over
seventy percent of his passes in the last two games.
Ever since Week one, Yeah, he only has four touchdowns
with the one interception, and their point per game as

(11:54):
a total offense is fourth worst in the NFL EPA
per drop back, he ranks twentyeth so like kind of
middle of the pack, just below middle of the pack,
not horrible, Like he's not playing like an absolute dumpster
fire of a quarterback. There is some promise there. I think.
I think the game is slowing down a little bit
for him, which I know is like really cliche to

(12:16):
talk about. Well, the game slows down, but it takes time,
especially at the quarterback position, and I do think he
is more confident of where he's going with the ball.
I think his decision making is a lot better. I
think he's not putting it in harm's way as much.
I think he's making more anticipatory throws. I saw some
good stuff when I kind of watched some clips of him,

(12:38):
but then the offense just kind of like stalls. There's
a penalty that knocks him back, and then they startle
because it's third and fourteen all of a sudden, or
there's a drop pass somewhere, and it just throws everything
out of them. They just can't seem to put it
all together yet where it's like consistent and moving in
the right direction and they're not have the self inflicted

(13:00):
wounds of the penalties. Like they're doing that at such
a high rate that it's really killing a lot of
the opportunities that they have to be an average too
mildly above average offense, which I think is within the
range of outcomes based on how Rattler is playing and
the skill players that they have on that team. And

(13:21):
I know that maybe I'm giving them a little bit
too much credit, but I don't know. I see a
quarterback that's making decent decisions and is getting the ball
out fast, and that they have playmakers that are really
good after the catch, and it's I have more respect
for the Saints offense than I do for a lot

(13:42):
of other NFL offenses. Like I have way more respect
for the Saints and what they potentially pose as a
threat than I do for like I don't know, the Giants,
the Titans, the Jaguars, like the other teams that are
down there towards the bottom of the NFL rankings right now,
the Saints just feel like a team where it's like, dude,

(14:03):
if you could just stop with the penalties, yeah, you
have the possibility of keeping yourself close in some games. Now, Listen,
the Bills should be, on paper a way better team.
This is a team that they should beat by, you know,
ten plus points. That's what should happen. But if this

(14:26):
is a game where they don't have the penalties, where
the offense does string some stuff together. We know that
the Bill's third down defense was a huge issue against
the Saints. So if they let or against I'm sorry,
against the Dolphins, not against the Saints, but if they
let the Saints hang around on third down, if they
let that happen, Okay, this might be a little bit
more competitive than what it might originally look like on paper.

Speaker 1 (14:51):
Yeah, I wouldn't be shocked at all if this is
a bit more of a tight game, at least to
start out. I think again, when you see the record
and the last score, people are expecting this to be
just to complete bar murder for the Bills, and listen,
it can be right, you know, this is a show
where a Bill show. I don't want to kind of
sit here with like a defeatist mindset, not saying you are,
but like people might say this like, oh my god,

(15:11):
it's a sag. Why are you guys freaking out? No,
I just do this because I feel like it's kind
of just pointless to just bag on the other team
NonStop and not point out the things they do well
and what could give the Bills problems, because it's sun
to keep an eye out for us. So also too,
if you're a fan who would jump off the ledge
because you're down at halftime to the Saints, like this
is a way to quell some of your worry, because
I do think the Bills would probably still win this game.

(15:33):
But the thing that you mentioned that I really love
is about Spencer Ratler because I think again, the numbers
aren't amazing, right, like four touchdowns to one pick. I
have him tally just looking at the stats. He is
currently for EPA per dropbacks, sitting at twentieth in the NFL.
So it's not the greatest. They They're a team that
I think when you watch them extensively, they can't finish drives.

(15:56):
That's been their achilles heel. And I think the biggest
problem is they're all defensive lie mainly the penalties. It
is just for what Kellen Moore I think is doing
for Spencer Ratley, which is again trying to keep things
simple for him by playing an uptempo game where the
loooks can't get too insane, where the pressure can't really
hit home as frequently and you could just get that
ball out as quick as you can to try and sustain.

(16:16):
I think there is a flip side to that that
negatively impacts Ratler because at some point teams might not
feel the need to really sell out for any sort
of really anything creative from your offense, Like there is
play action and there's bootlegs, and they do try to
ball fake a lot, but a lot of teams are
just gonna match them with zone coverage and try to
attack that way because if we could take the deep

(16:37):
haves of the field away and just keep everything in
front of us, that should be enough to beat you.
And it's proven successful because the Saints aren't finishing drives.
They can get down the field and you know, a
Sean McDermott defense job that that's exactly what he sets
himself up for. They're going to ask him to dink
and dunk and come down and kick field goals and
if they do that, that's probably gonna make Sean McDermott

(16:58):
ex static because he feels I think that's just a
pretty much the recipe that other teams have been played
against the Saints that have had success with is the
fact that they just beat themselves way more often in
these penalties, in miscues and the increased play rate leading
to again execution errors. A false start because you weren't
set in time because the snap got out so fast,

(17:18):
a drop pass and aaron throw from Ratler because he
has been all right, but there have been some overthrows
and missage again from that uptempo style of play where
maybe he doesn't get set as quickly, maybe that sense
of urgency doesn't always make him comfortable in the pocket.
So I definitely think it is an offense you should respect.
They can move the ball, but I do think that
there is an exploit in just how many DRIs or

(17:39):
how many plays they have in every drive in a game,
and I think the Bills will invite that from them
and try to get it because at this point, it
really is a great way to kind of, I guess,
inspire your defense by you know, the bend don't break
mentality being an action against a team that kind of
always falls victim to that. So it's it's an interesting matchup.

(18:00):
And just to point out some specific players again, I
mean I would say, in my opinion, what the player
that I think I have the most fear for is
Alvin Kamara. And this isn't a shot at Johnson or
Chris Olave, who I think are great, or Rashi Jihad.
It's really to me if you are setting yourselves up.
And again this is like famous last words, because the

(18:21):
biggest pain point I called out in the episode last week,
and you called it out has been third down defense,
third and long, which again the Bills are generating third
and longs and it's so immensely frustrating. I have to
find the Eric Turner thread on it, but I'll do
that in a second, because he called out some stats
today where it's just like making you want to like
pull your hair out because the Bills, to paraphrase everything

(18:42):
he said, still end up in these situations, like these
third and long situations consistently, but are not getting off
the field at a high enough rate. And it's like,
come on, but we have to improve this. And this
is a team that I think you could do that against.
But like shutting down Alvin Kamara, I think is your
path getting into that spot. Just get off the field
on third down. If you could do that, this game

(19:04):
should be handled really one for you. But again, that
seems to be a tall ask, and I'll turn it
back to John.

Speaker 2 (19:10):
Yeah, it's just infuriating because it's like, okay, first down, terrific,
second down gain a one third and eight, they rip
off a fifteen yard play. It's like what just happened?
Time and time and time again. But the thing that
is annoying to me is that the thing that the
Dolphins did the best against the Bills was get the

(19:33):
ball out really fast to their playmakers to mitigate any
sort of pass rush, and then the defense wasn't able
to rally to those playmakers to stop them short of
the sticks. It happened time and time again, especially that
drive right before halftime with five or six first downs
that they converted on third down. Time and time again.

(19:53):
It's like third and eight, third and ten. They're not
throwing the ball past the sticks. They're throwing screens to
Tyreek Hill or just short little under routes. Yeah, just
little quick things that the quarterback doesn't really have to
think or read. It's just get the ball, throw the
ball and then let the playmaker go, and the defense
could not stop them short of the sticks. Now, I'm

(20:16):
not saying that Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle, you know,
aren't a lot better than Chris Alavey and Rashid Shahed,
but those are two very athletic wide receivers as well
that are really quick, that are really good after the catch.
So I worry that the things that the Saints have
been doing all season so far are the things that

(20:37):
the Bills struggle the most with. That just poses a
small little like M don't really love that type of
thought from me. It's still you should still be able
to get off the field on third down. We know
that the penalties are there, we know there's a lot
of things. You said, shut down Alvin Kamara. The Saints

(20:57):
have passed the ball over sixty two percent of the
time this season, fit most in the NFL, So they're
throwing the ball. They're not relying on Alvin Kamara either.
And I just I see this being a very similar
defensive game plan to last week.

Speaker 1 (21:11):
Like you just.

Speaker 2 (21:12):
Said, dare them to throw it in front of you
and then try to rely on the fact that you
are capable of coming up with a turnover or that
you're able to shut them down when it gets to
the red zone. I just feel like it's going to
be very annoying to watch again. And that's just the

(21:32):
way that it feels. And Rattler's not putting the ball
in harm's way, he's not making horrible decisions. They're not
asking him to go through three or four reads a
lot of the time. It's a lot of this quick
stuff that the Bills have been struggling to shut down,
and that to me is just a little concerning, not like,

(21:54):
oh my god, we're going to lose to the Saints.
But right from a schematic matchup standpoint, I don't like that.

Speaker 1 (22:01):
Yeah, I completely agree. I think that's the game plan.
I think they're going to try and keep everything in
front of them. The reason why I emphasize Kamara is
because I think it's just like again, it's poking another tire,
you know, with a nail. It's keeping them from getting
into favorable situations where when they go up tempo they
don't have long field to work with. I think when
you get them in a third and eight, you can

(22:21):
get them to hold the ball, you can get them
to turn the ball over, you can get them to
throw an errand ball. I just feel like taking Kamara
out of the plan puts way more pressure on Ratler
to play an upscale, perfect passing game, even with a
lot of tempo, to a point where I think that
sets you up, or at least sets the Saints up
to make a mistake more easily, especially again when we
talk about the holding penalties, the false starts, the things

(22:42):
that really pressure this Saints offensive line. That puts pressure
on them just from the situation. So I think that's
why I stress it. But I do agree that the
game plan is going to be again defend the sticks,
keeping in front of you. And I think the advantage
that the Bills would have this week relative to last
week the speed component of the Saints, well, yeah, that's
for she Heat has speed, and yes, Chris Olave has speed.

(23:04):
It's not Jalen Waddle or Malik Washington or Devon h
Chan or like, it's not the same. There's not a
track team like Miami exactly. Yes, And I found that
some of the third down play calls where they you know,
kind of put their corners on an island to match
these receivers wasn't bad in theory. It was just execution.
Because Trey White is not as fast as Jalen Wattle,

(23:24):
He's got more years on him and speed was never
really his game. I think that that can work a
little more successfully this week. And I think some of
those third down conversions that you saw Miami hit last week,
I don't think it'll be the same situation this week.
I think the Bills are going to be able to
stall drives out. And again we're pointing out something that
we think the Saints could do well against the Bills defense.
But in my opinion, I still think that the Bill's

(23:45):
defense is going to be able to outlast the Saints
passing attack if they can't prove that they can attack
you vertically. And I don't think the Bills are going
to give him any chance to try that, you know,
too high chill or if you want to go with
a buzz or if you want to play cover three
sky like, I think they're going to give you all
all of those looks. They're going to rotate them post
snap if they get the time to. Spencer Ratler called
it out at the podium that you know, they do

(24:06):
a great job at disguising you have to be ready
for it, so they he knows it's coming, but it's
a matter of just making him guess and hoping he
guesses wrong. And I just want to bring this up
real fast because I found Eric's threads. So the Bills
are averaging right now a third down and distance of
third and eight point two yards, but thirty percent of
those plays end up in a first down or a touchdown,
which is ranked twenty seventh in the NFL. So I mean,

(24:28):
that's just not good enough. That is something they have
to clean up. But I can say that I feel
better about that this upcoming week that they can clean
it up and improve that stat a little bit. But
just prepare yourself. There's going to be a third and
nine that they convert. I'm gonna be there in person
to watch it, and I'm gonna pull my hair out
in my seat. But like a win. If they get
a win, that's all I care about. So I mean, John,

(24:48):
any final thoughts on offense, I think you think we
haven't covered yet that you want to get in.

Speaker 2 (24:52):
Yeah, thanks for giving me that chance. The one thing
that I do want to bring up last week, the
defensive line really startled to make an impact in terms
of getting pressure to the quarterback. I worry about that
being another issue because of that speed to release that
Miami has. They play with this just such like frantic
energy and hurry up offense and try to keep you

(25:15):
from being able to get complicated, get stunts, get you know,
substitutions into the game, stuff like that. So I worry
again that it's gonna be a little bit of a
no show from from the pass rush. And that bothers
me because it would be you know, the first quarter
of the season basically where pass rush would would be

(25:38):
major concerns. So It's something that I'm watching for. I
want the defense to find a way to impact rattler
when they're doing this hurry up offense. They've got to
find ways to create pressure. And it's gonna be just
you gotta win your matchup, Like you're not gonna be
able to scheme it a lot of the time against
this offense that moves so quickly, like you're not gonna

(25:58):
be able to call in a bunch of and stuff
like that, Like you just got to beat your guy,
like just just win, like make make someone look bad
on the offensive line and make a play. And I'm
mostly looking at Greg Russeau, who just got paid and
has been really absent here on the pass rush. It's like, dude,

(26:20):
you're supposed to be one of our cornerstone like players
for this championship window on the defensive line for the
next four to five years. We're being extended a whole
slew of guys. You you know, him being one of them.
You gotta make a play like get after the quarterback
when it matters. So I'm really just looking for that
this game. I want to see a lot more of it.

Speaker 1 (26:39):
Yeah, valid, I think Rousseau, I think a big part
of Rousseau in the last game, and really the d
line was just again, well it was the longest time
to throw for two in quite a while. The game
plan did still involve kind of like again, waiting for
the coverage, as Bruce pointed out, waiting for the coverage
getting the ball out, but also they did still throw
pretty quickly in certain moments of that game. So it's
it's always hard for me with pass rush when you

(27:00):
play Miami because they don't want to keep that ball
in their hands. And just looking at this upcoming matchup
just to make it even more annoying. Spencer Ratler is
eighteenth in the league. And I'm not a pressure percentage
so he's taking out where's I always have a hard
time reading exten stats charts, but thirty three point six
percent of the time he's being pressured, So good for
eighteenth in the league. And as far as total sacks

(27:23):
take and he is sitting at nineteenth in the league,
he's tied with two other quarterbacks for five. To me,
that's just again an indicator of what Kellen Moore is doing,
which is getting the ball out quickly. And I think
for fans that want to see five sacks in this game.
I think you might see more pressure if the Bills
take a large lead and the Saints are trying to compensate,
and maybe he holds the ball a little bit longer,

(27:43):
especially if they end up in thurt and lungs. But
I think for the first half of this game, that's
the game plan. It's going to look very similar to again,
like something the Titans employed last year before the second half,
where it's we don't want to get beat, we want
to be able to diagnose, we want to be able
to win this game. We're not letting this ball stay
in Spencer's hands. We're trying to keep it as simple
as as possible. It's going to get out quickly. So
I hope I'm wrong. I hope it's a five sack

(28:04):
game for the Bills. I hope they win forty it
to nothing, But that's kind of what I'm envisioning this
game is going to look like. Is again just quick
hit or quick hit or quick hitter, you know, try
to take the top off every now and then, but
really just try to beat them underneath and earn our
shots when we can get them, and see if we
can because if they can't, then it's going to be
a hard world for them on Sunday afternoon. But I

(28:24):
want to pivot over to defense now, John, So again
we've talked about it a little bit. The defense for well,
I'm sure both teams is immenseally frustrating. But just going
for total EPA per play for each defense if I
reverse it, because it shows me positive. The Saints are
currently sitting at twenty six in the NFL and the
Bills are currently sitting at twentieth. Overall, when you look
at EPA or against the past, the New Orleans Saints

(28:47):
are one of the league's worst at twenty ninth in
the NFL and the current metric is sitting at plus
point one seven, which is just brutal to sit. And
I mean the Bills aren't really much better. And you
look at eat against the run, they are twenty third
or I'm sorry, I have it backwards. See this always
draws me nuts. Every time you quick a filter on this, John,
it flips it around and like it messes you up.

(29:09):
The Saints rushing defense is actually tenth in the league
in EPA per play. What I will say is that
if you look at it by each week, they are
seventeen before they played last week, which makes me think
that they faced a lot of kind of game out
of hand running from Seattle and wound up being able
to contain it because it was kind of a telegraphed
run and the first two weeks they were a little

(29:30):
bit worse. I think there are bodies in their defensive
line that Kenray kavoc, but I do think the Bill
should have success. The only thing that worries me is
if Spencer Brown is not good to go. Now, mind you,
we're recording this on a Thursday night. Friday's practice report
is not out yet. By the time this video comes out,
I cannot confirm if Spencer Brown's calf will be good
enough to go where he can practice. But if Spencer

(29:51):
Brown cannot go in this game, John, I'll ask you
this question first before we get into a deeper defensive dive.
Are you worried about the Bill's rushing attack or do
you think it can sustain even without him for one game.

Speaker 2 (30:02):
I think that it'll be fine. Listen. I love Spencer Brown,
but this is such a varied rushing attack. It's so
multiple in their looks and in their personnel packaging. And
all the different things that they do. They don't ask
these offense alignment to do a lot on their own.

(30:23):
It's the it's the whole of the part working together.
And especially when you think about having you know, my
baby Jackson Hawes in there as well, and you think
about all the different like looks and the packages that
they bring in. I think that they'll be fine scheming
the run game. I'm not terribly worried about it. Obviously,
it's a blow, and I would prefer that he's out there,

(30:44):
but I think that it'll still be totally sufficient. I
think that they'll be fine on the ground.

Speaker 1 (30:50):
Yeah, I think so too. And I mean, we got
to remember the last time Spencer Brown was out, the
rushing offense didn't really miss that much of a beat. Again,
Spencer Brown is an immensely important part of this offense
the line. I'm not trying to downplay what a loss means,
especially you know, not just for rushing offense, but passing
protection as well. But I really like the opportunity for
a guy like RVD or even Tiland Grable to step

(31:11):
in and play that role quite well. I would prefer
Grabel just because again I think Grabel has, you know,
apart from the size, the athleticism to sustain, and I
think he's gotten work with the ones in camp. He's
someone I feel like Aaron Kromer kind of personally picked,
just given where they picked him in the draft. It's
a player that I would really like to see phill
in that spot for one game. Is kind of like
a tryout for maybe a path forward in a few years,

(31:34):
not anytime soon hopefully, where maybe he asked a man
a starting spot, but it's not one that overly concerns
because if you've got your other four guys, this is
the kind of offensive line that I feel like is
coached up well but from Aaron Kromer, where these guys
are prepared if they have to step in, but also
kind of like some of its parts where if you
have four of the five, I think they're gonna kind
of raise the level of play you'll see from a

(31:56):
guy like Grabel or RVD. So I just want to
float that to you. But John, now, just getting it
to the defensive side, I mean, your thoughts on the
Saints defense against the Bills offense and then vice versa.
You know, Bill's defense Saints offense. We just talked about,
how are you feeling about this matchup for this Bill's
offense facing a Saints defense that is very clearly struggling
against the pass and in two games wasn't awful, but

(32:18):
wasn't top tier defending the run as well.

Speaker 2 (32:21):
Yeah. I mean to me, it's Bill's offense versus Saints
defense is the biggest advantage in the game, and this
is where we have the benefit of having Josh Allen.
We have the benefit of a very patient offensive approach
that can nickel and dime you all the way down
the field while also going for a full dollar when

(32:42):
they want to, and I think that that is once
again going to be the game plan. We haven't talked
since last week's game. Actually, we haven't talked in quite
a bit. Have we talked since the season started? Have
I been on since the season?

Speaker 1 (32:56):
No?

Speaker 2 (32:56):
Okay, yeah, yeah. So what has stood out to me
the most about this offense and Josh Allen as a whole,
is that it looks like he's capable of doing basically
whatever he wants on the field right now. He's so
in command of the scheme and the play calling and
defenses that he just never looks like he's confused or

(33:18):
out of sorts. He has an answer for everything, and
to me, it's a scary thing. And I saw I
think it was Colin Coward, who I don't like Colin
Coward and agree with him very often, but every once
in a while he says something that really does have
a lot of truth to it. And he was talking
about Josh Allen basically like being a Ferrari but not

(33:41):
playing with all the horsepower, like having the ability to
control it, unlike your you know, your Brett Farves and
your John Elways and stuff like that that were just
all gas all the time to the point where you
had all the turnovers. It's like that's Josh three years ago.
But now he's developed this ability to rein it back

(34:03):
and he doesn't have to put on the cape every
single play, and he is just so in command where
it's like he's playing with like the cerebral patience and
understanding of your Tom Brady's, Drew Brees's Peyton Mannings while
still having the physical traits of a John Elway of

(34:25):
you know, a Brett Favre rocket launcher for an arm.
So it's a really scary thing for the rest of
the NFL. Right now. And with that, and with all
the looks that they give you, and with the patients
and the high percentage completions and and all of this
stuff that is happening with this offense, I just feel
like that's where they're gonna be able to blow this

(34:46):
game open. The offense should be able to go down
and get points every time they touch the ball. Now,
inevitably they won't, there will be something that comes up
and they have to punt or whatever, but they will
have the opportunity to go hang points on the board
every time they get it. What's really interesting about the
New Orleans defense to me is that they're actually fairly,

(35:07):
like you said, decent against the run, but the stats
are super skewed by last week's game where the Saints
were so out of it that the Seahawks are just like, here,
we're just gonna run a dive and you know, get
stopped for two yards and stuff like that. But what
really stands out to me they hold opposing offenses to

(35:29):
five point one yards per play, which is right around
the middle of the pack at ranks sixteenth, but in
terms of point per play, they rank twenty seventh in
the NFL. So it's like they're giving up the explosives,
they're giving up the big chunk plays more. And coming
out of the Miami game last week, I would have
loved to see Joe Brady call up more shots. I

(35:53):
would have loved to see him push it down the field.
Not because you have to throw the ball downfield forty
yards every single play, but when the secondary is a weakness,
like get yourself a big lead, like I would have
just love to see him play with the lead more. Yeah,
take the shots, maybe put more points on the board,
make Miami go more one dimensional, put more pressure on

(36:14):
the quarterback to make the right decisions. And that is
exactly the thought process I'm in when it comes to
the Saints. Put the pressure on Spencer Rattler, like Alvin Kamara.
We know who Alvin Kamara is. You want to take
him out of the ground game, Go hang fourteen points
on him in the first nine minutes, you know, Like,
let's just put the points on the board so that

(36:35):
Rattler has all the weight on his shoulders and he
has to be forced into throwing the ball more and
maybe pushing it down the field more than he wants to.
And then the turnovers happen and it becomes a snowball effect.
So for me, it's there for the taking and I
schematically want to see it. I want to see Joe
Brady dial up some plays to let Josh go go

(36:56):
get some touchdowns that are you know, of the big
yardage variety instead of it just being in tight to
the goal.

Speaker 1 (37:03):
In Yeah, I mean, I think that they had those
opportunities in the Miami game. But I definitely think that
game plan was ultra conservative, not from the perspective of
like neutering or handering or handcuffing Josh, but just because
they wanted to protect the ball, you know, Draine clock
not put Miami in a situation where they're playing a

(37:23):
close game. Ultimately, they had some stall drives, Miami was
able to keep it close. So it didn't exactly go
to plan. But you know, if they had that per
if they actually you know, did in stall out or
didn't miss that field goal or made one more touchdown,
I felt like the Bills were just going to play
ahead the whole time and just dink and donk control
time of possession what they like to do, right, we
see it in so many of their games. They're not

(37:44):
a team that goes for the jugular right away. They're methodical.
They want to really wear you down and punch you
out and just get you to the point where you're
banged up and bruised and not able to move because
you've just been beaten badly by just a series of
a thousand punches. And I think that this game is
no different. But what I will say is, if you
do see the Saints become a bit more feisty when

(38:05):
it comes to how they're defending the run. Again, they're
not void of talent. There are still members of that
interior defensive line that I think can cause disruption. We
got to remember too, you know, guys like Justin Rieder
on that defense, to Mario Davis is in that defense,
Like this is not a team that has nobody, But
what I think it is is a team of inexperienced
players paired with a coach who is inheriting the room
for the first time and trying to make things work.

(38:25):
And it hasn't geled yet and it takes time to
do so. And I think a hostile environment where communication
is going to be more difficult because of how loud
it gets, will probably affect the secondary. I think that
this Bills team is going to play their brand of football.
They're going to try and run it on them. They're
going to try and be more methodical in the passing.
I think Josh is going to be very Cognitzanti of
pre to post snap diagnosing and try to be a

(38:45):
more mature quarterback and taking the as they described it
on the film room, taking the profit what's given to him.
But I wouldn't shock me at all of this is
the game where you do see Josh air it a
little bit more just because of the matchup. Because again,
well again, I keep saying again, again, again again, there's
matchups in the secondary, players in the secondary that I

(39:06):
think you can take advantage of. And despite the talent
that the Saints have, you gotta know these guys are
susceptible to certain double moves or there's tendencies in them
that you can exploit. And I think a guy like
Dalton Kincaid it might be poised to have a very
large game. And I think probably the player that I've
been watching each week with the most like joy because
of how free he seems. Now because of the thirteen

(39:26):
personnel the Bills are running the blocking from Kildozer in
Dawson Knox, freeing him to be more of a peer
receiver with favorable matchups. This feels like a concaid takeover
game to me, where even if he is matched up
with a guy like Davis or if he's matched up
with like a box safety, I think he's going to
get open. I think he's going to have success. And ultimately,
I think the Bills can in this game go downfield

(39:47):
if they want to, but they're going to try and
earn their shots. The same with the Saints too. I
think the difference in this game though, is I have
much more faith in the Bills going with a long
drive and actually completing it consistently and not wearing themselves
out to a point where like you'd wonder if they're
gonna put up anything more than a field goal every
single drive. And I think that as far as pass
rush and everything goes, the Saints are not a pressure

(40:08):
minded team. I think they are very basic. And how
much they decide to blitz, they pulled it up. There
are currently sixteenth and blitz rate in the NFL. So
again it's not nothing, but it's not substantial, but they
are well of the worst teams and pressure rates, so
it's a team that doesn't consistently get home enough. And
if you're talking about the Saints primarily playing zone coverage
to try and master their blemishes in the secondary and

(40:30):
keeping their corners away from man and trying to keep
things basic with a too high structure, I think that
this team is going to have at least the Bills
are going to have plenty of space to operate with,
and I think that might be the downfall for the Saints.
It's just not being aggressive enough. But again, like when
you're facing Josh Allen, it's hard to be aggressive because
he beats the blitz and it's hard to just sit
back and zone because he picks zone apart too. And

(40:52):
with the way he's playing right now, John, like your
entire point speaks volumes to what Josh is now, which
I think is just the most mature version of him
we've ever seen. And in my opinion, right now, this
individual three week stretch, I think is the best football
I've ever seen from Josh Allen. And again, like Josh
has had the flashy explosives, he's had the downfield plays,
he's done everything and more, and we love it, but

(41:13):
it's the pre to post snap that you're seeing from
Josh Allen right now, and how he's manipulating plays at
the line of scrimmage, how he's calling things out and
setting his protections correctly, how he's not forcing the issue
because he doesn't have to force the issue and is
just capitalizing on the system of offense that is trying
to run the ball and be efficient and being just
as efficient with the decisions he's making, taking the screen

(41:33):
if it's there, taking the pass to the flat instead
of the double covered tight end that might have a
single step, but it's still a risky throat, risk adverse,
but still effective. It's the perfect balance for Josh Allen
right now. It's the best of both worlds. It's what
we've wanted to see for years from him and John.
My final point on Allen relative to the defensemen in general,
I think why this matters so much to me isn't

(41:56):
just because the Bills are winning games. It isn't just
because the Bill's offense is going. It's because when I
think about Josh Allen, like six years from now, when
he's not a spring chicken and his legs are in
this fast, his feet aren't moving as quickly, the bruise
has hurt a little bit more. This feels like a
sustainable way for him to play football. And honestly, man,
this player gets clowned. People demonize him because of the

(42:19):
team he plays for. But Dak Prescott was a player
that I feel like people had a lot of doubt for,
and he is quarterbacking at such an incredibly high level
right now where everyone's like he rules. I mean, he's
playing a style of football that is MVP level. He's
just playing on a bad team that's letting him down consistently,
but he's absolutely amazing, precise, making the right decisions, beating pressure,

(42:42):
just looking really good. Allen is at that point right
now where he's starting to just mature into a true
signal caller more than an athlete, and now pair with
the athleticism, like you're getting just again, one of the
most efficient, dangerous quarterbacks in the NFL, and I love
to see every bit of it. John, back to you,
any other thoughts.

Speaker 2 (43:00):
Yeah, I just want to piggyback on that, because you're
absolutely right, Josh Allen, in terms of what he did
early in his career did not look like sustainable quarterback
play in the NFL. It was amazing and the flashes
are there, but you worry if this is someone that's
just relying upon the brawn and the physicality and the
athleticism and I'm going to run you over all the time.

(43:23):
Is that someone that's going to be able to one
hit the absolute ceiling but two have a long career
And I would have questioned significantly as to whether or
not that was possible. Now you're looking at a quarterback,
like you just said, who is cerebral, who understands, who
knows how to read defenses and put coverage or his
protection where it needs to be and all of that,

(43:44):
and when it does start to fade athletically for him,
this is still going to be a very, very very
dangerous quarterback. So I think that Josh Allen has developed
into a quarterback that is going to have a very
long NFL career, knock on war, and one that is
going to give the Bills many, many, many chances at

(44:04):
making the title run and hopefully hopefully it's this year.

Speaker 1 (44:08):
Yeah, I just had to go knock on some woods. Sorry,
there's a door just a little ways over there, So
I had to roll through my apologies. Yeah, I agree
with you, man. I think it's just it's so reassuring,
and all I can hope for is because I think
Joe Brady gets a head coaching job this offseason with
the Radies app but even last year, that when he
leaves and he's onto, you know, brighter horizons, the next

(44:30):
offensive coordinator just replicates the style, because I think what
the Bills have just structurally is just not great, only
not great, sorry, not just great, But it's also again
something that I think they could play with for the
next decade and still be just as good as they
are now. And I love every bit of it. So
I think in this upcoming matchup, man, it's gonna be

(44:51):
say it's playing into zone, they're going to try to
send for they might disguise their pressures a little bit,
maybe try to drop a linebacker in. I do think
you could say there's a little bit of a concern
with right tackle if Spencer Brown isn't good to go
for the pass pro component and whether they can generate
pressure off the right side. But also too, I mean,
you still have Cam Jordan, who even in his old age,
is still able to produce. Granderson has been a very

(45:12):
viable pass rushing threat for them. Not having Chase Young
I think is a very unfortunate blow for the Saints
because last year he was a very high caliber and
one of the top generators of pressure in the NFL.
Despite the sack numbers, he was getting into the pocket
and created disruption. Not having him, I think is a
big blow for the Saints defensive line this season, and

(45:34):
whenever he comes back, I think will be a plus
of not having him in this game is a nice
thing to kind of, I guess, exploit if you want
to talk about true drops and deep drops for Josh
Allen and the pass pro holding up. So I think
it's just picking apart the zone. I don't know if
the Saints try to up their blitz rate to try
and compensate in any sort of way, but if they don't,
I think Josh will have a good day with the
ball in his hands, and I think a player like

(45:56):
Kinkaid or even Keon Coleman, if we're talking about getting
into the red zone more consistently, I think they can
be successful. I'm actually really really pumped to watch Keon
Coleman this week because I think in this case, when
we're talking about zone defense and the soft spots. Kean
has done a nice job in these three games of
recognizing where he's got to hit and sit and be
able to kind of just be available for Josh Allen
without putting himself too much into a defender spot or

(46:18):
in harm's way. I think that this is going to
be a great game for him to kind of continue
on with that. So I'm looking forward to watching him
as well. And I don't really have too much more
to add about the Saints defense. It's a mix of
vets and youth, but it's definitely still gelling. I mean,
they're on. You know, you have just to read in
that defensive backfield, but you know, you lose Matthew to retirement,
then your starter and black Man gets hurt. So now

(46:40):
you have Jonah Sanker filling in and Cenker is a
player that you and I talked about in the past,
like for the Bills potentially as a safety player we like,
but he's a rookie and safety is a very difficult
position in the NFL, and guys like Keon Coleman or
even Khalis Shakira, if you get him going up to
seam or Josh Palmer in his route deception. That could
be a hard test for safety. So I do think
the Bills. I don't think they're going to stray away

(47:01):
from running the ball. But I really do think downfield
shots are coming in this game to some degree, and
I'm excited to see them that they do at being
there in person. Would love to see Josh hit on
a few of them. That'd be nice. I'd like to
stand up a cheer beer in hand. I hope, so, John,
I hope so. So that's all I got on defense.
I think final before we pivot over to special teams
before we close out.

Speaker 2 (47:22):
Don't think so. I think I'm good all.

Speaker 1 (47:24):
Right, so special teams. So, if you happen to watch
last week's game against the Seattle Seahawks, the first thing
you would notice, besides the penalties, is their special teams
unit was god awful and god awful for miscues. But
I also did not like them and coverage at all.
I thought there were bad angles to the Seahawks returners.

(47:45):
You know, I'm not a fan of Kendre Miller is
a returner.

Speaker 2 (47:49):
I just don't think that what is bad choice.

Speaker 1 (47:52):
I don't know if they had a choice. I don't
know if it was because they just didn't have someone
in the room that they trusted as someone on the
Saints side would be able to answer that question a
lot better than me. But I am not a fan
of Kendre Miller being a returner. Just doesn't have the burst,
like in my eyes watching him return not slow because
NFL slow is like what what would you call NFL

(48:12):
slow for a four to four or not a four
to four? A forty yard dash, but like it didn't
pose any sort of threat, And I feel like the
Saints special teams unit is going to be an area
that this Bill's really you know, returning team I think
is going to exploit heavily. Again, I really like Codrington
as a returner. I know he had the fumble last week,
but I'm still a fan of his. I think he's

(48:33):
due to break out any week. I think this could
be the week he does, or at the very least
just generates really good starting field position. The Bill's special
teams unit hasn't been that great this year in starting
field position, but the States have been worse. I mean
that they one of the bottom units in the league
in that regard and their punk coverage team has just
not looked good. They're punting team has not looked good.

(48:55):
There's a lot Again, it's a team that with a
new coach, there's a lot of miscues. But watching them,
you could see what's holding the back. It's these self
inflicted wounds. I would imagine being in a hostile environment
in Western New York might not bode well for them.
Stranger things have happened. Any week could be the week
you clean it up. But that's definitely an area of
weakness for the Saints team that I think they need
to fix. And this is just not the matchup you

(49:17):
want to be dealing with those struggles in and something
I will be watching for. But John, what do you think?
What have you noticed? I mean anything you want to
call out specifically?

Speaker 2 (49:25):
I don't really think there's a lot more to say
than what you just said. It's been a big weakness.
They gave up what one special teams touchdown last week?

Speaker 1 (49:37):
It was Joey Harton's return touchdown, but there was also
a really long return. I forgot the number eighty three,
and then of course the block punt.

Speaker 2 (49:46):
Yeah, I mean just bad across the board. Now I
know that the Bills haven't been great in their own
coverage of special teams this year either, Like you've seen
other teams get some pretty good chunk plays against them.
But like you said, if you're the Buffalo Bills with
Josh Allen and an offensive wagon going, the last thing

(50:07):
that the other team wants is to spot Josh Allen
with good field position. But that is going to be
a potential reality this weekend for the Saints special teams unit.
They just really struggle with coverage and containing on returns.
I'd love to see Josh just get some short fields
to work with. Let's just you know, get the ball
out to the forty to you know, midfield, maybe rip

(50:28):
off a long one and run it all the way back.
But it's another area where I think the Bills can
absolutely exploit the Saints this going weekend.

Speaker 1 (50:38):
So I realized when I started the segment, I didn't
have the page loaded, so I looked it up. So
the Bill's special team too, that has not been great
so far in terms of dboa. They're sitting at twenty fourth.
Do you know where the Saints are sitting?

Speaker 2 (50:51):
Dead last?

Speaker 1 (50:53):
Dead last? That minus twenty point one percent. It's really
bad and again we talked in fairness to them. We
did talk a bit about out how the inflated numbers
for their rushing EPA per play defensively a bit higher
because of that matchup against the Seahawks, and the Seahawks
matchup probably tank them. But again it's still not a
spot you want to be in. It's as bad as
it gets for them on the special teams unit. And

(51:15):
you got to remember with this team, like I said,
it's a mix of youth, it's a mix of vets,
but youth on special teams. I mean that's got to
be coached up and that takes time as well to
get into place. When you're talking about again proper angles
you're taking for return people getting off your blocks consistently.
You know your fifth in rotation defensive end that you
got as an undrafted free agent who now has to
try and learn how to shed blox at the pro

(51:35):
level against season special teams players. That all matters, and
it makes a huge difference for a team. And I think,
like when we talk about new coaching changes and teams
that are like zero and three in the NFL, like
it's not an end all be all because a team
like the Jets, who's sitting at OHO and three and
a team like the Titans. Actually these two teams are
both top five in's Special Teams DVOA. But it is
a factor into what can lead a team to kind

(51:57):
of take that you know, I guess if you want
to hit that punch in the face of a terrible
ranking and end up in a situation where it can
probably make games get out of hand within the first
few quarters. So keep an eye out for the Saints
special teams coverage and if that's nothing, the Bills try
to exploit this week. It's a unit that has really struggled.
I don't think this is the week they prove it exponentially.

(52:17):
Maybe they look a little bit better. But to go
from thirty second to first in a week against this team,
even with our special teams, you to being twenty fourth
in the NFL. It's not one that I think bodes
terribly well for them. But we will have to see.
But I don't really have much else to add, John,
anything else you want to bring up while we are
on the airwaves currently, Hmmm, we miss anything? I feel

(52:39):
like I don't know if we missed.

Speaker 2 (52:42):
James Cook is a top blink RB in the NFL.

Speaker 1 (52:46):
Right now, oh, top five, give me a number right now, five,
and I'll take this moment. Actually, I'm gonna take this moment.

Speaker 3 (52:53):
We get to start picking it up when I'm about
to talk to apologize to James Cook, as I was
someone who said I will pay him, but up to
a certain point, and my certain point was around like
twelve million dollars maxim Oo, hold it's this contract.

Speaker 1 (53:08):
It actually ended up working out.

Speaker 2 (53:09):
But we had that conversation last spring and we were
both at like twelve We were good with.

Speaker 1 (53:14):
Yeah, it wasn't that I wouldn't have paid James Cook,
It's that I had a set amount because I felt
that despite my like for James Cook as a player,
what he has brought to the offense, there were limitations
and that was part of the reason why in certain
situations I'm passing downs, they would have to take him
off the field. And I thought, because of his snapshare
being not terribly far away from what Ray Davis was

(53:35):
bringing to the offense, that this isn't a reason to
pay him sa Quon Barkley money, Jonathan Taylor money, and
I still held true on the belief that that contract
shouldn't have exceeded that much money. But if you were
telling me that the page James Cook is on right
now is how he would finish the season, I would
run at the idea to pay him fifteen million or more.

(53:56):
He is playing unbelievably right now. And again it's not
just like byproduct of the old line. And don't get
me wrong, offensive line matters a ton with running the football.
We all know this. I am an Ashton gent fantasy
har in free dynasty leagues. Trust me, I know how
bad run blocking can completely for a very good running back.

Speaker 2 (54:17):
I have also got it worse. I have him in
a redraft league, so there. Oh yeah, redraft rookies is
so tricky. I did that a few years ago with
John Robinson and that was like his first year where
he was still good. But like again, same problem, bad
run blocking. So I want to stress good run blocking matters.
It's good to have totally get it.

Speaker 1 (54:36):
But James Cook isn't just playing behind a good old
line and benefiting. He himself is making tremendous cuts on
the field. His field vision has been extremely good. The
run against the Jets is the best James Cook run
I've ever seen. And it's not just because all he
did the cool cut, but you have to understand, like
your peripheral vision in real time and split second moments
as a running back, to see four defenders crossing your

(54:58):
face or getting in range where they can make a
play on you. To be able to pivot out of
their way and generate that touchdown when it should have
just been a first down game is unbelievable. His vision,
his poise, his patience, his contact balance, his ability to
still generate power at the goal line if he needs
to get through, his ability to maintain his balance and
make great plays like the touchdown. I believe it was

(55:19):
against Miami where it was similar to that Chiefs game
where he's brought down at the goal line and still
gets the ball across while maintaining his knee or maintaining
his knee keeping his knee off of the ground. These
things are just it's the development of James Cook that
we've seen that you know, with the contract they have
him at now, it's beginning to look like a bargain
and I'm extremely happy to see it. And you know,

(55:40):
we talked about Saints rushing EPA on defense and how
it's been good but I think James Cook is the
type of back where if you're getting any push from
this offensive line, it doesn't really matter. He's going to
get his punches in. I mean, this team has run
the ball well with him against some of the best
fronts in the NFL in the playoffs last year. I
don't think this is going to be any different. And
I have to just publicly apologize to James Cook for
doubting that you could play above twelve million dollars. You

(56:03):
are playing like a fifteen million even more running back
right now, and you have it's a cog in the
Bills machine. We can't We're not We're not this efficient
and we're not getting to this level without him. And
I say that as someone who just lauded Josh Allen.
He's been exceptional. So I gotta I gotta eat.

Speaker 2 (56:17):
Crow outside outside of outside of Josh Allen, there's no
one else that is as important to this offense than
James Cook. He has been everything and more. The efficiency,
the touchdown rate, the ability to take a small play
and break it into a large one. I mean, James
Cook has just been the absolute truth and it is

(56:41):
beautiful to see. So James Cook we love you, James
Cook to the moon.

Speaker 1 (56:45):
James Cook to the Moon. I love you, James Cook.
There is one player since since we did our matchup,
and I feel like we don't really have much else
to talk about. Let's just use these final few minutes
to talk about one specific player that I feel like
deserves time on the airwaves. Can we talk about Jackson Hawes?

Speaker 2 (57:01):
You're god damn right, we can't.

Speaker 1 (57:03):
Okay, And you know what's funny is like I talk
about him on the show every week, but like, oh
my god, I'm just oh man, I'm so happy, Like
I'm just happy that this is working out now again,
Like I'm very grounded in reality about what like receiving
tight end Jackson Haws looks like. And it was oh awesome.
It was awesome to see the touchdown. Don't get me wrong,

(57:25):
and I do.

Speaker 2 (57:25):
I don't care if he never catches another pass, Joe,
I don't care, Like it doesn't app.

Speaker 1 (57:30):
He's just unbelievable. Like we're not talking about a blocking
tight end that's like, Okay, he's going up against corners
and mauling them, but like he gets destroyed against edge
rushers and he'll he'll lose his reps, it's gonna happen
in the NFL, But he sizes up and plays with
such power against even like edge setters and linebackers and
guys that should be giving him more trouble. He just

(57:52):
looks like a ten year blocking vet, akin to like
your least Smith's of the world, which I know he's
often compared to. But he and I don't even mean
this in like an exaggerative way, because I love the
player everyone knows I do. I think he has been
a top five component as far as what makes this
offense successful. He is that important because you got to
remember too, he's the key. And I talked about this

(58:13):
with Bruce last week and Anthony just did an entire
episode on him. But like he's a cog in the
machine of this offense. Sure, the receiving chops are there, sure,
but you got to think about what his presence on
the line is doing for a guy like Dalton Kinkaid,
who is also having, in my opinion right now, his
best season. I mean, Kinkaid looks like he's not only
playing like a bit more like Poison's receiver and healthy,

(58:34):
he's playing free, like there's a confidence in his game
when you watch him now, when you see him catch
a pass, whether it's a touchdown like last week, a
first down, there's a physicality he's playing with, but also
just like a bit of a swagger in bravado. And
I really think that, you know, Kinkaid I was worried about.
I thought he could have developed even if Jackson Hows
wasn't here. Maybe he does take that step. But I

(58:55):
think having that sured blocking guy in your room, that's
just laying the hammer down. And you've heard Bill's offensive
lineman talk about how he just fires them up, like
I think that presence is firing up the rest of
this tight end room to a point where they're all
playing with their heads on fire and you're seeing the
best ball from all of them. Even Dawson not to
who hasn't really done much in the receiving game so far,

(59:15):
is blocking his ass off. Jackson Hall is blocking his
ass off in Kincaid, blocking his ass off against more
favorable matchups because of Hawes, but also catching and playing
like the tight end you drafted to be. I'm just
so happy. I love this player to a point John
that like when we go to Buffalo this weekend, I'm
we're not far away from one of the stores. I
might try to see it as Houge jerseys. I might

(59:36):
see if it as a Hollige jersey, I will look
for one. If there is a Hallwge jersey, I might
pull the trigger. Because I really love this player right now,
it's three games about to be four. I'm so excited
about him in his future. I love Jackson, so I
just had to know. We oh you no.

Speaker 2 (59:51):
We we gushed about it after the draft. We've talked
about him multiple times throughout the offseason in terms of
what a difference maker he can be, and it has
proved to be that. Here's a tweet that I saw
from you know, our our friend yards per pass in
the Miami game last week run splits for James Cook
with and without Hawes on the field against Miami. With

(01:00:14):
Hawes on the field, fourteen attempts ninety two yards in
a touchdown, six point five to seven yard per carry.
With Haes not on the field, five attempts for sixteen yards.
The difference that Hawes makes in the run game is
just so beautiful. It's like everything and it's it's difficult

(01:00:36):
because I loved seeing Alec Anderson on the field as
the sixth offensivelignment, but he's basically rendered it useless because
he gives you everything that Anderson does in those blocking
schemes while still being you know, an actual eligible receiver
that kind of needs to be respected as opposed to
just being an offensive alignment. So it's it's fascinating, man.

(01:00:57):
But he is great. And I really feel like you
said about the tone setting, about what he does for
the offense, about the other guys in the room, everything.
This is a team as a whole that for years
has loved to play a little bit nasty. Like the
offensive line gets going. The more that you're handing the

(01:01:17):
ball off behind them and they're getting pushed and they're
opening up five six yards of play, the more the
offensive line you can see them start to get a
little swagger and they're like do it. Run it again?
Like run it again, Run the ball again. And now
with Hawes out there, he brings that same type of
energy and just the nastiness factor of wanting to punish

(01:01:39):
somebody into the ground or into the bench, and it
just feeds, like the whole offense feeds on it. And
he's just been wonderful.

Speaker 1 (01:01:46):
I love it.

Speaker 2 (01:01:47):
I've been talking about Jackson Hawes pancake blocks since April
and now he's here and it is beautiful, and I
hope that we see a just absolute nasty block this weekend.

Speaker 1 (01:02:00):
And in terms of total poise or i should say,
play rate out of thirteen personnel, just to read some
stats from sumer Sports all some website by the way,
if you haven't used it, I recommend it because they
have some really cool advanced analytics on here. Sixth in
the NFL in terms of rate out of thirteen personnel.
In terms of overall EPA, they are second in the
league A get nine point one two, just behind the

(01:02:20):
Baltimore Ravens EPA per pass in thirteen personnel, they are
currently sitting at fourth in the NFL. Sorry again I'm
bad at reading charts in real time. I should have
written this down, but oh well. And then ePaper Rush
they're fifth in the NFL. They are using thirteen personnel,
one of the highest in the league, and they're having
success doing it. And again that is not an accident.

(01:02:41):
And you brought up again an amazing point about Alec Anderson,
because again I love I love the six OL package.
I don't think they should totally abandon it, and like,
I think that it does have purpose, especially because you
run six ol with Jackson Halls next to Alec Anderson.
I mean, that'd be very very fun. I want more.

Speaker 2 (01:02:59):
You know, they should do. What they should do is
they should run the six offensive line packages and put
Jackson Hawes as a fullback.

Speaker 1 (01:03:06):
Oh my god, you know what, I should just put
eleven Jackson Hawes on the field. That's what they should do.
That would you never lose a game. But the Buffalo
Buffalo Hawes man, he is bringing something to this offense,
like the lack of predictability because they can run out
of those thirty personnel looks. And the fact that now
because you've unlocked out and Kinkaid, thirteen personnel kind of

(01:03:30):
almost becomes like a twelve because if you have Kinkaid
just purely doing receiving work, then like and he's good
at doing the receiving work, then that's great. But because
they run and pass out of it like so often,
but it's like even splits, it's just such a dangerous
tool to have in your arsenal and he's been a
huge boost and just seeing these numbers just fills my
heart with joy because again, the modern NFL, the physical

(01:03:51):
rushing attack, the ability to just wear defenses down and
hurt people. He could do that for you. So I
love it. I'm so happy to see it. I mean,
I don't have anything else to add. I just wanted
to gush over Jackson Hawes for like an extra half
hour in the show. But John, I think we covered
everything about this matchup again, offense, defense, special teams. It's
a Saints team that I don't think is just gonna
go away quietly after a blowout. But the numbers don't

(01:04:13):
really back them up in a lot of ways, and
they're a team that's just still trying to find it.
I think the Bills should win. I won't say will
because I will never put absolutes out there, even though
that was an absolute You see what I did there.
But no, I don't want to jinx it. I don't
want to jinx it. I'm just excited for this game.
I hope the Bills can come out with a big
w because it would be really nice to just have
an easy win. Again. I'm so excited to watch it

(01:04:35):
in person and also eat a lot of food in Buffalo.
But You, my friend, are always a tremendous guest. I
appreciate the heck out of you, and your insight is
always welcomed. It is always a ton of fun to
talk to you. I appreciate you being a safe space
for me to gush over blocking tight ends, and I
want you to other good people what's going on in
your world, where they could find you, where they can
follow you.

Speaker 2 (01:04:54):
Yeah, at John Helmcamp right there on the platform formerly
known as Twitter. Been doing some podcasting every week with
Built in Buffalo talking Just Ball on Tuesday, a lot
of previews and recaps and all that kind of stuff,
and getting some stuff up on the website too. Already

(01:05:15):
looking ahead to next year's NFL Draft class because I'm
a sicko. So yes, we are very focused on the
Buffalo Bills. But if you want to just have half
an eye to the future in terms of what's potentially
coming in case we need I don't know, a one
tech or a linebacker or a safety or a corner,
then follow me and we can talk about it.

Speaker 1 (01:05:38):
Yes, yeah, you'll learn a lot about college prospects from John.
You and on my buddy Jeric are probably my two
most like go to people when it comes to anything
college ball. This year, I've been keeping up within a
lot of the top tier prospects, but I love just
the film quip exchanges. I've been like Jeric has put
me onto a bunch of linebackers. You've been putting me
out to a bunch of d linemen and receivers, and
I love the mix. I'm already I did for the draft,

(01:06:00):
Like shout out to both of you, guys, But I
gotta say this, like, you guys really should be following
John because college ball is like like, you will learn
a ton about anyone in the class you might not
have been familiar with prior if you follow John. So
please do that. Give yourself the opportunity to see more
of his work. It speaks for itself. He's a tremendous
person and a tremendous creator. So thank you, John. I
appreciate the heck out of you, And for me, I'm

(01:06:22):
here every single week pre recording these episodes because commuting
sucks and it takes a long time to get home,
and it's a little harder to do live shows now,
even though I just did one last week and I
will do another one the next time. We have Thursday
Night Football, but the show is still here. Cover One's
YouTube channel. If you're a fan of the episode, feel
free to hit that subscribe button. Feel free to hit
that light button. Likes are greatly appreciated. It helps the

(01:06:44):
channel out, not just myself, it helps all of our
creators out. And if you want to help us out
even more so, check the description of this video. There's
a link to sign up for the one Pass. Signing
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(01:07:06):
of fun to be a part of it. Our insiders
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content on our network where we can talk positively about

(01:07:26):
Jackson Hawes closing the loop on that one. Folks, I
appreciate the heck out of each and every single one
of you. If you are watching us on YouTube, thank
you so much. If you are listening on our audio
platforms and enjoying the sounds, the soothing sound of my
nasally voice and John's handsome, silky, smooth, buttery voice, we
appreciate you. Thank you for tuning in. We are going

(01:07:47):
to say, enjoy the rest of your day. This video
will be dropping on Friday, so enjoyed the rest of
your Friday. Let's hope for a Buffalo Bills win and
as always, friends, go Bills. We We'll see you next week.

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