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Does Josh Allen Lack Accountability? · Alex Brasky: Unfiltered

• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, everybody, and welcome back by Popular Demand.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: This is Alex Brasky Unfiltered, your first stop for Raw.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Honest takes on the Buffalo Bills and more.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Please like, share, rate, and subscribe to the podcast, and also leave a comment on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: All right, the Buffalo Bills coming off their first loss of the season at the hands of the rival New England Patriots.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Buffalo had a chance to bury the Patriots, not only in the AFC East Divisional race, but really the playoff race as the Patriots started the season in the depths of despair, sitting at one and two entering this week four contest.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: And the Bills had their chances in this game to shovel some dirt on the Patriots' grave, but unable to do so.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: And the Bills fall to three and one.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Patriots improved to two and two.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Really a two and a half game swing with this loss when you include the tiebreaker and you talk to or you listen to Josh Allen after the game, and he just really expressed how big these divisional games are.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: And although Joe Brady tried to downplay the significance of such entering this game, it's irrefutable how important these games against not only divisional opponents, but the reigning divisional champion are early in the season.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: And the Bills really squander an opportunity to, like I said, shovel that dirt onto the Patriots' grave just four weeks into the season.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: The Patriots were without their top two defenders in this game.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: You had Christian Gonzalez, the cornerback, and Christian Barmore, the defensive tackle.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Also, the Bills missing Christian Benford, all the Christians out in this game.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Both Gonzalez and Barmore were out with shoulder injuries, and also the Patriots missing their big free agent acquisition.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: AJ Brown, the wide receiver, who left early in the season with an ankle injury, was still out for this matchup.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: But it didn't matter.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: The Patriots outplayed the Bills in this game, and it all started with Drake May outplaying Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who looked like the MVP front runner through two weeks of the season.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: But when you look at his performance these last two weeks, he doesn't look anything close to an MVP candidate after the loss to the Patriots.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: And then you look at that three-turnover day against the Los Angeles Chargers the week before.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: So Josh Allen, a lot of wrongs to right as the Bills enter a week five matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, which we'll discuss a little bit later.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: But let's reflect on this disappointing defeat at the hands of the Patriots in week four.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: And it all starts with what's become the elephant in the room, Josh Allen's interception, Bills fans wanting to shift blame from the Golden Boy, their franchise quarterback, and place it all at the feet of Jim Leonard and the Bills defense, which certainly have their own concerns to deal with after this game.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: But when you look at what led to the loss and really the squandered chance to even come back and make it a tie game late in this contest, it all came down to Josh Allen's decision making on the interception.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Just a terrible decision from Josh Allen.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: If you look at the play, he evades pressure in the pocket and really doesn't give it a second thought.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Heaves the ball into double coverage downfield.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when you listen to him discuss the play post-game, it doesn't seem like he saw the safety coming over.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: The safety is the one who ended up making the play on the interception, but still heaving it down the field into double coverage, just kind of a repeat performance of what we've seen from Allen early in this season.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: You look at week one against the Houston Texans, really got away with one on the deep ball that was nearly intercepted by Karami Lasseter of the Texans.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: I believe that's his first name.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: I always get that screwed up.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know why.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: But the Houston Texans cornerback nearly coming away with that interception that would have won the game for the Texans, but Allen getting away with that near mistake.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: And he didn't get away with it in this game against the New England Patriots and really hasn't gotten away with it each of the last two weeks.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: I mentioned the three turnover effort against the Chargers.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: And now just putting the ball into harm's way far too often is what Allen's doing early in the year.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: And he wasn't awful throughout the course of this game.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: He finishes nearly along the same lines of what Drake May finished with.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: You had May finish 22 of 37, 269, three touchdowns and an interception.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: He was sacked once.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: You had Allen finish 23 of 33 for a touchdown and interception.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: He was sacked once.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: So Allen averages more yards per attempt than Drake May, but May finds the end zone three times.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: Allen, the backbreaking interception down the stretch when they were driving to hopefully tie the game with a field goal.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: And you listen to Joe Brady after this game, and I think this is a brewing concern among the fan base.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I had it dating all the way back to the offseason when Alec Anderson really referred to Joe Brady as the fun uncle of sorts.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: He's not holding these guys accountable.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: And if you listen to him discuss Josh Allen's interception, he really blames himself, says he had to make a better play call, and he's never going to tell Josh Allen not to pull the trigger deep down the field.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just ridiculous when you're watching that game.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody and their mother could tell that that was a terrible decision from Josh Allen.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: But Brady taking all the heat off of his quarterback in the press conference the day following, this was Monday.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: So really something questionable there, and something that we'll have to keep an eye on.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't only with Allen that Brady refused to hold accountable.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: He also refused to hold accountable CJ Gardner Johnson, which we'll touch on a little bit later.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: Some foolish comments from him after the game regarding Patriots wide receiver Fton Chisholm the third, who came away with a game-winning reception and a heck of a reception at that.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: And Gardner Johnson calling him a practice squad player when he's never been on a practice squad.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll discuss that a little bit more at length later.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: But at the end of the day, Joe Brady's going to have to start holding these guys accountable, or it's not like they're going to start running rampant in the locker room and start going against what he says, and there's going to be a mutiny on his hands.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: But when you're playing a professional sport, and not that I ever have, but I've played at very low levels and I've coached at very low levels, when you're a competitor trying to reach your highest level, you need to be held accountable for your failures.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not saying Joe Brady isn't doing that behind closed doors, but at the same time, there's something to be said for doing that in the public eye and making sure that you're not only holding Maxwell Harrison accountable like he did after Harrison stormed out of the locker room and refused media after the loss to the Patriots.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: Harrison was terrible in this game.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: We'll touch on that in a moment.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: But you also need to hold Josh Allen accountable.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: If you look back at the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick always used to hold Tom Brady accountable first and foremost, above all of his other players on the roster.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: And it just seems to be a little bit topsy-turvy with how Brady is treating Allen with kid gloves early in his head coaching career.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: So it wasn't the best day from Allen.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: He should have been held more accountable.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: He's turning the ball over at an incredibly high rate now.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: I believe it's 11 or 12 turnovers in his last five games.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: So it just is not great for Allen in recent matchups.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: And not to say that I've completely lost faith in the Bills quarterback.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: I still think he's the best quarterback in the league.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: I still think that he has plenty of time to return to form.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: And this is probably just a two-week blip on the radar.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: We've seen him turn things around in the past.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's still concerning because it's the same issues that we've seen from this player time and again throughout his career.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: And like I mentioned before, an even higher volume of these mistakes and putting the ball into harm's way in recent games.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: And Allen also underthrew Joshua Palmer on a third down to really deny the Bills a chance at a touchdown early in the game.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people talking about Palmer dropping the ball, and he's had some inconsistent production here since two early touchdowns to start the season.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: But Josh Allen's got to make a better throw on that play, and he didn't see Palmer initially either.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: And you look at the two-point conversion with Dalton Kincaid wide open on the right side.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: Allen looking to the left and tries to force it in and it falls incomplete.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: That would have put the Bills ahead seven instead of five late in the game.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: So there were a lot of decisions in this game and a lot of throws that Allen is going to want back.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: And it really comes down to seeing the field properly and pulling the trigger at the right time.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I just don't know if Allen, over these last two weeks, is processing the way that he was during the first two weeks of the season.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what you're going to have with a player who's kind of, for the lack of a better phrase, willy-nilly, the way that Allen plays, the way that he goes off script, the way that he plays that backyard football.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: You're going to have some low moments where he's just not feeling it the way that he was those first two weeks of the year.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: And you're seeing that these last two weeks, and it's just unfortunate that it comes on such a big play in such a big matchup against an opponent that won the AFC East last year, was looking like they were falling out of contention to start the season, and you allow them right back into the thick of things with Drake May really throwing the dirt off his grave as well.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: I've now used that analogy or whatever you want to call it uh three straight times.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so just not great from the Bills quarterback in this game and Drake May looking better than him.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: And James Cook helped the offense, averaging six yards per carry, didn't start well in the first half, six for 16, a fumble.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: Bills get it back.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: He scores later in the drive to really respond and rebound, but he didn't get the ball enough in this game.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: And when it comes down to it, you rely on Allen to put you over the top late in these matchups, and he was unable to do so against the New England Patriots.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I come back to the accountability factor.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: That's my biggest concern with Josh Allen moving forward.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: Not to say that he doesn't hold himself accountable and he's not a phenomenal player who's, like I said, rebounded in the past and put some of these tough moments behind him.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just concerned with this dynamic between he and his head coach and how things may fester and just take the onus off such a great player, where it's just human nature.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: When you don't have someone holding you accountable and holding you to the highest standard, you tend to kind of take a step back and doing that with yourself.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm a little bit concerned there with Allen, and we'll see if he's able to get back on track this week against the Rams.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: And the Rams didn't necessarily make it easy this way last week against Jalen Hurts.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: They sacked him four times, they held him to 93 yards passing, although he found the end zone twice.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: So Jalen Hurts is really struggling.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if that's the greatest example that Eagles offense really struggling as a whole.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure if it's a great comparison between the Bills and the Eagles, but still, this Rams defense has absorbed some injuries and they put forth a solid performance that allowed them to outscore the Eagles 14-0 in the second half and come back and win their own week four matchup heading into this game against the Bills.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: So Allen's gonna have to get back on track, and it all starts with his decision making.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: You look at that play near the goal line.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: It was a near safety.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: He throws it underhanded behind the back.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: Don't put yourself in that position.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: See the pressure, get rid of the ball earlier, find your check down, which he failed to do on the interception late in the game.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: He had Ty Johnson wide open in the flat, probably could have run for 20, 30 yards.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: He had Dawson Knox open over the middle.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: So Allen not seeing the field as well as he possibly can, and he'll have to do that a bit better against this Rams defense that, like I said, really responded with a phenomenal second half against the Philadelphia Eagles last week.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: But the next top concern coming out of this game, and really something that I've had dating back to last season, Maxwell Harrison and his performance as the Bills cornerback to just a horrible effort in this game.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I use the word effort purposely because it wasn't only his performance that really lacked the production that you hope for from a starting cornerback, but his effort was not there in this game.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: And you hear Jim Leonard talk about it during his Monday press conference saying that his effort on what proved to be the game clinching play just unacceptable.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that Harrison would tell you that as well.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: And you saw Harrison step to the podium, I believe it was just after Leonard to apologize for his actions with the media on Sunday.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: So there were two fourth downs that Harrison gave up in this game, a holding in the end zone, which I did think was a little bit questionable of a call.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then he gives up two touchdowns to Romeo Dobbs, which the one puts the Bills ahead 21, or excuse me, the Patriots ahead 21 to 17 in the third quarter.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I mentioned he declines the interviews after the game, really storms out like a petulant child, and just not a good look for Harrison.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: It was great that he comes back on Monday, apologizes, and explains himself and says that he didn't want to say something that he'd regret, and that's why he left the premises so suddenly.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: But when you do that once, it leads me to believe that that's in your character.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: And uh not to say that this is a guy that I've had those concerns about.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's really more so his production on the field.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: This is a another concern that kind of adds to the overall picture with Maxwell Harrison, which, let's be honest, early in his career, it really hasn't been all that great.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: He's had his moments, a couple of interceptions here and there, some big plays deep down the field, defending against some speedy wide receivers, but not great against the New England Patriots, and I believe gave up five receptions in this game.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: And like I mentioned, the two touchdowns to Romeo Dobbs.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: And it seemed like every big play the Patriots had, they were attacking Maxwell Harrison on purpose.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just not a good look for the Bills starting cornerback.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: And it makes me wonder why the Bills have not reached out to Tradavius White yet.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: The Bills are not playing the amount of man coverage that we all thought they'd play under Jim Leonard.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: And that was kind of the concern with White, an aging player lacking the adequate speed to match up with some of those players down the field.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: But he performed well in Sean McDermott's zone scheme last year.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're the Bills and you're going to play zone defense, reach out to Tredavius White, get him in the here for added depth, and somebody who can spell Harrison if he struggles the way that he did against the Patriots or potentially fit in as a regular starter because we don't even know the status of Christian Benford.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: The last we knew he was in a walking boot after the game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: I don't believe he had the walking boot on against the New England Patriots, but there's been some concern long term with that toe injury for Benford at a position that you really rely on that change of direction and that quickness.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll see if he returns this week.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: If he doesn't, you have Davis and Igbenosin, the rookie, alongside Maxwell Harrison once again against a vaunted Rams passing attack, which really went off against the Eagles with Matthew Stafford going for 317 yards, 51 attempts.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: He was picked off twice, but Puka Nakur returned with nine receptions for 125 yards.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: So uh not the same type of wide receiving core you faced against the New England Patriots, who were going to Efton Chisholm in critical times.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: You're going to have to deal with a little bit more uh talented players in this game.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: You have tight end Tyler Higby, five for 67 in this win over the Eagles.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: Devontae Adams, a future Hall of Famer, four receptions for 32 yards, not his best game, but he's always got something brewing for opponents.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: So if you run out Hairston and Igbenosen, who performed pretty well in this game for his first career start, and somebody who I've been high on since the Bills put him out there onto the field, I'm incredibly worried about the Bills secondary going up against this Rams pass catching core that uh has a couple of future Hall of Famers.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: At least that's how it's looked with Puka Nakua to start his season or his career.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: So Harrison, a terrible performance in this one and a terrible performance after the game as well.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_00: And somebody who I have a lot of concern with moving forward.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: And another player I have concern with moving forward, linebacker Terrell Bernard.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: He has not been good to start the season.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: Looking about five steps slow at this stage of his career, he's dealt with a number of injuries to the lower body, including this year.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_00: He's been in and out of games already to start this season.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: And if you ask Joe Brady, he loves what he's seen from Terrell Bernard.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: He said that he's, quote, playing really good football and flying around out there over the Bills' first four games.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: But I really don't know what the hell Joe Brady's watching.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: Terrell Bernard looks like he's got cinder blocks his feet out there playing defense for the Bills.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: And Dorian Williams hasn't been an above replacement level player by any means, but he's been better than Terrell Bernard, and Bernard, a captain of this team, somebody who I think needs to be replaced sooner rather than later.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: You have Shaq Thompson on the practice squad.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: Matt Milano, I know that he's not the middle linebacker, the green dot type player that Bernard is, but Matt Milano is still out there as a free agent.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: And there's other players out there that I'm sure you could bring in that would give you improved play than what we've seen from Terrell Bernard specifically this past week against the New England Patriots.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: And it just goes to show you, again, with Brady, uh, he can't even tell the truth to the media saying that Bernard going against what we've all seen with our own two eyes, saying that Bernard is playing really good football.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's only a matter of time.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: Although I did say that Brady was starting to win me over a little bit leading in to this game against the Patriots.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not, and I'm not ready to ignore all the good stuff that he built up over the first few weeks.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: But with the way that he continues to be dishonest with the media, when we've all seen Terrell Bernard struggling out there, especially this last week, and to say that he's playing really good football and flying around, just absolutely ridiculous.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: And uh another example of him being dishonest and not holding players accountable.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying you have to come out here and kick Bernard when he's down, but just be honest with the guy, be honest with the media.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: You've seen Jim Leonard be honest, and he's a first-year defensive coordinator, not even in a head coaching role, and he has no trouble laying it all on the line in front of the media.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: Really called Maxwell Harrison out under the carpet, as I mentioned, for his lackluster effort late in the game against the Patriots, and has not avoided some really uncomfortable conversations in the public eye with other players.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I think Brady just needs to start being a little bit more honest with the media, or else he's really going to start to wear out his welcome quicker than I imagined last week.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_00: But we mentioned Leonard, and he has not been as advertised for this team through the first four games of the season.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: Great adjustments to help the Bills come back and beat the Chargers this last week.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_00: And they really needed it with the way that Josh Allen was turning the ball over like crazy.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: But at the same time, there's been some horrible starts to these games.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: And you look at the two, probably the two most important drives against the Patriots, the opening drive, which they let the Patriots march right down the field for a touchdown.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: And then you look at the game winning drive, which is the Patriots' last drive for a score of the game.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: 12 plays, 97 yards, 628 in the first quarter to open the game for the Patriots.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: They score a touchdown, they go up 7-0.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: And then the game winning drive before the Josh Allen interception, eight plays, 73 yards, 2 minutes and 37 seconds, just cruising down the field to take that 29 to 26 lead.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: And everybody was hoping that Jim Leonard was going to come in here and really improve all the deficiencies that we saw crop up over these past several years under Sean McDermott as head coach and the leading voice in those defensive meeting rooms.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: But we haven't seen Seen those solved.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_00: We've seen the pass rush improve in terms of the sack production, and even the pressure rate seems to improve.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'd have to go back and look at year to year, but the sack production, first and foremost, has really been impressive under Jim Leonard.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: But then again, in this game against the Patriots, the pass rush was not getting home.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: It was allowing Drake May to get outside the pocket and extend plays.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: And that's when you saw the Bills Achilles heel pop up time and time again.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: The secondary failing to come through and do and live up to their end of the bargain.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: And it's almost as if the pass rush doesn't impact the quarterback in the pocket.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: The secondary has no chance to cover beyond two, three, four seconds.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: So uh if you're not getting that quick pressure, if you're Greg Rousseau, Bradley Chubb, who I thought both had a pretty good game in this one, if you're not getting to the corner quarterback, putting hands on him, getting him on the ground early in the down, he's able to escape.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: The secondary is incredibly vulnerable, and you saw it in this one.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's almost like this Jim Leonard defense is a big play or nothing, a turnover or nothing at times.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: And that's a dangerous place to live.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: There's a fine line between being aggressive and reckless and being all or nothing.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: And right now, the Bills are on the wrong side of that line, and you've seen it uh just rear its ugly head time and again.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: And against good teams, that type of defensive philosophy is not going to work.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: They're gonna be able to wear you down.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: You might turn them over here and there, you might force a punt here and there, but at the end of the day, they're going to be able to wear you down if you can't defend over the course of a long drive and come up with the plays you need, both up front on the defensive line and in the back end in the secondary.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not only been the secondary that's lacked in coverage, Terrell Bernard really struggling, Dorian Williams struggling at times as well.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: So being solid, there's something to be said for that.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: You don't always need that high variance play, that boom or bust, as Jim Leonard has termed it in the past.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: And that's something Sean McDermott had figured out.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: So uh there's really that question that needs to be asked about Jim Leonard.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: Is he what this defense needs?
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: And is he going to be able to turn things around in short order as the Bills need him to do?
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_00: Because there's been so many concerns that I think are going to be long-term concerns for this team.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know how you turn around this secondary that quickly.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_00: You can bring in a Tradavius White, you can bring in somebody else in the secondary to help improve the cornerback position, especially if Christian Benford is out long term, if Maxwell Harrison can't figure things out on the outside, but you're not going to go from where they are, which is one of the worst teams in the league in coverage, to somewhere that's reasonably near the middle of the pack or the top of the league.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's just not going to happen.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_00: So this is going to be a problem for the Bills going on throughout the season.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_00: You're going to have to get that massive production up front from Greg Rousseau, who didn't come away with a sack in this game, still leads the league with six of them.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: Bradley Chubb in the backfield all day long, didn't come away with a sack in this game, by my memory either.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_00: The Bills only sacked May once in this game.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_00: We'll see who can't.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yes, it was the sack fumble from TJ Parker and Ed Oliver late in the game that, or excuse me, uh maybe second quarter, but we'll we'll touch on that later.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_00: My main point is if you don't get that sack production up front, the secondary's just going to be in dire straits, as we saw in this game against the Patriots.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: So that's going to be a long-lasting concern for me, and something that unless somehow they miraculously turn it around against the Rams, I'm going to have major worries about moving forward.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: And we already talked about Joe Brady failing to hold Josh Allen accountable.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_00: He says, quote, I'm never going to tell Josh not to pull that trigger and take that regarding the interception.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: Quote, it's a big play.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: We're not going there to kick the field goal.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: We're trying to win the game.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_00: We didn't throw an interception because we're too aggressive.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_00: That goes to what I'm saying about Jim Leonard's defense.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: The same goes for Joe Brady and the offense.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_00: It was great the first two weeks when everything was working, but you've been all or nothing.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what Josh Allen was trying for on that horrible decision leading to the interception.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: Just going for gusto when you could have had the field goal to extend the game into overtime.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: It isn't what you want in that situation.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: You'd love to go down the field, score a touchdown, take the lead, and put the Patriots out of their misery in the division in regulation.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_00: But at the same time, you have to kind of preserve that chance of the field goal tying the game.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_00: And the Bills didn't give themselves any chance of doing so with Josh Allen going deep down the field.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: And then Brady's comments after the game just really worrisome.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: And then CJ Gardner Johnson calling Efton Chisholm the practice squad player and Mike Vrabel coming back at CJ Gardner Johnson and trying to get into a tit for tat with him in the media.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: Gardner Johnson hasn't been in front of a microphone since then, so we'll see what he has to say when reporters chase him down this week.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: But it's just, I was I've never been more right about a player than I was with CJ Gardner Johnson when I said this offseason that it would take one loss, one sign of adversity for Gardner Johnson to fly off the handle.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: And we saw that in the post-game press availability.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: Just the first sign of things going wrong in CJ Gardner Johnson just speaking out and making himself look like an absolute clown in the public eye.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: And another problem I had with Joe Brady in this game, taking the ball for the second straight game, I believe the second straight game, or the second straight opportunity they had to take the ball with the Bills winning the toss.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: And this is something else that Sean McDermott had figured out.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to reinvent the wheel all the time.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_00: Joe Brady has tried so hard to be completely opposite of Sean McDermott that it's so blatantly obvious.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you look at this decision to take the ball these last two tries, or these last two chances that they've had, and it's really blown up in their face.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's been a universally accepted strategy that deferring to the second half is the right thing to do when it comes to NFL football.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: But no, no, no.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: Joe Brady thinks he's the smartest man in the room, and now the Bills have set themselves up where Josh Allen coming out of the second half doesn't have the ball for the first however many minutes, and it just puts your team at a disadvantage, and we'll see exactly how long.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: Six minutes, 45 seconds, the Patriots have the ball.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's another worrisome aspect of Jim Leonard's defense.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: They give up the touchdown drive, 14 plays, 73 yards, 645 immediately to start the second half.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: So you give up the drive on the opening or the touchdown on the opening drive, the touchdown to open the third quarter, and then the touchdown on the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_00: Just really the three most critical junctures in the game, and Jim Leonard's defense fails to come through.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_00: But back to Joe Brady and the offense, you just make yourself and set yourself up to make yourself look stupid when you do things like this.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody knows that it's the right thing to do, deferring to the second half.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_00: And when you decide to take the ball, just really putting yourself out there, and not in a good way.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_00: It I get it.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_00: There's certain times where taking the ball can really probably be the right move and try to ride the momentum like in the home opener.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't mind it then.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_00: I actually kind of liked it.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_00: Brady's been preaching all throughout this offseason, spot the ball, you got to come play us, all these buzzwords and buzzquotes that he's used.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I didn't mind it there.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: But in a divisional game, go back to what's worked for probably 100 years in football, deferring to the second half, giving Josh Allen that opportunity to double dip going into the third quarter.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: And it just didn't work out for the Bills in this game.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: Came back to bite them in the ass with Drake May and the Patriots offense going down the field.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_00: 14 plays, 73 yards, 6-45, and they take that 21-17 lead immediately to begin the second half.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_00: Just not good stuff from Brady in this game.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_00: And another question that I have is he focusing enough on the defensive side of things?
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_00: I understand that he's really given the keys to the car to Jim Leonard in that regard.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_00: His first season as defensive coordinator, Brady's first season as head coach, but a head coach kind of needs to wear both hats.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: And when things are snowballing on the defensive side of the ball, the head coach can sometimes step in and be the voice of reason and provide some sage advice that allows that unit to turn things around.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't think we've seen that so far from Brady.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_00: And if I had one major criticism of him so far, I think it's that.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_00: I think he may be focusing a little bit too much on his offense and being a one-dimensional head coach, where he really, like I said, needs to wear multiple hats, needs to spread himself a little bit more thin during games.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_00: And it should be a little bit more seamless for him to do so.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_00: He's got Jim Leonard down on the sideline, that interaction, more so than what we've seen in the past with the defensive coordinators, Bobby Babich up in the booth with uh obviously Sean McDermott down on the field.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I think you need to boost Joe Brady's influence on that defensive side of the ball and especially during games, get another voice in there to help Jim Leonard stop the bleeding at times.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I understand play calling is his bread and butter.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_00: You don't want to take that away from Brady, but Leonard clearly needs help.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: And it also makes me wonder if hiring a first-year head coach alongside a first-year NFL defensive coordinator was the right move for the Bills.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure it's proving to be the right move in the early going.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_00: You might have needed experience at that DC position.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_00: And although Leonard came in highly regarded, a lot of people thinking he's gonna turn this defense around in year one, we have yet to see that come to fruition with Jim Leonard and his defense for the Bills through four weeks.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: All right, we're gonna pause for a moment.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_00: Please like, share, rate, and subscribe to the podcast.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: Also, leave a comment on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_00: Would really appreciate it.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: We're starting to grow the podcast.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_00: We've started to kind of loosely determine a schedule.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: I hope to add some podcasts here or there.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_00: Just time is not allowed for it thus far.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: But there's been a lot to discuss for the Bills.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_00: They start the season red hot, and now some issues against the Patriots have come up.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: So a good time to get locked in.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_00: And like I said, please like, share, rate, and subscribe.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_00: Take the time right now, if you could, while I'm going on my spiel.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: You can minimize this screen if you're watching on YouTube.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: If you're listening, go back and rate us, leave a comment, anything you could do or review to help people get involved with what we have going here on Alex Brasky Unfiltered.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: All right, now another concern for the Bills, the offensive line, and most specifically Deion Dawkins.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_00: He looked pretty cooked in this game going up against Patriots rookie pass rusher Gabe Yakis.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: And just showing the chinks in the armor that I think Dawkins has displayed all the way back to last season.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_00: He lost all that weight coming into this game, hoping to improve his ability against speed rushers, but Gabe Jakis gave him quite the bull rush on that viral video that's spreading throughout social media and just put him straight on his ass.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_00: And it's a second straight week that Deion Dawkins has been dominated by a rookie.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_00: And this is a proud veteran.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's got to be difficult for him to watch that film back with his fellow veteran teammates.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure they're roasting him a bit uh for going down and bouncing around a little bit on the turf at High Mark Stadium.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_00: And it wasn't just that play.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_00: Called for holding, called for a legal use of hands, hands to the face, just got his ass kicked in this game, did Deion Dawkins.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_00: And like I said, he looked like he could have been blown over by a stiff wind in this game.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm not sure if losing that weight is going to prove to be the right move in the long haul.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_00: He's fortunate he'll avoid Miles Garrett and maybe even Aaron Donald will be out for the Los Angeles Rams.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_00: I know more of an interior rusher is Donald.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_00: But Dawkins has got to get things together because he has not looked very strong dating back to last season.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I think he's going to become a significant liability as this season wears on.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_00: And really that left side of the line is becoming a liability.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: I've discussed Alec Anderson's struggles in the past.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_00: He's got three holding penalties to start this year.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_00: And what you saw the Patriots do in this game is go after Anderson, go after Deion Dawkins with everything they could with the pass rushing.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_00: Although they only sacked Josh Allen one time, they got after him quite a bit in this game, including that play with Deion Dawkins being sent on his tuokus by Gabe Yakis, the rookie for New England.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_00: So Alec Anderson, Deion Dawkins, my biggest concerns on the Bills offensive line.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_00: They're really going to have to get things together.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: And they struggled to pave the way for James Cook early in this game, too.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: I mentioned his struggles out of the gate.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: He ended up getting things together as the game wore on.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_00: They've really done well in the fourth quarter, has the Bills' running game averaging over six yards per carry.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_00: So they've done well to potentially close some games, but not good enough work here early in the game against the Patriots, and they're going to have to find a way to improve that moving forward.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: And another worrisome aspect coming out of this game, injury starting to pile up for the Bills, uh specifically with wide receiver DJ Moore.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_00: Aggravates, excuse me, that shoulder injury that we saw him sustain against the Detroit Lions in the home opener, that AC joint sprain.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: And this is something that he needs to rest.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_00: I know that he's a proud veteran.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_00: He's got that consecutive game played streak that I've mentioned previously on the show, dating back, I believe, five seasons, but it's not bigger than the team.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_00: And he's not going to return anywhere close to full strength unless he gives that injury an opportunity to heal.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_00: He hasn't even missed much practice time.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: I know that he's had the red non-contact jersey on, but he's been out there at practice for the Bills.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_00: He hasn't missed a game.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_00: So as important as DJ Moore is to this Bill's passing team, and when he went out once again this week against the New England Patriots, the Bills' passing game really took a step back as it did against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Detroit, or excuse me, the Detroit Lions.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_00: But you got to find a way to try to get him back to full health and somewhere close to that full efficacy as we saw him to start this season.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_00: Because if you're going into the playoffs and the stretch run with DJ Moore at about 80%, that's not going to be good enough.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not going to give you what you need because Keon Coleman had a great game in this one.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_00: We'll discuss that a little bit more later, leading the Bills and receiving.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_00: But elsewhere, Dalton Kincaid not really involved, only 20 routes run.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_00: Khalil Shakir got involved early in the game.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_00: Once DJ Moore went out of the game, he his production really waned.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_00: So you need more at full health.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_00: And the only way to do that is by having him take a seat over at least this next week, maybe these next three weeks leading in uh or leading out of the Bills bye week.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_00: So that's something you have to consider if you're the Bills.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_00: And DJ Moore, I know you're a proud player, but take one for the team, get back right and start to stay on the field because this is a player that they gave up a lot to get from the Chicago Bears via trade.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_00: And if he's going to continue to go in and out of games, that's just not going to do it for Joe Brady and this offense.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_00: Elsewhere on the injury report, Ed Oliver goes out once again in this game.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_00: A knee injury for Oliver.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_00: He's starting to become injury prone.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_00: I've mentioned it before.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_00: And another example of this in this game, I know it was kind of a freak injury.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_00: The Patriots offensive player seemingly diving into his knees when Oliver wasn't watching, kind of from the side, taking him by surprise.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_00: But still, this is just another injury for Oliver over these last two years.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_00: He's missed so much time.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll see that we'll see if he's able to uh get on the field for practice and be out there for the game this week against the Los Angeles Rams.
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_00: Because if he's not, that's going to give the Bills one less pass rusher and really put them at a disadvantage against this Los Angeles passing game that I think could torch the Bills secondary in this game.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_00: Because not only are they missing Christian Benford as it stands right now, they're also potentially going to be missing nickel cornerback D.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_00: Alford, who goes out in this game with a lower body injury.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_00: And it's unclear the significance of his injury.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_00: Joe Brady really doesn't provide updates on injuries with the media.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll have to wait to see if Alford's out there during practice on Thursday.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_00: That's the first practice of the first media availability of the week due to the Monday night game against the Rams.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll see on Alford.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_00: We'll also see on Benford, but for sure, injuries starting to pile up for the Buffalo Bills as they approach this matchup with LA.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_00: We've talked about so many concerns coming out of this game.
• 40:27
  SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about some positives to take away from the Bills' loss to the New England Patriots.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_00: And the first and foremost is Keon Coleman's big, big day.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_00: Two great catches in this game, going up to rip balls away from Patriots defenders.
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_00: A touchdown in this game, down the field, a great post route, just leaving the Patriots secondary man in the dust and scoring a critical touchdown for the Bills.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_00: Coleman has really made me eat my words to begin this season.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't think that he had any chance of becoming a key contributor for the Bills based on what we've seen from him to start his career.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_00: But when DJ Moore has gone down this season, Josh Allen has looked to Keon Coleman in a big way.
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_00: And he's come through.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_00: He's been a reliable player, somebody who Allen can look to during those tough times.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_00: And not only is he making the easy catches, he's making those tough catches as well, which is something the Bills thought that they were going to get from him coming out of the draft, that above the rim ability, somebody who could win those contested catches against defenders.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_00: And that's exactly what he's done to start this season.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_00: So kudos to Keon Coleman.
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_00: Love what I've seen and heard from him to start the season.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_00: And then Khalil Shakir had his best game of the season.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_00: You had Coleman lead the way with six receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown, a long gain of 34 yards.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_00: And then Khalil Shakir leading the team in receptions with 82 yards on seven catches and a 51-yard gain for Shakir.
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_00: Shakir did fumble in this game.
• 42:01
  SPEAKER_00: He becomes the umpteenth player for the Bills to put the ball on the ground and turn it over.
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_00: So not a great sign there, but a good sign that he's getting a little bit more involved.
• 42:10
  SPEAKER_00: And it was one of my bold predictions.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_00: I predicted that he would outperform his eight receptions for, I believe, 80-something yards he had going into this game.
• 42:18
  SPEAKER_00: And he gets 80-something yards, seven catches.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_00: So I was on track with that.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_00: Those bold predictions have been up and down this year, but I was on track with that one.
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_00: So a pat on the back for me out of that game.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I mentioned before Dalton Kincaid running just 20 routes in this game.
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_00: You got to have more from him moving forward.
• 42:39
  SPEAKER_00: He's your most efficient target dating back to last season.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_00: And Joe Brady said as much.
• 42:43
  SPEAKER_00: He said there's no way that Dalton Kincaid should have just 20 routes run and only two targets in this game against the Patriots, one reception for seven yards for Kincaid.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_00: So he has to be more involved moving forward.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_00: And if you look at the tight end group as a whole, they have not been involved as much as I thought they'd be to start this season.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_00: Dawson Knox has had limited usage this season.
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_00: He had two catches for 13 yards in this game.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_00: He has just six catches for 30 yards on the season.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_00: And then you have Jackson Hawes, who has yet to record a reception this season.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_00: So Bills have run a lot of 13 personnel.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of waned in recent weeks.
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_00: They started off with 40% in week one, 29% week two, 28% in week three, and all the way down to 13% of 13 personnel in week four.
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_00: But this is a tight end group that you kept four of them with Kalecki Latu on the roster as well.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_00: If you're going to have that much allocation in the tight end room on the roster, you need more of them.
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_00: You need more from them, excuse me, in the passing game.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd like to see Hawes a little bit more involved.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_00: Dawson Knox as well, especially if DJ Moore goes out.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_00: You might have to lean on this tight end group.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_00: But it all starts with Dalton Kincaid uh coming off.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: Those two games to start the season really leading the way for this Bill's pass catching core.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_00: You have to find a way to reinsert him at the top of the food chain within this Bill's aerial attack.
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_00: And then on the defensive side of the ball, a positive sign, a TJ Parker sighting, a shared half sack, a forced fumble with Ed Oliver and Landon Jackson.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_00: TJ Parker hasn't had the strongest start to his career.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying that he's been bad, but the production hadn't been there for the first three weeks.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_00: So it's good to see him make a big play in this game, cause a turnover, and start to justify that second round pick.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_00: The Bill's first pick of this 2026 NFL draft.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_00: It hasn't been a home run draft for Brandon Bean quite yet.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_00: Still a long way to go, but a great sign from TJ Parker in this game.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_00: Getting into the backfield, getting his hand on the ball.
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_00: I believe he got his hand on the ball, and at least forcing the fumble against Drake May and helping the Bills defense turn the Patriots over.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I mentioned Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb.
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_00: Thought they had a good game in this one, but just couldn't get home enough.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_00: They allowed May to really escape the pocket far too often.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_00: It was something that Sean McDermott also had figured out that cage rush really locking in the quarterback, making him step up and being swallowed up by the interior pressure.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_00: And that's something the Bills may need to get back to moving forward, especially against mobile quarterbacks such as May and the others on their schedule.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_00: But that brings me to my final point regarding this past Sunday's game.
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I mentioned it already.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_00: The Bills need to get away from being an all-or-nothing team.
• 45:45
  SPEAKER_00: I love the aggressiveness.
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_00: I love the attack style mentality that Joe Brady has instilled on the offensive side of the ball, Jim Leonard on the defensive side of the ball.
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_00: But there are times where you have to go back to the Sean McDermott way of thinking and just be solid on the back end on the defensive side of the ball.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_00: Or when it comes to the offensive side of the ball, just be solid.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_00: Don't turn the ball over.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_00: Move the ball down the field with small chunks.
• 46:15
  SPEAKER_00: Take the easy plays.
• 46:16
  SPEAKER_00: You don't always have to give get the big 50-yard gain or the 20-yard gain or the 10-yard.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_00: Take what the defense gives you.
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_00: Or if you're the defense, just sit back and make the plays that are given to you.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_00: Don't always try to make the big play because right now it's just become all or nothing, and the Bills need to find that happy medium moving forward.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_00: All right, finally, a quick look ahead to the Bills Week 5 matchup with the Rams.
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_00: A 24-20 comeback win over the Eagles last week.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_00: For the Rams, it has been nothing near a perfect season for the Rams.
• 46:53
  SPEAKER_00: Miles Garrett will miss this matchup with the Bills due to injury.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Donald, I mentioned, misses missed last week.
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_00: Still, they managed to sack Jalen Hurts four times.
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_00: Pukanakua works his way to nine receptions for 125 yards.
• 47:05
  SPEAKER_00: And Kyron Williams, the running back, is also a significant problem.
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_00: I think the most underrated aspect of this Los Angeles Rams offense, and if you're not careful, this Bills run defense, which it's been improved this year, but still at times they've given up some big chunks, including this game against the Patriots.
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_00: So you got to be on your P's and Q's against Williams.
• 47:27
  SPEAKER_00: 18 carries, 80 yards, two touchdowns.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_00: He also had 10 catches for 67 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles.
• 47:35
  SPEAKER_00: So Kyron Williams, a name to watch out for.
• 47:38
  SPEAKER_00: And then Matthew Stafford, I mentioned the cage rush.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_00: Stafford is a statue in the pocket.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_00: So the pass rush is going to be key in this game.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_00: You got to get that quick pressure.
• 47:49
  SPEAKER_00: Take the onus off the back end.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's not been good enough, but the pass rush has been.
• 47:53
  SPEAKER_00: You just need to get Stafford on the ground or at least get your hands on him and make him get rid of the ball quickly in this game.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_00: So that's about gonna do it for this episode.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_00: Rams Bills coming up Monday night in prime time.
• 48:09
  SPEAKER_00: So another Sunday off for Bills fans.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_00: This is not as stress-free as the one in the past, but uh at the same time.
• 48:17
  SPEAKER_00: Enjoy some NFL football on Sunday.
• 48:19
  SPEAKER_00: Enjoy the game on Monday, and we'll be back with a reaction show after the Bills take on the Rams.
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_00: But before we do, be sure to follow along throughout the rest of the season.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_00: Breaking news weekly podcast, much, much more coverage coming on Alex Brasky Unfiltered, both on YouTube and Substack, where I'll be posting takeaways and more Bills coverage moving forward.
• 48:39
  SPEAKER_00: Also, please give a like, share, and subscription.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_00: Also, a comment, whatever you can, to the podcast on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
• 48:49
  SPEAKER_00: Also, subscribe to the Substack page, rate the podcast, and leave a comment or question as well.
• 48:55
  SPEAKER_00: And above all else, have a great night, everyone.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_00: Stay true.