The only thing we can count on in this universe as Bills fans is a sizable segment of our population freaking out over a dismal, boring, penalty filled first preseason game ending up in a 33-6 rout by the Chicago Bears at Highmark Stadium on Saturday.
The Bears apparently thought the regular season already started.
After Chicago’s defense whipped out some stunts and other nefarious activities during the first quarter, Josh Allen had to slide to avoid getting trucked. And that was when he was immediately placed in mothballs and bubble wrapped on the sidelines.
Photo by © Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports via Imagn.com.
Enter Mitch Trubisky.
What in the blazes happened to that dude, honestly? After a promising rookie season, this guy melted into the oblivion of backup quarterback carousels. Trubisky looked flat, played flat and is flat out mediocre at best. No matter how insignificant the game, this should be his time to shine. He played more like an old muddy shoe, although he did at least run with a modicum of competence.
Is it time to tap into Dean Kindig’s wealth of knowledge regarding the next draft class of quarterbacks?
One could make a sensible argument for drafting a quarterback to develop behind Josh Allen. These yearly rentals are not cutting it. Time to solidify the backup QB position like the Buffalo had when Frank Reich backed up Jim Kelly. It can’t be that hard to find a competent guy who at least won’t give us all heartburn if Josh is out for a few games. Or longer. Allen is 28 after all.
There were some bright spots along the way, but the game was so boring the NFL Network saved us by cutting off the feed a couple of minutes before the game was even over.
Tyrell Shavers did not look out of place playing with the first team. Dorian Williams was hitting hard and you can see his instincts in this defense have dramatically improved. That’s good news if Matt Milano needs to be brought along slowly at the beginning of the season.
A few are mentioning it, but I think Spencer Brown is going to wreak havoc this season. He’s learned some of the nuances of the game, for example by drawing a penalty on the defense on Saturday. You have to give Aaron Kromer big props for bringing out the best in Spencer Brown. Kromer is like the ‘Pied Piper’ of OL coaches. Players clamor to be coached by him because he knows how to make the most out of the talent he is blessed to coach. If he’s not the highest paid position coach in the NFL, he should be.
More on defense: Dawuane Smoot got my attention. As did DeWayne Carter. When the game slows down a bit for our rookie DT Carter, he is going to be a problem. This is good news because the interior of the DL was not a strength outside Ed Oliver, who tweaked his knee (he was fine and knee was cleared) early in the game and promptly bubble wrapped. DeShawn Williams is intriguing.
For all the hype, we obviously will have to wait until the regular season to see what kick offs will really look like. No team is revealing their plan of attack, one of the more interesting things to watch as the regular season kicks off with a bang up set of kick offs ;)
All in all, there’s little reason for hysteria but definitely some areas of concern for the Bills as they move on to Pennsylvania to work out with the Pittsburgh Steelers and then face them on Saturday at their house for the next delightful installment of NFL Preseason Hell #2, brought to you by 50 or so sponsors.
Editor’s babble: You can find this and more of my assorted nonsense on Xwitter @RobynMundyWYO.
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