Welcome to another loaded Bills Mailbag. Let’s get right to your questions.
Ed Helinski asks: After being exposed by Pittsburgh and committing six holding penalties, how confident are you in the Bills’ offensive line play for the rest of the season?
Jay: On a scale of 1-10, I’m a 6. The Bills don’t have any Pro Bowlers along their offensive line. That can be taken as a sign the line lacks elite talent. While it was good to keep the group together, it’s asking a lot to take a group that was ranked 14th by analytics website Pro Football Focus coming into the 2021 season to suddenly vault into the top 10 without any new players. While PFF’s ranking is subjective, it seems fair. The Bills have an offensive line that’s about league average.
Doug Regensdorfer asks: Jay, injuries notwithstanding, I think the Bills need Gabe Davis on the field as much as possible, as the third receiver at worst. Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders seem to provide too much of the same skill set, with Sanders being more of a downfield threat than Beasley. How do you see it?
Jay: I was slightly surprised to see Sanders play as many snaps as he did against Pittsburgh. He tied for the team lead at the position with Stefon Diggs, with each of them playing 79 of 85 offensive snaps. I agree with you, Doug, that getting Davis on the field more seems like a good idea … I’m just stuck on how to do it. We know Diggs isn’t coming off the field, and Beasley’s role as the slot receiver is safe. Unless the Bills decide to cut into Sanders’ playing time, Davis’ role looks to be that of the No. 4 receiver. Now, he still played a lot against Pittsburgh, but his 43 snaps represented 51% of the offensive total. For him to bump up to 70%-80% of the snaps will require a reduction in playing time for one of the other receivers, unless the Bills commit to running even more four-receiver sets than they did in Week 1.
IDon’tTrustTheProcess asks: The Bills’ offensive line was completely outplayed by the Steelers. Sean McDermott: outcoached by Mike Tomlin. The defense: no takeaways (again) and no splash plays. The underlying Achilles’ heel to this team is discipline and penalties. I’ve seen this movie for 61 years and it always ends poorly. Thoughts?
Jay: The Twitter name was sort of a dead giveaway that you might feel this way. My thoughts are this: It was one game. Yes, the offensive line struggled against Pittsburgh’s defensive front. Yes, Mike Tomlin got the coaching edge over Sean McDermott. Yes, no takeaways by the defense was a problem, as was the amount of penalties. All of that’s true. Now, let’s stop here to point out that last year, Tom Brady threw a pick-six in the season opener as the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers lost by 11 to the Saints. The Colts lost to the Jaguars. The Browns, who nearly made the AFC championship game, lost by 32! The point is, Week 1 does not always have to be a sign of things to come. There are 16 games left. The glass-half-full view of last week is that now the Bills know there are no weeks off. They didn’t play close to their best game against Pittsburgh, and got the result they deserved. Let’s see how they respond against Miami. A loss to the Dolphins will turn the disappointment of the opener into a full-blown panic.
Richard S. asks: Could Josh Allen have been trying too hard in game one to impress/please Bills fans, even subconsciously? Or to justify his contract?
Jay: I asked Allen after the game if he felt like he was pressing, and while he wouldn’t quite go there, he went on to describe something awfully similar, saying he needed to do a better job taking what the Steelers were giving him instead of looking for the big play. That’s close enough to pressing for me. Surely, Allen wanted to put on a good show in front of the first sold-out crowd since 2019. That’s true for the whole team. It’s hard for me to say whether his contract played into at all – my strong inclination would be to say it didn’t – but there are a few reasons this year’s opener had more riding on it than usual. All that could have factored into Allen trying to do a bit too much, which he acknowledges has been an issue for him in the past.
Luigi Mike Speranza asks: I was impressed by Emmanuel Sanders' ability to get open, especially on the deep pass Josh Allen overthrew. Was he the best offseason signing by the Bills?
Jay: The Bills’ primary focus in free agency was on re-signing their own players, so Sanders definitely sticks out as the best offseason signing from another team. The only other candidates are running back Matt Breida, defensive end Efe Obada, backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and punter Matt Haack.
Tim Sauda asks: Jay, how are you feeling (or better yet hearing) about the new stadium situation? Do you think it gets done and settled before the D-day of July 2023?
Jay: I’m feeling like it gets done. It’s a matter of negotiation between how much ownership is willing to pay and how much taxpayers pony up. The thinly veiled threats from the Bills about other cities wanting an NFL team was a PR disaster. In the end, there will be some rocky moments, but a deal will get done.
LDsports asked: Do you think the Bills coaches misjudged Dion Dawkins’ conditioning/readiness for the Steelers game? The Steelers were turning him inside out. Is he ready to play yet?
Jay: Those of us who saw Dawkins every day in practice would agree his conditioning was a big question mark heading into the season. Unfortunately for the Bills, that fear was realized. He definitely did not look like himself, a point he made Friday. That is understandable coming off a stint in the hospital as a result of his positive Covid-19 test. He described it as an "up and down battle" physically and mentally. The Bills need Dawkins to get back to the player they rewarded as their franchise left tackle as soon as possible.
Paul Strohmeier asks: Is Paul Catalano your uncle or neighbor? Seems he has a question in every other week. Against a d-line like Pittsburgh, wouldn't screen passes, quick slants across the middle and more passes to a TE work against the rush?
Jay: I’m sorry, Paul, but I can’t disclose my relationship with anyone who submits questions to the mailbag, lest I be accused of favoritism. I try to answer every (reasonable) question that I receive. As for yours, the type of plays you mention are seemingly what Allen was referring to when he talked about not doing a better job of taking what Pittsburgh was giving him. That’s a fair critique of the quarterback after Week 1. We’ll see how Allen responds moving forward.
Tony Valvo asks: Is Tyler Bass quietly becoming one of the top place kickers in the league?
Jay: Bass has now made 17 consecutive field goals, which is one short of the team record set by Rian Lindell. That’s pretty impressive for a player just starting his second season, so it’s fair to say he’s moving his way into that conversation, Tony. Bass deserves credit for rebounding from some shaky moments early last season. He has earned the trust of the coaching staff, his teammates, and it appears, Bills Mafia.
Brenda Alesii asks: Do you read anything into Dion Dawkins not being named a team captain again? Jerry Jones seems to have more of a vested interest in keeping the Bills in Buffalo than most other owners. A team in Austin would certainly impact his share of fans in Texas. Agree?
Jay: My view of Dawkins not being a team captain is it has more to do with players recognizing what wide receiver Stefon Diggs brought to the organization both on the field and in the locker room than any kind of critique of the left tackle’s performance in either place. As for Jones, I agree wholeheartedly that he would want to keep an NFL franchise out of Austin. Jones’ No. 1 priority is always going to be doing what’s best for the Dallas Cowboys. The NFL comes second.
Dan De Federicis asks: In your Sept. 4 mailbag, one of your answers included the comment: "The Bills paid Allen potentially a quarter of a billion dollars. They didn’t do that to have him turn around and hand off the ball. Expect 'Air Allen' to continue." In light of the Bills' passing struggles against the Steelers, and the (admittedly modest) success of the Bills' running that day, do you want to tweak that answer? Jim Kelly was stellar as the Bills' quarterback, but having a great ground game helped him and the Bills immensely. I know that was 30 years ago and today's NFL is different, but watching the last two Bills games (KC and Pittsburgh) it's hard not to wish for a little more offensive balance – regardless of how much we're paying Allen.
Jay: I’m going to stick with the same answer from earlier this month. Passing wasn’t the problem against the Steelers. The problem was not completing those passes. If Allen hits Sanders deep, perhaps the entire game looks different. The Bills are going to rely on Allen as their franchise quarterback. Your point about the NFL today being different than it was 30 years ago is an important one. Teams throw, throw and throw some more today. Heck, Washington put up 30 points with Taylor Heinicke throwing 47 times for 336 yards Thursday against the Giants. The Bills definitely do want to have balance offensively, but the biggest reason for that is it will make Allen’s life easier.
noworks1 asks: After watching the O-line get overpowered by the Steelers all day, I was wondering why the Bills did not address this or cornerback in the draft. Taking two defensive line prospects in the first and second rounds seemed to create an abundance of players at that position to me and also led to the departure of Darryl Johnson Jr., an excellent special teams player and a capable defensive end in the rotation. A team that is supposedly a contender thinking about a few years down the road makes very little sense to me. Your thoughts?
Jay: General Manager Brandon Beane was clear after the 2020 season ended that upgrading the pass rush was a top priority. Since that was not done through free agency, the draft was the only available avenue left. Greg Rousseau started against Pittsburgh, so it’s clear the Bills are hoping he can contribute right away. The offensive line was addressed by re-signing Jon Feliciano, Daryl Williams and Ike Boettger in free agency. Now, it’s fair to question whether those moves will be enough, and it’s understandable if you left the opener feeling a bit skeptical about them. As for cornerback, I continue to think Levi Wallace is fine in his role opposite Tre’Davious White. Yes, he had a tough series against Pittsburgh, but that kind of thing happens to every cornerback. The Bills can win with Wallace in the lineup.
Marty asks: Is the non-vaccinated status of a couple Bills players going to cost the team at least one win?
Jay: There’s no magic eight ball available to answer this question with 100% certainty, so I’ll simply say … it could. We know key players Cole Beasley, Gabriel Davis, Star Lotulelei, Vernon Butler Jr., A.J. Klein and Matt Milano were all unvaccinated as of a few weeks ago. If they have to miss a game, either because of a positive Covid test or because they were close contacts of a person who tests positive, it could absolutely have an impact on the Bills’ chances of winning that game.
Jeff Miller asks: Trying not too hard to use last week’s game in considering your answer; last season was the first ever that we swept the division. They always managed to lose some games that they were favored to win. But the 2020-21 Bills aren’t any of those teams. What do you feel could be a feasible number to expect this year? “Another sweep” would be a good answer. “Squish the fish,” as the traditional adage goes.
Jay: It’s a reasonable goal to sweep the division again, but to your point, Jeff, it’s not easy. Given the youth at quarterback in the rest of the AFC East, the Bills should be favored in every division game. If the Bills want to challenge for the top spot in the conference, it might be a necessity.
Rick McGuire asks: With Covid starting to wreak havoc again in the NFL, if the league keeps their policy allowing players to refuse the vaccine, do you think we'll start seeing player contracts with vaccination bonuses, similar to signing bonuses? So if golfer Elliott Skurski goes pro in 15 or so years, will dad Jay leave his dream job of covering the Bills for The Buffalo News and become Elliott's full-time caddy? I would think that would be an even bigger dream job.
Jay: No. As of late last month, the NFL’s player vaccination rate was at 93%. The NFL isn’t going to incentivize the remaining 7% to get vaccinated with money, because the 93% who already did so would rightfully ask, “Where’s mine?” What might happen is unvaccinated players who are on the fringe of the league don’t get called for jobs. That should be all the incentive they need to get vaccinated. Let’s be real: The NFL and the players’ association have done just about all they can to make the vaccine practically mandatory. There are exceptions – like with Bills receiver Cole Beasley, who is good enough to be kept around despite the obvious distraction he’s become – but those exceptions are rare.
As for Elliott … that will be a great decision to have to make. A lot has to go right between now and then. I get nervous before his tournaments now; I can only imagine how much that’s going to intensify. It has to be Elliott’s dream, though, not mine. I’ll help him pursue golf as much as I can, and we’ll see where it takes him.
Thank you for all the questions. As always, they can be submitted via email jskurski@buffnews.com or on Twitter, @JaySkurski.
