Lucky you! A second Bills Mailbag in a week, this one following the team’s Thursday night win over the Miami Dolphins. Let’s get right to your bonus questions …
David R. in Baltimore asks: Given all the player shuffling on the defense, do you ever foresee a situation where either of the Jordans (Poyer, Phillips) ever get activated for a game? Also, when the players who were signed in the offseason come back from their six-game suspensions, will they need time to get into playing shape? I know they are working out, but that does not mean ready to play. Also, who among the current starters are likely to get demoted, or at least see a reduction in playing time?
Jay: I do think it’s possible we see either Jordan Poyer or Jordan Phillips for a game at some point this season. The Bills are calling up a defensive tackle from the practice squad at the moment with Ed Oliver injured. That has been Zion Logue the last two games, but if Oliver misses another game – and let’s be honest, the Bills probably don’t need him to beat the Saints – and they want to preserve a call up for Logue, perhaps Phillips is next man up. As for Poyer, all it would take is an injury to one of the safeties for him to be in line to join the active roster for at least a game. As for Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi, the Bills rotate along the defensive line as it is, so it’s reasonable to expect the team would keep their workload reduced for at least a couple games as they return to action. Defensive end Javon Solomon played just nine snaps against the Dolphins, so he would be the first player who comes to mind who might struggle to crack the game day lineup when Hoecht and Ogunjobi return. The Bills had just eight defensive linemen active against the Dolphins, but I’d expect that number to bump up to at least nine when Oliver is healthy and Hoecht and Ogunjobi return.
Dave asks: The Bills hired an ex-NFL referee to help manage penalty challenges and timeouts, an acknowledged shortfall. On Thursday, Tyreek Hill caught a third-down pass at 12:59 of the first quarter that over 10 million people saw was bobbled. There were 10 seconds left on the play clock and the Dolphins used four. Why are these details still not being managed effectively? I don’t buy the “bang, bang too quick to respond” argument given the 10-plus million who saw it, the time available, and the professional staff hired to manage it. All my online group called it before the snap. Your thoughts?
Jay: It looks for all the world like it was a mistake by Sean McDermott and his staff. Your group text was spot-on. The Bills screwed up. McDermott should have challenged, because Hill didn’t seem to have control. Unfortunately, the topic didn’t come up after the game or in his following-day news conference. McDermott won’t speak again until Wednesday, so perhaps he will be asked about it then. I agree it’s a worthwhile topic to discuss with him, because the addition of John Parry was supposed to address these issues. Maybe the Bills saw something all of us missed, but we don’t know that until McDermott speaks about the play.
Jay Skurski and Perryn Keys discuss how the offense was able to move the ball and utilize the tight ends while the defense struggled on third down.
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Henry in Colorado asks: Why not have Taron Johnson play cornerback? He excelled in that position at Weber State in college, where in his senior year he was a first-team All-American and Big Sky Defensive MVP. Then the Bills could use three linebackers as a base defense which could be more effective in preventing long runs.
Jay: Size. Johnson is listed at 5-foot-11, which feels generous. When he was coming into the league during the 2018 draft, all the public scouting reports said his size would require him to move inside and play nickel cornerback in the NFL, and that’s exactly what happened. Johnson is one of the best players in the NFL at his position, so moving him outside potentially turns one strength into two weaknesses if teams either go at his replacement at nickel cornerback or use a bigger receiver on the outside to match up against Johnson. I understand the thought process behind wanting to find a way to keep Johnson on the field while playing three linebackers to be tougher against the run, but this does not seem like a solution the Bills are going to try.
Gerry asks: A win is a win, right? In a world filled with conspiracy theories, I’ve got a good one: Brandon Beane has said he was aware of Michael Hoecht’s coming suspension, but that Larry Ogunjobi’s was a surprise. Do you think, with an eye toward the early schedule, and the attitude of finishing strong at the end of the season, they figured, we should be fine playing the rookies early on? After six weeks, when wins may get harder, proven vets can come in and the team will be at full strength. Also, it would be beneficial in case of injuries.
Jay: We love a good conspiracy theory, Gerry, but this one doesn’t add up. The Bills signed both Hoecht and Ogunjobi well before the draft. There was absolutely no way for them to know at the time of their signings that they would add T.J. Sanders and Deone Walker a month or so later. Sure, Beane might have liked both those players and hoped they would be available to him at some point, but he wouldn’t have been able to guarantee that. Here’s how I think it played out: The Bills have wanted Hoecht for some time, and decided getting a deal done with him for multiple years was worth missing him for the first six weeks of the season. As for Ogunjobi, with veteran defensive tackles quickly signing elsewhere, Beane decided to bite the bullet and go through with the signing to add to the team’s depth, particularly for the second half of the season, as you mentioned.
Bill W. asks: I often wonder how much toll is taken on players with the international games. I know they are trained athletes not flying cattle car, but long-distance travel can be difficult. When Buffalo played Jacksonville in London, the Jaguars had an advantage as it was their second consecutive game there, whereas the Bills were still dealing with jet lag. Second question: As a bye week is an advantage, does it make sense to have the teams enjoying the bye week off play each other following the bye?
In the Bills’ 31-21 win over the Miami Dolphins, Josh Allen relied on a shorter passing game. Part of that focus was what the Dolphins’ defense was showing.
Jay: The Bills have an entire sports science department that thoroughly researched the trip to London before the team went. I trust that they are as knowledgeable about the topic as just about any group of people can be. I do wonder when the Bills get their next international game, which will be soon as the NFL increases that schedule every year, whether they will alter their departure date based on what they learned from going to London to play the Jaguars. That game was a disaster for the Bills. In addition to the loss, both Matt Milano and DaQuan Jones suffered long-term injuries. As for the second question, it would make sense to have teams coming off their bye week play each other, although I’ve never tried to put together the puzzle of an NFL schedule. My immediate thought is those pieces must not fit, or the league would have made that move in the spirit of fairness.
Thank you for all the questions this week! As a reminder, they can be submitted via X to @JaySkurski or sent in by email to jskurski@buffnews.com.
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Jay Skurski
News Sports Reporter
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