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Buffalo put up 36 points against a Texans defense expected to be one of the league’s best. ITL asks whether the Bills discovered a formula other teams could attempt to copy.
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00:00I imagine the Cincinnati Bengals were watching week one when the Texans fall to the Bills 36-31.
00:06And the biggest takeaway, the biggest note from this game was the vaunted Texans defense.
00:13Not showing up in the way that you want.
00:15Have you been getting blowback on this?
00:18There was people on the text line like,
00:19See, you guys were talking so big about the defense.
00:23And I'm like, why weren't you?
00:24Everything that we had seen to that point.
00:27So he wasn't supposed to be talking about the defense?
00:28Literally everything that we had seen to that point.
00:31Whether it was last year, whether it was offseason, whether it was OTAs.
00:34Every expert, every analyst, every play-by, every everyone.
00:38Training camp, everything you pointed to, this is an incredible defense.
00:42Every coach.
00:43Yeah, we can be real good.
00:44Now, they didn't read the press clippings, and Miko talked about that a little bit.
00:48But nevertheless, yeah, what did you want us to be talking about?
00:52We all were in this boat.
00:54We anticipated something, and that is not what we saw.
00:56You're the gotcha guy.
00:58Thanks, Dabo.
01:00But that's not what we saw on the field.
01:02Obviously, they were neutralized a little bit on the pass rush.
01:05They were exploited in the secondary.
01:08And you've got to give the Bills their credit for how they did that.
01:11We heard from D'Amico Rines.
01:12We heard from Will Anderson Jr. making mention of the fact that they chipped those edges
01:17to not allow them to get as much pressure and give Josh Allen some time.
01:21They were able to really attack the seams of the defense and really just win and man in
01:25some of these instances.
01:26But did the Bills unlock the secret to facing this Texas defense?
01:30Well, let's hear from Mina Kimes first.
01:33She's smart.
01:33She's really good at her job.
01:34She knows things.
01:35And she made me do something that might shock you.
01:38I went back and watched the game yesterday all over again.
01:42What, you typically do that on a Tuesday?
01:43On a Tuesday, I usually do that.
01:45And not every Tuesday, if I'm being honest, because sometimes I'm like, I don't want to
01:48see that.
01:48But let's listen to Mina Kimes.
01:50As for the time that Josh Allen was on the field, how did the offense get it done?
01:54So when you go up against this Texas defense, because they're so scary and the pass rush
01:58is so terrifying, there's this temptation to play small ball, thinking, all right, we've
02:04got to get the ball out quick.
02:05The problem is, that's how Houston wants you to play.
02:07They were the best defense in the NFL against short passes last season.
02:11The Bills said no.
02:12So bombs away.
02:15That is, you know, that's what kind of prompted me, like, all right, you know, we were talking
02:19yesterday, you know, in the wake of the game about, you know, the shots that Josh Allen
02:22took and some of the ways that the defensive backs struggled, whether it was Kamari Lasseter,
02:28a lot of Derek Stingley even, and certainly Reid Blankenship.
02:33And part of us, part of me anyway, was thinking, all right, well, that's also Josh Allen over
02:38there.
02:39But they were taking their shots.
02:40And, you know, I did look at the game again, and some things stood out, and I never have
02:47portrayed myself as some film guru, but some of those things...
02:50Yes, you are, man.
02:50No, I have not.
02:52No, no, I felt like just yesterday he was talking about how he watches all this film.
02:54It's like everything else, just enough to be dangerous, and I'm about to be dangerous
02:58here, just like Baker Mayfield.
03:00But either way, you know, I started looking at some of these things, and then you look,
03:04just look at the raw numbers, you know, whether you look at the film or not, the tape, I've
03:08got to watch the film.
03:10Against deep balls last year, they ranked 13th in the NFL.
03:14They were the best against the, you know, in the short passing game.
03:18Josh Allen went 11 of 14 on throws of over 10 yards.
03:22And so I'm thinking, after I heard that from Mina Kimes, I'm like, all right, let's see
03:27this.
03:28And what stood out to me, I'm not Clint, I'm not John Harris, but what stood out to me
03:33is this is the way to...
03:34We got guys that don't want to be in their gap.
03:37Thanks, Clint.
03:37This is a formula.
03:40Now, is it the formula?
03:41I do think it's going to try to be copied, you know, especially by a team that's coming
03:44in here on Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals, because they have some speed guys.
03:48When I saw Texans defensive backs, Kamari Lasseter and even Derek Stingley running with
03:55the receiver, even Dalton Kincaid as a tight end, they were oftentimes much more difficult.
04:03They had much more trouble getting to the ball and breaking on that.
04:07And it just stands to reason, but when you're running, not only running with them, but leaving
04:11these gaps open.
04:12The one thing I saw a lot, I shouldn't say a lot, but I saw enough to be alarming, is,
04:17you know how you pass, you know, a cornerback will pass off a receiver to the safety.
04:21The pass-off was, there was a big gap, and then the safety getting there, including on
04:26the big throw to Moore down the sideline when Reed Blankenship tried to make that little
04:31dive.
04:32Like, I think it was Stingley kind of passed him off, and then there was a ton of room
04:37before Reed Blankenship could get there.
04:39So it was just, D'Amico was talking about communication and being in the right spots.
04:43It was pretty obvious, even for me.
04:45The techniques has to get better.
04:46Even for me, Clint.
04:48That one was, they were playing cover six, so he was the half-field defender, Reed Blankenship.
04:53He had a lot of room to cover.
04:55I was looking at him, I was like, man, did Sting, was Sting too far forward?
04:59But this is just...
05:00Or release him too soon, because there ended up being no one in front of him.
05:04Yeah, there was a lot of space, but this is where we have to come back to one of the
05:07things where if we're saying that this is the key to play the Texans defense, throwing
05:11deep, that play in particular is how many quarterbacks have the arm to get that ball
05:16there in that time where he beats that coverage safety getting down that quickly.
05:22I'm talking about just philosophically.
05:24No, I know, but that's what I'm saying.
05:26I'm using the specific to speak to the general.
05:30Some of this was Josh Allen has the arm to get the ball down the field quick enough for
05:36this defense to not react.
05:37Because one of the things is, teams have thrown deep on this defense before.
05:40You're not going to tell me that over two seasons of doing this...
05:43But with some success.
05:44I just said 13th is not, you know...
05:46No, I know, but my point being, teams have thrown deep on this team, and even to that
05:50level of success, it's not like they haven't done that.
05:53The problem is, typically, there is a threat that this secondary is going to take the ball
05:58away in the air as well.
06:00And so that is a risk-reward proposition that feels a lot different when you're not having
06:04a dude like Josh Allen that can rip that thing in there.
06:07And when you're not having drops happen as well, if that Kamari Lasseter interception
06:12happens, we talk about this a little different.
06:14It still hurts.
06:16They were still able to get some things on you.
06:18But if you're able to get that interception, if Reed Blankenship's able to get to that
06:22other play a little bit earlier and defend the pass or even intercept it, those are the
06:28things that make teams think twice about consistently attacking downfield against this defense that
06:33you were not able to make.
06:34Those are the plays you weren't able to make.
06:35But the question becomes, did they unlock the secret, so to speak, on facing this defense?
06:40I think there's something there because here's the other thing.
06:42The other thing they did a lot of was 13 personnel.
06:45That was the one that I wanted to talk about.
06:47And when you do that, not only does it help your protection, and you run game as well if
06:52you run the ball, but not only does it help your protection, but not only were they in
06:5513 personnel a lot, and I think I saw the number yesterday, 37% of the time they did
07:01play action.
07:02So you have 13 personnel.
07:03You're boxed in there.
07:04You do play action.
07:06What's going to happen to those linebackers?
07:07What's going to happen to that safety for even just a half step?
07:10And then you throw deep.
07:12That's where those big areas come open.
07:14That was the thing that I found interesting.
07:16I believe it's the play that I was so fascinated with, where they're on the four and Josh Allen
07:20rolls to his right, finds Dalton Kincaid being covered by Derek Stingley.
07:24Part of the reason why Dalton Kincaid gets over Derek Stingley, and obviously Stingley,
07:28it's still your responsibility to be on him in coverage, that is 13 personnel where you
07:32have three linebackers, or three rather tight ends to that right side of the formation.
07:38Stingley is, he's an outside man, but he doesn't have a receiver out here, so he's just
07:42kind of floating in space.
07:43He's watching, and with this big personnel, everybody kind of has a key towards, let's
07:47watch for the run.
07:48There's that immediate first step forward, almost like an outfielder in baseball, where
07:52your first half step is back before you break, right?
07:55I think that there was a little half step, maybe it caught his feet quiet a little bit,
07:58and then here's Dalton Kincaid, who has the speed and the size to go and challenge you
08:02downfield, and now Stingley is having that eye in the backfield, not able to just kind
08:07of turn and burn.
08:08You know, this secondary, generally, they like kind of being over top, whether it's quarters,
08:13whether it's too high, they like kind of being over top, and so I think that that slight
08:18opportunity of having those condensed sets where the safeties, the secondary as well,
08:22not just the linebackers, are kind of creeping in and having their eyes in the backfield,
08:26that also helped their man beaters and their big man beater in Dalton Kincaid get a step
08:31of leverage and gave them a little bit of an advantage in 50-50 circumstances like that
08:35one and others.
08:36That's where I wound up because, you know, D'Amico Ryan's, and we heard it live here
08:42on this show yesterday, you know, D'Amico Ryan's talking about being out of position
08:45and communication, et cetera.
08:48Some of that was like, yes, they were out of position, but it's because this is what the
08:54opponent was doing and they did that half step or they did, you know, maybe not, maybe
08:59they, you know, they released a receiver a little too soon because there was supposed to be
09:03someone underneath, all those things, not everybody's going to have this success against
09:08this defense.
09:09We know that, you know, this defense is going to be really good no matter what, but this
09:14is, they're, they're going to see this more.
09:17They're going to see 13, they're going to see play action, and they're going to see,
09:20you know, more deep balls because as, as many times said, like they want you to throw short.
09:26Correct.
09:27They want that.
09:28What they don't want you to do is to do what the Bills did with some success.
09:31So what, what are the things, if we're, if we're saying that the Bills drew up a game
09:36plan, right, to, to play this defense, first and foremost, you need dudes that can threaten
09:41down deep.
09:42DJ Moore is a dude who can threaten deep.
09:43Josh Palmer, they used to threaten deep late in that, in that game.
09:46That was the final touchdown.
09:48He's a little bit of a deep threat guy, but obviously over the course of the game, it's,
09:51it's DJ Moore, it's Dalton Kincaid are the first ones you talk about.
09:54Khalil Shakir is another one you talk about.
09:56Palmer is another one you talk about.
09:57You need those guys, right?
09:59You need a quarterback that has the arm that can get it there, especially with some, with
10:03some zip.
10:03Cause if you try and float it up there, even if you beat Kamari Lasseter, even if you beat
10:07Stingley, they're going to close the gap.
10:08They're going to, and especially Kalen Bullock, they're going to get under the football.
10:11They're going to take it away.
10:12I will argue that one of the biggest keys in this as well, you need a quarterback that's
10:17threatening with the run because part of the idea of, Hey, this Texans defense wants
10:22you to get the ball out quick.
10:23What part of the idea of, Hey, we want you to keep, get the ball out quick is what we
10:27expect that number 55 and number 51 are going to be applying real live pressure to the quarterback.
10:34And they've been chipped before, but I, I don't know that they've been chipped with
10:37a quarterback that also you're trying to keep in front of, because there was, I mean, the
10:41big touchdown play that Josh Allen is able to run in for, I believe it's that one.
10:45Will Anderson Jr.
10:46Is on the edge fighting and he, now he's playing inside, but he needs to play outside and
10:50contain.
10:50So like it's, it's, I have to beat two guys.
10:52I have to contain as well.
10:54I think inherently those two responsibilities are going to slow your edges down to where
10:58they can't apply pressure.
10:59And Josh Allen has time back here.
11:01Or if you are able to get some level of pressure, now he's out and he's running and you, you're
11:05playing man on the backside of it.
11:07And he has room.
11:09I think the, the bangles have a lot of those, right?
11:11They clearly have the receivers that can throw in you.
11:13D Jamar chase T Higgins.
11:15They have tight ends to be able to get in 13.
11:17I don't know how willing they'll be able to do.
11:19They have five tight ends, but Drew Sample, Mike Gusecki are the guys that you immediately
11:24think of.
11:24Then they have a Hudson, Tanner Hudson, Eric all.
11:27We can talk more about that.
11:28So I guess in theory, they can get that.
11:29I don't know if I'm looking at Gusecki or I'm not, I'm not sure if I'm looking at Gusecki
11:33and Sample as the same type of like threatened downfield guys and how they're going to approach
11:37it.
11:37Sure.
11:38But I don't know that they'll be able to threaten you in the same exact way as Kincaid.
11:41We'll see.
11:42Obviously Joe Burrow can get the ball there.
11:43The question I have is, is he enough of a, of a running threat to make it so that the
11:47pass rush isn't
11:48able to be as effective in the same way and quicken everything up.
11:51So they're not able to threaten as much deep.
11:53I think you need all of those things for this to be an actual bona fide way to get at
11:58this
11:58defense.
11:59The Bills had all of those.
12:00I'm curious how many other teams had that.
12:02And I think the Bengals would be an interesting one because they have some of the pieces.
12:04I'm not sure if they have all of them.
12:06And is that enough to unlock what this Texas defense has typically been able to do?
12:09But I think the answer is somewhere in the middle.
12:11It's not like, as we've talked about, and I felt much the same way for a while, you know,
12:16well, that's Josh Allen.
12:17And then, and he, and he's a freak, you know, throwing the ball and running the ball.
12:20But it's also, I think you don't want to oversimplify.
12:24Well, this guy's not mobile, so they're not going to be as effective throwing the ball deep.
12:27No, a good run game can help as well.
12:29You know, if you have a good run game and that threat and you play action, that kind of neutralizes
12:35some things, and you don't have to be a big, go for a 20-yard, whatever it was, touchdown
12:40as a scrambling quarterback.
12:41But if you're smart, like Joe Burrow, like Dak Prescott, like some of the quarterbacks
12:45you're going to see, and manipulate your way, and by the way, Dak can run a little bit,
12:48but manipulate your way around the pocket, that is effective too.
12:53So I think you're going to see a lot of this.
12:54I'm not going to say, by no stretch, am I going to say they unlocked any secrets here.
12:58We know this defense, no matter what that texter said, is still going to be really,
13:01really good.
13:02But this is something you're going to see more of.
13:04And this is why I'm very intrigued of the communication on the back end for the secondary.
13:09If they can take away that little half step, if Reed Blankenship gets more comfortable where
13:13that little half step of stutter is out of there, is that the difference?
13:17Even in this game, it feels like that's the difference between DJ Moore scoring a touchdown
13:21on the sideline and Reed Blankenship getting there or batting down the football.
13:25Maybe those are the slight differences between Dalton Kincaid being able to elevate and get
13:29a 50-50 ball over Stingley, who does not get up to contest it, or Stingley having his
13:34feet together where he can get up and knock the ball away.
13:36I think that that also is going to be a curious thing.
13:39I wonder if they play this game in Week 12 again, if this is the same result.
13:43Because the defense is probably a little bit more polished on their P's and Q's.
13:47I don't know.
13:48Who's the linebackers?
13:49Well, that is an emerging question that we have to ask ourselves as well.
13:53All right, real quick, let's turn to the phone line.
13:55I believe we got Larry and Stafford on the phone.
13:56What's happening, my man?
13:58What's going on, Reggie, J-Lo, and Figgy?
14:00Man, long time no speak, man.
14:02Yeah, sure.
14:02You know, but you know, I'm still here, and I figure I'd get in with you boys and talk
14:06a little talk about them boys on Kirby on what happened on the Bills before we moved to
14:10the Bengals.
14:11Check this out, man.
14:12First of all, this is what happens.
14:14And J-Lo, we've been watching football a long time.
14:17Reggie, y'all been watching football a long time.
14:19And this old soft-ass football that they do now just makes me sick to my stomach when
14:24they don't let these boys really go out there and play in preseason games.
14:28That was a time in preseason where the third preseason game was the team, the starters,
14:34was going to play at least a half so they could get familiar with what they was going to be
14:38doing in the game.
14:39And now we have such elite quarterbacks that they sit up here and just say, no, we don't
14:44need to play anybody, and everybody just show up and get ready for Josh Allen.
14:48Come on, dawg, you can't just go out there and think that you're just going to do some
14:51of the things you did against Josh Allen last year that was going to work against an elite
14:56quarterback.
14:57And it makes me sick, man, because this is the thing about it.
15:00The Texans still should have won that game.
15:02Kamari got to make that interception, man.
15:04Y'all remember in any given Sunday when Albertino said, it's a game of inches?
15:10Yep.
15:10Reed Blankenship, excuse me, Reed Blankenship was an inch away from an interception.
15:15Kamari Lasseter was an inch away from making sure that he got that interception.
15:20My boy, Seth Rankins, was an inch away from hitting Josh Allen as before he threw the pass
15:25to Kincaid or whatever.
15:27These things are small inches that are going to have to be tightened up because I'm going
15:31to tell you something, defense is going to be fine.
15:34But the thing about it is D'Amico believes in not getting pressure with nothing but his
15:39front defensive four and his linebackers.
15:41And I saw several times where them damn linebackers were so far away from the damn line in the
15:46scrimmage.
15:47That's how Josh Allen ran his ass up the middle of the field and scored a touchdown.
15:52But here's what really pissed me off about D'Amico and Matt Burke over there.
15:56They neutralized Petrie by their damn self.
16:00I didn't see Petrie come off the blitz at all.
16:03You do not take your own ass out the game, man.
16:06You start getting these quarterbacks off their spot and quit letting their ass get so comfortable
16:10so they sit back there and pick your damn nickel defense apart.
16:14That's how you play football, man.
16:16But look, we're going to move on to the Bengals.
16:18And we know we got another elite quarterback.
16:20And J-Lo, y'all said it all offseason.
16:23These first four games, we're going to be playing quarterbacks that was going to test that damn
16:28defense.
16:28And if you score 31 points, your ass on defense ain't supposed to be giving up 36 points.
16:35D'Amico, enjoy your off day.
16:36Hey, but your ass better get over there on Wednesday and get it right because this is
16:40another AFC game and we already down one in our hall.
16:44There you go.
16:44Larry and staff, appreciate you calling in, big dog.
16:46I have a feeling that D'Amico Ryan didn't take the Tuesday off.
16:49I have a strong feeling.
16:50He's working at home today.
16:51I have a strong feeling D'Amico did not take the Tuesday off.
16:53Yeah.
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