Buffalo Gameday Recap: Rousseau steps up, offense still can't score

welcome to Buffalo game day recap I'm Thad Brown along with AJ Feldman I'm here still in Pittsburgh at AER Stadium where the bills played a thriller an excitement filled nine to3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers AJ look there's preseason football and then there's this and I'm glad we get paid to watch this game a lot of people at home spent their evening doing this look it wasn't the worst thing ever but it was close it got to the point where on the sideline late in the game I had to ask some people next to me what happens if the ball actually goes all the way to the end of the field because I've never seen that before we'll figure that out maybe next week yeah the the the best thing I can say about this game is that in the second half there were only seven drives the first four took at least six minutes they tried to run this clock out as quickly as possible we were in our four-minute offense with 30 minutes to go I appreciate the coaches for that I did notice I was looking up at the uh I think it was the bills had the second Drive no the Steelers had the second drive and it was run run run I thought wow we might get a two Drive quarter which is like the most glorious thing you can have in the preseason now let's actually talk about the bills here there were at least on the bill side some bright spots some good things to talk about a lot of them number one was Joe Andre the Lancaster native he's from the Buffalo area everybody knows about it he's been very very quiet in the preseason whether it be at camp or in these games but tonight because of injuries because of the situation probably because of the wet field and the short warmup Joe Andre got an opportunity to play just about the whole game and AJ look you can have chances you can get opportunities to make an impression it's what you do with them that's a life thing that's not just a football thing Joe andrees tonight he crushed his opportunity yeah and I thought he didn't play Bad in his first freezing game he had a couple of tackles but certainly nothing to this extent I mean he leads the team in 12 tackles like you mentioned he did play a lot of this game the middle linebacker who plays most of the game in a preseason especially with a lot of runs is going to have some good numbers but no he had some impressive plays shedding off blocks getting into the back field him and Dorian Williams getting positive pressure uh our former colleague Carl Jones highlighting a couple of them on his Twitter feed but no he really stood out and the thing that kind of you know caught me off guard to an extent I think it was in one of your reports I think your uh your report at the top of news8 where you talked about how he was a long shot for the practice squad and he's just been playing so well he played so well in this game that you kind of have to remember that this was an undrafted free agent from Buffalo the University of Buffalo obviously they give guys like this more of a shot and you know I think he was the only guy signed from the rookie mini camp and it was like okay cool you know everybody from Buffalo is gonna get a chance to talk to the local kid at training camp but no he's making a push for this roster will he make it we'll see but I think the practice Squad is 100% certainty almost at this point just with how the linebacker situation shaped up it wasn't just that he had all the tackles you can make a lot of tackles in a preseason game but he made an open field tackle on Jaylen Warren one of the better shiftier running backs in the NFL he made a tackle on Justin field in the open field Granite Fields was looking downfield but regardless Andre made the play he looked like he belonged against a first team offense that played the majority of the first half are they a good offense probably not they might be really bad but he looked like he was a guy that can adequately play NFL football on Sundays not just Saturdays in August yeah a really fun story and kind of to Pivot to what you said before you know trell Bernard not playing one thing I thought was kind of interesting that it seemed like the timeline of events Joe andreon found out on Thursday he was GNA start so trell Bernard was a guy they were going to keep out no matter what Josh Allen was kind of decided in preseason or in pregame warm-ups today just based on the field and things like that so I thought it was kind of interesting that you know obviously Matt Milano goes out they were like okay let's let's get trell Bernard and bubble wrap let's keep ourselves one linebacker I did find a little interesting that we're giving Bernard the bubble wrap treatment but Josh Allen who you know Milano going down puts even more weight on him you know he he had to wait until today to kind of figure out he wasn't playing I hear what you're saying I think the thing about that is there was no way Shawn mcder was gonna let both his linebackers go down in the same week you can't do it because that would that would really decimate the defense obviously losing the quarterback would be slightly a big deal also I I just think there was a thing about both linebackers going down in the same week is is too much to handle let's real quick you you brought up Joe andreon being 100% lock for the practice squad and I get everybody going there and I think he's probably got a really good look at it but I think I want to remind everybody you were at Camp just about as much as I was this was a guy that did not really flash hardly at all at St John Fischer had a a okay performance you know playing late minutes in the preseason opener against the Bears I don't I'm just trying to guard against overreacting to one Bananas game it was bananas you know like you remember Anthony Lynn the Knicks back in the day ly sanity we're doing Andre sanity right now okay it doesn't mean he won't make the team or the practice squad and again I think he probably makes the practice squad but let me just ask you quick give me your percent chance he makes the practice squad percent chance he makes the roster and I'll give you mine when you're done I I'll correct you there was Jeremy Lynn which uh points I think you're thinking of yeah I think you're thinking of the uh former Co former Bills coach yeah right um I I'll say you know you are right 100% practice squad is a little bit strong I mean maybe 10% active roster 70 60 to 70% practice squad uh you know 30% right now if he does anything similar to what he did today I think that second number obviously jumps up a bit but I'd probably say you know 1070 10702 Maybe 10603 yeah I think I'm in the ballpark I'll go a little higher on practice squad I'll go I'll go 15 to make the active roster just because there's a percentage there's a chunk of that percentage where if the bills lose anybody else at linebacker the guy's in potentially and I think practice squad I might go 70 75% he just needs next week against the Panthers to you know basically not fall in his face I mean just go out there and look like the guy we've seen you to be the last two preseason games I think the bills give him a practice squad spot but I think it's worth bringing up that this guy tonight was not the guy we saw in training camp and one night should not erase all the other days not that he was playing bad but he wasn't flashing I think bottom line though this was the kind of night that opened so many eyes you're G to get chances in the regular season all right let's move on to guys who are way more likely to impact this team on Sundays and at the top of the list tonight is absolutely Greg rouso who looked as physically dominant as he has ever looked in my opinion playing for the bills and you could talk about preseason that well what was the scheme who was there on the other side did anybody prepare pass rushing a lot of times is man on man and he was going against a former first- round pick in broadrick Jones not a guy that necessarily has been great but a first- round pick and he dominated yeah first round pick up last year it's not a 10 year evet first round pick right he and Russo dominated in a way that I think is incredibly encouraging for Bill's fans for sure yeah and you know this has been kind of the book on Russo we've talked about it before for he hasn't really you know overpowered his way he hasn't you know beat his guy one-on-one he's kind of you know Gotten Good pressure gotten into the quarterback gotten some sacks picked up his numbers that way you've never really been like oh you know Greg Russo's on the left side over here he's on the right side over here let's give him some extra pressure because our tackle cannot handle Greg rouso today brri Jones could not handle Greg rouso two and a half sacks in three drives you know he's on Pace for the greatest game in NFL history there so yeah a really standout day for Greg rouso uh you know on a position where they need a guy to step up like that absolutely you know if you bills find an impact Edge rusher whether it be rouso AJ Essa Von Miller or maybe multiple of that group you're allowed to have more than one Exquisite pass rusher then it totally changes the outlook for this defense you don't have to worry about who your linebackers are you don't have to worry about who your safeties are if Greg rouso is in the quarterback's face every other drive so this was the thing that most says to me wow I might have to alter the outlook for the team if you keep so seeing more of this so rouso and it's not ridiculous to see a guy like that develop or pop in year four not that normally you'd think it'd be one of the first three years in other words a first round pick like rousel if he was going to be a elite Edge rusher we would have seen it by now some guys just develop later it's not out of the realm this is the guy that came into the league younger less experienced so it wouldn't be crazy to see him pop again similar to andreon it's one game and it's preseason don't want to overreact but to me this was the number one thing that the bills got out of this game that you feel good about in terms of wow could they win on Sunday yeah I mean he's he's still just 24 years old and he sat out that uh 2020 College season due to covid so he has even less football than maybe a standard 24 year old so if there was a type of a profile who maybe would develop a little bit later you know Russo kind of fits that mold let's go to the offensive side of the ball um like the way the bills ran it all through the the different teams first second third team um Ray Davis looked good James Cook looked good Frank Gore looked good um everybody but James Cook averaged five yards a carry so the Run game was there not spectacularly but there for sure Keon Coleman the receiver that everybody's been watching again struggled to create separation he was better than he was against the Bears granted it couldn't have got much worse but there still is not nearly enough from what Coleman is doing playing and play out to where you feel confident enough about him being any sort of a go-to receiver bills didn't have Curtis Samuel in this game um f Shakir D con Kade were bit players at most you know this passing game needs something else to rely upon when you don't have those guys and Coleman has not so far fit that bill yeah obviously Curtis Samuel being out as a grain of salt obviously the bigger grain of salt is Josh Allen not playing quarterback and Mitch shabisky just has not looked good so far in this preseason he had he had a really strong training camp we talked about it um on this podcast but he just has not looked comfortable out there he's not pulling the trigger down the field you know he's kind of got a little bit of Happy Feet I mean today he he went nine for 13 good completion percentage 86 yards I mean this is you know those are Trent Edwards numbers so it's not a strong performance for Mitch shabisky and he leaves the game hurt with a knee injury and now backup quarterback is a question which really doesn't have a lot of good answers yeah and if the bills need to find someone different that you know Ryan tanah Hill is available there are guys out there and and tris's played poor enough in the preseason that maybe it isn't that much of a drop off but they brought Tris in for a reason you would figure they would want to have that guy be the one who's available because that's the guy you've been working with all through the offseason one more thing on Keon Coleman there was the play at the goal line where he did create a little bit of Separation I thought he had a nice release got some space and a better quarterback at least there certainly a lot of room for a quarterback to put a better ball on him and a better qub back probably would do that that said when he is looking at the safety and that is his Focus there I understand a more experienced veteran receiver using discretion as the better part of valor to say I don't need to lay out for this or get laid out for this in week two of the preseason I need to be ready for September Kean Coleman's the guy that still needs to develop you want to see him go out and make that catch because he hasn't really done it much in the preseason so far understand protecting the body but I would think you'd want to see better from a guy who's a young guy still even as a high draft pick figuring things out in the NFL yeah still still some room to grow obviously it's preseason week two but you know maybe the uh the the practice highlight reels that everybody's seen getting tweeted out and people are thinking ah 12 touchdowns you know 1400 yards all right that's practice we talked a little bit about the injuries MIT shabisky Marquez vales scandling was another one left with a neck injury pained expression on his face look a neck injury I'm sure it's not fun no matter what level it is you know even if it you would think or a trainer tells you hey it's not serious a neck injury is the kind of thing that everybody's going to take Ultra seriously the problem with MBS being heard is that similar to quarterback there isn't another guy in this roster where you think wellow he's had a great training camp the bills can just use him Terrell Shavers is probably gonna make the roster but KJ hamler Justin shorter I mean that there isn't Deion Kane deir bird one of the guys they just signed there is another guy where you would think well the bills will still be fine because they have this guy so I think the mvs injury and some of the other little ones Quint Morris Javon Solomon there were guys that got dinged in this game that maybe not the bills will be counting on but certainly you would have expected they would be likely to use during the regular season yeah and obviously they still have their top four receivers so this would be a fifth wide receiver at best but it just kind of you know underlines the the kind of disappointment of Chase Claypool came in with some some decent expectations had a good OTAs didn't make plays in training camp got hurt and now you know released with an injury settlement so that would probably be the guy if things kind of went maybe according to plan who would be talking about okay Marquez vales scandling had this kind of resume this kind of potential he might be out all right and we got Chase Claypool here who's kind of got the same background to to different extents but same extent now he's not on the team couple quick hitters for me to close this out and then AJ I'll have his too uh I like Kingsley Jonathan's game big sack at the end granted you I don't know what level of string you're playing then but still sack of Justin Fields the close out a win was a thing that matters and he had an absolute cracking hit on a special teams play the loudest thing I heard on the field tonight and then the other thing I'm gonna talk about is Tyler Bas quick three of three making field goals great the guy needs the Reps builds the confidence he's been perfect in the preseason that's awesome I was still surprised fourth and two in the fourth quarter of a preseason game where you're offense hasn't done anything in the preseason prior to this year that's a spot where Shawn mcder would always go for it there's no reason to run your kicker out for a 31 y That's a no-brainer needing or at least feeling the need to put Tyler bass out on the field to make that kick to me tells you all you need to know about where the bills think Tyler bass's confidence is right now yeah that that's a good point there fourth and three at the 13 yard line turn into a 31 yard field goal so it's not even like we okay we want to test this guy with a 50 yard or anything like that no that's a kick that you know he should make a 100 out of a 100 times so that's a good point there with his confidence level uh kind of the other thing I want to hit on you know obviously Josh Allen hasn't played much MIT triski hasn't looked good but still the Buffalo Bills have played 120 Minutes of professional football and they haven't scored a touchdown yet we're not you know red alarm sounds but it's not good you'd like them to score touchdowns and points so you know let's just remember this obviously this game feels a lot better than the Chicago game because they won but still they scored nine points like you know let's kind of you know see if we can build some offensive momentum before we check off all our boxes here yeah you you would want to see s obviously success is better than failure so the Bills fans and the bills would want to see that um you know again you know preseason doesn't mean a whole lot depending on what they're working on there's number I remember there was uh one of the Rex Ryan Jets teams went through the whole preseason didn't score a touchdown and I remember this because the bills caught the Jets in the opener and I went to the game thinking wow this Jets offense is terrible and the Jets went out and put 40 on the bills that game so preseason can mean nothing but to your point you want to see success instead of failure anything else from you uh no I think we're good I think we should uh stop talking about this game because we've probably talked about it too much for its own use yeah the uh the quality conversation and comment per minute was uh low in this game the the EPA and the uh per possessions of of this game was was not ideal so we'll stop all right next week the bills close out the preseason with their final uh game of the preseason at home against the Carolina Panthers one o'clock home game AJ and I will be there as you would expect as always you can watch Buffalo game day recap at rochesterfirst.com click on the eight sports extra tab you can also find us on YouTube and wherever you get your podcast until next week in a game that we desperately hope will be at least slightly better I'm Thad Brown for AJ Felman we'll see you later