nson As the Buffalo Bills tried to correct their defense after a three-game skid in 2017 Buffalo Bills Hats , they turned heavily to nickel defense. Despite solid play from Leonard Johnson in the slot corner position, the Bills let him walk. Enter Phillip Gaines, signed from the Kansas City Chiefs and Taron Johnson, fourth round rookie to battle for the slot role. Both players have found themselves with the starting unit this offseason and it’s possible the rookie gets the nod come opening day. Let’s see how he’s done through two weeks. Play 1Expect better defensive back analysis during the regular season when the coaches film becomes available. Despite this limitation, Taron Johnson has put some good things on film already. As a heads up, against Carolina Johnson was running mostly with the second unit. That doesn’t negate the nice backpedal while scanning his zone. Curtis Samuel makes the catch after running uncontested across the field. Johnson is downhill fast and takes a nice angle to make sure Samuel is heading for the sideline. Rather than going for a highlight reel hit, Johnson corrals Samuel, pushing him to the sideline. Play 2Here’s the highlight reel hit. This time, Taron Johnson has Samuel closer to the sideline. With nowhere to go, Johnson accelerates and makes a clean tackle at speed. Notice the backpedal while scanning again. As the play pauses, you can see that Johnson starts driving back to the ball while it’s still in the air. Play 3Taron Johnson knows that he and Vontae Davis are responsible for making sure no one leaks out to their side. Both show excellent discipline and trust in one another. With only Jarvis Landry to block both of them, they allow the play to develop before attacking. As you can see, Landry is completely ineffective as a result. Play 4Johnson sees the play coming a mile away. If anything, he’s too quick to the play. Because of his aggressiveness, Rashard Higgins pushes him toward Tre’Davious White. This allows the cut back and some extra yards for Cleveland. Johnson would have been better served by coming into Higgins’ left side more. Play 5Jarvis Landry does an adequate job of blocking Johnson on this play. Landry is a little bigger than Taron Johnson, but not enough to make this a true mismatch. Johnson will need some time to adjust to being blocked by NFL talent. This isn’t a total loss for Johnson though. Between the two players, it’s easy to see who gives up before the whistle. Play 6The pauses speak for themselves for this play. One thing to note to Johnson’s credit is that he ends up in position despite not looking where he’s running. If the ball were placed to Jarvis Landry rather than out of bounds Buffalo Bills Hoodie , Johnson may have made life miserable for Tyrod Taylor and Landry. There’s a good chance this pass is broken up if not intercepted.What can Josh Allen do to secure the Buffalo Bills’ starting quarterback job? Josh Allen will be making his first start as a NFL quarterback when the Buffalo Bills take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3 exhibition action on Sunday afternoon. After solid outings with reserve offensive units in his first two preseason games, Allen’s start this weekend represents the best opportunity a Bills quarterback has had so far this summer to stake his claim for the starting job.Bills fans have spent this week wondering aloud: What does Allen need to do on Sunday to win the Week 1 starting gig?What if the best answer to that question is “nothing”?Scenario 1: “The Plan” has involved starting Allen all alongSean McDermott has the final say in whether or not the Bills end up throwing Allen into the proverbial fire and starting him straight away as he begins his NFL career. McDermott is perhaps singularly known for being a process-oriented individual; if he has a plan in place, he has come across as a coach that will stick to it.McDermott has made it clear that this preseason start against Cincinnati was premeditated, and a way for the coaches to see how Allen handles the week-long process of preparing for a pro opponent as the starter. This could be a dress rehearsal for the eventuality of him becoming the starter, or it could be a final exam, of sorts, before he’s named the Week 1 starter.It would not be surprising in the least if McDermott, as well as general manager Brandon Beane, has planned to start Allen from the moment they drafted him, despite the pre-draft rhetoric that Allen was not ready for that level of responsibility, and despite the measured pace with which they’ve scooted him up the depth chart this spring and summer. There is no better teacher than experience, and while experience can be earned just by being on a NFL team, on-field experience is far more valuable.If the Bills have seen enough to plan on starting Allen in Week 1, then all Allen needs to do against Cincinnati, in essence, is to maintain the level of play he’s shown this preseason, without falling flat on his face.Scenario 2: “The Plan” has involved sitting Allen all alongIt also would not be surprising in the least if the McDermott and Beane have planned to sit Allen from the moment they drafted him. The Bills have a challenging slate of defenses to play against early in the regular season Cheap Customized Buffalo Bills Jerseys , and in order to keep the rookie’s confidence up and his trajectory on track, it may never have entered their mind to consider starting him until he’s experienced a few weeks of real-game preparation.More importantly, for as well as Allen has played this preseason - both in terms of in-game performance, as well as technical improvements made during practices - there are still some glaring weaknesses and inconsistencies with his overall game that opponents will key on if he’s in the lineup.If the Bills are using this preseason start as a baby step in their prep-Allen strategy, and will be rolling with either Nathan Peterman or AJ McCarron in Week 1, then Allen’s charge from Scenario 1 won’t be much different here: he’ll need to maintain (but ideally exceed) the level of play he’s shown this preseason, without exhibiting the type of regression that would torpedo his confidence right before his scheduled stretch of dates with the bench.Scenario 3: “The Competition” has been legitimate all alongThis is where the conversation starts to become more interesting, even though it fundamentally relies on the idea that McDermott and Beane somehow won’t stick with their pre-determined plan of developing Allen, which could be considered a stretch of the imagination.Let’s assume, though, that the McCarron-Peterman-Allen rotation has been a legitimate, agenda-free competition for the Week 1 starting job from the moment those three first met with Buffalo’s coaches as a group.In that scenario, Allen has a leg up, for two primary reasons: he is easily the most talented quarterback of the trio, and he has been the only member of the trio to consistently rise up the depth chart, whereas Peterman and Allen have primarily bobbed up and down it.If this is really a final exam for Allen - his last major test from possibly-hesitant coaches facing the reality of starting him straight away - then Allen’s to-do list expands, though perhaps not by much. I would argue that www.billsfootballauthentics.com , in this vacuum, Allen needs to do two things to win the starting job:Improve on his performance against Cleveland last weekOutplay Peterman by a significant marginDeadspin wisecracks aside, Peterman has distinct advantages over Allen at the moment: he has been far more consistent this summer, and especially in preseason action; and McDermott has a lot more familiarity with him, considering that both McCarron and Allen are new to the franchise as of this spring. Adding in the fact that McCarron has missed a week-plus of throwing, and it seems obvious that if this isn’t Allen’s job to lose, it’s Peterman’s. Given how well Peterman has played so far this preseason - he has been statistically better than Allen - it might take a large step forward from Allen, and a large step backwards from Peterman, for McDermott to feel comfortable pulling the trigger.Each of the Bills’ first two preseason games have told us a lot about the Bills’ quarterback situation, both at a micro and a macro level. We’re now just a few days away from Allen’s biggest test to date. Whether you believe the Bills are in Scenario 1, Scenario 2, or Scenario 3 with their rookie quarterback, there’s no denying that Allen has a significant opportunity to make one last move before whichever Week 1 fate awaits him arrives.
