HardyBoy

That late hit call on Singletary was super interesting that since it was after the play they didn't walk off yards, but took the down. Surprised me because I thought they were gonna call a crack back there and not a late hit, but dude did a pretty convincing Rodman flop. Random, but on Allen's td, anyone notice Williams box out the defender instead of hitting him, which would have been a craxk back even if very little contact if the lineman sold it well.

In college I'm prerry sure they won't offset if one is a personal foul (randomly saw that last week for the first time). I'm not sure on the exact specifics, but it was like a ticky tac offense penalty and a roughing the passer or something along those lines and they got the yards for roughing.

You throw it to the 50, wait for the person to come tackle you, grab their hand, put it on your facemask, yank...15 yard penalty, extra play, Bass is a hero. I'll give ya the odds are slim, but if you're going to run it out, then throw it straight back to Roberts and let him try...maybe, I don't know, they probably should have just tried the face mask idea on the kickoff, but wouldn't have been in field goal range.

Couldn't they have caught the squib and given themselves up on the spot with no time coming off the clock or at most one second? Allen could have reached the endzone from there. Not sure what the rule is exactly on how long you have to be down to give yourself up in that situation, but feels like the rule should be the moment you fall you're down if you don't advance it.

Were the coverage disguises by the safeties there all year and they just started working this week (genuine question)? It seemed like they were just coming out playing vanila without disguising coverages like the last three years and suddenly they added that back into the defense this past week. After the fast start to the season, maybe they were keeping that in their back pocket for these two games going into the bye to set up things for the rest of the year and playoffs (fingers crossed). Setting up 8 weeks of vanila defense and then flipping a switch for two nfc opponents, especially seattle who you might see again (fingers double crossed) could be like when they go out in an all out blitz look on a 4th and short early in the game to see how the offense adjusts and then calls timeout.

I know, I'm trying to see if maybe there is subtext I missed. I heard the same podcast and felt it was for sure misguided when he said it and caused me do double take as well.

Yeah, I heard that too and agree it was bs. Here's my guess...JA is a white guy who had amazing physical talent, and he's another in a line of white qbs that were given opportunity after opportunity to prove it, where a black qb would have already been forced to switch to WR or something. I think using JA as an example for that is wrong, he grinded and worked as hard as anyone to get there, but Bomani might be making the point that for many many equally skilled and sized black qbs there wouldn't have been even that random juco offer. He probably has a point there honestly if that is in fact what he is saying.

Gotcha, I can see that. I was lucky enough to live in south florida when Bomani did a weekly full show with them, and they could do 20-30 minute segments and get deep into the nuance of race conversations, but all sorts of stuff serious and silly, including some of the best actual sports radio you'd hear anywhere. I think the issue people have with espn talking race is less the topic and more that they have to fit it into 4-6 minute segments. Don't get me wrong, Bomani and Stan Van Gundy definitely have a very specific perspective on race, but it genuinely isn't political and that comes across when they can talk about it for 20 minutes and really explain their positions and explain their biases...the 4 minutes of actual content and having to fit in 4 people's point of views really does a terrible job of letting people do that and that carries over across all not just espn, but all network and cable tv.

Fair, but the super quick sub three second pass plays likely offset much if not all of that probably.

Bomani Jones is one of the smartest, most educated and knowledgeable people around, not just in sports, but in general. He's flat wrong here, and frankly I'm not sure what his issue is, but it might be the text messages fwiw. That said, his takes generally are extremely well thought out and supported by a crap ton of historical reference and knowledge. Dude can name every #1 pick and hiesman winner going back to like 1965 off the top of his head...it's insane.

The league used to run a lot more on first and second down, when the bills would have been in their base 3-4 defense. So, guessing the majority of his sacks came on third down...so were they running three on the dline on third down too, or switch to a nickle with two lbs and 4 dline? I was in 4th grade during the last super bowl appearance, so I definitely was old enough to be a true fan of sports, but I had no idea what I was watching scheme wise (I still largely don't, lol), so genuine question.

The second half of last year was basically all super windy games, which had to impact his deep ball accuracy no question. How has Allen compared against the qbs in the same game, that is the real question in super nasty weather games.

Back when Madden 25 came out (25th anniversary, think it was for the 2013 season), they had an option to buy the "anniversary" edition for $100 and the extra $40 got you a code to get Sunday Ticket mobile. I just connected my computer to my tv with an hdmi cable and was good to go. The quality wasn't the best at first, which makes me think they did it as a one year pilot to test their streaming capabilities and the bandwidth data. Whatever the reason, it really sucked they didn't continue it. I had already cut the chord then and basically paid $100 for the ability to stream bills games, plus I got a mediocre Madden game, which apparently is the last mediocre Madden game, and they have really started sucking the following year and for the last seven years when they really started going the micro transaction route with Ultimate Team. I'd say that Madden going downhill is a tangent, but it's not...another example of the nfl doing a single license thing, and the entity holding the rights to that license looking to maximize their immediate value without worrying about the brand they in many ways are tarnishing (look at what EA has done with Star Wars as an additional example).

I think that's kind of my point (your first paragraph), you need to be in the right place scheme wise in order to miss a tackle. I don't remember many players even having a legit shot at a tackle for a loss much this season until yesterday, and maybe the second half last week against the Jets. If we are talking about legit missed tackles for losses (more than arm tackles where the guy is schemed out of the play but sticks his arm in the gap), then the defense has made a huge step forward. Keep getting players in position to make those tackles and they'll make enough of them to start forcing third and long and then you can get creative with your coverage and get some more interceptions and sacks. The Pats had a bunch of 3rd and longs. Anyway, I know it's easy to look at outcomes and see the continuation of the same thing, but hopefully the defense has rounded the corner and are about to tighten up.

It felt like a few unfortunately timed missed tackles led to drives being extended, where in past games there wasn't anyone there to miss a tackle. I believe that is a huge step forward for the defense, and is a very positive sign for significant improvement over the next few weeks.

I have no basis of football understanding at an actual Xs and Os level to know if what I'm saying makes sense, but I feel it's more elite qbs can play at an elite level in various different systems and high level schemes and that allows coaches to design offensive gameplans that take advantage of the actual players on the field, which could be even different on different sides of the field, or by formation/player grouping. You can make players better by being good, but they'll be even better if they can do what they do best, and with a fixed system qb it is limiting because it's hard to find players that are all good at the same thing.

Bledsoe was a stop gap short term, and I'll definitely give you Losman, that was a good QB draft and they just missed out on big ben, and JP very well could have been ruined by the org more than being a bust. Who were the available qbs the year they drafted Mike Williams? Edit: ooff, bad qb draft. David Carr, Joey Harrington, Patrick Ramsey in the first round...amazing talent at other positions scattered in that first round though.

Allen is the only qb taken in the top 10 by the bills since kelly...they never seriously invested in trying to get an elite qb, and the goal always seemed like it was to overpay for Fitzpatrick, which is exactly the point op is making.

Don't think it's a bad take. Isn't the list of super bowl winning qbs the last 20 years basically Brady, Rodgers, Manning, Manning, Big Ben, Wilson and Mahomes? I know there's a random Foles mixed in every now and then, but the vast majority of super bowls the last 20 years have been won by very few QBs, and they're the elite of elite. I think the point is the goal is to get one of those elite qbs (which I am hoping Allen is), if you don't think you did, don't compound the mistake and give out an elite level contract. Edit: I left off Brees. Other than that the only three other winning qbs since 2000 have been Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson, Joe Flacco and Nick Foles.

The "only thing he can catch is covid" jokes are in poor taste and not really clever at all. There is a chance he develops long term impacts from this, but good to know who doesn't value players as humans...classy...wonder how many people laughing about Knox testing positive were indignant when others were saying someone else had it coming to him. Do better please.

I was thinking the same thing the other day, but it's still too early...not too early for this thread though, definitely something that needs to be followed the rest of the year. That said, with the difficulty of this schedule, I'm thinking there will be a lot of close games if their record will be good, which most likely doesn't mean a huge positive point differential...anyway to find point differential by strength of schedule maybe?

That might be what they're hoping for.

Is libel able to be included in a conspiracy charge? Have to imagine bank, insurance and tax fraud committed by increasing or decreasing valuations to get loans/pay less taxes definitely would be. Totally hypothetical question, not asking specific to anyone.

I haven't read this whole thread at all, not even one post, but heading into his third or fourth season, and he was primed for a breakout year...then tore his acl in the preseason, because it was already partially torn and he opted against surgery...didn't want someone beating the bills, but I had a lot of dolphin friends and am not rooting against them, just that the bills would beat them (I'm not going to kick mediocre teams while they're down, give me fun competition!). I was living in South Florida his entire career, so was following him pretty closely...dude was on the verge of breaking out that year and had a lost season because he chose to rehab instead of have a lost off season basically, which I'm not one to judge that choice, Bruce made a similar choice I believe. I'm not surprised he's playing like this, it's what I was expecting him to do the second to last season in Miami...that said, I'd much rather have Allen.

You want the NFC West to win to help the bills strength of common opponents for non-AFC East tie breakers. That's where the classic/infamous "logic" a few years back of the bills losing against the nfc team helping the bills more than a win.