Alphadawg7

I love that there are people here who keep trying to tell me and sell that Shakir is nothing special and just another guy. One even said no one on team is better than a WR4 lol

6 pages? People need to go outside more.

It was talked about during that season where the intent was to start him but after he took 5 sacks and got forced out of the game at end of 1st half for concussion evaluations. After the game, they felt it was dangerous to put him out there between how bad the OL was looking and Allen holding the ball too long resulting in too many hits and sacks. So they decided to try and hold off putting him out there right away, but NP was never intended to be the season long starter and was never named the season long starter, just that he woud start week 1 in more of an ongoing evaluation of the QB position. The QB room that year actually started with AJ as the "vet", Allen as the future, and NP as the guy really more competing to be a backup. The hope was Allen would be ready early, but if not, the guy to buy some time was supposed to be AJ, but not only did he stink, he got hurt, so that left Allen as the guy they planned to start until he got smashed for an entire half with 5 sacks and the concussion scare. So after NP had a solid 2nd half, they decided it was safer to start NP week 1 and give them more time with Allen to get him ready. And by halftime week 1, NP was so bad they just decided to give Allen another look that 2nd half and after watching the tape they decided Allen was ready enough.

Going into the 3rd preseason game, Allen was set to start week 1, not Peterman. It’s been publicly stated and confirmed many times. But the OL performance was so bad in that game with Allen showing poorly in handling it that they changed their minds and decided to start NP week 1 to give Allen a couple more weeks to get ready for the bad OL and also in hopes the OL would improve as they got more games played. This is also why Allen was put in so quickly after NP was atrocious for just one half of football. The intent was never for NP to start or be the bridge QB, that was an adapted plan after the OL and Allen’s inexperience showing in dealing with how bad the OL played in what was supposed to be the dress rehearsal game. It’s a common misconception that they planned on NP starting the season, which wasn’t the case. And that’s not speculation, it’s been stated by just about everyone from the player, coaches and FO. NP was here to be developed as a backup at that point, he wasn’t intended to be a season long bridge to Allen.

I moved to Roseville last December! We neighbors HA! I was trying to get to this game too after my wife said the same thing, but now we are targeting the Bucs game in November. Are there any good places to catch Bills games around here in the Roseville to Sac area?

Oh I am with you, I agree - Young is in my top 5 all time, I would take him over guys like Elway, Brees, Rodgers, Manning, etc. For me though, I still think Montana and Brady are duking it out at the top and Mahomes has been nipping at their heels. Allen though I really feel like will have his own case once his career is done and is IMHO might end up being the most talented QB I have ever seen play who could dominate in any era.

All this is subjective and all just our individual opinions, so all good...but here is my response to these points. He was drafted by what is widely regarded as the worst team in NFL history - literally those 2 seasons with the Bucs are 2 or the worst rosters ever assembled prior to Young getting there. A case can be made that no one was going to succeed on those teams, especially a rookie QB. To be fair, the team Young took over wasn't a "4 time SB winning roster" - yes the franchise won 4 SB's, but those were with mostly different rosters. Wasn't like the Niners had just won the previous 4 SB's and then Young took over if you know what I mean. And no disrespect, but name a top 10 QB all time that did not have some combo of great suporting cast and coaching. Not really fair to hold that against Young when it was true for every one of the all time great QB's. I am sure you would agree that its pretty hard to be a highly successful and all time great QB if you don't have supporting talent and good coaching. Montana, Brady, Mahomes, Rodgers, Brees, Elway, Manning, etc all had that for most or all of their careers. Ironically, Young did not have that to start his career, worst supporting cast and coaching probably in the history of the league those early years in Tampa. Just my 2 cents

Steve Young might be the most under appreciated and underrated HOF Great QB. Its nice to see him getting some love here, kudos. I am not sure I take him 2nd behind Allen, but he is in my top 5 for sure.

Ok what moron voted the Texans a first place vote? LMAO. What other 3 morons voted them 3rd and 4th? There are some other questionable votes like the Steelers getting a 2nd place vote, but the Texans votes are ridiculous. I wish we could know who cast those votes so we could ask them to justify their votes lol.

We want the Chiefs to lose so we are 3 games up on both teams. Especially since we still play the Chiefs, and having a 3 game lead going into that game is much better than a 2 game lead if they manage to pull off the upset and beat us.

Yeah I am also curious to what to think 3-4 weeks down the road and really interested to see how this unit starts to come together when we get our young guys more experience (like Bishop and our rookie class), our PED guys into the rotation, and of course our injured guys back. The 2 games I got my eye on are KC and the Bucs game as measuring sticks on our progress.

Thanks for the kind words We don't have a lot to worry about in the regular season. Our biggest threats coming in to the #1 seed were KC and Balt and we currently have a 2 game lead on KC who struggled to beat the lowly Giants and who we have beaten 3 or 4 straight times in the regular season - and now essentially a 3 game lead on Baltimore with us having the tie breaker. So with Hairston, I agree he will need some games to get up to speed, but barring any set backs, he should be more ready to contribute come playoff time when we need him more. On Groot - I honestly think people are a little too down on Groot right now. Since the bad start for 3 1/2 quarters week 1, our Defense is only giving up 15 PPG while missing Oliver, Milano, Hairston, and our PED guys. Thats 2 of our best players, our first round draft pick, and 2 key rotational players in our front 7 that will likely play relevant minutes once back from PED's. We are only 3 games in with a lot of new pieces or missing pieces on the defense. With Cole, he still has a lot to prove, but he also has had very little in game experience coming into the season. So it may take him some time to start to find his way and improve his play. At least he was better the last couple games (albeit against lower competition) than he was week 1 or even the preseason. Still long way to go though, but the hope is with more on field time and getting the guys back up front, that he can ascend more as the season goes on. And yeah, our front 7 needs to be more impactful to help out the secondary. And I do think there is reason to be optimistic, again missing 4 guys up front in Oliver, Milano, and the PED goons. And 2 of the guys playing a lot are rookies, so by default they should ascend through more experience more and Walker is already making some impressive plays out there too. Overall, I am in the optimistic camp - but more cautiously optimistic, I still want to see the week to week improvements and see them start to have dominant stretches like the Lions did in the 4th quarter against the Ravens.

Kyle Hamilton should be added to the too early to tell - but I’ll say it now, he will be. While he won’t be first ballot, don’t over look Dion Dawkins. When it comes to OL, their personal brand and profile helps, and being the anchor to maybe the best QB ever, getting notoriety as one of the top LT, media exposure, etc I think will eventually lead to a potential HOF spot.

I think you forget how good Wayne was. I would not personally call Hill a superior talent to Wayne, they are more just different types of WRs. I would probably take Wayne, a more complete WR, over Hill in their primes. And that’s not even a knock on Hill, that’s more a credit to Wayne than a slight to Hill.

How nice of Josh to provide a free test to see if you are fun at parties or not. If you got "triggered" by Josh - well we know the answer Karen.

Yeah he has a lot to prove still for sure, and they definitely need to get better on 3rd down

Fair concerns - and honestly health is going to be a key issue and something that has been a real significant issue in all 3 of our last losses to KC. Not having Tre in the 13 second game was massive. 2 years ago stuck with the Ghost of Von Miller coming back from an ACL tear and having no LB's and starting guys recently off their couch was a major issue that game as KC just attacked the LB spot all game long with ease. Last year, Elam having to come into the game was immediately exploited and played a major role in our loss. I don't know if they have the ability to be a top defense, but the question is more will this unit improve. And I think guys like TJ and Walker likely get better as the season progresses just getting more experience, and Walker is already showing the ability to make some impact plays. But even just based on getting back Oliver, Milano, Hairston and our 2 guys on suspension (especially Hoecht) we should see this unit improve. Keeping them healthy and on the field though is going to be key come the post season. There is one thing that I am concerned about though, is we may not really know what this defense can or can't be (even if healthy) until that pivotal game in the postseason. There are not a lot of "big" tests on our regular season schedule. KC and TB are the ones that stand out, and KC isn't the same offensive team in the regular season and probably taking a step back this year, and TB while very good isn't as dangerous or explosive as the Ravens offense we faced. We do play the Eagles late, but we might legit have the 1 seed already locked up by then. So we run the risk of getting a bit of fools gold syndrome through a somewhat cushy schedule and not truly see this defense really tested until that game we need them to handle their business.

I don't disagree, there was more interest with Micah than Poyer for sure, I know I was more excited about Micah and didn't think much about the Poyer signing. But I also think for a lot of people that was more a function of what we paid Micah than it was that people knew a lot about him to actually be excited. On the opposite side, there were people less enthused given he was making a position switch (NCB to FS), and in his last year in GB he only started 11 of the 16 games he played in despite entering the season as the starter. Not to mention, GB (despite having a need for him) not only let him leave, they didn't even offer him a contract to try and keep him. And that created a lot of questions around here that if he was so good why didn't GB even attempt to keep him.

I don't personally think he does, just based on what we know about him, but it also wouldn't surprise me either if he did, nor would I care either way. But I used to own a dispensary in Hollywood (shut it down in 2016 when the laws changed), and I can say first hand a lot of NFL players use it in the offseason. I had a lot of guys from teams all over the country who lived in CA during the offseason, or were retired and living in CA, who used to come in - including some of the highest paid in the game who played in and won Super Bowls. I will say many of the active players did not smoke it though, they didn't want to smoke anything as highly tuned athletes and preferred tinctures, edibles, etc. Retired players were more willing to smoke it even though I had some that still preferred not to.

No chance that had anything to do with Diggs IMHO. I mean its not remotely the kind of person Josh is, especially in the media. It was more a reference to how this team is, how Josh carries himself to the other members of this team, etc off the field. He was sharing his personally philosophy, and something this whole team, including the new members, all essentially echo and buy into as well. Listen to Bosa's recent interviews, he talks a lot about that, the closeness this team has, how its never anything he ever experienced before, how everyone interacts legitimately with each other, and guys from all positions talk to each other, etc. I don't think Allen thinks about Diggs even 1 second of his life anymore. He is the reigning MVP and just married the love of his life while Diggs twists in purgatory in NE with more baby mama drama. Josh doesn't need to take shots, karma already took care of the rest lol

Yup, Hoecth is better than a lot of people realize. Its like when signed Micah Hyde and so many here didn't think much of it. I kept saying Hyde was a lot better than people think and GB fans were upset they lost him. I feel similar with Hoecht, and they are going to love and use his versatility a lot here. He may not put up gaudy stats given he will be part of a rotation, but I suspect people are not going to be starting threads like "Is Hoecth even playing" because they haven't seen or felt his impact. I think what a lot of people are overlooking with the defensive concerns (not that the concerns aren't valid, because they have had some issues) - is that we have been without our #1 draft pick and critical speed in our secondary so far, Oliver and Milano have missed games, and we have been without our 2 FA's on suspension, both of which will be critical rotational guys and good players for this team. Now add in rookies have had to drink from the fire hose a bit to start the season due to suspensions and injuries upfront, and its not hard to see where potential improvement can come from as the season goes on. The D is giving up 15 ppg since getting dog walked 3 1/2 quarters against Balt. And they had some 3rd down issues against a desperate Miami team. But, still its 15 PPG against 2 divisional opponents, one of which (Jets) put up a ton of points the week before the played us, and the other is what is supposed to be powerhouse offense loaded with speed. I don't personally think much of the Jets, but I mean GB just lost to the Browns this week, KC struggled to do much against the Giants until the Giants let Russel Wilson just lose the game for them, etc. Bills are handling their business and without FIVE key defensive players, 2 of which are amongst their best players, 2 of which were key FA signigns, and the other our top overall draft pick. Dont get me wrong, I am in a need to see it to believe mode with the D come playoff time. But I am only pointing out reasons for optimism this year. Now add in that guys like Bosa and Walker are looking like guys capable of making that extra 1 or 2 stops a game that have been our kryptonite for not having in most of our playoff exits, especially the last 3 KC losses which were all games we lost by 1 score.

Yup - And not only fitting with the new stadium - but Josh is the reigning MVP, Josh is a newlywed, Marv just turned 100, etc. Would literally be a storybook ending in a number of ways. And quite honestly, this is probably the best roster top to bottom (especially considering depth) we have had in the Allen era. Its not perfect, but I can't think of another season where the overall Bills roster would be classified as better since Allen came into the NFL. There has been a lot of concern about the D, but its giving up 15 ppg since the week 1 dog walking they took through 3 1/2 quarters, and that has been without its #1 draft pick, Ed Oliver, Milano and our 2 suspended players who are better than I think some people think. Of course, it has just been the Jets and Miami, and they have still had their moments of crapping the bed (like on 3rd down too many times against Miami), but thats again been without several key starters and players. And the Bills schedule should give this unit plenty of opportunities to gel, gain confidence, and grow as a unit without too many concerning games. Bosa is playing like the guy we have been missing in the postseason that just needs to help facilitate one more stop in that final game to get over the hump. And quite frankly, so has rookie DT Walker. If our front 7 can get stronger as we get healthy and get guys back from suspension, its going to make life easier on our weakest group, the safeties. And while its just been Jets and Miami, Cole has at least shown some signs of hope. Still a long ways to go, but maybe as the unit gets stronger and gels more his development will keep increasing.

And while Ravens are still our biggest competitor come playoff time IMHO, we basically have a 2 game lead on them assuming win tonight being up one and having the tie breaker. And if they lose it’s going to be a 3 game lead essentially. To be 3 games in and already have at least 2 game lead against what was widely expected to be our strongest competitors for the 1 seed (Baltimore and KC) with such an easy remaining schedule is pretty great. I honestly think we could have the 1 seed locked up by end of week 15 and the road to the SB is going to have to go through Buffalo.

An all time classic episode

I think there are a lot of people who dont listen to Allen, Brady, McD, and Beane speak enough and therefore dont truly understand our offense, what is going on during games, and the overall philosophy. I see a lot of people saying we call a lot of deep shots but no ones open...well first of all, thats not accurate. There have been guys open plenty of times, but what people don't understand about our offense is many of our routes being run on a given play are being done so to specifically get another guy open. Just because Josh doesn't throw a deep shot doesn't by default mean "nobody is ever open", yet that is all that is echoed here. People on here and media keep saying things that Josh is checking down or taking whats there and not even realizing the pass he threw, the routes run, etc were intentional and by design. Allen, Brady, McD, Beane, all talk about this all the time and its the true meaning of "everybody eats" and everyone buying in because they are running routes hard and selling them knowing full well before the snap they aren't getting the ball even if open because the play is designed to go elsewhere. So what a lot of people are blaming on players is really by design within the offense. And the Bills are doing this because it allows them to control the game, TOP, protect the ball and still put points up. And when they get behind, they know they can open up the offense more (see Balt) and get a lot more aggressive. But when they are leading or in a close game, they play this game because its been highly effective for them. Now one doesn't have to like or agree with how they are doing it, but that is what is really going on, its not this "because no one is open we can only do this" as much as people want to always harp on. And the result is - in the last 12 games, including the playoffs, Josh Allen has over 3000 yards and 30 TDs to 1 turnover - an insane run that is almost hard to believe. The Bills now have an NFL record of 25 straight games of not losing the turnover battle. There is a lot I think they are taking from what KC and NE did during their dynasties, which is be elite at the short area throws, move the chains, and keep putting the pressure on the other team to not make mistakes and still have to keep pace with the offense. We are watching SB Winning football right now. The play calling hasn't been perfect, in fact there are times especially in the first 2 weeks I hated some of the play calling especially, but they are finding their way and I think the overall philosophy is the kind of football that wins close games and will win the playoffs. I don't think they have quite mastered it just yet, but I think they are going to only get sharper and more consistent with it as they settle in with all the new pieces as we move forward.