Thurman#1

Yeah, and better than that.

As a person living in a country - Japan - where people wearing masks in an immensely crowded megalopolis has almost completely flattened infection rates (and also a person who can read scientific studies), I can tell you you are wrong about the masks. The Japanese wear masks every year during cold season and to protect from allergens for hay fever and others. Because of that, there isn't the nutty resistance that has surfaced in the U.S. about this. The U.S. has had 6.4 million cases and 192K deaths. Japan, with a bit less than half our population and ten times our population density, a country closer to and with many more travellers from China, has had 75K confirmed cases and 1,442 deaths. Masks are very effective against airborne pathogens, including COVID. Not perfectly effective, but very very effective. EDIT: Ah, glad to see on this page that you're doing your best to handle this in a reasonable way and at least putting serious consideration into this issue. Good luck to you and yours. There has been some politicization of this issue. But at its heart it is an extremely serious public health issue, as shown by the death count approaching 200K at this point in the U.S. Feel free to ignore me, but how would you feel if one of your employees caught COVID elsewhere and passed it to the others, possibly including you, because of your mask policy? Again, feel free to ignore me and call me a busybody, but it's worth considering. Granted that young people tend towards thoughtlessness, but there's evidence they can be taught over time. Stay healthy.

Who can blame them? Miami right now is a filthy festering contaminated hotbed of infected, tainted people, befouled with dangerous incubating microorganisms. Plus you have to worry about catching COVID.

I like to see it. Make defenses think and plan for it. I'd just like to see a lot less of it. Some, but a lot less.

Really? First, who cares? Second, it's after the first game. Opinions on both sides aren't yet reasonable, there's too little of a sample this year.

You can't switch them, though. Woods isn't a slot guy. IMO, Woods is a better wideout and Beasley a better slot. Woods is really good. Beane made it publicly very clear afterwards that he wanted to keep Woods but the cap problems made it impossible. If he were here, he'd be competing against John Brown, and I think Brown, as a serious speed guy, is a better complement for Diggs

Nah. There are plenty of very reasonable excuses. Every kicker has bad games, every one. Now, if this becomes consistent, fair enough. But he'll get a bit more rope, and it'll be more than a week. Especially as he righted himself later in the game.

Wouldn't mind that at all.

There are certainly areas where this is true, most particularly with the drug companies. But in most cases it's just nonsense. Plenty of doctors put their patients interests above those of the drug companies. And pretending that every patient who leaves a hospital or clinic is put on a life-long drug regimen is simply that, it's fantasy, it's la-la land. Not that there aren't problems. There absolutely are. And they should be worked on. But it's certainly ridiculous to say that "our healthcare and pharmaceutical system is not designed to cure but to mask symptoms." Jesus, we're off topic.

Are there major problems with the health system? Sure. But to argue that "It is simply not true that every American knows what healthy behavior is," and that that's the medical profession's fault is sheer nonsense. Of course there are a few who don't know. People who should know better believe in all kinds of nonsense, anti-vax ideas being a major example. Not every American knows. But most do. Most know that diet problems are the cause of many or most lifestyle diseases and that most deaths are lifestyle-related.. And yet McDonald's thrives and the candy industry is a multi-billion dollar wild success. The health care system is very far from perfect, but doctors are absolutely not the main part of America's health problems. As for what you wish for everybody ... yeah, um, no thanks. You're welcome to that lifestyle. I'll take pharmaceuticals when they make sense, thanks, which they often do. But - seriously - good luck on whatever lifestyle makes you happy as long as it doesn't hurt others. I'm not clear how dying "of the most chronic of diseases" would make you happy. I mean, that would include things like ALS. Or the most painful types of cancer, presumably without use of painkillers or chemo or radiation therapy. If that's what you want, go for it, but don't wish it on me, thanks.

Yup. I understand why Feliciano is angry. But assuming this rule is about public health, limiting the people on the field benefits the NFL, the Bills, the opponent, the players, their families ... everyone.

Klos, thanks, I read it and it was really worthwhile. Thanks for posting it. "All the while, Childress knew McNabb wouldn’t be an opening-day starter as a rookie. But he knew every moment mattered in the early development of a quarterback. Reid always told Childress that developing a quarterback was a three- to five-year process. And the organization needs to understand that from the top down. “ 'And that’s in the same offense with the same offensive coordinator doing the same things,' Childress said. 'You look at that on the face and go, "Oh, *****, I don’t want to take a first-round guy if we have to wait." We’re in the instant era, right? We’re not patient.' ” Yup.

If only it were that easy. There's a reason there are plenty of arguments - here and everywhere - with both sides screaming "Just use your eyes. If you can't see it, I don't know what I can say." Football is an extremely complex system. And for fans, the OC is the go-to scapegoat. Sometimes for good reason. But not always.

Nah. Not more than anyone else, especially. I mean, if he's bad then yeah. If he keeps doing as well as he has, then he'll be fine. But as is nearly always the way with OCs here with bad QBs and limited personnel, if the players do well, Bills fans praise the players. If the offense does poorly, Bills fans blame the OC. Nationally, Daboll is considered to have done a good job here with what up till this year were limited resources on offense. Now that they've got some real skill players and solid personnel across the board, the whole offense has more expected of them. That includes Daboll, certainly, but it includes everyone, really. "On the hotseat" is overstating it. But yeah, results should be expected with the improvements they've made and with the benefits of continuity.

Not all that much. Morse isn't terrific, but was never considered to be, I think, by most. He's a solid guy, above average and really good at the mental side of it. Poyer really is excellent, not so much athletically as for playing the position really intelligently and making it very hard for QBs to read the defense. And Milano really is as good as we think he is. Which is to say he's no All-Pro but he also plays very intelligently, reads the right holes nearly every time and is very fast and can cover. If anyone's overrated on these boards, it's probably everyone. Which is pretty natural, as we're Bills fans. Happens with every fan base. The whole team is slightly overrated by our own fans. But every once in a while, a team improves enough to make that overoptimistic fan base look like they'd been right on the money. Hopefully that's us this year. Underrated? Hmm, yeah, good list, Brown and Murphy. Fair enough. Overall I don't think there are major mistakes made on this team. We have a pretty decent grasp on who they are, except for a whipping boy or two that this fanbase always seems to need. Oh, and we don't yet have much of a grasp on the new guys, as Gunner thoughtfully points out. I know I don't, yet.

Because they're a bit stupider about some things in KC? Because they don't mind a few extra deaths in the name of watching sports? Because they haven't had the massive public health disaster they had in New York? Because it's a reasonable reaction to circumstances, which differ from place to place? And while I don't know where "you have freedom to choose how you want to live," I think you're full of it. Can you walk into your neighbor's house and gun him down? No? Your freedom is being abridged. Can you release nerve gas upwind of the nearest hospital? Your rights are being taken away from you! Can you do stupid things that will cause the deaths of perfect strangers down the line, like not wearing masks and gathering as much as you want? Oh, hey, cool!! Live free or die. Public health regulations in the current situation mostly make sense. There are some things that cause tough questions. This makes sense.

QBs share body fluids in the air an awful lot less than guys like linemen do. Linemen are grunting, huffing and gasping right into each other's faces every play as they hit. QBs are often out in space alone cheering. It's a whole different level of risk of passing/receiving a virus.

My guess as to how many did this as a "business decision"? 0%. Sorry, this doesn't make sense. You're talking about guys who have already played years in the NFL and many who are likely to play more. Makes no sense whatsoever. As a family decision / moral decision? Probably nearly all. Agreed with the rest of your post, though. Beyond the regrets we all have for the road not taken, it's too early for it.

I'm sure they are. Human nature. I'm sure the opt-ins are too. And it's way way way too early to assume that things will go as swimmingly all season as they did through one game.

Schultz: Hooooooooooooooo-gan!!!!!!

Read in ... I think Albert Breer's column that they will be piping in enough noise that the defense won't be able to easily hear what the offense says. The D, or at least the front seven, has always been able to hear the audibles, and that won't change, of course. There will be an effect, but my personal guess is that it will be minimal.

Fair enough that you think so. You're probably just about the only one, even among Bills fans. I personally think you're well off the mark.

I'd take Brown over Watkins. I still don't see it with Sammy. He has a big game every once in a great while but he doesn't stay healthy and he's not consistent. Other than that, the Chiefs have it all over us, IMO.

If anything politicians wanted to intertwine themselves in is political in your view ... there's nothing that isn't. Politiicians will get involved with anything that serves their temporary interests. From favorite songs to sports teams ... there is nothing they won't involve themselves in if they think it'll work for them. This issue shouldn't be looked at as a political one. But it will be, because some think it'll help them get re-elected or forward their agendas. Nah, if they're young and healthy and catch it, there or anywhere, they're probably only endangering the lives of others they will pass it on to. So, yes, seriously.

The usual. I expect to see them on the field. I expect them to give maximum effort. I expect them to put up some yards. I expect players to be filling the positions of right guard and right tackle. The rest isn't expectations, it's guesses. And pretty uninformed guesses at this point. I have some serious hopes, but I don't suppose they're all that different from most here.