Thurman#1

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.

Elite, no, but Star was very good at doing the unglamorous space eating, block absorbing duties McD needs in the middle of a run defense. Jordan Phillips less so. I was really hoping that Vincent Taylor would prove to be the block eater this scheme seems to require, but it wasn't to be. I don't see a massive hole there, but I think "concern" is fair enough. I'm not worried about the run stuffing abilities of our DEs at all. That does not appear to be a problem. DTs? We'll have to see how that goes.

Yes, fair enough, that's very much worth remembering. But if he gets one this year (again, if it's true that we're now down to $5 mill this year this will be pretty much completely out of the question) it could be finessed. Or finessed elsewise next year, such as with a largish signing bonus, a miniscule first year salary and a guaranteed second year salary in 2022 when teams that tightened belts the year before will now have some spare cash available. I'm not saying they will definitely re-sign him. They have enough good players that some of them will become financial decisions. Milano may be one of those. What I'm saying is that this defense needs a guy like Milano. McD defenses have generally had two, not one highly paid non-rushing LBs, with one of them being a guy like Milano with speed and cover ability attached to toughness and ability to stop the run. Thomas Davis was paid well inside the top ten for LBs when Carolina signed him for a second contract and again when they extended him if I remember correctly. The Bills' future Milano-like guy might not turn out to be Milano, but players with those physical characteristics aren't that easy to find. I believe they'll try very hard to sign him, though it's certainly possible they won't manage it. And I loved Bobby Chandler back in the day.

Higher? Fair enough. Maybe you're right. But again, when he was out last year the defense was visibly worse and they got noticeably better the minute he returned. The guy is very good in coverage and also in run defense. There aren't that many guys like that around.

Yeah, OLBs are easy to replace ... as long as you don't mind replacing him with an OLB JAG, a replacement level guy. Thing is ... in McDermott's defense he hasn't had a JAG there. Not in Carolina and not here. There's a reason Carolina paid two LBs a lot of money. And neither Kuechly nor Thomas Davis could rush the passer, so that wasn't it. His system needs an OLB who can defend the pass as well as play the run. There aren't that many guys that fast and agile around who are still tough enough to play the run well and stay healthy. My guess is somewhere between maybe $11.5 and $14 per year. I'm not sure they'll be able to keep him but I'm sure they will try hard. If I were them I'd try to do it this year with the same argument they used with Tre, that if you sign this year [EDIT: if they're down to $5 mill this year that may be impossible] you won't get quite as much as you'd get if you waited a couple of years but what happens if you get injured? Safety is worth a lot. Might even be as high as $15 or $16 mill a year if they're going to use the skewed math that seems to be the norm now. Average salary means total salary divided by total years. And by that reckoning, Tre isn't getting the highest CB average by any means. Average salary is NOT taking only some of the money you will receive and dividing it by only some of the years you have contracted to play. Tre's average salary actually is going to be $81 mill over 6 years, which is actually around $13.5 mill a year. If you're going to calculate Milano's salary the same way, I wouldn't be surprised if it's closer to $15 or $16 mill ... if you just use extension dollars and extension years.

Yes, but the guys signing new contracts making them the 12th highest paid LB in the league are NEVER the 12th best. Probably more like 20th to 25th, which probably is about where Milano fits. That's how new contracts work. The first year they seem high, the 2nd and 3rd year new people have gotten new contracts and the guy who was 12th is now closer to where he should be. And in the 3rd to 5th year he's lower. That's how it works. When Milano went out last year the whole defense was noticeably worse, and when he came back they were suddenly and obviously better again.

Yup. But again, I was told literally dozens of times here that this was not possible this year. Every single time I would say in response to someone urging us to grab some high-priced FA that we had to stop worrying about that, that the FO had made it clear that their priority would be re-signing guys, and we'd be working on trying to get contracts for Tre, Milano, Dawkins and Edmunds, first response was always, "No way we sign Tre this year." Every time. I'd bring up safety in case of injury and be assured that meant nothing. Sorry to unload this on you, Yolo. I don't recall you saying this. But all those geniuses who were completely sure of this being a fact seem to have forgotten. Sigh. I clearly must have had too much coffee this morning. Must go somewhere quiet and do some yoga and deep breathing.

Nah. Allen doesn't need to be excellent this year. He needs to show significant improvement. If he does that, there'll be no red flags. In that it affects fan response, amount of pressure, expectations, play calls, game plans and almost certainly self-confidence and the confidence of the coaches - who are playing for their jobs - of course it is. Not that it's one of the bigger factors, clearly it's not. But is it a factor? Of course. Most things about the team are, really.