thurst44

Well, I agree that he should have a new staff. I doubt he would keep Thurman, and there's a good chance he'd want to put his own mark on the team. As a rookie head coach, I'd love to see him with a veteran DC. C'mon Philly, overreact with Doug Pederson so we can bring back Schwartz. Not to derail this convo (but many have already brought this in), but what the heck does Tyrod have to do to show "progress"? He had 3 tds/0 ints and 329 yards and brought them back from a huge deficit (not his fault his coach couldn't call a timeout to ice a yippy kicker). 4 of his last 5 games he's had a passer rating above 100, and his total tds/total turnovers is beyond impressive. Also, this schedule was hardly "baby soft." At worst, it was average and they played to their schedule's averageness. They played eight teams with winning records and eight teams with losing records. They had three west coast trips, which is insane. On the other hand, that was balanced a bit by a game where they came off their bye against a Bengals team on short rest. And I know there's going to be people who are going to talk about how dooooooomed we are for next year because next year's teams are impossible where this year's schedule was easy.

You mean his 37 tds against 12 interceptions, with well over 1000 rushing yards and 10 rushing tds? He was the most accurate qb on passes over 40 yards last year. He's in his second season and as has been shown in other threads has comparable stats to many elite qbs over his first two years as a starter. I'm not saying he's elite, or will be so. Nor am I saying that he does not have flaws. But if we're going to ever have a franchise qb, we have to actually give them a chance. I just can't help but feel if he were not wearing a Bills uni and had the same bonafides, some fans who trash him mercilessly here would be falling over themselves to replace whatever qb we did have.

No, I'm in New York, the Jets are truly as bad as their record indicates. Not that the Bills should take them lightly, nor could they not lose (or beat the Steelers, Raiders, and Fins and lose to the Browns and Jets, for that matter).

I predicted 3-2 ... ... and got as many games wrong as possible for that result (only picked the Cards game right). So I'm going with either Bills 59, 49ers 15 or 49ers 21, Bills 20. (just a gut feeling either the Bills blow them away out of the gate Michigan v. Rutgers style with McCoy, Taylor, and Gillislee combining for an obscene amt of yards, or Bills start slowly, 49ers terrible run D finds its groove, and we can't quite make it back to tie and lose in classic heartbreaking fashion).

Hughes and McCoy should be no-brainers. If Zach Brown and Lorax continue to lead in tackles and sacks, they could sneak in despite not being household names (especially Lorax if he racks up a few more sacks as his story could become a national legend between the nickname and his affability). Darby is getting a fast rep. Kyle is playing at the level of his past pro bowl years, but not building stats; however, he could still make it on rep. I could see Cordy Glenn finally making it from the line. If I were to guess now: Hughes, McCoy, Darby, K. Williams, Glenn. Or, the correct answer: None. They will all be busy getting ready for the Super Bowl!!!

Was just about to create my first topic ever with something like this. This is where Whaley earns his pay ... picking up players -- high picks who have underachieved -- on the cheap. Also, while he's not the best on the team, let's not forget The Lorax ... a friggin' 33-year-old journeyman known for special teams and he beat out Manny Lawson for the starter spot and has 4 sacks (along with tremendous special teams play). I half-jokingly predicted he would get 10 sacks after his pre-season, and he may just do that.

ok, bleep the idea that this season is over!!!!

And they might have just won it...

Walter Powell!!!!

Ha, just texted that exact thing to a friend!

This is why we can't have nice things (or don't deserve nice things, or something banal like that). Seriously, we constantly whine for this QB who will save us, but when a QB comes along who in his first season's worth of games has 23 tds, 7 ints, and nearly 600 rushing yards, we're ready to throw him to the curb for the next thing b/c of two games -- one of which wasn't all that terrible and included two accurately thrown scores of over 70 yards.

How do you figure?

Neither Gilmore nor Revis can cover third WRs apparently

Talk about a reversal of fortune!!!!

Actually, the Bills started 0-4 in 2004, then 1-5, and just missed the playoffs. You're pretty much right, but absolutes bug me more than they should...every time!

Fair enough, but I don't know that I agree with your premise here that the only way to win is with an aggressive passing offense. If all great teams have this, while it does mean you should build with strong cornerbacks and an impressive pass rush, but there is a logic that you go against the prevailing grain. However, Sunday's game doesn't really help my argument here, so we'll see. Hopefully, Watkins playing through pain can exploit Revis the way he has in the past (and the way Green did last week) and they run a balanced offense. Again, this was just one game, a concerning game, but nevertheless just one at the beginning of the season. And it's not like Tyrod has never thrown long in the past. Wasn't he the most accurate QB on passes above 40-yards last year.

This makes sense. Concern makes sense to me. Cujo will be tested. Then again, we've faced the Jets DL before and lived. Although, I'll admit, if you're worried, I'm a bit more worried, as like 538 in politics (which as it says above is relatively rosy for the Bills, and started off with them as 8-8) you always strike me as one of the most level-headed posters .

Actually, the last two years we won the opening game, in a blowout and in a rousing comeback fashion, so what pattern? They're actually still a game over .500 in the last two seasons and a game. It's not that I don't see that they looked bad, it's just this hyperbolic nonsense of hopelessness when football is historically a game where teams just have bad games sometimes. Plus, everyone is convinced that the offensive malaise of one game is permanent, yet there's no positive features to the fact the defense actually had a great game, particularly given how long they had to be out there given all the 3-and-outs. Let's see how Thursday goes at the VERY least before defining this team based on one game. Perspective: I went to a game where the Bills lost to the Dolphins 37-10 at home (it was raining and i had a killer cold and tests the next day, so sucked all around) and were embarrassingly outplayed. The Bills went to the Super Bowl that year.

Because a player he signed is listed as "questionable" at a time when that likely means "probable" in the second game of a season? If he catches 5 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown tomorrow, would that suddenly make him the most underrated GM in Bills history? Not saying you're right or wrong, but this seems like a bit of a stretch to criticize a GM for a player being on an injury report.

Maybe because teams have bad games and the Jets also lost and it's in Buffalo and the Bills defense which was a question going in actually did look good. Look, it was an ugly game, but people here are acting like: (1) it was a 52-0 loss at home against the Browns and not a road game with a less-than-TD difference and (2) football is a game where what you do one week is exactly what you're gonna do every other week. The 49ers beat the Rams 28-0, should the 49ers be making Super Bowl plans while the Rams pack it in?

So sick of this logic. Yes, there's no "moral victories" but there are things you can build on, and anyone who can't see that it's more hopeful for the weeks ahead when the defense gave up 13 pts and got 4 sacks then when a team was run all over and blown out and got no pressure on the quarterback just wants to B word and moan. It was one game. On Thursday, the defense could be awful, but I have a bit more hope for it to be good now. Similarly on Thursday, TT could make adjustments, Sammy plays through the pain, Felton gets better blocks, and the worries about the offense are lessened.

To drive in the point of how much NFL pundits "know", here's a leading Philly fan site touting ESPN Insider's Adam Schefter's pick of Eagles over Ravens in the Super Bowl last year (ah, i remember that game well): http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2015/9/9/9288595/espns-adam-schefter-eagles-super-bowl-50-win-ravens-peter-king The NFL.com prognosticator pen were battling over whether the Cowboys or Eagles would be the dominant team in the tough NFC East: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000520809/article/2015-nfc-playoff-predictions-cowboys-or-eagles-in-the-east You can click on the AFC tab, and you can see the Bills were even getting some love. Everyone loved the Dolphins, and nobody thought the Jets would be anything but lousy. And no one picked either the Broncos or Panthers to make the Super Bowl (i'm finding about half of online predictions had the Panthers winning their division) I agree that the pundits don't tend to know the Bills, and there's a reason why the metric-based sites have them ranked higher than purely human pickers. The Bills, Lions, Browns, and maybe the Jags, Titans, and Raiders will usually be mostly ignored except in the rare times when they are a chic pick (as the Bills were last year, and the Jags and Raiders are this year) and any pundit will be biased by their perception of the team as losers for all of recent memory. Hell, we help them by doing it ourselves. One game-by-game pick here mentioned our "annual split" with the Jets and Dolphins -- never mind that we are 10-2 against those teams in the last three years and absolutely routed the Fins twice last year.

My honest, if skewing positive, prediction: @Baltimore - W (1-0) - Could go either way, but suspect Baltimore is quietly on a downturn and last year was not an aberration, plus Bills, Ryan, and Roman have a knack for season openers lately. NYJ - W (2-0) - Pumped up Bills demolish the Jets in primetime to become first team with two wins. Ariz - W (3-0) - Bills shock with a win against one of the best teams in the country, the media is abuzz, facing a Brady-less Pats it looks like this could finally be the year that we… @NE - L (3-1) - But it’s not, b/c that’s what the Bills do LA - L (3-2) - We expect the rebound at home against a mediocre Rams team and return of Dareus, but like last year’s Giants game, the team comes out inexplicably flat and certain unnamed folks here delight in a chorus of “I told you so” and “8-8” and “Same Ol Bills” @SF - W (4-2) - Thankfully, we get the biggest trainwreck in football the next week. @Mia - W (5-2) - Our recent domination of the Fins remains intact even with Mario’s 6-sack game. And we’re back at the weirdly cursed 5 up, 2 down, and facing THEM. NE - W (6-2) - But this time we get that 6th win before the season has faded away. It's an evasive win against our nemesis as we get a satisfying win over a shaky Brady. @Sea - L (6-3) - Back to earth, but it’s a heartbreaker, not a blowout, that we have to relive over the bye. I’m gonna go with Bush goal-line fumble in late 4th. BYE @Cin - W (7-3) - Cincy is a team due a collapse, and while the Bills have a poor record off the bye, this will be a statement win. Jax - W (8-3) - Revenge for last year’s London follies, and it will be against a 8-2 Jax team. @Oak - L (8-4) - Back-to-back against the chic pick teams, but third west coast trip is exhausting and the Raiders defense stymies the Bills Pit - L (8-5) - Tough team, woe is us, we’re gonna blow it, etc. Cle - W (9-5) - Billsbrowns Day can be tricky, but Bills will be on a mission at home against a clearly inferior, rebuilding team. Mia - W (10-5) - Bills will own the AFC East this year @NYJ - W (11-5) - Bills knock Beardy and the Jets out of the playoffs in the final game two years in a row, but this time it’s also a win and in for the Bills.

You are entitled to your opinion, but that also doesn't mean they are "right." I really don't get people who don't see the talent on this team to the point they couldn't possibly be better than 8-8. Top running game, promising QB, superstar WR in training, one of the best cornerback duos, and there's still Hughes and the return of the Williamses, and Preston Brown looks like he's getting the leadership role -- the first team defense looked dominant so far. I went with 11-5. Honestly, if I were a journalist, I might have agreed with the non-Sully BNers and gone with 8-8 (it does appear a rough schedule, three west coast trips is borderline absurd), but with a ridiculous range from 13-3 to 4-12 b/c realistically that's how these things work (did anyone predict the 7-8-1 Panthers would go 15-1? I feel it's a bit telling that organizations like 538 and Football Outsiders, who are more partial to metrics and have the Bills 12th & 10th respectively with decent chances to make the playoffs, are more friendly to the Bills chances.

For all intents and purposes, 538 actually has the Bills tied w/ Jets for 2nd as they are only ahead in ELO rating, but have better win-loss prediction (really, they both are 8-8, Bills 8.1-7.9. Jets 7.9-8.1), and higher percentages to make playoffs or win division. They're 12th overall.