Wing Man

I'm totally happy for Freddie getting the chance to be in a playoff game for the first time. Wish I'd get to stop saying that about ex-Bills players.

Write us in for two wins next season.

It's evident to me that the people who wished for the Bills to lose their remaining four games so they could secure a better draft position will get their wish. If Ryan needs different players to better fit his scheme, which he is unlikely to swap out for the wide 9, Whaley is a well paid figurehead and should type his resume. Whaley can scout and evaluate all he wants, but if he can't identify the players that Ryan thinks will help him, Whaley is history. Think of this: Ryan as both head coach and GM. It can happen. Beyond that, it's not entirely unlikely that Ryan won't start to dismantle this defense for a new 11, less Hughes, Darby, and Gilmore. They played abysmally this year, and if Ryan thinks they aren't up to learning a full playbook, they should be gone. This would be a shame since I believe this to be a scheme issue rather than a personnel issue. Whaley has found a lot of good players. They all played great under Schwartz but took all took stupid pills under Ryan. A lot of it has to do with undisciplined penalties on both the offensive and defensive lines and special teams, but they all seem to lack the fundamentals to playing the scheme, making the adjustments, and/or making tackles in space. This week we were treated to the story that the defense was just beginning to become good at the scheme, adjustments, and play calling in time for this piece of s*** performance. Great teams and great quarterbacks live behind great offensive lines. Ours could only be described as poor at best, particularly the right side. It didn't seem to matter who we lined up there. Opposing defenses, no matter how bad, regularly took up residence in our backfield and didn't appear to break a sweat doing it. Altogether, the Bills look like a team that is further from being good now than it was when Ryan stormed into One Bills Drive. If they can get their heads straight at 21 positions, it appears Tyrod is ready to excel at 22.

Bills 41 Eagles 14 F

I'll take whatever stat I can find to win out the string, get to 10-6, and make the playoffs. It's all too likely that any 9-7 scenario won't be enough this year either. If I have to wait for next year, can there really be a year more snakebit for injuries than this one? Eventually all this talent wins out, right?

Bills 21 Jets 27

Bills 23 Jaguars 20 F/OT

Yahoo (9:30am EDT), Sky Sports 3 (12:30pm BST/8:30am EDT), BBC2 (1pm BST/9am EDT)

Alexander Fleming is credited for the discovery of penicillin as a treatment for infections. His money supply ran out before he could amass progress much beyond the discovery itself. Around 1936, the British, realizing there was a war likely approaching with Germany, set out to find ways to combat infection on the battlefield. Prior to WWII, virtually all conflicts had more deaths from disease than actual combat wounds. They came upon Fleming's work and by 1941 tested it on a bobby (policeman) who was in a terminal wing of an English hospital suffering from an out of control infection in his face. The bobby improved significantly and appeared to be making a full recovery when they ran out of the antibiotic. The bobby passed away from the infection. It was the first indication that they were going to need a lot of it. Mass production began in Britain, France, and the US where the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer got its start manufacturing the drug. The days before the advent of antibiotics were wrought with tragedy. George Gipp of Notre Dame fame and the movie, "Knute Rockne All American," where Gipp was famously portrayed by Ronald Reagan, died in 1920 of complications from strep throat. My mother contracted pneumonia at age 8 in 1929. Doctors made house calls in those days. He came over and held her hand having no recourse to fight the illness. She survived. I sure hope Fells makes out well.

Every week is another week that our best skill players get healthier. Any week we win on that horizon is huge no matter how it's accomplished. It's hard to think of even a handful of teams we beat today playing as poorly as we did, but we'll be 3-2 in tomorrow morning's newspaper.

Bills 27 Titans 24

Just once, I'd like to see Bills players stop saying we need to simplify the defense and or offense. Other teams play complex schemes. Look at New England and all of the disguised fronts they present. Nobody ever complains on their team. Belichek would dump them in a river. This incesant whining is getting so freaking old.

This season is coming down to our opponent's ability to run an offense where they can get the ball out in 1.7 seconds at a hurry-up pace. If they can't do it, they are most likely to lose to the Bills (assuming we don't self-destruct with penalties). The blueprint to bypass our defense is out there. The Bills success going forward is tied to making adjustments on defense to defuse these tactics. We'll see just how creative Rex can be.

Bills 30, Giants 23.

This just in, Beverly Hills 90210, Cleveland Browns 3. Colin Mochrie

I look at the rushing stats for TT 17 carr 96 yds TD 5.6ypc and rip out the 3 kneel downs against the Colts to get a more accurate appreciation of his impact. 14 carr 100 yds TD 7.1ypc

I'm sure Rex is thrilled to have the media "can't coach quarterbacks" meme off his shoulders, even for a week.

Having long lived in the abyss of coaches who couldn't coach and design effective plays, and quarterbacks who would constantly stall or turn into tire fires in the red zone, here is a stat that will warm every heart in Bills Nation: Tyrod Taylor QBR - 116.1 (5th) In The Red Zone - 136.1 (1st)

The whole culture of playing through injuries and the constant threat of losing your position in the depth chart (particularly at QB) compounds the concussion issue. Does anyone know how Kevin Kolb is doing?

It would be great if we had our actual OL coach in practices and on the field for us, but he had to be an undisciplined moron. I wonder where the young guys get their leadership from.

Oh darn. The New England headsets are blaring the WGR broadcast feed and the dialogue from Battlefield Earth at volume setting 11. When I'm listening to the game on WGR during a storm, I frequently get the coach's feed over my radio. Just basic radio interference. Nothing to see here.

Wow. Time for a new equation. This one is missing the whole point. How do you rate a defense with a +3 turnover ratio as being weak? This is the sort of thing that gives legitimate analytics a bad name.

Colts 24 Bills 30 F-OT

This.

Despite the enthusiasm from the press nationwide about Tyrod Taylor’s potential, because he's never started an NFL game they haven’t completely bought in. The consensus about the defense is about what you might expect: they’ll be a juggernaut under Rex. A few think a playoff spot is a possibility if Tyrod can make some plays. NFL Power Rankings from around the country NESN 17 Rex Ryan will only improve an already stingy defense that held opposing quaterbacks to a 74.5 passer rating last season. However, Tyrod Taylor is the quarterback, which elicits this sort of response (dumb gif of kid from Home Alone). ESPN 18 (Mike Sando) Even without a topflight quarterback, the Bills have a shot at reaching the playoffs. They return an elite defense that ranked No. 1 in EPA in 2014, edging out Houston and Seattle. Buffalo also added RB LeSean McCoy to an offense led by coordinator Greg Roman, who is known for his scheming of the ground game. But the QB issue is a real thing: Ex-Viking Matt Cassel ranked worse last season in QBR than the guy he was supposed to replace, Kyle Orton (which might explain why Tyrod Taylor was named the starter). Until the Bills find a viable answer under center – Taylor and EJ Manuel look like longer shots – this is a team with one very fatal flaw. Fox Sports 13 Defensive mastermind Rex Ryan has inherited arguably the most talented defense in his coaching career and that’s a scary thought. If Tyrod Taylor can continue the momentum he built from a strong preseason, the Bills are postseason bound. NY Daily News 20 Defense is nasty, depends on QB. SB Nation 19 The Bills have [a] very good defensive [group] but will rely on Tyrod Taylor to truly contend. Still, I could see [them] crack the top-10 this year, and I wouldn’t bat an eye. CBS Sports (Prisco) 24 The defense will be good, but quarterback is a huge question mark. Tyrod Taylor never started a game in the NFL. This is hard to overlook, despite the talent on defense. NFL 17 All eyes are fixed on Tyrod Taylor right now. The reality is that the star of the NFL preseason –- discussion-wise, at least – will not be asked to do too much in the regular season. Expect Taylor to throw 20 to 25 times per game while taking off on his fair share of scampers out of the pocket. Buffalo’s defense is built to allow all of about 17 points per game, so the need for more from Taylor isn’t there. Yahoo 15 I agree with Rex Ryan’s quarterback choice. You don’t know what you have with Taylor, and that’s the reason to pick him. Go with the unknown upside, and at least find out if there’s something there before exploring other options. Chicago Tribune 18 Hey, what do you know? Rex Ryan will have a terrific defense and ought to be able to run the ball well. He still doesn’t have a quarterback, though. SI 16 The last meaningful game Tyrod Taylor started was the Orange Bowl on Jan. 3, 2011, for Virginia Tech. It is not unheard of for QBs to succeed after long waits on the bench – a few failed prospects probably would have preferred to go that route – but it’s also not commonplace. The Bills open with Indianapolis, New England, and Miami. How long are they willing to give Taylor as the No. 1 if the wins take a while to come? Sporting News 22 Rex hasn’t been afraid to raise the hype, but that ground and pound just isn’t playoff type. Bleacher Report (Consensus) 14 This year’s version of the Bills just may be the most talented roster from top to bottom since the organization went to four straight Super Bowls in the ‘90s. As long as Taylor can make a few plays, Buffalo will see how good it really is when the Indianapolis Colts visit Ralph Wilson Stadium.