billsfan89

As bad as the offense played the defense played worse. Vulnerable to the run and Levi Wallace back to back bad games. Play Kevin Johnson next week at CB2 and make a trade for a run stuffer to replace Peko. I would also trade for a WR but the market might not be there. See if the Falcons would trade Poe. Got to get bigger and nastier up the middle.

The Eagles dominated both sides of the ball. That turnover was a killer but not the difference

Just a bad game all around. Losses were going to happen. It is not the end of the world to lose here, learn from this adjust the defense make a trade to add some help and take care of the Redskins next week.

Philly is 4 while Dallas is 5, the Bay area is 8 (DC is 6 and Houston is 7.)

Urgency and your "season being on the line" can be a real thing. But I do agree that it is overblown. Mostly how "Sharp" a team plays is mostly on the coaching staff.

The Browns for a few seasons before they drafted Baker were kind of actively tanking in a sense that they were constantly selling off players and trading for future picks while sitting on a massive pile of cap space. They had chances to make their team better but waited purposefully to do so. QB's are worth tanking for because they are a position that has both longevity, impact and are difficult to find. Having a franchise top 10 QB gives you a window to win a Super Bowl for 15-18 years. They play well until they are 38-40, they don't get injured as often due to new rules and advancing modern medicine. Teams go decades without finding a good one. The thing about having a top 10 bonafide QB is that for 15 or so seasons you are going to have a better QB (and thus a huge advantage) than 75-90% of the teams you play. With the added bonus of them being cheap and affordable on their rookie deal for the first five seasons. Toss in the fact that they are Yes we all know that once they get paid 35-40 million a year that advantage is diminished due to soaking up cap resources but once the team recalibrate their cap that advantage is almost back to full force.

I don't think Star playing a run stuffing line controlling role for 40ish% of the defensive snaps are why the Bills rank 22nd in sacks. For one the Bills have only played 6 games out of the teams that played 6 games (a lot of the league has played 7) so that is skewing the stats a bit. Of the 21 teams that rank ahead of them in total sacks 14 of them have played 7 or 8 games (the 8 being the two teams that played yesterday.) Granted that's not to say the Bills would be in the top 10 even if they had an extra game but their ranking in total sacks is a bit off. In my opinion the Bills general lack of sack production stems from a lack of an edge rush. Oliver and Phillips are getting pressure up the middle while Hughes is getting some pressure of the edge but only has 1.5 sacks to account for it, meanwhile Shaq and Trent Murphy have only accounted for 1 sack combined. Lorax is second on the team with sacks at 2 and he blitzes from all over the place. Star does a lot of the grinding down low might be more of a run game value and he certainly is overpaid in that role. But it is a needed component of the defense (I trust McD knows the worth it has to the scheme both here and in Carolina) and not a player you can point to for the lack of an elite pass rush in part.

The NBA had at one point 6-8 teams yearly that were in tank mode and the quality of the league wasn't impacted (I would argue that the Durant addition to the Warriors threw off the quality of the league for years.) The NFL having 1 or 2 teams being extra bad like Miami and the Browns a couple of years ago isn't going to impact the quality of the league. I think the problem for the NFL will be if Cleveland and Miami have successful runs in part as a result of the draft choices accumulated and aggressive tanking will other teams follow suit? I think if you have 4-6 teams completely stripping down their teams each year then you could have an issue where you might need to institute some sort of structural change. But as of now it isn't an issue as it hasn't even proven to work for the one team several years into it the Browns.

Correct me if I am wrong the trade deadline is Tuesday. They can still make a move and add a player on Tuesday.

Most games are won in the trenches on both sides of the ball but I think the matchup that is going to impact the game the most is going to be the Bills D-line vs. the Eagles O-line. The Eagles O-line is very suspect this season. It has impacted Wentz's ability to be effective and their running game. I worry that Jeffery, Ertz, and the running game can be a killer for the Bills (similar to how Miami's bigger targets gave the secondary some trouble) defense to handle. However if Wentz is under consistent pressure and the ground game can't get going then those players will be a non-factor (esp since I don't think D.Jackson is playing.) But give Wentz time and those targets can do some damage. If the Bills defense can't control the line then this could be a game where the offense has to put up at least 24 or more points which might or might not happen.

We will see if Cleveland's plan pays off (which this season it hasn't) and if Miami's plan does too. I don't think it will as intended as QB's are a crap shoot and dependent on the talent around them to a degree. The NFL's cap and the quick nature of rookie deals makes it harder to accumulate assets like in the NBA. Basically by the time you are ready to compete after tanking for 2-3 years you are going to run up against players you drafted early in that process needing contract extensions.

The NFL does not have quite the same epidemic of teams tanking as the NBA did and to some degree still does (although their lottery reform has made teams think twice about outright tanking.) The NBA saw a lot of teams tanking because the worst thing you could have done in the NBA was be a middle ground team that would either barely squeak into the playoffs and get bounced in the first round or miss the playoffs with a very low chance at a top pick. Basically you were bizarrely incentivized to be an awful team as opposed to being a mediocre or average one. So the NBA had teams basically deciding are you ready to seriously contend for a title or at least a deep playoff run? If not you are better off tanking. The NFL isn't having that epidemic just yet. The Browns tanked for a couple of seasons and just as the Browns made efforts to compete after finding their QB now the Dolphins are following a similar model. In the past 4 years I can't think of any other teams that were outright tanking. People said the Bills were tanking when they traded Sammy and Darby but that didn't quite happen. I don't know of any other team that wasn't at least trying to be somewhat competitive. The Redskins and Bengals both went into the season trying to field competitive teams, injuries and poor developments made them awful. I think the draft is fine as is one or two teams taking an extreme method of tanking is not a reason to institute a lottery or bidding system. Now if the Browns and Fins plans work and you see more teams trying this type of talent sell of scheme and 2-3 year tanking plans then you might have a case. Bottomline is that there is no need for drastic action at the moment since two teams in 5 years trying this (and no example of it working) is not a reason to make massive changes.

Not sure there is a WR like that on the market. I don't see any true WR1 type players out on the market unless maybe Mike Evans or Keenan Allen come on the market but those players are going to cost a 1st plus extra. I think you are likely to only get flawed players or underachieving players like Anderson or Corey Davis. Overall I don't see an impact player being available barring something new developing on the market.

Star is overpaid but he does play a role on the D-line in an effective manner. I think you could get a player to do that grinder type role for cheaper but McD knew Star and knew he fit his system and could do the task he needed at an effective level. I think overall he isn't a liability more or less just a highly paid but effective role player.

Tricky game for the Bills this Sunday. The Eagles arguably are the second most talented team the Bills have faced this season (which speaks volumes to the weakness of the Bills schedule thus far) so this isn’t a game that the Bills should be looking for a blowout in. However the Eagles are a very flawed team not playing that well at the moment. For one their o-line has been mostly mediocre this season. Their WR core banged up and ineffective. Their running backs not getting it done. And Wentz isn’t playing well either. But the Eagles still poses offensive talent. Ertz is still a good tight end, Jeffery a big receiver that could do a lot of damage, Jordan Howard a solid between the tackles runner, DeSean Jackson could also make a difference with big plays if he plays, and their O-line isn’t tragic. I think the defenses effectiveness is going to come from the D-line winning the line of scrimmage against the Eagles O-line. If Wentz has time and Howard gets some room the Eagles will be able to move the ball. Defensively the Eagles are a mess. Their secondary is among the worst in the league and their pass rush/front 7 is mid-level. You can get away with a subpar secondary if you have a lot of good pass rushers and solid LB play. The Eagles front 7 is not bad but it is far from elite as it has been in the past. So if Josh gets time he should be able to put up points against this horrid secondary. Overall like most games it is going to be won along the line of scrimmage. Luckily I think the Bills are better on both side of the ball in the trenches. But things can get tricky if on even one side of the ball the Eagles hold the trenches.

The "Never Trump" Republican is a pretty small subset of the GOP. Trump's approval rating within the GOP is as high or higher than George W Bush's which floated between 75-90% once the 9/11 number died down. So where are all these supposed "Never Trump" Republicans? It is extra infuriating because they are also the most over served people in the media. If you watch cable news you would think there was this big groundswell of "Never Trump" Republicans but they are a tiny tiny minority of the party.

Davis was also somewhat productive last season gaining over 800 yards. Considering he has one more year left on his rookie deal (with the possibility of a 5th year option) and those other factors you mentioned I think they are going to want some decent compensation. I think they are going to at least want a 3rd round pick. I don't think they are tossing him aside for anything less.

Eagles fans are one of the few fanbases that over hate on their team. The Eagles have been one of the most successful franchises since the year 2000 and if you listen to their fanbase you would think they were as successful as the Bills. Now that being said this year's Eagles team has some serious flaws. Their secondary is complete trash, their WR core is banged up, their O-line is mediocre, their front seven is decent but not dominant and Wentz is not playing well. So for once their negative assessment about the team is accurate.

Wouldn't mind the move, but considering he still has one year left on his rookie deal with an option pick up possible I don't think the Titans are going to move on from him without getting a high pick (I would say at least a 3rd but more likely a 2nd is what they would want and not get.) He looked to be getting some traction last year but has been pretty flat this year. I know it is illness related so it isn't a sign that he is traded. But overall I wouldn't mind taking on Davis for a mid-round pick but it isn't likely to happen.

He has looked out of shape in New England and far from the dynamic explosive player he was in Cleveland. I wouldn't hate kicking the tires on him but it isn't as good a move as it looks on paper.

A "Swing for the Fences" type deal would be to trade for Keenan Allen or Mike Evans. Both are fairly young WR's who should have 3-5 more quality seasons left in the tank at a high level. I think it would at least require a 1st round pick to get it done but considering the glaring need for a WR opposite Brown both immediately and in the near future you have a justification for such a high investment. I am not sure that type of move fits the process at all. I think (and this is my personal speculation based off of how the current regime has handled things in the past) they aren't going to be willing to part with anything more than a 3rd round pick at this point. So I think a modest upgrade is what they are going to be what is looked into more by the team. I would think they would be on the radar for a Devante Parker type who would bring a talented big bodied receiver who wouldn't command a big cost but offers the size and ability missing from the current core. Marvin Jones is another type of player they could target but given that he is on an affordable deal for 2020 he isn't likely on the market. But I would love Allen or Evans if they feel this is really a win now type situation. But I don't see the cost being reasonable for both sides.

Before the Pats game PFF was saying how they might have to eat some crow on Josh Allen. So they aren't dogmatic in how they hate him, but there certainly is a bias.

He is producing like one for sure. The Bills still need more punch at the WR position but they should feel good about Brown.

Josh is improving in how he plays. His footwork and touch in the short and medium game are improving massively. His decision making is still suspect but he seems to be forcing things less after the disaster that was the Pats game. He also seems to be learning not to always run to his right at the first sign of pressure. He still is going to have some bad throws here or there but I think he is in general heading in the right direction.

Lots of teams are worse but a lot of teams are better too. The Bills right now have an injured unproven veteran, a good blocking tight end (a niche position), a super raw rookie with a lot of potential and another rookie whose ceiling is a fringe starter and needs development. None of these players are making much of an impact. Knox shows his flashes but he also has a lot of bad plays too. Sweeney hasn't been much of a factor and Kroft is often hurt. Lee Smith is doing his role but as I said it is a niche position. Bottom line I like Knox and Sweeney as a combo long term but the production from the position at the moment is bottom 10 in the league.