billsfan89

5.99 also gets you whatever WWE PPV they have on there plus all the other content on Peacock you may be interested in watching for a month (I would certainly recommend watching Twisted Metal if you were a fan of those video games). So it wasn't like cable was that great anyway. At least with streaming you can go month to month watch whatever you want and then cancel for a few months.

If there was more money to be made via PPV they could do it. But the dollars and cents decision still supports it being on broadcast TV. It makes the broadcast packages worth more which is direct big money and then you have the secondary aspects of it being a cultural event that helps the brand. Even being greedy a PPV Super Bowl would be a terrible idea.

I know Hardy was the guy they 1 to 1 replaced Mac with but I should have been more clear that it ended up working out as it paved the way for Shakir and Kincaid to get the snaps. Even though Hardy is a massive overpay I do think he is a better player, he just isn't putting up massive numbers due to lack of volume. I think if he had to take on a bigger role like Mac did last year he would produce better than Mac. Still would have preferred they spent the money elsewhere as he is an overpaid decent punt returner at this point.

I doubt that, I think the Super Bowl going to PPV would dramatically reduce viewership and take away some of the “cultural event” aspect that adds value to the NFL’s brand. Not to mention piracy would shoot up if that were to happen.

Mac was a nice WR4/5 gadget player when he was here but this team needed to move on. He really seemed to enjoy being here and he made a few plays here or there. I remember in 2021 when the Bills played New England away in a must game for the division and he balled out. But the team needed to move on and get Shakir more opportunities and make room for Kincaid and two TE sets. Mac hasn’t done much in Indy this season probably will sign on here next year as a PS veteran guy.

Banged Up Bills did a pretty good breakdown of the injury (see link below) the return to play from this injury is usually 8 months which is 1.5 months longer than the entire season (training camp/pre-season through the Super Bowl included) so the timetable is going to put Milano having a full return in May which should allow him to work out fully for two plus months before training camp and won't impact him for next season hopefully. Banged Up Bills, however, did note that there were a few examples of players who returned from a similar injury post-surgery after about 3ish months. But those seem to be the exception to the rule and not the rule. And from what McD has thus far said I would think Milano is likely out even if the Bills are playing in mid to late January. But if he hasn't been officially ruled out I guess anything is possible. https://bangedupbills.com/2023/10/09/examining-buffalo-bills-matt-milanos-right-knee-injury/ "The first case is Kansas City Chiefs S Daniel Sorensen who suffered a left tibial plateau fracture with lateral meniscus tear in the preseason in 2018. He underwent surgery in mid-August and was able to miss the first nine games of the season on injured reserve before returning to play in Week 10 to play in seven regular-season games and two playoff games. The other instance is a case report from PFATS, the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society. This was done by Andrew DePietropaolo PT, DPT who is an Assistant AT for the Green Bay Packers. He highlighted a case where the player suffered a similar injury to what Matt Milano suffered and they were able to return to practice in 10 weeks and played half a game later that week. It’s also worth highlighting that this case involved an MCL internal bracing to address ligament laxity from the initial injury. This player was OL Josh Myers who returned to play at 10.5 weeks and played in a full playoff game at 12 weeks. Different duties with offensive line vs linebacker, but still some positive news." I loved the addition of Ford in the offseason as I thought Ford could be a backup "run stuffer" once they realized Ford stunk they signed Joseph and that's back filled for Jones run stuffing ability really well. Joseph isn't the same pass rusher disruptor as Jones but at least the Bills were able to stop the gaping holes up the middle of the defense that existed when Jones was out and Joseph wasn't there.

I would wager he returns for the Pats game and works in with limited snaps and then ramps up for the Miami game. A return Saturday is not out of the realm of possibility but I think they probably want to give him an extra week of practice to test things out and ease in.

I generally agree that if Mitch is willing to come back for one last go around they should invest mainly in mid round depth and developmental players. Bates should either take over for Mitch or be the 6th offensive lineman a “super sub” if you will. Then if Edwards comes back on the cheap resign him and then Van Denmark could be the swing tackle. Then you should likely invest in a long term Dawkins replacement who can kick inside if needed. That would get you 9 deep. If Mitch is cut and Edwards isn’t back then I think you gotta go heavy with two draft picks at a minimum plus a capable vet addition to add to Van Demark on the bench.

If football doesn't work out for this kid then he should get a look from the WWE who are always on the look for massive dudes who are good athletes.

ST unit has been below average this season. Not tragic, but its not been its usual solid self. They haven't let up too many big returns (I think the Jets return was the only TD let up and about 2 other decent-sized chunk returns from my memory) but they haven't made many plays either (the second Jets game fumble being the only "big" play). The punting has been OK to below average and the kicking has been poor (Out of eligible kickers Bass is ranked 23rd in accuracy and has only attempted 6 Field Goals over 50 yards a fairly average amount of difficult kicks). The ST unit cost this team a game with an unforced error (the Broncos mishap), the ST unit mistake against the Jets ended up being the final nail in the coffin in the opener, and Bass's missed kicks probably cost this team a chance to be in a better position to win the Eagles game and the Pats game. Bass's missed kicks also put this team in a very dangerous position against the Giants where they could have easily lost that game. It's not been a great season for the ST unit. The ST unit in 2022 was one of this team's strengths and was a factor in the teams 13 win record. The ST unit helped win a pair of games with the clutch Bass kick against the Lions on Thanksgiving and the Hines pair of TD returns against the Pats (which kept the Bills from being behind the eight ball in a slow start to the game on the other sides of the ball). Bass kicked less from outside 50 so I can't say his accuracy was dramatically better in 2022 but Martin was punting a lot better and the coverage units were more solid. Overall the ST unit last season was a above average to lower top 10 unit. This year the unit is probably decidedly below average and probably ranked in the lower 20's and its made a difference thus far in the teams record.

So you are saying they are due?

Smart gamesmanship if you ask me, certainly look for the NFL to ban that going forward next season!

The offense gets so many beneficial rules, I say let the defense keep this one.

Martin has been Ok this season, just by my eye test I can’t think of many bad punts he has had. I think at this point he is what this team will stick with. I think teams tend to only replace kickers/punters deep in season when a kicker/punter is hurt or completely implodes. Neither has happened to Martin. I do think that for both kicker spots there needs to be more competition in camp. Bring back Ariza would be my play if he is willing to come back.

The Douglas and Joseph acquisitions/signings were by far the best in seasons moves in the McD era. Joseph has helped plug the run defense up the middle that was massively lacking post Jones injury. Douglas has dramatically improved the corner play which took a hit in the wake of the Tre injury. The defense still is missing Milano and Poyer/Hyde are a step slower but those two acquisitions have boosted the defense significantly.

Still have hope for Elam injuries can really hamper play.

I am sure there are freak exceptions but you play the percentages.

Very sad, at least he didn't unintentionally take anyone out with him. Don't drink and drive it is not a good idea. I have no idea why anyone would ever not want to wear a seat belt. Your chances of surviving a crash dramatically go up by having one on and your chances of sever injury go down dramatically.

I think he gets a chance in training camp with some team. I think unless a punter completely implodes this season I think teams will stick with continuity over a guy who hasn't played in a long time. Glad that Ariza got his name cleared and will get a chance to play in the NFL. Personally, I would be happy to see the Bills give him a camp invite next season if he is a free agent. Martin has been OK this season but some competition is not a bad idea. I don't think the Bills cut him because they thought he was guilty or had ill will. I think the reason was they wanted Ariza to focus on clearing his name and Ariza also didn't want to be a distraction.

The most reasonable expectations (and these were my expectations) we won't start to see what we have with Von for a stretch run until after the bye week. Well, we have one game after the bye week and he looked better than he had at any point this season but there's still some ways to go. If this team makes the playoffs I think Von with another month and 4 games under his belt will have a chance to make plays as a situational rotation player. But its a long process that will only yield slow and steady results going forward.

At corner I think they go with Benford, Douglas and Johnson as the starters not much controversy there. I do think they keep Elam as there is a reason they drafted him in round 1. Then I think they either cut Tre or rework his deal massively if he is willing to try to take a cut in order to try to play one more season. If they can keep Dane at a sensible price I also think they keep him for depth. The questions at corner are more so what will they do after the starters? Who do they keep or bring in for depth? Safety is a big can of worms. Hyde is a free agent and older, Poyer is on a small deal and could be cut or kept? Rapp is a free agent and Hamlin has one year left on his rookie deal. I expect Rapp, Poyer and Hamlin to be back and a draft pick and another veteran depth player brought in.

In-game I think McD is average but coaching goes well beyond in-game decisions. The Bills have developed a lot of talent other than Josh Allen and also gotten good veteran additions at various levels, McD is a big part of that process of player scouting and development. I am not saying that McD deserves that many more chances should this season end in missing the playoffs or early playoff failure. But rather that you have to look at what he brings wholistically before making a judgement on him as a HC.

He looked a lot better, thus far he has been a complete non-factor until Sunday when he showed some signs of life. I am just not so sure with 4 games left in the season how much better he looks by season's end. But signs of life on Sunday are a positive.

I was giving Von until after the bye to really judge him, he tore his ACL just over a year ago at Thanksgiving. It's kind of shocking he was able to be activated after missing just the first four games. That being said we are now after the bye and while I think he showed some signs of life against KC my expectations of him this season are super low. It is possible by the playoffs he will look like a more serviceable player, against KC he at least showed something out there so there is some progress. Just overall I am not so sure he is going to be that much better than he currently is maybe next year they can get one more good season out of him.

Even if he came back against Dallas he probably would need a couple of weeks to “ramp up” before he can take on a big share of snaps and shake off some rust.