Utah John
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Posts posted by Utah John
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5 hours ago, Gregg said:
Happy Birthday Andre. Speaking of Andre I wonder if the Bills will retire his number just like they did for Jim, Bruce, and Thurman. I always thought the core of four from those Super Bowl teams was 12,34,78,83.
My question to Bills fans back in the day was, what's 12345678? Answer: Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Darryl Talley, and Bruce Smith standing together on the sidelines.
Reed was definitely a great part of those great teams. Happy birthday.
6 hours ago, Spiderweb said:Reed and Diggs together? What a pair that would have been....
The Bills had Reed and Eric Moulds at the same time. They were both on the team that got screwed in the Music City Miracle. Or that failed to properly cover a kickoff, if you prefer.
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Beane built a very strong roster with a sprinkling of top end talent, a few years ago. He had very firm rules about not blowing the cap budget with overpriced FAs. Then McD choked in the 13 second game and the excuse was we needed a closer to shut down Mahomes. So Beane shatters his own rule by spending huge dollars on Von Miller. Who did great for half a season, and since then has contributed nothing except taking a spot on the game roster.
Keeping a talented roster together is like one of those old magicians who had plates spinning on sticks, and he had to move around keeping them all spinning or they'd fall and break. The more big contracts, the fewer plates keep spinning. The only way to keep the plates spinning is to draft well consistently, bringing in cheap young guys to replace 4-5 year vets who move on to their big contract opportunities.
A few years ago the WR room was amazing, with Diggs, Davis, Smoke, Sanders, and Beasley. Then several players got old and left and Beane signed a big contract with Diggs when he was at the top of his value curve, and now we're paying for a declining Diggs, a no-show Miller, and Allen, who's doing his best with what's left.
The drafting has been below standard, except for this past year when we got several excellent players. All the defensive linemen picked and only Oliver out of all the draftees is far above average. Epenesa, Basham, Rousseau -- Rousseau looks like he might be a decent player, and Epenesa is good against the run but we still don't have the pass rush we need. It's not just that those guys aren't producing, it's that they were wasted picks that aren't players filling other positions on rookie contracts.
A couple of bad mistakes on FAs and several poor choices on high draft picks are the same as turnovers in a game. You can still win but the odds go against you. And when a coach chokes in a 13 second game and gets the GM to bail him out, everything unravels from there.
So you ask, where's the talent? Sitting in Miller's bank account, and Diggs's bling. It's very fitting that the two of them did that commercial where they're walking in gold leather outfits and hats.
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Well THAT'S certainly going to get him activated for the Super Bowl.
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17 hours ago, Jrb1979 said:
https://www.si.com/nfl/broncos/news/tua-tagovailoa-broncos-dolphins-trade-proposal-mock
Broncos get: Tua Tagovailoa, No. 137 pick
• Dolphins get: Justin Fields, No. 81 pick, Broncos 2025 second-round pick
• Bears get: No. 182 pick, Dolphins 2025 third-round pick, Broncos 2025 sixth-round pick
If that trade happens it's a good deal for all teams.
That's not much of a return for the Bears, who saw Fields really developing in the second half of this past season. I think you're assuming the Bears will draft a new QB with their #1 pick, and that might happen, but there's a lot of uncertainty about what the Bears will do. If they do decide to part ways with Fields, I think they can get quite a bit more for him in a 2-team trade with some team desperate for a QB.
And I think that's slanted in the Dolphins favor. A starting QB plus a third plus a second? That's a lot of return for a QB that can't compete in the cold. Which Denver is, of course. Tua is in exactly the best available position for him. He's an accurate passer with good receiving weapons. If the Dolphins can upgrade/repair their O line, Tua will do OK where he is. No other team has the ideal environment for his skills and his limitations.
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4 hours ago, Don Otreply said:
I have no issues with him “competing” for a spot on the team, but if he doesn’t trust his knee repair and isn’t up to it performance wise he needs to be let go, jmo.
Sure, of course. If the rehab isn't successful completely and he can't do what got him into the league anymore, he's gone, unfortunately for everyone. But that's the case for everyone. If they can't do the job, someone else who can is waiting for the slot.
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21 hours ago, Dubie54 said:
Ute fan as well and I like Bishop a lot but I don't see him making it to the 3rd round. He is an incredibly smart player in the same mold as Bernard, always around the ball and has great instincts.
Yeah, that was my point, he's probably going in the second round.
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18 hours ago, Aussie Joe said:
He was ok on special teams when they bought him in midway through 2022 … we dont know how he would go on O because they never gave him a chance …just another player they didn’t trust because he “hadn’t learnt the system “..Interesting point. He's been working on his rehab. Has he been doing that in Buffalo so he could attend team meetings and "learn the system"?
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10 hours ago, TheBrownBear said:
He's clearly too conservative and careful with the ball for us to take the next step.
Yeah, just like Tyrod Taylor. Josh needs to learn to be confident enough to throw his receivers open.
/s of course
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It doesn't sound like Miami wanted him gone. It sounds like it wanted to get onto the Eagles staff and Miami let him go.
He's a good DC and Philly will be happy they got him to help turn thilngs around. In Miami, whoever is the new guy will benefit from all the injured players on D returning.
1 hour ago, Einstein said:You seem to be under the impression that 1 game makes a coaching career.
Name a coach in NFL history that hasn’t been pummeled in a game numerous times.
Well, how about Sean McDermott, at least as a head coach. I can't remember the last time the Bills got really shellacked.
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Utah fan here. The Bills have drafted two Utes recently. Zach Moss has shown he's a good player when used in a scheme that works for him, but he didn't fit with the Bills. (We got Hines for him, remember, and we should be getting him back next year, as far as I know.) And of course DK2 who has all the skills and great attitude needed to be a star. A lot goes to the coaching staff at Utah, that works with players to prepare them for the NFL.
Cole Bishop would absolutely be a good pick for the Bills. I don't know if he'll be around in the third round, and I don't think he's the first round big deal star we need, but in the second round, sure. As for that the Bills not-quite-stellar record will help their draft position a little but it will still be failry late.
I've been thinking the Bills' greatest need in the draft is at safety, but with the likely departure of Davis and the weird problems with Diggs, I'm now thinking WR is what the Bills should do in the first round.
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On 1/22/2024 at 7:23 PM, Einstein said:
The Chiefs doubled Jones on 71% of his pass rush attempts. They were clearly concerned about him.
Josh made the right decision. Endzone to an open player was the right decision.
We'll just have to disagree about that.
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Hyde made the most incredible defensive play I have ever seen in a playoff game against the Patriots, when he zoome across the field to intercept a sure TD pass on a wimpy rainbow from Mac Jones. He took the ball almost out of the receiver's hands, preventing a TD, and convincing the Pats on a very cold night that they stood no chance in that game. It wasn't long before every Patriot on the field was looking longingly at the bench, where the heaters and parkas were. The Bills scored TDs on every single possession except a halftime kneeldown, and Hyde's interception early in the game was the dagger.
I'm pretty sure that year was the last winning season for Belichick in New England, and that loss, spurred by the Hyde interception, was what tipped them over into irrelevancy.
All that and a great person as well. If the Hydes leave Buffalo, we'll wish them well, but we'll really wish they weren't leaving at all.
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24 minutes ago, NewEra said:
I know
The Bills will miss his downfield blocking, but he's replaceable as a pass catcher.
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3 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:
So, team has a young QB and goes out and gets an offensive minded HC. Good step in the right direction.
The Titans do have a young QB. The question is whether they have a good-enough young QB. It looks like they're hitching their wagon to Levis but it's not clear he's going to pan out. (Of course people said the same thing about Josh Allen, so who knows.)
Just now, RyanC883 said:likely. But I want Tee!
That would be ideal, but we can't afford him thanks to the contracts for Diggs and Miller.
10 minutes ago, jkeerie said:They better not try to go after Brady.
Is Brady under contract with the Bills? If so then I think all the Bills would need to do is remove the interim tag from his title.
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3 hours ago, Mark Vader said:
Jones & Jackson shouldn't cost that much. Floyd might be.
People around the league will remember how dominant Jones was early in the season, until his injury in London. I don't think he was 100% when he came back but I appreciate the effort. Unfortunately no matter who was in the middle of our D line last night, the interior of the Chiefs' O line dominated them. Way too many holes for Pacheco to exploit. Anyway, getting back to contracts, I expect Jones to get a lot of interest.
22 minutes ago, WhitewalkerInPhilly said:So you're admitting that Josh passed up the easy receiver for ten yards to gun it to the end zone taking the risk that protection would break down when he had.
Dude did you tune in at the 2 minute earn? The Bills had gone 55 yards purposely bleeding the clock. The ball was moving. Brady had fired up blitz beaters that were averaging 6-8 yards a play. They were 25 yards away. If Allen completes it to Diggs it's at the 15 while strangling the Chiefs.
And if they don't get a TD? Congrats, you've gotten Bass a kick he can hopefully make but with less chance of a KC last minute score. If Diggs drops it congrats you are where the Bills wound up anyway.
I'm not calling for Josh to be pilloried. But he made a mistake in an otherwise excellent game. It wasn't even a fatal one, but it was the first in a fatal string.
That play will stick in my mind all offseason. I was screaming at the TV, Diggs is open! Diggs is wide open! A simple throw and catch and the Bills have the first down and can burn clock and KC's TOs. Maybe the Bills get the TD they need for a four point lead, forcing Mahomes to drive the entire field. Maybe they stall and kick a shorter FG. Either way, Josh made a terrible decision on that play. Regardless, that play should not detract from appreciating the incredible game Josh had otherwise.
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Dorsey did a good job last year. Over the offseason the Bills decided to keep Josh in the pocket to avoid injury (although almost all his injuries happened in the pocket). He turned into a zombie QB, drifting onto the field and drifting back off three plays later. Brady gets credit, justifiably, for turning Josh loose, but I think the Bills made a collective decision to say the heck with that pocket business, and we'll let Josh Josh. Dorsey couldn't seem to be the guy to let that happen, either that or McDermott just wanted a head to roll to get everyone's attention. Whatever. If the offense Dorsey built for this year had the capability to turn Josh loose, maybe he'd still be here.
At the end of the year, now we see what an effective Bills offense looks like, and we can adjust the schemes and perhaps the personnel to make it work even better.
As for Dorsey in Cleveland, sure, why not, he's a better OC than a lot of the guys out there.
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11 hours ago, folz said:
I hear you...
-though there is no way the Jax game can be called a home game for the Bills (no matter what the NFL called it). The Bills were not at home, they had to travel/deal with time change; while the Jags play in London every year, had already been there for two weeks (no time change issue/no travel, days before the game), and had just played a game in that stadium the week before. Even though the Jags weren't home either, they definitely had a home field advantage, as it were.
And ok, down the stretch:
The Bills have played six games since the start of December and are 6-0, with 101 points scored against (16.8/game), and a +53 point differential
KC has played seven games since the start of December and are 4-3, with 120 points scored against (17.1/game), and a +21 point differential
The teams had two common opponents over that stretch (The Dolphins and the Pats)
Bills were 2-0 with a +13 point differential
Chiefs were 2-0 with a +29 point differential
Current Injuries to starters or role players (and I'm not counting players like Tre and Matt Milano because their injuries were too long ago to be discussed as far as who the teams are now or who they have been down the stretch):
[snap counts in parentheses]
Bills: Benford (76.87%), Davis (82.99%), Rapp (39.27%) [OUT]; Bernard (93.19%), Douglas (46.92%), Johnson (89.29%) [QUESTIONABLE]
Chiefs: Wanya Morris (30.01%), Derrick Nnadi (45.77%), Skyy Moore (43.81%) [OUT]; Justin Ross (12.04%), Kadarius Toney (20.35%) [QUESTIONABLE]
No question, we are missing more KEY guys (more snaps) than the Chiefs. But, if Bernard, Douglas, and Johnson can go (and aren't hampered too much), then I think we are in pretty good shape. I think Dane and Kaair can fill in fine for Benford against Kansas City's wide receiver corps (which is also a little banged up), and we can get by without Davis and Rapp, as the team has already proven to be able to do (though it would be nice to have them---Davis in the run game (not just as a receiver), and Rapp to help with Kelce and to lay some lumber).
But, if we are also missing any or all of the other three, it will be a tougher go, no doubt. I think we are the better overall team (and have been down the stretch of the season), but we are dealing with more significant injuries than the Chiefs are.
Make of that what you will.
Thanks for the updated version. It will be a great game.
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2 minutes ago, folz said:
The Chiefs played 9 games at home and 8 games on the road this season.
At home, they allowed 148 points to teams with a combined record of 82-71 (9 games). An average of 16.44 points per game.
On the road, they have allowed 149 points to teams with a combined record of 57-79 (8 games). An average of 18.63 points per game.
So, there is a small difference between home and road for the Chiefs, but considering the teams they played at home were better than the teams they faced on the road, that does increase the gap a bit (as far as them being better at home than on the road).
Quaterbacks the Chiefs faced this year (KC's outcome in parens): Jared Goff (loss), Trevor Lawrence (win), Justin Fields (win), Zach Wilson (win), Kirk Cousins (win), Russell Wilson twice (win & loss), Justin Herbert (win), Tua T (win), Jalen Hurts (loss), Aidan O'Connell twice (win & loss), Jordan Love (loss), Josh Allen (loss), Bailey Zappe (win), Jake Browning (win), Blaine Gabbert (win).
For comparison, the Bills played 8 games at home and 9 games on the road this year.
At home, the Bills allowed 118 points to teams with a combined record of 65-71. An average of 14.75 points per game.
On the road, the Bills allowed 193 points to teams with a combined record of 71-82. An average of 21.44 points per game.
So, the Bills' defense definitely seems to be better at home, though their home opponents did have 6 less wins than their away opponents.
Quarterbacks the Bills faced this year (Bills outcome in parens): Zach Wilson (loss), Jimmy Garapollo (win), Sam Howell (win), Tua T twice (two wins), Trevor Lawrence (loss), Tyrod Taylor (win), Mac Jones (loss), Baker Mayfield (win), Joe Burrow (loss), Russell Wilson (loss), Zach Wilson/Tim Boyle (win), Jalen Hurts (loss), Patrick Mahomes (win), Dak Prescott (win), Easton Stick (win), Bailey Zappe (win).
-Only 11 points separate the two defenses (Bills/Chiefs) over 17 games. So, the Chiefs allowed 0.64 points less per game than the Bills.
-As far as opponent win percentage, the Chiefs opponents were a combined 139-150, while the Bills' opponents were a combined 136-153...so only 3 games different.
-The level of QB play that each team faced is about equal (no clear advantage to either team, imo).
-The Bills and Chiefs shared nine common opponents this season, with their records against those teams as follows:
Chiefs 8-3 Bills 6-6
-Both, overall, ended the season at 11-6
-The Bills did score 80 more points on offense than the Chiefs did this season, leading to a better Net Point differential (Bills 140/Chiefs 77).
Everything stacks up pretty evenly. The Chiefs have a bit of an advantage in common opponent record and the Bills have an advantage in net points.
So, yes, it may just come down to home field advantage and Bills Mafia, as the Chiefs are slightly worse on the road and the Bills are a bit better at home.
Considering all the injuries, looking at statistics from the regular season is not really definitive. (You listed the London game against the Jags as an away game but the NFL considered it a home game for the Bills. Probably the best way to handle that game is to not include it in the stats.) I think the last month of the regular season is a better indicator than what happened in September and October, but even that is suspect because the teams' makeup is so different now. What matters is what the players and coaches involved tomorrow bring to the field.
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It's going to come down to which specific players and positions are affected. The Chiefs built an O line with a strong G-C-G interior, but their tackles are injured or terrible. (Their right tackle shouldn't be in the NFL. He is worse than the lousy tackles the Bills had prior to Spencer Brown becoming good.) The strength of our D line is the interior, so that's just going to be a battle. Our edge rushers are just average compared to the rest of the league's, but they're the ones who should be affecting the play the most.
Our O line has been solid all year but even with the new guards it can get out-muscled on the interior. Dawkins has been very good usually but lately he's been steamrolled too on occasion.
If we had all oiur D players healthy I think McDermott would send pressures a lot, but with the LBs and CBs we have I don't know if he'll take the chance. The really key players who might or might not play are Taron Johnson and Bernard. If they both play I think the Bills win and KC doesn't even get 20 points.
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8 minutes ago, SCBills said:
Diggs foot injury looks super serious.
For all I know, wearing your shirt backwards is another inexplicable football player meme, like putting eye black under only one eye.
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13 minutes ago, SaulGoodman said:
Allen obviously killed him when it comes to rushing TDs, but Mahomes' underwhelming passing numbers are mostly due to the performance of the receivers. His receivers led the league in drops by a mile. Even Kelce hasn't been sure-handed this year. He'd have a lot more TDs and at least two fewer INTs if his receivers had been able to catch balls that hit them squarely in their hands.
OK, receivers sometimes drop passes. Sometimes receivers make incredible catches of passes that weren't thrown very well. It balances out in the long run.
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With some of the injured Bills getting back, I'm feeling better about the defensive personnel we have on the field. The Chief's offense this year has not been all that great, and the players we have available should do OK.
What concerns me most of all is the extra two days of rest and preparation the Chiefs got. And Reid He's simply brilliant, and McDermott struggles to catch up with what Reid throws out there. I am more concerned about what Reid can do than what Mahomes can do.
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Some day I hope to see the Bills wearing the standing bison helmets again. I still think they're classic, in a way the charging buffalo isn't.
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What? You're talking about new DCs? The Bills' DC is Leslie Frazier, who just took a year off from coaching but will return next year.
HAHAHAHAHA
For those who didn't know: Tom Brady is set to replace Greg Olsen as the FOX lead analyst next year
in The Stadium Wall
Posted
Well sure, I feel for Greg, but I also feel for me and everyone else who thinks he's done a great job. He's as good as Romo was in his first couple of years, before the change happened and he became no more insightful that a knowledgeable civilian.