Utah John

Boselli did have a great game against Bruce. In that game, he seemed like an indomitable mountain that Bruce couldn't scale. That fact, and the fact that the Bills lost (although perhaps there was a real argument that a fumble shouldn't have counted -- I don't remember that) are probably why Bruce is upset. Bruce was a very great player and it probably galls him to think about the games where he wasn't at his best. Bruce is right that a single playoff game shouldn't be the measuring stick for the HOF. But, it's not. Boselli was dominant for a few years. I personally think his career was too short to warrant the HOF but I can see how sportswriters might think differently. Maybe Boselli's HOF nomination mentioned the game against the Bills, but that wouldn't have been enough to get him in. I can't believe Webb isn't in the HOF. That's a disgrace. Year after year, the battle of the 78s was worth the price of admission all by itself.

Yes I am a huge Ute fan although we moved away from Salt Lake City four years ago. I think Whittingham is one of the best coaches in college football, and he's starting to get some of those top recruits. There are now quite a few Utes in the NFL.

This has been going on in one form or another for 30 years or more. When the Bills were in the Super Bowl, Dallas was making money hand over fist, and Jerry Jones used that cash to restructure contracts so the Cowboys could afford a lot more in terms of payroll. Polian and Butler were as smart as they come, but Ralph Wilson and his bean counter (whose name I have finally forgotten, thankfully, so please don't remind me, but you know who I'm talking about) would not play the game the way Jones did. So in the end the Bills couldn't quite keep up in terms of personnel. They lost some primo FAs during their glory years that would have helped a lot in their last two SBs. The Titans have figured out that in a pass-heavy league, a team that can run the ball really well will be a team that other defenses aren't prepared to stop. The Titans and Colts were the two teams that could go heavy and really give the Bills a tough time last year. This strategy lets teams win a lot of games in the regular season, but then struggle in the playoffs. The Titans are just sticking with their philosophy, and not paying a lot for talent that doesn't fit in. If the Titans had a great QB they'd have held onto Brown, but they see what Tannahill can and can't do, and they're making reasonable decisions based on his limitations.

Without checking, I think it must be the first time. Ralph Wilson, who lived near Detroit, always wanted that game.

And that would be just fine with me.

Ken Dorsey looks like a bright young guy who has never had the responsibility to call plays during a game. He got the OC job at least in part because Josh Allen made it clear that's who he wanted, but that doesn't mean Dorsey really knows what he's doing. We all saw Daboll confusing defenses with his schemes, route trees, and play calls, but DCs in the AFC will have spent hours this year figuring out how to stop Daboll's schemes. Dorsey will need to come up with brand new twists for the Bills offense to return to its powerful state of late last year. Joe Brady is a former OC at Carolina and was on a fast-track career progression until Carolina crashed and burned last year, with Brady taking the fall for not working miracles with Darnold at QB and no CMC at RB. Brady is saying all the right things about working for Dorsey, but Brady's resume is actually much better than Dorsey's, except for the Allen relationship. The Bills' early schedule this year is pretty rough. I'm hoping as we all are that they crush that early schedule, cruise on through the rest of the year, get the top seed, etc. But they still have to play the games. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed that McDermott has a Dorsey replacement right there on staff, ready to go, if the Bills offense struggles through September and into October.

What's surprising is that Miller was saying he never wanted to leave the Rams, but that the Bills situation and the Bills offer were too good to pass up. He made it sound like the only team that could get him away from the LAR was the Bills. Whatever. None of this matters. He's been a great player over the years and I think he's still got a lot left in the tank to help the Bills win.

The next name up there is Butch Byrd, period. After that we'll talk. But I don't think Fitz ever makes it up.

It's drafts like that the Bills DIDN'T have for many years, that was the main reason they weren't very good. When Polian and Butler were here they drafted well and traded well, but after that there just weren't enough good players. McD generally does a very good job, up to 13 seconds left, but Beane does great, with a much better batting average than we've seen here in decades.

Two years from now, when these guys are starters, they'll look back and remember the good connection they got. Really nice one of the Bandits was there. I like the competitive attitudes of the players. He forgot his permission slip so he couldn't go on the field trip. Stayed behind in the classroom.

Miller's impact as a leader reminds me of how Kyle Williams and Lorax affected the team's culture and chemistry. But of course, Miller is a better player, so the result should be even better.

Well, he CHOSE it for sure, and that says a lot about him. Nice, very nice, but not ostentatious.

His star had faded even before he was suspended. For a season or two, he was almost dominant in the league, but there was something about his game that D coordinators picked up on and he couldn't correct or compensate for. So he was not as dominant anymore although he was certainly still better than a lot of the employed scrub QBs out there. Whether he's aged to the point where his arm or legs don't allow him to be effective, I don't know but I have my doubts he'll be any better than an adequate backup at this point.

Or you could just donate money to a fund for the families of the shooting victims. What with the shooting today in Texas -- even sicker and more depraved and awful than the sick, depraved, and awful shooting in Buffalo -- the nation's attention will now turn to Texas. So having some new money roll in would probably be appreciated.

The 2022 study's result is that players only lasted about 3 years post-injury. I'll bet 3-4 years is the mode of the distribution of career length (mode being the most frequently observed result). Since most of the players who tore ACLs had already played a few years this is not too disappointing a result. The other studies are from 2017 and 2019, and with the advances in sports medicine over the past several years, there's reason to hope that results for current players will be better. So, caution and prudence dictate that the Bills prepare for a no-Tre start to the season, and even after he does return, not to expect the same level of performance. So you know what? Maybe opposing QBs will try to throw near him, and his INTs will go up.

IIRC the Dolphins were just one game out of the playoffs the last two years, and getting that close and falling back really hurts a franchise. They've added several very good players but I haven't seen them perform as a team yet. The HC carousel and drama there isn't going to help, either. The Jets are dropping great ingredients into their cooking pot, but they still have lousy cooks so the food will still be terrible. It's the Pats who still have Belichick that are always the biggest threat. The Bills pulled away last year when they beat the Pats in their second matchup, but if they'd lost that game who knows how the season would have ended. When the season comes down to a single critical game, there will be years when the outcome doesn't go your way. In 2023 though I think things will be different. Miami will emerge and the Jets will be a lot less bad.

That money is great, and it will help a lot with immediate needs. But writing a check is nothing compared to taking the time and flying to Buffalo during the offseason to participate in this. EVERY PLAYER. OMG. This is a gift back, in return for all the fans who go to the airport to greet the Bills returning after away games, in the middle of the night. There is nothing like the relationship between the Bills and the community, anywhere else in the NFL.

People who choose where to live solely on the basis of the weather, have to live among other people who feel the same way. I've lived in 10 states, and the weather is a secondary aspect to the quality of life. After 10 years total in California, I'll never live there again. (As if I could afford it...) I live in Alaska now, and we haven't had an overnight low this year that didn't get down into the 30s. Fortunately it's nice and warm during the day -- the high 50s.

IIRC the money for Watson is fully guaranteed. If he's not allowed to play at all (i.e., in prison) does he still get the cash?

I think the thinking behind the prediction that only one AFCW team makes the playoffs is that they'll all beat each other up, not only inflicting losses on each other, but finding ways to punish each other physically. That's one very tough division. I don't buy the theory, though, since all four teams could accumulate enough wins outside their division to make it.

We'll find out in the first game, against Aaron Donald, about whether the O line is good enough. I'm thinking the Bills learned a huge lesson in Game 1 last year, not really being at their best against Pittsburgh and figuring they just needed to show up and win. The Steelers game might be the most important of last season, for this season. Not sure if the Rams got that memo, that they have to work even harder this year than last if they want to repeat. I doubt Donald needs any motivation -- that guy never stops. It's the rest of the team that I'm not sure about. They lost a lot more talent than the Bills did in the offseason, and their lack of picks in the first two rounds will catch up to them quickly.

Along with his yards, he also forced defenses not to play Kelce as tightly as they would otherwise have done. I think KC will struggle this year more than people expect. They could even finish third in the AFCW.

I recognize the importance of rest as much as the next guy, but this is a killer schedule. We all remember the Bills from the last few weeks of last season as this incredible powerhouse, but they just put it all together at the right time. There were stretches last year when the Bills were good to very good, not overpowering. If they have key injuries or if losing Daboll hurts more than we think, this could be rough. It's not inconceivable they're 1-6 after the first 7 games, with potential losses to the Rams, Titans, Dolphins, Ravens, Chiefs, and Packers. And the one win I'm counting in is Pittsburgh, who beat us last year.

The Bills played the Chiefs in EIGHT straight years, from 2008-2015. https://www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/buffalo-bills/teamvsteam?opp=16 The system is the system, and it's designed to be as hands-off as possible to avoid complaints and to attempt to be fair. Building in checks that changed the results of the system would just cause incredible arguments.

Let's hope the referees get that memo.