BADOLBILZ

I think Hammer let people reserve spots thru that tailgate thread. But in any lot, if you pay for both spots then set up your chairs there that should do it. It's about the $.

Yeah that was the irritating part........because he just kept believing in Shula. Shula in his prime in the 70's was a great coach who Marv Levy would have been at a signficant disadvantage against.......but by the mid-80's he had gone soft and was no longer a difference maker for that team. That should have been obvious by 1990 but not to Pete.........blinded by his homerism.

Some people freak out if they aren't in their seat at kickoff.........and that's just the stitious ones. What this says to me is unless you want to be lined up like cattle wait until after kickoff to go in. They need to fix this gate entry BS..........worst part of the entire experience at the stadium.

1) Edmunds isn't unsatisfactory..........he's disappointing. There is a difference. He is a top 10-12 MLB/ILB...........it's just that he's in a league of his own physically at the position so not being elite is a disappointment. The fact that they haven't found a better option than that is not surprising.........I don't think they have had another LB on the roster who was drafted higher than round 5 since Edmunds arrived. 2) Needing to make more big plays = needing to play better. When you "need" something it's not optional or just "nice to have". It was rare for McD to answer such a question so plain and directly. People make the injury excuse for Edmunds as well.........but on the play that he was injured he took a poor angle that lead to him whiffing, missing a tackle that he should have been in position to make......resulting in a long TD and crashing to the ground causing the injury. In subsequent questioning after he answered a resounding "YES" to Edmunds needing to make more plays McDermott placed the blame for Edmunds struggles in other areas(recognition/decisiveness) of his work than injury.

During the Bills SB run back in the 90's Pete Prisco was a very pro-Dolphins and anti-Bills..........would always throw shade on those teams. As much as I disliked hearing it........I knew he was right that the Bills of the 90's lacked the fortitude of the better coached, disciplined, focused and subsequently tougher-at-the-end-of-season NFC East teams of the day.

The whole "they were right for putting Edmunds at MLB because they are more capable of running the organization" argument is a false equivalency. Individual moves can still be wrong..........philosophies can be wrong.........and sometimes they convene like the Kelvin Benjamin trade. Try to keep in mind that the McBeane of 2017-2018 is not necessarily the same quality of decision maker that the seasoned 2021 version is. For example........ McDermott effectively trading Patrick Mahomes..........the league's most valued player for 3 years running........to an AFC rival and having that rival win a SB and reach another directly at the expense of the Bills.

Or maybe they have invested so much time on the assumption that he would become a great MLB that even if he's been a disappointment they would need someone to step up and take the job before they moved him and went thru THAT learning curve of converting him to a pass rusher or a less cognitively demanding off-ball position. His defenders assume they are thrilled with his play........but if you recall last season McDermott said in a mid-season PC that Edmunds needed to play better.............an extremely rare public criticism of a player of any kind from McD.

It's definitely a reflection of overall team strength, IMO. The 2017 Bills had a -57 point differential.......the lowest by an AFC playoff team since the 1980's.......but THAT number was skewed by the epic (post-Dareus trade) -80 point differential 3 game defensive collapse though. Without that they were otherwise +23. I mentioned in the Peter King thread though that the 1991 Redskins produced what was then the highest point differential in the SB era at the time.......+261..........greater than even the 1985 Bears..........and King had the audacity to prognosticate the Cowboys over the Skins and the vaunted 49ers to win the SB in 1992 despite the Cowboys only having a +32 point differential in 1991. And he was right.........but the Cowboys finished +160 in 1992.

The 1991 Redskins had a point differential of +261.........the 1991 Cowboys were just +32 and had only the 17th ranked defense in the league. The disparity was MASSIVE and it was still pre-widespread free agency where rookies weren't expected to be huge contributors. Close games within the division were expected and seen as less of a barometer then than even today (and you might recall the eventual 7-9 Patriots had the 13-3 Bills on the ropes at home last season). The Niners were considered a co-favorite in 1992.........they had a relatively down year(10-6) in 1991 but were +154 and loaded with established talent and were so unconcerned with the Cowboys that they traded them said Charles Haley. The Cowboys were seen as more in the mix with the Lions and Bears than the top of the NFC at that point. It was a bold take by King and was featured on SI promo's for months before camp.......so preceding the Haley acquisition..........even if you are taking a very retrospective angle.

In the spring/summer of 1992 Peter King preposterously predicted.....with absolute certainty........that the Cowboys would win the NFC and Super Bowl XXVII. In a conference that included the 49ers and the unbelievably dominant Redskins of the season prior........and of course the Bills in the AFC. Ever since then his picks have had my attention.

I think that's the perception because Wade Phillips actually gave the Bills a difference making D coordinator for the first time in Smith's career and the team became built around their defense. But he was at his peak in 1990, IMO. 19 sacks playing read and react (and 5 more called back on defensive penalties). IMO, considering the constraints of his position, that was the greatest pass rushing season a player has ever had. What he could have been in a 4-3 like White played his entire career in became obvious when he went to Washington........a shell of his former self........and put up a 10 sack season..........he had A LOT of seasons with those kind of numbers in his PRIME because he wasn't in a defense that was built around his strengths. IMO if he had played in the defense's that White played in you could easily add 5-7 sacks per year IMO........which would have put him closer to 300 career total.

My point was that when he and White both retired there was a very strong bias towards White based considerably on the perspective of the time that their positions and the schemes they played in didn't matter.....and because of an NFC East media bias that was more prevalent at the time. That's changed. And today he would be viewed in a much more favorable light compared to White. Bruce was the better pass rusher. Considerably so. In today's game I'd much rather have Bruce Smith. In his time........he was actually underrated.........I respect White but the perception that he was the clearly better player is wrong. Reggie White would still be great now but he would be challenged much more by the RT's of today.........they still aren't the quality of the LT's but they are considerably better at protecting the QB than they were 25-30 years ago. Also, nobody would play Bruce Smith at end in a 3-4 and ask him to 2-gap and read and react today..........his ears would be pinned back and he'd be attacking on every down........and there is a good chance he'd be lining up against RT's as well rather than always being matched up against the best OT. He was a freak of nature.........there are some great pass rushers today but there isn't a good comp for his combined size, athleticism, bend and technique in todays game.

I know you are implying that Marino wouldn't allow himself to be sacked........but he wasn't an offensive tackle. Richmond Webb was though.......perennial pro bowler and 2x first team all pro LT. Bruce Armstrong was also great for New England......6x pro bowler at LT. That's two tremendous LT's right in division for much of his career with the Bills. There were great LT's in the NFC as well.......but Reggie didn't face them. What great pass blockers was Reggie facing? Back then RT's were really glorified offensive guards..........the success that White had dominating the less athletic RT's lead to other teams deciding to put their best rushers on weaker pass blocking RT's. It's since been a windfall for guys like Strahan and the Watt bros. The Bills did it with Jerry Hughes last year. The only "great" pass blocking RT that White had to face was Erik Williams of the Cowboys. They matched up in the playoffs when White was in his prime for the Eagles........and Williams blanked the minister of defense........not even a single tackle. His crowning moment was getting two sacks in the SB for Green Bay against a journeyman named Max Lane. Bitter Bills fans remember the dominant Tony Boselli giving Bruce fits.........but Bruce also gave dominant HOF'ers Walter Jones and Orlando Pace their worst career games allowing multiple sack performances to #78.

If Jimmy Walker hadn't been such a deadbeat NBA dad.........Jalen Rose would have been Jimmy Walker Jr............and we wouldn't have 500 "Jalen/Jaelin/Jaelon/Jaylon's" in the NFL.

As the old schoolers who don't care about perspective die off..........Bruce will continue to gain ground on Reggie White in terms of notoriety. The old-timers don't care about the difference between rushing against Jumbo Elliott/Jim Lachey/Mark Tuinei in the SB versus lining up across from the pathetic Max Lane. But today we know and highlight the difference between rushing against an Eric Fisher or a Mike Remmers..........it is massive and can decide Super Bowls. Bruce Smith has been slowly gaining that respect over time. It's the Joe DiMaggio/Ted Williams dynamic.............in 1965 DiMaggio was considered the greater player by a lot........no contest. 60 years later Ted Williams is often cited as the best left handed hitter of all the time......and DiMaggio is really only brought up when someone has a hitting streak. The reason is because Ted Williams had the numbers advantage.........Bruce has that......he is the all-time leading sacker......getting to 200 mattered in the long run..........you can't talk about pass rushing greatness without Bruce........his sack total is the focal point for all great pass rushers and with the game being much more about passing now........the viewed importance of pass rush is heightened.

There were A LOT of people on TSW who were very upset with Beane for allowing he and Shaq to leave. They simply are not trustworthy players...........the fanbase falls in love with anyone who panders to them.......so these two counterfeit namesakes of NBA greats did that to try to create additional pressure for management to pay them. Fortunately Beane didn't fall for it. They are who they were before they ramped up for their money grab. Yeah but they were guys with motivation/work ethic issues prior to their contract runs. Pretty sure paying them was going to produce diminishing returns regardless once they got paid......whether here or elsewhere.

Oh I value coverage..........I know the numbers indicate that you should begin your defensive build there. But Belichick with his willingness to adapt from season to season and his opponent-specific-heavy game planning are the "exception that proves the rule" (as I hate to say). Unless you are willing to complicate your approach in coverage.........you aren't going to be able to run the same guys out there and do the same things for 3 seasons and not have good passing teams exploit a modest pass rush.

Yeah, this is why the key to McDermott's defense being anything but middling is pass rush. @GunnerBill for some reason disagrees with this but you can throw all kinds of different coverage adjustments out there but they are all defeatable with time and talent........which is the kind of offense you face A LOT when you start playing first place schedules. There are multiple years of McD's defense and the specific back 7 personnel they use on tape. Literally year 3 for those guys(save for Klein). The mystery of the first two seasons is gone and the piece of cake schedule of fragile opposing QB's from 2019 isn't coming back. Pass rush will dictate whether this defense looks like a top 10 unit again or not.

Yeah, the "he can cover receivers like a CB" thing has never really materialized. He tends to be more physically gifted than the vast majority of TE's and of course has a huge range advantage on the average Y receiver............but in zone the lack of instinctive reaction always shows up. And that's just the coverage aspect..........in terms of taking advantage of playmaking opportunities in the passing game he's lost. Teams have caught on now........that's why the same level of awareness produced diminishing returns last season. Now man coverage...........that's something he can do. Which is really what he always should have been doing..........simple responsibilities and beat the man in front of him..........it's a shame to waste his talent the way they have. Hopefully a switch kicks on this season but the practice work and preseason games I saw and all the reports from camp(or lack thereof) indicate nothing has changed.

Admit it, you were surprised he was just average in zone coverage. The way some talk up the impact of his length you would ASSUME that zone coverage would be a strength. But in reality, anything generally associated with "instinctive" play at the MLB position has been a weakness for Edmunds. He has been credited by some as a big difference maker in the passing game that teams are afraid to throw near.........and yet he had a 114 passer rating against and 4 TD passes allowed last season.

It's a sobering stat, that's for certain.

Thanks....but it was actually 0 for 72 And no, he's not a good blitzer. Obviously.

It's not correct. He blitzed 72 times with 0 pressures. Right in his stat line in pro football reference and has been cited here multiple times. And yes he had a couple sacks but not on blitzes (the subject of this thread). See for yourself, Lahey. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/E/EdmuTr01.htm

Yeah and I know it's been proven very difficult to maintain consistent defensive success from year to year...........but technically the Steelers are defying that rule with regard to their pass rush being dominant year after year. So it can be done. Which brings me back to Edmunds and the blitz..........it's not easy for him, with that wide, rangy frame to get thru that A gap unscathed. Had they instead made him and edge player from the start they might have that TJ Watt kinda' reliable presence by now.