BigBuff423

I'm not being disparaging, but that's a lot of vague insinuation....so, could you please clarify? What "news" about Cousins and Dennison has taken your "source off guard"...and "cannot believe we want to go there", which is where? I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, without believing you or being dismissive, I've allowed all the information you've put on this board to remain in its own merit at face value until the time comes that either this will be reasonably accurate or simply false....but, this is being evasive with information so I'm just asking for clarification. Thanks.

I completely understand your sentiment and "hope" for the same....however, the Bills have perennially done what they thought was exactly that....gone for quantity over quality almost every year, and we see the result. It is a rare occurrence for a team to have extremely gifted and productive players at most other positions, a lackluster or mediocre QB, and be ready to contend for a championship. However, we can all look to the teams who are disjointed with talent, maligned by injuries, and under-performing in areas but have that true franchise QB, and they either contend for or win championships. Plus, I'm tired of not having a team identity and whether it should or shouldn't be that way, the QB is the identity of the team....God knows we need a new one. And we need one who can write their own annals of history from start to finish, ala Jimbo. You don't get that without taking a risk.

Out of the options available, I chose Darnold....but, if Drew Lock declares which I believe he is still waiting until after the bowl game, he seems like a very, very intriguing prospect. Needs work on some issues, but productive and talented with a strong arm.

No offense, but I'm hoping you're wrong on most of this, except for Star L. signing...he would be good for the Dline and they need help. Also, I'm not convinced Kyle comes back either, just don't like your replacements and I'm not sure Jordan Matthews comes back unless it's on a one year prove it deal....JMO

Honestly, it was intended to be preemptive. After next week’s game, it will be all about the opportunities lost or the “luck” of having all 3 teams lose out and Bills win to get them in the playoffs. There hasn’t been a week 17 like this for the Bills since the ill-fated Mularkey fiasco. So the post was primarily about the debate of how the Bills arrived to this point - some fault Defense, some WR, many Tyrod, some coaching, and of course some blame all of the above. It was intended to put the losses in perspective for discussion since those losses are why the Bills are currently in this position. And as said earlier you certainly can discuss wins, but a win is a win, and no matter how ugly, they’ve contributed to the Bills on the precipice of ending the drought.

Some interesting games there....and, IF the Bills can get some key positions corrected, and assuming those teams remain at their current level, they should be fun to watch. Lions with Stafford in Buffalo, Mitch with the Bears, Mariota with the Titans, not to mention playing Rodgers and the Vikings in their new stadium....maybe a little revenge on the Chargers for this year's debacle? Some good stuff there....2019 I think brings the NFC East....good fun in that division.

If this Bills regime in McD and Beane don't see the absolute urgency to get a true QB in the Off-season, then I will have lost all hope for the next several years. I am NOT a Cousins fan, but at least if they did that it tells me they are going all-in on a QB who can play the position. I know, the merits of his "success" is debatable, hence I'd rather Draft a guy, but Cousins on this team and the Bills would already have their playoff spot. Take it for whatever it's worth. Again, I prefer one of the guys coming out of college to identify and develop the Franchise for the next 12 to 15 years. But worse than getting Cousins or Smith would be sitting on their hands doing nothing.

Except for a few good players, I'm hoping you're right. I wonder if this means Reilly will finally see the field on Sunday....I don't know if he would be any good, but man that dude has some promise...might as well see what he's got under the lights when the plays truly matter.

Agreed, it will be interesting to see what Beane truly does with an Off-season since he came in after FA and the Draft. Also, if Dunkirk Don is right - and I'm not saying he is or he isn't just using it as a springboard for discussion - and there is a growing separation between McD and Beane, we'll see whether it's a total tear down to the studs, or just a paint job and some laminate flooring type remodel.

To your first question: yes. I do think the Bills would be a better team, in fact I'll go so far to say a 10 win team going into their final game this week (by beating Bengals and Carolina) with any of the 4 QBs you mentioned and still with the absence of Sammy and Dareus.

As I said in the post, a win is a win....so, if you'd like to debate the merits of the win, fine by me, but it wouldn't seem to make much sense. But considering where this team is in respect to the playoffs, on the edge based on 3 other teams needing to lose and the Bills needing to win their finale, it seemed like a decent topic to discuss.

As the regular season winds to a close, and all of the rumors are swirling about and news is being generated about coaches leaving in one way or another and playoffs are about to start, I thought a thread of review warranted it's own entity. Obviously the final and ultimately deciding game remains, a Fins rivalry that has not been so worthy of the "rivalry" distinction over the past decade, but it's a big one for the Bills and the most important finale in over 10 years. However, leading up to this game it seemed that based on so much debate about Tyrod Taylor, the inability of the Defense to stop the run, great play by Hyde, Poyer, and White, and injuries and failed trades, it was befitting to review how we ended up here - in general. So, to that end, I only wanted to review the losses because the wins, well they're what they are - wins. The losses are what's telling about this season. We should preface this discussion by the fact that very few gave the Bills a chance to over 6 wins for the season and virtually no chance at the playoffs in Week 17. But, here we are so let's dive right in, shall we? 1st loss: Panthers - we remember this doldrums game as losing 9-3 at Carolina, but mostly I remember watching this game and feeling the burning sensation of familiar frustration with an Offense that can't move the ball and who lost their identity as a run-efficient Offense while just incapable of passing the ball. In retrospect, the Defense played outstanding given they only surrendered 9 points in Africa-hot type heat and was on the field for God-awful 38 minutes....that means the Defense was on the field for a nearly 2:1 ratio. All information considered, the Defense was stellar that day. Tyrod was 17-25 for 107 yards with a paltry 3.8 yards per pass and no TDs, but no INTs either. 2nd loss: Bengals - White got his first real taste of Rookie-itis as he was torched on 2 big plays by AJ Green. The Bills did forced AJ Green to fumble and had two additional INTs yet the Offense was abysmal. Tyrod had 166 yards passing, with 1 TD, 1INT, but largely ineffective. The Defense gave up two big plays and had a couple of costly penalties. The Defense was largely good and certainly good enough, but due to Offensive ineffectiveness the Bills came up short. 3rd loss: Jets - In this singular instance, the Offense was not the major issue - Defense just came up lame. Tyrod was 29-40 for 285 yards 2 TDs, 6 carries for 35 yards, 1 TD. If we remember it was also Zay Jones' first NFL TD and the one where he was tripped and impeded his development with an injury. Remember the Bills were 5-2 going into that game, with the Defense mostly carrying the team, only to have them fall apart. But to be fair, the Bills had 3 turnovers, while the Jets had none, and much of Tyrod's stats were in 4th Quarter, so the numbers are a bit skewed. But there is no mistaking the Jets 194 yards rushing that was THE telling stat of the game. So, this loss belongs to the Defense. 4th loss: Saints - This was a demoralizing loss for the Bills. After having 10 days to prepare and coming off national embarrassment for the Defense, they promptly give up 298 yards rushing. However, and this cannot be understated: the Offense was equally inept and while there is NO guarantee a better Offense changes the ultimate outcome, there is almost zero debate that a better Offense changes the manner in which that loss is handled. The Saints T.O.P. was over 41 minutes to the Bills meager 18 minutes. Almost impossible in the NFL to see that lopsided of T.O.P. This additional T.O.P. allowed the Saints to keep pounding the ball and running Ingram and Kamara, again and again and again, compounding the issues for the Defense. In this game, both sides played poorly and this will be the chicken-egg debate, but little doubt that a much improved Offense slides that scale significantly closer to the Bills ability to win, changing the T.O.P. helping the Defense stay fresh. It will forever be known as the "Infamous 56", as in Tyrod's total passing yards through 3 quarters. 5th loss: Chargers - As polarizing a loss as any we've had in quite some time. The Peterman debate raged heavily leading up to the game and certainly for two weeks after the game. I don't really need to recap Peterman's total failure in that game resulting in one of the worst losses in 10 years for the Bills, thinking back to the Pats* slapping the Bills around when they had Moss and went 16-0 on Sunday Night Football to the tune of 50 points. This one is squarely on Peterman's shoulders, 5 INTs in the first half is nearly impossible to overcome for any Defense. However, watching that game, there were tipped balls, immediate pressure since apparently the Offensive line forgot how to pass block, and Rookie mistakes was the perfect storm for a horrendously epic half of football. 6th Loss: Pats* - All things considered, once again the Defense played fairly well but not great. Honestly, they played well enough to win when you consider Brady threw for 258 yards and 1 INT with NO TDs, but again NE had the ball 34 minutes compared to Bills' 25 minutes with Tyrod going 50%, 9-18, for 65 yards and 1 INT. This game will go down as the "Gronk Cheap Head-Shot" game, but it didn't seem to light a fire under the team as they failed to make any substantive comeback. Keep in mind there was NO scoring in the 4th Quarter by either team....good for Bills' Defense, bad for the Offense to lay an egg to show that they couldn't get it done...at all. Offense was once again outclassed and out done, good effort by Defense but would have needed elite performance by everyone. 7th loss: Pats* (2nd time) - This is the Kelvin Benjamin TD that "should have been", but was overturned. Tyrod's sack losing 15 yards turning it into 2nd and 25 from their own 10 was the turning point despite the tie score of the game. Again, the Offense could not capitalize on opportunities as Tyrod had 281 yards but NO TDs, while Brady threw a pick-6 giving the Bills a 10-3 lead. Additionally, the Defense was not good against the Run, allowing a total of 193 yards, but Buffalo kept settling for FGs when TDs were needed. The Defense produced a turnover and gave the Bills decent field position in the first 3 Quarters, but Offensive impotence lead to the Defense being out there too long. With that McDaniels got too many opportunities with Brady to get the TDs they're so accustomed to getting. In short, the Defense was worn down by the 4th Quarter, but they produced the only TD of the game for the Bills, and that will not win you games against Brady in New England. I recapped all of this with stats and information to essentially say this: people are focused on the Chargers game due to Peterman's 5 INTs and while they are inexcusable, looking at the remaining games, the primary offender for losses was the Offense with other games (Jets TNF, Saints) being largely due to poor Defense. However, other games, like the two Patriots games are examples where a Defense shouldn't have to be "perfect" to withstand enough points that our lackluster and anemic Offense can just barely surpass them. The Oakland game was the one complete game by both Offense and Defense that showed a full win on both sides. Tyrod Taylor has been himself, in some ways dynamic with his legs and occasionally he'll show up as a true passer, but mostly ineffective, and the WRs have not helped him out. But the Offensive line takes a lot of hits for their poor play - and the Chargers game was the shining light of where they struggled mightily - but looking at their rankings, they have not been bad and in fact, at times they've been downright good. Tyrod's inability to make a decision quick enough and take a sack or not go according to script in his progressions with his receivers have led to sacks or mistakes in the game, but they've done an admirable job all things considered. This was not intended to torch Tyrod again or start more QB debate, but it was intended to bring back to light that despite the moves made by the Front Office before and after the season to re-build, i.e. Watkins, Robert Wood, Gilmore, Mike Gillisilee (sp?), Darby, Karlos Williams, Dareus, Zack Brown and other role players......McD and his staff have done a hell of a lot with very little. Consider Glenn's injuries and Dawkins stepping in, consider Milano, Tre White, and that Zay is making progress but in the same game where it seemed he was putting it all together, he was injured by a cheap trick - that 4 (FOUR) productive Rookies and a couple doing really, really well and the team is in the playoff picture in week 17. The run Defense needs to get better and well....you know, that "other" position on Offense, and there will be much more turnover in the coming weeks and months, but this should makes us all see things a bit clearer just by wiping away the rumors, the cobwebs of conjecture and hyperbole, and think about what has really happened and what truly needs to happen to be that Super Bowl contender year in and year out. If you've read this far, thanks and for the Miami game this weekend, and every week they play - #GoBills

If he is out in Arizona, be it his choice - a mutual agreement - or straight firing, he will be in demand and I don't think he comes to Buffalo regardless unless he's given an element of control other places won't permit (also presuming he's not interested or others aren't interested in making him a HC). Arians did a lot with a little and made the Cardinals legit contenders in his first year, then the QB plague hit and injuries and derailed their future.

Definitively it was the 15 yard sack on Taylor. All other precursors were indications it would be an uphill battle, but once he went down on that sack, I knew it was the turning point before anything else happened.

Finley....won’t cost extra Draft capital, hits all the buttons for the WCO, and great at all levels of field, with low INT and good completion percentage. Not perfect, not huge arm, but great solid prospect. Late first / early 2nd depending on combine, all IMHO. He would be a guy that would be good to either let him learn baptism by fire - 1st year - or develop a year or two behind Alex Smith.

Out of those, I’d put the Cardinals, Jets, and Bills - in that order - for likelihood of happening. To me, none of the other teams have any chance of happening for various reasons.

So, this is basically ANOTHER Tyrod sucks thread....awesome, just what I wanted for Christmas. To be clear, I don’t like Tyrod as a QB, but this has been debated and discussed ad nauseum and to the point it is just....dead. Regarding QB: we’re on to 2018.

I am not in the Pro-Cousins camp, but I understand the merits of wanting a QB like him. I have nothing against him as a QB, but as I said under the Cousins thread, it doesn't make as much sense to me because of the money they'll need to spend. For me, I'd rather they Draft a QB and stay where they are in the Draft, use the same FA money to build the team around the QB, like Oline / WR / CB / TE and use the Draft for QB, LB, Dline, LB, WR and CB. To me, it makes more sense that way. Having said that, presuming the Bills are "all in" on Cousins, giving the Foreskins TWO 1st round picks alone is far, far too much....giving them all the Draft capital they're asking for is a fire-able offense in my mind....that's a deal that SHOULD NEVER be made. If Foreskins want to trade Cousins, it should be more along the lines of 1st this year and a 3rd next year with a player like Hughes to complete the deal. That means the Bills essentially used a 1st on their QB, as they would if they drafted one, unloaded some FA money and gave the Foreskins an extra 3rd for giving Cousins to them before he hit the open market. Any other form of value, is not value....it's a crime, robbery.

Say what you will about Belichick and the Pats*, but he does adjust well both in game and certainly throughout the year. It has largely been this singular fact that separates him from many other HCs, he adjusts his approach and reacts to the game and the tendencies of the team. McDermott and company need to demonstrate they learned from the Jets debacle that their divisional opponents especially will get a chance to adjust their game plan based on film study and learning about the Bills' tendencies. I'm hoping McD and his staff recognize that the Pats will be doing different things, giving different looks, making different calls / audibles, and will have more on film and be more ready to take them on, so that means McD and Bills need to do the same. We'll see...

And yet Cuban has said he doesn't want to buy the team because the NFL is in decline....yeah, ok....whatevs....just say it's a boat-load of money and you don't want to pony up the dough.

Jeff, Bruh....the body ain't even cold man....let the viewing in the casket happen first Bro.....

The problem with that is the hindsight perspective of the game. I assume you were one in the camp of maintaining TT as the starter regardless of the previous weeks' outcomes. But to be fair to McD, as it has been well documented TT had 56 yards in 3 quarters against the Saints with the Bills losing 2 games and heading out West. So, yes, McD shouldn't have made that change due to the playoff hunt, but I do understand his decision at the time because TT wasn't working and the Offense was pretty awful for most of the year, ironically except for the Jets game where the Offense played fairly well but Defense didn't, like it didn't against the Saints and Chargers either. So, I wouldn't expect anyone to support TT being pulled for that game, but also it should be taken in context.

And in re-watching the Cincy game, I forgot (somehow) that was the game that the Defense got 3 good, respectable turnovers AND that AJ Green for the second time created a big play and put the Bengals Offense with less than 5 yards to go and the Bills D stood tall and didn't give up a point. But, they can only create turnovers and push back on point for so long before the Offense needs to be productive, and they weren't. Tate made a great punt return and gave the Bills Offense terrific field position only to come away with a FG. It was also a game that was epic TT - he'd hold the ball too long, miss open guys, make bad throws behind / over / low the receiver limiting the YAC and THEN throw that dart to Tate in the end zone making it all the more frustrating....one so many plays he looks mediocre to bad and on one play that they needed a good throw, he makes it and they score a TD....he is the roller coaster QB that you can't stand for 80% of the game and then makes two or three amazing plays that temporarily redeems himself.

To me, it is the Cincy game...simply because it's a team that is not a division rival and should have beaten if it weren't for a poor Offensive showing. That game stands out in my mind. It's not in conference, but the Panthers game does as well simply because the Defense was outstanding in that game and once again the Offense just didn't show up. Basically a TD gives the Bills the win, on the road, against a team making the playoffs. That would have been a tremendous mental lift for the team. I understand why the Jets game stands out to many fans for very obvious reasons, but to me division games rarely ever go as scripted and the records or performances for the year go out the window.

It's way too early to throw in the towel on Mitch, he could very well have a second year ala Goff or Wentz. But, I didn't want Mitch at all and certainly NOT for trading up into the 2nd spot. He might be incredible, very real possibility....but I didn't like his delivery and questioned if it could be tinkered with to result in a permanent resolution that would help him in the NFL. Time will tell, but early returns are shaky at best.