dpberr

In recent years, I've taken an extended break from the NFL after the Bills have been eliminated. I don't watch any NFL coverage. I treat "Bills season" like I do a holiday - it has a defined beginning and end. It always concludes. I lower the bad food and booze intake, and fill the weekends with projects or other activities. I try to keep my mind focused on spring and 1-2 things I want to accomplish this year. Key is always have something to look forward to. I struggle with the depths of the winter season and finding new hobbies and new things to do now that all of my children are grown, so taking a break from football is part of the life "improvements" plan.

Time for adjustments defense.

I'd expect the Chiefs to sell out against the run and make the Bills receivers win this game. See something like some antique 4-4 defense that'll take the Bills time to counter. Extremely vulnerable to the pass, but it'll stop the run, even with the sixth lineman. I hope the Bills come into this game with a fresh defense game plan with schemes/packages the Chiefs haven't seen on film. The Chiefs are like the Patriots of old, they are experts at studying film and learning from it.

Steve Biscotti will never fire John Harbaugh. Harbaugh will be in Baltimore until he doesn't want to be.

Besides core players having more experience in those situations, I think the Bills 2024 coordinators adjust faster and more effectively than coordinators in previous seasons. I'd also like to think that stupid hail mary that Aaron Rodgers completed in the first Bills/Jets game this year was instructive on what not to do.

I like that approach.

You certainly told me.

Babich: Excellent (and quick) adjustments today.

My theory: Younger generations of men (after Gen X) do not shower as often as generations before them, or potentially - know how to shower properly. You have to clean everywhere. I also wouldn't assume they know how to properly wash clothes and linens - especially washcloths (if they use them) and towels. The little pod doesn't take the germs away. So everything, after a while, can have an odor. There are a lot of families without dads to teach in modern society, and hardly any school has Home Econ. anymore where the Home Econ. teacher goes over detergent vs. bleach, how to wash your whites, etc. I personally find women who do not wash their hair for days gross.

I suspect his issue is he's 95% athlete, 5% football player, and he struggles understanding a football playbook and knowing where he's got to be outside the fundamental concepts. From a competitive intelligence about the Bills standpoint, I'm not too concerned. I'd be more concerned about that if they poached an OL.

If they did not get the #1 overall, he probably keeps his job. Likely it was "recommended" by some consultant they pay that the Titans get a GM who's "better equipped" to handle the gravity of picking #1 overall. Spoiler - It'll be some retread GM.

Nobody in the NFC is scarier than a Rams team at full strength on offense in a dome. Matt Stafford is perhaps the best QB in the league at reading the zone defense, and the Bills have no answers for Nakua.

Coaching is a young man's game. The game passed Ron Rivera by, and I don't take Rex Ryan's interest seriously. He hasn't done a damn thing besides broadcasting since he was let go by the Bills. If these older former head coaches have legitimate interest in returning to coaching, they need to take HC jobs in college or the UFL to stay in the pipeline. Even then, your chances of getting back to the NFL are remote. If I were the Jets, I wouldn't look at OCs and DCs off the bat. They've tried that. The college to NFL pipeline has been awful. I'd be looking at coaches like Skip Holtz and Anthony Becht who have performed well in the UFL and have built a team of assistants. Skip Holtz has a great resume. I'd look at Mike Vrabel too.

Bills need to lock up that 2nd seed before resting anyone. I'd never give the starters two weeks off. At most, one. I'd give Elam, Bishop and Ingram as many reps as possible.

Elam needs more playing time, and I'd keep giving him large chunks of game reps. Bills will need him in the playoffs.

Don't wait until the half to adjust, defense.

My commentary was on their head coach, not Stroud the player. Stroud wasn't available to rally the team, and that's when Ryans should have stepped in. I didn't see Ryans even talk to Stroud.

The Texans effectively left the stadium after the injury. I put that 100% on Ryans. Can't be Mr. Stoic in that moment, staring across the field, with your headset on.

All about as much rest as possible for the 30+ year old players. (I'd rather face the Ravens with a rested, relatively uninjured Daquan Jones.)

This is a game where in addition to Dewayne Carter, I'd give Zion Logue and/or Branson Deen playing time to see what they've got at DT. Need fresh legs at DT. I don't think Jones/Phillips/Jefferson provides much.

This Bills team is special.

Have always had a soft spot for the Cardinals and Vikings. Cardinals are one of the NFL's worst teams all-time. Vikings are better. Bills are almost to .500 as a franchise.

Most NFL teams can't dissect zone. The Ravens can via the run and the Texans and Rams can with their quick receivers. As others have said...if zone isn't working, they need to change immediately, not wait.

I was expecting Babich to adjust at the half. No answers on defense today.

Polar Express is a weird, unintentionally creepy movie. Bob Zemeckis got weird with age. It was the first movie where I had the opinion that all is not what it seems with Tom Hanks.