billsfan1959

Production is often the benchmark we use; however, production comparisons of two athletes under completely different variables doesn't necessarily provide any meaningful insight as to which one was truly the better player. It just means one athlete was more productive within his/her set of variables than the other athlete was within his/her unique set of variables.

It is nothing more than guesswork: Two different players, playing in different positions, in different schemes, in entirely different circumstances. Could be that the stats are reversed if roles are reversed, or not. Two great players and a fun discussion. However, in the end, like all comparisons of great players, it just an opinion wrapped up in guesswork.

Ah, the cloud to every silver lining....

No, he is not compelled to be there and, yes, he probably will come into camp ready to play. However, he is on a new team and it probably would have been a good idea to show up and interact with his new teammates. In the end, it probably won’t make a difference. But still...

He should be on a Wall of Shame for that 4th down slide.... In all fairness, that's not the only reason...

I am not disputing the fact that the O-line was worse without Richie; however, the offense was not very good in 2017 while he was here. There were a number of factors as to why the offense was so bad after Richie left. To think they would have been appreciably better with Richie is not an objective evaluation of the offense as a whole, IMO. Richie's play had diminished when he left and, to blame Beane for the circumstances under which Richie left is a bit unfair.

Pretty superficial analysis of the offensive problems post-Richie...

His issue has been health, not ability

I do a lot of consulting work with the Army JAG Corps and have been to Ft. Wainwright a number of times. There are probably around 5000 soldiers at the base at any given time and I'm sure there will be some Bills fans. He should be able to reach out to find some fans through his wife if she is assigned there. As an aside, I enjoyed my trips there and took my wife with me several times. There is actually some pretty good food in Fairbanks unless you are looking for plate of greens. During the summer solstice, Fairbanks holds the Festival of the Midnight Sun, which brings in about 30,000 people; in the winter the northern lights can be seen, Chena Hot Springs is a cool place to get away and relax, and there is great hiking with some spectacular views at Denali National Park. I'll reach out to some friends to see if they know anyone at Wainwright. Isn't @MAJBobbyin the Army?

The inaccuracy issue has been debated ad nauseum and there are differing theories on the topic. I am not going to rehash them here. What I would say is that his completion percentages in college and his 1st year in the NFL are statistical facts. WHY they were low and WHAT they mean are completely subjective - and as opinion based as the "IT factor" you mentioned. So, the stats, in and of themselves have no predictive ability regarding whether or not Allen will be a successful NFL QB. There are so many variables involved in the analysis of accuracy, some of them correctable and some of them not. Which variables apply to Allen is open to debate, but, again, completely subjective.

I don't think the vast majority of Bills fans assume it's a "shoe-in" that he will correct his issues. Nor is it, as you say, a shoe-in that the opposite is the case. In the final game against Miami, he did many of those things his detractors continually talk about him needing to do: took the higher percentage short route over the lower percentage deep throws (targets under 10 yds on 20 of his 26 attempts), was accurate on the vast majority of those throws, a 65% completion rate, 3 TDs, and a 114 rating. I find it interesting that you want to add caveats to that game explaining why factors other than his play might be responsible for the success he had - yet, you offered no such explanations for games in which he wasn't as successful as would have liked to have seen. Throughout your post you diminish what he did in week 17 and act as if it was a complete anomaly that should somehow be discarded, or have an asterisk placed next to it - and feel the need to subtract that game to talk about his play. The fact is, week 17 happened and Allen played well. When evaluating his season, you look at ALL the games. You don't remove the ones that don't help your argument. Some looked at week 17 as you do. Most fans, IMO, saw it as the final game of a continual improvement over the final six weeks of the season - and as evidence that he just might have what it takes to become the next franchise QB of the Bills. It's not called a "shoe-in," it's called hopeful - and it is based on an objective evaluation of Allen's play over the last six games of last year and the off season improvements around him.

But were any wearing helmets like this?

Lighten up Francis...

Based on the fact that they have no predictive value. Provide me with one stat that has any predictive value as to what Allen may do this year or next year.