hondo in seattle
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Posts posted by hondo in seattle
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21 hours ago, racketmaster said:
Lockett has over 8600 yards and 61 tds in his career. Not sure how much tread is left on the tires but he had 600 yards receiving last year which is more than we normally get from our starting wrs. We don’t have to give up any draft picks so why not bring him in. He is likely to be better than holding out hope that Davis can give us something coming off an acl. Beane could still make other trades at wr or other positions to help upgrade the roster. I don’t see much of any downside.
This isn't a rhetorical question... Set the stats aside; what skills does Lockett add at this point in his career that we don't already have on the roster?
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4 minutes ago, billsfan714 said:
Honest question on the safety thing. Wasnt Poyer a SS and Rapp is a FS. Can Poyer just transition to FS. I defer to the draft experts on this. I always wonder this when you see safety rankings on draft sites, but they never seem to break them down as SS or FS.
I think Poyer's considered a SS. But on McD's defense, the dividing line between SS and FS is blurry and fluid. McD likes safeties who can do everything: deep zone, man coverage, in-the-box run support, whatever. It's easier to disguise the scheme when both safeties are Swiss army knives and the QB can't be sure what either of them is doing.
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Our Defensive identity is we'll let you run all day but we'll meekly try to stop you from passing downfield.
Our Offensive identity is Josh is our hero but if you sit in a soft shell all day, we'll give Jimbo the ball. -
2 hours ago, D. L. Hot-Flamethrower said:
You should checkout Joes' podcast it always a great listen and very informative.
9 points in concise fashion
1. Get back to mismatches as our big people are our strength on offense. 11-12-22 formations etc. and throw from it more as well.
2. Use Keon Coleman less, he has the most snaps and targets of any receiver.
3. Use Kincaid and Palmer more.
4. Use the Backs more in the pass game (doesn't understand where this went to).
5. Get Larry O and Hoecht up to speed and reduce the DL snaps by rookies and practice squad guys. Easy one.
6. Shaq Thompson is our best LB and needs to be treated as such. Try Bernard some at WLB.
7. Get Hairston going soon. Mentions ramping up and platooning and having ready by late season and playoffs.
8. Replace Taylor Rapp with Poyer. Not optimal, but addition by subtraction.
9. Workout a trade for WR who can stretch and cause some fear, mentions Olave and Shaheed (PR too).
Many of us have mentioned some of these. The Coleman thing and being treated as if the #1 is shocking to me. We have stopped using the backs receiving as much as last year and its inexplicable. The reinforcements are self explanatory, but the safety question is bleak. All in all, there is hope, if they make some of the correct moves and don't be stubborn.
I usually scoff when journalists pretend to know more than coaches.
But I agree with most of this.-
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I think Hoecht's versatility is interesting. If the Bills can use him creatively to confuse offenses, he'll be a plus.
If they simply use him as another rotational guy - well, then he's just another rotational guy with minimal impact. -
1 hour ago, Goin Breakdown said:
Dalton will most likely have a good game against the defense. Plus that running game. I don't see this as an easy win. It may not even be a win at all. I don't sense urgency coming from the Bills. I'm assuming that they think all well as long as the "clean up" some mistakes.
How do fans sense urgency during a week of practice? I think maybe - I'm just guessing here - that's just your lack of faith in our coaching staff talking. I know McD has flaws but I don't think complacency is one of them. I think the Bills know how badly they've been playing, know the situation they're in, and are fully committed to winning this game.
That won't mean they will because there's a real roster deficit to deal with. But, as someone who doesn't attend practices and has no insider knowledge, my guess is that urgency is not an issue.-
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A cursory look at the numbers shows two teams more or less evenly matched:
Bills Cats
Offense #3 #16
Defense #19 #7
TO Diff -1 -2
However, the Bills are in a funk. While I hope McD and Babich fix some of our defensive problems, I'm pinning my hopes on Brady and Josh. If we play offense like we did the past two games, we lose. But if we play offense like the first 4 games, we win.
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On 10/13/2025 at 8:31 PM, Mikie2times said:
The consensus for a long time is McD is elite and Beane is elite. I called flaming horse crap awhile ago. You don’t have an MVP QB, elite HC and elite GM and not get over the hump in almost 10 years. One or more than one element to that is not as good as perceived. I would point at GM even before HC.
This just isn’t a championship caliber roster and it’s been going backwards for awhile now. Iteration one was far better than two. Like light years better. We are no longer getting the Beasley, Brown, Poyer or Hyde FA’s. That quality has been replaced with tier 2 acquisitions, fringe starters serving as primary players.
No, Buffalo players are not getting snubbed in the Pro Bowl or Top 100, they just aren’t very good. The consistent lack of representation on these lists is just a byproduct of it.
The good ones you mention, like Torrence and Kincaid are first rounders at positions teams rarely even use first round picks on. So ya, we sort of had to hit there.
Beane is a witch alright, it’s just in PR and sales, not talent acquisition. He has sold this entire fan base that he knows what the hell he’s doing. He even doubled down on then offseason reminding the fanbase how “dumb” it was to think we need additional WR help. Good thing we have all this C talent locked up on extension.
I don't think it's ever been a consensus that Beane, McDermott, and Allen were all elite.
But I do agree that Beane is the weak link. It's not a new revelation. I've been saying this for a long time. I'm not sure how to evaluate Beane because he deserves credit for drafting Josh. But here's a guy who hit an impressive home run once years ago with only a few base hits since.On the flip side, I think McDermott has done okay (.657) with the rosters he's been given, and the injuries the team's endured. He may not be a great coach, but he's a good one.
As for Josh, he may not be the GOAT, though at moments - even entire games - he looks like he could be. In any case, he's by far the best player we have and deserves to be surrounded by better teammates. Every season, he either plays with a subpar OL, or a subpar receiving corps, or both.
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27 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:
No it is not as good as Kyle Shanahan. Or Andy Reid. Or Sean McVay. They are the elite of the elite and not available.
As for other 2s and 3s... easier to get them open when teams are locked onto your #1. Who are teams doubling on the Bills? Nobody. That is the point. If you rank #4 and #5 receivers in the NFL the Bills are maybe closer to middle of the pack. But if you rank #1s.... there is a legitimate case they are 32nd.
Teams bracket Shakir in zone in the middle of the field and man up outside on Keon and Palmer and say "go on then, get open" and they can't.
Could one of the elite offensive minds in the league do it? Probably. Brady isn't that, at least yet, he is still a young guy. But he is a pretty good offensive coordinator. He has done a pretty good job here despite Brandon Beane tying his hands. He isn't faultless. Of course not. But the idea that he is realistically upgradeable.... I honestly don't know about that.
I don't want to fire Brady. I want him to get better.
The Bills offensive coaching staff consists of roughly 10 guys. The roster has 20-some offensive players. I'd like to see the Bills develop a collective IQ that matches the 49ers, Chiefs, or Rams. Solicit the players for input (some of them are smart and observant) and collect the best offensive football minds you can find.
Right now, our passing game specialist is Marc Lubick. I know little about the guy, but I wonder if we can upgrade him. Or complement him with another young passing game sensei or maybe an Assistant OC who excels at Xs and Os. Whatever the case, Brady needs to build a team of smart offensive coaches who collaboratively scheme and problem-solve at such a high level that no opponent can stop our Superman-driven offense.So, yes, I agree the main problem of our offense is Beane, not Brady, but I still want more from Brady. The last two weeks of offensive turds isn't all on Brandon.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Brady didn't make much lemonade in the Pats and Falcons games.
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7 hours ago, GunnerBill said:
Indeed the week before Devin Lloyd said he knew the Chiefs counter to a zero blitz so he just had to get in the right vicinity and the ball came right to him.
If you mined defensive pressers after every game it is what they all say. Film study is real. Every team does it. The number of times a year one genuinely surprises another with a gameplan is very rare. Generally NFL football games come down to execution and talent.
You're right, GB, and yet... Regardless of what separation stats may say, I feel like I see #2's, #3's and even backups getting wide open more often on other teams than our guys. The problem is bigger than not having a #1.
Let me ask: do you believe our passing game is as good under Brady as it would be under, say, Kyle Shanahan? I agree that execution (generally a factor of coaching) and talent are critical. But I'd like Brady to put together a staff that can scheme a passing game as well as Shanahan and his coaches. And get the execution, too.
And I'd also like Beane to get us more talent - which I agree also holds us back.
As a fan, am I wrong to be greedy and want both?
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43 minutes ago, thenorthremembers said:
Josh has one of the best Olines in the league, one of the best running backs, and some solid role pieces in Kincaid and Shakir. Yes, they desperately need a #1 wideout. But Quarterbacks have done much better with less.
Watching the OL these past two games, do you really believe we have one of the Olines in the league?
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No doubt, Josh didn't play well.
But it was a weird game by Brady. We're playing the league's best pass defense, our mediocre group of receivers are predictably struggling to get open, and our OL is experiencing some bad breakdowns. So we pass more than we run?
Maybe Josh would've had a much cleaner, better game if (1) Beane had acquired more talent for the offense, and (2) Brady schemed and called a better game.
A good coordinator makes success easy and failure difficult. Brady does that to some extent in the run game. Sometimes backs have nice holes to run through. But he doesn't do it as much in the passing game. Often receivers are covered and Josh is running around trying to make something happen.-
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11 hours ago, Richard Noggin said:
Where did you see "defenders...saying they're reading our plays"? That's been a growing complaint of mine on BOTH sides of the ball, tbh. The players are at a disadvantage far too often because the play callers rely on poorly disguised tendencies/concepts. The Bills seem easy to scout, overall. Also, the (offensive) players seem to do a shite job of executing wrinkles and creative calls, which potentially speaks to how little practice time is spent on diverse concepts each week. Their comfort zone is incredibly narrow, apparently.
It's truly unfortunate that Allen will spend the absolute prime of his career with substandard NFL offensive play design and play-calling. Really robs us of so much joy when watching the Bills. There is a GULF between offenses like the Bills and those of McVay, Shanahan, whoever the eff is calling Tampa's plays this season, etc.
All this ignores or sidesteps how easily opposing offenses can motion our defense into predictable and vanilla concepts most of the time. Again, putting the players at least at a disadvantage.
Just a few examples, since you asked...
“I saw the formation and I knew the play. We’d seen it on film all week. I just jumped the route.” — DeAngelo Malone after picking Josh off last week.
“We knew they’d try to hit Knox on the seam early. That’s their rhythm starter. We took it away.” Christian Gonzalez, Patriots 2025
“They motioned the back and we knew it was the screen. That’s their tell. We jumped it.” Quincy Williams, Jets, 2024
“They’ve got some great athletes, but their route trees out of 12 personnel are pretty static. We keyed on that.” Spags, 2024
I feel weird - maybe even unfair - criticizing an OC that averages as many points as Brady does with the flawed squad he has. But Joe seems unimaginative and predictable at times - especially in the downfield passing game.
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13 hours ago, GunnerBill said:
No. Not even close.
The main issue is talent at the skill positions. 100%.
The only real criticism I'd make of Brady is that I think the last two weeks he has taken the ball out of James Cook's hands way too much. The offense works when James cooks. It works much less well when it becomes reliant on receivers to get open.
This actually looks a LOT like the Tom Brady offense his final year in New England. That was not on Josh McDaniels and this is not on Joe Brady. Can you nitpick at a play call here and there? Yep, you can. I didn't like the sweep vs New England because it was early and we were moving. I wasn't delighted they called it vs the Falcons either, but in that game it was desperation because we could not move the football.
Allen didn't play very well in Atlanta (Jeff Ullbrich always seems to cause him issues) but it isn't on Josh either.
The main problem with the offense is Brandon Beane.
I agree with your conclusion, GB.
But I don't think Brady is blameless. Not when defenders are saying they're reading our plays. Not when we continually see Josh scan the field and find no one to throw to.
It's not like all the completions in the NFL are going to elite wideouts. Many other teams are scheming their JAG receivers open better than we are. And some of Brady's 3rd and 4th down calls remind me of Seattle throwing the ball in the SB when they should have given it to Marshawn. Sometimes play-callers overthink things. And sometimes they underthink things. Weirdly, Brady seems to do both.
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22 minutes ago, Captain Hindsight said:
He was challenging for the worst coaching record of all time. At some point, its just not working. Personally thought he should have been one and done.
His .174 winning percentage wouldn't even get him into Buffalo's Bottom Four, sad to say.
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Bills 28
Birds 27
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3 hours ago, TheBrownBear said:
I'm a Buffalonian in California and we always lose when I make wings at home, but for whatever reason when I cook Filipino food (adobo or sinigang - my wife's family food) we usually win.
Since my wife is Filipina, maybe I should try that!
Doing wings every gameday for 10+ years is getting old. To avoid monotony, I don't do just Buffalo Wings. I do Korean, Thai, Brazilian, Parm, etc. and sometimes just make up my own recipes. Recently I did Gochujang-Sofrito wings which were awesome, though I don't know how much good mojo wings bring when they're not Buffalo Wings made with Frank's.
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3 hours ago, Maine-iac said:
Not sure what your source is but Pro Football Reference has it at 101.6. It also says in 4 games he's given up under 100 yards and 1 TD. Diving deeper he's top ten for CB's giving up under 7 yards per completion and only 5 yards per target. I could only find one CB who had started 4 games or more who had given up less yardage. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WhitTr01.htm#all_adv_defense
I don't know what my source was either - just some article that showed up in my news feed. Some of the other data you share makes me feel a bit better about Tre. I'm cautiously backing away from the cliff now. Thanks. Though I'm still not seeing the Tre of old.
Update: I just found the article, "Bills Veteran Already Looks Finished One Month Into 2025 Season."
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12 hours ago, gobills404 said:
Guess Kincaid can’t separate either
I'm not very good at math so I need someone to help me with this. I've sincerely always believed that 71 is bigger than 58. So why is Cook ranked 6th instead of 1st?
Also, this defines "Open" as 2-5 yards of separation. What if you have 6 yards of separation? Is that not also open?
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1 hour ago, Sierra Foothills said:
Apparently I'm the only one on the entire board who doesn't think Tre has been bad.
With maybe one exception, the only plays I recall him being beat on this year were plays were there was no pressure on the QB and he had to man cover for an extended period of time, which is a losing proposition for any CB. There were a few plays against Miami where he was in an impossible situation,, trying to stay with Waddle on crossers with plenty of traffic.
Feel free to flame away.
Just know that I'm not gonna debate anyone.
Everyone can believe what they want... as will I.
Sierra, you're an intelligent poster and I usually agree with you. But not here.
According to one source, opposing QBs have a 121.9 quarterback rating when targeting whoever Tre is covering. If I'm a QB and I need a third-down conversion, I'm throwing to Tre's guy.
Maybe Tre's dealing with something and will improve as the season progresses? I doubt if that's the case, but as a Bills fan, I can only fill my days with hope.
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22 hours ago, Billsatlastin2018 said:
After 5 games, the Bills have the following ranked Receivers in terms of yardage:
#26 Kincaid
#46 Shakir
#49 Coleman
#70 Palmer
Exactly what I have said before. They don’t have a WR in the Top 25… not anywhere close!
Receptions are worse!
Thanks for the help Beanie Boy!
The average team has two receivers in the top 64. We have 3, almost 4... Everybody eats.
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2 hours ago, mjt328 said:
This is a very fair and complicated question to answer.
In some ways, I do feel like Beane has provided a supporting roster good enough to win the Super Bowl. In other ways, I'm tired of him struggling to find high-impact players at key positions (D-Line in particular). At the same time, I feel like McDermott has done a good job with building the locker room/culture. But I also think his defensive scheme fairs poorly in the playoffs, and is becoming more outdated with each passing season.
Every January for the past five years, I've asked the same questions... "What is holding us back, and what do we need to change?" Why do we keep winning so many games in the regular season, but just can't get over the hump in the playoffs? Is it injuries? Bad luck? A mental block against the Chiefs? Is it purely a lack of talent? Lack of execution? Poor gameplan?
I'll be honest. I'm not 100% sure of the answer.
But I do know this. Josh Allen is not the problem. And he won't be playing at this level forever.
Maybe it's McDermott. Maybe it's Beane. Maybe it's a combination of both.
My point is... if we can't get over the hump THIS year... with literally everything falling into place for us, then we just need to take the chance and replace them both. The worst thing that can happen is we get back to the same place with a different group.
Good answer and I struggle with some of the same questions and uncertainties.
I worry about the ticking of the Allen clock. I also worry about the truth behind the saying, "Good is the enemy of great." I think Beane is a good GM. I think McD is a good HC. But maybe we need someone who's more than 'good' to get us a Lombardi? I just don't know how many of those guys are available.
Ultimately, when we're close - playoffs every year - I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I want to take the good we have, refine it, and make it Lombardi quality. I want Beane to plus-up his FO and McD to plus-up his coaching staff.I do fear the possibility of Beane and McD remaining in place for the next ten years and never delivering the goods. Would I rethink my position then? For sure. But right now, if I'm Pegs, I'm encouraging/pressuring them to make progress but I'm not yet replacing them.
Whatever happens, I hope we both get to see Josh raise a trophy at the end of a season. -
"Everyone eats" is about making lemonade with lemons. It's what you default to when you don't have a dawg.
But it's also the motto of a culture that stresses teamwork and team success over individual accomplishments. In that sense, I love it.
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1 hour ago, mjt328 said:
If the Bills can't at least make the Super Bowl this year, we absolutely have to move on from Sean McDermott. And I wouldn't be totally opposed to moving on from Brandon Beane too.
Let's be clear. Any GM/Coach combination in the NFL can win double-digit games, make the playoffs and win a Wild Card game with Josh Allen as the quarterback. Absolutely bare minimum. So far, we have had five postseason chances since our QB broke out. This regime is 2-3 in the Divisional Round and 0-2 in the Championship Game.
To make matters worse (particularly in the case of McDermott), the consistent theme in all five postseason exits has been poor defense... which is supposed to be his specialty. The most devastating loss (13 seconds) was due to a defensive collapse AND spectacular failure at basic coaching fundamentals. In the case of Beane, he continues to allocate the vast majority of his resources to the pass rush (both draft picks and cap space) - yet that unit still struggles with consistency, lacks impact playmakers and always disappears in the biggest moments.
The AFC will never be as open for us as we see it right now. We pulled an extremely easy schedule, while the Chiefs pulled an extremely hard one. Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are both injured, and it's conceivable that both the Ravens and Bengals miss the playoffs. Everything is setting up for us to get the #1 Seed for the first time, at the same time our top competition is suffering a down/lost year.
The fear with changing regimes is always the chance of going backwards. But with each passing season, I'm starting to question the value that McDermott/Beane actually bring to the organization. They did a great job of building the foundation for a franchise that was a mess for nearly two decades. But they can't seem to figure out the next step. If we keep spinning our wheels in the same place that literally any other GM/Coach pair could reach, then we really don't have anything to lose.
Out of curiosity, do you think we have the best roster in the AFC? If not, why would you fire your coach if we don't reach the SB?
Have we ever had the best roster in the AFC? And I mean the guys who suited up, not guys on IR or suspended.
You and I probably evaluate the talent on the team differently because since McD arrived, I've never thought Beane gave him a Lombardi-quality squad to work with. If we want McD to win a SB, we're asking him to overperform with what he's been given.
THE ROCKPILE REVIEW – At the Bye
in The Stadium Wall
Posted
We don't have the right players to play offense with speed or power.
We don't have the right players to play aggressive defense.
I don't think we have the right coaches to play innovative (i.e. non-stagnant) offense.
Sadly, the problems you list are not easily fixed.
It seems to me that making a run in the playoffs will require:
* Josh to play hero ball.
* Babich to coach his guys up to a higher level. While we don't have great athletes on D, they can communicate better, miss fewer assignments, swarm to the ball more energetically, play to the whistle more often, and cover each other's mistakes, etc. as we've seen in previous iterations of the McD defense.
* Brady to be much more consistent at developing effective game plans and calling good plays.