hondo in seattle

If you want to win a Lombardi and your Head Coach is a defensive guy, you need a great OC. The opposite is true, too. That's why Reid has Spags. They're an excellent combo. Brady is just okay. I suppose it's possible to surround him with enough great coaches that our offense becomes great. Ideally, though, we'd have a creative genius with great leadership skills as our OC.

I'll add a pro: the players say Brady's very collaborative. He seeks input from both the players and position coaches. I think that's great. But I worry about Con #1. Even with that feedback, he couldn't scheme guys open. And receivers ran imprecise routes. When Josh Allen is your QB, your passing attack should be more consistent and potent.

I won't throw myself into the falls if it's Brady. But I hope they bring in a talented, creative passing game coordinator if it's him. And, yes, I know the Bills have a few former offensive coordinators on staff. But I'm frustrated by this suboptimal, predictable offense that can't seem to scheme guys open.

I know some of the analytics sites rated our OL top five. My eyes didn't see the same. We often struggled to run the ball. And Josh often had pressure. The 2023 line was, though, certainly better than the 2022 line. But as you say, we had the same five all season long. Will we get so lucky next year? Probably not. We need more good offensive linemen. As for systems, E-P seems the right choice for Allen. Maybe we need a better OC who can tweak it to optimize the strengths of Allen and the team.

Like Drew Brees. Lots of accolades and accomplishments. One Super Bowl victory.

Since we're dreaming... I hope Beane has the best draft ever seen in the history of the NFL: a couple of Pro Bowl receivers, two Pro Bowl offensive linemen, a Pro Bowl edge, a Pro Bowl CB, and a Pro Bowl safety. Do we even have that many picks? On the coaching front, Kyle Shanahan steps down from his HC position to take over as Bills OC. Brady, happy to learn from an offensive guru of his caliber, drops down to coach QBs again.

During the offseason, I thought this was the best roster Beane had put together yet. The Jets game put me in confused WTF mode. Then I regained my optimism when we reeled off three consecutive 28+ point victories. And then I was confused again when we went into a funk. And dismayed as we started losing key players. Even when we rebounded and won the AFCE, I didn't expect a Super Bowl run. The limitations of the roster had been exposed and, more importantly, the defensive injuries were just too substantial.

How was McD outcoached? The Bills came into this game with far more injuries to significant players. And yet the result was a toss-up. This game could have gone either way despite the legendary coaching combo (Reid/Spagnuolo) on the other sideline. Given the comparative health, the Chiefs should have won by double digits. McD wasn't flawless but he wasn't outcoached.

I want a Lee Evans (or James Lofton!) type for #2. I was really happy with Sherfield as a depth signing this year. But he killed me yesterday. Shakir looks like a great #3. He came on as the season progressed.

I like the first and last predictions, though neither is likely. Von's contract is hurting Beane's ability to build a SB roster.

I generally support McD. But as soon as I saw the fake, even before Hamlin was tackled, I thought, "Oh, crap!" I didn't like the call and liked the execution even less.

I expected issues with CB and LB play given the injuries. I knew the Chiefs would be able to move the ball. But I did hope that the DL could come up with some big plays to slow the Chiefs down. Their no-show was a sad surprise.

Our best DB, White, was on IR. Our two next-best CBs (Douglas, Johnson) were banged up. Our best LB, Milano, was on IR. A variety of other LBs were banged up Our best DL, Miller, is recovering and still not nearly 100%. At every level of our defense, our best player was out or degraded while others were also hurt. Did you expect our second and third-stringers - and our limping starters - to stop Reid and Mahomes in the playoffs, despite them having an off year? As former NFL team doctor, Dr. Chao, notes, in the playoffs the healthier team usually wins.

Anyone looking at the IR and injury reports knew that a Chiefs victory was probable. And let's think about coaches for a moment. Each team has a Big Four: HC, DC, OC, and STC. But you can simplify this and look at the Duo. A defensive HC needs a good OC. An offensive HC needs a good DC. The Duo in KC is Reid and Spagnola. Both are recognized savants at their craft. Combined with Mahomes, they're the reason the Chiefs get to the AFCCG all the time. Our Duo is McD and Kid Brady (interim). And despite our best defensive players being in the hospital ward, this game came down to a FG that should have sent this game into OT. Our Duo nearly beat KC's legendary Duo despite our bloodied and bandaged roster. We weren't outcoached. And this loss didn't prevent a run at the SB. Did anyone seriously believe this beat-up defense could've beaten the Ravens if we had defeated the Chiefs?

I agree. But good enough to retain the OC job? I've got conflicted thoughts and feelings on that subject.

Dr. David Chao, former team doctor for the Chargers, observes that in the playoffs, the team with the most significant injuries usually loses. We had the more significant injuries. I went into the game expecting to lose, though I hoped for an unlikely victory. The halftime lead and the play of Josh and the OL fueled that hope. And then it all fell apart. Despite expecting a loss, I was not low-key about the defeat. Losing sucks. But that was yesterday. Today, I'm a Stoic about it. No use being emotional about things I can't control.

Yesterday was the end of the world. But today, inexplicably, the sun rose and I woke up and ate a good breakfast. Life goes on and a promising Bills future awaits.

Perfect job for Dorsey.

During the next 17 year drought, I will indeed look back at this time as the Good Old Days. But if we lose today, it will be a very, very bad day. There's no in-between today. Regardless of what else happens in the world today, as a Bills fan it'll either be a really, really good or a really, really bad day.

You're right, of course. As I recall, Walsh wasn't the coach anymore during most of Young's run but was still the power behind the scenes - unofficially at first and then officially. Seifert, his DC, took over as HC in 1989 and simply kept the same systems in place - the same West Coast offense, the same defense, the same philosophy to training camp, etc. Seifert's lack of success outside of SF suggests, to me anyway, that Seifert's two Lombardis with the 49ers owed more to Walsh - the passing game developed, the organization he built, the players he acquired, and the mentorship & guidance he provided - than Seifert. It was Walsh who traded for Young to be Montana's successor even though Montana was still in his prime. I wonder if Belichick had this in mind when he drafted Garoppolo. You can't be loyal and sentimental in this business if you want to maintain success. And normally a QB's play does start to decline once he's somewhere in his 30s. Walsh moved on from Montana and the 49er dynasty continued with Young. Maybe this was Belichick's mental model when he was thinking of moving on from Brady. But the pieces didn't fall into place and ended up with Mac Jones.

Belichick was aware, of course, of how Bill Walsh moved on from Montana before Montana was completely done. A lot of 49er fans were upset at the time. But Walsh ended up winning Lombardi's with two different QBs: Montana and Young. In Walsh's case, moving on from an aging HOFer worked out well.

My gut is telling me: Be Afraid. We're facing Reid, Mahomes, Kelce, and a good KC offense with a defense that's a bloodied mess. The matchup on the other side of the ball - our O versus their D - is far more even. I fear losing by two or more scores. But I also hope. I hope that McD (as DC) and Josh have great games that turn the result in our favor despite the long parade of walking wounded.

Our D is so banged up that it's hard not to see KC scoring a bunch of points. That means Josh will want to play Superman. Hopefully, it doesn't lead to what the media likes to call, "The Full Josh Allen Experience" - including some turnovers. I'm hoping for a couple of things from these two key guys: McDermott. He's been able to manufacture good performances despite all the guys in bandages. I hope he does so again. I hope he schemes and calls the best defensive game of his life. Josh. I hope he avoids TOs but still makes big plays. I hope he remains patient, takes what's given, spreads the ball around, uses his legs effectively, makes good decisions, and is preternaturally accurate with the ball. If both McD and Josh have good days, we'll win. If they don't, we could lose by double digits.

I do think analytics has a place in player evaluations. And I believe it'll get better with time. But the bolded remark is a great observation.

I've enjoyed the way McD's defense remains credible despite many of the best players hanging out in hospital wards. The unit plays hard with lots of communication, teamwork, and perseverance. If we bring in a DC, I don't think any of that changes. It'll still be McD's defense. Having someone to help him run practices would be a good thing so he has time for his HC thing.