hondo in seattle

I successfully registered there earlier in the season - before they were bitter about the end of season.

I grew up in Cheektowaga. When I went to college, my parents moved to the Southtowns where it really snows. Haven't lived in Buffalo since and, no, it doesn't bother me when I have to explain lake effect snows. I'm not a very smart man. The opportunity to intelligently explain something is good for my self-esteem. Anyway, why should it bother me? There are murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and terrorists all over the world. They bother me. Someone who's a little obtuse about lake effect snow isn't a problem worth worrying about.

Hochul mentioned talking to emergency response teams. And I don't doubt that public safety was a legitimate concern. But Kathy is a Bills fan. She knows the Bills game needs to be in Buffalo. And that bad weather can be an equalizer. And that a stadium full of screaming mafia is an advantage. And that all her friends and family wanted her to do right by the Bills. I don't think for a minute that public safety was her only consideration.

Bills culture, meditation, hand pans, ayahuasca... Good interview. Poyer is a positive-energy, Bills-loving dude.

Agreed. The Pats finished 7th in defense (yards) this past season. I'm going to assume, and maybe I shouldn't, that Mayo can keep the D on the right track even without the grumpy genius. The offense, on the other hand, finished 30th and requires both an OC and QB, among other needs. And filling the roster needs is going to require a good GM. A lot has to fall into place for Mayo to be successful.

A guy with only 5 years of coaching experience - and no HC or coordinator experience - is chosen to be the head coach of the New England Patriots instead of them retaining the 3rd winningest coach in NFL history. It's not Holy-Sh*t-the-Lions-just-made-Matt-Millen-their-CEO/GM! strange, but it does seem odd. According to reports out of Boston, it's not as weird as it first appears. Kraft thinks Mayo is an up-and-coming coaching star and, reportedly, Mayo had a contract said he'd take over as HC in 2024. The succession plan was accelerated by just a year. After retiring as a player, Mayo worked as a "financial executive" for a couple of years. That expression could refer to a lot of different occupations, but it seems maybe Mayo is a little brighter than the average NFL alum, a little more together. In Boston they say Mayo was more than just a LB coach this past season. He was the de facto co-DC and very involved in the entire Pats defense. It's also said that he's well-respected by the players. And since a succession plan was in place, presumably Hoodie was mentoring Mayo on the finer points of being a head coach. Mayo isn't as unlikely and unprepared as I first thought. Though the odds of any new HC being successful are long.

To make amends for cutting a kid who was never arrested, tried, or convicted of a crime, I think Beane should bring Araiza in for a preseason competition with Martin. Even if Martin beats him out - even if Beane's mind is made up ahead of time - just getting Araiza back into an NFL uniform would be good for the kid. Maybe some time with the Bills would open some doors for Araiza.

This is probably the more important hiring. The Pats sucked the last couple of years because of personnel shortcomings more than coaching shortcomings. The roster isn't very good - particularly at the position that matters most - and they need a talented GM to fix it.

From ILB coach to HC? Seems like quite a jump.

Are Americans becoming wusses? When I grew up as a millennial in the suburbs of Buffalo, we used to play tackle football on the street in the winter with just the snow for cushioning. But kids today don't care much about sports. According to a 2021 study, "only 23% of Generation Z describe themselves as passionate sports fans, as opposed to 42% of millennials, 33% of Generation X and 31% of baby boomers." Sports originated as a way to hone warrior skills like wrestling, throwing, and running. To survive, a nation needs its warriors, and a love of sports keeps the warrior spirit alive. But maybe the young kids today are a different breed of warriors: soft physically perhaps but proficient at a keyboard. www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/gen-z-doesnt-care-about-sports-thats-part-of-a-bigger-problem/ar-AA1mzQJ5

That's part of what makes the story compelling to many. His dream of playing in the NFL was stolen by a young lady who made false accusations of involuntary gang rape and an unethical lawyer who broadcast and exaggerated the accusations as loudly as he could. You made a remark suggesting Araiza isn't "any good at all." I believe a kid who wins the Ray Guy award is at least a little good. His lack of an NFL career has nothing to do with his talent. It's a matter of PR at this point. Without the allegations made against him, his career trajectory would have been very different. When was the last time a college punter with a 51+ yard average didn't make it in the NFL? It's never happened. Nobody on this board has claimed that he's an established NFL punter so I'm not sure why you're asking about his NFL stats. People are suggesting that maybe the kid deserves a chance.

I haven't delved deeply into this but my guess is that a guy talking about "eigen values" is not some kid playing on the internet. It seems like a legit attempt even if flawed. Sounds like the metric will be fine-tuned... "The overall model will have a makeover in the offseason that will hopefully increase the accuracy and stability of the results moving forward."

Yep, he's not good. He only set the NCAA record for punt average in a season (52.2 yards) once. And he only won the Ray Guy award as the best punter in the nation once. If he was any good at all, he would have won the Ray Guy award 3 or 4 times. And just like every other kid drafted in the NFL, he was falsely accused of gang rape in a case that received national scrutiny. Nothing remarkable about this young man at all. Not sure why his name is ever mentioned. Just a perfectly ordinary dude like anyone else on the street.

I just learned today who Nick Wright is. There are billions of people in the world with opinions and Nick is one of the many working in the media. And he doesn't like Josh or the Bills. I'm with you. I don't why his opinion matters. I don't care what 8 billion people think of Josh. I only care if we win the SB.

Beane helped transform a moribund franchise into a perennial contender. I'm extraordinarily grateful. What he hasn't done yet is create a championship team. While it's certainly not true that the best team/roster always wins the SB, it's also true that Beane has not given McD the best roster. Typically, when we lose in the playoffs, we lose to teams that are better and/or healthier. Who knows, we may make an improbable run this year. I'd love to see it. But I think our best chance of winning the Super Bowl involves Beane making some position groups better. A little luck would be nice, too. Beane has done a great job building our depth, but it would be great not to need it. Next year when we have injuries, I hope they're not to our star players.

Steelers keep it a one-score game... Bills 24 Steelers 17

Game plans and advantages depend on how crappy the weather turns out to be. If the weather is just a little crappy, Josh's strong arm can still get the ball downfield. This would be a huge advantage for us that we would need to exploit. But if the weather is so crappy that even Josh can't make accurate downfield throws, then both teams will run a lot and the Steelers are more of a running team than we are. Seriously crappy weather is an equalizer.

I hope NE undergoes the typical rebuilding process. Bring in a new GM and HC with much hope and fanfare. It doesn't work out. Rinse and repeat.

I had a dream that a UB professor invented a time machine and went back to the 90s and offered Reed and Lofton $4 million/year contracts to come play for the 2024 Bills. Beane was so happy with the deals, he sent the inventor further back in time to offer $1 million contracts to Bobby Chandler and Elbert Dubenion. Gabe was replaced on the cheap. In the real world, I don't think Gabe's a quality #2 but that doesn't mean necessarily that he's not the best available option for the price. It'll be another interesting offseason.

I don't want the Dolphins to think they are ready to compete with the Bills in the AFCE. We've beat them twice. Now I want them to lose in the first round while we make a run. I want it to be obvious to everyone in Miami, Buffalo, and across the NFL that the Bills are still the class of the AFC East. I want that psychological inferiority to infect every Fin when they play the Bills next year. I'm rooting for KC.

When you're a Bills fan, you learn to worry. Your team wins when you expect it to lose. It loses when you expect it to win. If teams could collectively suffer mental diseases, the Bills would be diagnosed with Dissociate Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder). You never know which Bills team will show up. I remember when the Bills spanked the Raiders 51-3 in the AFCCG. I was convinced the team was peaking at just the right time. I'll never take another game for granted again.

It seems every year there's a HC hiring that surprises me. I'm not discounting the possibility.

Watching him play, I assumed McD activated Miller and gave him playing time because it (1) made Von happy, and (2) helped him get back into playing shape.

When it comes to points scored, it depends on your frame of reference. We had some big offensive games under Dorsey, including 3 of our 4 first opponents. The O went flat after that. I don't miss Dorsey. I just don't know if Brady is The Guy. I'd like to see us find a better OC than Brady but I recognize that the best offensive minds already have OC and HC jobs. If we do keep Brady as OC next year, I hope we surround him with great minds. The best position coaches are guys who teach and motivate their players to consistently execute at a high level. They're not necessarily good X-and-O guys. I think we mostly have good position coaches (minus the fact we currently lack a QB coach). But we also need good scheme guys on staff - coaches who excel at the tactics of NFL football - to help Brady dissect tape and game plan. At least that's how it seems to me, a simple fan without any behind-closed-doors knowledge.

You think so? What has he done? I guess it depends on our playoff run. But his 1/2 season experience as an OC without moving the needle much on total yards gained or points scored doesn't seem enough to make him the belle of the ball.