hondo in seattle

You're right when you say they're not the players they used to be but don't underestimate them. They're still (2023) interchangeable and use that to disguise coverages. They make physical errors sometimes, but they rarely make mental mistakes. And other players have said their communication helps the CBs and LBs in front of them. Maybe we move on next year, but they still add value this season.

I was in Arrowhead when we beat them 38-20 in the regular season. I thought that was the changing of the guard. It wasn't. I do think maybe this year we have a somewhat better overall team - if Milano, White, Von, et al. were all healthy. But, frustratingly, this Sunday they'll line up the better roster. But that doesn't necessarily mean they'll win. I'm hoping Josh is hot and Mahomes is not, and the ball bounces our way. Another 38-20 victory - at home and in the playoffs - would be very sweet. I'll worry about next week, and next year, later.

I remember when our punter was the loneliest, least active guy in the NFL. I'm hoping for that kind of game from our offense.

Agreed. With our defense in the hospital, our offense is going to have to be productive. Their DBs are very good. We need to have patient, stick-moving drives with heavy use of the TEs, Cook (both as a receiver and runner), and Josh's legs.

Maybe I'm wrong but I doubt if many NFL fans label Araiza a "pervert." He went to a college party and had sex with a girl whose age he didn't know. That doesn't sound perverted. It sounds normal. The sex drive is the reason our species exists. I guess that many NFL fans, when they were college-aged, had sex with 17-year-olds. In most states, it's perfectly legal. In most cultures, it's perfectly acceptable. Think of famous love stories. Marc Antony was a Roman cavalry officer serving in Egypt when he first fell in love with 14-year-old Cleopatra. Juliet was 13 when she mixed it up with Romeo. Heloise was between 13 and 15 when she had her romance with her much older teacher, Abelard. Far from perverts, she went on to become a famous abbess and he became Europe's leading theologian. None of these people are remembered by history as perverts. I'm not advocating for underage sex. I just don't see Matt as a pedophile or pervert. And I think most NFL fans would agree with me.

Never charged. Never arrested. Never tried. Never convicted.

Lenny's made it clear he was unhappy with his role (or lack of one). But he wasn't impressive when he played. I know Lenny has always been slow but watching him run, I thought my TV switched to slow motion. Not to knock our OL, which has been much better this year, but when they do open holes, the holes often close quickly. Cook hits those holes with burst and vision. Lenny slowly rumbles into them... eventually.

I do worry about wimpifying football. But under the current rules, I thought it was clearly a penalty.

Understood. And it could work out. But I'd be more comfortable in the playoffs with a punter who's played in the NFL before (both as a punter and a holder) and has done so recently. But Araiza does know how to hold and can kick the snot out of a ball.

The similarity to 2022 is what has me worried, Doc. I feel like we're limping into the Chiefs game the way we limped into last year's playoff game with the Bengals. Too battered and bruised to compete with a good team. By the end of the game yesterday, we were missing our 4 best CBs (White, Douglas, Benford, Johnson) and our 4 best LBs (Milano, Bernard, Dodson, Spector). Meanwhile, KC will line up two All-Pro quality DBs against us. And they have 2 extra days for recuperation and preparation. Fingers crossed, we'll get some good news when the injury report gets updated. But with the defense in bandages, I think we may need Josh to don his Superman cape and put a lot of points on the board.

Agreed. As much as I think Araiza deserves another chance, now is not the time.

I'd be a lot more jacked if we were healthier.

Klein is the definition of a fringe player. The Bills cut him in August of last year. Then re-signed him a month later. Then cut him again on December 9th. Then re-signed him on January 11. He was on the street a week ago. And this week he was playing in front of 70,000 screaming fans in a playoff game. Pretty cool.

Wasn’t there a college team that never punted because the analytics said it’s better not to?

I’d like to keep Shakir in his current role but replace Davis with a Lee Evans type vertical threat with speed.

Well, I watched the video on whataboutism! Thanks for the link. You've indeed done your part. But when I mentioned famine or whatever it was that I mentioned, it wasn't a rhetorical tool to try to win an argument. I don't care about winning a debate. I was just expressing how I feel about the subject. As a Stoic-Buddhist, I am not as worry-free as I should be. But I do try not to sweat the small stuff. Ignorance of lake effect snow is something I personally consider small stuff. But I don't see any need for other people to value what I value, or devalue what I devalue. Stoicism, btw, teaches people to be indifferent to the things they can't control. I try to embrace that teaching in most things. But not when it comes to the Bills, I'm not indifferent to the outcome of today's game. This isn't small stuff and I'm sweating it. I've irrationally put my mental health in the hands of a bunch of kids playing a game. If the Bills win, I'll be happy. If they lose, I'll be grumpy the rest of the day. Maybe the rest of the month. We all have our hang-ups.

So would I. Then again, each year there seems to be at least one HC hiring that surprises me. It shouldn't surprise us to be surprised.

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.