hondo in seattle

Bills fans are like cockroaches: we're everywhere! Just the other day, I talked to a guy working as a cook in a little BBQ joint in Gig Harbor, WA while wearing a Bills beanie. In the past, I've encountered Bills fans on the streets of Seoul, in the sands of the Arabian Desert, on a beach on the little Colombian island of San Andres, and various points in between. It's a great and global fraternity we have.

Pyrrhic victory? What's the status of the injuries to Diggs and White?

Good question. I guess they're saying that if you took the average individual coach and had him make his key game time decisions based on their data and analyses, he'd win .75 games more. I'm not sure how much I buy this but certainly some coaches need to understand game data and probabilities better.

I'm sure this measures something. But I take analytical rankings of coaches with a grain of salt. The number nerds don't have all the same data points that are available to a coach. For example, a coach facing 4th-and-1 may know that his best short yardage RB just tweaked his knee. He factors that into his decision making process while the analytic geeks don't. Also there are immeasurable intangibles in a game. Momentum, for example. The players feel it. It's very real to them even if it doesn't show up on a stat sheet. A coach who has it, wants to keep it. A HC whose team has lost it may want to - very rationally - gamble to get it back.

I have a soft spot for vets... Very cool!

At his presser, McDermott mentioned flying out the day before the game when I guess someone asked if it might be better to spend more time in Denver to acclimate to the altitude. McD's reply was, "We do our research and I really rely on our sports science department - Joe Collins, Jo Clubb - that we have." So I'm wondering: What does the sports science department do, precisely? Incidentally, I once visited Bogota, Colombia (elevation 8675 feet) and really didn't notice the difference in elevation until I went for a run. Then it knocked me on my butt. Denver's elevation, at 5280 feet, is somewhat less challenging but you definitely still feel it when exerting yourself if you've been living at a lower elevation. Five takeaways from Monday's Bills press conferences | Buffalo Bills News | NFL | buffalonews.com

I would give Josh the credit for Josh's improvement. His 'growth mindset' is incredible. He's extremely open to criticism, new ideas, and new ways of doing things all in the effort to get better. Jordan Palmer has played a role. Beane deserves credit for giving Josh a good supporting cast. I'm sure McD, Daboll and others deserve credit too. Without more inside information, it's hard to conclude who contributed the most. But none of these mentors make a difference if Josh wasn't so eager to learn, work and grow.

I agree with the OP for the most part. Dorsey seems to be the logical choice: a former QB himself, now the QB coach of an offense that is thriving on the performance of its QB. But I'm just a fan. I don't know what kind of leadership skills Dorsey possesses. I don't know how smart he is or how well he understands offensive schemes and how to best attack certain defenses. I don't know the man's character: Is he trustworthy? Reliable? Does he get along with the other position coaches? Is he an alcoholic on the verge of a breakdown? I don't have the answers so I'm not going to champion any particular candidate to replace Dabs if he indeed leaves for a HC opportunity. I'm going to 'trust the process.' I think McD has earned my trust by now.

I'm an animal lover but I think BisonMan's dissenting voice about the bison idea is a bit extreme. If it's okay to have horses and cows on a ranch, why not bison? My suggestion: Rescue a bison from a ranch - save it from being a bison burger. Let it live on a Buffalo area buffalo ranch. Train it. And 8 times a year, bring it to a home game. For the chosen buffalo: Eight days of work each year to escape its destined end at an abattoir. It's a fair deal.

F@ck you, you Brady-licking, Belichick-loving wussy! I hate the Patriots because of all the cheating and the ass-kicking and, you know, the envy. As luck would have it, the greatest dynasty of the free agency era was produced by a Bills' AFCE rival. But I can't hate Pats fans for loving their team the way I love mine. In all seriousness, good post. Thanks for the kind words. And I'm okay if you guys finish the year ahead of the Fins.

Beane has missed - bigly - on some draft picks and FA signings. All GMs do. But the roster now is appreciably better now than it was when Whaley was here. I personally feel a sense of optimism - for this and future years - that I never felt during the Whaley-Rex years. So I'm grateful for Beane and glad to learn the Pegulas extended him.

If we win Super Bowl LV and Josh is named game MVP, I won't care he wasn't league MVP and I don't think he will either.

I get the fan frustration. But if I was a Bills RB, I'm pretty sure I'd rather have Smith blocking for me than Knox.

There ought to be positive consequences for good actions and bad/corrective consequences for poor actions. Otherwise chaos reigns.

But still used much less than Klein or Edmunds. Wonder how healthy he really is?

Curious to see Gabe Davis getting more snaps than any other receiving option.

Wins/Losses is what gets you into the playoffs. Power rankings predict how you'll do once you get there??? Maybe??? Obviously, different schedules, bad officiating, injuries and other variables can effect wins and losses. So a team's record isn't a perfect reflection of it's quality as we all know. We read power rankings to get a sense of how the "experts" see the actual strength of each team. And as fans, we want validation, we want the Bills to rank high. Except for some of us who just don't care. Most of the experts just aren't expert enough for me to worry about their opinion.

I think we all knew the D was getting better. Still good to see the stats. Thanks for posting, matter2003. And it sounds like Milano's coming back.

I appreciate the optimism. And I would LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE a SB win. I'm just not expecting it. I don't believe the Bills have "just a good of chance as anyone." Just in the AFC, I think the Steelers and Chiefs, for example, are far more likely to make it to Tampa. The Chiefs have have a dominant offense. The Steelers have a dominant defense. Neither the Bills O nor D rank in the top 5, or even the top 10. We're not dominant anywhere. The goal should always be to win the Super Bowl. But without a playoff victory this century, I admit that I'd be thrilled with just one playoff win. Beyond happy if we get two. A Super Bowl victory - however unlikely - would launch me into the supreme transcendental state of sat chit ananda - absolute being, absolute consciousness, absolute bliss - or the closest to it this sinner is ever likely to get.

Back when the defense had the backbone of a wet sponge and the running game was a pale, lifeless corpse, I had little hope for a playoff run. But the defense is stiffening up. And the running game wasn't quite dead - just severely ill and maybe in recovery now. I won't say I'm optimistic but I am starting to fantasize about a fun January.

I agree with this. But, as an ambitious Bills fan who want the offense, defense, and special teams to be dominant, I'd love to see a capable TE on the roster. I mean, if you're going to carry four tight ends on the roster, is it too much to ask that one of them is good?

Guys grow into jobs. Let's remember... McD inherited a crappy Rex Ryan team that Beane dismantled as fast as he could when he came onboard. Still, McD has gone to the playoffs in 2 of 3 years. Belichick, arguably the best coach in NFL history, didn't make it to the playoffs even once his first three years as a head coach. McD is off to a better start. Tomlin inherited a good roster with a strong Bill Cowher culture and a great scouting staff - and kept the machine rolling. Vrabel inherited a 9-7 Mularkey coached teams and brilliantly transformed it into a 9-7 (2018, 2019) Vrable coached team. He's made the playoffs 1 in his first 2 years as a HC. Reid is one of the very best coaches in the NFL and admittedly McD hasn't yet earned the right to be considered in his class. Payton only made the playoffs once in his first three years. And with Payton comes the argument: do QBs make HCs look good or do HCs make QBs look good. Brees is one of the best QBs ever. Shanahan made the playoffs once in his first three years. Incidentally, I can remember when Bills fans didn't want Kyle anywhere on our coaching staff. McD is doing fine. Hopefully, like Belichick and many others, he continues to get better as he gains more experience.

I agree, Morse was a good - if pricey - signing at the time given our needs. But he's not an elite center. In fact, after being a healthy scratch last week and McB's vague comments about him recently ("He's in the mix"), it's uncertain if he's even a starter any more. 20 Buffalo Bills thoughts before final 6 games: Unpacking Mitch Morse situation - newyorkupstate.com

Good points. Maybe I overstated my position but... Morse was signed to an inflated contract because - if I recall correctly - we didn't have a valid option for the center position at the time. Again, if I recall correctly, PFF had Morse graded as something like the 14th best center in the NFL prior to us signing him. So while we ended up with the highest paid center in the league, we certainly didn't end up with the best. I truly appreciate that Beane has built a better/deeper line than Whaley. I guess I should have said that Beane's given us some solid starters and strong depth but failed to create an elite line. The OL is better at pass pro than run blocking and I guess that makes sense. Still, I'd like to see more holes for backs to run through and more push on 3rd or 4th and short. At 4.0, the Bills rank in the bottom ten in ypc. Even in pass pro, the Bills have given up 20 sacks - roughly the NFL average despite having an elusive QB who's not easily sacked. Pass pro could be better too. We have outstanding wideouts and - let's celebrate - an outstanding QB. But our backs and OL are lagging behind. And seeing this, I'm guessing Beane prioritized passing game skill positions.

My prediction is that Josh Allen beats Jim Kelly's record for most yards in a season.