hondo in seattle

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.

I don't have good facial recognition skills or a good memory for numbers. In short, I suppose I'm just not very bright. But even I could recognize this Bill.

I always thought if I was an offensive coordinator, I'd make the OL a priority. I'd want two Pro Bowl quality linemen and three solid other starters. QBs throw better and last longer behind a good offensive line. And RBs produce more. In 1971, I watched Willie Ellison run 26 times for 247 yards through the biggest holes ever seen. Willie broke Jim Brown's NFL record and Cookie Gilchrist's pro football record that memorable day. Even good backs struggle with bad offensive lines. An average back like Willie runs like OJ when the holes are big enough. Beane has improved the OL with a bunch of journeyman but there are no real dominant stars on this line. It's a curious thing. Bean spent a lot of draft capital on a QB and a lot of money on WRs. But he hasn't invested much - money or draft capital - in his RBs or offensive line.

I once read something from a former NE coach - I wish I could remember exactly who. In any case, he said that Daboll would make an excellent OC even though he was much smarter with passing game concepts than run game concepts. All NFL OCs use the same running plays. But there are little nuances in play design and play calling that make a difference. Greg Roman knows how to produce rushing yardage. Gailey did a nice job in 2012 - with CJ and a little bit of Freddy - despite not having the best OL. Daboll, it seems, still has a lot to learn.

Although I aspired to be a WR, I loved watching great RBs when I was kid. OJ was the best back of my childhood - arguably the best back of all time (apologies to Jim Brown). But Floyd Little was also a great joy to watch. "Tackling Floyd Little is like wrestling with a bag of flour open at the top. He just spills out all over. And you're left holding the bag."

I'm slow. I didn't get this at first.