hondo in seattle

Today's win was great. It's not about style points. Even good teams sometimes struggle against bad team - but still win. It's the "W" that matters. But today I was wearing a sweatshirt that reads, "Just One Before I Die." Few people here in Western Washington knows what it means. But every Bills fan does. I've been a Bills fan for 50 years. Now I have some health problems stemming from my military/combat service. You can call me a "Negative Nancy" or "pathetic" or whatever derogatory you want but I love this team. And with all my heart I want to see them win a Super Bowl before I die. Today I yelled and cheered and laughed with gusto as the Bills staged their comeback and sealed the game with a pick. My grin when time ran out was as big as anyone's. But these last few games have pretty much convinced me it's highly unlikely that this is the year the Bills lift the Lombardi Trophy. Why is it "shameful" to enjoy the win and still harbor doubt about the future? Maybe it's more shameful to cast ad hominem attacks at fellow Bills fans - I don't know, you decide. But, yeah, today we're 5-2 and I as I write this, the Pats are getting trounced by the 9ers. For Bills fans like us, today is a wonderful day.

This is an odd statement. It's the coach's job to do whatever helps his team win. That includes holding effective meetings and practices, building a good culture, intelligent game-planning and play-calling... and firing players up. I get these guys are well payed and should motivate themselves. But listening to players talk over the years (I've been a Bills for 50 years now), it's clear that some players are not good at getting themselves fired up. Incidentally, you should read up on the "Pygmalion Effect." In short, it says that when an authority figure (say a teacher or coach) shows belief in someone, they tend to perform better. McD with his clapping and encouragements keeps sending the message: I believe in you. It's a good message.

I don't know if running is the key. We've won the games that Josh has played well. We've lost the games where he didn't. So I tend to think we'll win if Allen plays well. And I think that means taking what the Pats give him - and doing it decisively & quickly. It would certainly help if the running game produced more. It would also help if the D looked as good against the Pats as it did against the Jets in the second half. And if Bass didn't miss any kicks. Despite the disparity in records, this game worries me. The way I think about it, the Pats own the AFCE crown until some team forcibly takes it away from them. I want to see the Bills win big to send a message. But regardless of who's under center, Belichick always poses a threat.

I played flanker in high school a few decades ago. I recall one particularly productive game. I scored a long TD on a pass play - taking a short slant across the middle to the house. I added 2 more long TDs on end- runs. I even blocked a punt! I was a shining star that game. Too bad it was just a scrimmage against our own woeful JV squad. I never achieved anything like that in a real game. Opposition matters.

I am enjoying this season but the elite of the AFC includes 3 of 4 of the division leaders: KC, Pittsburg and Tennessee. Not the Bills. The problem is that our wins have come entirely from one source: the passing game. Our RBs haven't contributed much. The defense hasn't played well all season - unless you count the second half of today's game against the woeful Jets. The special teams haven't been special. And our one source of victory is fickle. Some games Josh and the wideouts look unstoppable. Other times they look inept. Winning is great. 5-2 in immensely better than 2-5. But unless we get better in other facets of the game, we're not going to do much in the postseason. I know these are dark thoughts for a beautiful day when when we picked up another important "W" and retained our position atop the AFCE. But, for me, the fact we struggled against the hapless Jets takes some luster off the victory.

I hope it's a blow out. I fear an upset. I expect something like Bills 23, Jets 20.

I voted 2-2. I know the Bills are 4-2 overall but after the last two games, I think we're looking pretty average. So I put them at .500. I don't expect to be as bad every game as we were against the Chiefs. But the year long struggles on defense and the recent struggles faced by the offense make me wonder if this team is any better than mediocre. It's perplexing. The D plays really well for 2 years then falls apart this season. The offense looks great for 4 games to start the year and then looks fatally flawed for the past 2. Will the real Buffalo Bills please stand up. Maybe it's just the fate of all Bills fans to suffer.

Yeah. At first I didn't think Fritz was complaining per se because he wasn't overtly critical of anyone. But the more I think about it, the more I think I was giving him a pass because I like the guy. In truth, it was wrong for him to open his mouth. Flores may have been wrong to bench Fitz. But he has. The decision has been made. It's time now to rally around Tua and get ready for the next game. Fitz's comments take away from that. But, you know, what's bad for the Fins is good for the Bills.

My top two * The defensive line isn' t as good as we hoped. Our losses (Shaq, Star, etc) were more significant than I - and others - expected. We can't stop the run. And the lack of pressure is exposing weaknesses in our secondary. * Teamwork. The Bills defense the past two years was greater than the sum of its parts. Few blown assignments. Good gap discipline. Good communication. I think COVID hurt well-coached defenses like the Bills more than it hurt defenses that rely on superior athleticism and skill. The first quarter of the NFL season has been a lot like sandlot football where the best individual athletes shine in an environment where teamwork & discipline suck.

Agreed. The Fins are ahead of the Pats in the standings and Fitz was on pace to throw for 4,000 yards and 30 TDs. Who would have expected any of that? Watching Fitz over the years, I think he's actually gotten better with age. He reads defenses more quickly and understands the game more deeply now. When he was with the Bills, I think he threw a lot of 50-50 long balls to some general area where he hoped Stevie would go get it. It may sound silly to say, but I think he aims more now and worries about ball placement more. Surprised to see him so sad. Up to now, he seemed to take the vagaries of journeyman life in the NFL pretty well. That's true. Crying in public isn't professional and when I first saw the Fitz quotes, I didn't quite believe he really said those things. And as you referenced, he always knew that he was a placeholder in South Florida. I'm an ex- army officer. In a similar situation, we'd be expected to shut up and soldier on. The good news is that I think this hurts the Fins - at least in the short term. Miami is only a game behind the sliding Bills but I think Tua will deliver fewer wins the rest of the season than Fitz would have.

He's not criticizing anyone. He's just expressing his understandable sadness...

I think... Beane (in consultation with McD) decides who to draft, what FAs to sign, who to trade away, and who to trade for. I think McD (in consultation with Beane) decides who to cut and who to keep. And he probably has a lot of say in the trade-away category. I think they deserve roughly equal credit for our 4 wins and equal blame for our 2 losses.

The Pats have always been a well-prepared, well-coached team. Whatever you think of Belichick, he's great at preparing a team for a season and a game. Except this year. No preseason. New QB. New starters at several positions. Covid restrictions. It's hard to prepare for a season like this. With the reduced offseason work, preparation and teamwork become less important and raw individual talent becomes more important. It's not the best coached team that wins, but the most innately talented. I believe that's part of the reason that the Bills D struggles. And both sides in New England.

I don't normally look at standings but today my wife asked me what I was looking at when I was staring at the AFCE win-loss records. I just answered in a voice filled with quiet awe, "Something truly beautiful."

I'm just hoping that a whole bunch of Bills players all decided to have their worst game of the year on the same day. Now that that's all over, let's go slaughter the Chiefs!

I think it was huge for the Titans. They hadn't played in two weeks. Hadn't practiced much. There was a lot of talk, drama and concern about Covid rather than their next opponent. And then they start the game with a bang. I think the turnover and subsequent TD really energized them. The Josh Allen narrative was the only narrative that changed. We'll never know but I think the game would have unfolded much differently without that pick.

I didn't need to suggest that Beane needed to go out and find a Bruce Smith - an impossible task. Instead I was imagining how much fun it would be to have Bruce - in his prime - on this team. Our CBs look a lot better if opposing QBs were hurrying the ball. And it would be so much fun to see Bruce drop a QB on a critical play, crushing the hopes and morale of our enemy.

I don't disagree. Talley was a fiery over-achiever. But if I was going to get somebody from that team, it would be Bruce. We need someone to frighten and brutalize QBs the way he did. At least, as much as the rules these days allow.

He keeps saying how tough it is. And I bet it can feel that way - being alienated from the rest of the team the way he is. But I also think a little perspective is in order. Having a loved one die due to COVID is tough. Being a small restaurant/business owner and losing everything you've built because of COVID is tough. Being out of work because of COVID is tough. Working 12/14 hour shifts in a dangerous environment because of COVID is tough. Being a COVID quarterback - where your main responsibility is to not get sick - on a $3.7 million contract isn't really tough. I think Jake needs to count his blessings.

I can't blame Jim for voicing his opinion. He's a HOF QB and a legend in WNY. As Buffalo716 pointed out previously, of course people are going to ask him questions. Saying that he's less than 100% confident doesn't bother me. While I don't blame him, I take what Jim says with a grain of salt. On the one hand, he knows the position of quarterback better than anyone here. But on the other hand, despite his occasional attempt at humility, the man obviously has some ego. I think his ego, combined with his love for the team, can make him a cautious skeptic. I think Josh would have to achieve back-to-back 6,000 yards seasons and a Super Bowl ring for Jim to concede that Allen just might possibly be as good as him.

The goal of any team is to win the Super Bowl. It's the only goal that matters. Mahomes led the Chiefs to the SB, where he won MVP. If I'm a Chiefs fan, I gotta love any trade that got Mahomes to KC.

More Jim on Josh (from the L.A. Times): “This is the first time I’ve ever really, really been excited about a quarterback on our team. We’ve had some, and it was always, ‘We’ll see. We’ll see. … Yeah, he’s got the potential, but we’ll see.’ With Josh, I think he’s proven to everybody he can play. Now he just has to stay healthy. Number two, being in the same system a number of years is going to help. And three, it’s getting the players around him.”

The observation that the Bills always unravel after a hot start has some basis in fact. For me personally, I never truly believed in those hot starts. When the hot starts were underway, I knew we couldn't keep winning at that pace. So I'd be thinking: If the Bills can just win half their games from here on, we'll go to the playoffs. Please, oh Gods of the Gridiron, I'm on my knees before you in supplication. Just half! This year, I worry about Covid, I worry about injuries, and I worry about the slow start of the defense. But for the first time in a long, long time, I think the Bills are a legitimately good team. Not only are we 4-0, we deserve to be 4-0. In each game, the better team won.

He says something to the effect that playing with "these guys" and coach McDermott has reignited his love for the game. Cool stuff. As CorkScrewHill noted, speaks highly of the culture McD has created. Loved the Josh on Josh love fest.

I'm with Logic. It would be a lot easier to make an informed pick with some information. Who's going to play Tuesday night and who's night? Is the game even happening on Tuesday? If the Titans have a dozen guys on IR/Covid, the Bills will win easily. If the Titans are healthy and Tre is out, it could be a different story. My best guess: Bills 27, Titans 20.