hondo in seattle

I heard Cosell criticize our passing scheme which I agree with wholeheartedly. Cosell also mentioned that we don't have a great receiving corps, which I also agree with. I'm just saying that the Bucs game doesn't prove anything - not that Brady is a good schemer after all, nor that our receivers are actually good. (I do, however, believe that our WRs are better than Brady often makes them look).

This is an interesting narrative but I don't think it's quite accurate. The WR room wasn't "rudderless." It simply lacked a star receiver. "Getting serious about disciplining him after the fact was a tactical error." I'm not sure what you mean there. If you're using the word discipline to mean punishment, it's normal to punish someone after they screw up, not before. In any case, we don't know everything McD's done to correct Keon's issues. We don't what talks they've had. We do know that the discipline has increased from something mild to making Keon a healthy scratch. That's called progressive discipline and it's a normal behavior modification tool. When the little hammer doesn't work, pull out a bigger hammer. When did the Bills coronate Coleman as WR1? They drafted him. They played him. I never heard anyone say he was the top dog, the new star, Diggs' replacement. It seemed more like they considered him a role player - a big-bodied guy who could come down with contested balls. Clearly, Beane drafted Coleman too high but I don't think the coaching staff overstated his value or treated him like a 1. I think the coaching staff probably bought into the idea of building a capable passing attack using the diverse skill sets of our various WRs and TEs ("everybody eats") without a true WR1. And they're not entirely wrong. We're currently 2nd in ypg and 4th in ppg. Our offense is strong without an alpha receiver. In other words, McD is doing what you said he isn't doing - getting the most out of the people available to him. I don't think Beane failed to get a WR1 this offseason because he (or anyone) thought Keon was the answer. I think he screwed up managing the cap and didn't have the resources to get someone better than Josh Palmer or Elijah Moore.

I hope & pray you're right, but I don't see this as an easy victory. Nobody's hung 30 on the Texans yet this year, and most teams don't even reach 20. Considering how bad our defense is, we may need to score 30 to win.

True. Passer rating has nothing to do with passing attempts per game. For example, a QB who goes 5 of 10 for 50 yards will have the same passer rating as a QB who goes 10 of 20 for 100 yards, or 20 of 40 for 200 yards. It's all about efficiency - how effective you are with the passing attempts you do take. Opposing QBs are not very efficient against us. The Bills pass D is better than average in completion percentage allowed, average yards per attempt allowed, and opposing passer rating. None of these stats have anything to do with our weak run defense or how often opposing QBs throw against us.

Josh throwing for 300+ yards against a bad, injury-ridden secondary doesn't prove anything.

There was a reason Hardman was unemployed... Punt Return Fumble Comparison (Career Totals) Player | Punt Returns | Fumbles | Fumble Rate ---------------------|--------------|---------|------------- Mecole Hardman | 89 | 7 | 1 per 12.7 returns Marcus Jones | 45 | 2 | 1 per 22.5 returns Kalif Raymond | 109 | 3 | 1 per 36.3 returns Gunner Olszewski | 91 | 2 | 1 per 45.5 returns Skyy Moore | 35 | 2 | 1 per 17.5 returns Jamison Crowder | 95 | 1 | 1 per 95 returns Jakeem Grant | 119 | 4 | 1 per 29.8 returns The league average is something like 1 fumble per 37 returns.

? Shavers ran a 4.59 at his pro day at San Diego State. He's not fast, though I suppose it's not a terrible time for a bigger-bodied guy (6'4", 211 lbs). Keon's a bit quicker but neither of these guys runs like a deer... Shavers Keon 40 yards 4.59 4.61 10 yards 1.63 1.54

True story... I had a dream last night that the Bills hired a brilliant passing game coordinator to help Brady out in 2026 and the Bills started setting scoring records. I so badly want this dream to come true.

The Texans have a good defense. Nobody's scored 30 on them yet this year and most teams don't even reach 20. They only give up 258.1 yards per game. I see a grind, but one the Bills eventually win. Bills 26 Texans 23

I'm heartened by the fact that it's not the case that the best team wins the SB every year. If the best team always won, we wouldn't have a chance at a Lombardi because our D mostly sucks and our O is inconsistent. But football is a funny game and anything can happen in a best-of-one series. Sometimes good teams have bad games. Sometimes injuries, bad ref calls, weird bounces, and all the other fun possibilities of the game allow the weaker team to win. We're good enough to be in contention and maybe the Gridiron Gods will favor us with some breaks this year.

As a little kid in the suburbs of Buffalo I was as much a Browns fan as a Bills fan. The first game I ever watched on TV was a Browns-Cowboys game with the Browns down by two scores. As a child of maybe 9, of course I rooted for the team getting stomped. And, sure enough, the Brownies came back to win. I was hooked on football and the Browns. I stayed a Browns fan until they moved the team out of the city in the middle of the night. But I remember Kosar well and appreciated the good Browns moments he created. It's a shame he ruined his liver with alcohol. Still, he's in my prayers.

It looks more like the ball went off his fingertips. Just an inch or two overthrown?

The only thing I'm confident about is that our run D will struggle. Our pass D has good and bad days, like our entire offense. Not sure which Bills team to expect.

I've heard it said that without Kincaid or Shakir, we have basically nothing. Well, Kincaid didn't play yesterday and a gimpy Shakir contributed negative yardage. Yet Josh still threw for 300+ in a 6 TD, 44-point game.

That's truly good to hear. But honest question: Was that because of his skill or Buc DBs blowing assignments? Shavers good game is encouraging, but even Keon had a good game once.

The fact that he was signed on Monday and running a go route on Sunday tells me that McD and/or Brady like the speed he brings to the WR room. I don't think they see him as exclusively a return man. And maybe the calf injury wasn't the legit reason he was benched, but maybe it was. I don't expect him to be cut. But I don't think he'll survive another fumble.

I hardly remember seeing Hairston, yet he played over half the snaps. Ray Davis only played one offensive snap and didn't get a carry. Seems like his star is falling - as a RB, not as a returner. No WR played more than 54% of the snaps. Brady's receiver packages are interesting.

I think Bishop is a legit starter. Really happy with his recent trajectory. I think the rest of them are backups. I like Poyer's knowledge and experience but he's clearly not the player he once was. We've seen enough of Hamlin and Lewis to know they're okay as depth but shouldn't be starting. As for Hancock, I haven't watched him closely enough to have a strong opinion.

Yikes. I want to be wrong and I just got new glasses so maybe I am because what I see so far is a jag. Not fast, not quick, average route runner, good size and physicality. After not being drafted and toiling on the PS for 2 years, he made the 53 this year which suggests coachability and a good work ethic. Put all that together and I'm rooting for the kid, but I don't see him as a HOF Stallworth comp. Though I wouldn't mind him taking more snaps away from Coleman.

To me, Shaq looks like our best run-stuffing LB while serviceable in coverage. Given our vulnerability to the run, I agree he should be on the field more.

Beane's drafts have been very hit or miss, but it looks like he nabbed a couple of good ones in Hairston and Bishop.

MGK, you're right. When I said all our normal starters were healthy, I should have said they were healthy enough to suit up. I just thought the box score was really unexpected. Shavers leading the pack! Latu with more yards than Shakir! Cook finally getting used in the passing game! I also didn't expect the Bills to sign Hardman and was glad to see him run a go route even if it didn't quite connect - just to get it on tape. Cook will find bigger holes if opponents respect our intermediate and deep games. And receivers will get open more often when teams respect our run game and we force them to defend the entire field - horizontally and vertically - instead of just the short stuff. I think the Bucs game will give opposing defenses more to think about because it wasn't a typical run-Cook, throw-short-to-Shakir-and-Kincaid game plan.

Otto did it in the 1954 NFL Championship game - after the Browns joined the NFL. The Browns won the game 56-10, one of the biggest routs in the history of NFL championship games. However, Otto wasn't quite as dominant as the 6 TDs or score might suggest. Like Josh, Graham also threw 2 picks. And he finished the game with a modest 163 yards passing and 27 yards rushing. Today, Josh had 317 yards passing and 40 yards rushing - a better game overall than Graham.

While today's passing game wasn't as efficient as the Chiefs game, it produced more points. And I'd like to see the same WRs suit up next week.

All we need is one GM out there who thinks Keon is better than he looks because the Bills aren't utilizing him properly. And that one GM might give us a 4th. If that GM even exists, which is doubtful.