hondo in seattle

I have a different viewpoint. As an Army officer, I once took an oath to not lie, cheat, or steal; nor tolerate those who do. To paraphrase Kant's 'categorical imperative' a bit: we should all act in a way that we would want everyone to act. And the world would be a better place if none of us lied, cheated, or stole. And yet, from a practical standpoint, it does seem to be true that the people who deflect and deny fare better than the small minority that doesn't. Sadly, the pragmatist's approach generally provides better outcomes.

Three things... First, we should never underestimate the gullibility of football players. Remember when Manti Te'o of Notre Dame said on national TV that his girlfriend died on the same day as his grandma? But later it was discovered poor Manti was the victim of a catfishing scam and his online gf never existed? Players believe dumb things sometimes. Second, I believe in the America value of the presumption of innocence. The reason everyone caught doping says they didn't know is because it's plausible. Some athletes don't know; some pretend they didn't know. Maybe a respected trainer or older veteran (not a sneaky lowlife "pusher") gave Hoecht some supps. In any case, I've seen so many people suffer from false accusations that I choose to give people the benefit of the doubt when there is no/little track record of misbehavior. Third, many supps include unlisted ingredients. You suggest that Hoecht should have read the label. But one published study found that of 3,132 dietary supplements examined, 875 (28%) had undeclared substances including anabolic steroids. and sibutramine. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9054437/

Only once in my life did I witness a player play so bad that I thought, "That's it, his career ends here." And yet...

I missed or don't recall the Trent Edwards-as-Successful-as-Tom-Brady-in-the-Pats-Offense Take. Yikes! We all recall We-Drafted-the-Wrong-Josh argument. Some Bills fans had to eat a little humble pie after the dust settled on that one - though did so happily. As evidenced on this board, sometimes even smart people promote really bad ideas. I'd personally be amused if someone started a bad take Hall of Fame.

Doc, c'mon man. First of all, it's unkind to say a take is "dumb" and violates the do-no-harm principle of the Hippocratic Oath. Second, you have a very short memory if you rate this the dumbest take on this board. I've personally made dumber takes although I think my dumbest take pales in comparison to some others. There have been some doozies over the years.

All this makes me wonder what Beane knew when he cut Diggs. Essentially paying him $31M to play on another team is a big decision and must have been based on considerations beyond the sideline antics.

For everyone who says this doesn't matter without a Lombardi, imagine a different scenario. Imagine we were last in scoring and last in point allowed. Picture that level of misery. I agree, the job isn't done until we get a trophy. But to be #1 in both those categories means folks at OBD are doing something right. Bean, McD, Josh, and company have made us relevant, given us a chance, and created some good memories.

Hoecht said he put his faith in someone who didn't have his best interest at heart. What if that's a true statement? What's the problem with articulating that? He also said (multiple times) that it was his mistake. Without evidence to the contrary, I chose to take him at his word. I agree about Tucker, though. He looks small.

This is probably my favorite post ever on TBD. Thank you.

It wasn't just that Schatz was wrong about Josh. Many were - and with good reason. But I never liked Schatz's hubris. When he said Allen success in the NFL would 'defy math,' he misspoke. Math was never defied; Schatz's math was defied. Schatz was seemingly arrogant enough to believe his advanced metrics would better predict NFL success than Beane's judgment or the judgment of many professional personnel guys who saw Josh as a solid first-rounder. I once heard a scout say that zero college QBs are pro-ready. They all have things to learn and improve. The evaluation of college signal callers isn't just about their current (college) skill set, it's about the likelihood that they'll grow into a good NFL QB. Work habits, dedication, maturity, discipline, intelligence, etc. come into play. Schatz's DVOA and other metrics can't measure that. Yet Schatz spouted garbage that Josh becoming successful would violate fundamental laws of the universe. Instead of now calling Allen an outlier, I'd love for Schatz to say, "My analytical tools just aren't good enough."

Schatz is the guy who once called Allen "a parody of a NFL quarterback" and also said, "the idea that Josh Allen could become an elite NFL quarterback pretty much defies math.” I can't say I trust his judgment.

Yeah, in those days reaching the playoffs felt like a fantasy. But occasionally, we'd beat a playoff-quality team and that felt great.

So you weren't a loyal follower of the Buffalo All-Americans back in the 1920s or the Buffalo Bisons back in the '40s. In other words, just another trend-hopping, clout-chasing, fair-weather Johnny-come-lately.

Me, personally, I've been a Bills fan since before Josh was born. My first memory is of Mini Max Anderson reputedly swallowing his tongue. But two or three years ago, I met some bandwagoners. They had gone to school, and were friends, with Josh's mom. Said the entire family was very nice - good people. They became Bills fans when Josh was drafted. Can't blame them.

“I love the enthusiasm, and also I would just say the energy from the coaching staff, they actually make you feel like they care, and that’s something that’s very exciting.” Apparently, he didn't feel loved in Buffalo.

Despite them saying this: "Allen’s 95.4 overall grade over the past three seasons ranks first among all quarterbacks." www.pff.com/news/nfl-quarterback-rankings-all-32-starters-2025-nfl-season

I'm intellectually shocked and emotionally devastated that no Bills receivers made the list. Then again, if the Bills average 31 points per game again, I don't really care.

Vince threw for 377 yards in his first game with the Bills, wearing the plays on a wristband before that was normal. I thought: "Man, just think how good he'll be when he learns the playbook!" He sucked the rest of the season - never topping the 300 mark again and rarely topping even 200. I guess learning the playbook is overrated.

For all those too young to remember... Preston Ridlehuber. Ridlehuber is the player who scooped up the fumble at the end of the infamous Heidi Bowl game and returned it for a TD to win it for the Raiders. In 1969, Ridlehuber played for the Bills as the third-string RB. Against the Patriots, both OJ and Mini Max Anderson got hurt (the Pats cheated even back then) so Ridlehuber came in with the game tied 16-16. Coach John Rauch called an RB option that they had practiced that week with OJ throwing the ball to the TE. But Ridlehuber, a former college QB, swept left, ignored the pressure, and threw deep to Haven Moses instead for a 45-yard TD pass to win the game. Ridlehuber only had 4 carries and 4 receptions in his short, lackluster NFL career but his one pass and one fumble recovery were memorable. 1:48 Ridlehuber to Haven Moses

I know the feeling. Let's hope his stockboy-football life turns out more like Kurt Warner's than mine.

It's a reasonable bet I had read he ran a 4.5. Not speedy. Edit: I just looked it up. Some sources say he ran a 4.50 at his pro day at SE Missouri State in 2020. Other sources say he ran a 4.46. In either case, not what I'd call a speed guy. Not sure what this guy thinks he offers that the Bills don't already have but I wish him the best.

With all the good/decent receivers the Bills have, this guy has no shot of making the 53 and little chance of landing on the PS. I wonder why he would sign with us.

I lived through that era once. Not sure why I'd want to relive it.

From AI... Athletic Profile Height/Weight: 5'11", 210–212 lbs. Noted for his athleticism, Owens posted a 9.59 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) out of 10, ranking 51st out of 1,207 free safeties from 1987–2025. Pro Day highlights: 4.58-second 40-yard dash, 4.05-second short shuttle, 43-inch vertical, 11-foot-3 broad jump. Wande Owens is regarded as a high-character, high-effort player whose leadership and on-field production have made him a standout at both the Ivy League and FCS levels. The Buffalo Bills are acquiring a versatile defender with proven ability and strong intangibles.

1975 was a great year. OJ had been running all over the place since his breakout year in 1972. But in 1973, when OJ rushed for over 2,000 yards, Joe Ferguson threw less than 1,000 yards despite starting every game. Fergie's job was to hand off the ball. Our offense was OJ, all day, all the time. But in 1975, Fergie started coming into his own and led the NFL in TD passes while OJ led in both rushing yards and TDs.