hondo in seattle

You can lose a one-on-one battle because lack of technique. Coaches have to share in the blame if that's the case. But when a guy just can't physically compete with the guy across from him, that's a talent issue. We've seen this time and time again. Defensive linemen who can't beat their blocks. Offensive linemen who can't hold their blocks. Receivers who can't get separation. DBs who can't stick to their guys. Those are mostly not scheme or playcalling problems. Sometimes the other team just has better players.

I don't care if you think it's borderline laughable. It that was meant as an insult, sorry, it didn't land. Though I don't understand your need to be rude. TBD, and the world in general, would be a better place if people practiced kindness and respect. But to respond to your point. I don't think McD overperformed in any postseason so far. I think he performed about as well as you'd expect given the talent and health of the squad. And that, in itself, is disappointing. I want my coach to overperform when it matters most. I do think he overperformed in the second of last season with how banged up we were on defense. I think he overperformed in 2017 by getting that untalented squad into the playoffs. And I think 2018 was one of his best years despite the 6-10 record. We spent less on active players that season than any team in the NFL. Based on roster spending, we should have been the league's worst team. He took that crap roster and made it mildly competitive. That was an accomplishment. Since 2020, the Bills are the second-winningest team in the NFL. I wouldn't rate the Bills roster second-best over that span. McD's is outperforming a lot of other coaches.

Beane has limited what he can do in free agency with the three huge contracts he handed out: Josh. Worth every penny. Diggs. A productive player but a malcontent. And now we're paying him $31m to play for someone else. Miller. Not a malcontent but not a productive player. In the draft, we all know Beane's been hit-or-miss. Overall, Beane's built a good roster, not a great one. We lose too many one-on-one battles both on offense and defense, particularly in the playoffs. That's not poor coaching, that's a lack of player talent. Though, to be fair, Beane hasn't been helped by injuries.

Maybe I wasn't clear. I think coaches make a huge difference. The best coaches get the best out of their teams. They win more games than you'd expect given the strength of the roster. The worst coaches underperform vis-a-vis the roster. I think McD has performed at the level of his roster or above (depending on which season or postseason we want to talk about). I probably don't think the roster has been as good as you think. And I think it's unwise to fire a coach who tends to overperform just because he hasn't won a SB yet. Andy Reid would have been fired many times if that was the case. Years past, we've gone into seasons with a 0% chance of earning a Lombardi. With Beane & McD, I rate our chances every year at around 10% - among the league's best. To improve our chances, we need to build a better roster. We can either (1) allow Beane to grow into his job, or (2) replace him with someone better. I don't think firing McD is likely to improve our odds.

According to the prosecutor it was. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said at the time, “There are often conflicting versions of what happened and this case is no exception. In the interest of justice, there is inadequate evidence to fairly charge and prosecute this case.” Steveson's attorney said a change in legislation wouldn't have affected the outcome. The prosecutor didn't say anything one way or the other. Why do you say he'd likely be charged under today's law? Steveson said, "No charges were ever brought by anyone and the entire episode has been difficult for everyone involved … Going forward people who don’t know me will hopefully see that kindness, respect and empathy are virtues I take very seriously in my life. I hope that's true. Since the DA didn't proceed "in the interest of justice," I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. apnews.com/general-news-1221944d273eb2cdb0d285de3d665b3f www.ringsidenews.com/2021/12/11/gable-steveson-clears-the-air-after-past-assault-allegation-resurfaces/

I don't think we've seen Allen's floor or ceiling yet. Think of the '68, '71 or '76 Bills. I watched those teams play. Even Allen couldn't have carried those inept squads to the playoffs. His basement is below wildcard because the rest of the roster matters. As for ceiling, let me ask: In what season did the Bills have the best roster in the NFL when entering the playoffs? Personally, I don't think that's happened yet. Not even close. So personally I don't understand why anyone is saying McD's coaching has capped the Bills playoff performance. McD usually exits the playoffs about where you'd expect, given the talent of the team that takes the field. I'd be happier if he overperformed in the playoffs but that hasn't happened yet. He has at times overperformed (vis-a-vis the strength of the roster) in the regular season. Beane still has some work to do. He drafted Allen and has built, overall, a good collection of players. But it's not a great one. It's not at the KC level.

I was one of the people worried about Diggs. In fact, I started a thread about it. But that was an attitude issue. Any time an attitude issue bubbles up, I worry about it. Execution in OTAs is not, however, something I worry about. Heck, the Super Bowl-era Bills sucked in preseason and yet dominated n the regular season. I don't worry about execution until September. www.twobillsdrive.com/community/topic/246881-the-allen-diggs-relationship-in-decline/#comment-8362163

Cook is a nice back but doesn't rank with the best of Bills history. Some of his stats - like yards per carry - are helped by the fact that he's a running back on a passing team. Opponents are almost exclusively focused on defending Josh. That's what they game plan for. They don't game plan for Cook. Cook, like Thomas before him, is a dual purpose back. But Thurm was better both as a receiver and runner. Defenses in those days had the unenviable tasks of trying to stop both Thurman and Kelly. Cook and Allen are not nearly as fearsome a duo. I agree that there might be 10 backs from Bills history that I'd take over Cook.

Yep - 2 years in the USFL. At his peak, he was fun to watch. But his peak didn't last long.

Elvis?

Before Josh came along, I used to say that we've been blessed at RB and cursed at QB.

My list based on personal observation (i.e. not an analysis of stats or highlights). I'm only considering the time they played in a Bills uni. (1) OJ. An other worldly runner. (2) Thurman. A great all-purpose back and a great fit for the offense he was in. (3) Freddy. Freddy is often underrated because he mostly played behind bad lines on bad teams. Great at getting something out of nothing. (4) Joe Cribbs. Excellent runner and receiver. (5) Shady. A bright spot on a bad team. I never watched him play live, but some old-timers might make a good case for Cookie Gilchrist. On a different day of the week, I might alter the order but I'd stick with these five with OJ on top. If we include their careers beyond the Bills, Marshawn probably moves into the Top Five and Shady moves up the list.

If you don't have $5mil for TT's place, you can buy this 1,000-foot, 100-year-old house in Palo Alto for barely half the price... Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead once rented the home and he let Bob Weir live in the garage. Hewlett-Packard was founded in a different garage just a few blocks away.

Coaches shouldn't lose their jobs when the team is losing. They should lose their job when the team is underperforming vis-a-vis the strength of the roster.

You can find great people, great posts, and great insight on TBD and that's why I keep coming here. What disappoints me are the other people who get hostile when you have an opposing opinion or get a fact wrong - or insist you got a fact wrong when you didn't. Buffalo is called The City of Good Neighbors." I think all Buffalonians, actual and honorary, ought to live by that tagline. We've suffered together through 1-win seasons, four SB losses, a 17-year drought, 13-seconds, and a host of other hardships together. We ought to be a Band of Brothers who support and respect each other.

I'm currently in CA but have family in Seattle and love the city. Looking hard at that one.

Cool he's training with Moulds. Seems driven... head's on straight... gotta root for him. I wonder, of all the players on the team, why the Bills decided to do an in-depth video on Shakir.

I chose the 1920-1921 Buffalo All-Americans of the early NFL. Somehow they lost only one scheduled, sanctioned game in the first two years of the league and yet were never crowned champs. They acquired the nickname, "All-Americans," because of the ridiculous number of All-American collegiate players who joined the squad. I admit I'm being a homer by chosing the All-Americans but they truly were a powerhouse... In 1920, the All-Americans outscored their opponents 258 points to 32. But lost the league title when we tied the eventual champs, the Akron Pros, in the last game of the season. They had strange rules back then. In 1921, we finished the season undefeated, outscoring our opponents 218 to 19. There were no playoffs in those days and we became league champs by having the best record. Or so the team and local newspapers thought. But then the All-Americans owner, Frank McNeil, then scheduled an exhibition game against Dayton in Buffalo one day and another exhibition in Chicago the following day. Some players choose not to embark on a 500-mile train ride just for an exhibition game. Others were fatigued by two back-to-back games and a long trip. The exhausted team lost to Chicago 10-7. After some additional maneuvering, politicking, and general unfairness, the league decided to count the exhibition games. The league title was awarded to Chicago in what’s known as the Staley Swindle. Tommy Hughitt (QB/Coach). Tommy was an athletic quarterback but truly excelled as a player-coach. His NFL winning percentage of .694 is 6th all-time, ahead of legends like Don Shula, Bill Cowher, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs, Tony Dungee, Bill Belichick, and Andy Reid. According to some reports, Hughitt was the first NFL coach to employ a spread offense. Elmer “Catchy” Oliphant (HB) led the NFL in scoring, FGs, PATs, and TD passes 1921. He still holds collegiate scoring records at both Purdue and West Point where he excelled in a variety of sports and once held the low-hurdle world record. Luke Urban (End) was named to All-Pro teams in 1920, 1922, and 1923. A gifted all-around athlete, he attended college at Boston College where he starred in football, basketball, baseball, and hockey and was a captain of three of those teams. Long before Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, Urban played both football and baseball professionally. Bob Nash (Tackle/End) once knocked Jim Thorpe out while tackling him, though he knocked himself out on the same play. Buffalo thrashed Thorpe's team 57-0 that fine day. Ockie Anderson (HB/QB) was the NFL’s second-leading scorer in 1920 and individually outscored four teams. In 1921 he led the league in TDs and was once again the NFL’s second-leading scorer, trailing only his Buffalo teammate, Elmer Oliphant.

I don't disagree. Some had lingering injury concerns. Some were expensive. Some were just aging out. Beane had to make some moves. But Morse, Poyer, White, and even Diggs were considered leaders by some of their teammates. Someone has to fill the void.

Apologies for taking the remarks out of context. I never suggested that McD was going to develop new wrinkles that put our offense over the top. Not even close. I just said he's not over his head when it comes to NFL offenses. Besides that, I agree with you. I try to pay attention to what players say - and don't say. A lot of players praise McD as a head coach and leader - his preparation, hard work, etc. What I don't hear much about is X and O acumen. In comparison, I've heard lots of comments from players and coaches alike about Greg Roman being a genius at scheming up a run game or Kyle Shanahan being a genius at scheming up a passing game or Belichick being a genius at more or less everything (according to some). Players and coaches are mostly silent on McD's tactical genius. So I'm guessing he's solid at X's and O's but not among the very best. I think his strengths are preparation for game day, building teamwork, and getting guys to execute.

I think this is a great question. Without being in the locker room with the guys, it's hard to say who might emerge as a leader this season. We certainly need someone to step up with all the veteran leaders we've lost. In the past, Allen has said he displays his leadership by his play on the field. While leading by example is important, it's not the be-all/end-all of leadership. We need players who get other players to commit to "the process," pay attention in the meeting rooms, and execute on the practice field as well as the game field. I don't know if Josh has done a lot of that previously but he did say that he'll take a bigger role this year. I agree with most of your assessments. And in another thread, I advocated for Hyde's return for the very same reason: his leadership. If he wasn't 40 years old, I'd want Kyle Williams back too.

I don't disagree with anything you say here and you make some strong points. I suppose where I disagree is I might have more faith in Beane and McD than you do. Here's what I mean... You might assess the odds of Claypool working out as 500-1. When they signed him, they might have assessed them as more like 5-1. I don't think they saw him as a sure thing given his history. But if they didn't think there was some reasonable chance, they wouldn't have signed him and wasted a roster spot. So I'm thinking Beane and McD know something that we don't that gives them greater confidence than Claypool's checkered history would seem to warrant. That's why I'm holding out hope. And he seems to be off to a good start. McD doesn't hand out praise like candy so I took note when he said this: "Very impressed with Chase, really just starting with his approach... He's very focused... [He's] on a mission, right now, to reclaim what he once was... Very impressed with his day-to-day approach, true pro, high character, smart player and been a good addition to the team."

Actually, I agree. As I was reading the Yahoo article, one of my thoughts was, "He sounds like Diggs. Only worse. And we just ate $31m to be done with Diggs!" So I started wondering what kinds of conversations took place between Claypool, Beane, and McD. Claypool must have impressed them that he's a changed man or else they wouldn't be giving him a chance. And the way McD has praised him, it sounds like we're off to a good start. I also wondered what Claypool's agent has said and done to help him. Because if I was his agent, I would have sent him to anger management classes and then hired a Life Coach with an advanced degree in psychology. Some players lack some of the physical skills it takes to succeed in the NFL and spend time working on those in the offseason. Claypool has lacked the emotional skills so maybe he's worked on those in the offseason? Or maybe adversity has forced him to grow up? We'll see. He has the physical talent to be an NFL starter but - so far - the emotional maturity of a high schooler. I'm sort of splitting the middle and guessing he earns a roster spot but as a backup.

You previously wrote that Claypool "repeatedly proven himself to be a loser" as if this guy is a total and perpetual failure in life with a long rap sheet of losing. Now you're saying he's a loser technically just once and realistically just twice. I feel like we're making progress! To each his own, but I don't like hanging definitive, immutable labels on people I don't personally know, especially in the face of contradictory evidence. As a football player, Claypool was a winner both in high school and college. And while he didn't set the world on fire, two of his four seasons in the NFL have been statistically decent. Teammates and coaches have spoken highly of his talent, work ethic, and will to win. They've also spoken about his bad temper. If Beane and McD didn't think there was some hope that he could turn things around, they wouldn't have him on the roster. Whether he does or not, remains to be seen. I'm keeping an open mind and, as a Bills fan, hoping for the best.

Way over his head? DC's have to be experts in offensive schemes. How can you stop an offense if you don't understand it? And who is better equipped to scheme against a defense than a defensive expert? I think it's safe to say that McD knows more about NFL offenses than 99.9999 of the people on the planet. Put me in charge of an NFL offense and I'll be in way over my head. McD is not in over his head. Bill Belichick, former DC, tinkered with the Pats offense all the time. On the whole, it worked out okay for him.