hondo in seattle

Thanks for the recommendation. My wife was underwhelmed in Clarence, but I've convinced her we need to give East Aurora a try next. I think I recall going somewhere on Genesee with a friend. Don't recall the name. Or a char pit - so maybe not. I'll add Macy's to the list. You guys are making me hungry! I currently live south of San Jose, CA. There are some fantastic Latin and Asian restaurants around here representing all sorts of regional cuisines. But I have yet to find good pizza. And I'd love to be proven wrong when I say that the world has caught up to Buffalo's wings.

PBF81, you insist you don't care yet you keep pounding the table. I already told you why I like Weisman's opinion: because I want him to be right because I'm a Bills fan. I get some reassurance that Weisman might be right because Buffalo716 (former scout), Josh Allen, Brandon Beane, and some other folks I respect generally agree with him. But opinions are like *elbows* - everybody has them. And the draft is a game of chance. Even good GMs/scouts are often wrong. Even bad GMs/scouts are sometimes right. The good GMs/scouts simply have a better batting percentage, though that's a metric that's hard to measure precisely. Scouting is a very inexact, predictive science. A scout needs to guess who's going to get bigger, stronger, faster. Who's going to fully dedicate themselves to their craft and resist the temptations that come with fame and money. Who's going to set their ego aside and be receptive to the coaching and take it to heart. Who's not going to sustain a career-ending injury. And so on. Weisman, Allen, and Beane may all be wrong, and you may be right. I don't know. But I know this: I have no way of knowing. So I choose to maintain hope that Coleman turns out to be a great pick. Given some of the people who believe in the kid, and my own observations, it's not an unreasonable hope.

La Nova is a place that's been on my Buffalo list for a long while for both pizza and wings. I've never been to Nine-eleven or Desi's but maybe they get added to the list. And I'll give Bar Bill another chance whenever I visit Buffalo next. Both my brothers are Duff's guys and I do like Duff's. While Duff's hottest wings aren't as spicy as Wing Dome's in Seattle, Duff's is better overall. I don't recall any great Buffalo-style wings when I lived in Seattle, but I did have many good Asian-style.

Of course, flavor is more important than spice level. But I'm not a traditionalist. I'll make or otherwise eat classic Buffalo Wings made with Frank's Redhot from time to time. But I really enjoy more inventive, "new fangled" recipes with better (IMHO) flavor profiles. And this is where some non-Buffalo restaurants occasionally shine. I suppose it's a weird tradition, but I eat wings virtually every week during the football season when I sit down to watch the Bills. Sometimes the wife either makes them or orders them. When I make them myself, gochujang (fermented spicy Korean chili paste) is almost always an ingredient.

Thanks for the explanation. Somewhere I read examples of actual NFL scouting reports, but I was vague on the mechanics of the process. There are something like 900 college football programs in the US - counting all levels. To boil thousands of players down to a manageable and accurate draft board seems like a daunting challenge.

I haven't visited any cities that I find especially good at wings, just particular restaurants here and there. For example, I visited my daughter in Bellingham, WA once when she was going to school there. We had wings for an appetizer at a Thai restaurant that were so good we had to order another serving. The following day, we had wings at a Brazilian place that specialized in wings/chicken. The wings themselves were unexceptional except that they came with a variety of tasty & interesting dipping sauces. A week later, we were in Buffalo (Clarence) at Bar Bill. My son, wife, and I all agreed the wings at those two restaurants in Bellingham were better than any of the three flavors we got at Bar Bill. As a Buffalo native, it was disappointing. I want Buffalo to be the superlative in all things wings. But I went to Duff's once on a visit back home and ordered the Death Wings. They were hot but I ate them. On the other hand, I once ordered the 7-Alarm wings at the Wing Dome in Seattle. I barely finished one and swore - with tears in my eyes - that I'd never consume anything with hot sauce ever again. Whenever I'm back in Buffalo, there are a few things I try to hit: pizza, wings, beef-on-weck, and Parkside Candy (I love the store itself more than the offerings but I do love chocolate). The pizza is probably my biggest pleasure of the four.

Let me ask you something about the mechanics of the scouting process. Let's say an NFL scout sees a kid that he likes. He'll make his evaluation, write up a report, and submit it. Does he then call the GM or Director of College Scouting to advocate for the kid? Do the various scouts compare notes in meetings? How do the area/regional scouts influence the draft board & process besides filling out scouting reports?

Claypool is my choice for a hit. Obviously, looking at his first two years in the league, he has enough talent to be a successful NFL wideout. His next two years were, however, huge disappointments. This may be faulty logic, but I don't think Beane would have signed him unless he thought there was a good chance that Claypool could turn things back around. I'm betting on Beane being right. And just yesterday, McD had heaped some heavy praise on the young man: "Very impressed with Chase, really just starting with his approach. Here's a veteran receiver, former high pick that has been on a journey, right, through the course of his, recently, his career. I applaud Chase for coming here to see where things go. He's very focused... You don't find that a lot around the NFL, where a player has been at a certain level and then is on a mission, right now, to reclaim what he once was in that regard... Very impressed with his day-to-day approach, true pro, high character, smart player and been a good addition to the team."

I hate to be nosy but I gotta ask... What kind of job has you scouting both high school and college players? If I'm prying where I don't belong, just let me know and I'll move on.

I remember reading an article about pizza from a highly travelled pizza connoisseur. He mentioned that NYC and Chicago are the two cities most famous for pizza but thought Buffalo was just as good. He also said Detroit was woefully underrated. (If I recall correctly, he said he would rank Detroit #2). I don't recall him mentioning New Haven and I'm surprised to see it on your list. I read a different article about pizza, written by two chefs who rated San Francisco and Seattle in the Top 5 or 10 but not Buffalo (or Detroit, as I recall). Having lived in San Fran and Seattle, I concluded these guys didn't know what they were talking about and obviously hadn't researched the subject very deeply. I know that this is not a popular opinion, but I believe that Buffalo pizza is better than Buffalo wings. I've had a lot of great wings outside of Buffalo - better than Bar Bill, Duffs, or Anchor. But Buffalo pizza shines. The average pizza joint in Buffalo is better than the average pizza joint in the majority of other cities. And on a per capita basis, Buffalo is one of the most pizza dense places in North America.

PBF81, you've made it clear here and elsewhere that you don't think much of Keon. But let me offer another view by Brentley Weisman, "Coleman has everything you want to be a team’s No. 1 option and will likely be a difference-maker early on in his NFL career... Prospect Projection: Day 1 — Pro Bowl Talent" You're a knowledgeable poster. But Weisman is a former NFL scout with the Chargers, Raiders, and Pats. It would be hard for you to convince me that you're right and the NFL scout is wrong. Especially when I want the scout to be right. 🙂 You can read Weisman's full profile on Coleman here: thedraftnetwork.com/2023/12/20/keon-coleman-scouting-report-nfl-draft-2024

McD's first playoff loss wasn't much of a disappointment to me because it was so expected. That roster just wasn't good. Since then, I've had some higher expectations. But at the beginning of the playoffs, I never thought, "This is our year." The landscape was never particularly favorable. Every year, there were teams that were healthier, or better, or both. So overall, I think McD's playoff record is about what I'd expect given the strength of the roster at the start of the playoffs. And I suppose that, in itself, is disappointing. You want the coach to elevate the team and squeak out some victories against better squads. McD hasn't done that - not in the playoffs. Though, any statistician will tell you about the importance of sample size. Coaches don't coach enough in the playoffs for their performance there to become a meaningful sample. But they do coach a lot of regular-season games. And the Bills' success is well known... Since 2020: KC 51-16 Bills 48-18 Packers 43-24 Cowboys 42-25 49ers 41-16 When pitted against other NFL coaches, McD usually comes out on top. It doesn't happen as often in the playoffs because (1) tougher opponents, (2) injuries, and (3) bad luck. It's not because McD suddenly turns into a coaching moron. Anyway, the small sample size makes the record an almost meaningless metric. Reid went 6-5 in his first 11 playoff games. McD's 5-6. I'm hoping things coalesce and McD, like Reid, ends up with 3 rings.

This is a cogent argument and not only do I get your point, but I sincerely hope you're right. But let's say, for the sake of argument, that you graduated law school when you were 35. Needless to say, you'd be a much smarter, better attorney at age 40. The first few years are the ones when the learning is most intense. McD became the Bills HC at age 43. He was a first-time head coach but he had been around football nearly his entire life, including 16 years in the NFL. You'd think by then, he'd have a good idea of who would be a good OC. After some time, the learning curve flattens. Your grandson went from 4 out of 100 free throws to 93 out of 100. (Congrats!) But now that he's been at it for some years, he's not likely to get much better. I think I recall McD using the expression, "growth mindset" in the past but I have to wonder how much he's learning and growing anymore. A little, for sure, but maybe not a lot. In retrospect, promoting Dorsey was a mistake. After the Dorsey misfire, did McD experience some tremendous epiphany and suddenly uncover the secret attributes of a great OC? Or is he still operating under his same old paradigms? I don't know. Brady's lackluster tryout doesn't help my confidence. The offense wasn't prolific when he called the shots last year. But, man, I really want you to be right.

I was surprised when the Bills made the playoffs McD's first year when you consider how untalented that roster was. Luck? I suppose luck was part of it. Luck is certainly a part of football. But I attribute our success to McD's good coaching. He had guys playing hard even when things looked dire. And he had them playing together. They often looked outclassed, talent-wise, but they didn't look unprepared. Of course, we didn't go far in the playoffs. The talent differential was too much. I never expected to win any playoff games; I was just happy that Kyle Williams got to play in one. I evaluate a HC like this: Given the strength and health of the roster, is he winning more or less games than I'd expect. I think McD's first year may have been his best because he got more out of that squad than anyone had a right to expect.

I saw a playoff game in Miami during the Kelly years. I think any advice I'd have would be outdated. But I'll say this: it was a lot of fun. Miami fans jeered Bills fans everywhere we went. People gave us the finger on the highways. They chanted obscene things in the stadium when it became clear they were going to lose. The nightly newscasters mocked Buffalo's dreary winter skyline. I wore a Bills jersey into a restaurant and the server told me she couldn't take my order. I thought she was joking. She wasn't. But we Bills fans were like locusts. Undeterred by the relentless negativity of our suffering Fin hosts, we swarmed over the city in the tens of thousands.

I think McD is a good coach. I don't think he's often "outcoached" either in the regular season or the playoffs. I think he's had bad luck going into the playoffs with injuries to key players. I don't believe the D is as physically talented as some others may think. I think McD deserves a lot of credit for our high defensive ranking in years past. I think his defenses are examples of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. You don't see a lot of mental mistakes. You do see a lot of effort and teamwork. But I think the good-not-great level of individual talent hurts us in the playoffs where we lose one-on-one battles. McD is not a warm, loveable guy like, say, Andy Reid. And he's not by any accounts a true genius with scheme. But I do think he's a solid coach overall who prepares his team well and has built a good culture. But as a defensive-minded head coach, his biggest need is finding a good OC. He's struggled there. Dennison and Dorsey didn't work out. Daboll left for a bigger opportunity though some say he wanted out and would have been happy with a lateral move. This is an age-old problem for the Bills. During the drought, our offensive HCs could never find a good DC, and our defensive HCs could never find a good OC. If Brady works out, the Bills will be dangerous. And that's the one big thing I want from McD: find a great OC. Hopefully, with Brady, he already has. We'll see.

Beane and McD are smart, capable people who know football far better than I do. I'm guessing McD gave Brady the OC job and Beane acquiesced. So, should I trust their judgment? Hmm. Let's consider McD's track record with OCs. He first hired Rick Dennison who he quickly fired. Then he hired Daboll who left for a bigger opportunity. Then he promoted Dorsey only to fire him. I'll call Daboll a win and the other two losses. McD is batting .333. That record doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Neither does Brady's performance as the Bills OC so far. He put together one good rushing game and spread the ball around more than Dorsey. But he struggled to scheme guys open and Josh's stats under Brady took a nosedive. So maybe with different weapons and a full offseason to prepare, Brady will perform better this year. I certainly hope so. But my cup isn't overflowing with confidence. There's a lot of buzz about Diggs' departure and who's going to replace him. But the man I will watch most closely this year is Joe Brady. I think the season hinges on him.

I don't necessarily agree but really hope this is true!

So many variables... New receivers. A new-ish OC. The pessimist in me worries about Diggs' departure. But even more, I worry about Brady. Josh wasn't very productive under Brady at the end of last season. Rushing yards went up but passing yards went down. The optimist buried within hopes, given a full offseason to prepare, Brady puts together a good offense. And I hope some of the new receivers surprise their critics. I'm also hoping Josh benefits from the best passpro of his career. Also, Allen's passing efficiency last year was better when not throwing to someone with a surname that begins with "D." There are no D-surname wideouts this season. When I voted, I decided to listen to my hopes rather than my fears but I'm going into this football season with a lot of questions and curiosity.

Much cheaper while a bit faster. Cheaper is the key. Goodell has Beane on a budget.

Molly, it's great that you coordinate a high school offense. Thanks for serving the kids. I read a report on Coleman written by a former NFL scout who projected Coleman will become an All Pro. No offense, but I'm taking his evaluation over yours. Beyond the matter of comparative expertise, I just like his opinion better. Though I have to acknowledge that another former NFL scout pessimistically predicted Coleman's NFL career will be a "slow fade." Beane's obviously more inclined to agree with the former scout and we have to hope he's right. But as you say, it's okay for us fans to be wrong. When even professional scouts can't agree on Coleman (or many other draft picks, for that matter), I personally don't get too attached to my own opinions.

I can't prove it but I believe that if Andy Reid was our OC instead of Joe Brady, we'd have enough offensive weapons right now to put together a potent aerial attack. We pretty much know the 2024 roster. We can only hope that Brady can do something with it.

It's hard to think Hyde still isn't better than the otherwise worst guy to make the final 53. And it would seem his leadership, enthusiasm, and understanding of McD's system would be a huge asset to the safety room. I hope we see him play in a Bills uni again.

In another thread, I named the six wideouts who I thought would make the final 53. Beane mentioned 5 of the 6. The one he didn't mention was Claypool. I also thought that was telling. About Brady... People with the team tell a pretty consistent story. Brady is a good communicator. And some say it's not just one-way. He solicits feedback from other coaches and players. Reading between the lines, I guess Dorsey didn't do that.

Interesting trying to read between the lines about why Bean and McD liked Brady as OC over Dorsey.