hondo in seattle

I'm embarrassed I didn't think of this right away: Pat Tillman.

Alpha, I posted the offending quote about Josh being overrated Monday in the "Is Josh Allen the best dual-threat QB ever" thread - not that it really matters. It is interesting that intelligent football observers have such divergent opinions on Josh. And kinda cool that some of them have come to Josh's defense. Though, maybe the unnamed exec who knocked Josh was the Bears Senior Director of Housekeeping and Janitorial who doesn't actually watch, or even like, football. Not everyone is going to board the Josh train and I don't care. I just hope that train takes us to the Super Bowl. I'll enjoy that ride immensely no matter who else on the train with me.

It was fun to see Steve Tasker, special teams ace, have a game to remember as a receiver.

I was at the game and it was truly fantastic. But The Comeback is still my most memorable game. Another special game for me at the time was watching OJ break 2,000. The game itself wasn't great, nor did OJ put on a particularly great show. But it was such an incredible achievement. Even the amazing Jim Brown never ran for 2,000. Of course, the memory of that day has been tarnished by OJ's subsequent horrible acts.

I love watching at home because I can see the action more clearly. But I was at Arrowhead a couple years ago when we crushed the Chiefs in the regular season and that was a blast. If every in-person game was that much fun, I'd vote for the stadium experience. But since some games are losses in crap weather, I'll vote for the TV in a close contest decided by a last minute score.

I love Josh and think he's destined for the Hall of Fame. But I also believe he can get better. Tom Brady, for example, was better at presnap reads. That's why he could get the ball out so quickly. I'd like to see more of that from Josh. Josh has said in the past he's not a tape junkie. Maybe he should become one. And you mentioned Kurt Warner. Warner's pointed out in his reviews that sometimes Josh doesn't throw on schedule to the guy the play was designed for. Instead he waits for something better, often scrambling around to buy time. Sometimes this ends with big, highlight-reel throws. Sometimes, though, we end up with sacks, picks, fumbles, and missed opportunities. It's awesome that Josh can - and does - make jaw-dropping plays. But I think many of us want what Brady wants: Josh routinely making routine plays. And then make the hero plays when the situation calls for them. I'm glad this is how Brady is coaching Josh. I was also glad to hear Brady talk about execution. I thought passing game execution was sloppy at times last season. Folks smarter on me (Warner may have been one) have commented on it, too - that some routes were lazy, cuts weren't crisp, etc. Scheme, playcalling, player talent are all important. But their effectiveness is optimized when the team is drilled, Lombardi-like, to execute flawlessly. I hope that's happening. Thanks for embedding the vid. It's a good interview.

Tomsula was, um... different... when he coached in the NFL. But he's now the coach of the Rhein Fire - the reigning European League Football champs - and went undefeated last year. He was incompetent at the NFL level but is seemingly talented at the 'ELF' level. Point taken.

Good post, GB. I agree with everything you wrote but I think it's hard - though not impossible - for a totally incompetent person to rise to the level of GM or HC. I've been in a lot of organizations, civilian and military, and none of them are perfect in their hiring and promotion processes. You always see guys get hired or promoted who shouldn't have been. And capable people, sadly, get passed over. But most organizations do perform in these areas at an above-random level. So, generally speaking, good people rise up the ranks. And let's remember that in the world of NFL coaching - where glory can be found and the income potential is great - there are a lot of talented people vying for the positions. Generally speaking, the best of those get hired as QCs or some other entry level schlep position. Generally, the best of those become assistant position coaches. Generally, the best of those become position coaches. Generally, the best of those become coordinators. Generally, the best of those become head coaches. The path for scout-to GM-works the same way. The morons are being weeded out at every level. But let's say that I'm a young moron - but a very special moron with an angel looking out for me. So I get hired to work quality control. With my angel's help, after twenty years I work my way up to a HC position. In that scenario, I'm probably not a moron any more. For two decades, I've been immersed in football with access to players and data regular people don't have and countless opportunities to learn from good football minds. I may not be the best coach but I'm still smarter at this stuff than any fan in the stands.

Here's how I think about that. The draft is a crap shoot. You may be a scout who studies college players full time for a living but the problem is that you are fully immersed in a world of uncertainty. You can't know for sure which guys will continue to grow their skillset, which guys will develop emotional problems, who will get life-altering injuries, and so on. You're in a predictive business and that's a dangerous business to be in. Imagine a new game at Vegas - if you correctly guess a coin flip, you win $1000. You and I may go on streaks where we win 5 or 10 times in a row. But if we keep playing, we'll win about 50% of the time. An NFL scout has expertise and insider knowledge that allows him to win 60% of the time. Sometimes, when we're on a roll, we're better than him. But over the long haul, he'll win thousands of more dollars. That's how I see the draft.

Nicely done video if not terribly enlightening. The only thing I learned was that both Poyer and Hyde allowed passer ratings north of 100. I knew they weren't the dominant tandem they once were, but I hadn't realized they had fallen that far. I don't bet - but I'd change my ways if I could bet the narrator that the Bills will finish better than 9-8. Last year, Dorsey went into a funk after a good start and about the same time the D was decimated by injuries. And we still won the East. This season: two new coordinators and - I pray to the Gridiron Gods every day - a healthier roster. I'm guessing 11-6.

Brady said in an interview with Eric Wood that the O is working on execution. Glad to hear that. He added, "We want Josh to make routine plays routinely. While Josh is capable of making incredible plays, it's about finding the balance where he can excel without feeling the pressure to do it on every snap." www.youtube.com/watch?v=72VPWZjOQ14&t=7s

Einstein, you are correct in saying that I don't know any coaches or execs. But I do not think they're brilliant. I've listened to, and read, lots of interviews. I'm not sure how some of them finished college with their poor grammar, flawed logic, misusued vocab, and so on. I saw some of Dave Wannstedt's notes once and wondered how this guy could ever be entrusted with a defense. And then there's the example of Matt Millen. But I also know this. When I hear intelligent non-restaurant folks opine about the restaurant industry which I know well, their opinions are usually amatuerish. I feel the the same way when non-military people talk about the military. So I'm guessing that football insiders think fans are amatuerish in our opinions. Well, it's not just a guess because I've heard NFL insiders say so. Could some of us be good scouts or coaches? Sure. If we spent 20 years immersed in the profession, going to seminars, learning from the folks around us, and dedicating ourselves to the craft. We couldn't step into the role of GM or HC off the street and be good at it. It would be hubris to think otherwise.

This is true. I watch games for entertainment, not to evaluate. Sometimes when I watch videos by guys like Kurt Warner, I'm surprised at the stuff he's pointing out that I hadn't noticed when I watched the game live. And it's not just the All-22 better angles. He just sees differently because of his expertise. Coaches and personnel guys are often as smart as Kurt - or smarter - and hang out with guys as smart as Kurt every day.

I agree but with the emphasis on "sometimes." Normally, I think they're smarter than that. But I remember a lot of talk from OBD about EJ Manuel's big hands, as if that was meaningful.

I have ambivalent thought about how smart we are. On the one hand, none of us here is as smart about football as professional coaches and personnel guys. As much as I respect some of you, and I do, we're just not. Imagine if you worked 50, 60, 70 hours a week for an NFL club. You spend all your time talking to players, coaches, and personnel guys, getting their insights. You study reams of tape. You're at very practice. You attend seminars, read books & articles, call up the brightest brains you know and pick them. As smart as you may be right now as a poster, in that environment you'd be so much smarter. So I pay close attention when NFL coaches and personnel guys talk. On the other hand, I was reading the ESPN article by Jeremy Fowler where he has execs rate players. One exec rated Allen as the best QB in the league. Some others didn't list him in the top five. And I found myself not really caring because I'm confident in my own evaluation. I've watched Josh's every throw. Some execs in the NFC may have only watched a couple of complete games and some highlights. Now if Bill Belichick got on TV to talk about Josh, I'd hang on every word because he knows football 1,000 better than I do. And he's studied Josh at a level I probably can't even imagine and knows Josh better too. But if one of the execs Fowler talked to was Justin Chabot, for example - the 49ers Assistant Director of College Scouting - why should I value his opinion about Josh? While I'm sure Mr. Chabot knows football far better than I do, I bet I know Josh Allen better than him. All of us do. Does anyone care about these rankings?

We're all so bored and football-deprived that we're counting down the days to camp while considering our Mount Rushmore of the 4 most hated non-Bills and relive the 1988 Pumpkin Game. This really is a terrible time of year.

According to AI, swallowing your own tongue isn't possible. Apparently it was an urban myth. But I was terrified by the concept when Mini Max supposedly swallowed his tongue. I wasn't sure I wanted to play football anymore.

Here's what some NFL execs think of Allen, according to an article by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler... Exec A "One of the more overrated players in the NFL. Immense talent but he makes a lot of mistakes. He's underdeveloped at winning at the line of scrimmage, tends to lock on to targets, more of a thrower than precision passer, forces throws into traffic." Exec B: "He leaves you wanting more a little bit. But if you're picking who you want to have to lead your team, he's going to be second or third for most people. The ceiling is still really high. And I don't really feel he was the reason the Bills haven't been able to finish." "High Ranking" NFL Official: "I saw a quarterback who is consistently a high performer who elevates his team at every chance." ww.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/nfl-executive-rips-bills-josh-allen-as-overrated/ar-BB1q1deH?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=865503d98d874b368202391db2a30f9d&ei=24

I don't normally hate people and don't hate any football players. The ones I've actively disliked were: Bryan Cox - for obvious reasons. Roethlisberger - because I think he probably got away with rape. That's about it. I can't name four.

Imagine an alternate universe where you're a GM and every football player who's ever suited up still lives and performs at their very peak. The franchise owner promises you that she won't meddle in the roster except for one stipulation: she wants you to sign the greatest dual-threat QB ever. In that scenario, I pick Josh. There have been better runners. There have been better throwers. But none who have combined those two skills the way Josh has.

I agree that its a low probability for all the reasons you stated. And it's not a move I'd necessarily like. But cutting Mitch was, in my mind, the highest probability of the possibilities that would qualify as a surprise. Cutting Von, Knox, Elam or Edwards would be surprises too, for example, but even a lower probability than cutting Mitch. Cutting Hamlin, for example, is more probable than cutting Mitch but wouldn't count as a surprise. There's a lot of flux and uncertainty this year. It'll be interesting to see what roster decisions McD makes and what the WR depth chart ends up looking like.

I don't know how you found those two replays but... wow... reminds me how brutal football used to be. Also reminds me to have respect for the QBs (and RBs and WRs) of the past who were taking those hits.

As a 65-year old guy, I don't care what some 28-year old kid thinks of my hometown - or any other city. Even if he was an All Pro, there is no reason why I should care. Except that I want good football players to like Buffalo because I want our stars to stay in Buffalo and FAs from other teams to put Buffalo on the top of their wish list. This exception doesn't apply to Smith.

That was a multitalented, potent offense. Though the Flip Johnson TD was pure luck and the kind of play that seems to go against us more often than for us. As I watched the replay, I couldn't help but think how scary Kelly would have been if he had Josh's scrambling and running ability.

The Vikes for $600m in 2005 seems like a bargain compared to some of the other deals. I really hope my cousin can finish that flux capacitor he's been working on - we'll travel back to the 1920s and 1930s and buy every NFL team we can.