hondo in seattle

Never charged. Never arrested. Never tried. Never convicted.

Lenny's made it clear he was unhappy with his role (or lack of one). But he wasn't impressive when he played. I know Lenny has always been slow but watching him run, I thought my TV switched to slow motion. Not to knock our OL, which has been much better this year, but when they do open holes, the holes often close quickly. Cook hits those holes with burst and vision. Lenny slowly rumbles into them... eventually.

I do worry about wimpifying football. But under the current rules, I thought it was clearly a penalty.

Understood. And it could work out. But I'd be more comfortable in the playoffs with a punter who's played in the NFL before (both as a punter and a holder) and has done so recently. But Araiza does know how to hold and can kick the snot out of a ball.

The similarity to 2022 is what has me worried, Doc. I feel like we're limping into the Chiefs game the way we limped into last year's playoff game with the Bengals. Too battered and bruised to compete with a good team. By the end of the game yesterday, we were missing our 4 best CBs (White, Douglas, Benford, Johnson) and our 4 best LBs (Milano, Bernard, Dodson, Spector). Meanwhile, KC will line up two All-Pro quality DBs against us. And they have 2 extra days for recuperation and preparation. Fingers crossed, we'll get some good news when the injury report gets updated. But with the defense in bandages, I think we may need Josh to don his Superman cape and put a lot of points on the board.

Agreed. As much as I think Araiza deserves another chance, now is not the time.

I'd be a lot more jacked if we were healthier.

Klein is the definition of a fringe player. The Bills cut him in August of last year. Then re-signed him a month later. Then cut him again on December 9th. Then re-signed him on January 11. He was on the street a week ago. And this week he was playing in front of 70,000 screaming fans in a playoff game. Pretty cool.

Wasn’t there a college team that never punted because the analytics said it’s better not to?

I’d like to keep Shakir in his current role but replace Davis with a Lee Evans type vertical threat with speed.

Well, I watched the video on whataboutism! Thanks for the link. You've indeed done your part. But when I mentioned famine or whatever it was that I mentioned, it wasn't a rhetorical tool to try to win an argument. I don't care about winning a debate. I was just expressing how I feel about the subject. As a Stoic-Buddhist, I am not as worry-free as I should be. But I do try not to sweat the small stuff. Ignorance of lake effect snow is something I personally consider small stuff. But I don't see any need for other people to value what I value, or devalue what I devalue. Stoicism, btw, teaches people to be indifferent to the things they can't control. I try to embrace that teaching in most things. But not when it comes to the Bills, I'm not indifferent to the outcome of today's game. This isn't small stuff and I'm sweating it. I've irrationally put my mental health in the hands of a bunch of kids playing a game. If the Bills win, I'll be happy. If they lose, I'll be grumpy the rest of the day. Maybe the rest of the month. We all have our hang-ups.

So would I. Then again, each year there seems to be at least one HC hiring that surprises me. It shouldn't surprise us to be surprised.

I successfully registered there earlier in the season - before they were bitter about the end of season.

I grew up in Cheektowaga. When I went to college, my parents moved to the Southtowns where it really snows. Haven't lived in Buffalo since and, no, it doesn't bother me when I have to explain lake effect snows. I'm not a very smart man. The opportunity to intelligently explain something is good for my self-esteem. Anyway, why should it bother me? There are murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and terrorists all over the world. They bother me. Someone who's a little obtuse about lake effect snow isn't a problem worth worrying about.

Hochul mentioned talking to emergency response teams. And I don't doubt that public safety was a legitimate concern. But Kathy is a Bills fan. She knows the Bills game needs to be in Buffalo. And that bad weather can be an equalizer. And that a stadium full of screaming mafia is an advantage. And that all her friends and family wanted her to do right by the Bills. I don't think for a minute that public safety was her only consideration.

Bills culture, meditation, hand pans, ayahuasca... Good interview. Poyer is a positive-energy, Bills-loving dude.

Agreed. The Pats finished 7th in defense (yards) this past season. I'm going to assume, and maybe I shouldn't, that Mayo can keep the D on the right track even without the grumpy genius. The offense, on the other hand, finished 30th and requires both an OC and QB, among other needs. And filling the roster needs is going to require a good GM. A lot has to fall into place for Mayo to be successful.

A guy with only 5 years of coaching experience - and no HC or coordinator experience - is chosen to be the head coach of the New England Patriots instead of them retaining the 3rd winningest coach in NFL history. It's not Holy-Sh*t-the-Lions-just-made-Matt-Millen-their-CEO/GM! strange, but it does seem odd. According to reports out of Boston, it's not as weird as it first appears. Kraft thinks Mayo is an up-and-coming coaching star and, reportedly, Mayo had a contract said he'd take over as HC in 2024. The succession plan was accelerated by just a year. After retiring as a player, Mayo worked as a "financial executive" for a couple of years. That expression could refer to a lot of different occupations, but it seems maybe Mayo is a little brighter than the average NFL alum, a little more together. In Boston they say Mayo was more than just a LB coach this past season. He was the de facto co-DC and very involved in the entire Pats defense. It's also said that he's well-respected by the players. And since a succession plan was in place, presumably Hoodie was mentoring Mayo on the finer points of being a head coach. Mayo isn't as unlikely and unprepared as I first thought. Though the odds of any new HC being successful are long.

To make amends for cutting a kid who was never arrested, tried, or convicted of a crime, I think Beane should bring Araiza in for a preseason competition with Martin. Even if Martin beats him out - even if Beane's mind is made up ahead of time - just getting Araiza back into an NFL uniform would be good for the kid. Maybe some time with the Bills would open some doors for Araiza.

This is probably the more important hiring. The Pats sucked the last couple of years because of personnel shortcomings more than coaching shortcomings. The roster isn't very good - particularly at the position that matters most - and they need a talented GM to fix it.

From ILB coach to HC? Seems like quite a jump.

Are Americans becoming wusses? When I grew up as a millennial in the suburbs of Buffalo, we used to play tackle football on the street in the winter with just the snow for cushioning. But kids today don't care much about sports. According to a 2021 study, "only 23% of Generation Z describe themselves as passionate sports fans, as opposed to 42% of millennials, 33% of Generation X and 31% of baby boomers." Sports originated as a way to hone warrior skills like wrestling, throwing, and running. To survive, a nation needs its warriors, and a love of sports keeps the warrior spirit alive. But maybe the young kids today are a different breed of warriors: soft physically perhaps but proficient at a keyboard. www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/gen-z-doesnt-care-about-sports-thats-part-of-a-bigger-problem/ar-AA1mzQJ5

That's part of what makes the story compelling to many. His dream of playing in the NFL was stolen by a young lady who made false accusations of involuntary gang rape and an unethical lawyer who broadcast and exaggerated the accusations as loudly as he could. You made a remark suggesting Araiza isn't "any good at all." I believe a kid who wins the Ray Guy award is at least a little good. His lack of an NFL career has nothing to do with his talent. It's a matter of PR at this point. Without the allegations made against him, his career trajectory would have been very different. When was the last time a college punter with a 51+ yard average didn't make it in the NFL? It's never happened. Nobody on this board has claimed that he's an established NFL punter so I'm not sure why you're asking about his NFL stats. People are suggesting that maybe the kid deserves a chance.

I haven't delved deeply into this but my guess is that a guy talking about "eigen values" is not some kid playing on the internet. It seems like a legit attempt even if flawed. Sounds like the metric will be fine-tuned... "The overall model will have a makeover in the offseason that will hopefully increase the accuracy and stability of the results moving forward."

Yep, he's not good. He only set the NCAA record for punt average in a season (52.2 yards) once. And he only won the Ray Guy award as the best punter in the nation once. If he was any good at all, he would have won the Ray Guy award 3 or 4 times. And just like every other kid drafted in the NFL, he was falsely accused of gang rape in a case that received national scrutiny. Nothing remarkable about this young man at all. Not sure why his name is ever mentioned. Just a perfectly ordinary dude like anyone else on the street.