hondo in seattle

It seems to me the attacks on Einstein are not because he "posted some intuitive facts." He's attacked because he sometimes presents himself as if he's superior to others. Right or wrong, hubris tends to attract negative responses. I suspect he'd be better treated by his mafia brothers & sisters if he practiced more humility and kindness. I personally agree with many of Einstein's take. Just not this one. I think it's unwise to fire the coach with the highest winning percentage in Bills history. If McD's record in the playoffs isn't stellar, let's admit his roster wasn't stellar. The playoff teams we lost to had just as much talent as we did. In fact, I don't think there's been a year yet when we entered the playoffs with the most talented roster in the AFC so Lombardi expectations were always a stretch in my opinion. You're right about this: people wear Bills blinders. Some fans are overestimating our roster's strengths while underestimating its weaknesses. With most of the HCs in Bills' history, I thought our chances of winning a SB were slim to none. In the three years since Josh has emerged, I felt our chances of winning a Lombardi have improved to maybe 10% or so - better than most teams but hardly a slam dunk. Both Beane and McD have unfinished work to do and I'd like to give them the opportunity to do it. I'm not calling McD the second coming of Knute Rockne and I don't think anyone else is either. Given the positive changes he's already wrought, we just want to give him more time.

Agreed. Motor's fans point out his comparatively high YPC despite playing behind a poor run-blocking line. Part of Motor's per-carry success was that he was the last weapon defensed. Defenses played pass first, run second. And our most feared runner has been Josh Allen.

I agree. That's why I didn't say the Browns would have surely won. The Bills had a chance. I remember Larry Felser saying Cookie in his prime was as good as Jim Brown. And the Bills' incredible run D would have slowed Brown down if they had played. If only the Super Bowl had started two years earlier - we would have had two appearances and maybe a championship to show for it. And maybe an early SB victory would have changed the trajectory of the franchise.

ESPN polled a bunch of execs, coaches, and players and came up with this Top Ten list for TEs: 1. Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs 2. George Kittle – San Francisco 49ers 3. Mark Andrews – Baltimore Ravens 4. Dallas Goedert – Philadelphia Eagles 5. Darren Waller – Las Vegas Raiders 6. T.J. Hockenson – Minnesota Vikings 7. Kyle Pitts – Atlanta Falcons 8. Evan Engram – New York Giants 9. Pat Freiermuth – Pittsburgh Steelers 10. Dawson Knox – Buffalo Bills I'm just a bit surprised to see Dawson squeak into the top ten. www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/best-tight-ends-in-nfl-ranked-by-executives-players-scouts-and-coaches-full-list-here/ar-AA1dOmSj?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=5c96caba93df4f4999185e02244fd04c&ei=38

Nice work! Random thoughts... Blanton Collier being listed as a non-winner is a little misleading. He won the NFL championship with the Browns in 1964, before there was a Super Bowl. Had there been a SB that year, the Browns would have been heavy favorites. Marty Shottenheimer is a sad story. 21 years at .631 - you'd think he'd have at least one trophy to his name. Don Coryell win percentage was good but not fabulous: .572. But he would probably be in HOF if he had picked up a Lombardi in his 12 years. Still belongs in Canton because of his contributions to the passing game. Chuck Knox has the 10th most wins in NFL history. As Buffalo luck would have it, none of those wins was a SB.

Good interview. He's talkative and definitely has his own point of view. Clearly loves Buffalo. Funny how he gave the Jets-loving sidekick grief. Favorite quote: "We're a group of men that love each other, play with each other... there are no worries."

As a Buddhist, I'm confused by these Buddhist references.

I'm not sure how much I trust their rankings but maybe so. In any case, Booker was a good Bill. Here's a write-up from Buffalo Fanatics: "The Buffalo Bills signed the undrafted Edgerson as a free agent in 1962 and never looked back. He went on to feature on the AFL’s 1962 All-Rookie Team with a career-high 6 INTs, picking off HoF QB George Blanda twice in his first-ever game as a pro. His man coverage was some of the best in the AFL and his ability to lock down some of the best talents in a league flush with talented, future HoF WRs was vital to our dominant defense. It was he who made our secondary as difficult to throw at as it was. He locked up the opposition consistently in the AFL Championships in 1964 and 1965, doing his part to take both trophies home. He was declared an AFL All-Star in 1965 and Second-Team All-AFL in 1969." thebuffalofanatics.com/walking-the-wall-of-fame-booker-edgerson/

I think Booker is on the Wall of Fame.

It's a surprisingly solid list. I was wondering what number I should take when the Bills sign me as the NFL's oldest FA (a mere 64). Seems my chances of being the best at any jersey number are pretty slim but Carwell Gardner might be the weak link.

I hope you're right. Even as someone who worries about their relationship, I think there's been a lot of questionable opinions circulating in the media without a lot of hard evidence. We know about Diggs blowing up on the sideline and having some kind of unspecified issue at training camp. The rest is circumstantial and speculative. Allen has already said there's no problem. I'd love for Diggs to publicly reinforce that. Or, better, see what you described, Diggs and Allen hugging after a big score and then laughing on the sidelines. I think, given our cap limitations, Beane did a nice job upgrading an already talented offensive roster. I'd hate for an interpersonal problem to slow us down.

I'm not sure how much Colin Cowherd ever knows what he talks about. But he's been talking about the Diggs-Allen relationship again: "Once a relationship between a quarterback and receiver goes south, you can't unsour the milk. You gotta throw the milk out and you’re not getting rid of quarterbacks, and in most cases the wide receivers leave. www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/colin-cowherd-bills-are-preparing-themselves-for-life-without-stefon-diggs/ar-AA1dJHiC?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=b392184f52c54283a2b6bdcab0b9bada&ei=24

When I watched OJ, Walter Payton, Joe Montana, or Payton Manning play, I knew I was privileged to observe a HOF talent do their work. I never felt that way about Luck, though I admit the stats are impressive. I vote no.

Years ago, a new coach was hired for an ailing basketball program. The coach quickly turned the team around and got them into the playoffs. Unfortunately, he seemed to have no knack for playoff competition. His team was consistently outcoached and outplayed when it became win-or-go-home. Although the team was winning more regular season games than before, some fans wanted the coach fired. The goal wasn't a playoff appearance. The goal was a championship and the coach wasn't delivering one. They had waited 15 years with this clown. If he was going to win a championship, he would have won one by now. Time for a change, they said. Well, Coach Wooden finally gave them a championship. In fact, he gave them 10 national championships in a period of 12 years. Happily, the UCLA AD hadn't listened to the fans who had wanted Wooden's head. To win a Lombardi, you need a good roster and you need a good coach. But you need the stars to align, too. Because there are variables outside the coach's control, there is no one path for coaches to get to the championship. There are guys like Pederson who won the Super Bowl in his 2nd year as a head coach and then fell into sustained mediocrity. And then there are guys like Andy Reid, who didn't win the Lombardi till his 21st season but has won twice now.

Aaron needs to come out of retirement.

Harris will have more carries than Cook. Sherfield with have more catches than Shakir.

The Bills reach the Super Bowl but many fans still call for McD's termination.

I don't remember this show but it had Scatman Crothers, Casey Kasem, Paul Winchell, Richard Dawson, and other star voice talents.

Agreed. Maybe we'll see some Big Nickel?

That's why we signed Rapp.

Emmit's greatest talent was longevity. He never had a season where I personally thought he was the best RB that year.

I agree with everything you wrote. I tend to think OJ was the greatest runner of all time - or perhaps second behind Jim Brown. But Thurm was a tremendous all-purpose back. He could run, catch, and block. He'd be perfect in this offense.

You make pronouncements that you pass off as facts. They are not. The data can be interpreted in different ways. I began my post with the preamble of "statistical gymnastics" because there are lies, damn lies, and statistics. Stats are just numbers. You can use them to tell nearly any story you want. But here's the statistical story I believe: stability pays off. Over the past 50 years, the average Steeler coach lasted for about 17 years. Their three coaches won 6 Lombardi's. In the same period, our average HC lasted about 2.8 years. Our endless parade of coaches have never won a Lombardi. Being decisive - often considered a good trait in many situations - and quickly pulling plugs is not a smart strategy to take with HCs. Patience and perseverance pay off. The average team has a 3% of winning the Super Bowl. Good GMs and HCs can increase their probability to maybe 10%. It took Beane and McD two, or three years to reach that level. They've been at that level for maybe 3, maybe 4, years now. From a mathematical perspective, it's not time to panic. You don't fire the coach that brought you from 0-1% to 10% just because he hasn't hit on his 1-in-10 shot yet. There is no one path to the Super Bowl. Of those Steeler coaches, Cowher won in his 14th season. Tomlin won in his 2nd. They both contributed in their own way to Pittsburgh's enviable haul of six trophies.

Statistical gymnastics... There is a 3% chance each year of any particular team winning the SB. This is McD's 7th year. Of coaches who have coached in the Super Bowl era, roughly 25% (20 of 780) who coached for 7 or more years win a Super Bowl. Roughly half (13 of 27) of all coaches who coach for 13 or more years win a Super Bowl. The longer we hang on the McD, the better the odds.

I don't think we'll match last year's 13-3 record. I think we overachieved a bit in the regular season last year, given all the key injuries we had. And we're facing a tougher schedule this year. But I do think, barring significant injuries, we'll field a better team. And that bodes well - hopefully - for the playoffs.