Forward Progress

But wait.... the Patriots have better Bills players than the Bills do!! I'm so confused and don't know who I can trust on TV anymore.

We have a winner!!!

It's a nice change from our past to benefit from the opponent coach's poor in-game decisions instead of our own. For the record, I'm not a clairvoyant like the rest of you. I had no expectation of a fake on the play. Given the score, the field position and the talent on Denver's team, there was no reason to make that call.

I agree with this assessment.

I agree as well. Marcel is one of the best penetrating DT's in the game. It's a shame that he isn't on the field for 3rd and long to get after the QB.

Every coach insists on running his scheme in spite of the personnel and learning curve associated with the switch. We had the best running game last year, but insist on switching to a zone blocking scheme this year. Two years ago, Rex had the perfect personnel for a 4-3 defense (that was #4 defense in the NFL the year prior), but insisted on dropping pass rushers into coverage in his 3-4 defense. It seems it would be easier for an intelligent coach to adapt to an existing effective system than to teach 53 players the new coach's system. Just my 2¢. FP

I am afraid that our running game will take a step back. Roman had a well designed run game that was very effective last year and I'm not sure what to expect this year. Conversely, I'm optimistic that our passing game will be better (using slants and screens) and that our defense will be more effective with most of our personnel well suited for the 4-3.

Whaley made all of the bad decisions and McDermott made all of the good ones.

I agree completely with this statement.

If Trump bought the Bills, we know he would make the Bills Great Again.

This one is easy. My two favourite teams every week are the Bills and whoever the Patriots are playing. Go Falcons!!

Okay, I'll play. Let's take the first QB selected after the Bills first pick in each of the last three years and see how much better we would be. Let's cancel the trade up for Sammy while we're at it, so we have three picks to choose from. Here we go... 2014 - Johnny Manziel 2015 - Garrett Grayson 2016 - Paxton Lynch This doesn't feel like the end of the train wreck to me. I don't support the model of picking a QB in round 1 every year, because there are 21 other starting positions on this team and some of them need to be elite to compete. Let's be honest, there are not enough franchise quarterbacks available for every team to have one. In Taylor, we have a slightly below average QB who had low passing stats this year with an injury depleted receiving core, who protects the ball well and is dynamic with his legs. Right now, he is the QB who gives us the best chance to win and should remain our QB until a better QB is on our roster.

I'm calling it first... Back-to-Back Off-Season CHAMPIONS!!! Go Bills!!! FP

Run, Run, Pass, Punt http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000776268/article/jaguars-choose-hackett-as-new-oc-over-chip-kelly

Sarnia, Ontario After watching Flutie tear it up in the CFL, I followed him into Buffalo. He moved on and I never did.

Our Red Zone Play has improved significantly on both sides of the ball. Red Zone Offence We have scored a TD on 73.3% of trips to the red zone this year, good for 6th in the league and up from 50% in 2015 (ranked 24th). It would be nice to get more red zone opportunities as we only reach the red zone 2.5 times per game (ranked 29th in the league) Red Zone Defense Opponents have scored a TD on 33.3% of trips to the red zone this year - 1st in the league by a wide margin (2nd best is Pittsburgh at 39.1%), up from 60% in 2015 (ranked 21st). We are entering the toughest stretch of our schedule, so I hope we can maintain this kind of performance. FP

Teams with the lead tend to run the ball more. We've jumped to early leads in each of our last three games, so we've kept the ball on the ground. Teams that are trailing tend to pass the ball more to conserve clock in order to catch up. I have no issue with low passing yards while we are winning games. FP

I was not thrilled when Rex hired his brother, Rob, this offseason. With a horrible defense in New Orleans, there was no reason to hire him other than nepotism, so I was grumbling about the hire. It's possible I was wrong. Rob calls the plays in the Red Zone, while Thurman calls the plays between the 20's. I can't argue with the results as we are now leading the league in red zone defense (see link). I think that both Thurman and Rob Ryan are benefitting from more focus in their preparation to understanding the tendencies of opposing offences both inside and outside of the redzone. I also like that Rex has finally delegated the DC responsibilities so he can be responsible for the entire team as a head coach should. https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-red-zone-scoring-pct So far, I have been wrong about Rob Ryan. For the moment, I am happy about this hire. The great thing about being a TBD poster is that I am free to fly off the handle and change my opinion any time I want. FP

Another improvement that I appreciate from Lynn is the play calls coming in faster. Under Roman the huddle broke so late that the snap was just before the play clock expired with the occasional burned timeout because they just weren't ready to play. FP

Of course he is!! He's a hard core Bills fan.

I've decided to adopt this practice, since it worked to well for Hondo. For the sake of the team, I will do whatever it takes.

But, but, but... if we get anymore wins against the NFC, it will come back to bite us. Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Dan - It's not you, it's me. For the first two weeks, I wore my Bills jersey while watching the game and we lost them both. For the last two weeks, I left the jerseys in the closet. My jerseys need to stay in the closet for the sake of the team. It's too bad, because they are the best damn jerseys in the league, but a fans gotta do what a fans gotta do. FP

If you enjoy the humor of this thread, then this clip is for you! http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=move+the+deer+crossing+sign&view=detail&mid=11E8E3678DF88E17FB7D11E8E3678DF88E17FB7D&FORM=VIRE Enjoy!

There goes my first chance to repurpose my Kiko Alonso jersey. Maybe we will draft a LB in the first round, and that LB will choose number 50, and that LB will go on to be a perennial pro bowler and my jersey will be worth the $150 I spent on it.