cwater10

I'd rather be us and I'd rather be us, THIS YEAR! The parallels are striking and worth remembering. As stated, last year we sat 4-2 coming off two prime time games vs KC and Tenn, same as this year. The difference is we split those two games this year instead of losing both. Last year, in week 7 we were headed for a game vs Jets where the offense continued to underperform and we won with only FG's. Then we faced down NE and needed Zimmer's miracle punch of the ball to save a win vs a bad NE team, and seemingly the season's bright hopes. Then came Seattle and we seemed to finally wake up and catch fire. It's easy to look back at last season and think it was all smooth sailing. It wasn't. But this team did grow up along the way and learn how to win and how to put away the easy ones. It seams McDermott's teams do seem to lag a bit in October and then gain a ton of momentum in the second half of the season. I'll be stunned if that pattern doesn't repeat. I don't see how anyone can objectively watch this team, then watch other teams and what those teams struggle with and then panic or express concern about The Bills prospects. I'd much rather be us than them. We are watching the best team and the most complete team in the AFC, and possibly the entire league. That is no guarantee, of course, but I would rather be us.

A couple of rouges?

Love that guy. Class A great human being and insanely tough and talented LB... only a Bill for a relatively short time, but so memorable.

We know that Wallace is already very ******* far from OK. Well done Cynic man!

On a related note, this thread brings to mind my first brush with a celebrity. In the early days of Rich Stadium, the opposing teams would often stay at The Sheraton East on Walden by where the Galleria is now. We were staying there on the weekend that the Jets were in town in '74, (worst weather game I ever attended... In freaking September!). Anyway, I was hanging out at a table in the lounge with my parents on late Saturday afternoon and my dad and I spotted Joe Namath having drinks at a nearby table with a few teammates. My dad and I decided that my mother would be the one to go for the autograph. Fully appreciate the scene where Joe, perhaps the most recognizable face in sports at that time, was sitting at a table with 4 lineman, all African American and appropriate size for an NFL lineman. My mother, thinking she is being cool, approaches and says "excuse me, which one of you guys is Joe Namath?" Joe winks and says "If you give me a dollar, I'll tell you". They all laughed and I went home with the Namath signed napkin and a great story to remember. For you mom... You were the greatest of all!

Definitely not. But I am suggesting that compensation does not offset all other real life considerations to the public figure.

I can appreciate what Josh is saying. Everyone is wired differently. No matter how wealthy, how Royal, they are still human and entitled to a degree of privacy and normalcy. Nothing too scary has happened to an athlete to date, but there is a history. It can get out of control for some. As stated above, just use your head and show a little respect. That goes along way. John Lennon’s future directs you to the headline below:

Hard to contest that list. They are vile. The Baker thing is probably more than a little personal for me. Heavy serving of Browns fans in my family…. There is even a dog named Baker that peed on my recliner. Bad dog. Bad team.

It’s Baker. Can’t get past his smugness.

Is it hot there with a lot of sinners?

If you see a white pickup with the Buffalo on it charging the wrong way, please close the door to that wormhole behind you and throw away the key.

In that other universe, did we re-hire Greg Roman to develop Lamar Jackson? Or did we really get the wrong Josh?

Always reassuring to know I'm not hallucinating...

Smoke sighting! Didn't know he was elevated from PS

Is John Brown what was lost? Hey, I loved smoke, but it was his time. He was not on any NFL roster until last week when he was added to Denver's practice squad. That lack of interest is no accident. So really, the production loss in 2021 was nill. The great memories of Smoke in 2020 and 2019 are still valid memories. They were fun. They made me smile, especially the dance. As fans, we get to keep them. The Bills, as a franchise with a vested interest in sustainable success, just aren't obligated to keep paying for those feel good memories in 2021.. Salary cap realities... What was gained was a reliable #2 who is a great addition to the team in many ways, tangible and otherwise. Think of him as a WR version of Frank Gore, except that he can still perform at a very high level. I think that if you revisit this thought in December, January or even February you will find in an unnecessary exercise. Beane doing Beane things is to this team's benefit.

Agree on both counts. Respectfully, its also unheard of in Buffalo. Do you think that Miami believes that Epenesa is not a contributor? How about Tua? I'll bet he has an opinion. Do you believe that Kansas City or Houston believe that Boogie is not a contributor? This is a deep and stable roster. At the risk of sounding like Dick Jauron, It's hard to make this 53 and harder still for young players to make the active 48 on every given Sunday, or whatever the specific number is. Depth is a luxury. We have it. Is the roster perfect? Nope. Show me one that is.

I understand the thought. Yet, I do remember in the immediate draft reaction, Boogie was viewed as the more likely of the two edge draftees to make immediate impact. Taken as a whole, the approach, at least to my biased eye, is consistent with the way that McBeane have approached each and every off season. They focus on one or two position groups or core building pieces and just attack it. In 2018, it was all about landing the QB and then throw in Edmunds as the intended foundation of the D. Two foundational pieces, one on each side of the ball. Two big roster building boxes checked. In 2019 they hit their obvious biggest weakness, the OL with a voluminous influx of new talent. They brought in Morse, Nsekhe, Quinton Spain, Brian Winter, Feliciano and drafted Ford. Is it possible that they build a certain bust rate into their calculus? They similarly took some early swings at WR that same year with Beasley, Roberts and Brown. Throw enough resources and see what sticks. In 2020 they attacked what was again viewed as their biggest need, a true #1 WR in acquiring Diggs. They backed that up with depth pieces in Davis and Hodgins and pulled in Kumerow later in the year. Similar to the previous off season, they took an early swing at an emerging need, DL. Remember, at the time nobody saw Star opting out and leaving a hole in the middle of DL. Go all the way back to 2017 and you can see the same pattern applied to rebuilding the secondary. Bringing in new blood in Hyde, Poyer as FA and drafting White has worked out nicely. In 2021, it was easy to see what was coming. Bang, bang, bang... Rousseau, Basham, Obada, return of Star along with Epenesa from last year and you have your volume to throw at the wall and see what sticks. This is simply how Beane and McDermott appear to roster build. I think they've done a nice job. But again, I am admittedly a perpetual optimist. I thought Fitz and Stevie were the answer, so really... take this all with the grain of salt that it merits.

Isn’t this is completely contextual? If you are drafting for the Jaguars or Jets, then you absolutely need immediate return and contribution from 2nd round picks. When you draft for a loaded roster such as Beane has, the opportunity for immediate impact is marginal. You can afford to look for developmental guys and gamble a bit. There was just a narrow sliver of light for starters to walk right in and start on this team. We got one and turned to a more depth focused strategy. Personally, I like the way they future proofed and built that depth. That is not a trash bin deposit. McDermott puts high value on rotational guys and flexibility on D. I think that was missing last year and while not perfect, noticeable improvement this year.

The reactions on this thread go straight to the reality of the NFL as a "week to week" league. Just a few days ago the narrative was focused on the brilliance of Beane's rebuild of the DL in one offseason contrasted with KC's failed effort at rebuilding their OL. And so this week, we lose a last second gut wrenching road game against the most dominant running back in recent memory. Does that dictate Beane's drafts to be considered failures? Just a quick inquiry for the masses, exactly what team, or what GM out there has properly drafted in such a way to stop Derrick Henry? I don't see much evidence of that BigFoot out there. What Beane has built is a team capable of beating any team on any given day, in reality they beat them on most days. Given the constraints of the salary cap era, that's no small accomplishment. Would any of you trade rosters with Tennessee right now?

This and This = This:

I guess I should preface this by letting you know that I am not a very good person. I would be best if you not model any behavior, or form any significant opinions based on this but... WHAT?

The orchid in my kitchen just threw itself at the TV

Watching this mess in London has the voices in my head screaming "Broken Windshield" game. The late great Pete Axthelm used to have a schtick about this. Bills vs Colts came up once or twice in this spirit Anyway, the bit goes that he had two tickets to the game and left them on the dashboard when he parked his car earlier in the week. When he returned, he found that someone had smashed his windshield and left two more tickets. .

Morrie Schwartz, is that you?

Always thought the way his career ended was a shame. That video shows him dancing on the bench, pumping up the crowd after AFC Championship Game win vs Denver. He played great in that game and left the field dancing and partying up a storm. He developed an infection which settled in his knee in the days before Super Bowl XXVI vs Washington and missed the game. He never played again. Loved that guy as a Bill. https://buffalonews.com/news/leonard-smith-status-questionable-defensive-back-remains-hobbled-with-an-infection/article_6b484b53-ea85-547f-bf34-bff51bed15d9.html