appoo

https://bsky.app/profile/aaronquinn716.bsky.social/post/3laohl4xgi22l Hamlin does a ton of good stuff out there, just because he’s so good positionally and at reading the game and reacting

Someone's a 99 fan!

To be elite yes that's the DLine. To be good that's the Mike and 2 safeties and corners who can play zone (with some man principles). This year the Bills have a fairly average DLine, and are tied for 12th in Defensive EPA, 14th in Pass EPA, and 9th in Rush EPA. You have the slowest secondary in the league, Taron Johnson missing about half the season, Matt Milano missing the entire season, Von Miller missing 4 games (and only semi-effective), DaQuon Jones falling off the cliff...that's almost all scheme, and that's also why Hamlin has like the 2nd highest participation rate on the roster. Edmunds struggled in man, while Bernard could do both zone (where Edmunds excels) and man effectively, which is why I don't think they wanted to spend the money on Edmunds. Bernard gave him a lot more versatility for disguising coverages. Everyone knows you're not leaving Edmunds in man no matter what you show pre-snap

I figured this post was coming. Athletically Damar is - frankly - terrible. Maybe the least athletic starting safety in the league and I'm not sure it's even that close. But you gotta remember this is a Sean McDermott scheme being coached by a Sean McDermott disciple. Those two safeties are 2 of the 3 most important players fo his scheme (the Mike backer being the other one), and 3 have to be on top of their crap mentally. If a players is 50% better athletically than a starter, but 20% worse mentally, you absolutely want the smarter player starting and playing almost exclusively. The disguises and varied coverages and zones that McDermott uses is HIGHLY respected if you listen to some of the ex-coaches and QBs who played against it. Belichak talked about, Brady and Cam talked about it. Hamlin is a liability athletically, but makes almost 0 mental mistakes and that's why you want him starting. The hope for Cole is that by next season he marries his exceptional athletic ability and learns the scheme over the course of this season through all the meetings and such, and puts it together during the off season. We saw a similar RS season for Terel Bernard.

Sometimes I forget that more than half the league won't make the playoffs, and every year some of the teams thast make the playoffs, suck. Great post

Luck mostly IMO. It's been so long sincew the Bills were contenders, that the last 5 years is reminding me how much luck plays into a team winning the SB (One you gain contending roster talent + good coaching & scheme which the Bills have). I mean the Niners 2nd best defender blew his achilles in the middle of the SB running onto the damn field.

The defense scares me quite a bit. Damar should be a 3rd safety, Rapp has actually played really well for me, and I like him as a starter. Groot seems to destroy replacement level dudes and struggle against guys who are above that. Oliver is struggling with all the attention he's getting, because the Bills don't really have a 2nd guy to double on most downs. Bernard has been good and bad at times, but that just comes with him being in his 3rd year. The corners - I know they get a ton of praise - but we can't not play zone against reasonably talented offenses. I'm biased but I do love McDermott as a coach and defensive schemer, and his partnership with Babich has worked a minor miracle IMO. Give this defense an average DC and I think the defense is significantly worse. But Beane has got get McDermott/Babich more talent this offseason. The franchise is on the cust of being an absolute juggernaught if they can find a legit stud pass rusher, and a corner who excels in man. Everything Bills do should be aimed at maxmizing the number of touches Allen gets, but because of the defensive personell they have to play much more conservatively than most years and the offense plays a lot more ball control to protect the D

Yea it had slipped my mind how well the Cards were playing and they do look like a playoff team Wasn’t downplaying them at all. That’s why I lead with the Bills are a good team. They absolutely are and the ceiling for this team is the Super Bowl Which would mean beating 1 of KC, SF and Detroit along with Rams. Yea I’d definitely take that

Keep in mind the bills have played 2 games against teams that will make the playoffs (probably), against the Ravens and Texans and lost both - (and got blown out by the Ravens). I think this is a good football team but probably the worst of the Lept Allen teams. But really games against the Chiefs and Niners will tell us much but right now my thinking is the team ends up with 4-5 losses and the 2/3 seed, wins a wild card and then loses the divisional to either Baltimore or KC or Houston. And honestly that’s a good season for a group with a rookie WR as its best WR, and what looks like a lack of blue chip across the DB other than Taron Johnson and across the front except Ed Oliver (who’s having a strange season)

Just leapt Codrington

Doubtful. Bills don’t have enough healthy weapons

I don’t think McDermott will risk any of Cooper, Coleman or Kincaid. Now we gotta worry about Brown as well. I honestly don’t care about the chiefs game. Just get healthy post bye

Why do they persist with Flacco

Buccaneers?

I hate that team so much I want the bills to bench all their starters out of a show of disrespect

Weird game. Bills are down to the nuts and bolts of what’s left in the cupboard on offense and yet they still got 420 yards or whatever

Different era and that matters

Yup! Two football passions. Immigrated from India to Buffalo when I was 2 and watched the bills/syracuse when I started watching sports (like 7 or 😎 before moving to Scranton in 5th grade and then eventually moving to Penn State - which forever made me a Penn Stater We’ll see how cooper does but with todays health stuff at 30 he’s got another 3 years to be a really good Z for the Bills, but with what Keon has showed he can absolutely be an alpha dog WR and then you got Kalil in the slot and you are absolutely good to go with them as your starter’s especially with Kincaid as your TE. It’s not elite but with Allen that is gonna a great but not elite pass catching corps. Then you’re just really managing depth with dudes like Mack Hollins, Samuel, Hamler, etc

I actually don’t know about the offense. It’s got the TEs the RBs, Shakir and Allen. They’re good players but that’s a really easy offense to defend schematically

They said he won’t go on IR. This week, likely next week and see from there

KC has a much much more talented defense than Buffalo and that’s really how they’ve been winning games

I know this staff really likes Shavers and I’d imagine they like Hamler as they wanted to keep him on the PS. With Keon gone and Samuels banged up and Cooper questionable think we need both

That are significantly, no doubt better? I guess you can add the Lions OC. But yes. Absolutely.

I mean firing McDermott won't make things better unless you're bringing in an elite schemer who's a significant upgrade over Joe Brady. At this point that's like 5 people. Sean McVay, Andy Reid, Matt LaFleur, Kyle Shannahan and you can maybe argue Mike McDaniels who's club has been destroyed by injuries. You can talk about 13 seconds, and sure you can criticize that for him - but in general you're talking about issues that impact the game less than 1% of the time. There was nothing Andy Reid or any other coach would do that was going to get past the Chiefs in the other 2 games. The first time we played them we had a significantly worse team. Last season the defense had no business being on the field with the injury issues they had and the Bills probably maxed out what they could do in that game. 2 years ago against the Bengals, you had another set of huge injury issues defensively, and an emotionally drained club due to multiple factors outside their control. You can point to basically 1 game where another coach may have extracted a win where McDermott's Bills didn't, and keep in mind that game was one of the greatest playoff games in NFL history - the Bills played really really well in that game. Mostly, I just wish Bills fans would appreciate what they have in McDermott. I honestly don't understand how you can live through our history and NOT.

Primarily luck of the draw with a helping hand from Beane. But even there, 10% of Beane's job is scouting and then praying your luck works out based on the measurables, and 90% managing your roster & salary cap as you assess the talent you have through the season. When you accept that much of the draft is getting the measurables right, matching it with production, and then just hope and prayer, you realize that franchises aren't "better" than the rest of the NFL, rather thet get their roulette wheel spinning their way, and hire a coach who has great leadership and knows ball. Andy Reid didn't make a super bowl until had Donovan McNabb surrounded by talent. He didn't win one until he had Mahomes and Kelce. That doesn't neccesarily make him better than McDermott (I'd take Reid in a heartbeat over McDermott), it means he sets up an elite culture that allows for his talent to develop and perform, and got lucky with key draft pieces What does this prove? That's not at all the implication. Talent is the biggest factor far and away.