Just in Atlanta

Buffalo no doubt is on track to have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. We're also bound to go from near-last in the NFL in sacks to Top 5. So...I checked sack totals for last season to see the correlation of sacks vs. playoff berths. The top 10 sackers had a 50 percent chance of making it, while the bottom 10 had a terrible 10 percent chance. Here are some other stats correlated for playoff berths. Feel free to add more or adjust: Defensive sacks - Top 10 sack leaders--50 percent playoff rate. - Bottom 10--10 percent rate. Buffalo is the No. 6 worst. Defensive INT - Top 10 INT leaders--60 percent playoff rate. Buffalo is No. 6 best. - Bottom 10 INT leaders--40 percent rate. Defensive INT touchdowns - Top 10 leaders--40 percent playoff rate. Buffalo is No. 2 best. - Bottom 10--30 percent rate. Defensive forced fumbles - Top 10--50 percent playoff rate. Buffalo is No. 9 best. - Bottom 10--30 percent rate. Offensive sacks - Top 10 most sacked--30 percent playoff rate. - Bottom 10 least sacked--40 percent rate. Buffalo is No. 1 best. Offensive INTs - Top 10 most offensive INTs--10 percent playoff rate. Buffalo is No. 1 worst. - Bottom 10 least offensive INTs--60 percent playoff rate. Offensive passing TDs - Top 10 most TDs--60 percent playoff rate. Buffalo is No. 9 best. - Bottom 10 least TDs--10 percent rate. Offensive fumbles - Top 10 most fumbles (AFC)--40 percent playoff rate. - Bottom 10 least fumbles (AFC)--20 percent rate. Buffalo is No. 1 best. Rushing yards per attempt - Top 10 most yards--20 percent playoff rate!!?? Buffalo is No. 5 best. - Bottom 10 least yards--30 percent rate!!?? First downs - Top 10 most first downs--70 percent playoff rate. Buffalo is in neither top or bottom. - Bottom 10 least first downs--10 percent playoff rate. So...what can we glean from this? Buffalo fared well in most stat categories. However, many of those categories had little correlation to making the playoffs! It appears that the following stats have a strong correlation to making the playoffs: Defensive sacks. We were bad. Defensive forced fumbles: We're already top 10. Offensive INTs: We were worst in this category. Offensive passing TDs: We are in the top 10. Offensive first downs: Buffalo is average. We need to get more. Other observations: Buffalo has some good overall stats. But the ones that killed us were offensive INTs and lack of defensive sacks. Pittsburgh and Denver have horrible stats. Both teams are in the bottom 10 for many categories, but still made the playoffs. For offensive INTs and defensive sacks, both were mediocre. Why? And what can we emulate from these teams? Buffalo had some good rushing stats. But it appears rushing had little to do with playoff success last season. It truly is a passing league now. Summary: Buffalo will be a playoff team if it continues the good stats of last season and improves on defensive sacks, first downs and substantially limits offensive INTs. I believe a lot more sacks and a few fewer INTs will definitely happen, as offensive INTs piled up after Fitz' injury and our D line is so improved. The real question marks are... Can we substantially decrease offensive INTs and somewhat increase first downs? Can't wait for football.

I think Merriman, if he's healthy, will be DE. I love that Tank Carder got a trademark, though.

OK, this is my last negative Pat Moran reference, as everyone deserves to have his mistakes forgiven after a year... If Merriman isn't healthy, may someone run over Moran's... Can't even say it. How can anyone say you can run over my kid if I'm wrong?

I'm game for The Bill Collectors.

It's sad. What a train wreck. One of the greatest receivers of all time being fired by an indoor football league in East Bumble!@#$ Texas. It appears this guy will never get his life on track.

I think it's a great programming move. Crazy owner. In-transition team. Three-way QB battle. Frustrated fanbase. Bills division rival. Guest appearances by South Beach Tow and Jimmy Buffet and J-lo and Tannehill's wife. Getting HBO next week.

Hopeful, This board is supposed to be fun. But I'll bite. The media, by and large, are not saying the Bills are an elite squad, let alone good enough to be No. 2 in the AFC East. I have no links to prove that, only memory from what I read. I gave you two from ESPN links that had us ranked in the 20s, behind the Jets. I'm not going spend my Memorial Day weekend searching for more articles. I think this post gave almost every poster here menstrual cramps. Lighten up, everyone. I think for the first time in a long time it's going to be a good thing to be a Bills fan.

Since so many people are piling on this guy, I'd thought I'd join the fray. Owen: Your post, for the most part, is spot on. You are no troll. However, your punctuation--capitalization in particular--needs serious work.

Here. And here for starters. I'll let you Google Vegas odds.

Never have seen so many people on this board miss a point. Wow. Love the headline analysis too. Vegas, and much of the sports punditry elite, has this team last or third in the AFC East. Read before you blast. I also believe this motley crew--and it is a motley crew--will perform to playoff standards. Why? They're in the third year of a planned system with little turnover and great additions. It's also our year.

EA does not dish out praise much. I've got to say Whitner was hardly a bust. But, I hope he's right about Nix being different.

This post is unsustainable.

I just hope they do Stevie's Why so Serious thing and not his shoot himself in the leg-crashing jet thing.

Yeah, the Cowboys literally destroyed his house. Imagine how you'd feel.

Rooney isn't cheap.

If Clowney's career as a wide receiver doesn't take off, maybe he can take over Wilford Brimley's job as spokesman for Quaker Oatmeal. Today's diets are lacking in fiber, which oatmeal has plenty of. It also reduces blood sugar, helps you lose weight, and is packed full of potassium, which many black men don't get enough of. His tweet: Waz up oatmeallaz. Eatin thiz Quaka oatmeal is str8 up dope, yo. Getz ya potazium. #oatmealmafia Can't believe I've posted three posts on an eighth-string receiver's negative HIV tweet. Offseason sucks.

Know what else men should do? Wear protection. Should he tweet that he just had protected sex? Prostate cancer is big. So is high blood pressure, the No. 1 killer of men I believe. Should Clowney tweet negative results from his prostate exam, or blood pressure test, or his colon exam? I might be wrong, maybe I am, but HIV is likely nowhere near the top 30 killers of men. It's a weird thing to share every intimate detail of your life, IMHO. I get it, respectably. Just think it's a bit weird that's all.

Bizarre. Some things should just be private. Negative HIV results being one of them.

Next season we must make the playoffs. Anything less than that would be disappointing.

The Beatles knew it about love. Most people, with a few exceptions, know it about happiness. The part about Law and Order--I will never be able to watch that show, which seems to be on at any time on some channel on my idiot box, again without thinking of that line.

How many top 5s can you possibly have? Is there some stat that says Superbowl teams have four top-five players? How about this prediction, instead: Mario Williams top 5 sacks. Fred Jackson top 5 yards. Fred Jackson top 5 yards per attempt. Fred Jackson top 5 20-plus yard runs. CJ Spiller top 5 rushing TDs. George Wilson top 5 INTs. Ryan Fitzmagic top 5 least sacked QB. Top 5 running back duo. Top 5 safety duo. Top 5 defensive line.

The story I've heard here numerous times, and likely repeated myself, was that our offense had to be recreated as a super quick-strike release attack to compensate for poor pass protection. I agree, though, Levitre performed well considering he played three positions.

So, did our offensive line suck last season or not? Serious question. It seems anecdotally yes, stat-wise no.

I remember watching that game and just knowing this was our game to win, even when we were down. The crowd was so in that game, Brady seemed demoralized, and I just knew, despite being beaten by NE for like six years straight, that the Bills would make this happen. I could watch that Florence pick all day. Brady had a clear shot on him, and just gave up. He should have least feigned effort.