2003Contenders

There is a part of me that likes the notion of bringing in an up-and-comer like Martin. However, with defensive-minded MCD at HC would prefer someone a bit more experienced. Good news is that with Josh, the OC position in Buffalo should be viewed favorably, so we should see a quality pool of candidates.

Prayers for you and your family. RIP, Coach Williams.

First, I will say the same thing about this game that I said 31 years ago when "wide right" happened and 22 years ago with the MCM happened: no game is ever defined by a single play -- even if that single play did make a significant difference in the outcome of the game. Although the infamous 13 seconds were comprised of 3 plays (4 if we count the kickoff), the same concept applies. That is, there were a bevy of other things that happened earlier in the game that in their totality were actually at least as significant as what happened with those 13 seconds: -- What if the defense actually tackled Hardman -- or simply shoved him out of bounds, rather than giving up a long TD run? -- What if Daboll had not had brain farts on back-to-back series in the 2nd quarter when the Bills were at midfield -- and for whatever reason decided to take the ball out of Josh's hands? -- What if Jackson does not idiotically grab the receiver's jersey on a play where his violation had no impact? Instead of the Chiefs settling for a FGA, they wound up scoring a TD a few plays later thanks to Jackson's penalty that came on 3rd down. -- What if Davis (who, I know, had a career-defining day) manages to get his feet down on that 3rd down play in the 2nd half? -- What if T. Jones, who is supposed to be a veteran on special teams (the only reason he is even on the roster) does not make the out-of-bounds mistake on the punt? Instead of a re-punt, where Hill almost ran it all the way back, the Chiefs would have been pushed much farther back? -- What if anyone on defense could have made a tackle to prevent Hill from taking a short crossing pattern catch to the house? -- Finally, let's not forget that those 13 seconds led the Chiefs to TIE the game, not win it. The defense had an opportunity in overtime to keep the Chiefs out of the endzone and failed to do it. This reminds me of the series that ESPN used to have. "5 Reasons Why..." There are a plethora of them for this game that lasted well over 60 minutes to blame everything on what happened in those 13 seconds. As for those 13 seconds... The kick (to squib, kick high and short or boom through the endzone) debate will likely go on forever. We even have a conspiracy theory in place that suggests that McD wanted them to squib it -- but Bass never got the message. Personally I would have done the high/short kick (inside the 10) that seemed to work well most of the season, but I can see arguments for kicking it through the endzone too. The real problem was the poor coverage by the defense on those final 2 plays. They made it WAY too easy for the Chiefs to get the distance they needed. It did not even take great plays from Mahomes and his receivers to get into FG range. Mac Jones could have done what he did! I think that is the part that stings for me. It was almost like they were playing to prevent a TD rather than prevent the Chiefs from getting into FG range.

I hear ya, but those crossing routes that Hill runs are by design set up to force coverage to get caught up in traffic -- essentially Reid likes running these "legal" pick plays. That's why Tre White has also had trouble at times keeping up with White. Of course, the best defense for that is to rough Hill up at the line of scrimmage and get some pressure on Mahomes as these crossing routes take a long time to develop. The Bills undoubtedly need a difference maker as a pass rusher (free agency) and a sturdy CB (either via the draft or free agency).

One thing that just dawned on me that I can't believe I didn't think about before... When Kelce makes that catch, he is racing down field -- in no way trying to give himself up. It isn't until Wallace comes up and tackles him is desperation that he calls a timeout, which gives the Chiefs 3 seconds left to set up the field goal. What if Wallace DOES NOT make that tackle? With our safeties playing so deep, I wonder if Kelce would have allowed those last 3 seconds to tick down in a vane attempt to make it to the end zone?

Based on McD's comments after the game, this is exactly what I think happened.

Actually it does. The unamoratized portion of the player's signing bonus would immediately hit the original team's cap.

Sounds a lot like the same plan that Pete Carrol and the Seahawks had last year. Josh passed for 400+ yards against them.

Jones is an elite DT no doubt. His presence makes the Chiefs' D significantly better than they were when we faced them a few months back. He was very disruptive in the AFCCG last year -- but he was also very dirty. Took some very cheap shots and even threw some punches that should have gotten him ejected and no flag was even thrown. That said, the OL basically just sat there and took it and allowed him and the rest of the Chiefs' DL to bend them over. The Bills OL currently has a nasty streak that they didn't have last year. I think any funny business from Jones will reap immediate (and severe) retaliation. Lets just hope the Bills are smart and calculated about this, so that they do not draw flags themselves (think, Jacksonville game). Also, hope McD does a good job working the refs pre-game to warn them of Jones' dirty tendencies.

I think you are exactly right about this -- and I think he designed some funky plays like the wildcat and pass from Diggs the last couple of weeks perhaps to add more for the opponents to review and prepare for. While the Bills were so much better than the Falcons and Jets, these displays did not hurt us in those games. However, it did come back to bite us against the Jags!

I think this a fair take. I will be honest, I was screaming Sunday after his 3rd botched punt. It was almost like he allowed the weather conditions to get into his head. He certainly has his shortcomings, but he has been mostly reliable this season. One punt in particular that could (and should) have played a huge role in changing field position was the overtime punt against the Bucs. After going 3-and-out on offense, Haack boomed one to pin the Bucs back deep in their territory. If the defense did a better job there (and, of course, the refs didn't hose us) that punt would be better remembered.

I will be there!

Honestly , I did not think the wind/cold was a huge factor other than on a couple of passes (I.e. the Potential TD pass that bounced off Diggs’ hands that Josh muscled in there). The whole offense was out of sorts for much of the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Some of that was due to poor play calling, especially in the red zone. Some of it was due to drops (Davis had a tough game), some near misses (at least 3 where the receiver could not quite get 2 feet down), and where Josh and the receivers were not on the same page ( one entire 3-and-out series in the 3rd quarter). 2 promising drives were also killed due to stupid penalties. Also, good things rarely happen when Moss comes in for Singletary. Daboll does some things very well, but he seems to struggle sometimes recognizing game flow and getting Josh and the offense into a rhythm.

Lawson was great at setting the edge and solid in run support when he was here. Would not be a bad idea to bring him in.

Another team that does not get a lot of recognition is the 1991 Redskins. The great players from our 90's Super Bowl teams say that this was the one team that the Bills lost to in the Super Bowl that was simply better than them: 1. Stout defense with some great players at all levels (Mann, Green, Marshall, etc.) 2. That Hogs OL may have been the greatest of all time. I think they only gave up like 6 sacks all year long. 3. Incredible group of WRs: Monk, Sanders, Clark. 4. Mark Rypien was a journeyman QB -- but he played out of his mind that season, thanks largely to 2-3 above. 5. They finished 14-2 that year, but in the first 15 games of the season, they lost one game - a nail-biter against Dallas. They rested their starters in the final game of the season

Actually, the fact that he has been out so much the last 2 seasons (possibly from overwork in his first 2-3 seasons) could be an ironic positive. What's he played, 5 games combined in the last 2 seasons? In McCaffrey's case, I am less worried about the tread on the tires and more concerned about the nature of the injuries themselves and whether or not he has made a full recovery. Also, as a team, I would hope they would research McCaffrey's commitment to playing. He seems to be a good character guy by all accounts -- but is he the sort that will refuse to play if he is less than 100%? If he checks out medically I would be all for sniffing around to see what the price would be.

It was Aikman. When the Bills were on the clock he was openly campaigning for Rosen. I get the impression an executive got to him and told him to chill, because he eased back a little bit when then Bills took Allen over Rosen. Said he understood why the Bills did it because (in a snooty tone) "Allen was a good fit for Buffalo".

I know that it was Bill Parcells who famously said that "You are what your record says you are". That is, of course, true when it comes to seeding, etc. However, sometimes a team may be better/worse than their record would indicate. For example, the Jacksonville Jaguars were 14-2 and had the #1 overall seed in the AFC back in 1999 -- with both regular season losses coming to the Tennessee Titans, the only team with a winning record that they played all year. I suppose that is where strength of schedule does come into play! For the record, the Jags lost to the Titans in the playoffs as well -- in the subsequent game to the MCM. Uggg! I think our Bills are in the opposite situation. The W/L record does suggest that the team has under-performed. The Bills were favorites in all but 2 games in which they played this season. Ironically, they are 2-0 (against the Chiefs and the 2nd game against the Pats) in those 2 games in which they were underdogs. That means they have gone 8-6 in games in which they were picked to win. I would definitely have to call that "under-performing". However... They lead the league in point differential and no team is ranked as highly in total offense AND total defense. The Bills currently rank 5th in total offense and 1st in total defense -- the only team to rank in the top 5 in both categories. The key, as everyone has pointed out, is that they have come up short in all 5 games that were decided by a single score. IMHO this has nothing to do with the clutch factor, as the same team has been rather clutch the last couple of seasons heading into this year. However, many factors have been at play, including timing, officiating, health -- and plain old luck. I won't beat a dead horse about each of the losses, but in a nutshell, here is what we can say: 1. Pittsburgh. First it is a bit misleading to say that the Bills lost this game by one score (and, thus, incorrectly suggest that they are non-clutch for coming up short on a potential game winning/tying last minute drive). The Bills were down 2 scores inside of 2 minutes. Still, an extremely rare blocked punt for a TD was the difference in the game. This was the type of game that we often see in Week 1 match-ups, where nothing that happens is indicative of how the season will go. The Bills faced a healthy and highly motivated Pittsburgh team that day, that viewed the game against Buffalo as their "Super Bowl". The following week against the Raiders, the Steelers suffered a series of injuries -- and went into a tailspin afterwards. 2. Tennessee. This game could have gone either way. Two very good teams that were mostly healthy facing off under the lights on Monday night. We all remember the slip on the critical 4th down at the end of the game, but there were plenty of other things that could have happened in this game that would have landed the Bills the much-needed win. Regardless, this was the Titans at their BEST (with Henry, Julio and AJ Brown all healthy) -- and the Bills very nearly pulled it out. 3. Jacksonville. An aberration. No one will admit it, but the Bills absolutely under-estimated the Jags in this game. Yes, the offensive line was a mess -- down 2 starters. Yes, the officiating was terrible. Still, the culprit here was a lack of respect for the opposition -- and a failure by the coaching staff to adjust play calling in a game that was clearly a defensive battle. 4. Indy. Not much to say here other than everything that could go wrong did. Sometimes even the best teams have days like these. The Kelly era Bills always had a game or two like this every year (usually against KC or Pittsburgh). Sometimes you simply have to throw a game like this out because the performance and results are not indicative of anything in particular -- other than a very bad day at the office. 5. New England (Game 1). Obviously the weather was a huge factor. Much has been discussed about the Pats relentless rushing attack, but aside from a couple of critical runs, the Bills' defense held up OK -- and the Pats only scored a total of 14 points. Play calling was brutal here -- as this may have been Daboll's worst job as OC. Failure to better utilize Josh's legs, especially down around the goal line, was inexplicable. 6. Tampa Bay. It is true that the officials absolutely determined the outcome of the game. However, awful play (especially by the offense) in the first half put the team in a bind that they very nearly dug themselves out of. The Bills faced a Bucs team with both Mike Evans and C. Godwin, who have been limited/out since then. The Bucs then were subsequently shut out by the Saints and very nearly beaten by the Jets. The good news here is that in the 2nd half of the game, maybe the coaching staff finally figured out the recipe for success on offense. A new season is now afoot. A win over the Jets this week earns the division and provides the Bills with home field at least for week one of the playoffs. After that anything is possible. Even if they have to play on the road afterwards, the Bills have shown that they can manhandle the Chiefs, and they came so very close to also beating the Titans on the road as well.

The situations for all three teams are very different. There is nothing special about Mayfield -- and the Browns made the blunder in the 2018 draft of selecting him #1 overall because he was the most NFL-ready QB in that class. They were right about his relative polish entering the league -- but how much better is he now than he was as a rookie 4 years later? Given his propensity for INTs, I am not sure that I would even argue that he is a true game manager (in the Alex Smith fashion). Truthfully, with the supporting cast that team has, the Browns could make do with a solid signal caller who does not make killer mistakes and thrives in a play-action offense (think someone like Tannehill). All of which is to say, if I were them, I would not be opposed to looking elsewhere for a QB -- and a solid guy that doesn't break the bank would not be the end of the world given their situation. Jackson is a true and rare talent that fits the offense that the Ravens have in place for him. He has been a winner, a league MVP, and he truly is a QB that every opposing DC must contend with. That said, his talents are so unique that he has to be in the right offense/system to thrive. I do not necessarily see that as a detriment with him and the Ravens because the Ravens definitely have built their team specifically for him. When it is all said and done, both sides will likely realize that it is in everyone's best interest to reach an agreement -- and he will wind up with top 5 (probably top 3) QB money. Josh is a generational talent, whose high-level broad skills make him uniquely diverse. That is, you could literally put him on any team with any system in place -- and he would thrive. The front office was very smart to work out a fair and long-term deal with him when they did.

The defense forcing the 3-and-out after the 3rd interception at the start of the 2nd half was huge! It snapped the team out of the funk they had been in since the middle of the 2nd quarter. The offense moved the ball at will after that -- and the defense gave up 0 points.

I suppose we as Bills fans should be thankful for fool-hardy metrics like the QBR that allowed some "scouts" to over-evaluate NFL prospects using numerical analysis rather than the good old fashioned eyeball test. Remember that the 2018 draft was a battle between the analytics crowd who favored Baker Mayfield versus the physical scouting crowd that favored Josh Allen. Let's all be thankful that the analytics goons in Cleveland and NY preferred Mayfield and Darnold over the infinitely more talented Josh Allen!

Was that on the Pats final possession you are talking about? if so, it was a Bills player (Milano) that was hurt and the Bills were out of timeouts, so by rule there is a clock run off.

Certainly can't blame the refs for what happened last night. That said, Josh is still not getting those off sides calls. There was a blatant one late in the game. That's like the 5th one that hasn't been called this year -- all at critical times. Regardless, he needs to stop assuming those are "free plays" unless he sees the flag.

1. First, throw out the game film from last week's loss. While the game certainly demonstrated areas where the team needs to improve, it was also an abomination that always seems to happen to the team once a year, where EVERY aspect of the team from coaching, offense, defense, and special teams is abysmal. Let's not dwell on it and "over-correct" things that are not truly broken. 2. With the struggles of the OL and the tendency of teams to take away the deep shot via cover-2, etc. the game plan absolutely must be for the ball to come out of Josh's hand faster. He and Dabs should take a page out of the Bucs' playbook on Monday night when Brady was getting rid of the ball < 2 seconds. If the ball comes out of Josh's hand quickly, it will also help with YAC for Beasley, Diggs, Sanders, Knox, the backs etc. 3. A "traditional" running game may not be in the cards for the Bills, but there is still much that they can do with the personnel that they have. Especially with Josh's great ball handling skills. Sweeps, reverses, fake reverses, QB draws, etc. to go along with the typical RB rushes. The team did much of this against the Jets with a great deal of success. 4. Going back to #1 above, I don't want to beat up on Frazier and the defense too much. Defense needs to be smarter about figuring out when to drop into coverage and when to crowd the line of scrimmage. That doesn't necessarily mean switching up personnel all the time. 5. Cut down on penalties. Those were a huge detriment in each of the last 2 losses. Not sure how to best resolve this, other than to hold offending players accountable in practice. 6. Get back to the "us against the world" mindset rather than believing all of the hype. 7. Along the lines of #6 above, gather a true sense of physical and mental toughness. In 2020 and even more so in 2019, the team did a great job overcoming deficits and pulling out victories in tight games against tough teams. That hasn't happened this year. When they get down in games, it seems like they panic and lose confidence. Coaches throw around the term "bully" rather easily it seems, but my definition of a "bully" is not one with a positive connotation. To me a bully is someone who beats up on someone that he feels confident he can handle -- but wilts when someone stands up to him. In that respect, I do believe that these Bills may have an air of being a bully, as they do dominate the bottom feeders -- but have struggled against tougher competition (Steelers and Colts) as well as a team that didn't back down (Jags). It's time that they become a team that is confident and tough -- willing to take on all comers and not crumble at the first appearance of adversity!

The problem also is that Josh is not getting the "Aaron Rodgers treatment" from the officials. That is, game in and game out, Rodgers makes a number of big plays by drawing the defense off-sides with a hard-count and then rolling the dice with a high risk/high reward "free" play. Note that there have been at least 4 plays in recent weeks that I can think of where Josh clearly caught the defense off-sides, yet no flag was thrown. The first INT against the Colts was such a play -- and you have to wonder if maybe Josh forced that ball believing it was a "free" play.