mjt328

I certainly wouldn't say it's a "bizarre take." It's long been known that certain "stars" in each league get more preference in referee calls. Have you ever heard of the Jordan Rules in the NBA? Lots of NFL players have stated that refs make calls in Tom Brady's favor. And Cam Newton once stated that a ref told him to his face, that he wasn't old enough to get a roughing call. I'll even admit that Josh Allen gets more calls in his favor since becoming one of the league's premier players, and way more than previous Bills quarterbacks. My observance (in the 4-5 Jets games I've watched this season) is that Sauce Gardner has been getting away with contact that would be called PI in 99% of other circumstances. The question is why. Maybe it's just a coincidence. Maybe he's just gotten lucky and drawn refs who are more reluctant to throw flags. I don't know. But if the NFL is telling refs to protect star QBs (and you absolutely know they are...), then I wouldn't put it past them pushing for a rookie CB to get some favorable calls to increase his star-potential in a big market.

If you watch the various football shows, the media heads have been talking all season about how GREAT it is for the New York teams (Jets and Giants) to be playing well. Not because the fans have been suffering long and deserve some success. Just because it's New York City. They aren't even trying to hide it. Disgusting as it is, there is a clear bias for certain franchises. Especially those in big markets. Early in the season, the Jets didn't have many marketable players. Their starting QB was terrible. Their rookie RB went down with a season-ending injury. Their rookie WR wasn't getting the ball much. Most of the good players were on defense. Perfect opportunity to push "the next Revis" who already comes into the NFL with a cool nickname. Honestly, I've never seen a player (especially a rookie) get ignored on clear pass interference so often. Doesn't turn around. Hands in the face/chest of the receiver. No flag. And I'm not the only fan who notices it. There is a clear push to turn Sauce Gardner into a big name.

This. Much of Von Miller's current game is setting-up blockers for later in the game, and saving his best moves for the right moment. At his age, we really shouldn't have expected 15-20 sacks or weekly dominance. What we saw in the Chiefs game was exactly why he was signed. There were 2-3 moments that we absolutely needed a play from the defense, and each time he got right past the OT and was right in Patrick Mahomes face. That was totally missing in the AFC Divisional Playoff. No way around the truth. This is another crushing injury to a team, that has suffered way too many this season. That doesn't mean the Bills are doomed. But it does mean we need players like Greg Rousseau, AJ Epenesa and Boogie Basham to start living up to their draft status. No more gradual development. Because if we aren't getting regular pressure from the D-Line in the playoffs, some of these teams are going to give us lots of trouble.

How about this stat... Peyton Manning once threw 7 touchdowns in a single game for the Broncos. Russell Wilson has 8 touchdowns all season.

Something has to be said for rest and mental focus. Especially when you have a team where injuries are one of the biggest issues. Look back to the 2020 championship game. By the time the Bills reached their matchup with Kansas City, they were physically and emotionally spent. You could see it on their faces. I think they did a better job pacing themselves last year, but just couldn't finish the job at the end of the game. Good for the Bengals putting in the extra work, and maybe it works for them. But that doesn't mean it's the answer for this team too.

Brandon Beane is bold. But he isn't reckless. I can't see him getting into a bidding war for OBJ's services, considering that a long-term deal would probably cost us another valuable (current) player. Especially if Beane isn't VERY confident in his ability to produce this year. And how can he be confident in OBJ's physical ability, if he isn't working out for teams? This season, we saw what life is like without Jordan Poyer. We saw what life is like without Tremaine Edmunds. Both are becoming must-signs. Then we have Ed Oliver reaching his 5th-Year-Option. His primary backup Jordan Phillips is also a free agent. Not to mention valuable pieces like Devin Singletary, Shaq Lawson, Rodger Saffold, Dane Jackson, etc. I think we would all sadly trade one of these guys, if we knew it greatly increased our chances at winning the Super Bowl in February. But if the choice is between keeping Poyer/Edmunds/Oliver or having OBJ for NEXT year, then I'm re-signing our current talent.

Great week of football. Everything fell the right way for the Bills. Five weeks left, and Buffalo controls it's own destiny. However, the upcoming schedule will not be easy. They face three good teams currently in position to make the playoffs (Jets, Dolphins, Bengals), and a fourth still in the hunt (Patriots). Compare that to the cakewalk remaining for the Chiefs, who get three of the worst teams in the entire NFL (Texans and the Broncos twice), along with the Raiders and Seahawks. The odds-makers still think Kansas City has the edge in getting homefield advantage. On a positive note, the team finally appears to be getting healthier. They seem to have gotten over yet another frustrating mid-season lull. We are now in the final home-stretch. Hopefully the Bills can keep their heads-down, and finish STRONG. One week at a time. Five wins. Week off. Three more wins. Trophy.

100%. I think defensive coordinators hate dedicating so many resources and changing up their normal scheme to cover a Tight End. Most just pick their best covering safety or linebacker. Some may even use a corner. Very few get physical with him or use double-coverage. Last week the Rams tried just covering him 1-on-1 with Jalen Ramsey, and it was embarrassing. Travis Kelce needs to be treated like a top WR. Jammed at the line, and bracketed with additional safety help over the top. If you wouldn't use a coverage scheme to try stopping Stefon Diggs, Justin Jefferson, etc., then it wont' work against Kelce either.

Weeks 1-2, we were clicking on all cylinders. Both sides of the ball. Week 3 the injuries started. The defense wasn't quite as dominant. The offense started getting predictable and playing streaky. After the bye, I think things started catching up to us. First the defense started getting gashed by the run (Packers). When we started focusing more on stopping the rush, the pass defense started failing (Vikings). On the other side, our opponents began catching up to Ken Dorsey's schemes. In turn, Josh Allen was clearly forcing the ball and trying to do too much, leading to turnovers. Hopefully last night was a sign of the Bills turning the corner. The defense is almost healthy, and looked rejuvenated. Dorsey threw some nice wrinkles and had the Patriots off balance. Allen was a little more careful with the ball (still some work here).

Over the last month, there has been a lot of infighting around Bills Mafia. Lots of fans are frustrated and disappointed at this team's performance. Other fans are getting mad, saying the concerns are overblown and this team is still in very good shape. Well, you can start to see that outsiders are starting to notice too. They are starting to realize this team just may have been overrated at the start of the season, and we may not be looking at a Super Bowl season (and maybe not even a deep playoff run) after all. The monster breakout season for Gabe Davis has been extremely underwhelming. To say the least. For various reasons, Dawson Knox doesn't seem to be making a big impact this year. Also disappointing. Production from the slot has not matched previous years. Our running game remains a complimentary attack, and not something that can be relied on week to week. The O-Line is still Dion Dawkins, Mitch Morse and some other questionable pieces. Not to mention a rookie OC who seems totally outmatched and lost.

Exactly what I was going to say. Fans tend to think of injuries/depth as a simple 1-player swap out. For instance, Dane Jackson stepping into a starting role with Tre White injured. Or Damar Hamlin stepping into the Free Safety role when Micah Hyde went down. But they don't always account for the domino effect it causes on everyone else, especially when coaches need to shift gameplans to cover-up the new weak points. Hamlin has done an admirable job of filling-in since Week 2. But he clearly isn't the caliber player as Hyde (at least not yet), who was an All-Pro in 2021. Which is forcing Taron Johnson to step outside his own comfort zone. That's definitely how it feels. I've said the same thing. Hope we are wrong. The Bills are supposed to have everyone (on defense) back tomorrow night, except Von Miller and Micah Hyde. Miller said he may be back for the Jets game, and there seems to be growing optimism that Hyde will return by playoff time.

They won, so it must be good luck. Maybe it can become their new mascot, and they can replace that dumb elf at mid-field. A skunk actually fits the franchise very well.

Fair or not... the expectations for the 2022 Buffalo Bills were probably higher than any other point in franchise history. Coming into this season, Vegas had us as hands-down Super Bowl favorites. Most of the media personalities also picked us to win it. I don't recall that even happening during the 90s (when teams like the 49ers and Cowboys were considered better). Fans who have been waiting 30, 40, 50+ years for a championship, spent the entire offseason building themselves up and saying "THIS IS OUR YEAR." At this point, the team simply has not lived up to those high expectations. Since the blowout in Tennessee, the team has been on a clear and obvious decline: - First the offense started looking streaky and sloppy, leading to the Week 3 loss in Miami. Although they are still putting decent points on the board, the fact remains: The Bills haven't had 4 quarters of strong offense since the Titans game. Even against the Steelers, the Bills only scored once in the second half. - Since the bye, the defense has struggled terribly. They went from a strength to a liability. It started with run defense, and has bled over to us getting torched in the secondary. We almost let the Packers back into the game. Lost two straight to the Jets and Vikings. And then barely scraped out wins against the Browns and Lions. Maybe the problem is injuries. Maybe it's player talent. Maybe it's coaching. The fact remains, this team needs to turn things around ASAP. The next three games will likely determine our season. If we get the Bills from Weeks 8-12, our best bet will be a Wild Card spot.

I'm not boasting until the Bills take care of business over the next three weeks.

As the season progresses, it becomes more clear which players are holding a team back. The ones who keep making critical mistakes at crucial times. In all three of the Bills losses, it can be argued that Gabe Davis cost us big with drops... and Isaiah McKenzie cost us big with mental mistakes.

It's long past time for Isaiah McKenzie to take a seat, and let Khalil Shakir get some snaps. To be a good starting slot receiver in 2022, a player needs to: - Be shifty in small space, with the ability to get open with quick moves. - Be very reliable with his hands. - Have a instinct for getting a few extra YAC on third down. Cole Beasley had all three of these traits. Shakir has shown flashes of all three. McKenzie has some quick burst speed, but isn't a great route-runner, struggles to make difficult catches, and tries to avoid contact. He does have some usable skills with the right offensive coordinator. A creative play caller who can find 3-4 effective plays for a speedy gadget guy. That OC doesn't appear to be Ken Dorsey, who is struggling with much simpler stuff.

The two main jobs of a WR are to: a) Get open b) Catch the ball If Davis can't be relied upon to catch the ball, then having him on the team is pointless. Any #2 who can simply catch the ball would be an upgrade. We can't afford to have a guy constantly killing drives. Put in Khalil Shakir or Tanner Gentry, or sign a guy off the street. Run the ball more. And I'm someone who was pumping up Davis in the offseason, expecting him to go off this year. (And no, I don't gamble or play fantasy football). Hopefully he turns things around quick, because he's one of the guys killing our season.

His yardage stats are very misleading, because he's been totally boom or bust. For every big play he makes, he's also dropping a catchable ball. He had another one on Sunday that killed a promising drive (settled for a field goal), and almost blew an onside kick. As someone else mentioned, he dropped what should have been a touchdown against Miami (we lost by two points). He dropped a bomb on the final play against the Jets (would have put us in field goal range in a game we lost by three points). And if the refs called for a booth review, they would have taken away his sideline catch against the Vikings (on the drive that sent us to overtime). All of the criticism directed his way has been totally justified.

I'm an old timer (been watching since the late 1980s), and that's probably why I feel so much urgency to win this year. I've seen how quickly the championship window closes in the NFL, and how few chances most teams actually get. This year we are watching the sun set on a few great/really good QBs. Aaron Rodgers had one Super Bowl win. Russell Wilson the same. Matt Ryan had one appearance. The idea that we have another 10-15 years ahead of us with elite Josh Allen is probably wishful thinking. I really hate to say it. But history is not on our side. Look at the careers of QBs who play his style (Cam Newton, Michael Vick, Steve Young). Those guys really had 7-8 years of high-level play, and then fell off a cliff. It's easy to say Allen will just adapt to becoming a pocket passer. But we really don't know for sure. Everyone thought Russell Wilson was an elite passer, until he stopped using his legs. There is a really good chance the defense takes a significant step back in 2023, due to free agency and the salary cap. The Bills really need to seal the deal with this group.

To be fair, most of us came into the season expecting the Bills to win the Super Bowl. THIS YEAR. Anything less is going to be considered a massive disappointment and utter failure of a season. Regardless of injuries or adversity. Looking inferior to the team who has eliminated us two straight seasons SHOULD upset fans, and sound warning bells. Just one month ago (at the bye), we were in the driver's seat for the #1 seed in the AFC. Just defeated the Chiefs in Arrowhead. Boasted the best record in the conference AND had tiebreakers over every other division winner. In the course of only three games, the Bills managed to lose control of the #1 seed AND their own division. The AFC East still seems winnable, since we still have another game against Miami. But homefield in the playoffs already looks long-gone. Most of us aren't upset because we honestly feel the Bills stink or that they will miss the playoffs. Most of us are upset, because this team is repeating the same pattern as in 2021. Bad luck. Blowing winnable games. Losing to inferior teams. Letting homefield slip away. And it all culminating in another crushing playoff defeat in Kansas City.

The Bills had a few questions going into the season (just like every team in the NFL). Especially on offense. Most of us didn't worry too much, because they all seemed like easy lay-ups. But just like typical Bills luck, almost every gamble we made on that side of the ball has totally backfired: Could Ken Dorsey step into the offensive coordinator role, and replace Brian Daboll? Since Dorsey had been on the staff for three seasons, and was handpicked by Josh Allen, most of us figured he would be fine. Maybe even an upgrade. If things got rough, all he needed to do was pull formations/plays from last season. Things looked good for a 2-3 games, and has been horribly inconsistent ever since. Our Red Zone performance is embarrassing. Could Gabe Davis take over the #2 receiver role? After two seasons of stellar play off the bench, and absolutely torching the Chiefs in the playoffs, many of us saw him as our version of "Reggie Wayne" or Torry Holt" in a record-breaking scoring attack. Instead, Davis has struggled badly with drops. Last week, the Vikings said he can only run three routes and is easy to defend. Could someone step into the slot role and replace Cole Beasley's production? Another slam-dunk, right? Beasley played hurt most of last season, and his head/heart didn't seem to be in it anymore. Jameson Crowder was a somewhat proven vet. Khalil Shakir was a promising rookie. And Isaiah McKenzie beat them both in training camp. At least one should work out. Crowder got hurt. McKenzie is good for one dumb mistake per game. And Shakir is invisible. Could the return of Aaron Kromer and addition of Rodger Saffold help upgrade the O-Line, and give us a strong pivot with the running game? For the most part, the answer has been no (hopefully Sunday was a positive sign). This team only seems to have consistency running with Allen, or when the defense is expecting the pass. Yes. The additions to our D-Line have been great, and we have two very promising rookies at cornerback. But that improvement has been totally offset by injuries. Micah Hyde gone for the season after Week 2. Tre White still not back after 10 games. Almost every starter has missed at least 1-2 games, if not more. This season has been especially frustrating to watch... when you consider the Kansas City Chiefs traded away one of their best players and haven't missed him in the slightest.

I see a lot of smart@$$ comments, about how the Bills still rank high statistically in offense. The problem is, we ran up the stats big in Week 1-2 and then against Pittsburgh with two really big passing plays. Things have been trending down very quickly since that point, especially in the Red Zone. Starting in Week 3 (against the Dolphins), the offense has been very spotty and only played good for 1-2 quarters per game. They either start strong and fade after halftime, or start really flat and need to catch-up. With all the injuries on defense, the Bills can't afford to take multiple weeks to "figure things out" on the offensive side too. If we don't fix things quickly, this season is going to spiral out of control, and this team will be in serious danger of missing the playoffs.

Hate to say it, but our chances at the #1 seed are probably gone at this point. Kansas City will probably lose another game. But then again, so will the Bills. And I still wouldn't count out teams like the Titans, Ravens or Dolphins. Winning the AFC East is going to be a real challenge.

If you really think about it, those AFL Championships (1964 and 1965) are almost an extension of this franchise's ridiculous bad luck. The Bills were a very dominant football team those two seasons... which of course were right before the league's merged and the Super Bowl was created (in 1966). Had the Super Bowl been invented only 1-2 years earlier, we are the ones facing off against the Packers and quite possibly pulling off the legendary upset that made Joe Namath famous a few years later. By 1966, the Bills weren't quite as good. They got upset by Kansas City (who was easily defeated by Green Bay in Super Bowl I). Buffalo continued to stink for the next several years, and didn't even win another division title until 1980. Today, the NFL doesn't even recognize championships won before the Super Bowl era. I think all teams have heartbreaking losses on their resume. What sets Buffalo apart are the unbelievable collapses, which defy the laws of mathematical probability, and no sane person could ever believe actually occurred without witnessing it. Until Sunday, what are the chances that a team could make a 4th-Down Goal Line stand with a minute left on the clock... then fumble the snap on a QB sneak, while attempting to run out the clock? Probably .0000000001 in a million. But here we are.

Wow. Probably the most respect I've ever had for Tom Brady. Good for him being honest with Antonio Brown, and trying to make him aware of his self-destructive behavior. You have to wonder how many "friends" in Brown's circle refuse to tell him the truth. Not surprised that Brown lacks any self-awareness about his own antics, and thinks making this public will paint Brady in a bad light.