mjt328

Free agency and the draft were held back in March/April. At that point, nothing had been worked out regarding how the season was going to progress. There was no such thing as a player "opting out" of the season until a few months later when the NFL and Players Association came up with that agreement. And even if that wasn't the case, how exactly could Beane be "prepared" without knowing WHICH players were going to opt out? There is only so much cap room/roster space. You can't have a Plan C at every single position.

Adding Quinnen Williams doesn't really solve our problem. The McDermott/Frasier defense needs a 1-Tech DT who can occupy blockers and command double-teams. - We had a decent one with Star Lotulelei, but he opted out at the end of July. By that point, it was too late to focus on the position in free agency or the draft. - The hope was that Harrison Phillips would be a seamless replacement. But he has clearly not recovered from his ACL injury last year, and has struggled. - The Vernon Butler signing was a one-year flyer, hoping to salvage the career of a former 1st Round Pick. It has not worked out. As of right now, the coaching staff has been forced to either play bad players (Phillips/Butler) in that position... or go with undersized guys (Oliver/Jefferson/Zimmer) who aren't good in that role and are getting run-over. Williams would likely be adding to the latter. It's the same reason I don't really think re-signing Jordan Phillips would be making much of a difference right now. I fully expect Brandon Beane to make a move for a DT at some point (honestly surprised it hasn't happened yet). But I just don't see Williams being an option.

As I've stated in other threads, the last two games have been a reality check as to where this team stands among other Super Bowl contenders. They are not on the same level as the Chiefs, Ravens, Titans or Steelers right now. However, I still see the Bills as a good team that absolutely should win 10 games, finish atop the AFC East and make the playoffs. I believe that many of our recent struggles are due to injuries. Losing Jon Feliciano has really hurt our O-Line's run blocking. Having John Brown hobbled has slowed down the passing attack. Missing Matt Milano has been devastating to our overall defensive performance. We were missing Tre White for the Titans game, which was a major factor in us getting blown out. I also think it's possible Josh Allen's injury in the Raiders game is affecting his accuracy. Hopefully as the weeks go by, we start getting healthier. Yes, we have stunk really bad over the last two weeks. But the Patriots have been arguably worse. They lost to the Chiefs by 16 (we lost by 9). They just lost to a Broncos team unable to score a touchdown the entire day. The Pats got off to a quick start this season thanks to Cam Newton's running. But defenses have adjusted and are now forcing them to win through the air, and that offense simply can't do it. They have no weapons in the passing game. We are the better team and absolutely should win this game. I agree that our trek west is not going to be easy. But let's not pretend those teams are flawless. Most of the wins by Seattle and Arizona have been racked up against non-playoff teams (which is the same thing people are critical of Buffalo for doing). The Seahawks defense has been pretty bad. And prior to Monday night, the Cardinals were on a two-game losing streak against the Lions/Panthers. I fully expect us to win at least one of these contests.

There is only one Bill Belichick. A coach who can constantly adapt and change strategy, regardless of personnel and circumstances around the team. The vast majority of coaches in the NFL are average. They have a system/scheme, and their success is dependent on having the right players to execute it. McDermott's first three years, he was without a Top 15 franchise QB. But his defenses were good enough to carry the team to the playoffs twice. If you can make the playoffs without a franchise QB, then coaching is not the problem. As I've mentioned in other posts, the McDermott/Frazier defense is heavily dependent on the 1-Tech DT and having two athletic LBs. Due to Star Lotulelei unexpectedly opting out and the injury to Matt Milano, this defense is without two of its key pieces. If we can find a decent 1-Tech DT available for trade, and Milano gets healthy, then I'm optimistic this defense will turn it around. If we don't, this is going to be a struggle all year long. Our coaching staff is not good enough to totally reform the scheme in the middle of the season, but neither are 99% of the coaches in the NFL. Belichick is in a class by himself.

Not sure if you have actually seen these other teams play. Agreed the Bills have some big issues, and they are not as good as many of us were hoping/expecting. But most of the teams in the NFL are in the same boat. The Bills should still be favored to win against the Jets, Patriots, Cardinals, Chargers, Broncos, Patriots and Dolphins. It's quite possible they drop 1-2 of these. But it's also quite possible they win 1-2 games they are expected to lose. We are still a "Wild Card Level" team, fortunate enough to be in a crappy division that will only need 9-10 wins to emerge on top. The real problem is that we aren't good enough to beat the class of the AFC (Chiefs, Ravens, Steelers, Titans), which likely means another early exit from the playoffs.

To be honest, I'm not incredibly disappointed with us having a 2-game losing streak. We always knew the Titans and Chiefs would be two of our toughest matchups. I'm more disappointed in our overall play over the last 5 weeks, and not really being competitive in either matchup. This team succeeded in upgrading its weakest link (the passing game)... but has somehow also managed to regress in literally everything else. When all things are factored into the equation, this team has not progressed in the last 12 months. They are still going to beat the bad teams. They will almost certainly get some victories against the other "Wild Card Level" teams. And thanks to a very weak AFC East, I could still see us winning 9-10 games and capturing the division title. But as it stands, this team has absolutely no chance at beating the Chiefs, Ravens, Steelers or Titans in the playoffs. Which is exactly the place we were in 2019.

The Bills are not the Patriots. We don't have the personnel to run multiple defensive schemes. We can make some slight adjustments, but this scheme is what we run. None of that is going to change. If we are going to salvage this season, it will need to come from our players doing a better job. Not from drastic systematic changes. Beane needs to find someone on the street who can play 1-Tech DT at a somewhat decent level. We also need to get Matt Milano back. Both of these things would make a HUGE difference.

In football, Defense is about all the players and coaches working together as a cohesive unit. One crack in the armor, and it starts causing problems everywhere else. The first BIG problem is at 1-Tech DT. For all the criticism he gets from the fans, Star Lotulelei was a key piece on this defense. His job was to occupy blockers, and keep them off the other defenders. Not get penetration and rack up stats. In his place, Harrison Phillips has been an absolute disaster. He clearly is not the same guy as he was pre-injury. Vernon Butler has been a terrible FA acquisition, and also done nothing to replace Lotulelei. In my opinion, many of our problems have spiraled off of this crack in the armor. Without strong play from our 1-Tech DT, it fully exposes how undersized we are on the rest of the Front Seven. Interior blockers can simply double-team Ed Oliver/Quinton Jefferson and make them totally irrelevant on passing plays. Interior blockers can also easily get to the second level on run plays. And shedding blockers is NOT the strength of our Linebackers. As many have pointed out, Tremaine Edmunds is more of a WLB playing in the middle. He can be very good when kept clean. But he struggles badly when taking on offensive linemen. The second BIG problem is the injury to Matt Milano. It cannot be stated how important Linebackers are to the McDermott/Frazier zone scheme, and their ability to run sideline to sideline AND cover the middle of the field. Notice that our coverage is not usually getting beaten deep down the field (even against the Chiefs). Quarterbacks are instead finding open cracks in the short zones. Where we used to get off the field on 3rd Down, we are now letting up those conversions regularly and constantly letting drives continue. Our "bend but don't break" scheme is breaking on those key plays, and much of this is due to struggles in replacing Milano. It's easy to blame coaching. But the Sean McDermott/Leslie Frazier scheme has been EXACTLY the same since the day they got here. It needs the D-Line to get pressure with 4 guys. It needs the 1-Tech to occupy blockers on running plays. It needs two athletic linebackers to stay clean and make plays sideline to sideline. It needs disciplined play when filling run gaps, and the secondary to communicate well in zone coverage. Any breaks in this plan, and everything falls apart. I don't see them making drastic scheme changes mid-season, because the players are not doing their jobs correctly.

This is a case where it's important to watch the game, and not just look at the box score. The ONLY reason we held the Chiefs to 26 points was because they decided to run it down our throats. Even when we pulled within 6 points, I never had the confidence our Defense could come up with a stop.

Not sure if it's due to injury, but I've noticed Josh Allen's mechanics falling off since the Raiders game. His throwing motion is definitely off, and it's resulting in numerous missed throws. The offense is also struggling because our run blocking is pathetic, which also consistently puts us into 3rd and long situations. Add in the injury to John Brown, which is hurting our ability to stretch the field.

The Bills don't have the cap space to make significant moves for veteran players. What they really need are the young guys we drafted (Tremaine Edmunds, Harrison Phillips, Ed Oliver) to start being difference makers, instead of massive liabilities. The same goes for Cody Ford on the offensive side. Consistently good teams like the Patriots and Steelers are able to lose players due to injury and Free Agency, and keep on rolling, because they draft well and the guys on the bench always step up when called upon. I'm becoming increasingly concerned about the long-term outlook for many of our top draft picks, which is not a good look for the future.

So let's put this all together. The Titans have supposedly been quarantining since last Tuesday. That is a period of 8 days without contact with their teammates. Yet two players who tested negative for the last full week, are now suddenly testing positive. Clearly, the incubation period here is a lot more than 4-5 days. This tells me, that all of the NFL's testing protocols are pretty much worthless. - The Vikings haven't gotten a positive test (yet) since their game with the Titans, and were cleared to play on Sunday against the Texans. But how can we be sure none of the Vikings were actually infected for that game, if it only took place 7 days after their game with infected players? - The Patriots had a positive test on Saturday (Cam Newton) and then a positive test on Wednesday (Stephon Gilmore). They quarantined Cam before the game against the Chiefs, but how many players could have tested negative and still had it? - The Bills now know they played against a guy who was positive with COVID 19 during the game. Doesn't this mean our players could be infected and spreading it for the next two weeks, even if they continue to test negative? Maybe I'm just skeptical at nature, but I just have a hard time believing these incidents are going to stay isolated. I was always worried the NFL would have a ridiculously tough time keeping this from spreading, and always had a tough time believing this season was going to finish as planned.

Russell Wilson, Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers should be in a 3-way tie for MVP. The only reason people keep pushing Wilson, is because they feel like he has deserved it before and been overlooked.

The defense needs to get its act in gear. Hopefully the 4th Quarter against the Raiders was our wake-up moment. I keep hearing the excuse that defenses "all over the league are playing terrible this year." While this is true, the Bills are still playing at a below-average level compared to the rest of the NFL. We may have played the Rams, but we also played the Jets. We are 17th in the league in points allowed. We are 18th in the league in yards allowed per pass. We are 16th in the league in yards allowed per rush.

Hard to argue with that spot. Undefeated or not, there are some other really good teams in the NFL. In the AFC, the Chiefs should definitely be ranked #1. They are the defending Super Bowl champions, and have won most of their games pretty soundly. The Ravens have looked great against everyone except the Chiefs. That third spot is pretty close between the Bills, Steelers and Titans. In the NFC, I think the Packers look the best. They are closely followed by the Seahawks and the Rams. The 49ers would probably be in that discussion if not for injuries. The Bucs are creeping up the list, and the Saints still have time to turn it around. The good news is... I don't believe the Bills are playing anywhere close to their best on defense. If they can get that side of the ball hammered out, I think they can beat anyone on this list.

Very true. Expect Josh McDaniel to also be a really hot name (again), if the Patriots continue to be competitive without Tom Brady.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe an assistant coach like Daboll can get hired somewhere else in the middle of the year. The Texans will either need to roll with an in-house candidate for the rest of 2020, or get someone off the street.

Part of me wonders if the problem is something like this: 1. The Bills come out with a strong gameplan, and build a decent lead in the first half. 2. The opponent adjusts at halftime. Since the Bills are winning, they decide to keep things relatively the same. 3. Due to the adjustments, the offense suddenly looks flat and the defense lets up a score or two. 4. The Bills coaches make their own adjustments going into the 4th quarter, causing us to finish strong. The fact that we have won 14 of our last 21 games, tells me our coaching strategy/style is ultimately working out. The problem is that games which shouldn't be close, end up coming down to an onside kick. I think the best cure for this, is to build a bigger lead in the first half.

It's only a few games, but I don't think I've seen a WR play at this high of a level since Randy Moss in his prime. It's not just the ability to get open at will AND the draw-jopping catches. It's also the way he's raised the level of WR play all around him.

Don't be so sure. Unlike the Jets, I am starting to get the sense of an organization starting to move in the right direction. The 2019-2020 Dolphins very much remind me of the 2017-2018 Bills team, right after Beane/McDermott took over.

Brian Daboll is from the Belichick tree of coaching, and very much believes in switching up his attack dependent on the opponent. This is the first year he's had the talent to pretty much do whatever he wants. So far, we have only used our running backs sparingly. And we really haven't needed a strong running game yet. But I believe there will be a game soon, where the Bills go run-heavy. They are just waiting for the right matchup. Same with Josh Allen on designed runs. One an opponent starts dropping their guard, Allen will start taking advantage.

The first Titans player to test positive was on early morning Tuesday (September 29), at which point they totally closed the facility and quarantined everyone. The spread should have completely stopped at that point, assuming all protocols were done correctly. The fact that no Vikings players tested positive, suggests that all of the spreading almost certainly happened either late Sunday after the Tennessee-Minnesota game was over (September 27) or at some point on Monday at the facility (September 28). So even though positive tests were still popping up Sunday (October 4), the infections would have actually happened 6-7 days earlier. Putting this all together, the game against the Bills is October 11, which is 13-14 days after the spreading happened. The normal incubation period for Covid 19 has already bypassed. So again... as long as protocols have been followed, every player on the Titans roster who hasn't already tested positive should be in the clear. They will be down a number of players and coaches for Sunday, but they will have enough to field a full active roster and should have enough days to practice. I fully expect the game to happen.

I agree the Bills are having troubles in the 3rd Quarter. But technically, they only had the ball twice yesterday in the 3rd. And if not for the refs calling John Brown down at the 1-yard-line, we would have had a touchdown on the last play. Instead, we had a touchdown on the first play of the 4th.

Forgot about that. Better start rooting for Houston to win some games.

If the Titans are forced to forfeit a game, it affects the entire NFL and the playoff picture. I think the league is going to do everything in their power to avoid that. My question is... at what point should they be forced to play the game with practice squad players and signings off the street?