mjt328

If the Texans don't do something about their O-Line, the next quarterback to go might be Deshaun Watson. In all honesty though, here are the ages of some prominent QBs: Brady - 42 Brees - 40 Manning - 38 Rivers - 37 Roethlisberger - 37 Rodgers - 35 Ryan - 34 Flacco - 34 I'm not sure what is driving Brady at this point. Stats? Another Super Bowl? Pure enjoyment of the game? Common sense says he MUST done soon, but if he keeps playing at a high level...what stops him from going another 4-5 seasons? Brees isn't much younger than Brady, but he's accomplished less on the championship side. I see him giving the Saints 2-3 more seasons of trying to assemble a contender, and then he will call it quits as well. I think Manning may give it another shot next year with a different franchise (if someone is willing to give him a temporary starting job), but I just can't see him playing much longer. He doesn't seem like a guy willing to spend years with a backup job, and that's what he's probably looking at. The big knock on Rivers is his lack of championships, and I think that will continue driving him for another 2-3 seasons. If the Chargers stop looking like legit Super Bowl threats, he may consider being done. Roethlisberger says he's going to play next year, but we'll see how the rehab goes and how Rudolph plays in his place. Pittsburgh is showing signs of a rebuild, and I don't think he wants to stick around for that. He's considered retirement before. Rodgers and Ryan should have several years left in the tank. Flacco is on his last starting gig, and will probably go another 5-6 years holding a clipboard and bouncing around the league.

The NFL's job should be to preserve the integrity of the league and the sport. Tom Brady's opinion should hold no more significance than an undrafted long-snapper on the practice squad. Players come and go. In 20-30 years, other guys will have stepped up and the next generation will know little/nothing of Brady. Does the NFL want to damage its credibility over one guy (who most fans outside of Boston already despise)? Or do they want to make sure the rules are fair and balanced for all teams and all players?

If I was Terry Pegula, I would be pleased that Brandon Beane had the foresight to give Tyler Kroft a modest deal with very little long-term commitment. If teams start shading coverage to John Brown, that just means Josh Allen will need to look elsewhere. Maybe Cole Beasley gets more catches underneath. Maybe Zay Jones or Robert Foster can exploit the other side. Defenses adjusting is not the end of the world, and it is actually a very important step in our young Quarterback's development. Opponents came into this season planning to keep Allen in the pocket, and not let him break off big runs. Many critics thought this would spell doom for Allen, but instead he's done very well making throws from the pocket. If he keeps it up, teams will be forced to give more heavy coverage looks, which will likely open up more scrambling opportunities. Defenses simply can't do everything at the same time.

I don't understand the business aspect either. The NFL has no incentive for Tom Brady to keep playing. In fact, it's probably the opposite. Outside of the people in Boston, every other football fan is absolutely SICK of seeing the Patriots in the Super Bowl. They want new faces and new teams to start stepping up. Every time New England makes the Super Bowl, I hear tons of people say they aren't even interested in watching the game. Of course they end up watching it anyway (because it's the Super Bowl and what else are you going to do in February), but it does show the fatigue of watching the same thing over and over for 20 straight years.

My friend's brother is a scout for the Colts. Around the end of January 2018, we were talking about some random football stuff. I recall asking him about the upcoming QB prospects, what he thought about Kirk Cousins in free agency, and a bunch of other things. One thing he mentioned was the importance of player attitude, and he just happened to bring up Vontae Davis as an example. "Good football player," he said. "Bad locker room guy." I probably would have completely forgotten about this. But about a month later, the Bills went and signed Davis. Of course, the rest is history...

I understand the NFL tries putting "premier" teams into the primetime slots. But too much changes from year to year, and they end up with half the games being terrible anyway. Two weeks in, and any game from the Colts, Steelers or Saints is likely to be a stinker, simply because of QB injuries. With Sunday Night, Monday Night and Thursday Night, they should just evenly divide the primetime slots among all 32 teams. Every team gets one of each. Three primetime games per franchise. It gives each team some nationwide exposure and removes the NFL from playing favorites. And based on what we've already got, the games should be just as entertaining.

Agree. Physically speaking, Zay Jones is an average NFL guy with nothing that makes him stand out. Average speed and quickness. Average size. When he was a top Buffalo's WR depth chart, he was young and still developing his route running skills. He struggled with some drops (although this has been massively overblown by the fans). The Bills also had one of the worst offenses in the league, and could barely generate 1-2 decent drives per game. Now three years into his career, I think Jones has gotten pretty good as a route runner. I believe he's gotten past his drop struggles. And the Bills passing offense is finally showing signs of life. But now Jones has been pushed down the depth chart, and has become our #3 option at best. He's not a bad player. But as a 2nd Round Pick, I think he's always going to be a disappointment from the production standpoint.

This 100x. We are 13 starts into Josh Allen's career. Baker Mayfield has 15. Sam Darnold has 14. Josh Rosen also has 13. Lamar Jackson has 9. All of these guys have lots of room to grow, and any of them could see setbacks once defenses catch on to their tendencies. The interesting thing is... so far in 2019, it seems that Allen and Jackson have shown the most growth and improvement. They were the guys who supposedly had the most overall potential, but many critics didn't believe they could become efficient passers.

Exactly what he said. AJ Green has missed 15 games (so far) since 2016 with foot, ankle and toe injuries. Sure, WRs can sometimes play into their early 30's and still be effective. But when you combine his age with the injury problems, it becomes a major risk that he will never be the same. Consider that Torrey Smith just announced his retirement this week (he is 30). Dez Bryant has been done for two years (he is also 30). Demaryius Thomas started declining two years ago (he is 32). There are some non-QBs around the league that I would be willing to part with a 1st Round Pick for. But AJ Green is no longer one of those guys. If the Bills want long-term success, it will require consistent high-level drafting every single year. In my opinion, it's not wise to throw away a premium pick for an aging vet who may never be effective again. I would consider a 3rd Rounder, on the condition of a contract extension.

The Bills future looks very promising, but I don't think we should be comparing ourselves to the Patriots yet. New England is the class of the league, and has been for quite a long time. And right now, they look as strong as they've been at any point in the last 15 years. I'm not expecting Week 4 to go very well. And that shouldn't discourage anyone who believes our team is headed in the right direction.

Agree with this. The last two years, we've seen a lot of rookies getting tons of snaps. But that was out of necessity, because our roster had very little depth. I think McDermott prefers easing his younger players into the lineup gradually. You will see that Ed Oliver and Cody Ford are both splitting reps. Don't forget the importance that our coaches also place on blocking and ball security. Not to say that Singletary struggles in those areas, but there is also a confidence when rolling with a vet like Gore.

In the end, the only thing that matters is whether Josh Allen can be good enough to help us win a Super Bowl. To me, a great comparison for Allen's game is Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben has never had the pinpoint accuracy of someone like Drew Brees. But he's been just as dangerous, due to the other abilities he brings to the table... most notably his ability to avoid sacks and extend plays. If Allen's progression continues (and he stays healthy), he's going to be VERY tough to defend.

The Steelers have "massive rebuild" written all over them. The warning signs were all present last season, but they tried to squeeze another year out of Big Ben with a sub-par supporting cast. I would be shocked if this wasn't his last season.

And yet, Tom Brady is still going strong. ?

This can be true to an extent. I think some fans can project their "hopes" into an upcoming season. Some are overly pessimistic, because they fear getting their hopes up. But quite a few are very knowledgeable, and prefer to be realistic about their team's chances. For instance, if you polled the Bills fans on this message board prior to last season, I believe the majority were anticipating us finishing with 5 or 6 wins. Of course, there were some who thought we could go back to the playoffs with Nathan Peterman, and a handful who said the Bills were a 1-15 squad. But the bulk of fans were spot on. This year, most of us are anticipating a 9-10 win season, which is borderline Wild Card. Maybe this plays a part. But I think it's more related to ignorance. Nobody has the time to cover 32 teams. Even the guys who do this for a living. If you took just 2 hours to study the replay/film from every game during a week, it would have taken you 32 hours. Teams considered irrelevant are simply pushed off the end, until the prove otherwise.

Yet another reason Quarterbacks absolutely MUST be able to succeed from the pocket. It's not rare to see a rookie/young QB have success running the ball, just like Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen did last year. But eventually defenses start gearing-up to stop the run, and that's when it's up to the QB to start having success through the air. Cam Newton has been a rare case, because he's continued to get 100+ carries every single season. And the Panthers have always used his rushing ability as a key piece to their offensive attack. They never had a problem running him into the teeth of the defense, just like a Running Back. It worked much longer than most would have expected. But now in Cam's 9th season, it's clearly caught-up to him. And without being a dual threat, Cam is just an average passer. Like you said, I really hope Buffalo's coaching staff is paying attention. I definitely don't want the Bills to completely take away Allen's running ability. But I would prefer they use a Russell Wilson approach, where he still does his best to avoid hits (sliding, getting out of bounds, etc.) It's also key to keep a strong offensive line in front of him -- which is the mistake the Colts realized too late with Andrew Luck, and what the Texans are unfortunately doing wrong with Deshaun Watson.

This is why I loved Brandon Beane's strategy in the offseason. He didn't just address the O-Line position. He went out and signed every promising lineman he could get his hands on. So far, we've had to put LaAdrian Waddle on IR. We've had some preseason injury concerns for Mitch Morse, Ty Nsekhe and Quinton Spain. And our 2nd Rounder Cody Ford doesn't appear ready to take over as a full-time starter yet. Regardless, we still got a very solid performance in Week 1 from the unit. We've got some strong depth, and some options to slide people around in case of injury/performance.

If he pulls the crap he did with Pittsburgh (late to meetings, not showing up to practice, feuding publicly with his coach/QB, etc.), he will be cut by mid-season. If he pulls the crap he did with Oakland (helmet thing, Social media nonsense, etc.), then he will be gone by the end of September. There is absolutely no way that Bill Belichick will put up with him being a distraction, or putting himself above the team. And based on Brown's behavior over the last 12 months, it would seem inevitable that this will end badly. The guy seems mentally ill, and just can't seem to help himself. Which is probably why Brown won't speak another word or post another comment on Twitter, until the Patriots are 19-0 and hosting the Lombardi.

Go back to Week 2 of 2018, when Josh Allen made the first start of his career. Look at his pocket presence. Look at his ability to read a defense. Look at his mechanics. Then watch his game yesterday, and judge him in those same three areas. Anybody that doesn't notice a HUGE improvement is lying, or not paying attention. Acknowledging this does NOT mean you are blind to the places he can still improve. It's very clear that his decision-making is sometimes very poor. There were at least two horrible throws yesterday, which Allen shouldn't have attempted. (He also made one of these throws in Preseason). Honestly, I don't know what the Allen critics are seeing that I am not. I also watched Mitchell Trubisky (who is in his third year) on Thursday, and people are still excusing him as a "developing" quarterback. I watched every snap from Sam Darnold yesterday, and he was awful. Even Baker Mayfield threw 3 picks yesterday. But for some reason, it's the Bills QB who sucks.

By your logic, I guess the win doesn't count. Just the fact we had 4 turnovers.

This mentality is what drives me crazy. You can't have it both ways. We didn't get a MORAL WIN yesterday. We got a real win. Meaning 1-0 in the standings. I'm not going to discount the details. Mistakes and turnovers are something that needs to be cleaned up. But as I pointed out, the game wasn't just about dumb errors. Our offense blocked well, passed well, and when it really counted... ran well too. If you are going to say that 9 times out of 10, we lose a game with 4 turnovers and 0 points into the 4th quarter.... then fine. But 9 times out of 10, we aren't going to turn the ball over 4 times. And we aren't going to march up and down the field all day without scoring ANY points.

Of course. But what are the odds that we turn the ball over 4 times in one half again?

In my opinion, none of Josh Allen's turnovers were his fault. BUT... he probably had 3 incompletions that could have been picked off. So far, the narrative around Allen is completely off. I'm not seeing a QB that struggles with accuracy. I'm not seeing a QB that struggles with pocket presence, or one that takes off running too quickly. I'm not seeing a QB that struggles to read defenses. Allen's biggest problem is decision-making. He's got what I call "Jay Cutler Disease. There are times he's trying to do too much. Usually when the play breaks down, and he's forced to make a throw outside the pocket. This is fairly common among young QBs, so I'm not really worried yet. He just needs to learn when to let a play die, and live to fight another day.

I've also noticed a lot of criticism towards Brian Daboll's playcalling. I thought it was great. The Jets defensive strength is run defense. Their weakness is pass defense. And before the game, their players were throwing jabs at Josh Allen, saying they just needed to "make him play quarterback." The pass-heavy approach was the right one. And if not for the dumb mistakes that killed our drives and kept points off the board, everybody would be praising Daboll this morning. He can't control everything.

In review of yesterday's game, I keep reading how terrible and ineffective the Bills offense was until the 4th Quarter. I completely disagree. Were they mistake prone and sloppy at times? Absolutely. But when you really break it down, the offense was consistently putting together strong drives for a good chunk of the day. On the day, the Bills had the ball a total of 12 times. - One possession was the kneel down at the half. - One possession was running out the clock at the end of the game. - Then you have the Cole Beasley bounce (pretty much a fluke), which was returned for a touchdown. This drive was one play. - Then you have the safety (bad call by the refs), which also lasted one play. That leaves 8 true possessions for the Bills offense. 1. Drive #1 (7 plays, 37 yards): They easily marched down the field to the Jets 26 yard line. Then Dion Dawkins missed a block, resulting in the sack/strip. 2. Drive #3 (9 plays, 35 yards): Another drive into scoring position, until the Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty on Jon Feliciano. 3. Drive #4 (3 plays, 7 yards): This was a really bad series, which also included the INT that was overturned by penalty. 4. Drive #5 (9 plays, 58 yards): Yet another very strong drive, ended by the botched snap on the QB sneak. 5. Drive #6 (5 plays, 30 yards): The offense was starting to move again. Then we have the tipped pass, which was also intercepted. 6. Drive #9 (9 plays, 50 yards): Ended in our first 3 points of the day. 7. Drive #10 (8 plays, 85 yards): Touchdown 8. Drive #11 (8 plays, 80 yards): Touchdown Bottom line... On a snap-by-snap basis, I felt like the Bills controlled the game on both sides. Defense was outstanding all day. The offense had some really bad bounces and bad luck. They had some really bad mistakes at the wrong time. The narrative is that something "woke the offense up" during the 4th quarter. In reality, I think we just figured out how to finish our drives.