mjt328

Until the Buffalo Bills finally win a Super Bowl, many fans are going to have a really hard time just enjoying week-to-week success. This is just reality. I'm 44 years old, and grew up with the 90s Bills...watching us totally dominate the AFC. It was a fun time, and I have many great memories from that era. But the fact that we never managed to win the Lombardi trophy STILL stings really bad. It's almost like PTSD. I still get sick to my stomach when highlights pop-up from any of those four Super Bowl games. For some fans, it's enough to just know the Bills are no longer an embarrassment to the NFL. It's enough to enjoy most Sunday afternoons on the winning end, and be proud that we have one of the best QBs in the league. Sure, those fans want a Super Bowl too. But they can still appreciate the rest of the season, even if it doesn't happen. I just can't do it. I've had too many Wide Rights, Music City Miracles, 13 Seconds to truly appreciate anything short of a championship trophy. It doesn't matter what happened in the previous 17-18 games. The only thing that matters from the 2022 season was their awful game against the Bengals. Same with the two seasons before in Arrowhead. And it will be the same this season, if we can't finish the job. Everything else the Bills accomplish to that point will just be hollow, and overshadowed by that season's crushing playoff loss.

They almost lost at home to one of the worst teams in football, with a backup QB. Does it really matter where they play the Eagles, Chiefs and Bengals?

I don't want to hear about DVOA stats or where the Bills "rank" this year. The fact is, they have played 6 games this season and the offense has been bad in half of them. It has resulted in two losses, and what really should have been a third loss on Sunday night. The Bills will have a stretch of games where they roll and everything seems easy. Then suddenly, the same problems start creeping up again: - Relying too much on Stefon Diggs, and nobody else stepping up in the passing game. - Getting away from the running game and becoming too one-dimensional. It's either the coaches, or the players, or a little bit of both. I'm not 100% sure where the problem lies. But I'm getting tired of the fans who want to pretend there is no problem. That tell us teams just go through funks and everything will be sorted out. They ignored the warning signs last year, yelled at everyone else for being "negative" and were legitimately shocked when the Bills got an early exit from the playoffs. If things don't get fixed ASAP, this team won't be fighting Miami for the AFC East title in December. They will be fighting for 2nd Place against the Jets, hoping Aaron Rodgers doesn't somehow comeback in Week 15, and crossing our fingers for a Wild Card spot.

They need to be more consistent, game to game. The Bills are the type to be unstoppable one week, and easily score 45-50. Then a week later, they seem asleep for the first 2-3 quarters and barely manager 10-14 points. That's the type of nonsense that makes you Top 5 in NFL rankings, but earns an early playoff exit. It's better to be a team that will consistently score 25-30 pretty much every single game.

I thought the idea was to be BETTER than last year. Last year saw another early playoff exit. I'm seeing the same inconsistent offense that puts up 40/50 points one week, and then looks totally lost a week later. I'm seeing a group that has already cost us two games, and almost landed us a third loss last night. This close to being .500 and third place in the AFC East, but we are supposed to feel good, because the unit still averages out in the Top 3-5 of the NFL. We added new receiving talent, including trading up for a rookie tight end in the first round. The drops aren't happening as much this year. Yet we STILL can't seem to get anyone going on a consistent basis besides Stefon Diggs. Double and triple covered, yet we are forcing him the ball. We upgraded the interior O-Line and have a strong group of RBs, who are producing a very nice YPC. But for some reason, our offensive coordinator REFUSES to lean on the running game. There is no point loading the box, because we aren't going to stick with it.

Losses like yesterday happen to every team. The real problem long-term is the injuries. We can hide 1-2 starters out for a couple weeks. Having 3 gone for the season already is really bad news. Once opponents start figuring out the weaker spots on our defense, they will attack those areas relentlessly. On offense, I just can't figure out what Ken Dorsey is doing. He doesn't focus on the strengths of his players. He doesn't focus on attacking the weak points of his opponents. He can't seem to adjust in-game, and will spend multiple drives running head-first into a brick wall, hoping for different results.

Yeah. I'm starting to come to the conclusion that Ken Dorsey is the biggest problem with this offense. Sure. The Bills once again have really great offensive numbers. Overall, they are fantastic in almost every statistical category known to the NFL. But just like last season, it seems totally hollow and fake. The Bills are to offensive stats, what Kirk Cousins is to quarterbacks. Despite being Top 5 on paper, they have somehow cost us two games already. I can somewhat understand the Jets, because they are universally considered a good defense. But the Jaguars? Nobody can claim the Bills are outmatched talent-wise against Jacksonville's defensive unit. Which then tells me the problem is most likely in gameplan...how we are attempting to attack, and how we are adjusting in-game to the looks the defense is giving. All week, we heard the media outlets PRAISING the Bills/Josh Allen and how great they are doing when running play-action. Literally every football website was talking about how much better Allen is under-center than when he's in shotgun. But then Dorsey proceeds to put the QB in shotgun for 90% of the day and barely runs play-action at all. Even when the offense continues to struggle. It's absolutely baffling to me. For the second year in a row, places like Cover 1 continue to show videos of these bunched-up routes being run by our receivers. How has this not been fixed yet?

It's amazing how the head coach is always the biggest scapegoat. Every single loss is somehow due to coaching or guys being unprepared. I've been watching football for 30+ years and it's always the same with the fans. It was the same thing when I lived in Philadelphia. And here in St. Louis when we had the Rams. Always the freaking coaches. HOW. IN. THE. WORLD. is it Sean McDermott's fault that Tre White tore his achilles on a non-contact play, Matt Milano got bent over sideways in a pile, or any other injury? If anything, McDermott should be getting TONS of credit for this DEFENSE keeping us in the game for 4 Quarters...despite half the team being in the medical tent or street clothes.

A lot of people claimed there is no such thing as a "trap" game. Maybe that's the not the best wording. But going in, this one had all the makings of a let-down. Three straight blow-outs, capped by a huge divisional win against the NFL's hottest team. Suddenly, we are the talk of the league again. Meanwhile the Jags haven't played their best yet, and are flying under the radar. Then you have the short overseas trip, against a team that's had a week longer to get acclimated. Throw in the deflating injuries (both pre-game and during the 1st Quarter). There were plenty of reasons the Bills came out flat. The results of today honestly didn't surprise me. I was half expecting a loss, and vowed I wasn't going to get down if it happened. Of course the Bills still found a way to completely ruin my Sunday football experience...thanks to two major injuries to Matt Milano and DaQuan Jones that will likely kill the season. I can already see an early playoff exit coming, 3 months away. On offense, I feel like Ken Dorsey needs to do a better job adapting during the game. The Jets focused on taking away the explosive downfield passing game. We failed to adjust until Week 2. Once we started working underneath, the offense went on a nice run. The Jags seemed to focus today on loading the box to take away the run, and then rallying to tackle the short passes. We should have been running tons of play-action and downfield shots. But it took us around 3 quarters to do so, and by then our defense was gassed and it was too late.

It's always so easy to blame the Head Coach. Not sure it's that simple. It's amazing that the two comparisons given were Jim Kelly and Dan Marino. Both of them had Hall of Fame coaches (Marv Levy and Don Shula). Kelly had a handful of other Hall of Fame players around him, including Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and Bruce Smith on defense. Sean McDermott has played his part in the Bills falling short the last 3 seasons. But he's certainly not alone.

There are only so many balls to go around. No matter what, fans are going to find someone getting "disappointing" levels of production. - The standard has been set with Stefon Diggs to get around 10 targets per game. If that number were to go down, people would be using it as ammo to say there really is a rift between him and Josh Allen. - Gabe Davis is in a contract year trying to prove he's our long-term answer as the #2. Especially after a disappointing 2022. If he doesn't have enough production, the talk will continue about trading for Mike Evans or how we failed to sign DeAndre Hopkins. - Dawson Knox is getting paid like a Top 10 Tight End in the NFL. Not just to be a blocker. If he's not getting enough targets and production, people are going to criticize Beane giving him an extension. - Our shiny new 1st Round Pick in Dalton Kincaid was supposed to become our version of Travis Kelce. Why isn't he on-pace for a 1,000 yard rookie season. He must be a bust, or Dorsey doesn't know how to use him. - Not to mention a renewed focus on the running game, which itself has three guys worthy of getting the ball.

Gabe Davis is a good #2. He's had some drop problems. He's made some very impressive catches. Overall, not on the same level is Tee Higgins, Jaylen Waddle, Devonte Smith, etc. But when healthy, he's better than what most teams have in that spot. The key for our offense is... if teams put the extra focus on Stefon Diggs, do we have other options that are capable of stepping up and producing? A couple years ago, the answer was mostly yes (with Cole Beasley working the slot). Last year, the answer was mostly no. That's one of the main reasons we struggled in the second half of the season. So far this season, we have a strong running game. We have several short options in Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, etc. The times we've called on Davis, he's done well. We've gotten a few nice plays from the #3-5 guys too. Outside of Week 1, Josh Allen is spreading the ball around and taking what the defense gives him. It's working pretty well. Right now, I'm satisfied with Davis as #2. Now if Diggs gets hurt, it may be a completely different story. But right now, I think we have enough weapons to continue playing well on offense. As far as signing an extension, I think Beane would be able to find similar production at a cheaper price.

Sunday night Chiefs games were already unwatchable with Chris Collinsworth's endless Patrick Mahomes love-fest. This whole Taylor Swift thing is going to ruin all of their games.

I don't think the problem is Vic Fangio himself. It's how his scheme fits the Dolphins roster (or should I say doesn't fit). Very possible that we are witnessing a lose-lose situation. Yes, the Broncos miss what Fangio brought to their defense. But at the same time, his system is a poor fit for Miami's player skills.

I never understood the hype about Vic Fangio this offseason. It really reminded me of us years ago, bringing in Rex Ryan to an extremely talented defense. He was supposed to take us to the next level. But his system never fit with the players on the roster, and it never meshed on the field.

We know how this team develops Cornerbacks. There will probably be some drop-off in secondary play. But if we keep getting the same kind of pass rush we've gotten the first 4 games, this defense will be totally fine without Tre White. Dane Jackson steps back into the starting lineup. Kaiir Elam becomes the first off the bench. JaMarcus Ingram gets called up to the main roster. A veteran gets signed off the streets. More than worried about the team, I'm more heartbroken for White as a person. All that work to get himself back. The last few weeks, he's been looking like himself again. It just doesn't seem fair.

The main criticism for Sean McDermott (especially over the last two seasons) is that he was good enough to turn the Bills into a contender... but not good enough to get this team across the finish line. But over the first 4 games of the season, we may be seeing that Leslie Frazier was actually the primary reason for this. And honestly it shouldn't be that surprising when you stop and think about it. Frazier's strength has always been fundamentals. Knowing your job. Being in position. Disguising coverages, but rarely blitzing. Keeping plays underneath and then buckling down in the Red Zone. And every season we saw the exact same results. Totally shutting down the low-level QBs on our schedule and achieving a Top 5 defensive ranking in most categories, but then totally collapsing in the playoffs against elite passers. McDermott seems to be living in both worlds. He's got the veterans (Poyer, Hyde, Milano, White, etc.) who have been playing together for years. They know the fundamentals. They know where to be and what position to be in, especially on the back-end. But the aggression has also been dialed up to a 10 with the pass rush. And by stressing opposing blockers with blitzing, it's allowing us to finally maximize the deeply talented D-Line we've been building for years.

Maybe I'm wrong. But I just feel like way too much hype is being generated, based on the results of one game. Two weeks ago, the Dolphins were considered among the Top 5 most explosive offenses in the NFL. But after the Broncos game, they are suddenly unstoppable. They are suddenly able to score at will on absolutely everyone. Suddenly even the best defenses in the league will be lucky to hold them under 45-50. Would everyone be saying the same thing if the Dolphins scored in the 50s last week? It was an amazing performance, no doubt. But they did have two touchdowns handed to them (turnovers within the 10 yard line). They were still bombing the ball in the mid-4th quarter, when most teams would be running clock. And the Broncos were clearly gassed and simply gave up on the last touchdown run (at the very least). I guess we will find out on Sunday. Are the Dolphins a great offense, who had an exceptional record-breaking day? Or have they found a revolutionary scheme/talent combo that will destroy every remaining opponent on their schedule?

Last year, the McDaniels offense scored 21, 29 and 31 points against us. No, they didn't have Tua in the playoff game. But we also gifted them 3 turnovers, and a touchdown off a fumble return. We were also missing Micah Hyde for all three games, Tre White and Jordan Poyer for one, Von Miller for two, amongst others. The Sean McDermott defense has always been about confusing the QB and preventing the big play. And with the Dolphins posting 70 last week, I'm sure that will be an even bigger focus than usual. Speed becomes less of a factor in the Red Zone. They will be OK allowing some yards, as long as we keep them out of the endzone. Honestly, I would be shocked if the Bills defense gets totally destroyed this week. I'm very confident we can hold them under 35, pretty confident we can hold them under 30, and wouldn't be totally surprised if it's under 25. McDaniel will have the same idea against us, so it will be crucial that we score in the Red Zone. And of course, don't turn the ball over.

Totally agree. All the pressure is on the Dolphins to replicate last week's performance, against a far superior defense. Bills fans have been witness to many fantastic offensive performances over the years. There is no guarantee that success will continue the remainder of the season, or even another week. For example: After absolutely destroying the Raiders 51-3 in the 1990 AFC Championship, the Bills went on to score only 19 against the Giants in Super Bowl XXV. Of course they also lost that game. In 1992, the Bills started the season with ridiculous offensive numbers, scoring 40, 34, 38 and 41. This included the NFL's first no-punt game against the 49ers. Then in Week 5 they hit a wall, scoring 10 and 3 points, losing both games. Listening to the media, they are already trying to crown the Dolphins as the greatest offense ever. Not so sure about that. Not to take anything away from scoring 70 points. But a lot of things went right for them in order to hit that total. For instance: In the Bills perfect playoff game against the Patriots, we got 7 possessions (not counting two kneel-down situations at the end of both halves) and scored 47 points. The Dolphins got a whopping 13 possessions (not counting a kneel down before halftime). Almost twice as many. Two touchdown drives also came after Bronco turnovers that put them inside the 10 yard line. Miami was still throwing deep while up 56-13, with 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter. I don't really care if they decide to run up the score. But most teams in this situation would be trying to burn clock.

The oddsmakers are considering a lot more than a single game's results. And they have a pretty good track-record. Yes, the Dolphins scored a whopping 70 and nearly broke the NFL record for points in a game. And they deserve all the credit in the world... But the Broncos defense they assaulted also let up 35 points just a week earlier to the to the Commanders. And those same Commanders barely managed a field goal going against the Bills defense. Not to mention, Sean McDermott's scheme is built to stop the big-play and force opponents to work underneath. Looking at recent history, the Bills offense and Josh Allen have also done VERY well against the Dolphins defense. This is a trend going back 3-4 seasons now (playing at least twice per season). In the few exceptions where they didn't put up 30+ points, the Bills still moved the ball easily and just struggled to put the ball in the endzone. The key to this game is going to be Red Zone efficiency. Both teams are going to allow yards and give up some drives, but then try to clamp down in the Red Zone.

Week 1, our quarterback refused to take what the defense gave him. He forced throws into coverage, and ended up turning the ball over 4 times. It's hard to judge how anything else is working when your QB is playing like this. Week 2, the offense played fantastic. Week 3, we moved the ball pretty well all game, but struggled putting it into the endzone. There were a couple drives killed due to penalties. My opinion is that our short-yardage play calling was iffy too. From my seat, it seemed that Ken Dorsey went away from the short/quick pass game again this week. The quarterback was back in shotgun (instead of under center), and the goal was attacking mostly downfield. The tight ends were almost invisible in the passing game. This kind of offense is fun to watch, but it's much more inconsistent. Not sure if Dorsey has a reason for continually going back to this strategy. Maybe it was how Washington was playing us. But it seems the offense clicks WAY better when we attack with check-downs and underneath throws.

My guess is that he saw a quick path to the starting MLB job in Buffalo (just like the rest of us). But after two weeks, it suddenly seems that Terrel Bernard has a pretty good chance of holding onto the job. Doubt he wants to spend the whole season inactive and on the practice squad.

Year 3 is the big one for quarterbacks. You can usually make a pretty strong assessment by that point. Justin Fields showed some promise last year, but almost entirely on the ground. This is the time he needs to show his development as a passer. It's not been a good start.

It's really hard to say. We have only seen the first two weeks of the season, and the only team who can really be knocked down a peg is the Jets (because of the loss of Aaron Rodgers). Yet they already gave us a loss, and their D has given us fits almost every time we've played. All those top teams are still there... Kansas City, Philadelphia, Dallas... And I do expect the Bengals to figure things out before we play them in November. They started really slow last season too, and destroyed us in the playoffs. Los Angeles never seems to take that next step, but they are still very talented. The Jags aren't elite, but they are good. The Dolphins are going to give us a real run for the division this year. They gave us a push last year, but stumbled mid-season with the Tua concussions. It's not a guarantee (like some people think) that he will get injured again. I could see the AFC East going to Week 18 this time around.