eball

If by never you mean always, I agree! Most overrated Italian restaurant ever. Sauce is sweet.

Well, we're waiting for the update...

I’m glad you used that term, because I don’t think the casual fan understands just how much of a pleasure it’s going to be to attend games in this place. It’s going to be comfortable, spacious yet intimate, and LOUD.

Gregg, don't take this personally, but you are what I would call a worry wart. As a poster you are more concerned with what other teams might do to the Bills than just about anyone. That's fine and your prerogative, but it might be helpful occasionally to step back and think about what other teams are facing when they play Buffalo. In just about every case, they've got a hell of a lot more to worry about than we do. Cheers and Go Bills!

I’m sorry if this comes across as a lecture, and it’s not directed at anyone specifically, but it is pretty useless to make broad assumptions about teams after week one — anecdotally referred to as “the biggest liar in the NFL.” The first game is essentially the first time many starters have played together in a real football game in nearly a year. For the Jets, it was the first game under new coordinators and a HC. It’s the first game for rookies. For the Bills, it was a game in which several new faces were integrated into the offense and defense and a 6th round rookie started at CB2! We don’t know what we don’t know yet about these teams, aside from Josh Allen. The only thing I’m certain of going into this game is that the Bills are a more established football team with the best player on the planet at QB. Last week the Jets lost a game that by all accounts they should have won…that sounds to me more like their traditional m.o. than a sudden turnaround under Aaron Glenn and Justin Fields. Let me see the Jets handle a Bills team with a proven track record before I believe they are a threat.

Every year…it never fails. Repeat after me: IN THE NFL THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A TRAP GAME. Teams that are favored to win beat the teams they are playing at the same rate, whether they are coming off a “tough and emotional” win or whether they have an upcoming “big game” the following week. Listen to the players and coaches! They all say the same thing — it’s hard to win in the league. Nobody takes anyone for granted and they are all just trying to “go 1-0” in the current week. The notion of trap games and letdowns is a fan fallacy, at least in the NFL.

For me, division opponents have always been rivals, regardless of their records. You see them twice a year, every year. The Colts were a rival until realignment. I hate the Fish more than anyone else, but the Pats*** and Jets will always be rivals. Even in the 90s the Jets and Pats*** would give us fits in at least one of the two games. And I’m sure Belichick would agree that even though Brady was killing us he always respected what the Bills brought to those rivalry games — many of which were very tight into the 4th quarter. So yes, the Jets are a rival.

This is what I was talking about in the other thread I started. Love that these young guys get to watch this first-hand… And by the way, I think Hard Knocks was great for showing another side of Ed as well. He’s one of my favorite Bills. Hopefully he has now reached that “next level” of play and we’ll all get to enjoy it.

The Ravens’ strategy to go uptempo and keep the Bills from making presnap calls (due to crowd noise) was a stroke of genius by the Ravens’ OC and (I think) also played a role in how bad the D looked at times. It’s something Babich needs to learn from and figure out how to adapt.

Rams, Vikings, Cards There is no way I’d take the Ravens in this game for a survivor pool. First, they are the largest favorite, which you should always avoid if you’re actually trying to win the pool. Second, I guarantee you Cleveland’s defense is going to slow them down (familiarity, division opponent). Third, you’ve got the Flacco factor. I see a game in the 20s and I’m staying away from it.

I still can’t believe Beane honored the signing after Ogunjobi and his agent intentionally withheld info about his suspension. I’d have said “see ya” but I guess it shows you how concerned Beane is about the interior of the D.

Very interesting. The Ravens took @boyst‘s advice!

Wasn't gonna buy one but then saw I had $160 in FanCash from Fanatics so pulled the trigger on a 17.

You rang? LOL @ the trap game bunch of knuckleheads. It’s WEEK TWO and a division game. Ain’t nobody lookin’ past nobody.

The Bills are the better team and should win, but it’s not as easy as that. First, that’s not the Buffalo defensive scheme, and second, Fields actually had a very good day throwing the ball against the Steelers and has a legit stud to throw to (Wilson). I think the Jets will score 20…the question is if they can score 30 because it’s hard to envision anyone keeping Allen & Co. from putting up that many points on a weekly basis.

@Chandler#81 not writing off the Chefs but they are no longer the class of the AFC. Of course, you never want to count Mahomes out.

I know some people hate using W-L record as a measuring stick for QBs but it matters. Lamar played a technically and statistically great game, but he didn’t make any plays on their final three drives to win the game. I’d be willing to bet if you asked him he’d say the same thing and give Josh the credit.

My dad was an original ST holder, and as a kid I learned from him that you don’t leave a Bills game early. It stuck with me through adulthood and even though I wasn’t in OP Sunday night, if I was I wouldn’t have left. I was at the Houston comeback game and didn’t leave (I was with my dad, of course). One of my best friends, with whom I tailgate when I come up for games, almost always leaves early, no matter the score. For him it’s about wanting to avoid the hassle of getting out of the stadium. I shame him relentlessly and his wife texted me Monday morning that they stayed! It always amazes me how many locals use traffic as their excuse. You made the decision to attend the game, which means you’ve already dedicated X number of hours to the event. Another 45 minutes in traffic is the tipping point? When I lived in Buffalo we used postgame to fire up the grill and hang out for another hour or so. And how about planning ahead regarding work the next day if it’s a night game? To the poster from CA who left early — man, I just don’t get it, particularly when you traveled across the country to be there. I guess it’s just a psychological thing, not wanting to stay and be disappointed…I suppose I understand that in December and January when you’re also freezing your ass off, but not on a gorgeous September evening! Go Bills!

What a fantastic way for our young players to get a taste of “big boy” NFL football, playing against a co-Super Bowl favorite. Is there any game remaining on the schedule that will present as much of a challenge? I love the thought of those young D-linemen watching the film and seeing how Ed Oliver played. Joshua Palmer absolutely upgraded the WR room. He ran precise routes, was sure-handed, and seems to love being here. How about those TEs? 7 catches, 98 yards, and a tuddy (shoulda been two). I hate to complain about anything related to that offense, but the 2-point conversion attempts were ass. For everything that went right to enable that comeback, how about the horrible call that almost cost them the chance (ref spot on Josh’s slide that didn’t give him the 1st down, which was followed by a penalty and sack)? There’s no way to prove it, but I believe that Oliver’s crushing hit on Lamar on 3rd down impacted Harbaugh’s decision to punt. On the tipped TD to Coleman I’m pretty sure Josh was throwing to Shakir, not Knox, and if Knox doesn’t tip it we might have scored anyway. A Raven DB got to Shakir late. Cook running through Roquan Smith’s tackle attempt after catching that swing pass was fun to watch. Incredible hustle play by Wiggins to prevent the TD. If the rest of the season plays out like we hope, it’s hard to envision not seeing these guys again in January.

All you saw was a snippet the Bills decided to release. You have no idea what game balls they handed out and what coaches said to players. I guarantee you Ed’s performance was appreciated and saluted by his teammates and coaches.

No we don’t. Haven’t you heard, the Bills are ALL Josh Allen and 52 other JAGs? All hail the mighty Raven roster!!!!

Do we really need to take victory laps or make definitive judgments about this young player after one week? Can we just say he had a great 4th quarter that helped the team win and it looks like he and Josh are building some trust and a connection? The “instant gratification” mentality of some fans is tiring.

My biggest criticism of those who criticize McD is that they fail to recognize his continued and consistent growth as a head coach. They harken back to mistakes he made 4, 5, even 6 years ago as if he is the same coach now he was then. It’s not dissimilar to looking at 2018-19 Josh Allen and the player he is now. Even last year there were talking heads still clinging to their assessments of rookie Josh and we blew our lids over it. Why doesn’t McD get the same respect from our fan base? Saying this team is “all Josh” is a disservice to many men — Beane, McD, and the rest of the roster. McD has been a very large part of Josh’s growth and development — does anyone want to argue he wasn’t? It’s time to stop the narrative that McD is somehow keeping us from a championship. He out-coached Harbaugh Sunday night by a mile, and Harbaugh is universally acknowledged as a top-5 HC in the league.

The answer at safety is TIME. Bishop needs reps to get comfortable. I’m not predicting Bishop/Rapp will become some dynamic duo but they can be mid-tier and that is sufficient on this team.

I’m getting a little tired of this narrative. The Bills’ OL is better. The Ravens’ C is excellent but the other four spots go to Buffalo. The TEs are a wash. Flowers starts, and after that it’s a wash or Buffalo is better. The two starting RBs are Henry and Cook. Defensively it’s slightly more slanted towards Baltimore — the safeties, one CB, one LB, and two DL. But these rosters are not as lopsided as many of you seem to believe.