eball

I never thought the 2004 team was “good” — in fact they were pretty brutal through the first nine games of the season. Bledsoe was essentially done, even though they had Moulds/Evans/McGahee. The defense was opportunistic but not a “shut ‘em down” unit. The six-game streak was dominant but they beat the Rams (8-8), Seahawks (9-7), Fish (4-12), Browns (4-12), Bengals (8-8), and 49ers (2-14) — not exactly Murderers’ Row. I’ll always give Mularkey credit for holding the team together when they were 3-6 (remember the cheeseburgers?) but I think last year’s squad beats that team 8 out of 10 times.

I have been a big "Josh was raw and he's just been learning to play the position his first two years" guy. That said, this season the excuses go away. He's gotten the coaching, he's gotten the reps, he has continuity, and he's got lots of weapons. I'm expecting >60% completions and 30+ passing TDs, to go along with another half dozen or so rushing scores. With his work ethic, talent, and mentality there is no reason to expect less.

If I'm overly sensitive about Josh Allen so be it, but I'm sick and tired of projections that basically presume he will hold the Bills back. Has there been a more polarizing QB prospect going into his third season who has performed as well as Josh has thus far? He's not doing it the prototypical way but aside from his completion percentage he looks and acts the part of a winner. I can not wait for this season to begin.

You're entitled to your opinion but it's not one that is based in sound logic as far as I'm concerned. All McD and the "coaching staff" have done is make the playoffs two out of three years while completely rebuilding the roster. Ask the experts around the league to name the best coaching staffs and I guarantee you the Bills are mentioned in the top ten if not top five. But to each his own.

They've essentially admitted they bash Josh Allen to drive Bills fans to discuss their content. No credibility whatsoever. If you're a data organization, be driven by data. PFFfffft. Be my guest. I've been using it for a couple of years I think.

Well if that's not a ringing endorsement... PFFfffft.

Yeah, Pffffft loses credibility year after year. 29th last season was a joke, and of course they will beat the “Josh Allen is a bust” drum until the cows come home.

The OP is nonsensical, but the Bills are a SB contender this year, period. The roster is deep and crazy stuff happens in the NFL each year. The real difference in expectations is whether you believe in Josh Allen or not. I do.

What a Trumpian statement — as in, not at all true but I’ll say it with conviction because some dumbasses will believe it.

I think Bass has a real shot. I just looked up NCAA FG kicker percentages since 1956 and was surprised to see his 79.4% ranks tied as 81st all-time. Scrolling through that list there are a lot of guys who never made it in the NFL, but the combination of good accuracy in college plus a huge leg bodes well for Bass — gives him a leg up, if you will. Hauschka made some crucial kicks for Buffalo down the stretch last season and was clutch in the playoff loss, and I’ll admit trusting a rookie to make big kicks makes me a bit anxious, but I’d rather swing for the fences on a kicker that might be really good for a long time. I think I’ll be rooting for Bass to win that job.

The 90s. Not sure of your point.

Holy crap. For a guy that young, not good...hope he makes a full recovery.

Just two years ago the Pats*** beat the Rams with defense. When is Gase going to be fired?

...honest people who aren’t afraid to self-reflect and get past their defensiveness. Every time a white person says “but I haven’t done anything to black people” I just shake my head...

Then you should try actually looking.

This is one of the more ridiculous statements you've made on this board. If anything, McD is the antithesis of "hard-headed" and constantly looks to evolve. Have you listened to literally nothing the man preaches? As I've stated numerous times...let's see how the Buffalo offense looks now that they have the pieces in place. You don't think McD said to Beane "I need receivers who will catch the ball and score?"

They're going to sell the Sabres. Just watch.

Sure they do. Promoting science. Unfortunately, science doesn’t fit with what many people want to hear.

One of the great things about McD is that he is consistently trying to improve himself. I love it that fans “know” he is conservative or that he can’t/won’t adapt. He has had a raw QB and questionable skill on the offensive side of ball. This season will be his first as HC with the pieces in place to field an offense that should be in the top half of the league. There are absolutely things he can get better at, but he’s not stupid and he isn’t trying to just “win with defense” as some suggest. The Bills were one of the most aggressive teams on 4th down, for example. How does that mesh with the conservative mindset? Playcalling on offense is perhaps the easiest thing to criticize in all of sports. Everybody would have done something differently. When the calls work nobody says boo, but when there’s a 3-and-out all hell breaks loose. These guys aren’t perfect and they make decisions you look back at and say “huh?” DiMarco running a post comes to mind, or sending Gore into the line when he clearly didn’t have it any more. But by and large, they do things with a plan and not haphazardly. I don’t believe McD is conservative; I think he is weighing the circumstances and going with what he believes are his team’s strengths. There was no reason to be “aggressive” in Pittsburgh late in the game with a lead against one of the best defenses in football, with a third-stringer playing QB for the other team. This season the Bills appear to have the chance to create a lot of mismatches on offense. I’m looking forward to seeing McD’s continued development in calling a game.

42 sacks and 300 tackles sounds about right.

Just watched...very cool. Can’t wait to see Josh take the next step this season!

Really not funny. Are you an "All Lives Matter" guy too?

Seriously, how much difference would just having a GOOD goaltender mean to this team, as it currently exists?

See my post two above yours, if it is answers you seek.

Best of luck to you, OP, in your quest to find attention.