eball

I just don't think 2017 was viewed as a franchise-changing draft at the QB position, regardless of what Mahomes and Watson have done. I remember reading lots of pre-draft stuff both for and against those two players, and there was certainly no consensus on them as "can't miss" franchise guys. I mean, after Trubisky at #2 they went #10 and #12 -- and the next guy drafted at the position wasn't until #52. It's easy to see how McD was looking ahead to 2018 to draft his QB, and thought he could make do with Tyrod for a season (which he did, and they made the playoffs). I know you think this is crazy but I'm still not sold on Lynn. Is it difficult to walk into a HC job when a likely HOFer is still playing QB for your team? They looked downright awful in the biggest game of his coaching career last January. As I've indicated many times, the "there were a lot of blowouts" characterization of the last two seasons is not indicative of how the Bills played; it's indicative of the dearth of offensive talent, which is systematically being addressed. The Peterman thing is and always will be on McD. None of us understand it. But what's done is done. I know you probably read and listen to a lot of NFL stuff -- McD is almost universally praised as a great hire by Buffalo. It seems odd that you continue to act as though that was a questionable decision by the Pegulas.

No, they won't. That's why it's debatable in the first place. If OBJ is successful some will say "OTAs don't matter" but nobody knows the true value because you can't place a tangible value on "building chemistry" other than to say it's arguably better to have it than not.

Yeah, you're just nitpicking. The bottom line -- and I don't see how anyone could disagree -- is that it's more likely the Browns and OBJ would benefit from OBJ's participation in OTAs than from him not attending.

Did I miss something in the NFL ownership manual giving the league authority to force an owner to relocate?

I think they could have gone either way. But knowing McD the way we now think we do, I can understand from his perspective why he wanted to come in and change the culture first. I dunno, one could argue it's a small miracle Allen played as well as he did last year, what with the crappy QB room to start the season and an old WR coach as his QB coach. The bottom line, at least for me, is that I don't think we've endured two years of "suffering" under McD the way some make it seem, and I'm really excited about the prospects moving forward.

You apparently ignored the very first sentence of my second paragraph? The one that reads "I'm not saying OBJ failing to attend OTAs means he won't be successful with Cleveland?" This is not about saying OTAs are the key to OBJ's (or the Browns') success. It's about saying that OBJ is missing an opportunity to show he gives a damn, and if I was the coach I'd be a little miffed about it too. That's not a "silly" argument when people can take reasonable positions on both sides.

George was the classic case of "million dollar arm, 10 cent head." Never exhibited the desire or competitive edge to be one of the best. Physical talent was All-Pro caliber but just didn't have the drive. I'm not aware of substance abuse issues.

Their argument will always be that the new coach/GM could/should have drafted Mahomes or Watson in 2017.

In my mind, there is a better argument for byes in sports like baseball, basketball, and hockey because the teams at the top have earned those records over the course of 80+ games...not the 16 played in the NFL where one or two "bad weeks" can significantly impact the standings. Anyway, we disagree on this point and that's fine. But I think you'll see an expansion of the NFL playoffs before long.

The "wild card round" in baseball is one game to determine the wild card, isn't it? That's not exactly a "bye" for the other teams. And no, I have not for one second contemplated that byes for the top two teams in the NFL playoffs have anything to do with the sport's popularity. I don't even know how one would come to that conclusion.

Because the Giants were a great team with OBJ? I'm not saying OBJ failing to attend OTAs means he won't be successful with Cleveland. What I will say is that he is doing both himself and the team a disservice by not attending. There is a world of difference between (a) a veteran player on an established team with a stable coaching staff and (b) a player going to a new team with new coaches and teammates. If I'm a coach I don't have a problem with a player in situation (a) skipping OTAs because the credibility and chemistry are ostensibly already there. I do have a problem with a player in situation (b) skipping because an opportunity to learn the system and bond with teammates/coaches is not being taken advantage of. This is particularly true in this day and age of limited practice time. I'm certain you completely disagree with this take and think attendance at OTAs is meaningless, which is your prerogative.

The NHL, NBA, and MLB don't give teams byes. The NCAA men's basketball tournament doesn't give byes. Why should the NFL?

Give the teams more of an ability to practice and/or scrimmage with other teams, and remove 1-2 of the preseason games. I think coaches would be fine with that and as a fan, I'd appreciate shortening the preseason. While we're at it, add two playoff teams in each conference (4 division champs, 4 wild cards) and get rid of the byes for the top two seeds.

Sloppy article, hastily thrown together. There was no shoulder injury, just the elbow we all know about. I'm surprised Bills fans even read profootballtalk -- there's absolutely nothing presented there (regarding the Bills) that we haven't seen first in the local media.

I'll go ahead and say it -- "this doesn't mean anything about winning NFL football games" -- but it's nice to see a team of guys who seem to genuinely care about each other and have some passion. The hope is that this translates over to football practices and games, and really laying it on the line for your teammates.

This is an insightful post and I agree with most of it. I think what is often misunderstood is the mindset of "optimistic" fans -- at least where I'm concerned. Optimistic, positive fans around here generally aren't burying their heads in the sand with respect to what is wrong -- they simply have a different perspective on looking towards the future. When I look at a move made by the GM, for example, I'm thinking of ways it could work out rather than ways it could fail. That doesn't mean I don't acknowledge failures and hope they are learning experiences for the organization. The late 80s and 90s were more special because of what we witnessed in the mid-80s (i.e., the embarrassment of our first round QB choosing the USFL). It is always sweeter to overcome obstacles on the road to greatness.

Nice interview. Sounds like a good kid with a solid head on his shoulders. Love the part about being a Titans fan growing up and watching Home Run Throwup as a 5-year old...he said "I went back and looked at the tape and I think it was a forward pass." Smart kid.

I think both Dorsey and Daboll are giddy as schoolgirls at the prospect of watching Allen grow into this position. He's going to make them look very, very good. Who knows, maybe in a year or two Dabes gets his HC shot and Dorsey takes over as OC. I'd be cool with that if the Bills are winning football games.

I didn’t blame you for anything other than making a ridiculous argument about “aggressive” penalties as a way of bolstering your anti-McD movement. The bottom line is that REGARDLESS OF THE CHART the Bills weren’t “undisciplined” on defense and the two areas of the team that need the most work were responsible for most of the penalties. And the total number of penalties wasn’t “egregious.” Still waiting for you to address your ridiculous McD/Lynn argument as well.

I can’t believe we are going to sit idly by while McDermott and Beane run this kind of undisciplined program.

That's some classic Trumpism right there...using a pretty irrelevant error to distract from your specious argument. So what -- playoff penalties were included in the chart I looked at. Doesn't change the fact that your diatribe about McD and penalties is silly.

Good lord, lack of comprehension is a real thing with you, isn't it? You seem to think I said Lynn hasn't done a good job in his two years as the Bolts' HC. I didn't. I said he did a crappy job against the Pats*** in the playoffs with a roster that is arguably more talented. Conversely, McDermott chose to break down the Bills in order to build them up again. You understand that, right? I know you hate that they traded/cut players with talent but it is what it is. They did it. Now, two years later, we're ready to see what McD can do with a roster built to his and Beane's specifications. You think we're supposed to judge McD on his W-L record while they were undergoing that transition? (Oh, and by the way, he ended the playoff drought) Talk to me about Lynn and McD after a couple more seasons. Maybe they'll both have proven to be great head coaches. Maybe not. The problem is people like you who move the goal line backwards and forwards to match whatever agenda you have on the current day.

Does your @$$ actually have lips? Because you talk out of it more than anyone I know.

Might be helpful to give the penalty stats some context. First of all, the Bills were the 8th most penalized for the 10th most yards, but who's counting. Out of 116 total penalties the defense was only flagged 34 times -- so roughly twice a game. Is that "tolerable flaggage" coming from the Bills' best unit? Conversely, the terrible OL and offense committed 63 penalties, while the ST were flagged 19 times. I think it's quite fair to say that the areas of the team that needed to be addressed most are those areas guilty of "obscenely undisciplined play." By the way, want to know the average number of penalties per team in the NFL last year? 111.5. The Bills with their 116 flags were goons! Goons I tell ya! Oh, and also -- 6 of the 9 most penalized teams made the playoffs. But then again, I'm incapable of "talking football" so I'm sure you'll ignore this post as you have others that don't fit your agenda to ridicule.

And this upsets you why? Are you now the self-appointed arbiter of fairness in QB critiques? I can't wait to see the conversation in here when Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense regress this season -- which they are almost certain to do.