[Chiefs v Dolphins in Frankfurt Germany]

Not impressed by either team today.

[Do you find yourself after every big play looking for/dreading a flag?]

Yes.  And this goes all the way back to the pass interference call on the hail Mary vs the Pats in 1998.  That feels like the definitive start of the "flag watching" phenomenon for me.

[Why do you come to TSW & Post]

I come here for the mostly informed takes on Bills' football, and for the sense of community.

[Bills sign DT Linval Joseph---Elam to IR]

7 hours ago, RiotAct said:

has he ever played for Carolina, though?

No, but the rumor is that many unsigned vets have been camping in the Panthers parking lot in the hopes that Beane will come calling. 

[Best Bills Cornerback of all time?]

On 10/31/2023 at 9:54 AM, Sierra Foothills said:

 

I knew we were forgetting someone... yes Thomas Smith was an excellent cornerback.

 

Former 1st rounder and started nearly 100 games for us.

 

Not a great ball athlete though.

 

I loved Thomas Smith.  Hell of a coverage corner. We could use a Thomas Smith about now.

[We're overhyping the Bengals]

1 hour ago, RichRiderBills said:

 

The Chiefs have owned us, the Ravens owned us , so did the Titans. We beat them all eventually. 

I agree and that gives me hope for Sunday.  But I need to see it on the field.  Let's go!

[We're overhyping the Bengals]

We're nine pages deep, so I'm certain it's already been said, but our "overhyping" of the Bengals is based on them absolutely owning us in the 5+ quarters we played against them last year.  I'm not inclined to downplay the Bengals until we prove we can hang with them.  

[Bears CB Jaylon Johnson Requests to be Traded]

I'd rather Beane just hold on to the picks.  Then we can draft a backup CB in the first round and a new starting CB in the 6th round.

[Trade deadline needs what are your priorities]

I thought Settle and Ford were supposed to be good.  The board was all excited for both of those guys. Under the radar  signings or something.  Instead, they've turned out to be next to worthless so far.   So, while I'd sort of hate to waste even more resources at the position, DT does seem to be our biggest area of need at this point.  Not sure who is available, but if they go this route, I'd like to see us go all in and flip a high pick or two to grab a stud that can anchor the line for a few years next to Ed. 

 

I'd also feel more comfortable about our chances if we could also bring in a competent zone corner. I've always been a Dane Jackson fan, but his deficiencies just seem more apparent to me this year.  But maybe that's just a function of the D being depleted on the whole.

[Bills signing Fournette (for real this time)]

2 hours ago, Iraq Vet said:

I hope he has some nastiness left in the tank. We got no one with serious nastiness on offense since crazy man... Richie Incongito. 

 

I don't care if he weighs 300lbs and has just 10 plays on the field all game.  Just be nasty.  

He can prance around the field in a tutu, so long as he nets 5 ypc.

[Bills signing Fournette (for real this time)]

My source says Fournette had relocated to Charlotte in the past 10 days in the hope that this call would come. 

[2023 MVP: Lamar will win it with 15 fewer TDs than Josh Allen (end of season talk pg 75+)]

1 hour ago, dave mcbride said:

Allen is leading the league in QBR: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2023/passing.htm#passing::pass_int_perc

It's pretty amazing the amount of sh*t we give to the #1 QB in the NFL.  I understand creating space for legit criticism, but reading the board at times you'd think we were still trotting guys like Bledsoe, Fitz, Taylor, Manuel, etc. out there.  This isn't a holier than thou post, I'm guilty of it sometimes as well. 

[Let's talk about that Hail Mary]

13 minutes ago, mannc said:

OK, how about the entire fourth quarter, then?   

That's what I'm referring to.  They had the drive with the ill timed sack, another drive where they moved the ball 30 yards and then had to punt after the deflected pass to Davis and Kincaid's 8 yard catch left us in 4th and 2, and then the TB timeout killing drive that started at 2:30 and ended with us punting with under :30 left on the clock.  The only possession of the 2nd half (arguably the entire game) that they played conservative was the final one where they had to burn TB's timeouts.  They did this by successfully picking up a first down on three straight runs.  If it seems like we did nothing in the fourth quarter it's because TB's scoring drive took something like 8+ minutes off the clock.

 

I guess you could argue we "turtled" by punting in those 4th and 4 (first drive of 4th) and 4th and 2 (next drive) situations from Tampa's 45, but we were up 14, the field position game had been working well for us, Martin was consistently pinning them deep, and the defense was in shutdown mode going back to the end of the second quarter.  The one thing you didn't want to do in those situations is to give Tampa the momentum of a 4th down stop and a short field.  I guarantee you that Andy Reid and Bill Belichick and just about every other coach not named Brandon Staley punts in those situations.

 

Edit: we were also playing Tampa Bay, not the Chiefs, Niners, Dolphins, Eagles or some other explosive offense.  The only time they had scored all game was when Josh gave them a short field from our 25.  

[Dare I say Chris Brown is a better PBP man than John Murphy?]

1 hour ago, SoMAn said:

Comments like that are unjustified and just plain rude. There’s certainly nothing unusual about his appearance. In fact, my impression is he’s extremely regimented and fastidious. 
I’d lay down money that he’s the neighbor who has the perfect orderly garage with every tool neatly hung on a pegboard, his lawnmower winterized, and a shiny epoxy coated floor under his spotless car for which he has comprehensive maintenance records in a file cabinet. 
Not creepy. Just the guy our wives always compare us to. 

And if you're impressed with all that, just wait until you see the crawlspace under his house!

 

JK

[Let's talk about that Hail Mary]

1 hour ago, mannc said:

At this point in Josh Allen’s career, it is totally unacceptable for this offense to go into turtle mode in the third quarter with a 14-point lead against the Buccaneers.  It’s boring, play-not-to-lose football, and as a Bills fan, I’ve seen way too much of it.  I’ve never seen the Chiefs do it and I never saw the Brady-era Pats do it.  They never stopped attacking.

I just rewatched the entire game.  The Bills did not go into "turtle mode" in the third quarter.  This is a false narrative.  We had two drives stall around the Bucs 45 yard line due to execution issues.  We continued to throw the ball and attempted to push it down field.  And we probably score on that drive to end the third quarter/start of 4th if not for being too aggressive with that quick snap that led to the 10 yard sack.  

[Rumors swirling that Elam will be a scratch tonight for Norman. Trade coming?]

4 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

I would take Jameson Williams

Are they looking to move him or something?  He's barely had a chance to see the field yet.  No way the Lions move him.

[Matt Milano injury]

2 hours ago, Big Turk said:

 

McDermott said "medically it was more complex than I would know how to explain, so can I just classify it like the NHL and just call it lower body?"  It was reported that Milano didn't have any serious ligament damage other than a potential MCL sprain and McD refused to rule him out for the entire season and left the door open for a return at some point late in the year/playoffs. Neither did he rule out Daquan Jones for the entire season and left the door open on a return for him as well.

I missed those quotes from McD.  Thanks for sharing.  Seems like relatively good news given all the potential outcomes.

[Do you think the offense was better yesterday?]

I thought we were much better, bordering on elite, until we got to 24 and seemed to get a little sloppy. 

 

Also, just me, or did it seem that Josh was trying to force feed Diggs over the last 1.5 quarters and that sort of hindered our momentum?

[Never thought I’d say this. Sean McDermott is a stupid coach.]

1 minute ago, Ralonzo said:

If I thought he was competent enough to have that level of thought to it, I’d give him credit. I will believe he lucked into it because it fits my narrative lol.

You're an honest dishonest man.  Lol.

[TB / Buffalo Postgame thread]

6 minutes ago, Hsker4life said:

The conservative approach in the 4th nearly cost us what should have been a comfortable win.

Thought we were behind the sticks due to penalties on the last two 24-10 drives.  Thought it sloppiness as much as conservative playcalling.

[TB @ Buffalo Game thread - 2nd Half]

Getting a Billsy kind of feeling right now.

[TB @ Buffalo Game thread - 1st Half]

12 minutes ago, dma0034 said:

Okay.... I don't understand why people are mad.

 

Bills don't call a TO then the Bucs snap the ball at 3 and get a no risk FG attempt.

 

Bills call a TO and then the Bucs have to decide if it is woryh the risk. They miss and the Bills have it at the Bills 49. One play and they'll be in FG range

Agree. These guys are dumb.

[TB @ Buffalo Game thread - 1st Half]

Super smart gamesmanship from McD there.  Have to tip the cap on that one.

[Bills vs Tampa Bay. On to Week 8]

47 minutes ago, OldTimer1960 said:

I don’t “feel” a recovery for Bills coming tonight.

Hoping for the best, but I'm fearing tonight is when the house implodes.  

[If the Bills defense is healthy, they're 6-1 right now]

1 hour ago, zow2 said:

How come the Bills can't overcome injuries like some other good teams in recent years.  I get it, you cannot replace Milano or Tre, but others can step and play well enough to keep things under control.  The Bills still had Allen, Diggs and most of the offense intact recently.  

I agree that the offense is an entirely different problem, but it's undeniable that the defense is no longer in any position to "pick them up" on an off day.  Also, its tough to overcome the losses of multiple "essential" defensive players in back-to-back years.  The loss of a Milano or a White or a Daquan Jones should be survivable on their own, but combine them, and you have a situation that isn't simply overcome by "next man up" or team defense principles.  At the end of the day, the teams with the most talent tend to win out.