Rocky Landing

You mean the guy who was out-coached in week one by Sean McDermott?

Which take are we talking about?

I don't need to hear this...

You were right. Hardman it is.

One of the things I love about the TE duo of Knox, and Kincaid (who appear to be close friends, as well) is the way they were drafted, and then developed by the Bills. In college, Knox had never caught a TD pass. He was developed in college as a blocking TE. Then when he came to the Bills, they began developing his ball skills (and to his credit, Knox spent every offseason working on his receiving, including working with an eye-hand coordination specialist). Conversely, Kincaid was considered the best pass-catching TE in his class, but with poor blocking skills, which the Bills immediately began developing upon arrival. The result has been perhaps the best TE duo since Gronkowsky/Hernandez.

I think it's a pretty varied list, but if you're a team in need of a head coach, where else can you look? With so many teams looking for a new HC, man the competition is brutal! Probably, a team will grab some hotshot college phenom who's going to "revolutionize the game," like Cliff Kingsbury did, lol. There might be a team out there still willing to take Bill Belichick* seriously-- that would be a hoot!. And there will be plenty of current OCs, and DCs getting some interest. Of all the coaches on that list, I would agree that Harbaugh is the most overrated. And the Baltimore fanbase has been calling for his head for a few seasons now, by a much larger margin that McD gets on here. McCarthy is another one where I can't see why a team would put him in consideration. It'll be interesting to see if Tomlin continues coaching in the NFL, after 19 seasons on the same team. It's a pretty incredible stat that he went his entire 19 years in Pittsburg without coaching a sub-.500 season. I'd love to see what he could do with a team like the Jets. Speaking of the Jets, I honestly think Saleh could have been a successful HC, had he not joined such a dysfunctional organization, whose culture was even further ground into the turf by Aaron Rodgers, who has now seen the demise of three of the head coaches on this list!

IMO, Knox is one of the best "all around" TEs in the conference. Along with being an exceptional blocker, he has quietly had a great season, with a fantastic catch percentage, and clutch play.

At the time, Wilkerson had only been on the team for a short time. I think they saw a potential role for him that ended up being filled by Shavers, which included special teams. When it came to the practice squad at that time, I think they saw Gosnell, at al, as better developmental prospects. Wilkerson was already 29, and a known commodity-- as @Chandler#81 mentioned, capable, but not exciting. I'd be surprised if they didn't view him as a more reliable option over Gosnell, who has yet to play in a regular season game. But, you're right that it may be Hardman over Wilkerson-- neither has a particularly great stat sheet, and neither has been on the team for very long. But Hardman hasn't had a decent stat line since '22, and I don't see anything to suggest that he has an edge over Wilkerson. And to date, Wilkerson has probably caught more passes from Josh Allen than Hardman has, even if most of them occurred back in August.

Wilkerson was really making a case for himself in the preseason, and I think it came down to him vs Shavers. To the eye, it looked like Wilkerson was the better player, with the exception of one spectacular catch that Shavers made in a preseason game. Shavers likely also had the edge on him as a ST player, and as an established teammate with a lot of respect in the locker room. He struck me as an exceptionally consistent player. When faced with the opportunity in the preseason, and with a very short tenure on the team, he looked composed, and didn't rattle. He could surprise us tomorrow.

I despise the idea of the Pats* being good enough to get to the AFCCG.

I especially dislike the change that gave only a single team a first week bye. Two teams was fine, but really unfair to give one team such a huge advantage. And it still doesn't address the reality of weaker vs. stronger divisions. I didn't think adding a playoff team per conference was a good idea. Six teams per conference makes more sense, IMO.

Josh has shown an ability to exploit a PI when he sees one. But the league definitely has more of a "let them play" attitude during the playoffs.

Who was available?

The wake of destruction following Aaron Rodgers...

Just in terms of public perception, Ravens fans have been calling for Harbaugh's head for a while. For context, the Harbaugh-haters in Baltimore have been significantly louder, and at a higher percentage than the McD haters in Buffalo. I wouldn't say "the writing was on the wall" at the beginning of the season, but the sharpie was in hand. And after their week-one loss to the Bills, it started to be written. I don't even think it was missing the playoffs that sealed it. If their rookie kicker hadn't shanked that last FG, and they squeaked into the playoffs, I think the only thing that would have saved Harbaugh's job would have been an AFCCG appearance. (Maybe making it to the divisional round?) On paper, they have one of the best rosters in the league, but they have underperformed all season long.