Chuck Schick

I think people get it. Gilmore is not to blame for the coverage. But it's also a bit bullheaded to essentially declare that no CB in the history of football has successfully made a mid-play adjustment when he sees that the deep zone has been flooded with more than one WR. I think it could be argued that Gilmore didn't exactly show great instincts once the ball was in the air. Is it also unreasonable to hope that an RB makes an in-play decision to bounce outside when the designed inside lane isn't open?

As much as he grated on me, I wonder if this way of doing business is what Marrone wanted in an organization. The ability to swiftly make personnel and scheme decisions based only on what they believed to be in the best interest of the team. No concern over name recognition, draft status, etc. We obviously didn't have it before, and maybe that's why he felt it wasn't worth sticking around.

Did Gilislie not go through the exact same thing a year or so ago? Signed, cut, not claimed, and then re-signed? My takeaway is that being the 33rd best RB in the league is probably not that big a spread to being the 133rd best.

Yes, because if we know anything, it's that aging vets with big contracts have TONS of trade value in the NFL.

I got a mostly apathetic response from my non-Bills fans when I asked "Can you believe Sammy Watkins got traded??" Made me realize he's not the household name/ generational talent we all still think he is. For reference, Brandin Cooks got traded for the #32 overall pick and his stats look waaay better.

Drew Bledsoe

If you project Watkins to be relatively healthy and put up approx 1000 yds and 10 TDs (which in this offense would be a realistically "good" season), and for Darby to play solidly as a zone CB in the new scheme, how many wins do you think the Bills are losing out on by having Matthews and Gaines instead? I know it's a guess, but I find it unlikely that the outcome would be that different when all is said-and-done.

This problem has very few solutions. I played DIII about 25 yrs ago and people were saying the exact same things that Rosen is saying. The school I went to was in the NESCAC, and the league seriously considered pulling out of the NCAA, an organization has long since outlived its usefulness. But the criticism was overwhelming as the Rick Reilly's of the world all made a huge stink about it and it never happened. But I think we will soon see the power conferences break free of the NCAA, and some of the ridiculous regulations (that hurt the kids just as much as the schools) will be done away with. I could see a scenario where a kid gets to play football/basketball with a very minimal course load but with the ability to finish his education in the future, for example.

You're skeptical about the success rate of a 3rd round OL....So the Bills trade back up to the 2nd round and only sacrifice some mid round picks to get a better prospect....but if he tears his ACL...

Gilmore seems like a very odd guy. From the minute he was drafted, his facial expressions and emotional (or lack of) displays just looked kind of weird. On the playing field he also has shown that same erratic behavior: often good, but many times blatantly grabbing onto receivers, avoiding contact on blocks and tackles, looking back toward the line of scrimmage after getting burned, etc etc. Even when he got that pick in the Pro Bowl-- the way he stuck the ball out and just stood there while the play was still live, was not a normal reaction. I would be very skeptical of giving this guy a huge payday and expecting to get your money's worth.

I completely see your angle. You've decided that you have taken the moral high ground, and it's unthinkable that another opinion could diminish or even discredit that opinion. I don't think you're offended by this t-shirt. Nor do I think you are at all concerned for Kaep's safety or loss of rights. I get the vibe you just don't like the type of person that would buy and wear one of those things.... Red necks? White trash? "We" hate Brady for reason X....which is cool. "They" hate Kaep for reason Y. They must be stopped or at least publicly humiliated for their opinion.

I admire your resolve/ stubbornness. You make it sound like Kaep is some type of martyr who needs protection from the oppressive majority. No..... He's a guy who intentionally pissed off a lot of people and some have decided to give it back to him. No one is telling anyone to actually shoot Kaep, just like no one actually wants you to bring Brady's dead body in.

I would argue that Brady's is worse. "Wanted dead or alive" vs the crosshairs..... Again, you're seeing what you want see. Neither mean anything in real life. Unless your point is that a certain group of people are so stupid that they will act out on what a $15 t-shirt jokingly implies? So there cannot be even a hint of provocation toward that group, for the good of humanity? Hmmmm

They are NOW emboldened? I would say the opposite- anyone with anything to lose (job, reputation, etc) can't say a damn thing that might be construed as racist or derogatory. As for the T-shirt.... You and others are seeing what you want to see. Kaep chooses to kneel during the anthem; vendors at away stadiums need a "hook" to sell shirts like they've done for ages; voila, an old-west style poster playing up how he's the enemy. Nothing more, nothing less.....

That's pretty funny!

Sox fans in New England more than proved themselves in the many years leading up to '04. Going to games did become a trendy thing to do since then though, so demand and ticket prices have gone up. And the newer owners definitely capitalized on it. If there had been a Stub Hub back in the 80s and 90s those games would have been technically sold-out too. But the interest in the Pats is a totally new and different animal from the old days.

I am a little worried about AWilliams......he seems to do a weird spin-around thing whenever he's pursuing a ball carrier. Check out the few Pats highlights and you'll see it. Almost looks afraid to commit to the tackle.

I love the time lapse, where the sweatshirt starts out dry and he gradually soaks through it. Got to question his planning skills, thinking at 6:30 AM and 65 degrees that a sweatshirt will still be a good wardrobe choice for a mid-morning June practice in Fla.

If Buddy's Bears D wasn't enough (!) , check out what he did in Philly in the early 90's.

Too bad this isn't the CFL... His value would be way higher

He's not saying turnovers aren't important. But it's lazy to say that it's the only stat that matters, when deep into the 4th quarter the Bills were winning without having a TO advantage. It's like whenever the announcers would say something like "The Cowboys are 9-0 when Murray gets 20 or more carries." To which my wife would say " Why don't they just give him the ball 20 straight times and guarantee a win?" There's obviously a lot more going on than just some statistic.

We are going to get pinched, sure. But I don't think the logic was that bad. McCoy was brought in to do exactly what ended up happening: give us a legit running game. The national media is actually heaping praise on our o-line, even though we all know that's questionable at best. If McCoy were to have held out or sat because of phantom injuries, I don't think our running game would have amounted to a thing, plus Tyrod would have gotten teed up even more. By not extending him, this would have been a real possibility. I think that money was well-spent.

How quickly we all forget. This franchise was FAR more dysfunctional just 5 or so years ago than they are now. The way we hired GMs and coaches...pathetic. How we drafted players and signed free agent talent...equally pathetic. I'm not saying we are now a Super Bowl contender, but to not recognize an improvement in the system (call it culture if you like) is crazy.

Great thread, and just what I needed after another sleepless Sunday night. Stepping away from the "Same old Bills" routine, there really are some things to like about the team and organization. Most of them have been mentioned earlier, but I will add: it takes time and some trial/error to go from one of the worst-performing franchises, to an average one, and then (hopefully) a good one. We all hoped that we could skip over that middle step, but in reality we are probably at the exact place we should be: a very difficult opponent but with enough flaws to keep from being a legitimate contender. I think cooler heads prevail and we continue to get better and more consistent.

Crazy how anybody that limps off the field at this point in the season ends up on IR a couple of days later.