AKC

Hollins was worth a lot more to the Pats than he was to us and as you point out they have the bank to play. He outperformed expectations regularly and was a bigger asset than anyone guessed, but Meathead is a product of the “oppinfo” regime he played in and needs to figure out how to get a win against us every year if he wants to succeed in this coaching turn. Of course he was willing to overpay for a guy who clearly absorbed the Brady O last year, and in addition Vrabel absolutely admires Mac’s enthusiasm on the field as do most Bills fans.

It looks like his long term ongoing neck problems kept him from finishing two games, with one episode resulting in a game stoppage and him immobile for a few minutes before he was taken off the field.

Without even reading between the lines it seems clear the Bengals have assessed the chances of Hendrickson playing a full season in 25 to be dubious while Hendrickson accepts that he is likely to be medically scrubbed at some point soon but he #1 wants to play and #2 agrees with the Bengals that moving on with some draft capital for the team he feels loyal to is the best thing for the team. This warning lights should be bright for any team considering giving him a new contract.

The Chargers ran him into the ground. Too many years in the top 10 or 20 in DL snap counts. Few bodies can hold up and while he gave effort even when he was overused it’s tough to imagine him being a difference maker for any extended period at this point.

I'll second Simon's thoughts. This forum has always attracted some of the best Bills fans everywhere whether for their contributions of enthusiasm, knowledge, experiences, humor or our origin memories. That's a difficult finish in a game that clearly could easily have had the opposite outcome and it will drive the team to look to shore up those weaknesses exploited against us tonight. Instead of that reflection and in the spirit of CVMs original post there are many here who offer thoughts that drive the actual Bills fans on this website to come back year after year. To all of you who love our team we are going to collect ourselves and be back soon for another campaign. In the meantime I'll be drinking to each and every one of you!

Interesting that you see his vision as a weakness. I'm far more worried about runners going to his left. He clearly worked hard in rehab and has his carriage in good shape. I've been more of the mindset that he's had the best vision of our second line since maybe Biscuit? We definitely agree on instincts.

The clear evidence based answer is that this staff will go with the guy who is more likely to be in the right spot.

His mobility improved as the game went on and he is getting a little more lift on the left arm than last week, but his tackling is not reliable yet. He is probably at the moment a wash over playing Williams but presuming the team's calculus that in 3 weeks he will be better than any other option on our roster is looking like it might be a safe bet. My big concern is that since his tackling is his biggest liability, facing a big running back/attack early in the playoffs might be disastrous for both he and the D.

Ulbrich’s best career move from this game will be to leave the tape at home on future coaching interviews. It’s a clinic on coaching to lose.

I thought that must be a karma call when the zebra smirked on the announcement. Maybe the ref crew had some previous game where he went nuke on an OOB hit? Wonder if Codrington had some doghouse issue coming into the game- seems like he was off the KR unit to open up. How is Spencer Brown rated the 18th best run blocking OT and the 31st best pass blocker but only the 38th best OT according to PFF!

That has to be the calculus, but in the Stadium Sunday he barely lifts the left arm at all until the ball is snapped. I don't remember if this is his 2nd or 3rd tear on the left pec but he does not appear ready to be on the field especially in a starting role. Any run to his left is highly likely to result in a missed tackle. In fact his left arm right now reminds me of Baldingers pinky. Useless for anything but making fun of. Williams has no football instincts. Tough choice for the staff- two poor options and coming up against a really tough RB duo.

They asked Benford and Rasul to man up Nacua. Asking them to play man on an elite WR for most of a game leads to.... At the Stadium it is clear Milano barely lifts his bad arm and is handicapped using it for change of direction. If nothing else this was a game early for his return, probably 4. Not suggesting he is responsible for the overall caca D but I keyed on Hamlin for a couple plays early where he wildly missed his zone responsibilities and I just had to focus primarily elsewhere in order to not wholly ruin my game.

I'm buying that. He immediately improves our weakest D position with improved football instincts, tackling skills and understanding of the Defense. Hamlin got on the field almost exclusively for his willingness to stick opponents yet that sadly (and understandably) diminished after his on field episode. This is a personnel addition designed to give us the best chance at winning the prize. Good for us!

I'm going to presume we had a pretty early version- the ball IIRC was felt. It didn't hold our attention for long. NFL Strategy popped up in the 70s and that one kept us engaged a lot longer, although the random flick thing was laughably bad.

The decision to hide Samuel until the Chiefs game looks strategically sound 😉

Looks like Bass is off the hook for the moment?

On a Sunday we might see a run/pass ratio of 60/40, having our “least enthusiastic” blocker among our receivers on the bench may be an overall plus.

He’ll always be on my Wall of Fame here for his positive attitude and dedication to his kids playing time. A warm personality in a theater that isn’t ideal for breeding the same. He leaves a space that won’t be filled.

When the Diggs injury scrolled across the TV screen my first thought was "there's no way he did that blocking for a teammate".

He also has a frame that looks like it will easily accommodate the weight program they'll have for him in the offseason and I bet he adds a lot of strength to his already great lean/leverage/balance. He'll become a real handful if we are just seeing the foundation being set.

In '99 we played the Ravens on the road, and it was a close game we won. Sam Gash pounded Lewis until as the game got to the end Lewis was dodging Gash. Sam was so great at hitting his target and Lewis, while having a good day statistically, learned that being the first in the hole when Gash was lead blocking was going to leave him in the ice for a lot longer than he bargained for. Seeing Lewis's eyes in the 4th quarter of that game are a favorite memory!

I think you’ll be proven correct. Coopers skill set allows us to plug him in on one side and bunch the rest of the receivers on the other. A simple use of a WR who is great on the sideline and great breaking in, a 1 on 1 threat to even top corners . The D has to decide whether to commit a second DB to Coopers side and Allen gets to work the better side of that decision. That play already exists in our playbook, Cooper has thrived on it over his career, and he can own the nomenclature in a couple days practice with us based on his history.

That sums up the essence of the situation. Elam is a tip the scales athlete who has zero interest in tackling runners in the NFL, a requirement for a team who plays a nickel base D. Damar Hamlin made our roster as a willing and fundamentally solid tackler with athletic skills/size that will always limit him to being no better than a NFL backup at his best. He has this great story- but it is unfortunate for us if McDermott lets some of his own personal underdog achievements influence playing time at Damar's position. With all the references in this thread to Bishop getting blown up, there are multiple plays this year where Damar was well out of position and it cost us including TDs. I have to imagine giving Edwards time might hurt some feelings in the PR Department but maybe we would be a much better Defense if we were willing to try and get better at a position where we clearly need to get better.

It’s incredible watching this kid as he has honed his game. Josh has moved to elite while hurdling those struggling heros of yore like the KC QB who is kept from the league lead in picks only by Will Levis and a 22 year old. Fans of the game from all backgrounds are acknowledging what we are seeing. The Allen/Brady era has arrived!

My favorite part of the broadcast so far was how you could sense how puzzled Aikman was with Kelce using a big word like “apex”!