GunnerBill

Was definitely their worst game of the year.

At his age and with speed still his calling card I'd be surprised if he can get back and be effective personally.

You have to sometimes look at what makes up the grades too. Bosa a classic example, he got really poor run defense and tackling grades but his overall grade was propped up by his pass rush grade, which was 90 plus.

He wasn't. Still on his rookie contract. But yes, he was in MVP contention.

For sure. I am not saying one is right and one is wrong. My point was more the salary cap forces you to make some choices and then you need a bit of luck for those choices to work out.

Think this is a fair summary. I think people are a little quick to forget Knox at tight end and he is still playing an important role for them this year (and is blocking just as well as Hawes by the way) but I take the point that his continued presence as a Buffalo Bill beyond 2025 is a big question mark given there is no way at all he plays on his 2026 cap number.

He hasn't. I posted them above. Knox leads Bills tight ends in snaps. Positional splits for the year: Hawes - 90 of his 108 snaps have been inline, 16 in the slot and 2 split wide; Knox - 96 of his 145 snaps have been inline, 29 in the slot, 17 split wide and 3 in the backfield; Kincaid - 51 of his 134 snaps have been inline, 55 in the slot, 28 split wide; That shows you how the three guys are used pretty differently. They use Kincaid primarily as a matchup weapon in the passing game, the use Knox as a versatile chess piece who can play in multiple packages and they use Hawes really as an inline blocking tight end who occasionally will chip then leak out. They are not really fighting one another for snaps. Their usage game by game is more about gameplan and personnel packages.

I'm not sure I agree that the offense doesn't have any rhythm. It definitely lost its way in the second quarter on Sunday when Brady decided to return us to trying to be a downfield passing offense (which we are not very good at) but when they run the ball with Cook and can get Shakir and the tight ends involved I think they have plenty of rhythm. What they lack is explosiveness. If you are not my answer is do something else. If you can only enjoy sports if you win Championships then they are not for you. Because it doesn't matter how many championships any team wins, in an average life as a sports fan they will lose them much more than they win them. I know the answer will be "just give me one" but what are you going to do, call any other Bills season that doesn't end in a Superbowl meaningless? It's just self-preservation as a fan. Preparing oneself for the worst is a human defence mechanism.

He hasn't but I give him a ton of credit for toughing it out Sunday. Even the original punt where he got hurt.... he knew as he dropped that ball "I'm getting lit up here" and he didn't take his eyes off it and he went through with the kick. Classic stubborn Australian toughness. And coming out to hold (then having to do anything but a routine catch and hold with Reid's struggles) with a torn knee and a brace.... kudos sir. Warrior.

Hawes outsnapped all other tight ends in this game with 31. Knox was second with 24. Kincaid 22. For the season Knox leads tight end snaps with 145, Kincaid 134, Hawes 108. Hawes has earned his snaps and Kincaid has shown some improvements as a blocker but Knox is still the guy that gives the Bills the most flexibility when he is on the field. He remains the most "two-way" of the tight ends. That's why he is continuing to get snaps. I shouldn't shock anyone. There is no way he plays on his 2026 number. So he is either cut before then or he renegotiates, extends and takes a pay cut.

Agree. Roquan went out Sunday too, not heard an update yet. Reminder again that even some of the better teams in the league find 3 or 4 of their best players going down is too hard to overcome. Next man up is a cute theory. When it is your best guys it simply doesn't work. EDIT: worth adding as well that is even more the risk you take when you go for the stars and filler model of roster building. When I look at their roster I struggle to find a single spot where their depth is as good as the Bills depth. I can find plenty where their starters are better, sure, but their build relies a lot more on their guys staying healthy. I have been as critical as anyone of the Bills lack of stars, but it is right to credit them with their depth.

Haven't watched the Jets - Dolphins but have watched the Broncos and Bengals and here are my thoughts: - the Broncos offense is very Sean Payton. Power run game with multiple backs lots of use of them and the tight ends in the short pass game and the odd deep shot when defenses cheat up. But it is just a tad predictable and Bo Nix while capable is not Drew Brees. The ceiling for that sort of scheme is low even if the floor is pretty high (should say there is a fair bit of that that read across to Joe Brady too, but Brady has some more motions and eye candy... there is a vanilla flavour to the Broncos pre-snap..... and obviously Joe Brady has Josh Allen); - on a personal level pleased for JK Dobbins. I thought he was an electric back coming out and injuries have really derailed his career but he is still only 26 and while the speed isn't quite what it was he is a nice scheme fit in Denver and a big night last night puts him 4th for the year in rushing behind only Taylor, Cook and Etienne; - their defense looked good (and won me a fantasy matchup) after a sluggish start to the year. Nick Bonitto has legit developed into one of the best pass rushers in football; - remember two years ago when Jake Browning was being called one of the best backups in football? This season he looks like a guy who can barely move the ball. The difference? Film. Two years ago when he started for Burrow they were his first starts as a pro teams hadn't worked out his strengths and weaknesses. They very much HAVE now and he looks brutal; - That said I don't think Zac Taylor is helping him. Every passing combination is so slow developing. With any backup you need to give him quick game and let him get the ball out of his hands. They are setting him up to fail... if the Burrow injury means (as I suspect) a losing year then I can see change coming in Cincinnati.

Yea but I doubt they do it while we are 4-0.

He was also in all those meetings with Leslie as well and 3rd down D was not an issue. Nor was players looking confused pre-snap. I don't know what you are willfully not understanding but there are certain issues on defense that you can legitmately put at the door of the overall approach and say they are in part McDermott issues - run defense, inconsistent pass rush, DBs playing deep. And there are some that have only been an issue with this coordinator - 3rd down and pre-snap. I get it, the Head Coach ultimately is accountable for on field performance. But to say "simple as that" really does over simplify something with significant nuance.

Sure, a player switched off, but your position coaches are supposed to be all over that too. They should know at any given moment of the game who is in on each package. Agree McD did the right thing call timeout.

He hasn't. Per PFF 70 snaps over the B gap and 14 over the A gap.

Interesting but no, not covered on broadcast.

They have mixed some of that in, yes.

I don't care about winning it. I'm talking about the reality. There are bita of this defense that I don't think you can fix by swapping out coordinators. But there are bits that I think you can. Because Babich has performed objectively and measurably worse than his predecessors in those areas and it is reasonable to lay that at his door.

Yes, and there is definitely some of it that falls squarely on Sean. But as I've said elsewhere there are elements: 3rd down and pre-snap confusion that are objectively, measurably way worse than under Frazier or indeed Sean himself. That stuff you have to look at Babich. That isn't giving Sean a pass, it's just being realistic.

Yep. Some of that is play design. I actually thought the worst one last night was where he was the only guy in the picture on that side trying to defend a screen 2nd half. The Saints OL were running downfield like "where are the guys I'm supposed to block?" I'm guessing that one must have been a communication breakdown somewhere because surely nobody designs it like that?

Agree with this and again, this hasn't been a big issue for the Bills in the past and I think that is fair to put at the defensive coordinator's door. I don't think firing Babich fixes everything, and as I said last night, I don't love any of the alternative options very much.... but the confusion pre-snap and the plummeting of the 3rd down defense are new on this DC's watch. I think firing him gives you a chance to at least get that fixed. I don't think it will magically fix our run defense (which has been an issue to some degree most years of this regime) or make our pass rush more dynamic (which again has been a recurring weakness) but I DO think it can help fix the two specific issues we have seen crop up under this coordinator.

There was that one and one going the other way that Williams missed where the Bills absolutely whiffed on Rattler scrambles.

Ultimately it falls on McDermott, sure. But the 3rd down issues are very specific to this coordinator. Leslie consistently had top 10 3rd down defenses, McDermott had a middle of the pack 3rd down defense. The Bills were 4th worst in the league last year and are 8th worst through four games despite giving up none in 11 vs the Jets. That is a Babich issue and the tape tells a tale, his design on 3rd down is utter trash.

The defense is just bad. Bad fundamentals, bad situationally, inconsistent pass rush. The one thing is HAS done well is splash plays. But that's a tough way to live week to week. It simply has to be better. I'd be willing to consider a coordinator change but I doubt it happens.