GunnerBill

I genuinely have no idea what that was. If the Jets were out of time outs, then as bizarre as that formation looks I would sort of get it. I can only imagine there was a serious miscalculation and they thought the Jets were out of TOs. Because if they weren't then there is no way from there you play full scale prevent. Baffling. And I know you make the wider point about McDermott and while I don't want to relitigate every past failure here generally even if I don't like every play call they make at the end of half/game I pretty much always understand the logic of what they are trying to do. I understand the thinking on Monday Night on the Hail Mary itself and I do think on that actual play the execution was probably worse than the play call (although as I have said before I'd have rushed 4) but that play before in the screenshot..... I have no explanation. I haven't seen his pressers yet but did anyone ask McDermott (or Babich for that matter) about that particular play? It was one of the most inexplicable play calls I have seen in 22 years of watching the NFL.

His misses are total miskicks. He has twice this year missed low and skewed off to the right on kicks where he made contact with the ball with the wrong part of the foot. That sort of thing can happen but it should happen to a kicker say once every 3 seasons. It has happened to Bass twice in 6 weeks. At this point to have such technical breakdown twice it HAS to be mental.

And Aaron Rodgers is not Tom Brady. He doesn't possess that drive. He is a man baby who points fingers at everyone but himself. Even his press conference at the end on Monday was embarrassing. I don't see any way he holds that team together to win 8 of 11. He is part of the problem in Jersey not part of the solution. For me this takes the Bills from "no shot" at a Superbowl this year to "outside chance." There are still at least six teams I'd have above them in the pecking order, but if the Cooper can get up to speed and give the Bills some semblance of a vertical passing game back then on their day I think they can beat any team.

I think there is a VERY strong case that he is. He is just such a reliable guy.

I would not have blitzed. I wouldn't have sent two either but I hate blitzing in those scenarios. It fails much more often than it works IMO.

Oh yea, I think they were all tired of him. And Diggs wanted out.

This is only the case if they are void option years. Automatic void years (which I think Cooper's are but I'm not certain) still count.

But so does Sean. That is the thing. Neither of the two people I had contacts with on staff are still in the building but I know when they were their take was always that Sean was the more powerful of the two internally, though they both report to Terry. Also they are, and have been from the start joined at the hip. Even in the celebrating the Pegulas thing Terry talks about how important it was to find a GM who "had worked with Sean before."

I think ultimately only Terry could take the decision. He is so close to both guys I don't think there is any way he lets someone else fire them. If they get to the point where they think they need regime change (either HC, GM or both) it would have to be Terry's call. Possibly Pete Guelli as the guy running the business day to day would have some input but the way the Bills list their execs on the website I think it's telling that Beane, McDermott and Guelli are displayed on the same level. My guess is none of them have the power to fire the other. If there was anyone in the organisation lobbying for Diggs to be moved (other than Diggs himself of course) it was Allen, not McDermott.

I don't see a significant difference in immediate impact of taking Coleman off vs Hollins off. Neither is winning outside. Is there a long term benefit to exposing Coleman to more and letting him see how teams defend him and hopefully adjust and improve? Sure and that would be my preference. But right now they are pretty much equal level of JAG on the field.

Star.

Altidore really sucked at Sunderland. He was miles short of being a Premier League player.

Love it. He was my #1 target of the realistic options all factors considered. This isn't like trading for Stef Diggs in 2020 but it has the potential to transform this offense all the same.

Three main factors for me: 1. The injuries to the second level. Missing Bernard, Johnson and Milano is definitely a significant factor. I know two of them were back last night but as they get back into the groove that should help. 2. We are playing less split safety and more two high because we are worried about leaving ANY of our safeties isolated in center field. The days when if you started to get gashed you immediately put Hyde or, normally, Poyer into the box and went single high are gone. They don't trust these guys in single high, takes one more man away in run defense. 3. Daquan Jones is really struggling. When the wall comes from big guys it comes quick. Looks like it hit him like a truck this offseason. Oliver missing the last two doesn't help either. But they NEED a 1T upgrade next year. I was always against the Jones extension at his age.

But we rusher two on two consecutive plays. If they'd played defense on both plays no guarantee at all that he gets them into FG range.

I didn't like rushing 2 on the Hail Mary. I'd have rushed 4 - though worth saying we rushed 4 on the Hail Murray and got stung. But I'd have rushed 4. That said I understood what they were trying to do on the Hail Mary. Where they were trying to give themselves maximum cover guys to play the HM and the sideline at the same time. Wasn't what I'd have done but understood it to an extent then you just gotta execute better. Lazard beat all the Bills to the prime spot. The less excusable play was the play before where they also rushed 2 when the Jets had a timeout left and gave them an easy 15 yards. That made no sense to me. Just play your normal defense there. Okay move the safeties back 10 yards if you wish, but otherwise just play defense. Not sure what that plan was designed to defend?

And yet again last night he is struggling running clearouts to open other things up. Has been an issue for him all year. He has to be a lot better on plays where he isn't getting the ball as well as those where he is.

That might (I'm not convinced but might) be true of the US viewership but their international viewership is continuing to grow. The 2023 season was the best season yet in terms of TV numbers in the UK and the main NFL broadcaster has for the first time this year bought the rights to college football too given the numbers the NFL is doing for them. I know that doesn't go to NFL profit lines, but it is further evidence that UK broadcasters are pretty confident American Football is a winner for them - any the UK isn't unique, their international markets are growing. So until domestic viewership really drops off I think some of those markets will pick up the slack. And a point @Mr. WEO has made in the past that is relevant here as well is that unless the drop off in viewers from the NFL is disproportionate compared to the drop off in viewers in other forms of linear television (and it isn't, not even close) it will remain the best place for advertisers to get eyeballs and so the revenue stream remains strong. In a game that certainly wasn't "dirty" or even that testy for the most part. There was a point in the second half where everything felt like a flag.

I wouldn't worry. Churchill was drunk most of the time anyway. If he wasn't drunk he was sleeping off a hangover.

He was inactive the first three weeks with an injury picked up late in camp. He is doing a ton for them in Oliver's absence playing some interior as well as on the edge. Been a good depth piece FA pick up.

Yep real ticky tacky call.

Or safety. Or edge rusher. This is my answer as well. Win the East but early playoff exit. If they win a wildcard game that is probably the maximum potential of this group.

Yea they weren't biaised. Just useless. "The arm was coming forward even if the ball was going backwards" was the explanation from ESPN's "rules analyst". Can I just say as bad as the refs were - Buck and Aikman were worse. Thank God they are cast into the MNF backwater nowadays. Awful announcers.

Yea it isn't Josh's fault (or Brady's for that matter) that the offense doesn't have what it needs at receiver. It was frankly bordering on negiligence from Beane to think this group might be sufficient to get it done. It will look ugly at times this year but we are finding ways to move the ball.

I'm pretty sure the XP was good but agree on the rest. The other one that was an AWFUL call even if offset by a Jets penalty was the DPI they called early on Benford on the deep pass down the middle to Wilson. Benford played that as well as you can play it, timed it to perfection, got his hand in between Wilson's hands and affected his ability to catch the ball without fouling him. That was a horrible call. Luckily it was negated but seriously WTF were they looking at?