GunnerBill

I am a bit of a downer on this defense. I think if Hairston can get healthy and be an impact guy and we can get more of the best version of Joey Bosa, and Michael Hoecht can add something and we can get and keep Ed Oliver healthy then maybe it turns a corner. But I dunno. I just don't feel like this group has the talent of a top defense.

Yea day 2 this past draft wasn't really the sweet spot, certainly not where the Bills picks were (there were a couple of guys who went early day 3 I'd have been willing to take if we had our original 3rd rounder at the end of the round still). But I was in favour of double dipping in 2024 and I was in favour of an early day 3 pick this year - I thought there were some developmental pieces there with explosiveness and upside. I would rather the team was built around explosive receivers than an explosive running back. But here we are. If Cook gets hurt the overall offensive speed on this roster is pitiful. Elijah Moore and not much else.

I don't disagree too much with that. I'm not sure they want to "grind it out" I think that over eggs it - they are not a 3 yards and a cloud of dust team. But they definitely value efficiency over explosiveness on offense. Brandon Beane came from an organisation that didn't value receiver and hasn't valued receiver here. McDermott doesn't like divas, he likes "team guys" and I imagine the Diggs experience further embedded that view - and lots of WRs are divas. I predicted the day Beane was hired he would spend less draft capital on receivers than I would like him to and that has been pretty much the case. I wish they'd invest more in receiver in the draft. Even this year where I understand why it wasn't on the table in round 1 and I don't think it really fell that way on day 2... they still drafted a second IDL, a run blocking tight end, and a backup nickel corner in rounds 4 and 5 when there were explosive, developmental receivers on the board. I am not just saying it because he has popped early in the return game (I'm on record here as saying it at the time and in the aftermath of Beane's WGR interview) but Id have given up Hawes or Hancock and any of the 6th round picks to go up a few spots for Tory Horton. I think he has potential to be an impact player. Yep. And unless you are playing Dallas completing deep balls looks darn hard.

It wasn't the INTs that bothered me about the offense previously. It was as soon as we didn't have peak Diggs within it the boom and bust nature became very much more bust. We'd have whole quarters, even halves of football in the first half of that 2023 season where we couldn't get first downs, sustain drives or score points. I would love to go back to 2021 playoff offense. But you can't do that with this cast of skill position players. It would be doomed to fail. Even with Josh Allen.

It has, but at the expense of some players over the years. I'd much prefer the week off and the road through Buffalo. Doesn't guarantee anything but maximises our chances.

And this is our shot at the #1 seed. As I said before (and sure things can change) the road next year looks a lot tougher. While I'd still back the Bills to win the division and therefore be in the playoffs, I don't expect them to be in the mix to win 14 games or more in 2026. So this is the opening. Fitting with the last year of the stadium.

Yea I have him top 5 too. There is a significant drop from #4 mind you... but there is this presumption the Eagles don't throw because Hurts isn't good at it. Well 2nd half yesterday against a good defense they put the game on his arm and he delivered. He is also an exceptional leader. I'd take him above everyone except the top four to start a franchise with.

The schedule is what it is. Everyone knows the formula years in advance, some years you get a break, some years you don't. Most of the time I have been an NFL fan it is a good think to have either the AFCS or the NFCS on your schedule that year. Cos those divisions are often rough. And now the Dolphins have taken a step back the AFCE is a pretty good division to live in as a starting point too. EDIT: as an aside our 2026 schedule could be brutal. AFC West and NFC North. That is Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, Vikings, Packers, Lions at a minimum who are all I'd say top half of the NFL teams right now. And there are signs of life for the Bears too. Our other out of conference game is NFC West as well which looks right now like being the 9ers. Plus division winners of the AFCS (maybe Colts?) and AFCN (Ravens). There isn't gonna be a lot of chaff other than the division games on that schedule. Of course the Bills can beat all of those teams but that is probably shaping up as the hardest schedule of the McDermott - Allen era.

H2H against Baltimore Houston 0-3 Chiefs 1-2 and not looking great Bengals 2-1 but now Burrowless. If the top 4 seeds come playoff time are Buffalo, Baltimore, Chargers and Colts man I will feel good about our chances.

On the pretence that this somehow guarantees they end up with 3 not 7.... but that gets you to the same problem.... you need your defense to make a stop.

It is a coaching decision the Bills got right in the Ravens win. After the big play to Palmer the Bills needed one first down to make sure the game ended on a FG. They passed on first down, complete to Coleman. Maybe they got lucky with the Raven tackling him, but in that scenario the best down to pass on is first down. I think where analytics can definitely do more is 4th quarter clock management really throughout the whole quarter. I am constantly amazed by teams getting the ball with say 10 minutes left down a score and taking a 6 minute drive where they are not hurrying between plays to score a TD. What you have just done by that is guaranteed that unless your D can make a stop you have lost the game. Because the opposition can time a 4 minute drive to score right at the end and leave you basically no time. Once its 4th Quarter you should be managing the clock on every down.

And a time out still in their pocket.

This. End of debate.

I watched some of that Bears game last night. Very, very bad. That is all Kaiir Elam needed to be an NFL starter. Find the worst secondary in the league, start on it.

Monday morning reactions to SNF: - The Chiefs finally got their run game going which was a necessity as other than telling Thornton "run fast downfield" they are getting nobody open in the pass game; - Other than the backward pass he had to recover himself I thought Mahomes played a really good game. The numbers won't pop but while early last year I thought some of their issues offensively fell on Quarterback play that isn't the case here. It's mainly stuff around him that isn't working. - Talking of Quarterback issues... Russell Wilson is terrible. All dump offs or heaves downfield. He made precisely one what I would call "proper Quarterback throw" to Slayton late on. They are going nowhere with him. If you don't wanna play Dart put Winston in. - Also for its talent level that was an underperformance by the Giants defensive line. They lost too many assignments up front. Given the resources they have poured in - top 10 picks etc - that unit has to be the engine of their team. - It's been a really tough week for the James Cook haters. Not only did we see again just how wide the gap is between him and the other Bills backs but the "Singletary would have been just as good if the Bills had this offensive line when he was here" argument took another hit as he is relegated to kick returner on one of the worst teams in football. And while Skattebo averaged 6 yards per carry and Tracey, before injury, 4 yards per carry... Singletary had 4 carries for 11 yards. 2.75 ypc. He will be out of the NFL next year.

#english

You are not right. You are wrong. Is there a chance they end with 3 instead of 7? Sure. There is a chance. But it is no more than a chance. Even that required the Bills D to make a play. They didn't make a play. That was the problem NOT the time outs.

Yep that was ludicrous.

For the first time Rashawn Slater injury looms large.

Okay. I was only watching on redzone. I agree it was definitely close enough to review.

They did look didn't they? There was a booth review? See I don't think I can look at that and conclusively say that toe hasn't already started to come up. It looks I have to say on that photo like it has. Two frames before it is still down but I am not sure he has established possession at that point. If the toe is still grounded there it is catch. But man I haven't seen anything conclusive. I'd leave it on the field.

I actually think the toe comes up just before he secures possession. It isn't secured at the start of that frame for me. I think they were right not to overturn ruling on the field. I'd have left it as a catch if that is how it was ruled. But I don't think that is conclusive enough enough because of the establishing possession element to overturn when it is called incomplete.

The Jets are 0-3. Glenn is clapping.

I had the Packers

People moaning about the Bills weaknesses should really be made to watch this opening window. Even among the supposed good teams there was been some dreadful football.