GunnerBill

If the Bills are not in it I don't care who wins the AFCCG. To be honest hosting the Texans would be nice but not a gimme. So I am not that fussed whether it is Houston at home or Baltimore on the road.

No. Next question. 100%.

No. That was serious. Cos I knew our kicker wasn't going to make it.

Sure. But the Falcons still have to try and leverage whatever they can.

I know what his hit is and I know the market too. It is $2m dead cap to cut him. It is $7.5m to keep him. I don't think anyone on that list who is an upgrade is likely coming for less than the $5.5m difference (you might be able to get a cap number slightly lower I suppose by signing someone for multiple years but their AAV will be higher than $5.5m - but if that is your concern you can just add some void years onto Poyer and spread his hit). I think the most sensible cap decision is keep Jordan one more year at that number. Let Micah walk. The worst outcome IMO is they both walk off campus together.... UNLESS it is arm in arm with their Superbowl rings. In which case I think that would be kinda fitting.

I think most likely the move is keep requesting interviews with other candidates so that when Bill Belichick arrives for his second interview tomorrow they can apply some pressure on him to decide. They are very likely conscious that Belichick has the power here. They want to turn the screw a little bit. Don't jerk us around we have other options it is yes or no.

Yea I agree a full year with Josh he will be a top candidate and may well land a job next year if it goes well. But I don't think he is getting the Atlanta job. I think Belichick is.

I am not shocked he got an interview this cycle. I would be shocked if he got a job this cycle, however.

A sarcastic one mainly. I use humour to diffuse stress. But things said in the GDT should not be treated as real opinions equal to any other thread.

I think he has only had an interview this year as an internal candidate in LA. No other interviews this time around though he has had in the past. Shane Waldron is the other name on my list if Seattle don't retain him. EDIT: and actually for someone like Kellen Moore if he doesn't get the Chargers job (he won't) and isn't retained then come work with Josh for a year and you are guaranteed interviews next time around is a pretty good sell. I mean Ken Dorsey had HC interviews last year. I now think he will be lucky to land an OC job this cycle.

I'd rather Joe Brady than Frank Reich. Every day of the week and twice on Sundays. If Brady were to go the two established guys I'd want to interview are Bieniemy and Kellen Moore. Arthur Smith is a good OC who is out there but he isn't a fit here for Josh and the offense we want to run.

Who are you thinking?

And the same answer comes up every year - there isn't enough time in the calendar to delay it. 4 weeks to shortlist, interview, select a coach. Hire an entire staff. Evaluate your entire roster. Then negotiate contracts with the agents of pending FAs you want to keep. Then evaluate and decide which FAs from outside you want to target. Can you move free agency back? Sure. Then you have to move the draft back. And then you run out of space for rookie camps before the one month a year that coaches and personnel people actually get off between mid-June and camp opening in mid-July. If you want to have no interviews until after the playoffs then you need to lose something else out of the calendar. The obvious candidate is pre-season which would allow camp to start later meaning you could move the break back and give people all of July off. But the NFL won't do that.

This game is not a one game referendum on anyone.

Well obviously the more of those guys that play the better our chances. If Douglas, Taron and Bernard all play I feel pretty good about the Bills. The more of those 3 that miss the more even I think this game becomes. And the reason for that is the specific match ups in the football game. Where do I think they favour the Bills: 1. I think we should be able to run the ball some on the Chiefs and stay in good down and distance. I think the plan vs the Steelers of a balanced attack is probably the plan here. 2. I think our outside corners, especially if Douglas is up, should be able to limit the Kansas City receivers and make enough of the catches contested to challenge their questionable separation skills and hands. 3. I think Kincaid and Knox can really threaten their safeties down the seam. Again what we did last week seems to be a template for this game there too. Where do I think they favour the Chiefs: 1. Certainly since mid-season when Leonard Floyd cooled off the Bills pass rush has gone as Ed Oliver has gone. He has been critical. And the Chiefs interior OL - GCG - is about the best in the league. Our edge guys have the advantage on their tackles but they gotta show me they cab make it count. 2. Their corners against our receivers. Sneed has had some success against Diggs before albeit at home where he might have got away with a holding call or two. But McDuffie inside will have a role against Shakir and potentially even on Kincaid and that is advantage them. If they can take Diggs and Kincaid away and try and make the Bills win with Sherfield, Knox and Shakir that becomes scary. 3. Depending on how healthy our second level is - so MLB, WLB, Nickel - I worry about Kelce, Pacheco and CEH there. They are really the guys they can rely on - especially the first two. If you guaranteed me we have Bernard, Dodson and Taron I worry less about this. It isn't about stats on what they have or haven't done against other teams or what we have or haven't done against other teams it is about the Xs and Os of how these two teams match up. That is the NFL. I think if we are healthy enough on defense (especially 2nd level) we have the advantage. But if we are banged up there then I definitely see a way the Chiefs score high 20s at least.

We do. But then we have to find two new safeties. How many players that played as well or better than Poyer this year are you signing for that $5.5m?

That would be a positive. The more players we have back on the defense the better our chance. I am still worried about the linebacker position - especially against Kelce and the backs. It will come down, in part, to redzone execution both sides. The Bills have to score touchdowns and hold KC to field goals. While I still believe they should punted rather than try a long FG against the Steelers on 4th and 7 at the end of the half last week, against the Chiefs I still believe any 4th and medium or 4th and short opportunities inside their 35 are go for it calls.

Haha. Well I doubt it has helped... let's put it that way!

What about the fact we might be down our 3 starting corners, four best linebackers and our best dime? The back seven is decimated. If the Bills had the defense that started at Miami I'd agree there is no reason for them to lose this game. But when we might have Klein, Williams and Lewis at the second level of our defense against Pacheco and Kelce? It is like our weakness plays right into their strength. That doesn't mean we will lose. But if we do I think it is likely because the Chiefs abuse that depleted back 7.

Poyer isn't getting cut to $0m though. He would still get more than $3m on the market.

Ravens defensive backs coach = basically out of the league. Got ya.

I think we still have a route with a decimated back 7 on defense and one turnover on offense. It is a narrow route but there is a route. If we turn it over more than once we are toast.

If you throw out weeks 1 and 2 when he looked akin to the tin man out there he has had a very solid season. I think the issue for some fans is they are comparing him to the All Pro Po we saw a couple of years back and he isn't that anymore....but he is still a better than average starting safety in this league.

Possibly. I still think it is the place that makes most sense for Harbaugh and they have been reported as interested, though as yet no interview scheduled. I think if Harbaugh doesn't get it Pierce will. But I still think that is the best route for him back to the NFL. So far Bienemy has zero interview requests for HC and other than the Raiders who are being quite deliberate everyone else is well into their process. I think he is facing another year of being an OC but in that field he will be very highly sought after.

Oh I think he WILL improve. I am just not sold it will be by this Sunday. When the game slows down for him it is all there for him to be really, really good. I feel the Bills are very well stocked at linebacker going forward. Just a shame they are all hurt this weekend!!