GunnerBill

And especially a personality like McDermott's. I totally understand how he can rub people up the wrong way and some of the sources Dunne quotes and the examples they give are totally believable in that sense. But it doesn't equate to "and that is how everyone feels." Yea it was definitely a conclusion first then find the evidence piece rather than a true investigation into the Bills culture under McDermott. It is why I say it wasn't really a piece of journalism. If you pitched that to an editor in a proper journalistic organisation they'd veto it. You have much more freedom to do that in a blog type medium like the one Dunne uses.

Becauae I do think fumbling out of the endzone should come with some jeopardy for the offense. I actually think the Latavius Murray type fumble last week (leave aside for a moment was it actually a fumble because he might never have caught it) where the offense fumbles out of bounds at the sideline and gets the yards before the fumble anyway is too offense friendly and doesn't have enough jeopardy. I'd favour this approach for any fumble out of bounds by the offense.... it is treated like an incomplete pass. The ball retruns to the previous line of scrimmage for the subsequent down. Fumbling out of bounds should bring jeopardy on offense IMO. I just think the current out of the endzone rule is too much jeopardy.

This is the best solution IMO.

I'm not sure I totally agree with that. I think it was critical of his character. Most of the anonymous sources weren't, they were about him the coach. But some of Dunne's language was definitely personal.

Other than in 2017 those tasks have not been his job. But I'd submit that Brandon Beane made a pretty good trade for Stefon Diggs. Your numbers are off (low). There were 4 in 2023 - Witherspoon, Gonzalez, Forbes and Banks and there were at least two in 2021 from memory - Surtain who is an elite corner and Greg Newsome. There may have been one more too but struggling to recall.

They haven't been decreasing. They have been overtaken by offensive tackle in terms of average (among starters). But it is still a premium payment position. 1. Quarterback 2. Wide Receiver 3. Edge Rusher 4. Offensive Tackle 5. Corner They are the 5 premium payment positions.

The Tottenham Hotspur stadium, I hate to admit, is a suitable Superbowl venue....... until of course you get to the field. Which requires improvement.

This Bills regime has always taken a less is more approach to the injury report. And they are far from the only team in the league to do so. @Beck Water and I were talking about the Jerry Hughes wrist ligament example the other day when it was discussed in relation to whether there might be something lingering with TBass. The definition of "reportable injury" be league rules is one that causes a player to miss a game, fail to complete a game or prevents them from practicing fully. That last element is definitely interpreted differently by different teams.

In fairness that stiffness in the transition has been an issue pre-injury too. It was my biggest knock on him coming out and Brandon mentioned it in the presser right after picking him too that they would want to smooth his transitions. Of course the injury won't have been helping that, but that slightly mechanical transition style has been an issue for Elam throughout his career.

Two seasons ago. $10m AAV two years ago is more like $12-13m AAV now and that us where I think he will end up, especially in a relatively thin market. There is Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman (I suspect Indy end up keeping him), Calvin Ridley and Mike Evans then Gabe is probably the next best outside receiver on the market. I know it is a strong draft but as vets go he is likely the 4th or 5th best option. Someone will pay Gabe as a #2. It won't be the Bills.

I think he is done but there were a couple of flashes on Sunday late in that game where he got pressures and it was the first game without the knee brace, so fingers crossed Beane's plan which was to slow play him and have him ready for the stretch run pays dividends.

They did under Chan. It was 80% of their offense.

Mac has been benched

I mean some of us always said it was a matter of time. His underlying data was always ahead of his box score stats. When that happens eventually things catch up. He was unlucky more than bad in previous years. Stud. Kinda the opposite of when we signed Addison and I said bad move because his box score stats were outperforming the underlying data. And that never lasts long term.

Agree. This Sunday is massive. Win it and I think we win the division.

Except the two times they do.

Yea I don't think their roster build has been good. Thibadeaux has underperformed and Neal has been dreadful. That was two top 10 picks last year. Missing on one is bad. Having two and missing both is criminal. That is Cleveland Browns bad.

If the Giants can win another game or two this season they will have overachieved again. Not to the extent of last season, for sure, but that roster is a 5 or 6 win roster. It was last year when they won 9 and a playoff game. It is this year too.

And on the critical 4th down he showed blitz and backed out. He definitely called a better drive at the end of the game than he has done other times this year but the problem with his play calling so far this season as DC has definitively NOT been a lack of aggression, whatever Tyler Dunne says. It has been too much aggression. In late game scenarios I always think the play is blitz early, simulate late - i.e. get it into the QBs head early in the drive that you are coming, but on the critical downs play coverage. Now obviously you can't be predictable but as a general rule that is the approach I think is most effective. McDermott has often been guilty of doing it the other way, simulating early and so the QB gets two or three looks at where you might come from and then actually blitzing late in drives. And it has hurt us. The defensive playcalling all season hasn't been good enough as far as I am concerned. Just not sure I think Sunday was a sign more aggression is the answer.

'cept he only knows folks in Buffalo and Green Bay.... Is yours $8 a pop too?

Whether Toney would, or wouldn't have made the play if he had remained onside is an absolute irrelevance. He was lined up in the neutral zone. Really obviously. I called it before the snap, the refs threw the flag immediately, everything that happened thereafter was a nullity. It didn't happen. We live history through reality not through alternative facts.

In some ways Miami are a bit like the Bills. If you let them they can bludgeon you. But if you can play keep away and drag them into a tight ball game they can find a way to give it to you.

In the event we both win our division the game next year would be in Buffalo. But if the Dolphins win the division they would benefit from the home game against the Chiefs, we wouldn't play the Chiefs at all and would get a divisional home game vs the AFCW runner up. It's just the way the positional couplets work in the NFL scheduling. If the Bills and Chiefs match finishing positions this year and next year the Chiefs would then have a three year run of visiting Buffalo in 2024, 2025 and 2026. 2020 - AFCE v AFCW cycle - Chiefs @ Bills 2021 - AFCE @ AFCW in positional matchups 2022 - AFE @ AFCW in positional matchups 2023 - AFC v AFCW cycle - Bills @ Chiefs 2024 - AFCW @ AFCE in positional matchups 2025 - AFCW @ AFCE in positional matchups. 2026 - AFCE v AFCW cycle - Chiefs @ Bills

This isn't true. He is a bottom end of an NFL roster / PS level player. And that is the role he serves.

I'm baking Denver in as a wildcard that goes one and done in the playoffs. There are two spots left. Of course the route for the Bills now is win out. If we win out we will win the division.