msw2112

I think it's great that the Ravens are getting all of the hype. The week before the Colts game, the Bills got all the hype and we're considered the hottest team in football, and the team nobody wanted to play. The Bills came out a bit flat and fell behind to the Colts, but outlasted them in a close game. I think the Bills thrive and do much better as an underdog and play with more of a chip on their shoulder when they are disrespected.

This may be to our benefit. A passing team like the Bills can benefit from pass interference calls. A running team like the Ravens can be derailed by holding calls. I have no evidence to support this, just my thoughts after reading the quoted post.

And a credit to the front office and coaching staff for being patient while these young players developed. There were many calls to move on from Bojo and even a few for Bass earlier in the season, but the Bills have been rewarded with excellent kicking because they trusted the process. Perhaps similar trust will reward the team in the development of AJ Epenesa, another player who has shown flashes, but hasn't produced consistently at a high level. You could apply the same logic to veteran players too - think of AJ Klein. While most here (me included) were ready to dump him because he was terrible, the staff stuck with him and he was a beast for us in several big games down the stretch. We may really need him on Saturday.

While Freeman's experience can't be discounted, I don't see how you can activate him on less than a week's practice with a new team. What happens when a play is called and he goes left when the play is designed to go right? A botched hand-off resulting in a fumble? Allen getting blown up on a missed pass protection? He is on the roster for emergency purposes only. Yeldon plays ahead of him, Williams plays ahead of him and Jones plays ahead of him. There are merits to going with Yeldon (more experienced) or Williams (young legs, looks explosive, played recently and played well), but cons to both too. The coaching staff for some reason disfavors Yeldon (perhaps ball security-related) and Williams lacks experience and could be a liability in pass protection, as mentioned many times on this board. The fact that Freeman may be shot is not even part of this analysis, although the numbers indicate that it's possible.

I agree that Williams played well against Miami and deserves a shot. Yeldon is also a capable player with NFL experience who is available. He played pretty well in his limited action this year (against Tennessee, I believe). That said, for some reason, this coaching staff has always been reluctant to use Yeldon. I assume those 2 guys will play ahead of Freeman, as they know the playbook and have put in the work all year. Freeman is likely insurance in case of another injury - Stills appears to be the same as to the WR corps.

Obviously, I am biased, but I believe that Josh is the best player of the 3 and the most deserving of the biggest contract because of it. That said, I'd agree with others who say that whoever signs the latest will probably get the most money (see Tre White example). I also see Josh being the most willing of the 3 to take some kind of long-term, more team-friendly deal, like Mahomes did. Josh loves Buffalo and is a perfect fit for the team, the city, etc. Things like the community donating all that money to Children's Hospital after his grandmother died matter to a guy like Josh. Josh also wants to win, and with the management structure in place in Buffalo, the team (with Josh as it's QB) is poised to be successful for a long time. If too many dollars go to the QB, it's hard to pay everyone and the team can decline. I think that happened in Seattle after they paid Wilson - they didn't have enough money under the cap to keep the defense and offensive line intact. Now they are a good team and playoff team with Wilson, but not the Super Bowl team that they were. Allen's contract will not be Dak Prescott type of situation.

I slapped them aplenty back in the day. I highly recommend it.

Just a shout-out to Wade, who likely is a good guy who works hard in practice. He won't be elevated for this game (and if what I read on this board is correct, he isn't even eligible to be called up). The interesting call will be whether it's Williams or Yeldon.

While I love to eat and drink for football games, I find it difficult to do so during an important Bills game. I need 100% focus on the game and not on the wing sauce I just spilled on my shirt. Given that the Bills are not the first game this weekend, I can eat and drink during the first game, then focus (and yes, continue drinking) during the Bills game. Last weekend, I (mostly) waited to indulge until after I had recovered from the emotional roller coaster that was the Bills game.

This.

I believe the Chiefs will be rusty against the Browns and the first half will be close. In the 2nd half, the Chiefs will be warmed up and will pull away. Until proven otherwise, they are the best team in football. If the Bills play their best game against the Chiefs, they can hang with them and have a chance to win, because the Bills are also an excellent football team. Since the Bills and Chiefs played the first time, the following has happened: 1) Allen has gotten healthy; 2) the Bills have made adjustments on defense and are playing much better (not lights out, but better, as they had been terrible). BUT, let's not think about the Chiefs right now. The Bills need to focus on the Ravens, a very difficult challenge. Once again, if the Bills play their best game, they can and should beat the Ravens. If the Bills play a poor game, the Ravens will win. If it is something in between (which is most likely), it will be a hotly contested game that goes down to the wire and will likely be decided by a single big play - a turnover, a replay call, a last second FG try, etc.

This play was one of the few where the Bills actually had some pressure on Rivers and I think the Bills defense forced the throw to be just a little bit off. So the play was there if the Bills hadn't disrupted it, but they did.

I do think it helped Josh, but I also think it helped ALL QB's across the league. Assuming it did help, I also think that he'll be fine when the full compliment of fans come back. I believe he would have developed either way, but this may have helped him develop more quickly. I also agree that some of Allen's best performances in the past - the Minnesota game as a rookie, several Miami games, the Dallas and Pittsburgh games last year, etc. were in front of fans and he did just fine.

The two ways in which the Bills could lose this game are 1) a major injury early in the game; or 2) if they are too tight and seize up in the moment. I think #2 is what happened in some of the Super Bowl losses in the past. While a few minutes of dancing at practice doesn't necessarily mean anything, I do see it as a good sign that these guys are loose and confident and will be able to play their game tomorrow.

Williams played well in the opportunity that he had and he has special teams prowess. I think there's a decent chance he gets activated, but not at the expense of Singletary or Moss. It would probably be in Taiwan Jones' spot. If he is activated, I don't see him being a big part of the game plan, but he could get a few snaps, particularly in the 2nd half if we either a) need a spark in the running game or b) need to work the clock and wear down the defense. RB is an interesting position where a lot of unknown guys emerge and become pretty good players. It would be great if Williams turns out to be one of those guys. At this point, as is said above, the sample size is too small to know. I trust the coaching staff to make the correct moves.

I believe that the Bills wanted AJ to slim down from his college playing weight to gain speed. Now that he has done that, he need to find a way to bulk back up (at least some) without losing speed. A good challenge for AJ and the Bills' strength and conditioning staff.

Another great hire by McDermott and Beane.

I'd be fine with bringing Fitz back. There's be no question as to his role on the team. He's a guy that could win some games for us if JA went down with an injury. He's a team guy and loves Buffalo and the Bills. Gailey's a very good OC, but I don't think bringing him back is a good idea. His style of offense doesn't fit JA as well as it fits others and the Bills should go with continuity (Dorsey) if Daboll leaves.

I want him to stay, for sure. If he leaves, I don't think it will be about money. The Pegulas have plenty and will pay Daboll well to stay, if he wants to. I think if he leaves, it will be to become an NFL coach and achieve the highest level in his profession. It's a cautionary tale, as many great coordinators in great situations have left to become head coaches and it hasn't worked out. It seems to not work out more often than it does work out. Based on the fact that he interviewed with the Browns last year, I suspect Daboll will interview again. The Browns had a lot of talent at the time he interviewed with them, so they would seem to be a more attractive option going into this season than the Jests going into next.

I have no problem with the original post. I have often wondered the same thing. I believe that if the Bills had hired Reich, he'd still be the coach and the Bills would still be a playoff team. Whether they would be a Super Bowl contender would depend on whether the team had been able to acquire a franchise QB, as the current Bills team has done. Reich, as offensive coordinator, won a Super Bowl with Nick Foles! He also got very good play out of Carson Wentz before he got injured. He's also won games with Jacoby Brissett and an old, immobile Phillip Rivers. The guy is a clearly an excellent coach. That aside, and despite the years of disarray leading up to the current regime, the Bills are in fantastic hands, both in the coaching staff and the front office. I wouldn't trade our current regime for any other. I'm a big Frank Reich fan and wish him well, except when he's playing against the Bills.

My hope is that Beasley is out this week, but returns for first round of playoffs. My guess is that he is out this week and the 1st round of playoffs, but returns for 2nd round. My fear is that he is done for the season. Regardless of which scenario is the case, Stills is a good signing right now. Two things I didn't know about Stills but have seen in another post above, which, if true, make this signing even better: 1) Stills is "great in slot" and 2) Stills is "High character."

This seems like a good signing, assuming it happens. With Beasley out and Brown's return questionable (just speculating), to sign a veteran WR with speed and some skill makes sense. If they just sign him for the rest of this season, I don't believe there would be any cap implications. The way Allen is slinging the ball around, if Stills can run a basic route tree, he could be productive and help out. It's good for Stills too - who wouldn't want to be a part of this team right now, particularly a WR? If he doesn't play much, it doesn't hurt anything, but he still gets paid. If he plays a lot and has some success, his FA value goes up in the offseason. I just saw the prior post that says he's great in the slot. I didn't know this. With Beasley's injury, this is exactly what we need.

It looks like Beasley's injury is "week-to-week" which means he is not likely to play this week vs. the Fish. Thus, a WR will probably be called up (Duke?) and that would leave a vacancy on the PS for a WR. With COVID, you can lose a player at the last minute (like we did with Brown last week), so you have to have reserves, just in case. I was nervous when I saw Beasley get injured and I remain so. Let's hope he's back for the 1st round of the playoffs. We can certainly win without him, but we are much better with him. Even if Brown comes back this week, who plays in the slot? Brown? Davis? Duke?

I STILL don't know who Nick Wright is, and I still don't care! Go Josh and go Bills!

Looks like another good move by a smart front office. Just like the re-signing of Andre Roberts for his special teams prowess. He's having his best year as a Bill this year. Plus, how about the patience with Bojo being rewarded? I was a skeptic, but damned if the kid isn't at (or near) the top of the NFL in punting. That strong leg is starting to pay dividends. I guess there is something to trusting the process....