Neo

Sinks .. I’ve been to the stadium. “No more adjustments are made at halftime than are made on the sidelines in quarters 1 through 4.”

Wonder how many Bengal fans are saying, with the lead, “if we play like the the Bills will kill us.”

When the Bills play clean football, they’re double digit over anybody. When the Bills play sloppy, they’re down to the last possession with anybody. The Bills play sloppy more often than true greats. They play clean often enough to be the favorite week after week.

I can’t find a single post where anyone says “we win next week if we play like we played today.”

The back and forth in this thread captivates me. I’ve created a key: If someone says the Bills did not play as well as they can, they did not say the Bills are a terrible football team. If someone says Miami played well, today, they did not say the Bills can’t play better. If someone says the Bills put up great offensive numbers, today, they did not say a game against Cincinnati won’t be challenging. If someone says the defense gave up a manageable number of points and yards, considering the turnovers, they did not say Joe Burrow stinks. If someone says the NFL sells competition, in the form of football, and has designed roster assembly, salary caps and rules just so anybody can beat anyone, week to week, game to game, they’d be correct. I feel no better or worse going into next week than I would feel with a 21 point win against the Fins. Theres a coin out there many of us have latched onto. Heads says “we barely won cuz we stink.” Tails says “of course won big cuz they stink.” The coin lets you be glum regardless of outcome. Survive and advance. One down, three to go. The 1972 Dolphins beat Buffalo by one point in week six before going 17-0. Imagine the handwringing.

I am becoming a very big Shaq Lawson fan.

For the splash play crowd …. sign him now?

Yes …. I expect this would be a very pro Bills crowd.

Second least likely.

You see, it’s all very clear to me, now. The whole thing. It’s wonderful.

Most shocking …. Zack Moss 114 yards, a TD

I agree. They’ve looked terrible for the entire 7 game winning streak.

Well, we can always say it wasn’t a “splash interception.” I mean, it was an interception to seal a victory and our top seeding possibility, but he didn’t pancake or tower over anybody. We got plenty of that to complain about.

Gotta respect Allen still tossin’ bombs. Davis has fists of stones. “What a year?” to follow 2021’s “what a year!”

Well, he sort of said that. Not as colorfully as you, perhaps. Now, no one loves colorful language more than me, but I’ll set it aside. What he said, when I read his post, is that life in general and the sport in particular has examples of teams that suffered adversity and got to work quickly.

Every incident is different. No two are the same. I don’t think that truism is relevant to the post you quoted.. The relevant difference, instead, lies in the expectations each of us have in terms of dealing with overwhelming adversity and carrying on. I expect a team of adult professionals to perform. I composed that sentence deliberately to be unequivocal and not leave room for the lowering of expectations in light of obstacle or tragedy. I can do this while at the same time feeling the overwhelming human emotions cited to lower expectations in light of adversity. There are few moments in our long lives where being a human being is more rewarding than when we are pressing on, or watching others do the same. birth to death, this is a struggle. Some are greater than others. Here’s to the people who say “I played a week later.” Doing so honors Hamlin and doesn’t disrespect him.

The internet. Any absurd thought gets examined and debated. Virtue signalers stake out positions with flimsy reasoning and insult one another. Once in a lifetime tragic event. Prayers and well wishes. Sincere attention and consideration of what can be done better, next time. The world doesn’t stop. There was a time when teams dedicated extraordinary effort to the Hamlins of the world. I expect the Bills to do the same. I’d be disappointed if they don’t.

Amen, Brother .. grateful for your leadership.

Yeah, true. But it’s easier and perversely fun to just throw stones with an iPad while sitting on the sofa.

I would love to see the decisions those criticizing the league would have made, and the basis for those decisions, at the point in time that the league called for a five minute re-start. This unfolded minute by minute before our eyes with dozens of decision makers evaluating incomplete information. Well handled, all around, as the situation unfolded in my view. We saw a tragedy and then watched a group of people respond as fact after confirmation after contradiction unfolded. Shame on the hindsight possessing critics calling out the league. Leadership comes with burdens.

I have no problem with any player, team, announcer, social media poster or league representative for any statement they’ve made about Hamlin, his injury, or the implications for the business. This has been remarkably balanced with the emphasis on the important things in life. I’ve heard nothing that wasn’t sympathetic, empathetic, sensitive or rational. Life’s funny. There’s not a playbook for everything.

Vegas doesn’t bet. It takes bets. Vegas matches its book and cares not how you bet. If the line’s moving as you report, it’s because bettors are selecting the Bills.

Again, no disrespect. He leads the team in tackles and is a missed game adjustment from being among league leaders. His tackling percentage is top of the top. He covers acres. This is why I bring up role understanding when I read “Edmunds disappears” or “doesn’t make the play when the ball carrier enters his area.” There are those who think Kuechly was on a Hall of Fame trajectory. Edmunds doesn’t stun running backs and stand over them like Dick Butkus. He covers more field effectively, tackles and gives more options to teammates to thrive than nearly any other LB playing. Sign him.

All due respect to you, but I think I’d describe your view as “Edmunds doesn’t do what you want to see him do because he’s busy doing what Frazier wants him to do.” I’m an old school, splash play, big hit, linebacker fan with memories back to Ray Nitschke. Edmunds does something completely different and the rest of the defenders have options they’d not have if he wasn’t covering acres playing the pass and the run, sideline to sideline, from the line of scrimmage with short and intermediate drops. I see the board split not as pro or con Edmunds, but as understand or not his role. IMHO …. respectfully.

* Requires a five game winning streak.