Nihilarian

For me, it was Bruce Smith tackling Hostetler in the end zone...that backup QB just curled up around the ball and took the safety. Because the starting QB, Phil Simms, was out injured, nobody thought the NY Giants had a chance. Plus, Buffalo must have missed the previous Giants game where they beat the Niners 13-15 at SF. Holding Joe Montana to 190 yards passing and one TD. That Giant defense was #1 in points allowed, #2 in yards allowed that season. If they had only run Thurman more than 15 times, in which he had 135 yards for those attempts.

I like it!

Yea, Terry is the hockey guy, and Kim was the one who wanted to buy the Buffalo Bills, as she grew up in Rochester, Fairport/Pittsford, I forget. She was a Buffalo Bills fan. Terry liked the Detroit Lions. My thoughts are that both of them talked to prospects and decided on Rex Ryan. I also believe that Kim has been more instrumental in how they hired McD. If you have followed the Buffalo Bills' success, you would see that Terry has been heavily involved in every aspect of the team. The draft, training camp, practices, and games. This is what concerns me because he is so overly involved in everything having to do with the Buffalo Bills. The very last thing I want to see in Buffalo is another Jerry Jones. It could be...now he thinks he is a football guy!

Rex Ryan took the best defensive front in the NFL and ruined it by changing over to "his" scheme. Buffalo, under DC Schwartz, had the best pass rush and sacks in the NFL. Ryan changed that to have the D linemen dropping into pass coverage so the crappy LBers could rush the passer. The man is a walking, talking wart!

My issue is that we have already seen the choice that this owner made when he first hired Rex Ryan. Looking at his "hands-on" with the Sabres, does anyone here trust him to find anyone anywhere near as good as Beane and McD? I certainly don't, and it would take something monumentally bad to happen for this owner to change the HC in Buffalo. So basically...IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN. He found a diamond in the rough in both Beane and McDermott as both were first-timers at their respective jobs. Look at all the coaches Buffalo went through to find McD, and he brought in Brandon Beane. Seventeen years, man, seventeen years! Look at all the coaches the Dolphins, Jets, and Patriots went through to find their stars. So many Bills fans wanted desperately to hire Bill Belichick to replace McD when he was fired in NE. How's that looking now?

Does anyone remember the 2023 season? The Buffalo Bills were 6-6 at one point, and the Miami Dolphins were 9-3. Things were looking pretty bleak for the Bills to win the division that season. While Josh Allen is great...the team was still 6-6 with Diggs getting most of the passes. It is a team sport, and all facets of the team matter! McD stood up and made a change at OC that went against what a lot of the players wanted at the time. Buffalo finished first at 11-6 and won the division. Buffalo swept the Dolphins, winning that last game of the season. In my view, this franchise has been so freaking close to getting to the Super Bowl the last five seasons, and the team keeping them out has mostly been the Chiefs. The winningest NFL team over the last five years. Some Buffalo Bills fans are just so darn miserable that all they want to do is cry in their beer because the team hasn't made it to the Super Bowl recently. Why not relish the fact that the team has been on the verge of getting to the big dance nearly every season. P.S. In 2021, the Baltimore Ravens lost a ton of players due to injuries and went 8-9 that season. Crap happens! It's kind of foolish to blame that season on the HC or GM. Every season since then, they have also been vying for an SB berth. I can't even imagine what this board would plunge into if this year's Buffalo team had a losing season.

It's almost laughable that so many Buffalo Bills fans clamor for a HCing change and yet the current HC is the second best in the NFL over the last five seasons. Only the Chiefs have more wins! Who will you replace him with? Brian Daboll got the head coaching job with the Giants, and because he is a pass-happy fool, he let one of the very best RBs in the league go to a team in his own division...and they just won the Super Bowl! McD went to the playoffs with Tyrod Taylor at QB! In 2023, the Bills were 6-6, and McD FIRED the OC because he demanded more, and that guy was Josh Allen's good friend, and he wanted him as OC. No NFL head coach can control player injuries or determine which way an oblong spheroid will bounce. Just understand there is nobody out there better at this point, and to fire this HC might send this franchise back to what it was before McD. Just relax and enjoy the team while they are good. I'm pretty certain that the Miami, New England, and NY Jets would jump at the chance to hire...clappy

And THAT coach is long gone from Buffalo. If we as fans know anything, it's that this HC allows his assistants a free hand to run their schemes the way they want. From the start in 2017, OC Rick Dennison ran things his way until he was fired. Look at what Daboll did with the passing offense while neglecting the run. Then Ken Dorsey took over from Daboll, running that same passing playbook, and yet he was fired after the team went 6-6 in 2023. New OC Joe Brady helped Buffalo build a stout run game, and this helped both the QB and overall offense immensely while allowing Josh Allen to still do his thing at times. Has the Buffalo defense run a "prevent defense" again now that Leslie Frazier is gone? I haven't seen it. The overall concept of a Tampa two scheme has been with the Buffalo Bills under McD, but things change when coordinators change. The Buffalo Bills have run one of the most complicated pass-defensive schemes. McD is NOT calling the plays. He did, however, call them in 2023, and considering all the defensive injuries that season, the Buffalo defense was still a top 10 unit. It fell off in 2024 and still led the league in turnover ratio under a rookie DC. I get it. The buck stops with the HC, but some of you Bills fans need to holster the hate and dislike for arguably the very best head coach this franchise has ever seen in the NFL. The best team in the NFL over the last five seasons has been the KC Chiefs, and even they have lost two Super Bowls along the way. The number two team in the NFL has been the Buffalo Bills, and has had great difficulty in gaining home-field advantage over the Chiefs. Losing to the Chiefs in the playoffs is rough on Bills fans. They have two former NFL head coaches as their OC & DC, and meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills have changed coordinators with the OC new from 2023 and the rookie DC this past season. The head coach can't control injuries to his players, and for the most part, his schemes are only as good as his players. The reality of the current situation is that this upcoming game against one of the very best teams in the NFL is probably a loss, considering the injuries to the Buffalo secondary and the new players in the defensive line. Unless, of course, someone puts on a cape and pulls this one out. We all want this win. However, I'm not ready to cut and run if we lose. I'll attempt to keep my bleating to a minimum if we do lose. Go Bills!

Then when you realize that the Ravens have four first-round draft picks starting in their secondary...

I get it. It does get frustrating at times to be a Buffalo Bills fan. Although it's not like this head coach stands still and makes no changes to improve the team. The ST coordinator was recently changed, and for the first time, this new coach has good experience in ST. The head strength and conditioning coach was recently changed due to all the injuries. That 13-second DC was changed. The Buffalo OC has been changed several times since 2017, and the last time was during the season after six losses. Buffalo did attempt to hire Steve Spagnuolo as their defensive coordinator, but instead, sadly, he chose the Chiefs. The Bills should be fine with Bobby Babich, as he was a rookie DC in 2024 and should improve under McD. Buffalo did lead the NFL in turnover differential in 2024. Also, let's not forget that McD called the defensive plays for the 2023 season, and considering all the injuries that season, I'd say he did a GD good job. #4 in points allowed and #9 in yards allowed. In my view, this current Buffalo Bills HC & GM strives for excellence and wants to win that final season game as much, if not more than, any fan.

Did I manage to pull those out of thin air, or did they actually happen? Speaking of luck and coin flips. In that 13-second game, hadn't Josh Allen been calling the same coin toss all season long and winning it most of the time? Then, in that particular game, he called for the same thing that had helped them all season, and it went the other way. The Chiefs won the toss and proceeded to drive down to the field and score to win the game. As I stated, the NFL changed its rules after that game to allow both teams possession in OT. Last season, did the referees not have two bad spots on two different drives for first downs that didn't give Buffalo the first down? As I recall, the announcers seemed to think the Bills made a first down? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nij522rqrls Was I wrong about all the defensive injuries at the end of the season to starters in both 2023 and 2024? Was AJ Kline about to go on vacation just before he was called up to play and played against KC in that playoff game? For that 2023 playoff game, Buffalo players who were OUT, starting CB Christian Benford, Starting safety Taylor Rapp, and LB Baylon Spector. Then there were the questionable players, Terrel Bernard, Rasul Douglas, and Taron Johnson. Then, the players on IR, Tre White, Matt Milano, Von Miller, and Jordan Phillips. Good lord! In 2024, Taylor Rapp (hip/back), who was out, and Christian Benford, who exited the game with a concussion in the first quarter, while Matt Milano and Taron Johnson were listed as available but had been limited earlier in the week with injuries. Starting safety and starting cornerback both out for this game, and a rookie who had been injured for most of the preseason was forced to start. There were real reasons as to why the Buffalo Bills lost those close playoff games to their #1 enemy. I look at them more as reasons rather than excuses.

My take is the Chiefs time has come as their division has gotten much better, considering both Denver and San Diego made it to the playoffs in 2024. AND now both have decent franchise QBs to lead them, along with really good head coaches. C'mon now, Buffalo hasn't been getting destroyed in the playoffs by KC and, in fact, lost to them last year by 29-32 with some zebra help in the form of some strange spots. So strange in fact, it caused the NFL to FINALLY change the way they track the ball and have rid themselves of the older than dirt "chain gang". In the previous year lost because of a missed FG, along with so many injuries to the defense that a guy who was going on vacation with his family was called off the street to help out...and he played in that game. The season before that, a defensive player had a heart attack on the field during the game, and this demoralized the entire team. Wasn't it the year before that was the 13-second fiasco in which the then-DC (no longer with the Bills) called for a prevent defense, which screwed the game for Buffalo? The NFL also changed the rules after that game to allow both teams to have a possession. Let's face it, the Chiefs haven't dominated the Buffalo Bills the last few years, as it's been more bad luck and injuries that have hurt them in the playoffs. Buffalo has beaten those vaunted Chiefs during the regular season several times now. It's about time for the bad luck and injury BS to hit a different team at the end of the season

Not necessarily their demise as they will still probably get into the playoffs in 2025 and even win the division again. It's home field advantage that I dream about which would be an awesome thing to see for the Buffalo Bills in the last year in the old stadium. Imagine what the Bills fans would be like in that game. Is it wrong to wish the injury bugs and bad luck to find the Chiefs or a different AFC team besides Buffalo at the end of the season? The Bills have their work cut out for them as the AFC East also looks to have gotten better with the two new HCs for the NY Jets and Patriots. Not to mention that darned home opener against the Ravens who will also be vying for that home field advantage.

Well said! So many Bills fans here think that replacing McD and things will magically get better...when in fact things would probably return to what we all knew and saw before he came to Buffalo. Some Bills fans simply don't realize just how good the Kansas City Chiefs have been the last five years as no other NFL team has had as many wins. They have two former NFL head coaches as their OC, DC. The Chiefs have been in the playoffs every year since 2015. Since 2019 they have been to five super bowls and won three. Chiefs HC Andy Reid has never had a losing season in KC and won their division the last seven seasons. Reid has also been the Chiefs winningest HC with a 143-53-0 record. The Buffalo Bills have had the second most wins over the last five seasons and unfortunately have been unable to win home field advantage over KC. Hopefully things change this season as the Chiefs should have a much tougher time in the AFC West as the Chargers, Raiders and Broncos have all gotten better.

This game is also concerning to me as it could be the defining factor in gaining home field advantage throughout the playoffs. I know, I know way to early to be thinking of the end of the season...it's never too early! Then the next game is a division game on the road @ the NY Jets followed by the Dolphins at Buffalo. Could be a tough first three games considering how poorly that Buffalo secondary has looked in preseason. Buffalo lost the opener to the NY Jets in 2023 and to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021 and this loss was at home. Buffalo lost the home opener to the Ravens at Baltimore in 2018. Buffalo also lost an away game opener to the NY Jets in 1017. Now, considering Josh hasn't played in any preseason games and could be rusty and have timing issues with his new receivers is another factor. I'm hoping that the Bills come out and destroy those first three teams and go on a tear this season and win that home field while remaining injury free. It would be nice to finish a season that way. Home field and an AFC Championship game in Buffalo is my hopes for the 2025 season.

I approve!

My only concern is for the first part of the season, and in fact, those first six games. The Ravens, who won the AFCC last season and were knocked out of the playoffs by the Bills, will want to win in the worst way. The Bills play the NY Jets, Miami Dolphins, and the NE Patriots in those first six. Buffalo may find themselves at 3-3 before the bye week...hopefully not! I have less concern about the KC Chiefs simply because their division will be so much more difficult to win out with the Chargers, Broncos, and Raiders all improved. This season, the Buffalo Bills MUST win home-field advantage throughout, and that Ravens game looms so very, very large to me as I see the biggest threat coming from the AFC Central. The road to the Super Bowl, along with having home-field will be the biggest priority next to winning the division. My take is the Bills will be (barring major injuries, of course) much better off experience-wise with all the new and young talent on the roster near the end of the season. Timing between QB and receivers. Also, the defensive secondary and defensive line should be looking better. The last thing I want to see is the Buffalo Bills traveling to Baltimore for the AFC Championship game.

All true and very concerning. However, the Buffalo offense still has a stout O-line, stout run game, with some very good tight ends. Coleman, Shavers could step up and be really good. It also might show some rust on Josh, along with the timing being off for the first few games. Besides, we haven't really seen the 1st string offense in any preseason game, so who knows how good that offense might be to start the season? Buffalo Bills biggest worry is their own undefined defensive secondary and ability or not to stop the Raven's run game. King Henry! Besides, those Ravens will want revenge for knocking them out of the playoffs last season. Ravens @ 8:20 Sun in Buffalo, @ NY Jets 1 pm, and the Dolphins in Buffalo 8 pm Thursday are the first three. Not going to be an easy start for this season. I'm hoping for the best! Go Bills!

He was elite against some teams...until the playoffs the last few years in Buffalo. He would disappear in big games as in his last game in 2023 against the Chiefs. Diggs had 8 targets for 3 receptions for 21 yards and a fumble. The Chiefs had their best CB on him for the first half of that game and then moved him to cover Shakir in the second half. Shakir had 9 targets for 7 receptions for 44 yards, 1 TD. That one touchdown by Shakir in the second half was the ONLY touchdown of the entire season allowed by KC CB L'Jarius Sneed. Diggs was good until he wasn't...and a drama queen. He will probably look good at the beginning of the season for NE and then drop off as the season goes on.

To those freaking out a little...think of who the Buffalo Bills play in their first game? Ohhh the 2024, 12-5 Baltimore Ravens that were 1st in the AFC North and top ten in both offense and defense. Their offense was #3 in points scored and #1 in yards. Now, if you were McD would you want to show the Ravens anything when they watch the film of the Bills 2025 preseason games...(which btw are meaningless)? If the Ravens coaches / players watch the games so far they will be thinking that they don't even need to show up and its a win for them. They will have some serious revenge on their minds for the playoff loss last season and it will be a tough game.

I don't totally agree with this as not many other "air raid" QBs have been successful at the NFL level. At that time Buffalo was in need of a CB and so many thought that Mahomes was simply a 'system" QB. "In this draft analyst’s opinion, I would grade Mahomes as a second-round pick. That is the same grade the NFL draft advisory board gave him. A general manger of a NFC team said they had a fourth-round grade on Mahomes, but felt he had some tools to work with. That same team has a third- to fourth-round grade on Deshaun Watson, a fifth-round grade on Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya, and a second-round grade on Mitch Trubisky. That team is a tough grader, overall. Another NFC team said they had Mahomes low – into Day 3 – and weren’t hot on him as a prospect, but they also have a young franchise quarterback, so they aren’t interested in quarterbacks until the late rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft. Sources from one AFC team said they had a second-round grade on Mahomes and viewed him similarly to Derek Carr coming out of Fresno State. They are very high on Mahomes and think he could become a hot prospect in the leadup to the draft. The scouting director of another AFC team said they liked Mahomes. They graded him in the third round, but don’t think he is as good of a prospect as Carr. Another AFC team said they also had a second-day grade on Mahomes." It goes on and on about Mahomes going 10th in the 2017 NFL draft and the second QB taken behind Mitch Trubisky drafted by Chicago #2 overall. So many scouts missed on this prospect. If drafted today he would be the first overall ahead of Miles Garrett. Mahomes sat for an entire season behind starting KC QB Alex Smith as Andy Reid groomed and tutored the young player. Also, its not just the QB as Andy Reid went to the playoffs with Alex Smith four out of his first five seasons at KC starting from his first year in KC in 2013. Reid has 26 years of being an NFL HC and is known to be an offensive genius.

That season the Buffalo Bills had the #1 overall defense in the league in both points and yards allowed. The Bills passing defense was so good that season with Poyer and Hyde. My thoughts are that McD was trusting in Leslie Frazier to know what he was doing in that playoff game...and he clearly didn't as he called a "prevent defense"! Mahomes ripped him a new one for it. It's just bad luck that the Chiefs with HC Andy Reid have been the best team in the league the last five years and Reid the best HC. It also helps the Chiefs to have Steve Spagnuolo as their DC as he usually finds a way to have his defense step up in the playoffs. Let's not forget that the 13 second game came down to overtime 36-42 with the Chiefs winning the coin toss and Buffalo never saw the ball again. That led the NFL to make changes in the overtime rules. Anyway, I have no idea why this topic of changing head coaches in Buffalo ever comes up as the ONLY HC better in wins the last five years has been Andy Reid. So, if Andy becomes available then it might be a thought.

The chiefs arrive in their alternate uniforms made me laugh ...so true. The NFL finally made adjustments to the chain gang crew since time began.

So much has to do with just plain bad luck... also injuries to the defense over the years. Andy Reid recently having 2 ex head coaches as his DC & OC. Meanwhile Buffalo had an old school DC who went to a prevent defense for the 13 seconds. Also, in the past 8 seasons how many changes have been made at DC and OC for the Buffalo Bills? Last season the Buffalo Bills led the NFL in turnover ratio and yet had one of the worst 3rd down defenses in the league. Although the Buffalo defense was 11th on points allowed they were also 17th in yards allowed. in 2017 the Buffalo offense and defense were 22nd in points scored, 29 in yards. the defense was 18th in points allowed, 26th in yards allowed. At 9-7 playoffs. 2018 the Buffalo offense was 30th in points, 30th in yards. the defense was 18th in points allowed while #2 in points allowed. 6-10 2019 the Buffalo offense 23rd in points, 24th in yards. The defense was #2 in points allowed, #3 in yards allowed. 10-6 playoffs 2020 the Buffalo offense was #2 in points scored, #2 in yards. the defense was #16 in points allowed, #14 in yards allowed. 13-3 playoffs 2021 the Buffalo offense was #3 in points scored, #5 in yards. the defense was #1 in points allowed, #1 in yards allowed. 13 seconds lost in OT 36 to 42. 11-6 playoffs 2022 the Buffalo offense was #2 in points, #2 in yards. The defense was #2 in points allowed, #6 in yards allowed. 13-3 2023 the Buffalo offense #6, #4, Defense was #4, #9. 11-6 playoffs 2024 the Buffalo offense was #2 in points scored, #10 in yards. the defense was #11th in points allowed, #17th in yards allowed. 13-4 playoffs. The Buffalo Bills have come a long way under this regime. This season the Bills might finally have a good enough defensive line to stop the run and get pressure on the QB. The defense might be a top defense at the end of the season. While Bills DC might be in his second season of calling the defensive plays it certainly looks like he has much more talent to call upon this season. It is exciting to see how the defense shapes up this season.

Thurman was like the Rodney Dangerfield (no respect) of RBs as even in his hay day as mostly everyone talked about the (K-Gun) offense or the (No Huddle). What most fans didn't realize was the Buffalo Bills ran the ball more than they threw it back then. QB Jim Kelly walked on water to most fans and yet they threw to setup the pass game. The Bills would get Thurman working and the opposing LBers would move up to stop the run and then Kelly would throw over them to Reed, Lofton, Beebe. Also Thurman was amazing catching passes out of the backfield... He was Marshall Faulk before Faulk. 1988 in Thurman's rookie year Buffalo 454 passing attempts vs 528 rushing attempts. That season the Bills had Rob Riddick and Ronnie Harmon as his backups while Riddick punched it in the endzone for 12 TDs. The Buffalo OC was Jim Ringo...anyone recall that name? Buffalo also went to the AFC Championship game in Cincinnati that year. I do believe that the offense they ran that season was the "Air Coryell" after the Chargers HC who mentored Dan Fouts in San Diego. In 1989 478 pass attempts vs 532 rush attempts. Ted Marchibroda became the Buffalo OC and installed the run and shoot. Thurman had 1913 yards from scrimmage that season. 1990 the Buffalo Bills the highest scoring offense in the league that year. 425 pass attempts vs 479 rush attempts and Thurman had 1829 yards from Scrimmage. In 1991 the passing offense finally overtook the run offense 516 pass attempts vs 505 rush attempts. Thurman had 2038 yards from scrimmage that season. Nobody better!