Logic

Extra-legal harassment is extra-legal harassment, arrest or not. Fair enough. I haven't lived in Rochester in over a decade, so I really can't comment on what the RPD is like nowadays. 15 or so years ago, it was a different story. At least in my experience.

I have always followed a similar pattern with regard to this forum or other Bills forums: I post a ton in the offseason. I find roster building, scouting rookies, the draft, free agency, and coaching hires all to be super interesting and fun to talk about. Once the season starts, though? I do a lot less posting here, and a lot less visiting the forums in general. Why? Because everybody is too wildly reactionary after every game. If the Bills play well and win the game, people are booking hotel rooms near the Super Bowl site. If the Bills lose or even win in a way that is not "stylistically appealing", it's like a funeral march around here, with all sorts of posters you've never seen or heard from before crawling out of the woodworks with "Fire Dorsey!" and "bench Poyer!" threads. It's exhausting. Reasoned analysis and dissection of the game after a loss or an ugly win are necessary -- that's what a forum like this is for. But the over-the-top exaggeration, doom and gloom, and hyperbole that one often finds here are just laughable.

I think that my initial response in this thread and my related responses that followed, which were pointing out my own experiences of overly aggressive policing tactics in western New York, were indeed pertinent to the conversation at hand, given that said conversation involves overly aggressive policing tactics in western New York. I'm sorry you feel differently. Thankfully, you don't have a little badge that allows you to decide what other people can talk about on this forum. As I explained in my replies, I, for one (and many folks I know, for that matter) were NOT okay with the cops "keeping an eye out for potential serial killers", or however you want to try justify the extra-legal tactics I described. Great to hear from you, though. I sure missed our chats.

Agreed. I have no doubt that my looking like I did and being in that part of town is what led to a lot of the interactions. I think the key point to me is that things like "you don't seem like you belong in this part of town, and therefore are likely up to no good" and "you're driving late at night, and are therefore likely up to no good" were, in my experience, routinely used as justification for pulling me over. But they AREN'T. Neither thing rises to the level of probable cause that a crime is being committed, which is the legal standard for pulling someone over. I got very used to this type of thing, and just assumed that's what all policing everywhere is like. I've now spent a decade+ on the west coast, driven all around Oregon and California and Washington, and have not found this to be the case. The RPD was particularly aggressive in their tactics, and I have found their behavior to be the exception rather than the rule, at least compared to policing where I now live and routinely travel.

Yes. For a long time I lived on Clifford Ave, not far from Conkey. That was where a lot of this happened. In fairness, though, one of the incidents described did happen in a nice suburban part of East Irondequoit. I drove a pretty new looking tan/gold Dodge Stratus at the time. Normal looking dude, normal looking car, not breaking any laws, not speeding. I realize this isn't everyone's experience, but it was mine. I can only speak for myself and what I experienced.

I believe it. My interactions with police officers in western New York generally seemed prefaced on the assumption that I didn't know my rights. Fortunately, I did, and any time I demonstrated so, they usually backed down -- though clearly it irritated them, and sometimes it took a cooler headed second officer to talk the first one into giving it up. I was not a fan of the Rochester police. I felt harassed by them FAR more often than I felt protected by them, as did many friends of mine.

I'll just say this... I'm a pretty "square" looking white guy. When I lived in western New York, I was routinely stopped for dubious reasons by the police. Once I was told that I was being stopped because the ball hitch on my truck was blocking a number on my license plate. Another time I was told that the air freshener hanging in my middle console was suspicious and the officer asked what I was trying to hide. Another time I was not given a reason WHY I was pulled over, but the officer pretty quickly asked if his dog could search my vehicle. I declined. After being stopped and harassed multiple times over the years for no legitimate reason, I have yet to have this happen even one time in my decade+ living in Oregon. My point is that I found the Rochester police -- in fairness, I never lived in Buffalo, so I can't comment on the Buffalo police -- to be overly aggressive and their frequent harassment to be lacking in merit and of questionable legality. And, as I said, I'm a square looking white guy. I don't think it's unreasonable to accept that a dreadlocked black man -- likely driving an expensive car -- is telling the truth when he speaks of unjustified police harassment in western New York.

It's literally Dorsey's second year as offensive coordinator. Brian Daboll was the offensive coordinator for four years here before he got a head coaching gig.

No. The issue is that the guy we got to replace McKenzie isn't being used to his full potential. Ken Dorsey has been using Deonte Harty poorly. He is using Harty solely as a gadget/motion/swing pass guy, similarly to how McKenzie was often used here. In point of fact, Harty ought to be used as a deep threat, to stretch defenses and open up space underneath for Diggs and Knox and Kincaid to do work in the middle of the field. It is frankly baffling that we're a third of the way through the season and have only seen one deep pass from Josh Allen to Deonte Harty. It should be a regular occurrence. Harty's speed and separation ability plus Allen's arm -- when so much defensive attention is being paid elsewhere, theoretically leaving Harty in advantageous matchups -- should equal frequent big plays. Letting McKenzie go was fine. Misusing/underusing the guy that replaced him is the mistake.

I didn't love the game Ken Dorsey called last night. It has been a two week stretch to forget, in my opinion. I thought he called really good games the three weeks prior, however. Most importantly, the Bills are the 3rd ranked scoring offense in the NFL and were the 2nd ranked scoring offense last year. And you're saying he's a...."problem"? As for Elam...I thought his game wasn't nearly as bad as some are painting it to be. He'll be the third string outside corner and only see snaps if Benford or Jackson are hurt. It is what it is.

The loss of Daquan Jones has been massively underrated and understated. As @drummernut74 said, 1T has HUGE importance to a McDermott defense. Our defense was COMPLETELY different without Jones in the lineup against the Bengals in the playoffs last year, and we saw it again last night (though obviously the Giants, unlike the Bengals, didn't have the offensive firepower to capitalize). People sort of rolled their eyes the other day when it was suggested that the Bills look around the league to acquire a 1T via trade, saying that we should be just fine with the depth we have at the position. The problem is that the depth we have isn't particularly GOOD at 1T. Poona Ford has looked like a shell of himself. Tim Settle and Jordan Phillips are both subpar 1Ts. I maintain that a guy like Harrison Phillips, while not perfect, would represent a substantial upgrade. The Bills absolutely should be poking around to see if any decent bodies are available at the position from other teams. I think Dorian Williams is going to wind up being just fine at WILL. He's not Milano -- no one is. But he shows promise. Ditto our trio of corners replacing White -- not so bad. Survivable. But the loss of Jones is roughhh, and I think we're going to continue to see that unless the Bills address the position with outside candidate somehow.

@BADOLBILZ I feel like this thread was made for you. 500 words please. And....go.

I thought Dorsey's playcalling left something to be desired both of the past two weeks. I, too, was frustrated by the pistol call at the 5-inch line. That said... The Bills are the 3rd ranked scoring offense in the NFL. They are behind only the Dolphins and 49ers, who most would acknowledge as the clear cut two best and most forward thinking offenses in the league. They are ahead of last year's Super Bowl participants, the Chiefs and Eagles. You don't fire an offensive coordinator who had the 2nd ranked scoring offense in his first year and has the 3rd ranked scoring offense in his second year. It's just asinine. It's reactionary "prisoner of the moment" stuff. It's not reasonable. Aside from the fact that the Bills, ya know, score a lot of points....Josh Allen endorsed Ken Dorsey, he likes Ken Dorsey, and and he wants Ken Dorsey as his OC. He's not going anywhere. You want to espouse and suggest specific changes to personnel usage, formations, or offensive strategy, then by all means, do so. I've got some suggestions myself, and there are areas where Dorsey can clearly improve. But firing him? That ain't it. Not happenin'. Ridiculous.

Least enjoyable Bills win I can remember in a long time. I don't care if Brian Daboll knew Allen's tendencies and weaknesses, I don't care if Wink Martindale called a great defensive game, I don't care if there's some kind of Tyrod Taylor revenge angle, I don't care if the Bills ARE missing three key defenders. The fact is, it is not acceptable for a team as talented as the Bills, playing at home, to have THAT difficult a time defeating a 1-4 team missing 3/5 of it's starting o-line and it's starting quarterback, and who is as all around talent deficient as the Giants are. Not acceptable. I think the players know this. I HOPE the players know this. It's maddening that a team that is supposedly as high character, hard working, and has such a great culture as these Bills, and who are led by a very disciplined coach in Sean McDermott, can routinely have 3-4 games a year where they just look uninterested, unfocused, low in energy, and make repeated concentration errors and shoot themselves in the foot so much. I have never seen such an elite team need so many "wakeup call" games per season. I have never seen such an elite team make it look so difficult so often. Yes, I'm obviously extremely relieved that the Bills won. A win is a win is a win. There are no style points. The Bills are 4-2. Win and move on to the next week, that's all that matters. But at some point -- at SOME POINT -- it would be nice to feel like this Bills team has learned its lessons and taken its medicine and to see them start CONSISTENTLY playing up to their sky high potential. Frustrating game.

Yes, but the assignments, techniques, and responsibilities for a 3-4 OLB are universes apart from those of a 4-3 OLB. The assignments, techniques, and responsibilities for a 3-4 OLB are much closer to those of a 4-3 DE. In short, Von Miller has always been an Edge defender. He has NEVER been an off-ball linebacker. They are completely different positions. Even though Miller has gone by the title "outside linebacker" in the past, what he was doing bore little to no resemblance to what Matt Milano does in the Bills' defense. It would be no different than asking Joey Bosa or Myles Garrett to play Milano's position. It would be asking a player to learn a completely new position. A total "fish out of water" situation. It would not be reasonable whatsoever to ask Von Miller to do this. Only, as I mentioned, very occasionally and in very specific situations, should Von Miller ever be asked to line up anywhere other than the edge.

If the question is "could he occasionally, situationally, once in a while, line up at OLB for special packages and rush the passer from that position?", I think the answer is "yes". If the question is "could he actually be a full time replacement for Matt Milano, taking on all the usual responsibilities of the position, including pass coverage, run stopping, etc", the answer is "certainly not. On the one hand, it would be asking a player to learn a completely new position, midseason, in his 13th year in the league. On the other hand, you'd be wasting the best skillset of an elite pass rusher by asking him to do other things". So...once in a while, as an exotic pass rush look? Yes. All the time, as an actual REPLACEMENT for Milano? No.

Bills 38 Giants 19 I anticipate Tyrod moving the ball better than Jones, Daboll having a trick or two up his sleeve, and the Bills defense taking a moment to get used to being without Milano, Jones, and White. Those are the only reasons I'm giving the Giants 19 points. They get a late garbage time touchdown and miss the two point conversion. Bills win going away. Kyle Allen is handing off to Damien Harris part way through the 4th quarter.

Yeah, I mean... There's a world of difference between saying "Any given Sunday. I like the Bills' odds in this one, they SHOULD win it, but I acknowledge that they could lose" and saying "I'm not confident in this one. Based on last week's display, Buffalo could struggle to move the ball. They'll be lucky to be a Wild Card this season". There's acknowledging parity and upsets and "any given Sunday", and then there's overreacting to a loss and saying that the Bills are gonna struggle to beat a team like the Giants. The former is logical and reasonable and I have no problem with it. The latter is reactionary, hyperbolic "prisoner of the moment" stuff, and you see a ton of it around these parts after a loss.

I actually would RATHER face Daniel Jones than Tyrod Taylor. The "Daboll and Tyrod return to Buffalo in a game no one expects them to have a chance in" angle is just too juicy to not be at least a little scary.

I have to admit I find the "we're fine at DT" talk a little confusing. In terms of number of bodies? Sure, we're fine. In terms of QUALITY? I'm not so sure. If Poona Ford was playing at the level that we have seen from him in the past, then sure, I'd agree. But based on his preseason play and the fact that he's been inactive for weeks despite the Bills fielding one of the worst (THE worst?) run defenses in the league, I just don't have much faith in him. I feel that maybe people are basing the "we're fine" talk on the potential of what Settle and Ford COULD be or what they've been in the past, not based on the actual level of play we've seen from both as Buffalo Bills in recent months. I'm not saying Harrison Philips would be a slam dunk improvement, either, but...to say that the Bills shouldn't be sniffing around for improvements at DT if said improvements come at a reasonable cost...I just don't agree.

I'll go ahead and disagree with those that say he wouldn't be an improvement over Tim Settle and Poona Ford. I think he absolutely would be. Settle has shown flashes here and there, but has not been nearly dependable enough at 1T. Poona Ford has underwhelmed since signing here, so much so that he hasn't been gameday active in weeks. Harry is better than both, IMO. He has been good for Minnesota. He also knows the system and the locker room and was well liked here and would be able to hit the ground running. I believe he'd cost about $4million. I doubt the Bills will do it, but I'd be happy if they did.

That's always the thing with the Bills, so you're not wrong. I will only say that Allen hasn't been "too hyped up" since week one of this season. Even in the loss to the Jags, it wasn't "sugar rush Josh" that led to the Bills' downfall. Even when things got desperate, he continued to play under control and within the offense. He didn't get crazy or force anything. Can it happen? Yes. Any given week. Do I think the Giants have the defensive talent to make it happen? No, not particularly.

I do not believe that the Pats are trying to tank. Rather, I think that Bill Belichick is trying to follow the same blueprint that led to a Pats dynasty in the early 2000s, and it's simply not working any more, but he's stubbornly clinging to it anyway, and it will be his downfall. Very good defense, good running game, game managing pocket passer. That was always the blueprint. People talk about the lack of weapons on the Patriots offense, but it's ALWAYS been that way under Belichick's watch. For the best years of the Pats dynasty, they were trotting out guys like David Givens, Deion Branch, Bethel Johnson, Antowain Smith, Kevin Faulk, and Christian Fauria. Yes, they eventually had the Moss, Welker, Gronk years, but those were not the years during which they were at their best as a team. It was only the pivot back to focusing on elite defense that led to a second set of Super Bowl wins for the Pats. The first problem is, the game has changed drastically since then. Football has become so much more tilted towards offensive production and the passing game that now you DO need some weaponry. The other thing you need is a true franchise quarterback, which leads us to... The second problem: Mac Jones is not Tom Brady. He's not even Drew Bledsoe. The third problem is, Belichick has been slow to adjust to the changes in defensive football. The move toward undersized, speedy defenders instead of big, thumping old school grinders is one that Belichick has been loathe to make. He's finally doing it, but it's taken a while. And finally, the fourth problem: This is a different era of athlete. The hard-ass "Patriot Way" stuff, the gruff, grumpy, mean, "no one gets to have any fun under my watch" stuff doesn't work with people in 2023 the way it did in 2003. We've heard more and more NFL players speaking out in recent years about not wanting to go anywhere NEAR the Patriots because things are so miserable there. I suspect we're seeing the end of Bill Belichick's storied coaching career. I don't think Robert Kraft will continue to put up with the Pats coming in 3rd and 4th place in the East every year. Soon enough, we'll see a new coach and GM brought in and a roster stripped down and rebuilt.

Nope. The Bills don't need another Edge. You're not taking Von or Floyd off the field more than needed. You're not stunting the growth of Rousseau and Epenesa, who have both been playing well. So where does Frank Clark fit in? The Bills could use a 1T, a WILL, a corner...but not so much an Edge.

Pet Semetary. I was NOT ready. Scared the ever-living ***** out of me. That sister with the spinal meningitis skittering to the door. "Raaachhhhellll" Ugh. Still gives me the willies.