Logic

12-5 seems reasonable. Even 11-6 wouldn't surprise me. Team progression is not linear. Also, as we have seen this week, COVID can strike at any time. If we lose 5 or 6 games, though, here's what I'd see them being: Pitt, KC, NE (let's not just all of the sudden assume we're going to sweep them every year. Belichick is still the coach. The defense looks much improved), Bucs, Saints. Those would be my five presumed losses. NYJ? Miami? Please.

As I also alluded to in that post, there are two main reasons. I think the Steelers running game will be better this year with Najee Harris in the fold, making their offense less one-dimensional. We also play them earlier in the year than we have recently, meaning old man Roethlisberger's arm will likely be fresher. Additionally, if I recall correctly, their defense was missing some key parts the last couple of times we faced them. Assuming their defense is at full strength for this matchup, I think they'll give the Bills offense a harder time than some might think. The combination of a more balanced offense, healthier defense, fresher quarterback, and quality coaching on the opposite sideline lead me to believe this is no gimme, and the Steelers might take it. I also think the crowd will be insane at Highmark Stadium and the Bills might be a little too amped up. I need to see the Bills operating at the same level as last year now that they'll be front of a full, frenzied stadium before I believe that it definitely will happen.

Bills fans? Confident their team -- coming off a 13-3 season -- will win a home opener against a team they've beaten twice in two years? I don't buy it! 😋

After having beaten the Steelers the last two times out, I think we're due for a loss here. In 2019, we faced Duck Hodges. Enough said. In 2020, the Steelers were completely one-dimensional on offense. The Bills defense didn't have to worry about the running game and they knew it. This year, with Najee Harris in the fold, I believe the Steelers will be able to run the ball more effectively and it will give their offense enough balance to hang with the Bills. I also think that a healthy week 1 Steelers defense will be harder to throw on than some here would like to admit. I'm not a negative Nancy, I promise. I still have the Bills winning the division. I just don't think they win the Steelers game. Pittsburgh is a well-coached team with talented players, an imposing defense, a Hall of Fame quarterback, and a great head coach. I think they take this one.

Broncos keep punting on drafting a young QB. Just since 2018, they've passed on Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones. Imagine pairing that Broncos defense under Vic Fangio with a guy like Lamar Jackson? They'd be perennial playoff contenders. Instead they're in quarterback purgatory with Bridgewater, who looks more like a great backup, and Lock, who looks like discount Jay Cutler.

Rousseau is like the edge rusher version of Josh Allen. All the size and physical talent in the world, but extremely raw coming in. Is winning right now based purely on physical talent, without the refined techniques that definite elite players at the position. As was the case with Allen, if Rousseau refines his mechanics and techniques...look out, NFL.

Tell the young man he did a great job! I particularly liked the music and the focus on Allen just superman-ing people with stiff arms and hurdles. My constructive criticism is that those plays mostly seemed to be from Allen's first two years. I think the Rams highlight was the only one I saw from last season. I would've liked to see more great plays from 2020, since that was Josh's best year. That's all I got, though! A small nit to pick. Keep up the good work!

I know I'm not alone in thinking this, but... I have zero faith in Urban Meyer to be a good NFL head coach. Zero. I think he's gonna be much more Steve Spurrier than Jimmy Johnson. I felt this way from the beginning, but then the way they handled the draft -- Meyer openly admitting they wanted Kadarius Toney instead of Etienne, using a 1st round pick on a running back after James Robinson had a good year and considering other positional needs, putting said running back at wide receiver in camp -- confirmed my suspicions: Meyer's a boob. He's in over his head. The NFL is NOT college football. I think he's gonna bomb spectacularly.

I have a feeling Spencer Brown is gonna be hell of a right tackle. He'll replace Williams by 2023. Hopefully, Ford can live up to his draft status and give us a massive, mauling right side on the o-line. Now if Doyle can just follow suit. On draft night, once they took two tackles, I was kind of thinking to myself: "If all goes well, Brown locks down the RT job within a couple seasons and Doyle becomes the swing tackle". Or, more likely, Beane just saw two big positional needs, tackle and edge rusher, and took two bites at each apple in an effort to increase his chances of getting at least one good player at each spot.

If anyone thinks that COVID headaches were limited to the 2020 season and that 2021 is gonna be smooth sailing for the NFL, think again. The league showed last year that it can and will get through an entire season, regardless of COVID outbreaks, so that's not the concern. It's more like "how many games will be missed by NFL players due to positive tests?" With more than 80% of most teams being vaccinated, things should certainly be BETTER than last year. On the other hand, as I understand it, there won't be the same strict lockdown-type procedures when teams travel this year, meaning that players can go out to eat, to clubs, etc -- and we have seen that the vaccinated CAN still contract COVID. As such, I expect quite a few missed games due to positive COVID tests this season. I think the return of fans to the stands, the increased knowledge about the virus, the presence of vaccines, etc, is giving a lot of fans a false sense of security with regard to how "normal" this NFL season will look. I still think things are gonna go a bit haywire at times.

Hmm...I could have sworn it was linebacker Joe Giles-Harris.

He has a base salary of $4 million and a $2.6 million signing bonus with a built-in out after this year according to Spotrac, so not terrible. Perhaps they're confident in 3rd stringer new backup Felipe Franks?

I mean MAYBE he could fetch a 2023 conditional 7th round pick. MAYBE. More likely he's out of the NFL and appearing as a talking head on ESPN's College Gameday Live sooner than later. If I was Atlanta and was concerned about my backup QB situation, I'd try to pry Foles away from the Bears. They've got Dalton starting and Fields waiting in the wings. They don't need Foles.

Duke gave it his best shot in the NFL. His biggest chance to make it as a WR in the NFL came in the Houston playoff game. He was targeted heavily. He did not live up to the moment, highlighted by his end zone drop that might have changed the outcome of the game. Alas, if he wants to get meaningful playing time and contribute, his best avenue to do so might be the CFL. Thanks for giving it your all, Duke. I'll always remember the game-winner against Tennessee. Happy trails to you.

All I'll say is that I wish Stevenson would somehow suffer a mysterious "injury" that no one ever actually sees happen but the Bills insist is real, so that they could stash him on IR for the year. Hodgins apparently actually DID sustain an injury, so ditto for him. An ideal scenario for me would be Kumerow making the 53 this year, but Stevenson and Hodgins somehow being safely stashed for next year. Put on your wizard hat, Beane. Well...not quite like that, but...

Personally, I think the immediate (relative) success of Rousseau and all the talk of Basham being super "pro ready" have people overly pessimistic about Basham's performance so far. With the exception of the Chase Youngs and Myles Garretts of the world, edge rusher is often a position that often takes a couple of seasons to get acclimated to. Even Young and Garrett had 7.5 and 7 sacks in their rookie seasons. Is Basham lighting the world on fire? No. Is he looking like a total bust who doesn't belong on a pro field? Also no. He's part of a deep position group. He has shown flashes of ability already in just two preseason games. To top it all off, the Bills have asked him to shed 15 lbs from his combine weight, and we've already seen with AJ Epenesa that body recomposition requires an adjustment period for the player as he learns how to best weaponize his new frame. Long story long: Anybody already writing off Basham or saying it was a wasted pick are going too far. He may yet be a pivotal member of Buffalo's pass rush rotation.

Woah! That jam in the middle is just exactly perfect. First John, then Jeff. Absolutely nailed it. Really good stuff. Thanks for sharing this link.

Saw that they condensed two sets worth of music into one set without a break in order to beat the oncoming weather. Looks like a great setlist!

Couldn't agree more with both statements. Epenesa looks MUCH quicker and more athletic, while still seeming to pack a punch. Rousseau's arms just seem to keep the tackle from being able to lock onto him, and he's just so long and strong. Both guys were premier edge rushers in college, but fell in the draft due to lackluster combine numbers. Looks like the Bills might be the beneficiaries. This young look d-line is fun to watch!

The problem is that we might have to CUT one of "the kids" to make room for Addison this year. I'd hate to lose Darryl Johnson, for instance -- a guy who contributes on special teams AND just finally seems to be working his way into meaningful defensive snaps -- in favor of having Addison for one year. Take the cap savings, take the (likely low) draft pick, and let "the kids" get more playing time.

AJ Epenesa and Greg Rousseau have both looked outstanding. Jerry Hughes obviously isn't going anywhere, and rightly so. That makes Obada and 2nd round pick Basham our 4th and 5th DEs. Even Bam Johnson -- in whom the Bills have invested a lot of time and coaching -- is starting to really look the part on defense, in addition to his contributions on special teams. That's six edge rushers right there, the top 4 of whom I feel pretty darn good about. With the sudden depth of the defensive line and the surprisingly stout play of Epenesa and Rousseau, is it time for Beane to hit the phones and find a trade partner willing to acquire Mario Addison? Would there be a significant contract savings for the Bills if they did so? Am I taking crazy pills?! p.s. I sure wish the Bills would've given Mario's money for this season to Ty Nsekhe instead, because HOLY COW is the backup tackle situation suddenly frightening with Brown and Doyle injured and Bobby Hart playing like...well....like Bobby Hart. Anyway...trading Addison...yay or nay?

I remember all the years of watching Bills preseason games where the Bills looked like the Bears looked tonight. Sloppy, uninspired, outmatched, no urgency. I would always tell myself "It's just preseason! No need to worry!". Lo and behold, the season would come, and they'd look just like they looked in preseason. I came to realize over the years that to a large degree, preseason performance DOES matter. Sure, the playcalling is vanilla and there are backups scattered throughout the lineup, but the fundamental football questions remain: Are you getting in and out of the offensive huddle crisply and efficiently? Executing your blocking assignments? Tackling with sound fundamentals? Playing tight coverage? Running good routes? Protecting the football? Scoring points? Avoiding 3-and-outs? I'm so glad that the Bills are finally on the other side of the equation. Despite resting all of the best players on our team, we soundly outplayed the Bears in all three phases. No sloppy penalties or confusion, no dumb, unforced errors (save for McKenzie's fumble), converting on 3rd and 4th down....just generally looking like a well assembled, well coached, relatively deep football team. Coaching absolutely matters. Seeing McDermott's crew side-by-side with Nagy's crew....no contest. Hats off to coach McDermott. All the credit in the world to him, he's built an excellent program here in Buffalo.

Excellent article, thanks for sharing. I'll admit, I didn't know much about Shea Tierny or what he does for the Bills. I knew his name, but that was about it. It sounds like he's a great asset to the team. The Bills' front office and coaching staff, top to bottom, seems to be overstuffed with talented, high quality people. Another thing that stood out to me is seeing yet another person gushing about what a great man Brian Daboll is. I'm still surprised he didn't get a head coaching job this offseason, but I feel pretty sure that he's going to get one sooner than later. He seems to have a bright future as a head coach, given how strongly he is able to connect with players and staff.

About 2,600 miles or a 38 hour drive away, unfortunately.