Logic

Not sure I agree. Our recent history of late season veteran practice squad additions (Devonta Freeman, Leonard Fournette, etc) doesn't suggest to me that his being elevating and taking away a starter's spot is imminent. IF Hamlin starts struggling over the next few weeks (and I don't mean playing at the level he's been playing at recently, I mean ACTUALLY struggling), then I can see them elevating Hyde and starting him. Ditto if there's an injury. Otherwise? I don't expect McDermott to break up the starting safety duo. Just my opinion.

I get your point, but... One thing I've heard over and over and over again from pro football players and coaches alike is that there's "in shape" and then there's "in football shape", and they are not the same. Don't get me wrong, I don't think the physical fitness aspect is that big a part of all this. I think if he joined the team, say, tomorrow, then 2-3 weeks of practicing with the team and spending time in the training room would be perfectly sufficient. Still, I think it's important to point out that the level of physical fitness one can attain by working out regularly at home is different than being in "football shape", as I understand it.

I think this is a pretty jaw-dropping statistic. I'd love to know who people think would walk through the door and be an upgrade over this...

Yes, my opinion has changed. Last year, I advocated for his firing, because I felt that the Bills needed a fresh start without all the psychological baggage. I also felt that McDermott simply was never gonna change his stripes as a coach, and that what he lacked couldn't be fixed. However, ever since the Dunne article last year, I feel that McDermott has evolved as a coach. He has gotten more and more aggressive (on 4th downs, end of half situations, TDs vs FGs, etc), has loosened up at times, has brought in fresh coordinators, has empowered and encouraged Josh Allen to take more leadership. It's hard to see what he's done this year, with this roster, and not conclude that he's doing a masterful coaching job. It's also hard not to conclude that he has engaged in some necessary self-reflection and has set out to improve in areas in which he lacked. As I stated here in another thread recently, it seems the Bills have gotten the fresh start I was pining after simply by changing out coordinators and position coaches and by jettisoning a bunch of older players and infusing the roster with youth. It seems that bringing in a new head coach was not necessary on that front. This FEELS like a new team to me. A breath of fresh air. As it has always been with McDermott, the main point of importance will be postseason performance. If the Bills defense once again turns into swiss cheese, if the decision making gets more conservative, if McDermott tightens up in big moments or has brain farts that cause a playoff exit...then yeah, we'll be right back to square one with Bills fans wondering if McDermott is the guy to get the job done. We all KNOW he can coach this team to 11+ wins and a division title every year. It's all about "can he win a championship, or is he Marty Schottenheimer?". The book is still out on that one. So, its interesting and a valuable discussion to ask this question now. But depending what happens this January/February, you're likely to get a whole different set of answers if you ask after the postseason.

There have been several Bills analysts in the Twitter blog-o-sphere dropping hints the past day or two about Micah Hyde's imminent return. No one has provided specific details yet. Everyone is being vague and just posting GIFs and hush-hush "don't be surprised" type comments. I'm curious to know everyone's position on this possibility. Me? I tend to think that if he's coming back to join the practice squad, provide veteran leadership, depth if needed, and be along for a potential run to a Lombardi trophy, then great. If the idea is that he's going to come in and usurp one of the starters or take up a valuable roster spot, I'm not so sure. The Rapp-Hamlin thing has been working well, and even if they DO want to try someone else out at safety, I'd rather see Cole Bishop or Lewis Cine get those reps. I'm fine with Hyde returning and providing some intangible locker room and leadership spark, but after this much time sitting at home, it's hard to imagine him coming in and contributing in a major way.

That was the most FUN Mic'd up I've ever seen. Dawkins is like a big kid out there. What a character. How many teams can say that one of the biggest characters and goofballs on their squad is their left tackle? And a really good, Pro Bowl caliber left tackle to boot. The vibes around this team are immaculate right now. Everyone's having fun. Love it.

With regard to stopping the run, the key difference between the SF game and the Rams game is this: The Bills felt comfortable bringing safeties down into the box and selling out to stop the run because they didn't trust injured Brock Purdy in a snowstorm to be able to push the ball downfield in the passing game. They weren't scared of Juaun Jennings or Deebo Samuel. On the other hand, if they try to sell out to stop the run against the Rams, healthy Matthew Stafford in a dome has a much better chance of successfully getting the ball downfield to Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. I expect the Bills to try to stay in their nickel defense and limit the big play (their usual defensive preference), which will necessarily concede a lot of rushing yardage to Kyren Williams and the Rams offense. At the end of the day, though, I don't expect that it will correlate to enough points to beat the Bills. Still, the next two weeks -- LA and Detroit -- will be enormous tests for the Bills' run defense, any way you slice it.

While I, like you two, am unable to pinpoint exactly what the problem is, one thing seems clear to me: The offense looks more effective when Dawson Knox is TE1 than when Kincaid is TE1. The two main areas in which Knox is currently superior to Kincaid -- blocking and downfield ability -- are two things that really help our offense as currently constructed. We have short area YAC guys already in Shakir, Samuel, and Cook. A big-bodied threat down the seam and a guy that helps more in the running game seems more valuable at this point in time than what Kincaid offers. Here's hoping Brady figures out how to effectively deploy BOTH once Kincaid returns. But in the meantime, I'm fine with seeing more Knox and less Kincaid.

I think two things are simultaneously true: 1. Al-Shaiir has a history of making dirty plays, and was justifiably suspended because of his latest one. 2. All the extracurricular talk about him being a "thug", needing to be behind bars, or any discussion whatsoever of his last name, his race, Hamas, etc, is out of hand, unnecessary, and -- in many cases -- reeks of thinly veiled xenophobia. The guy makes dirty and sometimes dangerous football plays. That's it. No need to make it about anything other than that.

Good. The NFL said that part of the reasoning for the length of his suspension is his history of dirty play. Here's a compilation of some his dirty plays from the past. He's a dirty player, and his "apology letter" showed a complete lack of contrition and ownership of the fact that he did anything wrong. His suspension was justified.

The Rams Defense allows 24.2 points per game, ranked 21st in the NFL. The Rams Offense scores 21.2 points per game, ranked 20th in the NFL. The Bills Defense allows 18.7 points per game, ranked 6th in the NFL. The Bills Offense scores 29.6 points per game, ranked 2nd in the NFL. The Rams boast a season long point differential of -36 The Bills boast a season long point differential of +131 Every metric favors Buffalo. The Rams' creative and multiple running game could give the Bills fits and keep the Rams in the game. Their defensive line could give Buffalo's OL problems. HOWEVER...at the end of the day, the Bills are the better team and have the better quarterback. Give me Josh Allen in a dome all day long. Rams score a late garbage time touchdown to make this one look closer than it is. Bills 29 Rams 20

I probably missed the resolution of a previous discussion of this member's whereabouts, but...what ever happened to @Hapless Bills Fan? I was digging through an old draft night thread, and she made some nice posts in it, and it reminded me what a huge contribution she made to this forum. What did I miss? Is she okay?

Isaac Guerendo: League winning fantasy football waiver pickup.

This. Prior to the season, I was very discouraged at the notion that Mack Hollins would be counted on as the Bills' WR2. Like Gabe Davis before him, he boasts a very specific skillset which is, in my opinion, not suited to be a top two receiver on an NFL offense. His career stats bear out this notion. However, like Gabe Davis before him, he's well-suited to be a WR4. A guy who blocks his ass off, plays special teams, and can make the occasional clutch play on offense while opposing defenders are keying in on other guys. In THAT role, he has been excellent. Hollins is a quintessential "glue guy". Not a star and never will be, but you need guys like him on your football team. Selfless guys, work ethic guys, character guys, dirty work guys. I'm glad that Mack Hollins is a Buffalo Bill. Easy guy to root for.

There's an episode of Parks and Recreation featuring a shock jock radio show. The radio show is co-hosted by two guys: Crazy Ira and The Douche. It's a gross, tacky, un-funny caricature of a radio show, with dumb sound effects, sophomoric humor, and moronic conversation. I bring this up because, well...that's what Schopp and the Bulldog is. It's outdated, irrelevant, sophomoric, grade school level "analysis" of football. In this day and age, with so much GOOD, insightful, intelligent, meaningful post-game analysis and discussion and dissection readily and freely available, it is an ongoing wonder to me why ANYONE would purposely subject themselves to such utter garbage. "...other than that, Mrs Lincoln, how did you like the play?"

Same. I just posted this in the post-game thread, but I'll copy and paste it here, because I think it applies to this conversation specifically: Aside from the fact that McDermott seems to be in harmony with his current coordinators (which I agree with) and seems freed up to be more of a CEO rather than having to micro-manage (which also helps the team in a big way), I also think there's definitely something to the "scars"/fresh start argument. That is: Having all these new/young players on the team -- and having six "heart and soul" captains gone -- has removed a lot of the scar tissue that had built up on this team and, with it, a lot of the "tightness" and weight. The last time we saw the team look this good and the vibes around the team be this good was 2020, which incidentally was the last time this team played free and had fun without the crushing weight of expectation. From 2021 onward, the expectations became greater, the painful losses in big moments mounted, and the collective weight on everyone's shoulders just increased exponentially. It culminated in the 2023 season, where Joe Brady had to actually TELL the players "hey...I want you to celebrate and smile and have some fun out there" once he was hired as OC. He had to try to COACH them into enjoying themselves. Now, that "version" of the Bills is gone. A lot of the players that went through those experiences are gone. And along with the exodus of those veterans, expectations were comparatively low for the Bills coming into this season. In starting a new chapter, in having a fresh start, in playing free, and being free of the weight of the world, I think this team is once again having fun and bonding, and building their own identity and legacy, somewhat separate from those of the teams that preceded them. One of the reasons I argued for McDermott to be fired last year was that I felt a fresh psychological start was needed, and I thought that hiring a new head man was the only way to accomplish that. Thankfully, it appears that was not necessary. A few new coordinators and position coaches, a turning of the page and infusion of youth on the roster, and a bunch of preseason "this'll be the worst year of the Josh Allen era" prognostications from the talking heads, and here we are: the team is having fun, playing loose, exceeding expectations, and building something NEW. You love to see it.

All great points. Thanks for this perspective. Aside from the fact that McDermott seems to be in harmony with his current coordinators (which I agree with) and seems freed up to be more of a CEO rather than having to micro-manage (which also helps the team in a big way), I also think there's definitely something to the "scars"/fresh start argument. That is: Having all these new/young players on the team -- and having six "heart and soul" captains gone -- has removed a lot of the scar tissue that had built up on this team and, with it, a lot of the "tightness" and weight. The last time we saw the team look this good and the vibes around the team be this good was 2020, which incidentally was the last time this team played free and had fun without the crushing weight of expectation. From 2021 onward, the expectations became greater, the painful losses in big moments mounted, and the collective weight on everyone's shoulders just increased exponentially. It culminated in the 2023 season, where Joe Brady had to actually TELL the players "hey...I want you to celebrate and smile and have some fun out there" once he was hired as OC. He had to try to COACH them into enjoying themselves. Now, that "version" of the Bills is gone. A lot of the players that went through those experiences are gone. And along with the exodus of those veterans, expectations were comparatively low for the Bills coming into this season. In starting a new chapter, in having a fresh start, in playing free, and being free of the weight of the world, I think this team is once again having fun and bonding, and building their own identity and legacy, somewhat separate from those of the teams that preceded them. One of the reasons I argued for McDermott to be fired last year was that I felt a fresh psychological start was needed, and I thought that hiring a new head man was the only way to accomplish that. Thankfully, it appears that was not necessary. A few new coordinators and position coaches, a turning of the page and infusion of youth on the roster, and a bunch of preseason "this'll be the worst year of the Josh Allen era" prognostications from the talking heads, and here we are: the team is having fun, playing loose, exceeding expectations, and building something NEW. You love to see it.

If CMC didn't win MVP last year, it's hard to imagine Barkley winning it this year. A running back hasn't won MVP since 2012. It would absolutely be Allen's luck for the MVP voters to somehow, for some reason, decide that THIS was the year to break that streak. All of that said...I don't think it'll happen. I think it's Josh's year. Beating the Chiefs and having an "MVP moment" on 4th and 2, then coming back in the VERY NEXT GAME and having ANOTHER "MVP moment" with the NFL Play of the Year...I think it's Josh's award to lose right now. So long as he keeps generally playing well and the Bills wind up the one, two or three seed (and the Steelers have a tough schedule to close out the year, so I think it'll more than likely be the one or the two), it is indeed Josh's award to lose right now.

Agreed. Josh said in the pre-game show on NBC last night that he's been trying to get Sean to loosen up this year. That he pranks him, cracks jokes to him, etc. I think their relationship is in a good place right now, and that they're good for each other. Josh is getting coach to loosen up (which he needs). Coach is challenging Josh to be the leader the Bills need and to be (I know it's corny) "the best version of himself". I don't know that their relationship has always been in as good a place as this. But this year -- with all they've been through together, with where the team is at right now -- things are clicking. They're complementing each other well.

I'm late to this thread, and I don't know if anyone's still reading it, but...here are my thoughts. - Fun. Fun fun fun. That game was FUN to watch. The stakes, the atmosphere, the aesthetics, the way our team played, all of it. FUN! - It looked like the Bills players were having fun, too. As someone on Twitter said: in snow games, the team that looks like its having the most fun usually wins. - Josh Allen. JOSH ALLEN! What can be said that hasn't already been said? Best football player on planet earth. Best Buffalo Bills player of all time. 1 of 1. - Josh has been trailing plays and looking for the pitch for years now. He finally got one! Atta boy, Coop. - Speaking of Coop...his steely facade is starting to crack a little bit, too. He's starting to smile. He's starting to have FUN. Reminds me of the next guy... - James Cook! Remember when this guy never used to smile? He was ALL SMILES after the game, and rightly so. What a game from him! - Mack Hollins. Excellent WR4. Glue guy. Character. Clutch in key moments. Career high in TD receptions this year. Fun player. - Matt Milano seemed to only come off the field in dime formation. So much for "slowly working him back into the lineup"! - Don't look now, but Taylor Rapp has turned into a pretty damn good safety. - Call me crazy if you want, but for what our offense is right now, I think Dawson Knox is more effective than Dalton Kincaid. - 30+ points in six straight games, seven straight wins, five straight division titles, undefeated after the bye week under McDermott. Nice numbers, these. - McDermott's post-game locker room speech was beautiful. I loved it. Remember these moments. Soak them up. The years go by so fast... - Allen and McDermott making snow angels is a moment I'll always remember. Awesome stuff. How can you not love this team and these players? After seeing the Dolphins, Jets, Patriots, and Ravens lose, the Bills proceeded to dominate their opponent on national TV, in the snow, stay healthy doing so, and clinch the division. And I have to admit: even though all this was happening, I was -- on a petty level -- irritated that the snow game meant Josh likely wouldn't have the opportunity to add to his case for MVP. BOY WAS I WRONG! 4 TDs -- including the play of the year in the NFL. THAT's how you storm into first place in the MVP race. Fun, memorable, awesome game. Loved every minute of it. And like McDermott said: remember these moments. Treasure them. The years go by so fast. Go Bills!

Here ya go, to get you in the mood for Bills-49ers week.

I mean...I think they're at least COMPARABLE in looks and personality, hence the question being a reasonable one. You and Turk's response tell me that maybe I'm way off base.

I take it you're firmly a Milano guy, then?

I think you know.