Logic

You don't say? Zero should probably just change the below picture to his avatar for this message board, since it's his only reason for coming here.

You really are a piece of work. You pretty much ONLY ever show up to talk about Josh Allen, and it is ALWAYS a negative slant. To wit: Your post begins with the words "some unpleasant things to consider"... You then attempt to make your point about Allen by discussing opposing QUARTERBACKS the Bills have faced, as if that has ANYTHING to do with Josh Allen. Wouldn't it be 1000% more meaningful and logical to discuss the DEFENSES Josh Allen has faced? To point out that he has faced six top 12 defenses this season? To discuss the progress he's made, like, oh I dunno....improvements in: Comp% Passer rtg Pass yards p/g Pass TDs p/g Total yards p/g Total TDs p/g Yards p/att On target% Throwaway% Adj comp% xComp% DYAR DVOA Or how about his having 6 TDs and 6 INTs / 2 fum in his first four games, and then scoring 23 TDs and having just 3 INTs / 2 fum lost in his next ELEVEN games?! But nahhhh, you'd rather talk about the opposing QUARTERBACKS he's faced? Garbage. Useless nonsense. To top it all off, you end with "the Bills are likely to lose a playoff game and regress next year". REALLY, bro? As always, you present yourself as a friendly, harmless guy who "just wants to talk ball". As always, you only show up when the discussion turns to Josh Allen, and you only offer negativity. You offer no compelling discussion or analysis, just new ways to trot out the same doubt and pessimism when it comes to the Bills' QB. Your obsession with tracking his career and making sure he's no good just so that you can continue to puff your chest over the fact that the Bills traded the Mahomes pick to the Chiefs is borderline bizarre. We get it: the Bills could've had Mahomes, but your Chiefs got him instead. Get over it, move on, live your life. Enjoy your OWN team's success instead of constantly coming to a Bills forum to find new and subtle ways to point to the fact that your Chiefs are brilliant and the Bills are fools. Seriously, though: You're the worst. By the way, how'd that 16-0 prediction turn out, bud?

None of that stats you listed point to bad coaching by Daboll. None of them. They all point to either poor performance by Allen or poor performance by his supporting cast. How are throw-aways Brian Daboll's fault? How are WR and TE drops Brian Daboll's fault? How is Josh Allen standing in the pocket for an eternity before making a decision Brian Daboll's fault? How is it Brian Daboll's fault that Josh Allen can't consistently recognize, diagnose, and beat blitzes, so teams continue to throw them at him? How is it Brian Daboll's fault that Josh Allen doesn't deliver the ball accurately enough to a spot that would allow his receivers to gain yards after the catch? The stats you posted have proven my point for me. I'm not trying to say that Daboll shoulders absolutely NONE of the blame for the offense's poor performance. I AM saying, however, that he is FAR from the primary concern. Josh Allen -- who I like, and for whom I am obviously rooting to succeed -- shoulders a lot of the blame, as your stats point out. So do the pass-catchers at all position groups. Putting all of the blame on the OC's shoulders while completely absolving the quarterback is an easy out. It's easy to just say "bring in a new OC!". It's much harder to confront the fact that your quarterback is deficient in a lot of areas.

This is an over-simplified and, in my opinion, incorrect take. The Bills DID try to run screens. They're TERRIBLE at them. Is the offensive coordinator to blame for that? Maybe, but also maybe not. The players still have to execute them, mind you, and they've been consistently unable to do so. The assumption that Allen would just automatically be better in a different offense is just that -- an assumption. If anything, Daboll has completely tailored the current Bills offense to the strengths of Josh Allen. He has given him great ownership over the scheme and has allowed him to tell Daboll what types of plays and formations he does and doesn't like, and Daboll then implements that feedback. So if you don't like this offense, Allen shoulders some of the blame, as well. It's just as likely that if Allen weren't in such a QB-friendly offense and were forced to adhere to a more stubborn coach, he'd be WORSE, not better.

Wait. The Bills defense gave up 416 yards and 24 points and you're saying JOSH ALLEN is the primary reason they lost? Someone help me out here...

I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on plane tickets for the first weekend of the playoffs, but it's hard to talk myself into spending hundreds of dollars without knowing for sure the BIlls will be going to Houston to begin with. Anyone know what the scenarios/likelihood are of this being the matchup?

Thanks. I couldn't figure out how to do that, try as I might. Appreciate it.

I'm heavily considering going to the game. Brother-in-law already bought two tickets. Prices were going up quickly and it was really his only way to assure a decent set for a decent price. Only problem is we don't know yet if the game will even happen. Suppose the Bills win this weekend...then that takes us to week 17, still not knowing. At that point, we're 6 days out from the first Wild Card game, and flight prices (Portland to Austin) will be outrageous. The "not knowing for sure" part is tough if you have to buy plane tickets.

Man....the NFL is a week to week league. If it were Josh Rosen QBing the Dolphins? Zero % chance. Since it's Fitzmagic, though? There's at least a chance. Furthermore, the Phins will want to go out on a good note and play as hard as they can for coach Flores. Flores himself, meanwhile, will be supremely motivated. The Pats also kind of stink right now -- at least on offense. No one with much sense thinks there's a GOOD chance the Dolphins beat the Pats -- but there's damned sure a chance.

I can already hear the excuses of Pats* fans if the Bills win. "Edelmen was hurt", "Defense wasn't at full strength", blah blah blah. Regardless of how poorly the New England offense has played this year, the fact is that they're 11-3 and NEED this game to get home field advantage through the playoffs. It's a BIG GAME. It's the first time the two teams have met with double digit wins since 1964 in Fenway Park. Big game. Been a long time. All I'm saying is I better not hear a damn peep when the Bills win. This is a December game with playoff implications. Go slay the dragon, Buffalo. Break the wheel.

The thing for me is this: The likelihood of the Bills winning the division seems small any way. It would require not only the Bills winning out, but the Pats to lose to the Dolphins. As such, and given that the Bills have already clinched the 5th seed...in my mind, they're pretty much playing with house money. If they win, awesome! We beat the Pats in their house in the first time in forever and we have a remote chance of winning the AFC East. If they lose, not really a big deal, they still get the playoff seed they were most likely to end up with ANYWAY, and they lose yet another game to the Evil Empire. Don't get me wrong: I have a strong feeling this is the last Brady-led Pats team the Bills will ever face, barring a playoff rematch. I badly want to see the Bills win. But honestly, if they don't, it doesn't really mean much in the grand scheme of things, UNLESS you feel pretty confident that the Phins will be beating the Pats in week 17.

The title to this thread is a bit misleading in my opinion. It is true that in an informal inquiry, McDermott got the most votes. That doesn't mean he was actually named coach of the year or given any kind of award. The actual vote for coach of the year won't be officially held or announced for a little while yet, and no decision has been made at this time.

I may be alone here, but I think the Bills-Raiders tilt in Las Vegas has "Monday Night Football" written all over it. I predict one Thursday night game, one Monday night game, and a lot of angry Bills fans shouting. Never forget that we're still a small market team with very few marketable stars.

Majority of public money was on Bills in the Steelers game, so the public isn't ALWAYS wrong...

Can't disagree with any of this. #2 CB is more of a need than people let on. Levi Wallace is a pretty good player, but he's also one of the weakest link the Bills have on defense. There's no reason not to add someone talented to compete with him. At worst, you then have a very deep cornerback room, which is never a bad thing in the 2019 NFL. It's less of a need than Edge Rusher and Wide Receiver, sure, but it's certainly in the top 3-5 needs for the offseason.

I liked seeing the recent dysfunction in Jacksonville with the illegal treatments or whatever it is they were doing. It makes me think maybe Ngakue will want to get the hell out of there rather than re-sign. Adding him to this defense would be....just wow.

I think you nailed it earlier: Pay premium bucks for an edge rusher and sign some defensive depth in free agency. Then spend just about every damn pick in the draft on the offense. I know it doesn't work that way, it's not that simplistic. However, this defense is already very good and is full of budding stars, some of whom haven't even hit their prime yet. I want to see that type of talent infusion on offense. Beane and company got a good start on the process with Singeltary and Knox, now we need to see some legitimate receiving talent brought in. I'd also love to see them draft a bruising running back in the mid to late rounds to complement Motor. We can't have Allen be our power running red zone option his entire career. ?

I know the Bills are having their best season in 20 years, and I am beyond thrilled about it. BUT.... I can't wait for this offseason. I guess it's the Bills fan in me, having to look forward to offseasons moreso than seasons the past 20 years. I've also always loved the roster building aspects of football. With $90 million and 9 draft picks, it's gonna be a really fun lead-up to free agency and the draft.

Nope. There's a big difference between a defensive struggle and two putrid offenses trying to out-crap each other. I was at that Browns-Bills game, and it was the latter, not the former. Everybody knew it. ESPN even showed only punts on their "highlights" from the game, because it was just two historically crappy teams trying to out-crap each other. It was NOT a defensive struggle. Sunday night's game against the Steelers, though? THAT was a defensive struggle, and it was awesome. People can be entertained by whatever they want. Me, personally? I'm entertained by hard-hitting, every-play-matters, black and blue slugfests, and those usually come in games where two teams with great defenses square off. Seeing which team can impose their physical will on the other more effectively is what football is all about, and that's what the SNF game two nights ago offered.

Agreed. In my opinion, being recklessly aggressive all the time without respect to opponent or game situation is dumb. On the other hand, being overly conservative all the time and not taking risks is also a recipe for losing football games. It's all about knowing when to be aggressive and when to be conservative, and I think McDermott does a pretty good job of that. He's certainly gotten better at it over time, and he has been more aggressive with his decision making this season than in his first two years here.

I can't remember which analyst said it, but it's true: Teams with an elite defense, a strong running game, and that have learned to grind out close wins throughout the season tend to do well in the playoffs. At the very least, I can see this Bills team beating the Houston Texans on the first weekend of the playoffs in Houston. I think the Bills match up well against them.

My usual one morning bump before I let it die.

After another enormous win on a national stage, there's lots to talk about. Let's get to it! 1.) Buffalo Bills....thrive in the national spotlight?! Wait, that can't be right. Except that it IS right. It certainly felt weird to type. Twice in the past month the Bills have had national showcase games, and twice the Bills have come out on top. After what feels like a full lifetime of disappointing prime time performances, of the Bills playing their absolute worst when the spotlight shown the brightest, things are suddenly different. Out of nowhere, this Bills team seems to not only continue to perform well when the stakes are high, but to actually THRIVE. Outside of the playoffs themselves, you'd be hard pressed to find a more playoff-like atmosphere than a Sunday Night Football game at Heinz Field in December with a postseason berth on the line. Having witnessed the past two decades of Bills football, you'll hopefully forgive me for expecting the worst in this situation. It turns out I was as wrong about Sunday night's game as I was about the game against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. These are not your father's Buffalo Bills. These Bills seem unfazed -- and perhaps even motivated -- by the added attention that nationally televised games bring. What a sight for sore eyes, and a welcome change for this Bills fan. It sure seems like I may need to start adjusting my expectations of McDermott's crew when the lights shine brightest.2.) Buffalo's defense bests Blitzburgh's in old school slobber-knocker. I may be in the minority on this one, but as far as I'm concerned, you can keep your 51-48 shootouts and your new-fangled offensive masterpieces. Give me a down and dirty, war-in-the-trenches, bruising 17-10 game all day, every day. What a masterpiece that was.Sure, each team's offense may have set the sport of football back two or three decades. And sure, Duck Hodges vs Josh Allen was not the marquee quarterback matchup of the century. What Sunday's game DID have, though, was as much great defense as a spectator could ever hope to witness. The Steelers defense is absolutely loaded with high end talent. They are well coached, they hit hard, the punch the ball out, they pluck passes out of the air, they harass your quarterback....in short, they make life hell for opposing offenses. They did all of these things against Buffalo, but it wasn't enough to earn a victory. Why? Because the Bills defense does all of those things, too, and on Sunday, they did them more effectively. The Steelers caused two Bills turnovers, sure, but the Bills defense responded by causing FIVE Steelers turnovers. They shut down Pittsburgh's running game and forced the game into the hands of Duck Hodges, who responded by throwing a few wobbling ducks into the hands Bills defenders. After a dominating performance all game long, the Bills sealed the Steelers' fate with an end zone pick by Jordan Poyer. But wait! An offensive holding blunder by Buffalo gave the Steelers new life and another chance to tie the game. The result (aside from Bills fans everywhere having heart palpitations)? Another end zone interception, this time by Levi Wallace. Ball game.In a battle of elite defenses, it was the higher ranked but somehow less highly touted Bills defense that came out on top.3.) Deja Vu all over again...Tre White edition. Look, I get it. It seems like every single week in this space I'm talking about Tre'Davious White. "Enough already!", right? Well, how can I not talk about the best player on the Bills roster and the man who singlehandedly swung the game back in Buffalo's favor? From the moment he announced himself as being from "Tre White Goalie Academy" and picked off a first quarter pass, it felt like a grand opportunity for White to introduce himself to a national audience that may not be familiar with him. For a brief, frightening moment, it looked like he might not get that opportunity due to a shoulder injury. Luckily, he missed only one defensive series. His prompt return to the field was critical to the Bills victory. With Pittsburgh holding a 10-7 lead and starting to move the ball well on offense, White swung the game back in Buffalo's favor by picking off a Hodges pass and darting up the sideline and into Steelers territory. The Bills would tie the game a few plays later, and would take the lead not long after that. It's not that I set out to talk about Tre White every single week, it's just that he seems to make gigantic, game-changing plays every single week. So here we are. To my surprise, Cris Collinworth even noted that White is playing cornerback as well as anyone in the league not named Stephon Gilmore. White certainly introduced himself to America with gusto on Sunday night, and he will likely be voted All-Pro at season's end. There is no player in the NFL more deserving of the accolades and stardom than #27. Not bad for a graduate of a Goalie Academy.4.) McDermott's attention to detail pays dividends as Bills steal "Renegade". Surely you've all heard the story by now: When the Pittsburgh Steelers are in need of some juice from the home crowd and during pivotal moments of big games, the stadium PA blasts "Renegade" by Styx, the Terrible Towels start waving, and everybody gets fired up. Anticipating this, coach McDermott played the song all week long during Bills practice, to the point that the players were ready to yank their ears off. Overkill on McDermott's part, you say? Not according to the result on Sunday night.As soon as the song's wailing electric guitar intro hit, the Heinz Field crowd was whipped into a loud and buzzing frenzy, right on cue. The NBC cameras panned over the crowd to show the lunacy and Cris Collinsworth talked about how much this tradition fires up the Steelers and their fans. Funny thing, though: a quick look at the Bills sideline would have revealed that they, too, were dancing around like maniacs, infused with a sudden and unmistakable bolt of energy. Matt Barkley swung his parka around overhead. Jordan Phillips played air guitar. Ed Oliver did...some sort of funny dance I can't really describe. Barkley exclaimed "They're finally playing our song!". What happened next effectively put the game away for Buffalo. Josh Allen uncorked a beautiful, arcing 40-yard pass to John Brown. Devin Singletary ripped off a nice first down run. Finally, on 3rd and 9 with 10 minutes left in the game, Allen stepped up to evade oncoming Steeler pressure and threw a perfect pass to Tyler Kroft for what would wind up being the deciding touchdown. [Side note: The play on which Kroft -- who had only caught 4 passes all year -- scored was the same exact play that Kroft was running when he suffered an injury in OTAs way back in June. What a sweet full circle moment for him]. The attention to detail shown by the Bills coaching staff in preparing their players in this way may just have given the Bills the jolt they needed to go down the field in just a handful of plays and score the touchdown from which Pittsburgh would never recover. Huge tip of the cap to Sean McDermott for this awesomeness. Said Ed Oliver: "We took their juice and made it our juice. Point blank, period". 5.) In defense of conservative calls. While Bills Twitter was a pretty jubilant place after Sunday night's win, I did see a decent amount of frustration and hand wringing over some of the conservative decisions McDermott made throughout the game. Namely, the decision not to attempt to score points before the half and the decision after White's second half interception to run the ball six straight times seemed to be the objects of ire. Given the quality of the opposing defense against whom the Bills offense was lining up, I had no problem whatsoever with either decision.It was clear as the game wore on that the Steelers offense was not going to be able to score many points on the Bills defense. The only way, then, that the Steelers would win is if the Bills gifted them turnovers. As such, coach McDermott was content to go into the locker room at halftime with a 7-3 lead. Against a different opponent, or if the Bills quarterback was more seasoned and trustworthy and less "holy *****!" inducing with this decision making, I could understand the "go for points" narrative. Things being as they were, though? Coach made the right call.And those six straight runs after the White INT? Again, I can't find too much fault there. First, it's important to mention that one of those called runs was actually supposed to be an HB pass from Frank Gore to the tight end. I believe that part of the strategy of going with heavy personnel and running a lot at that spot in the game was to lull the Steelers into selling out on run defense and, thus, to open up the HB pass play. Things didn't quite work out that way, as the Steelers defense was not fooled and had the play covered beautifully. Moreover, coach McDermott seems to me to have a really good feel for what is needed in a given moment in order to give his team the best chance to win. His judgement based on how the game was unfolding was that his team absolutely needed 3 points there and could not afford to give the ball back to the Steelers, who had already taken it from the Bills offense on two previous occasions. I believe he had faith that his defense would not allow any more Steelers scores, and that his offense could get into position for at least a game winning field goal. In the end, his judgement proved prudent. I, for one, had no problem with the choices he made.6.) Let's take this show on the road. For what feels like the millionth time this season, Bills Mafia invaded an opposing NFL stadium. Several Bills fans on Twitter stated that more than a few Steelers fans and stadium workers remarked that this was the most fans of an opposing team they had ever seen in their stadium. Not only that, I also saw several comments during and after the game from Steelers fans questioning why the crowd got so loud on 3rd downs when the STEELERS had the ball. Why? Well, because there were lots and lots of Bills fans in the stands, and Bills fans get a bit crazy.We all know that Bills Mafia travels extremely well, and that there are Bills fans all over the country and, for that matter, the world. To make such a great showing against the Steelers, though, who are recognized by many as possibly the best traveling fan base of any team in the NFL, was all the sweeter. And what has been the result of the weekly invasions of Bills fans? Josh Allen stated after the game that Bills Mafia has been making every away game feel like a home game for the Bills, and that the team was sincerely thankful. This looks to be more than hyperbole, too: In the 60 year history of the franchise, this is the first time EVER that the Bills have gone 6-1 on the road through 7 away games. Great work as always, Bills fans. The Extra PointIn some ways, this season feels like a dream. From the successful Bills 2019 Revenge Tour (avenging Super Bowl losses to the Giants, Redskins, and Cowboys, avenging the Music City Miracle against Tennessee, and now avenging the 2004 Steelers 3rd stringer playoff ouster), to the now standard "welcome home" parties of Bills fans at Buffalo's airport in the wee hours of the morning, to the wins in nationally televised games -- If it IS a dream, may I never wake up from it!At the very least, the 2019 Buffalo Bills are showing that they are not tied to the stinging pain and endless heartache of the franchise's past. They are a new team, with new resolve, new toughness, and new levels of perseverance in the face of adversity. Games like Thanksgiving day in Dallas and Sunday night in Pittsburgh used to be sure losses for the Bills. Now? Not so much. These young Bills are showing that they are ready to play with the NFL's big boys. They are ready to step out of the anonymity of 1pm games shown only in western New York and onto a national stage. They are ready to step up and write their own story, rather than being beholden to a past that too often saw our beloved franchise ***** defeat from the jaws of victory.Bills fans should be extremely pleased with and proud of their team. They play with tenacity, resilience, grit, and pride. They play with togetherness, love, and persistence. They are a reflection of their hard working and meticulous head coach and their smart and purposeful GM. Through hard work and determination, they have secured 10 wins for the first time in 20 years. They have clinched a playoff spot on their own merits, rather than depending on help from other teams and other game outcomes -- and they have done so with two weeks remaining in the regular season, no small feat. Bills fans should also be optimistic about the future. 2019 feels like the start of something lasting and real and substantial. If anything, the team is ahead of schedule. With $90million and nine draft picks, Brandon Beane will almost certainly see to it that the Bills field an even better team next year than the one they have this year. As Sal Cappaccio said on WGR: "The Bills future looks even brighter than their present, and at present, they have 10 wins". Indeed, with another big time win on a national stage and a freshly punched playoff ticket, a new era has dawned in Buffalo. This isn't some one year wonder, some smoke and mirrors trick. This team is here to stay. As Dion Dawkins said "This is the new normal". Get used to it, Bills fans.

Me too. That game last night was an absolute beauty. Give me a 17-10, old school slugfest over a 51-48 shootout all day, everyday.