Logic

Guilty. When Allen went on the shelf with injury, it provided an interesting opportunity: To see his impact on the offense. Put a different way, I sort of thought the offense might IMPROVE while he was out. I thought maybe HE was what was holding the offense back. As anyone with eyes could tell you, that was NOT the case. As it turns out, the only thing that WAS giving our offense any life whatsoever was Allen. Yes, the infusion of speed in the WR corps has helped. But still, it's plain as day that Allen provides juice to this offense that it otherwise doesn't have. Just like at Wyoming, Allen is sometimes the only thing keeping his team's offense going. At times, it feels like a one-man show, or at least as much of one as there can be in such a team sport. So take that type of ability and leadership and heart and add some actual offensive TALENT and PROTECTION around him? Egads. THAT I'm looking forward to seeing! And really, for a rookie coming off a month of being on the bench to will his team to victory against a top 5 defense...I just couldn't have been more impressed. A very encouraging day.

Thanks for the writeup as always, Shaw. I was solidly in the "anyone but Allen" camp leading into the draft. The prospect of another big-armed, physically gifted QB who couldn't do the little things necessary to be successful was just too frightening to me, after the JP Losman and EJ Manuel debacles. It is now obvious to me, after the Jacksonville game, that Allen has something that those guys did not have: HEART, WILL, and FEARLESSNESS. I have been cautiously optimistic and impressed by some of the things Allen had done on the field prior to Sunday's game. But he was very up and down. Even the Minnesota game: It was encouraging, but the gameplan didn't ask him to do a lot and the defense kept giving Allen the ball deep in Vikings territory. But Sunday's game against Jacksonville? That was the first time I stood up and said "this kid's got it". When I say "it", I mean the ability to take a team completely on his back and will them to victory. And make no mistake, that's what happened against the Jaguars. They have an absolutely all-world defense, with speed in bunches and 1st round picks all over the field. Put simply, the Bills absolutely would not have won that game without Josh Allen. All three touchdown scoring drives happened because of Allen. The first TD drive saw Allen complete a 47-yard play to Kelvin Benjamin and a first down pass to Croom (with nice touch, by the way). The Foster play, well...just WOW. The 4th quarter scoring play may have looked easy, but it involved Allen stiff arming a big d-lineman to the ground, juking like a running back (as you said), and plowing through a linebacker. Not easy in the least. In between those scoring drives, he kept drives alive with his legs (even scrambling for a 45 yard gain at one point!), made smart decisions, took care of the football, and generally kept his team in position to win the game. But aside from his actual play on the field, it was the intangible stuff that showed up: His excitement after big plays and scores and his getting the crowd and his teammates pumped up. His "swag" on the 14-yard TD run. You think it was an accident that he did Jalen Ramsey's "flex" TD celebration after scoring? Nope. Underneath his "aw shucks" country boy demeanor lies a deeply competitive man with the heart of a lion and a will that one rarely sees in athletes. How could Allen's teammates watch him lay his body on the line play after play -- not sliding, but juking and stiff arming and always looking for more yardage -- how could they watch him WILL his offense to points again and again and not want to follow his example and lay THEIR bodies on the line every single play? Heart, Will, Leadership by Example, Swag, and as Shady said: "He just brings that electricity". And how about the way the veterans talk about him? Hyde, Poyer, Lorenzo, Shady...they could give stock answers when asked about Allen, but they don't. They all rave about him and swear he has a bright future in this league. And these are professionals who know what they're talking about and who see him day in and day out in the locker room, in meetings, on the practice field. They all feel they're in good hands going forward. They're all inspired to fight for Allen on the field. And this is SIX AND A HALF GAMES into his rookie season! He has a fight in him and a will that I haven't seen since Fitzpatrick...the only difference is that Allen has quite a different set of physical gifts that Fitzy had! I don't know if Allen will ever be a Brady or a Rodgers. He may never make "top 10" lists of the best quarterbacks in the league. But after Sunday, I'm standing up and taking notice, and I'm starting to believe that he can be the type of guy who -- by sheer force of will and heart and leadership, and by the power of game-breaking plays with his arm and legs -- can lead the Bills to the promised land. I know, I know...he's a rookie. Gotta tempter expectations. But my antennae are up now. Allen's got....something.

"Hillary had ***** pneumonia and attended a 9/11 memorial anyway and fainted and Trump and his supporters went bonkers and said she was about to die. Trump won't stand in the rain for a few minutes to honor the veterans of WWI, and we get total silence from his followers. It's astonishing."

Let me know when he does something -- ANYTHING -- worthy of praise and we'll see. The Reverse-Robinhood Wealth Grab Tax Cut doesn't count in my book. Neither do his endless golf trips or the "lock her up!" rallies that he's still holding for some reason even though he's already president.

Memes are fun.

Someone listing themselves as "from the former confederate states of america" using language like "butthurt retard liberals" ? Color me shocked. Tell me, does it ever tire you out having to find new and creative ways to support a man who is so obviously a sniveling, cowardly louse? I mean he dodged Vietnam FIVE times!!! FIVE!!! And you already know that about the ways in which he disrespected and humiliated a military family and claimed he "likes people that don't get caught" when referring to war hero John McCain. But I'm sure he's the military champion you think he is. Hmm...now why would a guy who proudly talks about being from the "former confederate states of america" like Donald Trump? I just can't figure this one out...

"As we sit here in the rain, thinking how uncomfortable we must be these minutes as our suits get wet and our hair gets wet and our shoes get wet, I think it's all the more fitting that we remember on that day, in Dieppe, the rain wasn't rain, it was bullets." - Justin Trudeau It is naive to think that this was due to "security issues". It didn't seem to cause any issues for Macron or Merkel.

I'm sure I'll get 20 "you're an idiot" and "what a silly libtard" responses. But I'd really, REALLY love to hear a reasonable defense of Trump's actions here. And while we're at it, Trump STILL hasn't visited our troops, two years into his presidency. What a tough guy he is! And what respect for our military and our veterans! Can't even begin to IMAGINE what the right would have said about Obama if he pulled this crap. What a sniveling, cowardly disgrace of a person he is. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article221467490.html : 12:55 p.m. The White House is calling off President Donald Trump's scheduled visit to a World War I cemetery due to poor weather. Trump was slated on Saturday to visit Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near the village of Belleau, France. It's the site of a 1918 battle in which the American and French repelled German forces. More than 1,800 Americans died there. The battle looms large in the history of the U.S. Marines Corps. Trump was supposed to participate in a wreath-laying and a moment of silence at the site. It has been raining in Paris all day and the weather prevented Trump from arriving via helicopter to the site, which is more than 50 miles east of the French capital. White House chief of staff John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, his wife and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit instead. https://twitter.com/davidfrum/status/1061251308974493696 : Some perspective on President Trump canceling his projected visit to the (spectacular, not-to-be-missed) Aisne-Marne memorial and cemetery: It's not even 60 miles from central Paris to the monument. If the weather is too wet & windy for helicopters, a presidential motorcade could drive the distance in an hour. On site, presidential advance could easily erect a tent to protect the dignitaries (and the the presidential hair-do) from inclement weather Visiting the close-to-Paris monument is anyway already a climb-down from what any normally patriotic president would wish to do on the centenary of the 1918 Armistice: pay respects at the Meuse-Argonne cemetery, the large US military burying place in Europe. It's incredible that a president would travel to France for this significant anniversary - and then remain in his hotel room watching TV rather than pay in person his respects to the Americans who gave their lives in France for the victory gained 100 years ago tomorrow Remember, there was no need for this trip at all. The president could have laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, then spoken a few appropriate words. But bottom line: Trump willfully insisted on an unnecessary trip to France to mark the WW1 centenary -then once he got there shirked on grounds of weather the job of honoring those who fought and died in rain and mud 100 years ago But bottom line: Trump willfully insisted on an unnecessary trip to France to mark the WW1 centenary -then once he got there shirked on grounds of weather the job of honoring those who fought and died in rain and mud 100 years ago http://www.weathercast.co.uk/nc/weather-news/news/article/the_weather_in_1918.html … None of this is surprising. Doesn't make it any less dismaying. 53,000 US combat deaths. 63,000 dead of disease. 320,000 wounded. These troops fought victoriously alongside allies with whom the US still stands today. It's worth a few miles in a limo, a few words from under a tarp

If the Bills DO get the top overall pick -- and I really doubt that's going to happen -- they HAVE to take Bosa. Have to. I realize edge rusher isn't the top "need", but it doesn't matter. You just can't pass on this guy. More likely, they pick in the 6-11 range, like usual. My hope is that there's an offensive tackle or wide receiver at that spot that fits the value. My fear, however, is that there won't be. If that winds up being the case, they may have no choice but to take the top DE or DT or CB on the board. I know, I know. I'm just saying, you have to go where the value is, and it may not be at OT or WR, as much as we fans want it to be.

Just checking in on this absurd thread. 33 pages and going strong, eh? Has anyone been fired yet? No? RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!!!!

Quality response. I entered the thread late, and it may have been erroneous on my part to address my post to you specifically. Based on your response, I now have a clearer picture of your stance (as opposed to the stance of the OP), and I don't disagree with it for the most part.

I'll be happy to have this discussion when offensive juggernauts start winning championships left and right. The Eagles won the Super Bowl last year, yes. They also had a great defense. Like I said, when these offensive juggernauts start winning games in January, we can talk. We've seen offensive flavor-of-the-week teams come and go over the years, and it's always the same story: they tear through the league in the regular season, then come playoff time, a quality defensive team stops them in their tracks. It happened to the Rams last year. It happened to the Kelly Bills, oh, ya know, four Super Bowls in a row. Also, hiring an offensive minded head coach is not an automatic guarantee of success. How is Frank Reich's team doing right now? Adam Gase? Kyle Shanahan? Aside from the logical fallacy of assuming that hiring an offensive minded head coach is the only way to go in today's NFL, there's also this: The Bills DID bring in an innovative, fresh-from-the-college-ranks and from Belichick's coaching staff, modern offense-calling coordinator. His name is Brian Daboll. Is he the HEAD coach? No. Does that matter? The whole idea that the only way to have success in today's NFL is to hire an offensive guru as a head coach is nonsense to me. A good coach is a good coach, period. It doesn't matter what his background is. You were much more fun as Johnny Flynn.

Man, you know what defense-minded head coaches did terrible with rookie QBs? Bill Belichick and Ron Rivera. Absolutely RUINED Tom Brady and Cam Newton. ?

This defense is a CB2 and an edge rusher (Jerry ain't getting any younger) away from being set completely -- at least as far as starters go. I sincerely hope that most of our free agency dollars and draft picks are spent on offense this coming offseason.

Agreed. The Bills have some really EXCELLENT teachers on the defensive side of the ball. Bob Babich with the linebackers and his son Bobby Babich with the secondary have been doing some amazing work teaching fundamentals and getting their position groups to play fast. Recently, an opposing coach was asked whether he saw more of McDermott or more of Leslie Frazier in the Bills defense. He replied that the defense seems to feature the schemes and tendencies of McDermott, but the emphasis on fundamentals of Leslie Frazier. This seems to be an outstanding combination. Additionally, the Bills defensive scheme is simple enough that their players are able to play fast and not overthink things, but well-disguised and varied enough that the opposition has a hard time with it. This ALSO seems to be an outstanding combination. Time will tell what this staff is able to do with the offense, but color me highly impressed with their work on defense.

Still waiting on Chris66 to wade back into the ****-pot he stirred up and talk fondly about his memories of BBMB.

I hate the take, but love the screenname. !@#$ing awesome.

Everyone already said it, but let me pile on: Jerry Hughes ABSOLUTELY should be dropping into coverage every now and again. Trent Murphy, too. As a matter of fact....has anyone asked Hughes if he can play wide receiver?

Rachel Bush -- who I, like every other red-blooded male, happen to think is gorgeous -- kind of seems like a nutcase. At the very least, she spews insane right wing nutjob conspiracy theories and blocks/insults anyone who dares to question her.

It's just that I never see you contribute anything worthwhile in terms of football discussion. Ever. You essentially ONLY ever come here to spew negativity about the Bills. You've spoken poorly of Allen (multiple times), the Pegulas, the coaching staff. If your only role is to speak negatively about the Bills, then it IS trolling. What else should I call it?

I'll tell you what: If my team had won 5 Lombardis in the past 18 years, the LAST thing I'd be doing is hanging out on a division rival's message board, talking **** and trolling their members. What an absolutely lame and sad thing to do. Go watch some Patriots** film or something and let the adults talk in peace.

The San Francisco example proves my point perfectly! Kyle Shanahan coordinates that offense. He got the job because he was a good OC for the Falcons. Prior to that, though, he was the OC for the Browns, where his offense ranked 27th in points scored. Not so good. Why? Vastly inferior talent. I do think good coaches can generate schemes to compensate for talent, but you can only keep the smoke and mirrors going for so long. To use your other example of Gailey: How did that work out long term? Once opposing teams figured out Gailey's gameplan, did he adjust and win a bunch of games with the Bills, or did he and Fitz get fired? And to KEEP going off of that example, Fitz at that time was a FAR more capable QB than Allen is now. I'm not saying Allen won't improve, but RIGHT NOW? Not so good. Extremely limiting to an offensive play caller. Given Allen's current deficiencies, in fact, I would argue that the type of game Daboll called against Tennessee is EXACTLY the type of offensive gameplan the Bills need to use right now to win football games.

I dug it. The jury is still out on Daboll, as far as I'm concerned. He has some plays and formations and motions in the playbook that are LIGHT YEARS ahead of what the Bills have had in recent years, which is to say: they're modern. They're 2018 NFL passing concepts. He also had a head-scratching gameplan against Green Bay and underused Shady in weeks 1-4 in general. So there's that. The big thing for me, though, is that it's hard to tell if the playcaller is calling good plays if the players -- the QB, in particular -- can't execute. Now yes, you'd be correct in saying it's the job of the offensive coordinator to call plays that the quarterback CAN execute. Well, that's just it: Daboll is finding out -- along with all of us watching at home -- on a week-to-week basis what Allen can and can't execute. "Well Daboll should be able to tell that from practice!", you might say. Well...sort of. Executing in practice and executing in a live game setting are two different things (just ask Nathan Peterman!). So yes, the OC needs to set the QB up for success. He can only do so much, though (hence the half-field reads and simplified playcalls for Allen this week). Allen showed against Green Bay that he couldn't execute the more nuanced passing concepts, full-field reads, and RPOs with effectiveness, so Daboll curtailed the gameplan and it did just enough against the Titans to eek out a victory. The bottom line is this: An OC can only do so much. The players still have to execute the plays. We have MULTIPLE position groups not executing on various plays. The offensive line, the wide receivers, the quarterback. Until such time as I get to see Daboll's gameplan in action with even a SEMBLANCE of NFL-caliber talent at the skill positions, I am unable to make a sound judgement. Until then, he just has to make chicken salad out of chicken ****, which is what he did this week against the Titans.