Logic

I don't disagree. But personally, I'd rather have Aiyuk + an extra 5th round pick than, say, Samuel, no Aiyuk, and a pair of 2nds.

I've thought all along that that was the best play for SF. Try to trade the older and oft-injured Deebo and his niche skillset, use the cap savings to re-sign the younger and more versatile Aiyuk. Aiyuk/Pearsall/Cowing/Jennings would be a nice WR corps going forward.

Yeah...based on what I read on Twitter, the amount of -- shall we say -- OLDER gamers who were excitedly waiting for CFB25 to come out and found out within a few days of release that their console doesn't support it was... fairly enormous. Lots of 39-year-olds emergency buying XBox X/S and PS5s all over the country this week, much to the chagrin of their spouse.

I agree with this. People often want to treat hangouts to watch games on TV as a social engagement, and I'm far too into the game to be very social. Now don't get me wrong, I'm happy to talk about the game as it's happening, but I have less than zero interest in talking about work, your recent trip to Paris, or your five-leg NBA parlay. If I'm watching football, I'm WATCHING FOOTBALL. Other than some game-related commentary here on there, I have no interest in being Mr Social. Maybe this does help explain why I like the viewing experience from the stadium. Though, with as drunk as so many fans get for live games, there are certainly plenty of people there who aren't exactly in it for the football, too.

Haven't caught up on season three yet, but loved the first two (and was obviously a huge Letterkenny fan). Something about Shoresy making sure everyone called their mothers before they were allowed to have a post-game stick just never stops being funny to me.

I actually agree. I think that Mike McDaniel is an absolutely brilliant play-caller. I think he'll have a long career in the NFL as a coveted and successful offensive coordinator. But I don't think he's got what it takes to be a head coach. He has an awkward, non-genuine sort of way about him, and he talks a lot without saying much. Endless word salads. He does NOT strike me as a leader of men or a guy you can turn to in the heat of battle and feel like he's "in the trenches" with you. I think his schtick has worked so far because the Dolphins have been winning football games, but if they keep collapsing or failing to meaningfully improve, I can see his act beginning to wear thin with the players and them tuning him out. I think we're closer to the end of the Mike McDaniel tenure as Dolphins head coach than the beginning of it.

I watch the majority of games at home and love the Sunday NFL gameday experience. That said, nothing beats being there live. The anticipation and fun of tailgating on a beautiful fall day, the spectacle of 70,000+ screaming members of Bills Mafia, the feeling (and crowd noise) when a player breaks a long touchdown or makes a big 4th down stop, the way it feels to make the long walk out of the stadium after a big win...there's nothing like it. I love both, but if I can only pick one -- particularly if you remove all the travel and other aspects and concentrate specifically on the "watching the game" part of the question in a vacuum -- it's being in the stadium.

They say a quarterback makes his money on third downs and in the 4th quarter. Based on the Bills' 3rd down percentage numbers and Josh Allen's performance in the clutch, he is arguably the best quarterback in the game today. At the very worst -- because I respect the "championships and League MVP awards" argument -- Allen is second to Mahomes. But the more I see as time goes on, the more I feel like I'm no longer sure that Patrick Mahomes is actually better than Josh Allen. We have an all-timer at quarterback, folks.

Preaching to the choir.

I mean yeah, that's likely what it will end up being. The difference is that MVS's career high in receiving yards in a single season is 690. Aiyuk, meanwhile, has posted back-to-back 1000 yard seasons and is coming off a 1342 yard campaign. Based on their career best single season receiving output, Aiyuk would seem to be twice the receiver that MVS is.

Imagine Aiyuk and Samuel out wide, Shakir in the slot, Kincaid at tight end, and Coleman coming off the bench at X and big slot? Imagine Coleman being able to move around the field and be schemed up into free releases (a la Rashee Rice last year) instead of being pigeon-holed as an X? Imagine Coleman being able to ease his way into the league and not have the pressure of trying to be "the guy" from day one? Having someone like Aiyuk to learn from? Man...I truly wish a veteran like Adams or Aiyuk was in the cards. It would make me feel heaps better about the Bills' championship prospects in 2024. Alas, I think MVS, Claypool, and Hollins constitute Beane's version of "veteran WR additions".

I have thought all along that it would be better business for the 49ers to trade away Deebo Samuel (who is older and has a longer injury history than Aiyuk) and extend Aiyuk. Once they drafted Ricky Pearsall -- whose skillset in some ways mirrors that of Aiyuk, I began to think that maybe they were preparing for the inevitability of an Aiyuk trade afterall. With Deebo, a 1st round draftee, Juaun Jennings who they just re-signed, and Jacob Cowing, they seem to have set themselves up to have the flexibility to make this trade, should they decide to do so. Given their depth at the position and how much the 49ers like to use pro sets anyway, they may feel like Aiyuk is more trouble than he's worth at this point.

I expect the Steelers or Commanders to be the destination if he gets traded. I will echo @HappyDays and say that adding a guy like Aiyuk would transform the entire offense and have a ripple effect, the likes of which its tough to overstate the potential ramifications. Unfortunately, I don't think Beane is particularly keen on handing out a $30 million receiver contract right after he just got out of the Diggs contract, and I also think he's happy with the current WR room.

Two things that are always helpful to keep in mind: 1.) Controversy creates clicks and viewership. Engagement farming is a real thing. Networks and analysts and Twitter personas KNOW that they'll get a whole bunch of engagement when they say something controversial or rile up a passionate fan base, and engagement = money. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the football watching audience don't want to learn about the intricacies of bunch formations, trail technique, or the 3-3-5 defense. They want to get in heated social media debates about which QB has the most aura. It's dumb, but it's the reality of sports viewership. 2.) Many of these analysts watch SOME of ALL the teams and players, but almost none of them watch ALL of a team or player. In other words, most of the analysts or anonymous league sources or whomever have watched Josh Allen play in a few national games, have seen a few highlights, but they don't watch him as often as Bills fans do. It is absolutely possible, by virtue of watching the Bills and Josh Allen much more often and studying the team and player with a much finer toothed comb, that some Bills fans are more knowledgeable about the team and its players than national analysts, who only take a cursory look at all 32 teams and dozens of players. There are exceptions to both rules. Some analysts genuinely want to educate viewers, and they make well-informed and erudite observations and statements. Some analysts DO watch lots of tape and evaluate players in depth. But for every Dan Orlovsky or Kurt Warner, there are 100 Nick Wrights and Skip Baylesses. Never forget that sports is entertainment, and that just because a guy has a microphone, it doesn't mean he knows his ass from a hole in the ground.

In the last full season Aaron Rodgers played, he finished 26th in QBR and 21st in EPA. He then proceeded to miss a full season, and is now returning from a torn Achilles at age 40 and during a time where his mind seems to be lots of places other than football. I'm not entirely convinced that he'll be the Aaron Rodgers of old. Granted, the Jets have a good enough roster that even if Aaron plays at his 2022 level, they'll still very possibly win enough games to make the playoffs. But as far as "clear favorites to win the division"...I don't buy it.

Just what exactly are you implying, sir?

I don't know. It's just how I was told things are done by my wife and her exercise instructor, Francisco. He's from Italy. I assume he knows a thing or two about lovemaking.

This is a family thread, sir.

Fully clothed missionary with eyes closed and a thick bed sheet between the two of you with a hole cut in it for the turgid member to go through is the only way to do it. Preferably with the lights off, after a glass of warm milk and a couple episodes of Frasier.

Except I've read that this one will be held in a stadium and closed to the public.

Well, today's the big day. Folks have been waiting a decade for another college football video game to come out, and today it finally does. Anyone grabbing this thing and shirking all other life obligations? Gonna turn Old Dominion into a dynasty? Bring Appalachian State to five consecutive championships? Run the Wishbone 20 times in a row as a single tear of joy rolls down your cheek? Who's doin this thang?

I have rarely enjoyed the level of schadenfreude that I enjoyed watching the two episodes of Hard Knocks right before and right after that Bills game. The one before was like "we asked for this! Adversity grows character! Everything we want is right in front of us! Rahhhh! Let's get 'em! We got this!" Then the episode after they lost was just, well....impossible entertaining to watch. I think the combined arrogance of the Dolphins fan base, Mike McDaniel, and Tyreek Hill just made the way their season ended so, so delicious. I mean...a three game division lead with five left to play? Beating them IN THEIR HOUSE for the division title? You can't write a script better than that.

It is amazing -- absolutely amazing -- how much a Super Bowl championship can change a player's legacy. I think Josh needs one championship to be considered the greatest dual threat QB of all time, assuming he more or less continues on his current statistical pace. Just one. Super Bowl MVP would be helpful, too. Without it, there's still a chance he winds up being called the greatest dual threat ever. But to illustrate how much weight a championship carries, consider Dan Marino. He's already an all-time great and a Hall of Famer, but think of how much differently we would view his legacy if he had won a Lombardi or two. Another one I think about is Brett Favre. He's the most direct comparison to Josh I can think of, in terms of his mercurial nature as a player. Absolute brilliance and heroics one moment, absolute bone-headed interception the next. And yet, we will always remember him as a top 10, all time great. Why? Two Lombardis. Comparatively, how would he be remembered overall if he hadn't won any?