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I didn't know he lost his mom. Yeah, that could have had a profound impact on him. I also think his knee injury messes with him. Even though he's healthy from it, ya wonder if he plays with hesitance in order to prevent another injury. Or maybe he has some confidence issues? Carolina didn't miss a beat in 2015 when he went down and they made it to the Super Bowl without him. Maybe he thought of himself as a big important part of the offense but then saw that they just kept right on going without him. This is all me just speculating. It's just odd to see a player with such size and athletic talent play like a much smaller guy. This is where I'm at. So many times this season and last, he goes up and he's the first one to get his hands on the ball but he doesn't bring it in. It's like, is he just weak or is he not using all of his strength? Once he has his hands on that ball, he should have a vice grip on it and bring it in. Instead, he gets hit or a defender gets his arm in there and the ball ends up on the turf. I actually think he does care, at least a little... or at least when he's just had a play that makes him look bad. We've seen him look visibly frustrated after a drop... I wonder if that gets in his head, like, "Welp, there's drop number one, I'm screwed today" and he just half-***** it or starts to think he doesn't have it anymore, lacks the confidence, who knows. I just feel like a guy with his size, athleticism and ability should be out there dominating smaller DBs and providing a big target for these inexperienced QBs. He should be Josh Allen's best friend. Allen is developing his accuracy so how nice is it for him to have a 6'5" dude with a huge catch radius to go and get those off-target throws? They should be developing chemistry in that respect. Instead, it seems like Benjamin is thinking about what he's doing after the game while he's in the huddle and then when he gets to the line he has to look at Zay and go, "Where am I supposed to be?" Or he could already be in self-preservation mode, trying to ensure he doesn't get injured so he's healthy for free agency. But then on the flip-side, the effort he's putting on tape is not going to get him the type of offers he might be expecting. Bah. Just kind of a weird situation all around.

Could be. It's not like the currently healthy group of Bills QBs scream confidence. But he had these issues going back to Carolina where he was a favorite target of Cam's. So.. I dunno, I just feel like the dude acts as if he couldn't care less. They traded for him and inherited what's left of his rookie deal so it's not like they dished out a bunch of money to him in free agency. His rookie year in Carolina was really good but then he blew out his knee. I wonder if the injury lingers in his mind. Even though his knee has healed and is healthy, some guys develop a mental block about it and it can affect their play. I wonder if he just plays it safe/careful in order to prevent injury. I'm not sure that's the best way to play, though. Because you can get hurt walking back to the huddle, ya know? An injury can happen any time in any way, so. Just looks like the guy doesn't care that much and that's kind of odd considering McBeane talked him up as a good locker room guy and someone who would be good for the culture. Is he good in a "what NOT to do as a professional" type of way? Did they bring him in to say, "See, all you younger players, this is what happens when you don't combine your natural talent with a strong work ethic. Kelvin Benjamin could be a top ten receiver in this league if he wanted it but he don't, so... today's lesson, don't be like Kelvin!"

First, I've never been big on ripping on players. I've never cared for the vitriol some people spew when a player has a bad play or a bad game. These dudes are human beings with interesting jobs and we're all sitting on our couches acting like we know better, haha. But... with Kelvin Benjamin... I have to wonder... is the dude soft, or does he just lack a serious passion for the game? For a dude with his size, his catch radius and his leaping ability, he should be pulling down those contested catches most of the time. Instead, he seems to get his hands on it but so many times this season we've seen him high point a ball and as he's going to put it away, he gets hit/bumped/tackled and the ball flies out of his hands and falls incomplete. Was he known for having weak hands coming out of college? Then on top of that, we've seen him alligator-arm a few throws this season to avoid a hit and it's like, man, you're 6'5", 245 lbs, use your momentum and weight and plow over that DB. But he just doesn't seem interested in being overly physical. And then he also has the gall to blame his issues in Carolina on Cam. He's free to say what he wants but that just seemed kinda immature. Just do the generic thing and thank the team that brought you into the NFL, say you'll miss your teammates there but you're excited for a new opportunity with a new team. Instead, he threw a former MVP QB under the bus. Kind of a schmuck move. Or does he just not give a crap? He kinda strikes me as the type of player who found out at a young age that he was good at football but he never really liked the game all that much. But since he was good, he figured he'd ride that wave as far as it could take him and it's taken him to the NFL and made him millions of dollars. He's in a contract year and he's definitely not playing like a guy who's angling for a fancypants new deal. He just seems to be going through the motions. Doesn't jog back to the huddle, we often see Zay Jones redirecting him as they line up, I dunno. I mean, I'm not gonna act like I know the guy, he could have some personal things going on that we are not aware of (nor should we be). But, it's just strange to watch this guy play. He's just about the epitome of that old scouting quip that goes, "Looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane." Doubt he's back for 2019. I know I wouldn't spend the money on him. Personally, I hope they replace him with Tyrell Williams from the Chargers... but with the way that kid has been playing, I wouldn't doubt if LA tries to sit down with him soon and iron out an extension. Thoughts?

In that Buffalo News interview with Beane, he stated how difficult it is to run a three-man QB competition. At the end of the day, there just aren't enough reps to go around. And I agree, they shouldn't have tinkered with it for so long. They first should've identified their #3 guy, that way they have their scout team arm and they don't have to worry much about that guy getting first team reps. And then your remaining two battle it out. A two-man competition is easier to work with as you can split reps equally if you want. Peterman is fools gold. He played well in the pre-season. He was accurate, he was quick with where he wanted to go with it and got rid of it fast. But that came against teams playing very basic defense. Once the real games start being played and teams start disguising coverages and throwing a ton of different looks, it doesn't take long for Peterman to make a mistake and then get in his own head. The Hail Mary attempt at the end of the 1st half against the Bears is a perfect example. I mean, are you kidding? You think you're gonna make it to the end zone from that far away? Toss it up. You have two 6'4"-6'5" receivers down there, who cares if it gets picked, the half was over. They should've done what Beane regrets not doing earlier and that was sign a vet backup/gap starter type QB. Or just toss the keys to Allen and let him get the experience. I understand that one of McDermott's main coaching points is "competition makes everyone better" but what he needs to get better at is deciding when to call it on a competition. The OL this season is an example of him waiting too long to name his starters. I don't think that had anything to do with a "competitive advantage" over any opponents, to keep it under wraps who your starting five OL are. But all pre-season they rotated Groy and Bodine, and then they would switch Ducasse back and forth between LG and RG, Miller competed against Teller and Boettger but I'm sure it was clear from the start that Miller would be the starter given his experience. They seem to love Conor McDermott and he took reps from Mills and from all accounts, got his behind handed to him on a regular basis in camp. Teller shows a lot of strength but his main struggles lie with the X's and O's of an NFL offensive scheme. But, McDermott can't wait until one week before the regular season to name his starting five OL. That should be wrapped up by the third pre-season game at the latest. OLs need time to form chemistry and get on the same page. The reason there were so many breakdowns in protection earlier this season likely had a lot to do with the fact that those guys just didn't have that many reps together. Believe it or not, the OL has actually improved. Their pass blocking was pretty solid against the Bears. Run blocking... eh... I mean, any time teams see Shady in the backfield they're gonna stack the box and they've all been able to shut him down. Chris Ivory's north-south style has actually been a better fit. I know Beane just said they have Shady in their plans for 2019 but if the guy never gets going this season, I wonder if he asks for a trade in the off-season. Honestly, I'm pretty sure they went into this season knowing that they weren't going to be very good. However, I'm certain they did not expect to suffer so many blowouts. That type of losing is just demoralizing for a team. You can see it happen, too. Early in the game, they keep it close but then mistakes happen and bounces go their opponents way and before you know it, things are out of hand. Then guys go into self-preservation mode, playing not to get injured because who wants to get hurt when you're not really playing for anything but pride? I think in that sense is where McDermott could "lose the team." I think this roster generally buys into what McDermott's message is and veterans on the team like Kyle and Lorax are gonna demand their teammates give 100% but inevitably, we'll see some guys out there half-assin' it *cough* Kelvin Benjamin *cough* On the bright side, you can only sink so low before you start to rise again. So, here's hoping for a big, productive off-season and a fired up team in 2019.

I thought they'd be a little more competitive than what they have been this season. I figured they'd lose a bunch but I didn't think they'd get pummeled like they have week in and week out. There's just such a serious lack of talent on offense that they can't get out of their own way. And it can't all get fixed in one off-season. But, for 2019, I would hope that they make some progress and stop with the blowouts.

Hence the use of the phrase "be patient" at the end of OPs post.

Man, that is painful to read. I was just a kid but I remember that game very clearly. Bills played great football in the first half. They come out in the second half, Thurm drops the rock and I think that one mistake just demoralized the entire team. They got in their own heads with the "here we go again" and just couldn't finish. And RIP to Dr. Z, definitely one of the best of all-time.

I don't look at it as a tank. Intentionally losing is not what they're trying to do. I think they over-estimated their talent on offense a little bit. Their plan for this season was probably similar to last season: play tough defense, get turnovers, create short fields, lean on Shady and the run game and let your QB take some shots when you can. Beane admitted he should've had Derek Anderson up here right after they traded McCarron. Hindsight is 20/20, what can you do? On top of that, they're simply strapped for cash. They did due diligence on free agents in the off-season, they tried to bring some guys in but because they're dealing with bad contracts set up by the previous staff, they just didn't have the money this year to be competitive in their contract offers. I get that people are impatient and bummed out about this season, but, they gotta give these guys a chance to work through this and continue their vision. They're focused on long-term success. I mean, we made it through 17 seasons of no playoffs. We can make it through one more, especially if it means being consistently in the hunt each year. They've built a very good defense that should only get better as the younger guys get more experience. They have plenty of $$$ and picks next off-season to bring some talent in here, wheel and deal for more picks or even some players, etc. Gotta see it through. The Pegulas know this as well and they're exercising patience and letting these guys work. And I'm really surprised that there are quite a few fans here that think tearing down the roster was a bad move. The roster they inherited was all over the place. It had close to the lowest percentage of homegrown talent in the entire league. They had some hefty contracts that weren't on par with the production they were getting from the players that had those contracts. They had a bridge QB who hit his ceiling in 2015. They had to trim it down and build some cohesion. They've drafted well so far and we haven't really seen them go ham in free agency due to the lack of money. They've filled some high priority spots, left tackle, QB, cornerback, middle linebacker, with players on rookie deals. This allows them the chance to spend a little bit more to fill some other spots while they continue to draft BPA. It'll come together. Can't fix it all in one off-season.

I like Ivory as the #2 but I think I'd still grab a guy in the mid-rounds, especially if it's an upgrade over Murphy. Kid is fast and shifty but not a real well-rounded RB. Misses blitz pickups and isn't hard to move if he does pick up his block. He's frustrated more with himself at this point. He posted a picture of him and his kid and some friends on his Instagram the day after the game and said something like, "Last night was a bad bad bad one" and then today he wrote: "I'll be the last man standing.... the test of success is not what you do when you're on TOP... success is how high you bounce back when you hit the BOTTOM!" Dude just wants to get it going. He's probably dying to break a big run. He might be inside his head a little bit. Against the Pats he looked indecisive and like he was trying to do too much. He's a gamer. He might have a different attitude away from the game but the guy loves football and just wants to win.

I understand what you're saying but the two coaches you mentioned aren't responsible for bringing in talent. They refer to their GM and tell them which guys they like and the GM will do what he can to bring in those guys but it's not like Sean McVay just grabs a cart and goes player shopping and takes whoever he wants. You should read the interview Jay Skurski did with Brandon Beane. Came out today. Beane is well aware of where the offense is at and there are obviously plans to add talent in the off-season. But this past off-season it was really about them getting out of those contracts that have them eating $50 million in dead money right now. He stated that they definitely did their due diligence and made attempts to get different players to come here but their money situation made it tough for them to be competitive in terms of contract offers. Plus, any offensive skill players are gonna be hesitant to come to a team in the midst of a rebuild with a lot of inexperienced players on the roster, especially if they have offers somewhere else. Not like the front office just sat back and said, "Screw it, whatever happens happens" they shopped around but just didn't have the money this year. This next off-season should be super interesting. Bills should be big time players as they'll have plenty of cash to throw around. And regarding the topic of this thread, McBeane isn't going anywhere. Beane pretty much says so in the interview. The Pegulas are all-in on these guys and their vision for this team and they will give them the time they need. Beane said himself he wouldn't have come here if ownership did not have the long-term outcome in mind. It's painful at the moment because they're not scoring any points but I think these dudes deserve a little patience. They took a rag-tag squad to the playoffs last year and have built an impressive defense that will (hopefully) only get better. Give 'em a chance to build the offense and let's see what happens.

Backup QBs with no pro film have an upstart game like this fairly regularly. He played well, I'm not taking that away from him. But Shanahan helped him a lot in how he schemed his receivers to get open and then Oakland just rolled over. His first or second TD pass, the dude was wide open and walked into the end zone. Aikman pointed out during the game how the Raiders weren't staying in their zones, guys were just doing whatever they wanted it seemed. Tell you what though, gimme that George Kittle dude over ol' Charles Clay any day of the week. I like Clay, I just think he's limited due to his injury history. Kittle made an insane one-handed catch over the middle then took it another 50-60 yards to the 5-yard line.

It was reported that the Ravens were ready to make him an offer as well but he would've rejected it because he knew he'd be behind Flacco. And honestly, I still don't get the love affair for Kaepernick. It's not like he was lights out over his last couple of seasons. He last played in 2016 where he had a 1-10 record as the starter. And his numbers over the last few seasons were even lower than Tyrod's. Kaep lucked out early in his career when SF had a solid defense. Oh, his career completion percentage is 59.8. I know another guy with a career completion percentage below 60 and he is regularly torn up by fans/media for it. But Kaep? Nobody bothers to mention his accuracy issues. Or the fact that he hasn't played professional football in 1.5 seasons. So I guess I just don't realize why people would think he could step in anywhere and be a solid QB.

Raiders have checked out on Gruden. Nobody on that defense was even trying. Made Mullens appear a lot better than he actually is, I'm sure. Put him up against a real defense that's actually going to play and it'll be a different story.

You might be thinking of someone else. EJ made two starts in Oakland last year and threw for like 104 and 165 yards in both starts.

Actually, I think Zay has had a little more success when they line him up outside. Shady in the slot could be fun, though. They're gonna need to keep being creative as possible. I guess one positive about Peterman starting is that he knows the whole playbook. Daboll might be able to open things up a little bit. Might get lucky and throw something at the Bears that isn't on film yet.

This dude is such a chode. Has no idea how to relate to players, is way out of touch with current coaching methods, has probably never read a teaching book in his life. Bah. And someone already mentioned it but yes, he has one of the most punchable faces I've ever seen.

Yeah, I think Dawkins is fine. They wanted out of Glenn's contract and things kinda happened organically at that position. Glenn got hurt, Dawkins stepped in and played well. I'm sure Incognito helped him along but overall, he's been solid. And Ducasse hasn't been as abysmal as people think. Any OL has to play well as a unit and right now I'd say Bodine and Miller are the weak links. I thought Miller could bounce back to his 2016 form but he hasn't. Bodine is serviceable but he gets man-handled far too often. MIlls on the right side has actually been decent.... until he faces a speed rusher like Khalil Mack. Oh, lil' Nate... be prepared to run for yo' life!

Aside from them trying to start Peterman last season, injuries are the cause of all the QB shuffling. Stuff happens, I guess.

If a DT is the best overall player on the board when they're picking and they haven't received any "knock your socks off" offers to trade down and collect more picks, then by all means, take that DT. Carolina did that in 2016, their d-line was already a strong spot on the roster and they had needs elsewhere but they drafted Vernon Butler. I checked up on his stats the other day and it would appear he hasn't lived up to the first round status but either way, sometimes adding to an already strong position group isn't a bad thing. And as for Glenn vs. Dawkins... I think it's almost a push at this point. Dawkins played well enough for them to trade Glenn and honestly, they were going to move on from Glenn regardless. They wanted out of that contract. Now they have a decent LT on his rookie deal, makes things much more manageable. I also think the injuries were piling up for Glenn and that played a role in them moving on.

If it comes down to those two? Ed Oliver without question. And Dion Dawkins is this teams left tackle now and in the future. We went through years of, "Kick Glenn to guard and draft this guy!" and it never happened. It's not happening with Dawkins. If they need to upgrade guard, they'll sign or draft a guard. They traded up to take Dawkins and felt he played well enough to replace Cordy Glenn. As far as they're concerned, they have found their left tackle. They're not going to change that.

They'll be fine. It's not about having an "innovative offensive coach" right now. It's a talent deficiency on that side of the ball. Throw Andy Reid in there, Matt Nagy, Sean McVay, whoever you want, they wouldn't score a whole lot more than Daboll has. Thinking that hiring some kind of innovative coach fixes things isn't the answer. Those guys I mentioned above have real talent on offense. Let these dudes shape the offense like they shaped the defense and see what happens. There's no point in messing with things as they are right now. After the season, sure, there may be some coaching changes, but I can guarantee there'll be no change at head coach, defensive coordinator and likely offensive coordinator. Special teams, maybe, and maybe a few other spots but overall, this regime is aiming for continuity as they work to build sustained success.

I'm fine with McBeane. For years, so many fans wanted this organization to tear it all down and start fresh. When they finally do that, people can't take it and think hitting "reset" in the middle of a reset is the best idea. If you wanna see if this team can break its own playoff drought record, well, start with hiring and firing coaching and front office staffs every other year. That's how they fell short for 17 straight seasons. They were of the mind that they could always "win now!" if they just added a few pieces here and there but it never worked. The only other actual rebuild I think we can consider would've been when Chan came in here and told Ralph he could win without star players. Even ol' Chan, with his pal Buddy who thought signing Mario Williams was his crowning achievement (until, of course, he drafted the generational superstar known as EJ Manuel) and started their Bills tenure with a phenomenal 0-8 record, were given two more seasons after that. McBeane comes in here and in YEAR ONE, takes the team to the playoffs, despite having started their rebuild in the 2017 pre-season by trading Watkins, Darby, etc. They got some nice breaks in 2017 and found their way into the playoffs and that has set unrealistic expectations on 2018. I think a lot of people felt like, "They made the playoffs, why mess with the roster now?!" Well, because they weren't going to sustain any sort of long-term success with that roster. And the contract situation really plays heavily into all of it. They were strapped for cash over players like Marcell Dareus and Cordy Glenn. Both decent players but neither of them special players that couldn't be replaced with cheaper, younger options. They're building this thing the right way. Look at Chicago last season. Their offense was a dumpster fire and their rookie QB struggled all year. This season, they added some pieces and have made a lot of progress. Not to mention, they spent their first round pick on a linebacker instead of an offensive player. Their second-year QB is playing well and they don't have to worry about dishing out huge money to him for another three years. That gave them the ability to go out and sign a few receivers and some OL this past off-season. I assume the Bills are planning on doing the same type of thing. All throughout the drought, all this organization did was throw a band-aid on things or sell hope and say they were "this close" to turning the corner if they could just get a guy like this or that. Clearly that didn't work. At this point, you gotta see it through. Let these guys keep working. Yeah, it's a bummer of a season but it was to be expected. Just let them keep grinding and I think good things are in their future.

He is the epitome of a gym class hero. Human paraquat.

They've said it before, Beane has the final call on personnel decisions, just like any GM in football. And yesterday, McDermott was asked about the trade deadline and he said, "Brandon handles those calls" or something to that effect. I'm sure McDermott is in the loop on personnel stuff but Beane is charge of all that. Both guys have said they report to the Pegulas directly.

Aw man, too bad they didn't swing a trade for Jameis Winston that way him and Peterman can have an INT contest.