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Yuss, 100%. He's made some great throws that definitely show you what he *can be* but, like any young QB, consistency will be the key. I'm sure he's more bummed than anyone that he has to sit out right now. Bad OL or not, no real receiving threats and a sputtering run game, kid loves to compete. Hopefully he can become the type of QB that elevates the play of those around him.

Benjamin, not great. Ducasse, playing better than most think. Bodine, serviceable, they could upgrade but maybe a full season in this offense will help him progress some. Miller, not great. Mills, again, playing better than most think. Alexander, playing well for the role they have him in, providing valuable leadership/teaching to young guys like Edmunds & Milano. Williams, playing well this season, likely helping Harrison Phillips come along, and maybe now Jordan Phillips as well. Depending on how he finishes the season, the Bills will have a decision to make on re-signing him or not (Jordan Phillips, that is, I feel like Kyle retires after this season but if they finish the season on an uptick and they're able to make some decent upgrades in the off-season and if Kyle thinks they might be able to go for a playoff run, maybe he comes back, especially if the Brothers Phillips get more time in the rotation). Murphy, does get hurt a lot, missed most of camp and pre-season and just went down with an injury Sunday but he's not bad when he can go. Hughes, they've said it numerous times that they have him firmly in their future plans. They love the intensity he brings, he practices hard everyday, works his tail off, he's a good example of what the coaching staff wants to see from their players. Gaines, not great, but they can't all be zingers. Maybe Dontae Johnson or Ryan Lewis come along and get better. It's not as grim as you might think. And if they wanna keep adding to the DL and make it the strongest unit on the team, this next draft coming up is absolutely loaded with solid DL players. On the flipside, it's not a great year for receivers or offensive playmakers, which they really need. Oh, and backup QB, yes, I'd like to see them move on from Peterman, kid just implodes whenever the real games start. Anderson, I wanted him signed earlier this season to fill that mentor role, it's a bummer he has to start right now.

If you're referring to Proehl, he was a 7th round pick, and one pick away from being Mr. Irrelevant. 7th round picks get cut all the time.

Quiet down. Mama's heating up your bottle, it'll be ready soon.

Great post. I expected it to be a tough season. The blowout losses are the main concern, though. Young team or not, gotta compete week in and week out otherwise these blowouts start to pile up and can quickly demoralize an entire team and crush whatever culture was being built. They may have overestimated themselves in certain areas but this is what happens when you finally rip off all the band-aids and truly start over. For over a decade we've been told "this team is close" and they were just one or two players away from making it over the hump. Year after year of quick-fixes, short-term planning, poor cap management, etc. So for years fans have called for the full rebuild. Now that they're getting it, most of them can't handle it and think swapping out another coaching staff and front office is the answer. What do you think a new staff would wanna do? Build the team in their vision. So it would be back to square one all over again. It's not a lot of fun to watch but just let these dudes keep working. Either way it's gonna be alright, because it's just a f*ckin' game.

Look for them to buy, not sell. When the "McCoy back to Philly?" bullsh*t started, the word from Buffalo was that they have him firmly placed in their plans for the future. Same with Hughes. They're done trimming the roster, they're looking to add, not subtract. What are they gonna get for KB? A bag of Skittles? He walks in the off-season but right now they literally have no one else to throw to so he may as well play out the rest of the season. I've got no issue with this team losing games. My issue is these blowout losses. Can't keep having these. They're demoralizing. They're gonna cause players to check out, doesn't matter who the coach is, or the GM, or the owners, etc. You have to stay somewhat competitive even though you're in a rebuild otherwise your entire culture becomes, "Why should we ball out? The other half of the team doesn't, why should we?" They have to take the field with some belief that they can win or at least keep it interesting. Keep this up and they'll be taking the field wondering how much longer they're stuck in Buffalo until they can leave.

Let's take "Sh*t You're Clueless About" for 2000, Alex. Pryor has a reputation of being soft and difficult to work with. He hasn't done much of anything over the last few seasons. Kamar who? They made an offer to Maclin last season, he declined. He's sitting on his couch because he's not worth what he's asking for. Same for Dez Bryant. Cooper would be nice but the Raiders are currently asking for a 1st. Not gonna happen. Thomas has been in decline for a while now and has a heavy contract.

Right. The same "frauds" that ended a 17 year playoff drought. Quiet.

And hire who? A whole new operation that's gonna do the same thing this regime is in the middle of: tear it down and rebuild. That's a surefire way to guarantee your team never goes anywhere. But I'm sure you knew that already.

I wonder what that means for TJ Yeldon, he'll be a free agent after this season. He can be a pretty versatile back, blocks and catches the ball pretty well. Marrone really prefers old school powerhouse backs and that's what he has with Fournette and now Hyde. Yeldon was someone I've had an eye on for the Bills considering I felt like 2019 might be Shady's final year in Buffalo. But recently it's been said they plan to keep Shady in 2019 and possibly beyond.

You keep throwing around the word "nepotism" when the NFL is a gigantic revolving door of the same coaches and executives that bounce all over the league because of who they know. New coaches/GMs are going to hire guys they're familiar with or have worked with before. How well did it work out for Whaley and Marrone or Whaley and Ryan? Whaley had zero prior history with either coach and there was friction from the start. I'd rather hire guys I'm familiar with too so we can all hit the ground running. And everyone saying the Bills should still be selling must have missed the news that leaked out last week which said the organization is done trimming the roster. They are now looking to add players. Of course that doesn't mean they're going to hang onto guys who aren't performing up to par (KB) but the idea of trading Shady, Hughes, etc. Unless they were to get some insane offer, both those dudes are firmly in their plans going into the future. Hughes is an impact player on defense, coaches love the way he practices and McDermott wants Hughes around so younger players can see and study his work habits. Same goes for McCoy. His teammates gave him the C this year, what kind of jacked up message do you think it'd send if they trade a captain in the middle of the season for a couple of picks? It would have that locker room losing trust in their coaches and the process pretty quick to see a team leader and a well-respected teammate and captain shipped off in the middle of the season. A move like that goes against the core values they're trying to instill.

And? If Bridgewater is as good as some people believe, he'd be starting somewhere. There's also something to be said about his knee. It was a massive injury. He's potentially one hit away from ending his career. Granted, that can be said for all players but the likelihood for it happening to him is much higher because of the knee. I think that's had a lot to do as to why he hasn't received any real starting opportunities anywhere.

Thanks. And another interesting thing, yeah, not too many people know much about WNY but we hear it quite a bit when players sign here that they were unfamiliar with the area but quickly fall in love with it. Micah Hyde is a perfect example, he loves it here. He wasn't sure what to expect when he signed here but he's had nothing but positive things to say regarding the area and the fans. We might be a bunch of table-breaking knuckleheads at times but it's pretty well known around the league that Buffalo has one of the best fan bases and provides one of the most fun and entertaining tailgating and gameday experiences out there. And this comes from people not from this area. Can't remember the dude's name, but there's a sportswriter out there (Seth Wickersham keeps coming to mind but I have no idea if that's the right guy) who has seen a game in every (or nearly every) single NFL stadium, and he was on Shredd & Ragan a while back and said that his experience in Buffalo was top three out of all the places he's been. And even more recently, some Green Bay fans were signing the praises of Buffalo fans after the game up there a few weeks ago. Several GB fans approached Bills fans' tailgates and wanted to be tossed through tables. Those fans were more than happy to oblige, lol. And they weren't d*cks about it either. We ain't out here trying to hurt anyone, we just like to up the ante on what "fun at a tailgate" means to us. I'm definitely excited to see who this organization goes after at the trade deadline and this off-season.

Some wonder why Trent Murphy and Star Lotulelei got pretty sizeable deals... well, when you're meeting with free agents and being honest about the state of the team as it is right now, you're gonna have to throw down some extra to get guys to sign here. Murphy and Lotulelei are also being paid to be leaders as well. Offensive players, receivers especially, will be tough to attract. That's why I think the FO has to explore any and all trade ideas on any pass catchers before this deadline and during next off-season. Draft picks take a while to develop and again, a young offense with a young QB doesn't attract a lot of receivers, unless you find some depth guys that you're willing to give bigger chances to.

This is Josh Allen's team. This isn't EJ and Orton all over again. As soon as Allen is ready to go, he's the #1.

I wrote the following in a different Bridgewater thread: I guess I don't get the romanticizing with this guy. It's not like he took the league by storm. His stats are very similar to Tyrod's. Bridgewater in 2014 (first year he started) - finished with a 6-6 record, 2919 yards, 14 TDs, 12 INTs, 39 sacks Taylor in 2015 (first year he started) - finished with a 7-6 record, 3035 yards, 20 TDs, 6 INTs, 36 sacks - selected to Pro Bowl Bridgewater in 2015 (second year as starter) - 11-5 record (great Minnesota defense), 3231 yards, still only 14 TDs, 9 INTs, 44 sacks - selected to Pro Bowl Taylor in 2016 (second year as starter) - 7-8 record, 3023 yards, 17 TDs, 6 INTs, 42 sacks Bridgewater was injured prior to the 2016 season and that sent him on the path that saw him lose the Vikings starting job, end up with the Jets and now the Saints. Taylor had one more year as a starter in Buffalo, 8-6 record, 2799 yards, 14 TDS, 4 INTs, 46 sacks - helped end a 17-year playoff drought. Both QBs are similar in size, both have a habit of holding onto the ball too long, both have trouble seeing over the line and seeing the entire field. Bridgewater's completion percentage was a few points higher than Taylor's but not by a whole lot. So put Bridgewater behind this OL and see if the results are any better... doubtful. Plus, Bridgewater is much less mobile than Taylor, and probably even Allen.

I generally just ignore the dipsh*t "expert analysis" of dorks like this, but this colossal sack of assh*les is right up there with Ben Albright. You can tell that some of these dudes want so badly to be part of the "insider" crowd that they'll say just about anything. And Ledyard will double down on every moronic thing he says. He'd argue that water isn't wet if it got his name out there.

After Hackett coached EJ to "just run if your first option isn't there" I pretty much felt like I'd take someone who's never seen a football over Hackett. The Jaguars are what they are because they play good defense, typically have a solid run game and from time to time, Bortles gets a hot hand and has some nice games. Daboll wants to emulate New England, where they can basically run whatever kinda scheme they want based on their opponent for the week. It takes a lot to get to that point. I'd like to think he's using this season for trial and error and keeping the things they do well while trashing the things they aren't doing well and building up a foundation for an offensive identity. Once they have that down, then they can tweak it and try different things week to week. But I dunno if they'll ever really emulate what the Pats do because, well, there's only one Tom Brady. One week they're a downhill rushing team, the next they're a West Coast dink and dunk team, then they turn into a downfield air attack and sling it 45 times and run it only 8 or 10 times. You can do that when you have a QB that can really do it all.

I guess I don't get the romanticizing with this guy. It's not like he took the league by storm. His stats are very similar to Tyrod's. Bridgewater in 2014 (first year he started) - finished with a 6-6 record, 2919 yards, 14 TDs, 12 INTs, 39 sacks Taylor in 2015 (first year he started) - finished with a 7-6 record, 3035 yards, 20 TDs, 6 INTs, 36 sacks - selected to Pro Bowl Bridgewater in 2015 (second year as starter) - 11-5 record (great Minnesota defense), 3231 yards, still only 14 TDs, 9 INTs, 44 sacks - selected to Pro Bowl Taylor in 2016 (second year as starter) - 7-8 record, 3023 yards, 17 TDs, 6 INTs, 42 sacks Bridgewater was injured prior to the 2016 season and that sent him on the path that saw him lose the Vikings starting job, end up with the Jets and now the Saints. Taylor had one more year as a starter in Buffalo, 8-6 record, 2799 yards, 14 TDS, 4 INTs, 46 sacks - helped end a 17-year playoff drought. Both QBs are similar in size, both have a habit of holding onto the ball too long, both have trouble seeing over the line and seeing the entire field. Bridgewater's completion percentage was a few points higher than Taylor's but not by a whole lot. So put Bridgewater behind this OL and see if the results are any better... doubtful.

I'd be pissed if I helped put up those defensive numbers only to watch the backup QB piss it away in the last few minutes. Defense has more than done their job over the last few games and the offense just can't get out of their own way.

That kid would be broken in 417 places behind this OL. His season would've ended on his first hit.

I actually don't think they intended on trading McCarron. I think the Raiders called and offered a 5th and they were like, "Holy crap, um, OK, sure" because they likely weren't shopping him around, knowing that they probably wouldn't get much more than a 7th. They kept discussing how they felt like the QB room had a good vibe with Allen, Peterman and McCarron, but an opportunity came up to add some draft capital plus Peterman had such a good pre-season they felt comfortable enough with just him and Allen. Peterman did come in and work hard all off-season and it showed in pre-season but for whatever reason, when the real games begin, the kid implodes. IMO, Derek Anderson probably should've gotten a call right after McCarron was traded. Anyone expecting a whole lot from the offense this season is deluding themselves. They can only fix so much at a time and since it was clear they had less roster reshaping to do on defense, and with McDermott's bread and butter being defense, it made sense to build that side of the ball first, while remaining a strong running team on offense. I think the biggest monkey wrench that got thrown into these plans was unexpectedly losing Eric Wood. Can't understate his absence. Team leader for the last five, six seasons, routinely called one of the smartest guys on the team, very good at organizing the OL and making sure they were set up right for each play, etc. He's forced to retire, they find Bodine and retained Groy a year earlier, which was fine because Groy played well in Wood's absence in 2016 and Bodine was a four-year starter in Cincinnati. Losing Incognito also didn't help but given that they asked him to take a pay cut, I have to believe they felt like his play wasn't as good in 2017 as it was in the previous two years. He leaves and so they shuffle Ducasse from right to left and put Miller back in there who is only suited for specific schemes. Then they consistently swapped Groy and Bodine in and out of the lineup, never really allowing those guys to gel and get chemistry during the pre-season so of course they start the season looking like a complete trainwreck. Just over the past couple games have they started to look like a competent OL. I trust the process but I also realize that the dudes in charge, this is their first time being at the very top of the chain of command so some mistakes are bound to happen. I think they felt like they could again rely on a tough, opportunistic defense and a strong rushing game for this season while slowly bringing along their young QB with a focus on solidifying the offense in 2019. And hopefully before the trade deadline this year because if they wanna get some receiver help, next year's free agents aren't exactly awe-inspiring and any draft pick is going to take a while to reach their potential. So if I'm them, I'm on the horn daily to see if any teams have some pass catchers they're willing to part with.

Yeah, they were already in a cap mess, they weren't going to guarantee $14 million to a receiver who just came off two seasons in which he struggled with injuries and couldn't play in all 16 games. Say they offer the 5th year option and he gets hurt in the first game of the year, they're on the hook for that $14 million, they'd get zero production from him and he leaves in free agency. I'm a fan, I wanted Watkins to work out here, it just didn't happen. They made the right call by trading him for a 2nd round pick and EJ Gaines, it was either that or nothin'. The only reason Benjamin ends up here was because they found themselves in a spot with a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. So KB comes over, on his rookie deal, which is cheaper than Watkins, helps the team make the playoffs and yeah, he hasn't worked out. Sh*t happens, they'll live.

My bad. This crazy thing called "logic" must have found its way all up in my brains.

47.3 gallons of blame sauce.