Success

He was solid the 1st couple of games. Today was quiet, but they got some other guys like Sherfield involved.

Was "Payton is a good coach" a mirage? Does he get inordinate credit because of that onside kick & SB win? Kind of reminds me of how Fisher sustained a career on one close SB.

Some of the guys who have been criticized in the past are really stepping up their games: Oliver, Epenesa, Bernard, Davis, Benford, Brown, Groot, Cook. Bass is an excellent kicker. Even guys like Hodgins & Moss can hardly be considered busts, even though they're w/ other teams now. He's building this team the right way, and the best way that you CAN build a team once a big QB contract kicks in. My optimism for the future is unbridled at the moment.

They barely beat the Jets in both games last year. The 2nd game was tied 3-3 with under 10 seconds to go.. Belichick's hate vs. NY losing 14 in a row to the Pats and desperate to end that streak. I give the Jets a chance, for sure.

Belichick has almost become a myth here & around the league. Conventional wisdom is that his job is secure no matter what. But Kraft has expressed frustration w/ the lack of playoff success since Brady left. And the game does pass some of these legendary coaches by. The vibe I get when I check in on the Pats boards is that things could get dicey if things go really south for that team. And an 0-3 start would almost be guaranteed to be an 0-4 start w/ Dallas next on their schedule Could there be big changes in New England if this season end up w/ a losing record and another playoff miss?

Great post. You listed it, but that Ravens playoff game was a master class. He knew exactly how to defend that team.

I distinctly remember not being worried for even a second of that game. Man, was that a team.

Not a chance. Rousseau is the next Parsons.

Elam for Parsons. Who says no?

I don't know. If my job description was "hang out on the practice squad, don't get hit, make money" - I think I'd stick it out.

As long as you accept that you're going to see hot-take clowns with bombastic opinions that have little to do w/ reality, these shows are totally fine.

Maybe it's naive, but going to a game should be a positive experience for everyone. I was at a Yankees game last year where 3 fights broke out in my section. It was all just big testosterone, and as toxic as you could imagine. A dude next to me had brought his daughter to her 1st game, and she was sobbing the whole time. It was really sad. That should be a great memory for a parent & kid, and it ends up being something they probably never want to talk about again. What happened to just good-natured trash talk and ribbing? It's sports. People get so out of hand about it.

Gotta say - a huge pet peeve of mine is opposing fans lazily saying that Buffalo is a terrible place to live. Western NY is friggin' awesome. Not only a beautiful area in general, but the people are incredible. City of Good Neighbors & all that - it's a true story. I've lived in other places, and it's not the same. If you don't like snow, it might not be the greatest. But otherwise...

Why is the KC guy cracking up at my take? Because I'm not bowing down in worship to the mighty Mahomes? It's a Bills board. We can only sing so many praises for the SB champs.

Some really good stuff in there. I have watched Benford a lot in the games so far. He's the real deal, imo. A true late round gem.

He was great for us. I wish we could have kept him, but 100% get the decision, and I'm glad it looks like Bernard is going to work out. I don't think Bernard will be as good against the run as Edmunds was, but he has a great skillset nonetheless. It doesn't feel like a big dropoff right now, which was the offseason fear.

I always knew Chris66 would stop posting here when the tables turned w/ the Bills & Pats. His act was so obvious - and he'd always give the usual "I'm just here for the good football discussion," while taking one potshot after another at the Bills and their futility at that time.

Feel bad for Browns fans. This is a tough guy to root for.

Burrow is definitely hurting. I have no doubt about how good he is. I think that calf injury is affecting him. But pundits and fans sure were quick to anoint KC/Cincy & Mahomes/Burrow as #1 & #2 (not unlike last year, where it was KC/Buffalo). It's going to be interchangeable every year, with more teams in the mix. I think the "big 3" in the AFC this year will actually be Baltimore, Miami & Buffalo. Overall, I'm encouraged about the landscape for the Bills. Going into the season, the AFC looked brutal. Teams like KC, Cincy, Jax, the Chargers - all look more beatable than I would have expected. Obviously, it's early, but I think we have a good shot of breaking out of the pack this year.

These kinds of stories are really repugnant. Why is sports fandom so damned toxic? It's completely out of hand online, and that spills over into real life. It's like opposing fans have become "enemies" or something. We forget everyone is just a regular person, working jobs & getting through life & wanting to just support their team and have fun doing so. There is almost a dehumanization of opposing fans. It's turning me off to the game to an extent. I want positive experiences in my life - not toxic BS and hate. Condolences to the victim's family. How do they even make sense of something like this?

Man, I thought I had a good memory!

Still looks pretty challenging to me. The league is a bit different this year. The only team I'd call "elite" right now is probably Dallas. Miami is close, but could be 0-2 if a few plays went differently. We're top tier, but there is a lot of near-parity out there. I don't see too many easy games.

It's kind of fun to read what younger Pats fans are saying out there. A lot of "why should I spend my time watching a mediocre team?" And it's a serious sentiment. It's not a bad question in the context of life. I kind of wish I had the countless hours of painful Bills viewing from about 2 decades back. It just bummed me out most Sundays. But, it's also part of being a fan, if you sign up for that overall experience.

What that man has done to increase his completion % since he entered the league - it's almost unprecedented. I think Favre also increased his % significantly over the years, but there aren't that many others I recall doing this. Buy, ya know - he just doesn't have that "dawg" in him, or whatever.

Honestly, a tip of the cap to the mighty hoodie. That was something else, and as soon as it happened, it was like, how has no one else thought of this? He should have kept it in his back pocket for a bigger game, imo. I can see multiple variations of that kind of disruption. Obviously, teams will prep better for it now. But in some ways, it seems like that move in "Karate Kid" for which there is no real defense. Gotta wonder if we'll try a wrinkle or 2 in that respect, but at minimum, we need to prepare for it. Thoughts?