Success

I know I'm supposed to be focused on the Chiefs, but I've been poking my head in on the Pats media and message boards. It's uncanny: they're US! From 10 years ago. Talking about the importance of the upcoming draft, wondering who they should pick, trying to figure out how they can build a team to beat the Bills. And they're already as obsessed w/ Allen as we were with Brady. How do we stop him? Hey, Mac had a better rookie year than Allen did...maybe he can be just as good! Allen will eat up a ton of cap space - their window is already closing. Blah, blah, blah. And man, do they love to be Yankees fans now. Whenever the discussion turns to the Bills possibly winning it all & how "cocky" our fans would be, the standard reply is "tell them to get back to us when they've won 6."

I swear - if I read one more "they just won their Super Bowl" from Patriots fans online...

She checks every box for me. Though, to be transparent, the only box I have is "loves the Bills."

I can be very biased at times, but I try to be objective on this one. I just don't see anything that Mahomes really has over Allen. And I love Mahomes as a player. There is a lot of built-in bias against Allen based on what people thought of him at the time of the draft, and in his 1st 2 seasons. Mahomes can make a mistake and it's just normal QB error; Josh can make a mistake & it's a "regression." We actually saw that firsthand in the regular season game. Mahomes overthrew someone, and the announcers talked about the wind & conditions being the factor. Allen did the same, and it was like, "this is the knock on Allen - he still makes those errors and has the inconsistency." I would never trade Allen for Mahomes. To me, Allen is just better. He has every aspect of the game. Mahomes was the same guy his 1st full season as he is now. Allen's trajectory is a diagonal line going up, and we don't know where it lands yet.

There have been a few "who would you rather have - Mahomes or Allen?" discussions among the pundits this week. Each time, the answer is Mahomes. Which I have no issue with, but the reasoning is generally that they have the same skillsets and ability, but Mahomes improvises when a play breaks down and creates something, while Allen generally doesn't. To repeat: the reasoning is generally that they have the same skillsets and ability, but Mahomes improvises when a play breaks down and creates something, while Allen generally doesn't. I don't think people actually watch games.

Thanks, HBF - I was searching for the current protocol, and couldn't find much. That's actually really good news. I had thought they were still testing regularly regardless, and practically everyone I know has gotten this new variant.

Who else wanted 56?

Kind of hurts us, since we're the best cold weather team in the history of mankind.

I was thinking about this after the Chargers/Raiders game. The Chargers coach went for it on 4th DEEP in their own territory. That play had a huge impact on the game - in a negative way for the Chargers. I thought about the other side of it. If it was under 5 yards, and you ALWAYS went for it in that situation - what would the ultimate outcomes be? Obviously, they would depend on the offensive skill of the team doing it. You would also have to count on the defense to step up if it didn't work. But aren't we that team? Part of that is putting myself in the place of the opposing fan. If I was facing a team like the Bills or Chiefs, I would be terrified if they felt so casual about 4th down. In a game like the Chiefs, anytime we punt, we're giving the opponent a chance to score. I think it's too risky going for it as deep into the territory as the Chargers were. But closer to midfield? I don't know. I thought it would be an interesting discussion. So, I started a thread. Thoughts?

I'm probably going to watch that 1,000 times before I move on to whatever's next. What a play. Is everyone like me? Everyone I was watching with was sure it was a TD, even AFTER Hyde picked it. It was such a misdirection for the ball itself - it felt like it naturally should have gone to the receiver's hands. It really took me a few seconds to process. I'd argue - without even knowing the others - that it was a top 5 INT in playoff history, both in terms of skill & impact on a game.

Yes! We did have that debate. Kelly Holcomb! For the record, I was Team Holcomb. It's amazing to think about that now. I can't remember where EJ ended up. I talked myself into him being "the guy", too. I even had a week where I was all in on Tuel (until that pick 6 against KC - they're getting payback for that on Sunday).

Are we all taking enough time out to truly appreciate this? I could go through the quest we've had since Kelly, but everyone knows it. I mean, we had a friggin' debate about Edwards vs. Losman. It was a long wait. But man, it really paid off. It's actually realistic that Allen could be in the GOAT conversation in 10 years (and no, I'm not predicting that - but it's not crazy).

I watched the Saturday game again. I literally don't recognize that O-line. Allen spent the 1st half of the season+ running for his life in back there. Now, he could fix a snack while he's surveying the field. It's awesome.

They should just let everyone play for the playoffs if they feel well enough.

Bayless only talks about Brady, anything related to Brady (Belichick), the Cowboys, and Lebron.

This won't be popular - but I have always appreciated Belichick, and even Brady. I hated that the Bills had to face them twice a year, but they're both legends, and if you're a football fan, they're at the top of the game. It was the fans that made me dislike the team so much.

I'm waiting for the "30 for 30." What if I told you that revenge is a dish best served cold.....

I was not like you. I was a mess on Saturday. Toward the end of the Pats dynasty years, I started looking at any match-up with them like I look at a dentist appointment. Something very unpleasant that I can't avoid, and just have to get through. That conditioning stayed w/ me through Saturday. I was confident in the team, but had the worst feeling - I felt like Belichick had some crazy plan that would knock us off balance, and they'd sneak one out again like the wind game. I have watched sports for decades. That was the single greatest sports viewing experience I have ever had, bar none. There was so much weight on that game in terms of changing the narrative about both teams and truly announcing that the Bills are here to stay, and have put the Patriots' demons permanently behind them. Pure joy. It took that Bostonian cloud that's been lingering above my head & blew it into another universe. Great write-up.

I feel like we'll have a chance to win a SB for many years now. But, this could be the best version of the Bills we see under JA. There is no way to really know - but now that the O-line & run game are performing so well, we really have no weaknesses. Combine that w/ a "middlin'" year for the league in general, where there is no clear favorite - and it feels like we have to take advantage of this opportunity. We can beat any of these teams right now, especially with the way we're playing. Personally, I'm ready. I always said I never wanted to go back until we had a team that I was confident could actually win the thing - and this team can.

They conducted the offseason like they were going all in for a run in the short-term. I was concerned. But I think it's become clear that Belichick - while still an all-time great - is not the same without Brady. Brady made his job as GM easier. Taking pay cuts to clear cap space, attracting good FA's to take pay cuts just to play with him, being able to turn receivers into stars. People were praising BB for the construction of this year's team - "The rest of the league zigs, and he zags! Checkers/chess!" But he's not winning w/ that team. He'll have to figure out how to navigate a conference that now has a bunch of elite QB's, while he has a game manager & aging vets.

That feeling when he smashes a phone...or walks off the field after the worst defeat of his career & his defense allowing the NFL's only perfect game in history? I want to chase that feeling.

Allen and Beane are going to be an epic combo. Conventional wisdom now is that your window starts to close as soon as the QB is off his rookie deal, and consumes a ton of cap space. I tend to reject that anyway, since a LOT of vet QB's have won SB's - but I have a ton of faith in Beane to continue to manage that & surround JA with good and great players no matter what the circumstances.

Our top 4 WR's all had significant injuries in the AFCCG. Smoke had his knee, Davis his ankle, Diggs his oblique and Beasley was playing on a broken leg. At the end, Allen simply had to force it because guys weren't getting open. They can't cover us this year. Their O may be able to keep up, but the Bills are scoring points this Sunday.

Honestly, they're drought-era Bills right now. We always had good defenses in that time, and a good running game. That's what they have. Maybe a little more hope w/ Mac Jones - but who's to say he won't go the way of Trent Edwards or any one of a # of QB's who we were excited about early on, but didn't pan out? A lot of their good players are getting older, too. That isn't a very young roster overall.

I think he's the guy who interfered w/ Knox on his 2nd TD catch.