Success

Well, no one is or was arguing that Brady was a bad QB or anything. And that was a stacked Bucs team. Kinda moving the goalposts there, though. The point remains - the fact that the Pats were constant faves was not just Brady.

But it IS an equation. And a logical one - most thought it was both that created the success New England had, and made them favorites every year.

Or, maybe, it's the best QB/coach combo? You're leaving the GOAT coach out of that equation.

I just pumped my fist at the Eagles pulling out a preseason game against the Pats. I realized that's probably not healthy. Does anyone hate the Pats as much as I do?

It's easy to say "fall" - just a beautiful season in Western NY, and the football really adds to it. Love the crisp weather & foliage, the apples & grapes, Halloween, even raking leaves. But I kind of like all 4 of 'em. Winter could be shorter, but I still love the snow. And who could dispute spring & summer as awesome seasons? Life is good, truly.

Allen & Mahomes are a wash. People can think Mahomes is better, and many do - but it's not significant enough in terms of the differential. You could even argue that Allen has played better in most of their matchups. Rosters are a bit of a wash, too - though the Chiefs' D has made more plays when it counts, and in the playoffs. I like McD, but Reid has solidified himself as one of the greatest of his era - in a sport where coaching matters more to winning a title than it does in any of the 3 other major sports.

Why is anyone talking about releasing him? It sounds like he can come back in December. Sure, he'll be rusty - but that will be a massive addition heading into the home stretch & hopefully the playoffs.

You know, it's really just about making the playoffs. If he can return in December, that's really the time of year we'll need him most. Obviously, terrible news, but that's a guy we need in the playoffs more than any other time. Hopefully guys like Dorian can step up.

Makes sense, though you could have ended the sentence w/ "trolling." Of course, Judon has actual production when he's healthy - and he's a real team leader and not a distraction. Aside from that...

You're not being serious w/ this, are you? Feels like you're just mailing it in these days, quite honestly.

That's certainly an interesting take. How so?

I would have LOVED Judon. Great leader, and a very talented pass rusher. Too expensive, though. On the plus side - man, are the Patriots bad now. I lived through those 2 decades - it was hard to imagine a day like today, when we rule the division, and the Pats are true tomato cans.

Cool to see that even after a couple of SB titles, you're still so obsessed w/ Buffalo that you watch an entire preseason game & exaggerate about a player's performance.

I didn't see the game, but I'm comparing the comments about Martin to his stats - his stats look good; was he bad?

That doesn't really tell anyone how he fared against Mahomes individually.

I really hope we can get back to feeling confident w/ him. It's hard to blame him for the missed kick that ended the season this year - there was a huge gust, and you could really see it. But he has just been shaky overall.

People always talk Mahomes/Allen, but Butker/Bass has arguably been more of a difference in the matchups.

How can anyone not root for the Bills? It's like the Cubs used to be in baseball. You have to be kind of a sadist to hope a fanbase continues to experience heartbreak after heartbreak.

I'm surprised at the Brady mentions. Now that he's retired, I respect what he did. Incredible overachiever - just a ton of hard work, and one of the most clutch athletes in history. My list is Gronk, Edelman - and I'd probably list those 2 guys again if I had to come up w/ 4.

Just a side note because you mentioned Belichick in the OP - I think that guy loves Allen, kind of how he felt about players like LT & Ed Reed. I think he sees a pure football player & competitor. I remember him making a bee-line for Josh after some of those games.

Probably Lawrence Taylor. Such an impact player. When I was growing up, Earl Campbell was also a fave.

Yeah - I'd really prefer stifling heat, hurricanes and shallow people. Hey, Jonnu - you'll never win the division while you're there. You'll be looking up at Buffalo literally the entire time. Allen is better than Tua, and the Bills are better than the Phins. Nyah, nyah.

I'm totally pulling for him. That was such bad luck what happened.

Like I said - wide open Shakir might have been the last time an easy TD was open like that. I think the whole debate is just indicative of how insanely nitpicky we've gotten in the internet age. I saw one fan say Allen had "rocks for brains" for making that decision. As though a QB shouldn't go for an open guy in the endzone, and should work there way down to a TD slowly like you can in a video game.

Dude, elite QB's do NOT think that way. Oh, dear - my defense can't hold up; I shouldn't take the open guy in the endzone, and just dink & dunk down to the 1, where we can easily roll in for a last second TD. Shakir being open might have been the last clean shot JA had in that circumstance. Once you get down inside the 15 and inside the 10 - defenses tighten up. There might not have been any more open looks, or even looks that weren't heavily contested. You take the open guy when you've got him. Period. You can't script a few yards here, a few yards there, eat up the clock & then magically score.