[If the Bills Don’t Make it to the AFCCG, Should McDermott Be Fired?]

I have said McD has two years. If this year they make the AFC title I think he is safe for probably the foreseeable future regardless of result. But if the Bills can't make it there and lose early again with the offense not fully finding its way I 100% think 2024 would have a lot riding on his future. You do not change coaches unless you have a candidate you legitimately can be better, but the window is real with Josh and I have figured they have to about 2030 which Josh is 33 before you really see the frame moving. If you move on whoever you have is getting the last bunch of years with Allen in his prime still so you better damn well be sure it truly is the move.

[Jim Kubiak Analysis in BN]

13 minutes ago, Xwnyer said:

he needs to learn to adapt faster.

Chris Trapasso said watching it back Dorsey needs to learn run/pass balance quicker. He said once he found it the offense opened up. I think that is why the last two weeks compared to the prior 3 the offense took so long. Jags game it felt like we wanted to run and they aimed to shut it down, Giants we wanted to pass and once we switched things improved. Mix in some bad drops, penalties, and miscues like the fumble its a bad recipe if your slow to the gun.

[Where Did All The Young Men... Offenses Go?]

30 minutes ago, SoTier said:

 

You must be almost as old as me!  I think that most of the posters here aren't old enough to have any idea of the folk music movement that swept popular music in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

 

Haha I am 35 but I listen to literally everything from the 1950s on and all genres. I do happen to be a big Bruce Springsteen fan and his more folky stuff opened me to a lot of other portions of folk.

[Where Did All The Young Men... Offenses Go?]

33 minutes ago, strive_for_five_guy said:

Appreciate the different perspectives.  One thing that is confusing me - The thread title, what is a “young men…offense”?

lol it actually is a play on joke on a song by Pete Seeger "Where Have All The Flowers Gone". Long story short it is an anti war song, but in this context it fit for the title.

[Where Did All The Young Men... Offenses Go?]

29 minutes ago, Charles Romes said:

  
 

I think Kroger has improved the line stock in tough building times. Quessenberry was clearly outplayed by incubator types, and signed to an active roster immediately. 

Agreed. I am very curious how they do against CIN because both games last year the O line looked over matched for a multitude of reasons. This year they are clearly better and they also seem to have a bit more of edge

[Where Did All The Young Men... Offenses Go?]

1 hour ago, Charles Romes said:

It’s become impossible to grow offensive linemen, especially tackles, maybe due to better PED testing or kids moving to soccer instead. You really need an incubator program. I knew pass rushers were in for a big year when traffic cone quessenberry was signed to an active roster within hours of getting cut. 

def feels like getting a good lineman is luck so much anymore. I get why Beane  ow is skittish to let Brown go after Teller ended up becoming great.

[What is going on with the offensive juggernauts?]

1 hour ago, MAJBobby said:

I just wish the NFL would stop giving KC the Patriot treatment with the Refs 

 

Just saying the rough the passer call on Allen was pretty weak...

27 minutes ago, zow2 said:

I think KC is hosed.  Their D is good but I think at some point things break down for them.   Buffalo I know has better offensive weapons than KC but who knows if the D can hold up and won't sustain more injuries. 

 

NE after their run from 01-04 was pretty tired looking in the following two seasons as some guys aged out and they retooled a bit. KC reminds me of that where they are still incredibly good, but their not the level on offense they were from 2018-22. I still never sleep on them and unfortunately their schedule is pretty weak so I feel the 1 seed might still be theirs unless LAC can win finally against them and BUF/CIN/MIA/PHI can get a few defeats on them down the road.

[The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. Sunday Oct 15. NY Giants version.]

28 minutes ago, Chaos said:

THE BAD

 

1. Preparation.  Sean McDermott has been the head coach for 6 years now.  We still see too many games, where the Bills simply look unprepared.   I am sure I am hyper sensitive to the Bills in this regard.  But even when the Chiefs or Niners, or top historical teams lost, I don't recall many situation where I thought "these guys were not ready". 

 

This in factually wrong. Go to other teams boards and fan bases after a loss who we consider equal to like KC/SF and the sentiment is real. Truth is when your a fan of a team and watch weekly you know your team better then most and know what their peak play is and what their crap is. I think when your team is good year in year out you remember the high standard and anything less is failure. To me that isn't a bad attitude necessarily as much as just years of play being at a certain point. Conversely I felt during the drought days I was so use to the team being bad, when they were good I was almost surprised and waiting for the other shoe to drop.

 

I do not at all disagree that they were not prepared, but I think your other good teams the fans feel the same way. I have a post up on offenses being down across the league, I am sure KC fans are not thrilled with how their offense looks. Their saving grace is the SB's they've won and amount of success during that. I have a few Raven peeps I know who they are beyond annoyed with their team because it feels like they only play 3-4 games a year their at their best.

[Where Did All The Young Men... Offenses Go?]

Bills mafia is currently finishing burning down after another lack luster performance by the offense that thankfully this time did result in a win. Overall the Bills are fine, odds are like the last few years they are in their mid season shakes and I would expect that they will have more good days then bad even with the schedule coming up. Allen is having the best season of his career passing and 17 always gives hope even if the coaching staff has some dreadful days/decisions at times.

 

But this post is not fully dedicated to just the Bills right now. If it feels like this NFL season offenses are sluggish, games you expected as shootout's aren't, and that even the most consistent offenses are not what they have been your 100% correct. Points scored per team each game is at 21.7 which would be the lowest since 2017 which was also 21.7 ppg and before that 2009 when it was 21.5 ppg. Of the top 5 offenses in ppg in 2022 only DET/BUF are actually averaging more PPG with DET up 1.4 ppg and Buffalo .4 ppg while KC/PHI/DAL down anywhere from .7 ppg DAL to  4.7 ppg KC. We are 6 games in so we are no longer at a small sample size and while I would expect teams like KC/CIN to probably find a higher gear this season, overall offenses across the NFL have had their fair share of struggles to some truly dreadful performances across the board.

 

Is season an anomaly? Probably to some extent, since the change in rules on QB hits post 2008 when Brady got his knee tore up, the average in ppg has went from 20-21 ppg pre 2009 to 22-23 ppg with NFL offenses peaking at 24.8 ppg in the 2020 season. 2020 it was said offenses had the edge as stadiums were quieter, with no pre season defenses actually had to figure themselves out as the season went whereas smart offense minds could throw out some pretty exotic plans without a match, and you saw mesh of young elite QBs rising at once with Mahomes/Allen/Lamar/Burrow/Hurts/Herbert and older vets like Brady/Rodgers have career years. But besides 2020 from 2018 through 2021 teams were averaging over 23 ppg across the board, so 2020 while maybe inflated a little also was just the genesis of some truly wonderful offensive play.

 

So what the heck has happened? A few major changes in the game have altered landscapes and the ease of offense:

• D coordinators this year all have not only embraced the cover 2 shell to stop being beat over the top with ease, but the bend not break model on defense is your best friend against an elite QB. They are going to make their plays, but if you force them to have to earn it and add a few more plays per drive you giving yourself an opportunity for a turnover, penalty, or sack also. The cover 2 shell change in 2021 that forced the elite QBs to adjust a bit no longer is just a band aid for defenses, it has been weaponized now.
• The young QBs who took the offense explosion by force in 2018 are now paid and talent now is spread across more lineups. Tyreek Hill is probably the gold example of a player leaving because of the $ because they couldn't afford him. Hurts still has some time left, but the rest of the new guard has sizable contracts that force you to pick who you pay and how you draft. 
• Best way forever to beat a great QB is a pass rush. The talent at pass rusher whether DE/LB that has entered the league the past few years is absolutely wild. Teams are finding ways to pressure QBs better then ever while not sending the house and leaving a quality amount of players in the secondary.
• Defenses have adjusted to the mobile nature that todays QBs have brought to the table. Aaron Rodgers was the alpha for many years compared to Manning/Brady/Big Ben of a guy who could make water into wine. Russell Wilson was probably the other good example of this, but Mahomes/Allen/Lamar all entered with 2 years of each other followed by Hurts recently and Burrow/Herbert are no slouches either. Offenses had the advantage for quite a while as new fun and exciting schemes took precedent and defenses had to catch up. While now defenses have caught up as far more tape exists at this point on the best ways to stop these guys. Additionally while its great to see Lamar or Josh run 50 yards, longevity wise you'd rather them pass until it gets to a point it really matters.
• Teams have become very hesitant to play guys in preseason out of risk of injury but as more star offensive players don't play it also is taking offenses longer to get up to speed. There is no perfect answer to this, 2020 showed with no preseason it is a far more even playing field out of the get go but I truthfully would take a slow month so I have a full season vs losing my starter.
• Finally teams have embraced running the ball a bit again as the caliber of talent coming out yearly is allowing for groups of backfields that can move the ball cheaply and conversely allow lesser teams to run the clock more against higher powered opponents. I strongly doubt we ever see the halcyon days of running the ball 60-40 to pass, but it does seem to be more of a point of emphasis for the first time in a long while. 

 

While last night was slog at points I would encourage you to look more broadly at the league in general outside of Miami (as wonderkid McDaniel is doing some pretty cool stuff and still has cap run right now) because the teams that have been your standard for the last bunch of years all across the board are having issues at different points. Normally offenses have the edge in Sept/Oct before it flips Nov on, but that just has not been the way this year. On the flipside it is very possible teams like KC/BUF/CIN all hit their stride in the back half of the year on offenses and the fireworks are quite steady as the potential is there with each QB. But this is probably going to end up as one of those weird years that everyone looks back at as either a demarcation point in how defenses started attacking offenses and they got the edge for once, or the culmination of many years of of great offense play having a clunker instead.

[Week 6, NJ Giants v. Bills - Predict the Score]

8 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Congratulations to everyone who picked the Bills, well done!  With the final score of Bills 14, NJ Giants 9, the winners are:

 

Gold - @BuffaloBillies 21-12 for a total difference of 10 points

Silver - @arcane 24-10 for a total difference of 11 points

Bronze - @corta765 23-14 for a total difference of 14 points

 

See you all next week.

 

lol I guess congrats boys on correctly predicting the Bills would give everyone heart attacks for 3 hrs

[49ers: the new nfl villains ?]

59 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

McVay is arguably a better Head Coach. Honestly, as a play designer.... he a distance behind Shanny. 

Agreed

[49ers: the new nfl villains ?]

9 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

I also agree Kyle is the best play designed of his generation. There are lot of his disciples out there in the NFL as HC and OC on other teams and Mike McDaniel is good, Sean McVay is good, but neither of them are Kyle Shanahan and their offenses are just not as productive as a result. 

 

Respectfully I'd argue McVay is a little superior to Shanahan. I think Shanahan offensively is a better brain, but McVays results to me are more impressive and he has a ring plus another appearance. Kyle has 28-3 on his record which is a crappy but real blemish. Plenty of time for it to change, but McVay I think has done more at this point and truthfully comes off a little more likeable.

 

That said I would've been very curious to have seen what Kyle would've done in Buffalo when they interviewed him.

[49ers: the new nfl villains ?]

1 hour ago, GoBills808 said:

I like them because they are kind of the antiNFL darling

 

They are consistently elite w out a top QB

 

haha I think that is def cool although the data supports Purdy is at least a top 10 guy at this point. There is a reallyyy interesting situation though of whether it is the talent/system or if the QB is thee guy right now. I think it is a blend of both

[What Did You Do that Caused the Bills to Lose?]

Did not take a shot of hot sauce

[49ers: the new nfl villains ?]

I would not say they are villain's, but I do think they are a bit of the team in vogue and a lot of people have just grown tired of it especially as they don't have a ring yet (although this year could be it). Part of the exhaustion I think is that people lavish praise to max for the 49ers (most of it deservedly so) but any criticism is usually deflected away even with something like Trey Lance who they traded a boat ton for and failed to pan out with. I think Shanny is brilliant as heck and what they have built is what more teams should go for. I actually find their players very likable along with their style of play. I do find their fans to be incredibly front runner though and when the chips were down a bit in the mid 2010's they seemingly were not around.

 

Anytime a team is running as hot as they are and have there is an exhaustion factor to the rest of sports fans over time. It is like that Harvey Dent line from the Dark Knight " You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain", right now I would say the 49ers and Chiefs are probably the embodiment of that the way the Patriots/Colts/Steelers were for a long while.

[Week 6, NJ Giants v. Bills - Predict the Score]

Orchard Park Bills 23

Meadowland Giants 14

 

This game has a classic Bills win but the locals are annoyed because it wasn't 50-3 feel, also I think the Giants come out looking to at least be more competent then they have been. I think the Giants jump out to an early 7-0 lead and the Bills answer with back to back FGs entering the 2nd quarter. Finally mid 2nd quarter Cook breaks a 30 yard run to put the Bills up 13-7 at half. Buffalo gets the ball after half and moves downfield as Allen picks through the G-Men secondary but a holding penalty forces a FG. The Giants go on a time consuming drive and get a Barkley TD to only go down 16-14 entering the 4th quarter. The Bills finally break the damn on a 5 min drive as Allen gets Knox on a 20 yard TD and he angry runs it in. Danny Dimes throws an INT to Taron Johnson trying to respond and Buffalo runs clock the rest of the game eliminating a G-Man response. Again ugly victory that annoys the locals despite a 9 pt margin of victory.

 

Allen 22-29 232 yds 1 TD 32 yds rushing

Cook 77 yds 11 atts 1 TD 45 yds rec

Diggs 85 yds 6 rec

[Red color rush for Giants on Sunday night]

ugh, good news is they will win is they do well at night in red. bad news is with the giants in their throwbacks this is a major loss in style for blue over white or 90s throwback (runs and ducks for cover)

[5 Games In - Reality Check]

1 hour ago, Success said:

I think it's very possible that the last game w/ the Phins will decide the division. And that's so far away, who knows what both teams will look like at that point.  But if we can stay relatively healthy from here on out (and by that, I mean just stay within the league average in terms of players missing time), I like our chances for the division.  Outside chance for a 1 seed, and a good chance to be one of the top 3 seeds.

 

I use nflplayoffpredictors weekly to see how I think the season will go across the board. Buffalo is on a collision course right now with week at Miami being for the division. Buffalo heading into week 18 could be 11-5 which figures a 8-3 run which isn't too far out of the realm of happening as they have a bunch of winnable games with NE2x, NYJ, TB, NYG, and DEN. They do have some tough games like KC/CIN/PHI/DAL/LAC still but McD usually is .500 in those historically and they still have a lot of games left at home. So again just say 11-5 heading into Miami. The Phis themselves have PHI/KC/BAL/DAL so if they are 12-4 come week 18 which is 8-3 themselves things would be reallyyyy interesting. 

 

I have believed the Jets loss not yesterdays is the one that removed error to slip from their schedule. JAX was going to be tough with travel, Jags being playoff team that is building, and the let down from a division game. The Jets game kills because they had it won if Allen would've just stopped throwing gasoline on the fire. The AFC North has been beating itself up and if KC can get a few losses too, the Bills Phins game could actually be a legit division 1 seed game.

[Week 5, Jagoffs v. Bills - Predict the Score]

Bills 24

Jags 20

 

The Jags seem like a team figuring themselves out a bit and I won't be surprised if the second half of the season they get on a nice run. Secondly their defense while in the lower half of the league against the pass is top ten against the run. Josh Allen Jax version is a real threat, but the rest of their d-line is not as potent. During Buffalo's three game run the run game has been gashing teams, how the Bills do being able to run will either open the passing game more or allow the Jags to tighten on it.

 

I see the game being a bit back and forth and I would not be surprised if the Bills are a little sluggish in the first half down something like 13-10 at half. But second half the chariots of fire come as the offense ball controls a bit to get a 24-13 lead and while the Jags narrow it to 24-20, the defense shuts them down late as the Bills get their 4th in a row.

 

Allen 26-34 292 yds 2 TDs 22 yds rush

Cooks 11 att 53 yds

Kincaid 6 rec 89 yds 1 TD

Groot 2 sacks

[Playoff Chances Across The NFL 4 Weeks In]

1 hour ago, Gregg said:

At this point it's the Ravens division to lose. They already have road wins at Cincinnati and Cleveland.

Besides it just being an awful injury I was genuinely interest if Chubb could carry CLE to the division. Such a bummer as Watson just seems so shaky at this point I wouldn't bet on him.

[Playoff Chances Across The NFL 4 Weeks In]

1 hour ago, TBBills Fan said:

Burrow has one of those injuries that isn't going away any time soon.  The Bungles bringing him back instead of sitting him til he was actually healed may have destroyed their season

And the thing is Burrow is incredibly dependent as a passer on his timing and precision passing. he is not like Mahomes or Allen who can make it up as they go, if his body isn't right it is a major issue. 

[Playoff Chances Across The NFL 4 Weeks In]

18 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

 Jacksonville and Cincy (I think the Bengals get it going late but dug themselves too much of a hole as they probably are going to have to sit Joe Burrow for a few weeks and eat more losses they could be sitting at 2-6 or 3-5 after the next 4 weeks and still having to play KC and Baltimore)

 

I have thought the worst thing CIN did was not resting Burrow a week or two. Short term it would've stunk and they would probably fall back in division race, but now they may have to large of a hole to even make the playoffs which is even worse.

[Playoff Chances Across The NFL 4 Weeks In]

29 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

The question is who moves up to get Caleb Williams? Or, do the Bears kick Fields to the proverbial curb. 

 

Based on how it is going in CHI Town the only true way to fix that team is from top to bottom. That franchise has held onto the belief that defense wins above all and the whole "bear down mentality" etc.. Fundamentally they need a truly new vision that literally starts with a football president like the Eagles have in Howie Roseman who can then put everything into place that embraces the NFL today which rewards offense and high octane passing. If they cannot do this Caleb will be let down regardless of talent and his ability to lift a team.

 

I honestly have no idea whether Fields can or can't be the guy. I am not sure how you would know with that chaos and lack of cohesive vision across the board. He was drafted by a different GM/Coach and then year 2 got a new GM and coach. That cycle has been repeating forever there. If things do keep on pace I can see them kicking Fields out or trading him, grabbing Williams and Harrison as a selling point for fans. Their burnt out and given how they have operated it would be their MO. IF by some chance they keep Fields I can see NYG/Raiders/Vikings all trying for him. Honestly any team QB needy in the top 15 should.

[Playoff Chances Across The NFL 4 Weeks In]

17 minutes ago, May Day 10 said:

id drop baltimore down.  That division still is muddy.

 

I thought about moving them down one but I guess my thing is they are the only team in that division whose QB is functioning and playing at a high level, their defense is usually pretty good, and their already 2-0 in division. Don't get me wrong I thought pretty hard about if they were too high, but at least making the playoffs seems like a definitive yes.

1 hour ago, Gregg said:

 

I was at the game Sunday night, and I have to say the Chiefs were lucky to escape with the win. After they jumped out to big lead the Jets D did a great job keep them out of the endzone. Even the great Mahomes looked uncomfortable out there for a good portion of the game. Sucks we have to play them again as they really are a pain in the ass to the Bills. 

 

Most annoying thing with KC is the offense looks a bit more mortal, but their defense looks really stout so they are in it no matter what. The only good game their offense had was against a rotting corpse in CHI.

[Playoff Chances Across The NFL 4 Weeks In]

1 hour ago, FrenchConnection said:

The Giants are about to slide down into that Bears' territory. That team is coming apart at the seams. 

Daboll has creditability after last year and time, but they are going to have a rough road for a while. They do have injuries making it nearly impossible for having a competent attack.