corta765

To me its like the Thanksgiving game. Not ideal but if you win the rest of that weeks football watching feels good. Lose though and it ruins it all.

Agreed. I think everyone thought too Knox would've taken some of those targets, instead he just was the same as prior.

Were taking baby steps people!

Agreed I was one who thought it would've been lock step progression without issue. Unfortunately at times he looked like a 1st year coordinator which was not ideal and in the playoffs it all seem to come to a head. I had expected some hiccups but figured he would've grown out of them as the season progressed and that never happened. Daboll in 2018 really didn't have much other then Josh talent wise, but I could appreciate scheme wise what he was trying. Even in 2021 when he had some off games it was in part for trying to almost be too exotic not too predictable. I need Dorsey to take a step and realize having talent in places does not over rule good scheme design and sometimes your best friend is a simple 4-5 yard slant or out route. I loved in the AFC title it was 3rd and 2 and Cincy did a designed QB draw for Burrow who ended up going 10-12 yards for the first. Nothing wild, no 40 yard deep throws, just get the first and bite on the fact their line isn't expecting it. I do think he will improve and with some talent infused at WR/OL it will allow some growth, the key is how much. I will say this Crowder's injury hurt more then people realized. The plan was for him to get the majority of snaps at WR3 with McKenzie mixed in. His numbers coming in were identical to Beasley in prior years and he was a really steady dependable pass catcher in years prior. We never got to see how that would've shaken out.

I still have Bills-PTSD from that game.

Bingo. It was a collective failure by the offense across the board and in a sense the culmination of an offense that felt off identity-less the back half of the season. From the Packers 2nd half on the only two games I thought the offense looked good with a plan was the Pats night game (run the ball and strike with passing when needed) and 2nd Phins game (burn their secondary and Josh was super Josh). Other then that it felt so often like you didn't know if a drive was going 3 and out, 14 play TD, stall midfield etc.. because they were never consistent enough with anything other then getting the ball to Diggs. When you can eat a teams offensive line with 3 - 4 rushers top any QB is going to have a problem and Dorsey never adjusted enough to stunt any of this. I actually thought Josh was fine for the most part, wasn't obviously his best day but he was one of the few guys who did anything. More then anything on offense this offseason even more then adding a WR/OL I really would like to see Dorsey create a true identity and stick with it while also mixing some creativity from window dressing on player movement to jet sweeps etc.. to diversify things. We can add Mike Evans and Quintin Nelson, but without a better scheme that is more consistent it won't matter.

This was really well written and agree with most of it especially the idea they were not good enough and couldn't hit the hurdles at the end which requires a mix of factors. I don't think Josh having MVP season matters that much. He still was top 5 for most peoples ballots and if anything this season showed how much he can cover up (a lot) despite an immense amount of pressure and lack of support. Your point on one play with Josh not having time rings incredibly true. Once teams started doing what the Packers did in the 2nd half, double Diggs and dare Josh to beat them while they only rushed 3-4 it really became dicey on offense without a ton of composed sustained drives. It with very chunky and at points Josh turning water into wine type situations. For a QB who then had an injury right after this had to impact his mental mechanics that his line constantly was breaking down and after a while you start feeling like you gotta press. Josh had his flaws for sure as the GB/NYJ/MIN stretch he was incredibly sloppy with the ball and it 100% cost us against MIN. You also saw with that the growing pains of a new OC where at points he really had it right and other times not at all. One of my biggest frustrations in the CIN game was after the 2nd drive you can see your being eaten alive at the line so you adjust tenfold. No screens, no slants, no outside runs or sweeps, nothing to work the middle of the field with Knox and Beasley who both were catching balls etc.. It was a very frustrating game plan that screamed inexperience which in turn exposed your flaws even more. But they know they have to add around Josh to give him some time and some guys to help. Dorsey is getting one more year so fine show you have evolved and work some easier passes in for Josh to add some rhythm. The offense to me is fixing some parts and adjusting the scheme to be a little more friendly while creative and taking a little more what is given to you. The defense is the main source of concern which stems to coaching to me. I agree McD is not going anywhere at this point, but the scheme and philosophy has gone as far as it can even factoring in injuries. You rarely field a fully healthy perfect roster and sometimes you are out guys. Von is a game changer and it showed, but Von was not the reason the Bills allowed a 3rd and 4 conversion, playing 8 yards off the line did that. Fundamentally the defense seems to eat lower to mid level offenses alive, but come resistance with bigger teams or the playoffs when it matters they can't raise the bar. They are going to lose Poyer, maybe Edmunds although I think he stays and patience is needed for Hyde/Von/White to all find themselves. Coaching can raise and hide flaws, it can also create holes and weakness. Fundamentally coaching and scheme need a change because even with the upcoming attrition there is enough talent in Von/Milano/Tre/Hyde/Groot/Johnson and Edmunds as a if he stays to field a competent defense that isn't a sieve against bigger competition and take advantage of a banged up offensive line.

Typically the owner has to sign off on that type of thing. When the Colts and Jags played a while back part of it was because it was inevitable given the opponents the Jags have and Andrew Luck being there to finally get a marquee player/team in and the Colts just happened to be division. But its the NFL sooo ... lol

Jax is heading though to Buffalo and they could easily say will just stay the ahead or after the game they host. They would have the advantage of time adjustment, knowing the area, neutral site, and preparation vs. going to Buffalo where they don't have any of those. Denver was not announced as one of the five teams hosting a game abroad, it was BUF, TEN, JAX, KC, & NE.

I feel like it is smart move on Jax if you can just stay another week in a row. It is still a neutral site game which helps them and they know the place way better then Buffalo. Hopefully for the Bills if they play the Jags it is a better ending then last time 💀

So with the upcoming London game I was pretty sure the Bills would play the Raiders as I thought Brady was going to go there and that was an easy matchup for marketing and exposure. But with him retired (will see lol) I think it reopens the door to a few opponents now. Just to recap Euro games almost never feature division games, it happened once with Colts Jags which was destined to happen as the Jags play there yearly but otherwise it is generally avoided. The NFC East home games against NYG and DAL are for sure not gonna be moved as those are once in every 8 years and both are big market draws. With the division games scratched and two NFC east games scratched I leaves these four and I have ranked them accordingly. Obviously FA and the draft can change this: 1. Denver - With Sean Payton going to Denver it is a perfect redemption story arch and it gives some buzz to the game. Denver did play in London last year, but that has not prevented the NFL from putting teams there for two straight years. I would imagine the game would be earlier in the Euro timeframe which starts in October and ends in early Nov. 2. Jacksonville - They made the playoffs, they have Lawrence, and they actually could benefit playing back to back weeks in England as they host one every year. Instead of traveling back they would already have a routine and the time zone change adjusted for which is a sizeable advantage. 3. Vegas- They still have some decent players, but realistically they might be fourth now in division. If Rodgers goes there I could see them jumping to #1, but they need a splash at QB to make a move up. 4. Tampa Bay - They regressed badly last year with an aging lineup that now doesn't have a QB. The NFL is pretty committed with their Euro games and they at least try in advance to put games that are potential duds from happening. Let me know what you think might happen

You mean you don't want some drunk dude peeing all over next to year creating a splash zone and puke on the floor?

So if you think there is a guy in the draft that can be your guy long term and you think Bates can do fine for a year or two as you grow that player then move on from Morse OR ask for contract restructure. I do not disagree he is older despite playing well and another concussion could be it, but you can't just up and cut him considering how important he has been for Josh. We all remember the glorious Russ Bodine experiment!

I would agree but Beane is super big on keeping guys they drafted. I think Buffalo is going to do everything they can to sign him because of that. If Chicago doesn't get him as I have read they may have interest, I can see him staying.

If you look at Manning, Brady, Big Ben, Rodgers, Brees once they got paid they all had years where sometimes you felt like "wow their team looks really good this year" and other years the looked more mortal as a result of losing players with the cap crunch or some not ideal drafting left a roster more barren then other years. That is where the Bills are now, how they address the issues this offseason will dictate many people's feelings. If they add a truly good OL or two and draft a top WR with Edmunds still here I probably will feel good with the team on paper even with some attrition losing Poyer and some others (Dorsey and Frazier a whole different issue, hope to god Dorsey evolves/Frazier should've been canned). But if they run back a similar offense without much added, Edmunds and Poyer leaves, etc.. probably will feel more like a down year. Regardless it is the nature of having a top QB, the last 3-4 years the roster was relatively fit with no real holes and you could use the resources as you wanted. Now you have to pick carefully and hitting a draft can create a potentially stronger roster, but missing and you really are scrapping to fill the gaps. Jeremy White on WGR has brought up how the best QB's go through 3-4 different core's of players in their career, Josh is probably entering a new one as Poyer will most likely join Brown, Beasley, and a few lesser players of ex Bills. Wouldn't be surprised if Morse is cut if he won't rework his deal. Long story short hitting for a real on guys in this draft and next would be pretty big towards giving the team some options roster wise again with money and cap help.

He is where most fans are at this point. They can/should breakthrough as they have a good base built with an elite QB, but time has passed without any success so some fair questions are now being posed because something is not working. Doesn't mean it is over by any means, but four years of Josh in his true prime has led to 0-4.

Did I miss what our new cap number was?

With Allen's cap hit now part of the equation I am at a similar point. They should be a playoff team yearly as long as Josh is healthy, but where they go with that fluctuates so much. Right now if they try running again back a similar group and unit it just feels like a burnout Ravens esq where you can compete but your fighting with less of a full deck by your own doing.

Honestly I won't know how I feel until we get free agency, draft, how schedule lays out, etc... They have some holes specifically at WR/OL that I need to see improvement on to feel better, but overall they are running back a lot of the same guys. My current feeling is lukewarm based off where they are at this moment personal and coach wise and they feel like a team who may have a down year where it is a wildcard team. But again so much needs to happen across the board it is pointless to put a target or goal up. They have Allen so I expect them to be a playoff team and have a shot yearly because of it, how I feel about that shot will change as the offseason progresses.

Pretty much the same. Overall C+ not including Diggs, including Diggs then it is a B+. You got some average starters out of it but missed on a DE and RB you hoped could be more then being replacement level.

Syrod Saylor....? lol

100% true. I distinctly remembered for the 2014 the day before it leaked Buffalo they were gonna trade up and take Sammy to the point I remember looking at a coworkers screen who found the post.

Yea that is a new wrinkle as is the flexing of MNF games this year. I can easily see the Bills starting with four night games (2 MNF, TNF, SNF) and then the back end of the season from week 12-13 on you see matchups either division or in conference that have the ability to get moved so were not stuck with the Broncos flaming out like last year.

That is not fully true. The same way teams can make requests on where they play to open the season, end the season, their bye, primetime games etc... the networks do get some say to the NFL. CBS got KC at 4:25 so I would assume it reverts back to night, FOX probably would get the Bills PHI and as it is the first time in a few years I would also get a 4:25 national spot. CIN I would think by be MNF again or otherwise at night as this year went sideways. But you are correct the days of CBS/FOX being specific to one conference are evolving into more the league itself and the NFL can dictate matchups in spots they want.

I came over from there after the great purge.