corta765

Anyone care to explain to the OP what happens if they go 3-2 and how if it comes to AFC tie breakers they are woefully behind. Agreed. Go 4-1 and you are in and feeling good about a win over NE or TB to right the ship on some of the losses you've had. If NE is the win you might even get the division as long as they lose another game. But go 10-7 and you are tempting some really bad fate.

Relatively speaking the rest of JFK was perfectly fine besides his head having gunshot wounds.

Agreed. My biggest complaint with soccer is the flopping and acting like you were shot 7 times over. But my understanding is it is just because refs buy into these moves so the players do it until it doesn't work. Same concept here and any player not working it is failing in my eyes.

Only ultimatum I have is don't drink and drive

The most disappointing thing for me this season is how vanilla our approaches have been on defense and offense. Like you said given the way the game was go 5-2 and throw the extra d man out there, especially in the wind load the box 9 low and dare Jones to try and throw in that crap. I read BB was going 6 O Lineman last night. Why didn't the Bills do that on a Jet sweep or something with Josh in the redzone on one of the final drives. Virtually no play action, one designed run, no jet sweep, etc.. As I said of the five seasons as coach this is without a doubt the worst job they have done.

He flew across the atmosphere

Agreed. The offense talent wise is certainly more dynamic even with the line play being weaker. The biggest fall is Singletary who year one was sublime but never reached those levels. What really is wild is the Bills are a Josh Allen QB sneak conversion/TD & one good drive vs JAX from being 9-3 even with the Pats loss. The self inflicted pain, poor coaching from in game adjustments to game plan, and truthfully a little bad luck really has hurt this year. If you want to think positively lets say the Bills beat CAR/NYJ/ATL like they should, can you rely on Josh to have one baller game that he wins us TB or NE. I would say yes, but the realist in me sees some area of the lineup hurting his success which costs us that game given how our season has gone.

Which is why I said a mix of those two teams and underperforming plus bad luck and bad coaching.

I would say more our offensive line does not run block well. The offensive line passing is fine when healthy, not saying it is great but its good enough for what is needed. Upgrades will be needed next year obviously and I agree the RB situation is just a hodgepodge that can't figure itself out. The Zach Moss pick is looking like a real miss for what was expected vs his actual production. I think though whatever injury he had last year still is impacting him this year.

This team feels like 2019 mixed with 2020 mixed with worse luck (0-4 in one score games), bit worse coaching decisions, and the team not performing at the heights on offense or defense as the 2019 or 2020 squads but not being terrible either. Much was said that this year the offense would be great again and with the defense rebounding we would be unstoppable, but no one considered what if the defense was just solid not great and the same with the offense.

A thought I have had is this Bills team is like 2019/2020 mixed with some slightly worse luck, bit worse coaching decisions, and play that is closer to the mean then the defense or offense playing on fire as each side did those years. Also I was looking it up and Allen does not have a single 4th quarter comeback this year and he has 10 the three years prior. He has basically covered their a**es a bunch and this year it hasn't gone our way bringing up some unfortunate discussions and possible truths. I commented this earlier in the week but it was never realistic to think NE would always be down or that another division opponent wouldn't rise (outside the Jets lol). Bills with Allen have at least 10 years here they will be in the mix but some years will be rockier then others. Don't get me wrong I wish we throttled NE and they were not the team they are but like you said here we are. Flip side is they will have more shots in upcoming games and years to prove otherwise. I am not sure whether the drought or the NE domination for so long has been worse for Bills fans psyche when it comes to playing them. Flipside is lets just say they take the division and we are a WC team, next year they get the tougher schedule, the pressure, etc.. It is forever easier to hunt then be hunted.

No 4th quarter comeback this year. 0-4 in one score games, Buffalo either wins big basically or loses hyper close (minus IND which seems like our yearly implosion game that happens). Since Allen started he has had 10 4th quarter comebacks (tied or down): 2018: Titans, Jags, Lions (at Miami SHOULD be here also THANKS CHARLES CLAY ) 2019: Jets, Bengals, Titans, Steelers 2020: Rams, Phins, Pats Usually he is at his best in these situations which is why the three losses to TEN, JAX, & NE are in a sense stunning to me because Josh has bailed them out so many times I honestly would've figured by now he did it at least once. Truthfully if you are looking for a real positive he has played and proven to be a franchise QB this year and odds are he will probably single handily win them a game that at least clinches the playoffs in some capacity.

McD has seemingly played conservative since the Titans loss which is probably my biggest gripe on the season as that seems to have seeped to every area of the team.

I get what your saying and depending on this season some true warning lights may be coming on the dashboard. Since McD got here my faith has grown and last year certainly was big step forward. It is concerning though that seemingly every time expectations raise when they have success they have some major fits with it. The Pegulas I think want McD long term the way PIT does with Tomlin, Ravens John H, or the Giants have had only a few coaches etc... for stability. With that said I could see that by 2023-24 the hot seat warming for real if the team keeps spinning its wheels.

This year has been kinda a sports evolution year for me for two reasons: 1. AFC Title. Once we made it there finally!, it reset my expectations and also kinda grounded me from living and dying on every play. 2. Had my second child, my wife got COVID (recovered thankfully), and my mother in law got diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Football stopped mattering nearly as much for what really is important. I do not mean to put people down either saying that as if it is your thing to max that is awesome and good for you. But life for me hit a major refocus and losing my mind and ruining my week over a game played by millionaires lost its importance.

Let me first start off by saying yea last night stunk and for many fans a gut punch of the worst kind. For others the Bills lived up or rather down to the fears they expected. With all of that said lets be a little bit rational with our approach and thoughts as fans. I 100% understand your feelings if you want McD gone as this does not feel. If you feel like that or some other pretty strong feelings understand that what I say below probably won't satisfy your feelings today and come back a few days from now haha With that said here we go: McD Bad Coaching Year: Lets just go out and say this has been his worst year coaching and truthfully the coaching staffs worst year since he started in 2017. As I said above if you want him fired I get your frustration, but use some perspective or come back 2 days and read this. The standard has changed and elevated since McD has gotten here which is awesome and something he deserves heaps of credit for. Within 5 years we went from just hoping to break the playoffs to accepting that a title is something we should at least hope for. The flipside of that is the Bills have climbed the proverbial mountain to the point there is much left to climb other then a title so successes feel less big and failures larger. A year after his best coaching job his team just looks all over the place and that goes straight to the top. Last nights game alone was a synopsis on the coaching issues that have frustrated many: -Down 8-0 in a game where scoring was coming at a premium the Bills get a TD and then.... kick a FG to still be down. One of the best things about McD the prior two years was the teams evolution to playing a burn the ships type mindset. If we lost we lost throwing everything out there right down to the kitchen sink. What difference did it make going for two vs FG. Either your tied or your down, didn't make a difference. This type of in game questioning has been constant all season and since the Titans loss when they went for it on 4th down the team has looked incredibly nervous and conservative as if that game short circuited him. -The offense which had a solid identity on offense the prior two years (2019 strong running team with complementary passing, 2020 fast passing attack) just looks lost at points and uncreative. Like the other losses (minus IND) there was a lack of play action, movement pre snap, running Josh on a night he could've and should've been used and just general creativity. -Many weeks the Bills have looked like a team expecting success just because they have in the past. I have said this in numerous posts but the first four seasons I never once questioned the play and intensity of the team. This year in multiple wins and losses I have questioned what the heck they are doing and their focus. This goes back to the guy leading the team. Yes this team seems to have a propensity to not doing well with tough line play, but prior Bills teams overcame talent issues like this and managed. This team just hasn't been able to do so. -Buffalo many weeks seems to be playing catch up with game design rather then dictating what is happening which again goes back to the coach. Defenses across the NFL have adjusted to years of high passing attacks to forcing a more patient approach something the Bills just don't seem fully adjusted to. So yea if you feel McD has been bad this year your right to an extent. Many of the things above he was far better at in the prior years and mixed with the highest expectations the club has had in a while its a combo of puke all at once. With that said this isn't the end even if the season does go off the cliff for good. Sports are not linear and for coaches the most difficult thing in my opinion once your team has had success is managing expectations and focus. Many times coaches themselves have to fail before they learn that themselves. There is a laundry list of coaches and teams (1989 Bills are a popular one brought up here) who after the first big break through regress a bit before moving forward for real. I said a month ago this was the biggest challenge McD had faced since he became coach and the Peterman mess, right now he seems to be losing this challenge. Daboll: I already covered some of this but he has had a bad year also. Part of this stems though from what is looking like an ideology clash between Sean and Brian. I think Sean has seen enough this season and is trying to tell Daboll to run and balance things more. Daboll to me is been vanilla and lacked creativity, but I also think he understands the Bills are at their best passing with how they are designed. Neither are right and neither are wrong, but part of the lack of identity comes from what seems to be the clash of these ideas. The biggest issue to me is they are protecting Josh too much. In far too many games that were close like NE or JAX they barely used Josh as a runner. Listen I get running your franchise QB is a risk, but he is also really good at it and the defenses have been leaving it out there. The same with play action or pre snap movement which are both things Allen excels at. For whatever reason the play design and calls have been incredibly porus. With that said Josh and Sean would both credit a lot of Joshs growth to Daboll. Regardless of where this season goes I would expect him to be back next season and the offense is going to evolve a bit to a bit more like the 2019 style that runs a bit better to setup Josh's best assets. Allen- It is funny I was nervous of regression from Allen, yet his numbers are pretty close to equal from last year and overall he has had another strong year. If there is one thing I miss from Josh it is the end of game killer instinct. Prior to this year he has had multiple game winning drives each season and generally seemed to thrive. Whether it is the offense, bad luck, some poor play, or just the way the cards have fallen he is 0-4 this year after last night which is a little surprising to me. The Bills were 5-1 in one score games last year vs 0-4 this year so some of it is statistics working there way back, but I do agree that he has been a little off in an area you could always count on him. With that said last night was not on Josh he was one of the few bright spots and it sucks I left feeling the team let him down. Playoffs/Division: Football is the dumbest sport out there because of how things change so fast week by week. Despite the loss Buffalo could lose win out there last 4 games and with a NE loss still win the division. I do not expect that to happen as I think the Jags game on has exposed them a bit as just not being there year, but no one knows anything. The eye test doesn't sit too good right now, but win the next two games and the NE rematch feels different. I guess what I am saying is it is 1000% fair to feel like this is looking pretty dire, but this is a really really weird sport where weird reigns supreme. The Bills to me look like a 6-7 seed playoff team that we will all look and say after losing well they came close and repeat all the issues we've said all year for their loss. Long Term: I understand that everyone wants the offensive line overhauled and the defense to get better at pass rushing in the offseason. There is absolutely room for both, but the bigger picture for me is what direction is the league moving in and how do the Bills stay with. The Bills have a lot of talent across the board and the biggest thing they need to do which they failed at in my eyes this offseason is evolving that talent whereas the Bills just seemed to bring the band back from round 2. Improving the lines is a needed fix, but just is needed is adding players who will maximize our best players talents. Identity keeps being the buzz word, but for good reason and it will be the largest question that needs addressing on offense especially for what they want to do. The same goes for the defense in terms of addressing the run. It is easy to say they need another run stopper, the bigger question is adding people who don't take away from the Bills success against the pass. That is all I have to say. If you read this thank you regardless of whether you agree or it angered you or your indifferent. This has been a frustrating season of sorts as at points the Bills have looked like title contenders and at other points the look like a team that is drafting mid round. If you were at last nights game credit to you for sticking it out despite the weather and end result. The Bills are just 3-3 at home which is pretty annoying as a fans considering the energy the fans put in and support for the team.

2014-2017 Bills then

Denver reminds me of the Bills 2013-14 Defense is good enough to win 10-11 games with, but offense is porus enough to stop that.

I already view the Pats that way which is why to me tonight's another game nothing more nothing less. It simply comes down to the fact we have an MVP caliber QB which we have always wanted with a good roster. Once you have that guy as far as I am considered its about the big picture every year which is SB. I fully expect that over the next 10 years plus while Josh is the dude the Pats, Phins, & maybeeee the Jets... (honestly who the hell knows with that org) to be good and be threats to the division on conference in general. That doesn't change the goal or expectation other then that if we lose I will ask what our guys did to lose it. Pre Josh yea I probably would've hyped this game up like everyone else, but the expectations of where we should be and what we should do have changed everything. I understand why a lot of fans are the way they are, but this last week has been borderline insufferable with how fatalistic Bills fans have been. Truthfully I love these games its what sports are about. If the Bills want to view themselves as a title team then win, if you don't it is not the end of the world either though and I will not let it destroy the big picture. God willing thanks to Josh and the team Buffalo's established we will have 3-5 games yearly fans feel like this. I do agree when it has been this long it's hard to move past what occurred before, but since 2017 Buffalo has proven to be a good team and fans need to really trust that more then they do.

In the grand scheme this game is not as important as apparently everyone in buffalo is making it out to be. They could lose tonight and win out and take the division. They could win tonight and only lose the Pats game after this and still win the division. The amount of drought level fear with Bills fans right now is nearing the point of fatally pathetic.

We have literally the most insecure fanbase ever

As a Bills fan I would say Buffalo fans have a gigantic insecurity issue with Boston teams in general. I think it actually stems from the fact Boston fans culturally are far similar to Buffalo fans personality wise then a market like NYC or Chicago etc... which is similar in size. Then throw in 20 years of the Pats running rough shot and its perfect combo for some true jealously and outlandish takes. Personally I agree that Boston is a superb sports town and the Pats are at least 3 on the totem pole as Soxs and Celts are the kings when they are good. The Pats prior to Kraft/Parcells were never a premier team in the NFL, but they have evolved into at least a solid fanbase at this point which as a division rival infuriates our fans even more. I don't see why that is an issue for the fanbase to become something as I think for any of the "elite" fanbases (Packers/Bills/Steelers) having success only helps to grow the energy you see now. For major markets like a Boston area success breeds into a large semi obnoxious following but that is partially media created (same way Dallas is so big despite nothing since 96). Browns fans are like the lone wolves in the success thing/popularity, but that's partially recency bias. Through most of the Browns history until they basically moved they were one of the more respected franchises despite no SB.

Brady was looked at as a decent to good QB 2001-2003. 2004 he took off where you could say "Ok this cat is a different breed" as not only did he win his second SB the year prior, but he had a superb season as NE dominated throughout and then another really nice playoff. Prior to that there was no doubt NE made the right decision to keep him, but he wasn't the best or even Top 5 QB at the time.

Yea figures with the Jets being the Jets but through 2004 Pennington was very good for them and the 2004 season they should've made the AFC title as Pennington drove them to win at the end of the 4th quarter against PIT in the divisional round only for their kicker to miss and then miss again on a Big Ben turnover. That cuff injury unfortunately ended what looked to be a pretty positive career long term, there is 100% a parallel universe when Pennington took on Brady yearly and had some success which limited their dynasty. I would also add the Jets actually developed him well for once as Vinny took the team his first two years. Imagine if they had that patience again.

Mac is a better passer then Baker and his size helps him better. Baker talent wise and healthy probably is a bigger playmaker in terms of talent, but Jones decision making and passing abilities look much better. The Chad Pennington comparisons are dead on and idk why people see that is a criticism, Chad without injury had the talent to take a team pretty far. Jones with a coach like BB and the system they have works great. Long term IDK where he ends up honestly no QB should be compared to Brady, but I can absolutely see him as a guy who is around for 10 years and has success like Matt Ryan. Bills fans shouldn't be insecure about this Allen is yearly an MVP caliber QB now so have some faith with our guy he can get it done. If Mac does to so be it