corta765

They lost a ton of talent on defense which has been their hallmark, their skill position players are incredibly weak minus TE, and their QB (who I do like) is going to be asked/forced to pass more something he did not excel at. They have a solid program but they have legitimate questions and look a decisive 3rd in that division.

Exactly. Also remember SOS matters big time. The Bills and Jets are like 2nd and 3rd in the league. That stuff does matter because we have seen what happens when a team gets a soft schedule with an improving roster. HOU/IND/PIT all have significantly tougher schedules then what BUF/NY faces. If we were just going rosters alone I absolutely would have those three ahead, but this is just strictly playoff chances.

I mean in a way what their doing is probably what you should do which is give the coach the player he wants and the dexterity to do so. Your putting your eggs in one basket hoping for the best which in prism seems like a good idea given how the NFL goes. But when you expand and see how much draft capital was wasted for Rosen that will not be recouped including the previous HC you just fired it seems really risky. These are the kind of moves that have a chance at big success but very likely can destroy the foundation of a team if things are not put in place proper.

Exactly. Maybe with Rosen you get to 6-10/7-9 this year and then a 10-6 season with more help for him but that is his limit. Whereas with Murray even if you suffer one growing year if his potential is far greater after for many consistent 10-12 win seasons you go that route everytime.

The two QB's Mayfield passed for the TD passing record by rookie QB were Peyton and Russel Wilson. While it is not a given, that is pretty elite company to be in.

I could see the Chiefs having a season where the offense slows down enough that it can't cover for a very leaky defense and they end up 9-7 and miss the playoffs. I don't expect it to happen, but it certainly is in the realm of possibility.

Mayfield just broke the rookie QB passing TD record. The list of QBs he passed is pretty freakin elite. I agree with generally not buying the hype but because of him leading that train I will for this time.

Yep. That's why I have this as playoff locks. The NFL playoffs typically see about 33% or 4 new teams a post season. Realistically NE & KC should make it even if they don't win the division. LAC, HOU, & IND all should make it but history has shown that not to be the case like you said and that is not including the AFC North which most likely has a new division winner this year with PIT or CLE. I would not be surprised if the AFC field looked something like this next year: Division Winners NE, LAC, IND, CLE WC: KC & BUF. I picked the Bills because of bias but swap any team like that in it is still 2 new teams and 3 new division winners.

I thought about that but HOU and IND will canabolize each other for wins and each have enough flaws that their QBs cannot completely mask. PIT missed the playoffs last year, Big Ben is a year older, the team shed some big names, and the defense has been regressing for years in a division which has a new talented bully. I think people live off PIT's laurels farr to much to what the reality is. Their closer to being a team like Atlanta which defense pulls the offense down most years then a true dominant juggernaut like in the past.

This is the first half of a two part thread series I am doing pre draft. These rankings are complete arbitrary and basically ranking how I think the AFC playoff chances weigh out across the board. I understand things can change once the draft is done so that just means I can do another one of these. This is for fun please do not let this wreck your day. Playoff Locks: Kansas City New England Betting against the Patriots is always a no go at this point and while I can absolutely see them slogging their way to 10-6 or 11-5 and regressing, I still think they are too hard to pick against. KC has wunderkid leading the way and the division is light after LAC. Strong Contenders: LA Chargers Cleveland Browns The Chargers return a great roster and the only pitfall they have would be Rivers getting injured but even then Tyrod can maintain the offense. Honestly Cleveland seems poised for one of those 13-3 seasons that completely reset's the franchise to a new orbit. The only flaw I see for Cleveland would be internal drama if they come out slow early in the seasons given the personalities they have. The other thing is both teams while strong locks need to prove they can do the playoffs something Cleveland hasn't done in forever and something LA has underachieved at many years before. Playoff Hopefuls with a Flaw: Buffalo Bills NY Jets Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Pittsburgh Steelers Everyone of these teams has legitimate reasons to be hopeful for the playoffs but with an asterisk next to their name for one reason or another. The Bills have made sizeable FA improvements and have an excellent defense along with an easy strength of schedule. But Allen needs to improve and do a Trubisky type improvement to solidfy our playoff chances. The Jets are similar to Buffalo, but offensive line still needs some help and the defense should improve but holes still exist in their secondary and Greg Williams can be up and down as a coordinator. The Texans offensive line was nearly the worst in the NFL and they have made no additions while playing a far tougher schedule. There still is time, but Houston needs to shore up that line and the secondary will need time to grow. Indy made some additions but didn't really add a true impact player the way many thought. Luck had a great comeback year, but a more difficult schedule and continued growth on D is needed to keep moving forward. Pittsburgh finished getting rid of two all pro players and while the offense should be good I doubt it is the great unit you saw years prior. Additionally their defense needs a lot of work and they no longer have easy wins like the Browns on schedule. Minus the AFC East teams I think all of these teams have a solid chance to win their division, but consistency week in week out will determine their fate. If Everything Goes Right They Can Have A Great Playoff Season: Baltimore Ravens Denver Broncos Jacksonville Jaguars Oakland Raiders Tennessee Titans Every NFL season there is one team who pulls that best case season where everything falls there way and they make a playoff appearance, sometimes even having that magically Jacksonville type run. All of these teams have flaws which typically limit there height unless everything goes perfect typically leading to a 6-10 through 8-8 type season with a lot of what if's due to their flaws. The Ravens lost a ton of talent this offseason plus defensive cord's now have a full offseason to study Jackson who didn't throw a ton and had a pretty solid blueprint shown on how to stop him in the playoffs. I think last year was Baltimore's best case scenario even if Jackson grows as a passer given their losses on D and lack of skill position players on offense. Denver still has a solid defense, but their offense which lacks elite skill players now needs to hope Joe Flacco finds his inner 2014 season all over. The Jaguars have a talented D which has bled a few players this past off season, but maybe Foles magic can propel them to the playoffs despite a much improved division. The Titans are kind of a mish mosh and Mariota is as Jackal and Hyde as QBs get. The Raiders are the one team who I could legitimately see have an 11-5 type season because Carr has in the past had good seasons and man does that offense have weapons. BUT the defense needs a lot of work and the offensive line is average. Lets Just Go to the 2020 Draft: Miami Dolphins Cincinnati Bengals Both of these teams are here and might as well just start planning for Tua or a great positional player. Miami I think is tanking and really just lacks talent everywhere. They finally admitted they need a true rebuild and with the gains the rest of the AFCE alone has made it will be a very tough first season for Brian Flores. Cincinnati has an older roster with Dalton leading the team who hasn't stayed healthy in forever. Additionally look at the Bengals schedule its a straight up buzz saw. I could see Cincy having one of those seasons where they end up 3-13 just because they are over matched weekly without many friendly games.

Dear god I’m an idiot, your right and I was at the game. It was pitifully awful concluding with an intentional safety because Chan didn’t trust the offense haha. So only the 2nd week 1 opener vs Miami since 91* lol

The Jets heading this season though are a draw for the league and networks. NY playing on MNF or even SNF with Bell added will pump their ratings. Even at the 4:00pm slot they hold viewing value as of now which I see the NFL and networks using at this point especially with the Giants not very good right now for the NYC market. I don't think the league would waste the Jets viewership power on a 1:00pm slot at this point.

I kinda think this year assuming the Bills open at home they will win regardless. There is a lot of positive momentum building and the Ralph will be a freaking thunderdome that day.

Yea there should be some noise in this time where we find out at least the opponents. I usually try to do the home Thursday pre season game. You can get super cheap tickets up close and its a nice evening.

I hear that. As I have gotten older the date has been more and more important to me for the same reason. I really want Cleveland to be TNF and I don't because if it is just a 1:00pm game my family and I plan on going to it. I basically build my fall weekends off when the games are.

That wonderful day is oh so close. Last year the schedule was released on Thursday April 19th same with the year before that. So very likely next Thursday should be the release of the NFL schedule. The NFL has done the release early in the week but it is always the 3rd week of April. Typically on the day of the release there will be leaks galore and I will do my best to post what I find. With this being the NFL's 100th season I think the entire schedule from primetime games to the normal layout will be different this year. Few notes for what we know thus far: -Packers v Bears opening game -Patriots host SNF after getting bumped off the original opener. The Bills are a candidate to play although a longshot. My guess is the Steelers open at NE on SNF. -The Bills should open at home this season after opening on the road last year. The NFL likes to balance that yearly and my guess is the Bills open at home vs Miami something they haven't done in week 1 since 1991 -With this being the NFL's 100th season expect the Bills to probably get some love given their role during that time. -Week 1 MNF typically has two games with the 7:15 game being an east coast game and the 10:00 pm game being west coast. There is a lot of conversation that the Jets will host MNF at 7:15 so maybe the NFL bucks the trend of balanced openers and Buffalo is on the big stage. -The Bills are at Cleveland this year and it has been heavily speculated that this could be a TNF given it has happened before and the storylines that exist. -The Bills are not going overseas to London this year and the furthest west they go is Dallas. Expect a large number of 1:00pm games if you like that kind of thing If you do see any schedule leaks post them so we can all over analyze even if they are not directly Bills related.

Yea but I believe he also was interested in Kyle Shanahan. The butterfly effect is always interesting. Rex's biggest issue was his unwillingness to be the coach and not control the D. I think had he kept and empowered Schwartz you would've seen a superb D that benefited from Rex's creativity while Schwartz would've handled the nuts and bolts that Rex did not like. Oh well fun times haha

I'd really like to see him get another shot. He made some crucial mistakes with building trust and contract wise. But he certainly did well in trades and had a good eye for talent. The 2016 draft was all Rex I never held that against Whaley the same as 2017 draft seems to have been McD so I wouldn't hold that against Beane although that class looks really good.

It can be classic just need some freshness to pop it a little. The Bills jerseys have a nice color scheme but more or less harken back to the 1970s look stripping wise. I would've just like to see something more like that.

They were boring and outdated. The colors needed an updated and they easily could've taken the current uniforms and jazzed them up without doing what they look to have well..done lol

True but remember Whaley never really had a say with the HC. McD and Beane were close before he was even hired which makes things smoother whereas Whaley had Marrone and Rex's big ego's to deal with. Additionally its hard to know what role Russ Brandon played in that power struggle. At the time people would've freaked if Dareus was not resigned that had to be done and Mario was at the height of his popularity because he was producing. My point just is after two seasons which were an identical 6-10 and 9-7, Whaley's 2015 offseason was viewed as a success big time by most Bills fans and media. He was credited for potentially building a good team. I don't disagree Beane is farrr more calculating with a stronger plan and communication skills, but the goal is to put out the best possible roster and heading into the opening of 2015 Whaley was credited for the amount of talent that team had amassed. Skill position wise the WR corp and RB corp in 15 is superior to what we currently have even though it has been upgraded.

Listen I am a big Beane fan and his early resume is quiet nice to this point including breaking the drought. But I do want to pump the breaks a little because I liked Whaley a ton too and lots of people heading into the 2015 offseason thought he was the dude after putting together a strong D and adding good FA's to offense with the McCoy trade being the highlight. That didn't turn out well which was a mix of bad coaching and too much bad contracts. But my point being is before I even start saying top 5 I think we need to see some more success and yes I am saying it a division crown. Now if you want to say Beane is one of the better/rising young minds I think that nationally is becoming a strong sentiment based off his work.

4-4: Bills Away games: Titans (W), Cowboys (L), Browns (L), Steelers (W), Giants (W), Jets (L), Phins (W), Pats (L) 7-1 Bills Home games: Broncos (W), Ravens (W), Eagles (L), Bengals (W), Skins (W), Jets (W), Phins (W), Pats (W) I will duck for cover after predicting 11-5

One of the best posts in here in a while. A big part of the shorter passes is taking what the defense gives you. Allen can make every throw and wants to attack seemingly always. But sometimes the better play for the offense is the 4 or 5 yard slant or short pass. Not as sexy but helps move the chains. It's part of the growth as a QB. Mahomes lit it up with tons of big plays, but a big part of his success was his ability to the simple things perfect which allowed the more complex plays to happen.

Your grasping at straws here man, easier just to say you'd rather stay in OP. I've been downtown a ton of the last decade never once had an issue nor has any of my friends or family. If there are 70,000 people downtown it is kind of hard to be not noticeable same reason in orchard park things get filmed and seen all the time now Last season my brother in law and I wanted to do the Pats night game but couldn't with my wife and I expecting a kid and his work schedule. SO we tailgated on his front lawn in the middle of Rochester for about 3 hours before the game. I moved a TV outside and streamed Bills moments, we had a tent a fire etc.. the neighbors loved it and people were honking as we drove by lol.