Shaw66

Late 70s through the mid-80s. I was living in Connecticut and the Bills games were rarely on TV. There was no way to see them, and there was limited reporting about them on local TV and in the local newspapers. I was newly married, raising young kids, starting a career, and working on an old house. Before then, from 1960, I was all in. As the Bills began building a powerhouse team in the mid- to late-80s, they started showing up on TV more often, and my sons became Bills fans. Have been full bore ever since.

This rings true. Nice analysis of what Oliver does and doesn't do. I'm reminded that McDermott once said pressures are more important than sacks. What you describe is a guy who gets pressures but not sacks. For better or worse, that makes him a McDermott kind of guy.

I definitely do not study DTs, or even focus on Oliver's play all that much. But I was surprised last to see a quote last season from a head coach of a Bills' opponent who said that the offensive coordinator has to have a plan for handling Oliver on every play. The implication was that if you leave Oliver one-on-one more than occasionally, he will wreck the game. And beyond that, I think this discussion about Oliver under-performing as compared to other DTs, there are two important considerations: 1. The D-line rotation. Oliver doesn't get as many snaps as most other DTs, and that's not because he couldn't handle more - it's because as a matter of philosophy, McDermott won't give him more. And it isn't just snaps; it's also that where Oliver lines up from play to play changes, and who's beside him changes, too. 2. McDermott's team-approach. Everyone is expected to be multiple, to be able to play different styles from game to game and even from play to play. There are no one-trick ponies on the Bills; each player has to be good at a lot of different skills that his position requires. They have to be jackknives. That's who the Bills draft, over and over, because that's what they want. So, I would guess that the Bills are happy with Oliver, because he's great at what they want him to do, and they don't care that he isn't great in the way the fans want him to be. That is, the Bills don't mind that they don't have a single guy on the D line who is a true game wrecker.

You can feel that way if you want, but I think you're wrong. Are Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Ed Norton, and Bradley Cooper failures because they never won an Oscar? McDermott has coached 8 seasons. If he goes 16 more seasons on the same pace as he's on now, and never wins a Super Bowl, he'll be fifth on the all-time win list. That's failure? Dan Marino was a failure?

You want to trade Beane's magic for magic beans.

I've always heard that phrase the other way around - perfect is the enemy of good, meaning at some point the right thing to do is accept the good and move on. But it's also used the way you've used it. I wasn't suggesting that anyone should settle for as much as the Bills have accomplished and no more. I really was commenting on the fact that the Bills have an outstanding football team - it isn't easy to build a consensus top-three team, and that's what the Bills have done. And now, let's close the deal.

This is good. The Bills have brought in a lot of guys with potential to be upgrades over last year. And have guys developing. They ALL be stars, but neither will ALL of them bust. If Palmer and Moore BOTH emerge, watch out. But even if only one has a nice season, Bills are in good shape. If Hairston shines with Benford, it's a huge upgrade. Bills have other guys who can play the corner if Max grows more slowly. As I said before, some D lineman will emerge. Many fans outside Buffalo don't understand. They see no splash free agents or draftees, and they think there's nothing good going on.

The Bills brought in so much DL help that's SOMEONE is going to make a splash. This defense is going to be a lot better.

Fans are the best!

There's nothing to talk about. We've had all of the conversations about receivers, about Cook, about the defense, about not winning the Super Bowl, about just about everything. Since there's nothing left to talk about, I find myself thinking about how amazingly good this football team has gotten. I say it often; when McDermott and Beane got here, they said they were going to build a team that keeps getting better and better, and that is what they've done. I've been thinking since I saw the thread about the Bills being the favorite, at least clearly in the top three, to make it to the Super Bowl. We can argue about whether we agree or not, but the reality is that among the bookmakers and bettors, there is a clear consensus that the Bills are at the very top of the league. And it's a bigger consensus than it was a year ago and two years ago. Granted, everyone thought the Bills would have a down season last year, but their success last season has convinced many people outside of western New York that the Bills were genuinely good last season and only got better in the off-season. And it's not simply because the Bills have Allen and because he's just that good. Put aside that Beane did a masterful job identifying Allen as the talent he is and then managing the draft to be able to get him; people around the country are recognizing that the other 21 starters, and the bench, make this a seriously good football team. And the Bills are set up to get better in the 2026 season, with the QB under contract, the salary cap getting back in order, and the opportunity to add more young talent in the draft. Everyone is looking at the Bills as a model franchise. Everyone thinks it's when, not if, the Bills win the Lombardi. Hats off to McDermott and Beane. Now, '25, '26 '27, is the time complete the climb to the top.

Why is that optimistic? Two teams make the AFC championship game, and the Bills are almost certainly among the top four contenders to make it. That means the Bills have a 50-50 chance of making it to that game. Since 50-50 is the realistic outcome of ANY game, the Bills making the championship game is realistic.

I think realistic is AFC championship game.

Mcfadden's on 2nd avenue in New York City is where you go to watch the Bills. If it's anything like it used to be, you'd better get there early. The place absolutely rocks.

Well, I certainly will chime in. This place is great. Well, it's pretty dull right now in this dead period. These doldrums seem to get worse every year. But I'll echo what others have said. I come here daily, because if there's any Bills news, I know it will be here. I come here daily to see what people are talking about, and sometimes to join in. I come here daily to find funny little nuggets that people post here. It is the place for all things Bills. BBMB was better in only one respect, which was volume of posts. They had more active members, so the discussions often were livelier, and new threads showed up more often. However, they had more posters because the Bills wouldn't let the moderators ban the bad actors and control the board in other ways, and that meant there were more rogue posters who messed up threads, started arguments, etc. Here, everyone knows that if you don't behave you're gone, and therefore everyone behaves. The knowledge and the memory of the posters here is fabulous. I must have seen but have no recollection of that drive against the Dolphins with Kelly diving into the end zone as time expired. How great was that? So, thanks to SDS and to all those who keep this place running. I love it.

I like to imagine if I had Josh. I also like to imagine if I had Hailee.