SoTier

I agree with the bolded statement. Bringing in a WR of the caliber of TO with Dick "Play to Not Lose By Too Much" Jauron as HC and "Tentative Trent" Edwards at QB was clearly only done to sell tickets. In fact, IIRC the Bills may have set a record at that time for season ticket sales. That's the way Russ Brandon ran the team back then.

The highlight of the 2009 season for me, aside from Dick Jauron getting fired after the previous game, was TO's 98 yard TD pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Who do you think hired Daboll??? Who do you think hired Dorsey to coach Allen during the season?

Which teams are those? Certainly not Baltimore even though Harbaugh has struggled to win any playoff games with Lamar. Certainly not Cincinatti since Zac Taylor's teams have only made the playoffs twice during his six year tenure, including five with Joe Burrow. After losing in the conference championship in 2022, the Bengals have missed the playoffs twice. 🤣🤣🤣 Those WGR idiots couldn't find their way out of a darkened room with an open door lit with an EXIT sign. There is nothing to discuss about Terry Pegula losing patience with Sean McDermott because he's failed to take the Bills to the Super Bowl. Unless the Bills repeatedly miss the playoffs, McDermott isn't going to be on Pegula's "hot seat". He's hit the proverbial jackpot with McDermott and Beane, a neophyte NFL owner whose team went from irrelevant bottom feeder to perennial SB contender in only a few seasons while some other NFL owners haven't experienced that kind of success in decades if ever.

I've wondered about this myself. The very best example of preparing for the departure of a future HOF QB is Green Bay, and they did it twice. In 2005 they drafted Aaron Rodgers while they still had Favre who was in his fifteenth season and still playing well. Rodgers sat on the bench for three seasons until Favre was traded. In 2020, the Packers took Jordan Love in first round when Rodgers was in his sixteenth season. I think that it's likely GB drafted Rodgers because they saw an opportunity; he was projected to go at the top of the 2005 draft, but he was still on the board when GB drafted at #24. I think they were deliberately looking for a successor to Rodgers before 2020, but that's when they found a candidate they liked enough to draft in Love. Two other teams that had aging future HOF QBs failed to adequately prepare for the inevitable. Denver failed twice, although unlike Pittsburgh, they at least tried. After John Elway retired after the Broncos won their 2nd Super Bowl in 1998, the team went through a string of decent to mediocre QBs until they finally signed Peyton Manning in 2012. Manning won the Super Bowl in 2015 and retired, and the Broncos have been a team in search of a QB ever since. In 2024, they drafted Bo Nix in the first round of the draft, and he took them to the playoffs for the first time since Manning retired. After allowing Tom Brady to leave, the Patriots drafted Mac Jones at #15 in 2021. In 2024, they drafted Drake Maye #3 over all who has looked very promising. I think that the best route for a team with an aging franchise QB who is still playing well (like Elway and Brady) is to be opportunistic, and draft a top prospect even if the youngster has to sit behind the star for a season or two. Baltimore did this when they drafted Lamar Jackson while Joe Flacco was their established starter. The 2017 Bills weren't as bad as the 2008-2012 teams, but they were well below average in quality, especially on offense. They had Tyrod Taylor as their QB, their best OLer was rookie Dion Dawkins, their best defensive players were rookie Tre White and long-suffering veteran DT Kyle Williams. Beane and McDermott are called "McBeane" because their relationship is collaborative not adversarial. The Bills offensive line is significantly better in 2025 than it was between 2019 and 2022. So is the RB group. The defense added young talent and some older but hopefully still useful FAs in 2025. You're still miffed that the Bills didn't add a big name WR in FA or in the draft.

The Steelers chose to not prioritize finding a successor to Roethlisberger for the last decade. The Steelers could have Lamar who was taken #32 in 2018. They could have taken Jalen Hurts who was still available in Round 2 in 2020. They might have been able to trade up in 2024 draft. As a long-time HC, Tomlin had to have considerable influence on the Steelers' personnel decisions, so I'm not going to give him a pass for his team having crappy QB play since 2018. The Steelers demonstrated absolutely no planning for the inevitable end of Roethlisberger's career. They do not seem to even tried to do so. Tomlin's philosophy of strong defense, strong running game, and decent QB play no longer works in the modern NFL. Teams without franchise QBs are doomed to mediocrity no matter how good the rest of team. McDermott recognized that from the get-go. He gets dissed because he passed on Mahomes in 2017, but there were extenuating circumstances, notably that the Bills GM position was in disarray prior to the 2017 draft. Beane and McDermott got it right the next year. McDermott also hired Daboll as his OC to develop a QB in 2017, and then he hired Dorsey specifically to work with Allen in 2018. FYI In the 2016 playoffs, the Steelers got their asses kicked by the Patriots, 36-17. Their response was to draft a QB late in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, Josh Dobbs. In the 2017 playoffs, the Steelers spotted the Jaguars 14 points to lose 45-42 in the divisional round. That was Roethlisberger's 14th NFL season. Their response was to pass on Lamar Jackson for a DB and take Mason Rudolph in the third round. The Steelers missed the playoffs in 2018. Roethlisberger passed for 5129 yards, 34 TDs, and 16 INTs. That was Roethlisberger's 15th NFL season. In 2019, the Steelers missed the playoffs again because Roethlisberger was injured in the 2nd game of the season, and didn't play again that season. The Steelers didn't have a first round pick in the 2020 draft because they had traded it to Miami in 2018 to acquire Minkah Fitzpatrick. With their 2nd rounder, they drafted Chase Claypool with Jalen Hurts still available. Roethlisberger won the Comeback Player of the Year in 2020, the Steelers made the playoffs, but they lost to the Browns, 48-37, after falling behind 28-0 in the first quarter. The Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett at #21 in the 2021 draft. In 2021, Roethlisberger and the Steelers staggered into the playoffs as a wild card team, and the Chiefs buried them. That was Roethlisberger's 18th and last season. In 2022, Pickett's first year as a starter, the Steelers missed the playoffs. In 2023, the Steelers made the wild card with Pickett, but the Bills bounced them 31-17 in the wild card. The Steelers signed Russell Wilson as a FA in 2024 and traded Pickett to the Eagles. They did not draft a QB in the 2024 draft, although 6 went in the first round. In 2024, the Steelers made the wild card with Wilson, but the Ravens beat them 28-14. The Steelers allowed Wilson to leave in free agency and pursued 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers who was unimpressive in 2024 after coming off his Achilles injuries. They did not draft a QB in 2025 until the 6th round. Belichick woud want to have control of personnel, and that's not something I would want the Bills to do. The Pats built their dynasty when they had good personnel people like Pioli assisting Belichick, but when those advisors left, the Pats missed on a lot of their draft picks, which is why they were so bereft of talent in Belichick's last couple of years.

Tomlin hasn't won a playoff game since McDermott became the Bills HC. In his last four playoff losses, Tomlin's teams have been lost in the Wild card round to Cleveland, Kansas City, Buffalo, and Baltimore by 149-89.

I'm 75, and I've been a Bills fan since 1963, so my time to see the Bills win a Lombardi is much more limited than most fans. I agree with everything you wrote, and if the Bills never win a Lombardi in my lifetime, it won't change the fact that McDermott's tenure as HC has been the best era of Bills football ever. Nothing is guaranteed in life, no matter how much someone wants something. Instead of being in perpetual angst about the Bills' lack of SB wins, some Bills fans need to apply the idea that "life is a journey, not a destination" to their fandom and enjoy the ride. It's the best one Bills have ever had so far. The last time I looked, Ben Johnson has won as many NFL games as a HC as you and I and the rest of the TSW members.

It's only going to get worse among those Bills fans who frequent sports talk radio and Bills message boards. Thousands of Bills fans attend SJF training camp. Thousands attend the Return of the Blue and Red practice. Bills jerseys and merchandise are everywhere. The stadium is always full. As long as the Bills continue to make the playoffs and win playoff games, McDermott isn't going anywhere. Short of McDermott having some kind of health issue or somehow running afoul of Pegula, Beane or Allen, he's going to be Bills HC until/unless he decides to leave, whether he wins a Super Bowl or not. I'll take the insanity of winning the division, making the playoffs, and winning playoff games over and over. It beats the crap out of going 0-20 against the Dolphins between 1970 and 1979, going 12-36 against the Patriots between 2000 and 2016, and missing the playoffs for 17 straight seasons. BTW, any "stud coach" who would be available would either have been fired from his previous gig, a collegiate HC looking for a bigger pay day or be an unproven coordinator.

I'm not sure what the OP's argument is, but to my mind, the Bills don't let most of their best players walk out the door without compensation. That's in marked contrast to the way the Bills operated before Beane was given full GM powers in 2018. The firing of Russ Brandon in May,2018, who was the boss of both the Bills and the Sabres at the time, was the best thing that ever happened to the Bills in the 21st century because it changed the philosophy of the team from prioritizing profits over winning to making winning the team's #1 goal. I have no doubt that if Brandon was still the head honcho, the Bills would be a team that struggles to make the playoffs because they wouldn't be committed to winning, much like the Bengals. Marshawn was traded away in 2010, long before the McBeane era. Stephon Gilmore predates Beane being named GM. Doug Whaley was still the Bills GM through the 2017 draft, although McDermott probably ran that draft. Beane was hired as GM in the summer of 2017. After the fiasco with Rex Ryan, Pegula returned control of the Bills to Russ Brandon (and gave him control of the Sabres as well), so Beane didn't have full control of the Bills until Brandon was fired. Brandon wouldn't pay market value for homegrown talent, although he did occasionally splurge on a big name FA to put butts in the seats. Between 2006 and 2018, the Bills: signed FA Terrell Owens (2009); traded All Pro LT Jason Peters for a late first rounder (2009); traded Pro Bowl and future All Pro RB Marshawn Lynch for a 4th rounder (2010); signed FA Mario Williams (2012); allowed Pro Bowl and future All Pro CB Stephon Gilmore to walk in FA (2017).

The difference in maintenance for a gas mower (some) versus an electric (none) sold me on the electric. Your lawn mower is probably a 40-volt battery. Many weed whackers, hedge cutters, and leaf blowers use 18 volts. I don't know if Ego offers both 18 volt and 40 volt tools, but they probably do.

The high cost is because of the type of lens you choose. The regular lenses don't cure eye problems like near-sightedness, far-sightedness, or astigmatism, which means if you wore glasses in the past, you will probably have to wear them after surgery. The more expensive lenses not only do away with your cataracts, they also can fix other vision problems; they can also be "progressive" lenses like the no-line bifocals used in eye glasses. I have worn glasses for 50+ years, and bifocals for 40+. I don't feel comfortable without glasses, especially when I work in my garden, so I would probably always be wearing safety glasses or sunglasses when outside and using readers inside. I can't stand readers, so I opted for the regular lenses, and paid $600 per eye out of pocket. I have a Medicare Advantage plan through Highmark. Before cataract surgery, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to pass the eye test even with my glasses when I got my license renewed. A few weeks after the second cataract surgery, I passed the licensing eye test without glasses. With my prescription eye glasses (the same ones I had pre-surgery), I have 20-20 vision. Medicare Advantage plans have physicians/physician practices that are "members", ie they accept what Medicare pays with some extra fees for certain procedures (like cataracts). Look for practices that belong to your Medicare Advantage plan for the best deal. Then decide if you want to pay extra for the upgraded lenses.

I had to go to the APPS button on my smart TV and download MAX (my smart tv is kinda old). I think ROKU has something similar.

Both HBO MAX and PEACOCK are available to stream if you have certain tiers on Spectrum cable.

Josh threw balls to the kids before practice started. He participated in the 7-on-7 drills, so the fans, especially the kids, did get to see Josh for about half the practice, and some even got footballs. I think you are complaining about nothing.

I agree. I also think that it's better than 50-50 that Burrow has another significant injury that keeps him out of several games, in which case they won't make the playoffs -- again. Of course, that will be the excuse the Bengals FO uses to placate their fan base yet again. Is making two AFCCGs and one Super Bowl but missing the playoffs the last two years better than two AFCCGs and three divisional round games during the same time period? In the abstract, the first scenario might be better, but if you look at the teams as they are right now, Aug 1 2025, I think that the second scenario might be better going forward. The Bills are built to win NFL playoff games, which they have done for 5 straight years and are likely to continue to do so going forward. They've invested their resources in taking the pressure off Allen and trying to improve their defense despite being up against the cap. The Bengals are built to win Fantasy Football championships, investing much of their resources in two #1 WRs rather than in protecting their QB and shoring up their Swiss-cheese defense, even coming to an impasse with their stud DE ... while they have well over $25 million in cap space available. Wouldn't having enough "liquid in the neck and head area" to throw off someone's equilibrium still be something rather serious?

I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen at all. Burrow has been sacked an average of 48.3 sacks per 17 games throughout his career. He's also missed 6 and 7 games in two of his five seasons. He averages 2.84 sacks per game, but that number doesn't include QB hits that aren't counted as sacks. He's getting the crap beat out of him ... and the Bengals lone great season was three years ago.

Passions: Animal welfare Bills Environmental science (ecology, geology, meteorology, etc) History, especially US Civil War Hobbies: Photography, primarily nature and animal photography Cooking, especially re-creating traditional family recipes and exploring new cuisines Gardening and landscaping Bird watching Reading, especially history and historical fiction

Posters in the "The Bills are wasting Josh Allen's prime" club should take a good, hard look at the Bengals to see how a team actually "wastes" a QB. I don't think that they are committed to building a perennial Super Bowl contender. It seems to me that the Bengals ownership and FO feel that making the Super Bowl once is good enough, so they've built a team that is "exciting" in the regular season but realistically has only a 50-50 chance at best of having anysuccess in the post season -- if they even make the playoffs.

This is the problem with Simpson. I am conflicted because as a football player he was so great but as a human being he was so evil. His actions robbed all Bills fans of any joy we could have in celebrating his achievements. 2023 was the fiftieth anniversary of his 2003 yard season -- and I don't think anyone in the media, on this TSW or in the NFL even mentioned it.

I don't expect Walker to do much this season because DT is a hard position to learn at the NFL level, but I think he could have bright future.

I was a poor starving grad student in Lincoln, NE in 1973 when OJ ran for 2003 yards. Because it was the first regular season game to be held in then Rich Stadium, the game between the Bills and Patriots was broadcast nationally, so I got to watch OJ ran for 250 yards against them. I also got to watch the Jets game in which he ran for 200 yards to get the magic 2003 yards for the season because that was nationally televised, too. Good times, but who knew what was to come? OJ was easily the greatest Bills player prior to the Glory Years teams, and he remains one of the greatest of all time in team and NFL history today. I feel very sad -- and somewhat angry -- that what he did in his post-NFL career was so awful that his football achievements can't be a cause for celebration.

The Jests under Woody Johnson and his sons have prioritized putting butts in the seats (ie, maximizing profits) over building a winning team for more than a quarter century. They always chase one or two big names to con fans into thinking that this year will be different from the previous years. They are remarkably like the Bills when Russ Brandon ran the team.

... and you're much more likely to give those late round draft picks and UDFAs more practice time and playing time, too.

Cursive is simply a method of handwriting, and in the 21st century, it's obsolete just like hieroglyphics. Aside from signing checks or documents, most people simply do not use cursive, and there's no legal requirement that signatures be in cursive. You can print your name or scribble it and declare it your signature. You can also simply "sign" an electronic document by checking a box that says the check mark or X is your electronic "signature". People still write down their thoughts, big and small, but it's done in electronic media. People write manuscripts, doctoral theses, speaking notes, meeting notes etc on electronic devices rather than on paper. People stopped writing letters when they could simply pick up the receiver of their land-line telephone, dial a number, and hear their friend or relative or associate on the other end of the telephone line, which happened long before the advent of cell phone.