Richard Noggin

**Beer break** Drank a lot of Labatt in my WNY teen years, and often associated it with Bills football. I remember Labatt Ice being like effing moonshine in high school. Back when the Canadians were battling to sell the highest ABV beers possible at the time. Molson Ice? XXX? But I left the region after high school, and didn't move back until I was into my 30s (visited a bunch, of course). When I returned, I started to realize that Labatt beer is kinda shite. Blue Light, especially. Full flavor Labatt is OKAY in a pinch. Maybe it's just that light beer, and mass-produced North American lagers in general, are dreadful unless one intends to drink for many hours at a time. If I'm looking for a "sessionable" cookout/campfire/gameday beer, I'd rather Busch Light tbh. Or the High Life. Or [insert myriad better beers than Labatt]. Many of the best U.S. beers now are coming from Brooklyn, of all places. (Nostalgic sidebar: In college, a 12-pack of Milwaukee's Best Ice cans, The Beast (Ice), cost $3.99. Like 6% ABV. That's 18 "normal" beers. **taps temple smugly**...and worth noting i don't even drink beer these days unless I'm watching sports or watching a fire.)

Now do his career, not just the last 5 games. No surprise we'd see a little jump in his contract year.

I'd say catch percentage is a pretty good measure of reliability/efficiency, which is pretty damned important for whomever gets the 2nd most targets on a given offense. While Davis has ridiculously high YPC numbers over his career, he also has ridiculously LOW catch% numbers, meaning he's a dangerous deep threat but definitely not a go-to guy. Targeting Davis is nearly a 50/50 proposition, which is unacceptably inefficient. Diggs caught 10 of 16 targets today, for example, which was actually really BAD for him (but still over 60%). He's usually MUCH more efficient.

But the Bills beat the Dolphins, the team you're saying is better than them, by 28 points?!

But because they're not the team we suffer with, they are inherently more dangerous than our own Bills, right? (Not asking you, so much as who you were responding to.)

You sound enlightened.

Yes. There have been injuries since the Bills absolutely EXPOSED the Dolphins defense, and handled their offense by taking away Tua's first read. Solid observation.

If only there was a way they could have definitively tested this claim already. Guess we'll just have to trust your assessment here.

Not bad for how deep the Bills are digging into their depth. Figured from my perspective that NOT really noticing either guy much meant they were playing all right. Who was in coverage on that really well thrown deep boundary completion on the Bills sideline?

Unfortunately, the only action will be taken this week, and it will be pointless fines that these particular well-paid players won't even notice. Maybe if the kicking in the head thing is obvious there might be some potential for a suspension...but I didn't even catch that from my vantage (which is actually pretty perfect to see that all unfold, down near that goal line on the Bills side). You miss a lot of details in person. You see some things with amazing clarity, but you just can't take it all in on every play. And you definitely don't get any info from the PA system or replays.

Perspective from the game on that drive: I kind of agree. The fans in general brought solid energy and noise all night, but on that drive the fans were weirdly slow to get riled up. Also, there were a decent amount of Giants fans in attendance. The similar jerseys and colors made it difficult to ascertain visually, but they were making some noise when the Bills were on offense.

Insurance fraud lol

The bolded stuff feels a bit selectively alarmist, as the OL appears to be improved, and there are NO 2023 expiring contracts for starters or their top IOL swing guy. The only real failure was not upgrading RT and/or infusing the OT pipeline with bona fide young potential. Many were worried about Dawkins and his physique, and that hasn't borne out thus far. He's been above average. And while Brown is still the weakest link, the floor has been lifted at least a little. Many have predicted Morse will either hang em up or get released following this season, based primarily upon his concussion history, and the not underpaid presence of Ryan Bates (he's RICK Bates when he plays OG). Right now, though, I don't know how obvious that is if Morse continues to stay healthy and play at a high level. He's not old. Both lines are improved. The real long term worry should be directed at the DL, tbh. Besides 2 DEs (Rousseau and Miller) and 1 DT (Oliver), this line will probably undergo significant turnover. For a D that FEATURES an 8 or 9-deep DL rotation, that's noteworthy. Especially now that Beane finally got it right.

Do posters here fully recognize how much cleaner, quieter, and just civil, this site is compared to other NFL message boards? They're so seedy and noisy and ugly.

The only name I see as a "potential" upgrade, given that McD's defense was effing HUMMING before being decimated by injuries, and no offensive coordinators (outside of Johnson) seem to be consistently lighting it up and staying ahead of NFL defenses (without deferring to their offensive HC).

Hypothetically, Ben Johnson is one of the only guys right now I'd be excited about. Seems to me he's probably destined for Cleveland or Minnesota or Chicago. Maybe Cincinnati? The Jets and Giants as longshots?

I would actually argue that Jones is the BIGGEST loss on defense. And that's saying something, with Tre getting back to full speed, and Milano performing at ELITE, ALL-PRO, BEST-IN-SHOW levels. Maybe the best LB in the league over the first quarter of the season. But DaQuan Jones, healthy and motivated, was pushing the pocket and dominating the LOS in ways that had cascading impacts across all levels of the defense. Oliver and Jones on the interior was lookin' GOOD.

Can be incredibly painful, and at the very least causes significant overcorrection in foot strike and stride. Definitely dealt with it a couple times during puberty-age sports training. And calf injuries, which are similarly painful and persistent (but more worrisome with respect to aggravation).

Seriously, 4-3 DEs and 3-4 OLBs are essentially all just EDGE guys. Basically interchangeable positions at this point. Yes, Von Miller HAS, earlier in his career, backpedaled into zone drops from time to time. Got an INT in that SB against CAR innit? Maybe I'm confused on that specific result. But nonetheless, we can't confuse Matt Milano's role in McD's 2-LB defense with Von Miller's role, ever. It's just not sensical.

Super weird question: do you have a daughter who works in the restaurant industry? (Just had a convo tonight with a friend I used to work with at a local restaurant/wine bar, whose dad couldn't find buyers for his club seats, so he's taking her Sunday night.) Anywho. Carry on.

At this point in McD's tenure and at this stage in any specific season, it is the opposite of reasonable to propose a RADICAL defensive realignment from a 4-2 to a 3-3.

Hearing you loud and clear in the first half. DaQuan Jones was the unsung hero of the Bills defense. And Matt Milano was maybe #2 tbh. The Von stuff is valid, I guess, but definitionally knee-jerk. Sample size lacking.

Obviously it would be embarrassing to lose at home on SNF to a Tyrod Taylor and Brian Daboll-led football team. Only way it's worse is if Rex Ryan, or Doug Marrone, are also on the other sideline. Obviously.

Yes, totally agree @Prospector. Thank you for restoring sanity here. Message board posters should NOT literally be nailed to crosses.