MJS

You have to consider the strength of the respective conferences too. The AFC has been a lot stronger for the past 2-3 years at least. This year it is even more pronounced. I would not be terribly surprised if the 49ers make the Superbowl this year, but they wouldn't get close if they were in the AFC.

We are trading draft capital for busted QB's? Why would we do that?

Yes. Bates is a huge asset to this team. The coach often doesn't know much of anything until he is briefed later. He likely did not know anything at the time of his statement.

Really? I did not realize that. They joined the Pac 12 a few years ago. That's interesting they will be in the same conference again. That's pretty cool, actually. I lived in Utah for a few years, but I have never followed college sports much. Just the NFL for me.

Well, cutting them in half would be incredible, but I think he needs to not turn the ball over as much. His turnovers were up last year. We know he has the ability to turn it over less. Maybe his injury played into it, or the receivers, or whatever, but the bottom line is he needs to elevate and take command of the offense and take care of the football better. Cutting down the turnovers should be a primary focus for him and the offense.

Not considering the QB, I'd say it is fairly close. Considering the QB, the Bills are better. And, I'd say the Bills have a significant advantage in the experience and battle hardened aspects of football.

BYU doesn't play Utah every year anymore, right? Or did they start that up again?

He is a lock for the 53 now that Shell and Doyle are out of the picture. And he was playing before Doyle as it is, so maybe he was a lock before then as well.

Never, unless the NFL transitions away from the quick passing game and back to 7 to 10 step drops.

Yeah, it is important for the guys fighting for a roster spot and positions on the depth chart. For those guys it is the most important thing in the world. For the starters it is a glorified practice.

It destroyed like three houses around it and damaged a bunch of others, plus there are 6 dead from that one. My first thought was a meth lab or something, but they are thinking a faulty water heater, but to have that level of devastation from a water heater explosion? That seems unlikely to me.

I'd view that somewhat as a character concern if there was a player pigheaded enough to demand playing for a specific team and refusing to play for any other team. That's a bad way to enter the league. Maybe the Bills would skip on such a player for being such an entitled fool.

Good stuff from Marino. I seem to always see eye to eye with him. He has a good, nuanced approach to everything. He can be very critical when needed, but never loses sight of the bigger picture and the positive direction this franchise has been taking and will continue to take.

Well, I would like to see how things go in the regular season before I start freaking out about what we don't have and who is to blame. I do know this: there will always be a position or two of concern. There simply is not enough talent and money to be spent in order to have good starters at every single position.

Preseason games have their place. They are there to get some reps for starters, but mostly for evaluating your players and ironing out kinks. They don't game plan. They are only mildly trying to win the game. If there are problems, you address them and try to use it to get ready for the season. Nothing more. Nothing less. Fans should not make sweeping judgements about the team or even players in the limited reps they get.

Well, he has always been a homer but he knows, from experience, that the results of preseason games are completely meaningless. You seem to really care about this preseason game. Maybe you are the one being ridiculous...

I think the Saints could be one of the best teams in the NFC. Carr has to be one of the best QB's there now, right? And they have talent. Their defense is strong. They have weapons on offense. I see no reason for then to not be a top 3 team in the NFC. The Packers are a huge question mark for me. It comes down to their QB. As far as I'm concerned, they don't have one until they prove they do. I highly doubt the Jags are going to be the 1 seed, but I could see them winning their division. They are overhyped for sure. I see no chance in the Pats making the playoffs. They do not have the talent needed in the AFC and in a tough division. They could get to 8 or 9 wins, but that won't be enough.

Much of the pressure in the last preseason game was due to Josh Allen moving poorly in the pocket or bailing out of clean pockets. Allen needed to step up instead of retreat, and there was two times he bailed out and rolled to the right, causing his own pressure. Another time he took a 7 step drop and then hitched like 4 times before throwing it. Linemen can't block that long, usually. It's not all on the oline. Allen had poor pocket presence and held the ball too long at times.

Ok, so if the Bills don't win the superbowl, they are complete and utter losers, regardless of anything else they accomplished. So, the Bills of the last few years are no different than the Bills of the drought years for you. That extremism as a fan is a very sad, irrational, and unrealistic way to view the team. Why can't fans find satisfaction in doing well during the regular season, or winning a playoff game, or getting to the conference championship game, or any other forms of accomplishment? It is a more complete and honest way to view success and the team. Yes, the superbowl is the most important and highest form of winning, but there are still other accomplishments to recognize too.

Shakir was a 5th rounder. AJ and Boogie have been a regular part of the rotation. Dorian Williams hasn't played a down. The season hasn't started yet.

The Bills play rookies all the time, they just didn't with Cook and Elam last year. Most rookies have played right away under this regime.

Well, I don't vicariously live through the team, personally. And I find it a little unhealthy to be so fanatical about something. For instance, I try not to let a bad game affect my mood and affect the way I treat other people. I try to take a deep breath and move on. It is only a game, after all. I consider myself a huge fan of the team and of football in general. I listen to multile podcasts each day. I check and post on the message board daily. I think there is a way to be a huge fan but also be nuanced, rational, and realistic with the team. Yes, it means the highs probably aren't as high for me as they are for you, but the lows certainly are not as low either.

Yeah, I find that a little strange. Nobody can be a fan only because of "winning". Fans aren't winning anything, the players are. If that is the case, the primary reason is a tribal loyalty reason, where you feel you are a part of the team and it is your tribe versus their tribe, kind of thing. The primary reason is entertainment, for most fans. Football is a form of entertainment. There'd be little reason to watch if it isn't entertaining. I love football. I think it is a very intricate and strategic game with amazing feats of athleticism. I love the game itself, and I enjoy watching professionals play it at a high level. I watch and root for the Bills because I was raised that way, and I feel loyalty to them. I've never lived in Buffalo, so it is a purely family thing for me. I don't have loyalty to the city itself, really. A bit, because of the familiarity of the Bills being there. And winning makes it all way more fun to watch, so I want the team to win, and when they do win it feels good. It makes everything better and more exciting as a fan. Losing is not fun and does not feel as good as a fan.

For most people I'm sure it is mostly all of the above.

That's simply not true.