Inigo Montoya

The Phins are going to be sniffing their own farts all week and come in cocky. I think that’s good for the Bills.

She's not dead. After years of brutal last second losses and watching the Bills ***** defeat from the jaws of victory, poor Becky finally snapped and kidnapped a Patriots fan named Edwin, keeping him chained up in a storage unit where she blared the Shout song at him non-stop for three straight weeks. Becky also set up a projector in the storage unit and hit poor Edwin with one of those orange foam chicken wing hats every time she showed him a picture of Tom Brady. Becky now lives in Miller's Merry Manor a "rest home" for those with severe emotional issues. In a twist of fate too strange for fiction, Becky has become great friends with Edwin who is also a resident there. They spend most of their days together writing threatening letters to Tom Brady that the rest home staff throws away.

Twelve of their writers were asked for their pick for AFCE champs in 2023. Below is all twelve of their picks and their reasoning. The Bills came out on top garnering 7 out of 12 votes; Bills - 7 Jets - 4 Phins - 1 Division odds per Yahoo: Buffalo Bills +125 New York Jets +250 Miami Dolphins +300 New England Patriots +800 Prisco: Bills. Despite all the fanfare for the Jets with Aaron Rodgers as quarterback, the Bills are still the team to beat. They will be improved on defense with Sean McDermott taking over and Josh Allen will again have a big year on offense -- even better than a year ago. The Jets and Dolphins will fight for second. Benjamin: Jets. The Bills are rightful favorites, but if Aaron Rodgers actually gets protection, Robert Saleh's squad is too talented in key areas -- on the ground, out wide, all across the defense -- to be a total disappointment. Better to bet on the future Hall of Fame QB than the injury-bitten Dolphins or sluggish Patriots. Dubin: Bills. Perhaps if Jalen Ramsey were still healthy or I had more confidence in the Jets' offensive line, I could pick against the Bills. But there's a reason we've thought this was arguably the best team in the league for several years now. Edwards: Bills. The pick may lack creativity but I have fewer concerns about the Bills than I do the other teams in the division. I still do not know what to expect from Mac Jones. Tua Tagovailoa's health is a concern in Miami. As a rule, it is often a fool's errand to place too much confidence in a 39-year-old quarterback even though I would generally be inclined to pick New York. It is a make-or-break year for Josh Allen and Buffalo. Wilson: Jets. I wasn't sure Aaron Rodgers would be a good fit in New York, but he appears as happy as ever, his teammates speaking glowingly of his leadership, and he's still one of the best QBs on the planet. And the Jets also have that dominant defense. Sullivan: Jets. I would have gone with the Dolphins had it not been for Ramsey's injury, but I do think the Rodgers-led Jets will have some spunk to them this season. The weapons around him are solid and the defense is top notch. This is more Stafford/Rams and Brady/Bucs than it is Wilson/Broncos. Dajani: Jets. Give me the Jets! This defense is a top-five unit and the offense finally has some consistency at the most important position in the game. The Jets have a nice wide receiving corps and a loaded running back room. Plus, a motivated Aaron Rodgers is the best Aaron Rodgers. DeArdo: Dolphins. Buffalo's three-year reign as the beasts of the East comes to an end. The Bills should get a wild card spot, though, along with Aaron Rodgers and the Jets. Semi hot take: One of these three teams will be in the AFC Championship game, if not the Super Bowl. Kerr: Bills. Love this value as Buffalo still has Josh Allen leading a loaded offense. Offensive line is a concern. Von Miller is also coming back at some point. Podell: Bills. The Bills are the current three-time reigning champion, and they have been one of the NFL's most dominant teams across the last three regular seasons, leading the league in points per game (29.4) and points allowed per game (19.4) in that span. Quarterback Josh Allen is the engine that drives the Bills, and he'll once again factor into another strong run for Buffalo in 2023. He provided gigantic production in 2022, ranking second in the NFL to only MVP Patrick Mahomes in total yards (5,045) and total touchdowns (42). With the additions of first-round pick tight end Dalton Kincaid and second-round pick guard O'Cyrus Torrence, Buffalo's offense could be more efficient in 2023, leading to a fourth straight division crown. Brinson: Bills. The lack of respect and interest in the Buffalo Bills this offseason is wild to me. This team has the second-most wins in the NFL behind the Chiefs over the last three years, has morphed into the new dominant franchise in their division and no one wants to back them to win this year, even in the division. Thank Aaron Rodgers and the Jets for the free chip on Buffalo's shoulder. Breech: Bills. It seems like the Bills have somehow become the forgotten team in the AFC East, but I would like them to know that I haven't forgotten about them.

I think Beane and McDermott got together after the end of the last season and decided that their previous philosophy of team building, i.e. build a stout defense and depend on Josh to cover up the deficiencies on offense simply hasn't worked. This off season they invested their first two picks of the draft on offense drafting another weapon for Josh and some desperately needed help on the O-line. Torrence looks like a Week 1 plug and play guard and has the potential to be the best lineman on the field. They brought in McGovern and Edwards to further bolster the line replacing Saffold who just couldn't go anymore and was a huge liability. On paper at least, the O-line looks better than the unit fielded last season. Everyone is excited to see what Kincaid can do and I expect him to have a great year. They brought in Harty and Sherfield who are upgrades over the Bills 3rd and 4th WRs from last season and a couple of legit running backs in Harris and Murray to compliment Cooks. It looks like the Bills have the pieces in place to field a legitimate run game for the first time since Josh has been here. Defenses are going to have to make some tough choices when it it comes to defending this offense and a more experienced Ken Dorsey should be able to take advantage of that. The offense is the focus now, not the defense. Beane has poured nitrous oxide into the offensive engine and has put Josh in position to take over games and simply overwhelm opposing defenses. This shift in philosophy is the biggest thing that gives me hope that the Bills will finally get over the hump this year. Last year the Chiefs had the NFL's highest scoring offense scoring 496 points over 17 games. I think the Bills will crush that total this year.

AFCE QB Special; 1. Aaron Rodgers doesn't get past week 3 before being knocked out for the season behind the turnstile Jets' O-line. 2. Tua doesn't get past week 6 before suffering another concussion and missing multiple weeks. 3. Mac Jones is benched by week 9 turning over the reins to the as-of-yet unknown QB2 in New England. 4. Josh Allen passes for 5,000 yards and 40 TDs.

The other consideration here is that Kraft is 82 and might want to have one more run at it while he's still around. This might shorten the amount of time he is willing to give Bill to turn things around.

Is there some reason you don't think he's on the hot seat? I guess I wouldn't bet $100 either way, but if I had to lean in one direction I'd think that multiple Patriot beat reporters saying the same thing means something. Time will tell. 🍻

https://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/threads/update-curran-says-belichick-has-been-on-the-hot-seat-since-2019.1161044/ Interesting thread on the Pat's message board that has a quote from Ben Volin the Senior NFL writer at the Boston Globe that says Bill is on the hot seat. “Robert Kraft already made it clear in March that he wants the Patriots to make the postseason and win a playoff game for the first time in five years,” Volin wrote. “He also paid Jerod Mayo handsomely to keep him off the coaching market and likely views him as the team’s coach-in-waiting. And Belichick’s friends have privately said they are worried that he is on the hot seat in 2023.” The thread also links to two more stories reporting the same from different sources. https://nesn.com/2023/07/patriots-rumors-bill-belichicks-friends-fear-coach-on-hot-seat/ https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/11/sports/mac-jones-bob-kraft-bill-belichick/ This article is behind a paywall and says that Mac Jones has quickly become tight with Robert Kraft and that Bill may end up the odd man out. The Bills host the Pats in Week 17 and it would be great to drub them so badly that Bill becomes a dead man walking come Bloody Monday at the end of the regular season.

I think the jury is still out on how good of an NFL coach McDaniel is. I don't like him as a person because of how he handled Tua's injuries and then having the moxie to come out in a press conference and say that he would never put a player out there who wasn't safe to play.... right after the entire NFL watched him do just that! He put Tua back out against the Bills when he was clearly not safe to play, and to maintain the charade, he sent him back out 5 days later on a short week and nearly got him killed against the Bengals. He said he would never sacrifice a player to get a win. Does anyone believe that? Not a fan.

Fair point. It might also be argued that we went as far last year as our O-Line took us. The Cincy game collapse was more than just the O-Line, but the O-Line was a big part of it.

Been making the rounds of the AFCE message boards with camp starting and there is some worry in Gang Green about the line they're putting in front of 39 year old Aaron Rodgers. The O-line is the biggest question mark on a team with a roster that otherwise looks pretty solid. I think its fair to say that the Jets will go as far as their O-Line can take them. Here's a link to the thread I was reading about Becton looking rough today. It is his first day back following his injury and being out so I wouldn't read too much into one day's performance, but he wasn't exactly setting the world on fire before the injury either. https://forums.theganggreen.com/threads/becton-not-looking-good.99103/ Here are a few of the comments that provide a pretty good sample of the opinions there. "Becton let up 3 sacks today and was later pulled. This is not a good sign for the O line. I know it has been a while since he played but I was expecting a little bit more from him. I know the trade for Rodgers was needed but moving down two spots on the draft cost us a tackle which in retropsect looks to be a costly mistake." "It’s not so much that any one particular move cost us. But not trying to get a better tackle in here was certainly a bad move. Rolling into the year with often injured and bad pass protector in Becton, 84 year old Duane Brown and shaky Max Mitchell is scary." "Very scary stuff there. Two oft-injured left tackles and two unproven right tackles." "He wasn't pulled because he gave up the sacks. He is on a "pitch count." He's hasn't played in two years and is coming back from injury. They're trying to keep him healthy while he shakes off the rust. If he is still struggling in a month, then I'll worry, but it's way too early to even think about that. Also, Saleh said that Becton doesn't fully trust his knee yet, so he's not going all out. He's being careful and judicious in his movements." "He hasn't played in a year, is coming off a major injury and has a whole new body with his weight loss. Reading too much into his performance this far before the season is just as misguided as thinking that some unknown who catches a few big passes one day in training camp is going to be the next Al Toon." "Saw some vid on Becton. That is one HUGE KNEE BRACE the young man is wearing. Not sure just how much mobility he's gonna have with that thing on."

Josh Allen has come a long way since draft night when he and the Bills were made a laughing stock by all the football "experts". The debate about who is the best QB is irrelevant to me as it's totally subjective. Rank him 1st, 4th, 6th, who cares? The bottom line is that after wandering in the QB desert for two decades the Bills finally have one of the best young QBs in the NFL with the potential to win multiple championships and be an all time great. That's enough for me.

I've never understood the need for some people to go to another team's message board and be a jerk. It's sad to think of someone who's life is so empty that they take some kind of perverse pleasure in trying to aggravate complete strangers on a football message board. I'm not sure if it's just pitiful or pathological. @Airseven, you need some help.

I suspect you're right. For years I used to hope for primetime games for the Bills. Now I'd love to just have 1 pm starts on Sunday. I think as long as we have Josh that's not going to be in the cards. The Bills are a victim of their own success.

I'm more than happy to have the spot light taken off of this team as much as possible. I'd rather have more Sunday 1 pm games and less primetime. I'd rather have the pundits focus on Mahomes v Burrow and ignore the Bills while they quietly keep stacking wins.

Feeling like he was on a roll, after Bill got off the phone with the Steelers he called Dominos and ordered 50 large anchovy pizzas to be delivered to the Jets' draft room under the name A. Rodgers.

I would settle for piles of buffalo dung along the visitor's sideline. 💩💩💩

My slightly off beat take... Like the stadium. Love the three giant buffalo.

Fair point BD51, but I think the Bills end up carrying seven WRs this season because both Shorter and Shavers are apparently special teams phenoms and should make the game day roster that way. Unlike Taiwan Jones and Kumerow who were special team guys who offered nothing on offense, I think the Bills hope these guys can do both. Throw Knox and Kincaid out there as well and the pass catchers are much bigger this year.

Do I need to have stats to make that point? I think it's pretty well understood that the refs try to "let them play" during the postseason. I apologize if my OP hasn't lived up to the rigid scientific standards you demand from a TBD post. I'll be sure to look for the reams of verified statistical analysis you provide the next time you offer an opinion here. 🍻

The Bills have been dominant in the regular season but haven't had the same success in the playoffs. One factor that has contributed to those frustrations is that playoff games are officiated differently. The refs don't call defensive holding at the line of scrimmage like they do in the regular season. DBs know they can mug at the snap and get away with it. The Bills pass catchers were on the small size and more vulnerable to getting held by DBs playing press. I think Beane made a deliberate decision to bring in bigger bodied pass catchers who can get off the line of scrimmage even when DBs are grabbing them. If your team's 178 lb nickleback wants to try and hold our new 246 lb slot guy, or our new 6'4" 229 lb receiver, go ahead and take your chances. Here are the new pass catchers on the 2023 roster as of today Trent Sherfield- 6'1" 219 FA Deonte Harty- 5'6" 170 FA Dalton Kincaid- 6'4" 246 Rookie 1st rd Justin Shorter- 6'4" 229 Rookie 5th rd Tyrell Shavers- 6'4" 211 Rookie UDFA Jalen Wayne- 6'2" 207 Rookie UDFA We still have Gabe Davis who's 6'2" 210 and Dawson Knox at 6'4" 254. They also have a WR on the PS that they've been developing, Dezmon Patmon, who is 6'4" and 225. All together, that's a big group of pass catchers. You'll have Diggs, Harty, and Shakir-- and every other Bills' WR is going to be big. Beane is signing receivers who can fight through the DB's jam / holding and get out into their route. Hopefully this change in roster philosophy will lead to more success in the passing game when it matters the most.

Beane's scouts seem to do great finding late round gems. Time will tell. I'm an optimist. (You have to be if you're a Bills fan)

I love it! I hope Herbert goes next and then Bengals are on the hook for $60 million a year for Burrow.

The entire NFL is waiting for Lamar's publicist / mom to post the contract numbers on her Facebook page.

After stoically enduring two decades of slings and arrows from the worst fan base in professional sports, I do admit to feeling a small amount of pleasure when I see Patriot fans despairing as they find their team deep in the basement of the AFCE with no realistic prospects to turn things around anytime soon. It was bad enough for them watching Josh Allen steal their lunch money, but now they find themselves in a division with the Jets and Dolphins firmly entrenched above them as well. The Pats finished below .500 last year at 8 - 9. This year Vegas has their over under win total at 7.5. I don't think it would surprise anyone if they they lose every AFCE game this season. In a QB driven league they have a fair to middling game manager under center. They will continue to win enough games to avoid the very top of the draft where they can draft a marquee QB prospect. Gone are the years when great vets would take a discount to come to New England to try to win a ring with Tom and Belichick. Now there is a diminishing Belichick with no Tom and zero chance to win a championship. Belichick is not adapting to the modern game and didn't even have an OC last year during Mac Jones' sophomore season to help him develop. Reports are that those two are on the outs after Mac reached out to his Alabama coaches for help last season behind Bill's back. Bill is great friends with Nick Saban and you know Bill feels humiliated with his QB going behind his back to ask Saban for advice. As a long suffering Bills fan, I won't wish any active evil on the Patriots, but I will take some modicum of pleasure in watching them flail and flounder for the next few seasons as Belichick slowly fades away taking the franchise and their horrible fans down with him. Pats fans had an incredible run and many believed that riding atop the AFCE and NFL was their birthright. Well, the wheel turns and the Pats are now AFCE and NFL basement dwellers, and it couldn't have happened to a nicer group of people.