WideNine

I got irrationally annoyed reading Lombardi's narrative on the game. Sure he threw Josh a bone, but ruined it for me when he alluded to the Daboll tailoring the game plan to short passes limiting exposing Josh's downfield accuracy issues. Followed by stating the statistic that Allen was 9/13 on throws between 10-30 yards with two that were over 20 yards. Not sure what the point was, if anything I think there are plenty of times Allen bails Daboll out by extending plays that normally would get blown up 5 yards deep or creating offense on the fly and frankly I like that Allen is growing his game in a way where he can pick apart a defense and work clock-eating drives down the field - the rest will come. Last thing I want from Allen is him forcing the issue and air mailing the long ball into tight coverage with safety help over top and the Jets play a lot of cover-2 . Particularly fine with him avoiding this when the Bills were doing just fine taking what they were giving up underneath. So yeah... taking your advice. Allen played well and I am stoked and happy as hell that we have Bills football again to break up the monotony.

Truth, they are paid for their opinions but in hindsight I thought Phil had some keen draft day insight when it came to Rosen, and his critique of the things Allen does well and the areas he would need to work on.

Sure Biden pushed for Shokin to be fired this is neither news or scandal - it was an on-going policy decision as part of anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine The US, the IMF, and the EU all wanted to see Shokin removed in Ukraine as part of their anti-corruption efforts. This had zero to do with anything Hunter Biden was doing: Once again, this misinformation regarding Biden came from Andriy Derkach and it is all about context. Andriy Derkach —described by the Treasury Department as “an active Russian agent for over a decade, maintaining close connections with the Russian Intelligence Services”—stands accused of orchestrating a “covert influence campaign centered on cultivating false and unsubstantiated narratives” about the Bidens via “edited audio tapes and other unsupported information,” which launched “corruption investigations in both Ukraine and the United States designed to culminate prior to election day.” So who was the so-called "top prosecutor" victim in Ukraine (Shokin)? Well hardly a victim: He had been identified by the Obama administration, and US allies as part of the corruption problem in the Ukraine. His dismissal had been sought not just by Mr. Biden, but also by others in the Obama administration, as well other Western governments and international lenders. Mr. Shokin had been repeatedly accused of turning a blind eye to corruption in his office and among the Ukrainian political elite, and criticized for failing to bring corruption cases. He was hated by the Ukrainian people as a symbol of the old corrupt regime. There were protests for his removal and even an attempted assassination. He would not prosecute snipers who opened fire on demonstrators in Kiev, he slow-walked investigations in the attempt to put pressure on individuals for bribes. The investigation into Burisma Holdings and its oligarch founder, Mykola Zlochevsky started in 2012 and drug on as Shokin slow-walked the investigation using the threat of prosecution of Zlochevsky and Burisma to solicit bribes. The Shokin way: On 16 February 2016, Shokin submitted a letter of resignation, although the next day an official of the prosecution office stated, "As far as I know he has taken a paid leave". On 19 February 2016 presidential press secretary Sviatoslav Tsegolko wrote on Twitter that the presidential administration had received an official letter of resignation from Shokin. On 16 March 2016 an official of the prosecution office stated that Shokin had resumed his work. On the same day, his office carried out a raid against one of Ukraine's leading anti-corruption groups, the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC), claiming that it had misappropriated aid money. AntAC was a frequent critic of the Prosecutor General's Office under Shokin. In one notorious case, two of Shokin's prosecutors were caught with stashes of diamonds, cash and valuables in their homes, likely indicating bribery. Prosecutors from another department of Shokin's office were fired or reassigned when they attempted to bring a prosecution against the so-called "diamond prosecutors". On 28 March, protesters called for Shokin's firing, after his office was authorized by a Kiev court to investigate AntAC. Shokin was formally dismissed in a parliamentary vote on 29 March 2016. The European Union praised Shokin's dismissal due to a "lack of tangible results" of his office's investigations, and also because people in Shokin's office were themselves being investigated. Following his dismissal Shokin went into retirement. The Ukraine investigation into Burisma was opened in 2012 and pertained to events that happened before Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden joined the board of directors of Burisma Holdings in 2014. US President Donald Trump's subsequent bid to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce an investigation of Joe Biden and dig up dirt in relation to Burisma by withholding crucial Ukrainian aid led to the December 2019 articles of impeachment against Trump. Hunter Biden: IMO Hunter Biden screwed up (image wise and greed wise), but did not do anything illegal. It is simply not a good look to be cozying up to Zlochevsky as that guy is likely as crooked as any other oligarch, but Hunter's law firm was hired and the money was good. Unfortunately, I think this is the norm for political favors and posts that get filled with individuals with connections to our government. Hunter Biden had nothing to do with the prior Shokin investigation launched against Burisma and would not have stood anything to gain one way or another by it proceeding or stopping since Shokin was not doing anything but trying to shake Zlochevsky down for bribes. In fact, when Shokin dragged his feet investigating Zlochevsky the Obama administration sought other means to have him investigated regardless of Hunter's role on the board. Although no wrong-doing was found and I doubt any will be, Hunter has been justly criticized by government watchdog groups in the United States and Ukraine for what they characterize as the perception of a conflict of interest of holding a position in a Ukraine business while his father was a part of an anti-corruption task force, and trading on his family name and allowing it to be used to burnish the reputations of Burisma and Mr. Zlochevsky. Hunter finished his tenure with Burisma in 2019. Various Investigations into Zlochevsky have and probably will continued unabated and not sure if they will stop. I am sure there is probably some dirt somewhere in that guys not to distant past. It comes with the oligarch territory.

You also "forgot" about your claim that Trump ushered in the age of American energy independence.... and my rebuttal, but heck there is a good argument that we may have covered enough for one day.

We do not have to agree on anything really, but yeah I agree - this is going to cause the crap show in DC to go off the deep end or ....deeper end.

What conspiracy theory are you referring to of mine. That there are Russians? That they use misinformation and social media to spread it? That Russia prefers Trump over Biden? The extremely redacted 3-year bipartisan ( that means GOP and Democrat, Left and Right, Conservative and Liberal, pick your preference) Senate Intelligence report made that clear: https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/press/rubio-statement-senate-intel-release-volume-5-bipartisan-russia-report “What the Committee did find however is very troubling. We found irrefutable evidence of Russian meddling... “Now, as we head towards the 2020 elections, China and Iran have joined Russia in attempts to disrupt our democracy, exacerbate societal divisions, and sow doubts about the legitimacy and integrity of our institutions, our electoral process and our republic. Interesting..... because isn't this exactly what Don and ol' Bill Barr are helping them to do over and over again with their messaging? “We must do better in 2020. The Committee’s five reports detail the signs and symptoms of that interference and show us how to protect campaigns, state and local entities, our public discourse, and our democratic institutions. I join with Vice Chairman Warner in urging everyone — our colleagues, those in the Administration, state and local elections officials, the media, and the American public — to read them and take the recommendations seriously.” I simply pointed out that you folks were forwarding the exact rumor accredited to Derkach and he has since been censored by our Treasury for being an active part of the Russian influence campaign. Is it that folks prefer an echo chamber for spreading rumors that have already been discredited? The only theory I did propose was not a conspiracy theory, rather just a financial theory that Trump's over-abundant LLCs (500 of them) tied to his many property holdings may well turn out to be a money laundering and tax evasion scheme. This is a theory based on how Manifort operated, the unnecessary complexity which closely resembles shell corporations, and how hard Trump is trying to hide his financial records. I admitted that it was a theory and I am looking forward to his financial disclosures once he is done squirming around like a guilty weasel with all his appeals. They will come out eventually and they will likely paint another clear picture of criminal conduct that the ignorant masses will dismiss and ignore. For my part, I will take Sleepy Joe this year over Don the Con, and hope the GOP finds someone with a shred of decency that I can get behind next election.

Man o' man would P T Barnum and H G Wells have a field day with Americans today. Watch the lemmings chase after every fake Russian story. https://globalsecurityreview.com/russia-manipulated-u-s-voters-social-media/ https://www.rand.org/blog/2017/07/russian-information-warfare-a-reality-that-needs-a.html https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/English-Edition-Archives/July-August-2020/Wilhelm-Russian-Framework/ So lets think about this, is this really the GOP Hail Mary play? Are they really willing to use Russian propaganda that Sleepy Joe Biden is some kind of criminal mastermind or commie? Yeah...... that tracks😂🤣😂👌 And before folks go there, I have been a registered Republican and Independent. I have never been a Democrat. At this point honestly I am kind of agnostic bordering on unaffiliated. The Dems like to throw money at social and infra problems like magic fairy dust and hope they go away, the GOP likes to throw money and concessions at big business and think they are benevolent and that any of it will trickle down to the little people. We're screwed at either polar bipartisan end and the best strategy with the least bodies on the highway is probably somewhere in the middle. Regarding the alleged smoking gun Biden "call" introduced by Russian Operative Derkach. https://www.ksat.com/news/politics/2020/09/12/biden-audio-first-shared-by-russian-agent-thrives-online/ The call did happen, but context is critically important. The corruption theories have already been discredited because Shokin did not have any active investigation into any of Hunter Biden's work and because Joe Biden, in seeking Shokin's firing, was representing the official documented position of the Obama administration, Western allies, and many in Ukraine who perceived the prosecutor as soft on corruption. At the time, Shokin was facing widespread criticism for failing to prosecute snipers who opened fire on Kyiv protesters. Not enough? OK, from Trump's own Treasury Secretary appointee after vetting intelligence reports: “Andrii Derkach and other Russian agents employ manipulation and deceit to attempt to influence elections in the United States and elsewhere around the world,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday in a statement announcing sanctions against the pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmaker and three Russian employees of a “troll farm” that generates divisive social media content for U.S. consumption. Derkach had been working with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and One America News network, which Trump has come to favor in the past year, to push the falsehood that the Democratic presidential nominee acted improperly when, as vice president, he worked to remove a corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor, supposedly to protect a company his son, Hunter, had been working for. In fact, Joe Biden was advancing the consensus goal of the United States, the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and others to rid Ukraine of corruption. Why is it so easy for the masses to believe in some amorphous government deep state, when the truth is right in plain site. Putin wants 4 more years of Trump and 4 more years of chaos and mismanagement in the US. A weaker US at home, means a weaker US abroad. Trump provides that because he is a conman and a hack. Never in the history of the US has an active President had so many hand-picked staff defections and amazingly they all say almost the same exact thing, "Trump does not care about anyone but himself and he is unfit for the office of the Presidency". Must be the deep state, Illuminati, or whatever got to all of them......Puh-leeese. I grew up in Trump's back yard and he was always a con man and a hack. Daddy handed him a pile of cash and properties and it lead to just a long string of messy bankruptcies, poorly concealed affairs with his porn stars and high-class hookers, messy divorces, money laundering, ties to the Gotti family, constantly dodging one indictment after the next, he was kind of a running joke for folks in Jersey wondering when he would finally get locked up. Then the hillbilly noobs watch The Apprentice and think this clown is some kind of financial genius, but he is just running the long con on folks and God-forbid the law actually gets his tax returns for the 500 LLCs he has created as shell companies attached to his properties well-positioned entities to launder money from who knows where - I am thinking a significant chunk from Russian oligarchs who have not been able to invest elsewhere due to the Magnitsky Act. Could the money trail lead to the "Kompromat" that could shed light on the inexplicable boot-licking that Trump does around Putin - I have no idea, but would like to see where the money leads. "Trump's lawyers told the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals that without a stay it would result in "quintessential irreparable harm" by allowing the subpoena for the records to go ahead." His first order of business as President was to look into the legality of pardoning himself. What kind of person does that? Think folks, I know it hurts sometimes, but you have to exercise that grey matter. Why would someone go to such great lengths to hide his financial dealings, why would they cause him harm, and why has every President been transparent about their taxes and business dealings except Trump? And before the usual left wing nonsense I am as conservative as they come, and I am not upset that we have more conservative justices, yet I cannot turn a blind eye to criminal mismanagement of our government or ignore the push of foreign influence campaigns. To be fair China would prefer Biden as Trump has been tougher on them, but China is better at stealing tech than using social media for propaganda. They are light years behind Russia, but I would expect them to learn pretty quickly seeing how effective Russia has been with it. Either way, folks need to get smarter around critical thinking and research when feeding at the social media rumor trough - you all make it too easy. I speak from real experience as I have actually discovered a few fake Facebook accounts in my time and have had them closed down. I have to say that Facebook in the past moved at a glacial pace and they need to step up their game. Trolls just need a few idiots with valid accounts to spread misinformation - basically human bots. The FB accounts were originally opened in places like Tajikistan using hijacked photos for the accounts (used online face finding tools to verify). The accounts were just a shell with almost no history or personal information and apparently used pictures of folks Russians felt would appeal to "real Americans" you know what I mean; Folks that looked like they came out of a truck commercial on NFL Sunday; a blue-collar looking white dude wearing flannel standing next to his truck with his dog, wife, and 2.5 kids. These were part of a Russian troll farm that were posting on sites spreading rumors, hate, and distrust regarding 2nd amendment rights - and it is not hard to get Americans to hate on each other. It is really quite easy to do. I think it would benefit folks greatly if they were actually less lazy and spent less time reading social media snippets they think are "news" and unsubstantiated tweets and read something substantive, read the actual bi-partisan intelligence reports before they go through the spin cycle in DC, jettison the emotional charged garbage, and steer clear of the ridiculous conspiracy theories. .

Thanks - glad you liked that. I heard a lot of what Chris Simms has had to say about Allen the past few years, but after I heard Simms senior say last Sunday that he thought that Allen was one of only 10 or so active QBs in the league capable of handling the tricky winds and conditions in Buffalo I wanted to see if there was any other thoughts from Phil back when Allen was drafted. Found that article (I had not read that before either) and thought he was pretty spot on regarding both Allen and Rosen.

Just thought it was fun to look back to the QB draft and read an old article quoting Phil Simms about Allen being the right guy for Buffalo. Not sure where I stood at the time, but know I was wrong about the few convictions I did have. I do recall thinking Rosen might be the more polished prospect out of all of the class, that Mayfield would be a problem-child, and that Jackson was a RB with delusions of playing QB - a flash in the pan. "The popular case made for Rosen is that he's far more polished than Allen and has a better grasp of the nuances of the position. Skeptical Bills fans are wary of the rawness of Allen's game, concluding that the team's decision-makers allowed his 6-foot-5, 237-pound frame and powerful arm overshadow his lack of accuracy. They also question the fact Allen not only wasn't dominant enough against the lower level of competition Wyoming faced but struggled against larger schools." Simms' advice to Bills loyalists who'd rather have seen them peg a different future franchise quarterback? "Don't be second-guessers," he said. "This is the guy that fits Buffalo. He's big, he's mobile, he's meant to live in Antarctica. He's got the fur, he can survive." "Josh Rosen, yeah, he's very polished, but he's a little frail, he's not mobile. Josh Rosen, for the first year or so, he might be the better quarterback. But Josh Allen's not going to get smaller, he can take the punishment. He might slow down, but he's still going to be faster than all these quarterbacks we're talking about except Lamar Jackson." "And he's got (the ability to make) all the throws on the move, which is really important in the NFL. Not that Josh Rosen doesn't have those; it's just not in him to try it that often. And the NFL is this now: everybody is moving to throw the ball. Tom Brady moves out of the pocket and feels that hole or that gap in the defense, he moves to it – right, left and whatever – to make the throw. That is just part of the game and I don't think you can have great success in the league unless you do that." Simms is not calling Allen a perfect quarterback. Far from it. His analysis of Allen's Pro Day video showed, while Allen's skills are more refined than his critics might believe, they're not refined enough. "He has got an unbelievable arm, but there are a few things that he needs to do to really be a machine at quarterback, that he must fix," Simms said. Two of the biggest are: *Occasionally allowing his arm to get "a little bit too long" in his delivery. "If his hand gets too far away from his shoulders, it goes backward sometimes," Simms said. "Nobody in pro football has success doing that. Yeah, there's probably one or two (exceptions). Russell Wilson winds up and throws it like he's a baseball player, but he has huge hands, grips the ball different from everybody else and he makes it work." *Using his feet to create a "smaller space" from where he throws. "Your right foot (for a right-handed passer) must be under you," Simms said. "That will make him a great short thrower. You can't just say, 'Oh, I'm going to give it touch' and slow your arm down. You've got to turn and be aggressive and (having the proper footwork helps allow) you to fire that ball in there and it's got to be laser-sharp and perfect." How long will it take Allen to make those corrections? "All he has to be is shown (what to do) and then five minutes later, he's going to go, 'Got it,' " Simms said. "And that's it."

The Onion is awesome. 😂🤣

What I think is humorous is how some posters have to recharacterize a simple thread question to the level of rabid conspiracy and blind fandom. The call did not really effect the net result of the game, but it is a good question to ask why a certain scoring play is not reviewable - simply because a kicker has the leg to kick the ball higher than the goal posts....particularly if an important game was on the line. I am not sure if there are a lot of controversial field goals, but suspect there would have to be a seismic gaffe before the NFL would change the current system and put in some kind of field goal review. Allowing a challenge process would be a good compromise and would require the kind of camera angles and quick access to them to make the challenge worth while.

I have seen this issue before with kickers with big legs when they have cleared the uprights by 10 feet, catch the mesh between the uprights, and it is called wide by an official under the goal posts. Not sure if they actually have a great angle depending on where they are standing.... It would not be that difficult to use cameras and replays to virtually extend the goal posts and get the call right. Other than rattling our young kicker, not a lot of harm with that call in our game, but if it happened during a tight playoff or superbowl there would be a huge controversy.

Not quite there yet, but think that Trent, when healthy, can be a very good addition to our DL rotation. As I believe he is a UFA next year, he should be very motivated to elevate his play this season so that he can make some coin on the open market. I don't see the Bills breaking the bank next year, but another year gives our developing DL prospects more time to grow. A calculated value move by McBean to balance veteran skill and team continuity vs letting Murphy go.

Got it. Was fooled for a bit by the paunch and "haircut"😁

Good to hear and look forward to the articles. Have been wondering who Allen ran over on our sideline a few plays before his red zone fumble. Looked like Daboll from one camera view with McD helping him back up. Whoever it was, was a bigger dude and Allen sent him end over end. Easy to forget that Allen is a big dude.

QB...always the franchise question mark, but I think they are going to have a better defence than we have seen from them in a while. As we know, good defence can cover a lot of new-QB growing pains and Fitz as their bench would not be a bad setup. We will see. Not saying they are world-beaters right now, but certainly not a team that is going to roll over and hand you a "W".

Flores is the real deal and I was somewhat amazed with the job he didin Miami last year. They were still a tough team that played hard for him even after he jettisoned so many good players for cap and draft picks. Takes assembling a great staff sound coaching and a clear vision. Did not hurt that they poached Marvin Allen the national scout from Bean's staff to be their assistant GM. They have been quietly nailing draft picks and getting some props for how their young players have been performing. I guess it was too much to hope that they would stay mired in mediocrity for a long spell under a new coach.

I could see the Jets taking a look. They really do not have any stud WRs and OB would be back to NYC where he can get the media attention he craves. I could see Gase convincing himself that OB could help Darnold, but the guy is a me-first locker room cancer.

Our country has some issues and folks have the right to peacefully protest to bring attention to them. It is as patriotic as it gets IMO. Those that have fought for this country, fought to preserve those kind of rights and freedoms. You B word about the government in China off to jail you go, Iran and they will have you confessing to some crime after a long spell of torture and executed, in Turkey if you think Erdogan is a Hitler-wanna-be and you tweet those thoughts you and your family should pack for a long prison term, in Russia if you have beef with Putin and are vocal enough you'll be slipped some nerve agent or polonium-210 in your drink. It sounds like the Bills decided as a team what they would do as a form of protest and did not let it get divisive. I thought I heard McD mention in his presser something about the team getting more organized and active around voting or helping with census - putting the desire for positive change into constructive action. Personally, no issue with it.

If anything else this 2020 year of suck and shelter at home has taught folks, it should be that giving your fans the ability to watch their pro teams play from where ever they are at should be the baseline going forward. Cancelled my Center Ice subscription a few years back because every freaking time I desparately needed to watch the Sabres remotely (like when I was slowly dying alone in a school hallway while my little girl learns piano) it would tell me that it was being broadcasted somewhere local so not available. And I lost it after I literally bought into the premium platinum and you'll never miss a game yada yada... BS and found they still blocked games, but I could watch the replay later...seriously? Maybe they have changed their money grubbing ways...I wouldn't know. Cancelled for years and maybe for good, just catch the games when I can and read the recaps.

Lost me at PFF in the title. I think they enjoy peeing in our Cheerios. I still believe that they are homers who selectively emphasize or minimize the stats they feel propel the narrative that they prefer, but hey some folks still think they are objective even when it looked like they were hanging on Mayfield's jock in 2018: https://clutchpoints.com/browns-news-pff-reveals-baker-mayfields-top-performance-from-2018/ My own take is that unlike Allen, Baker Mayfield came out of a great college system and was gifted a ton of talent to work with in his time in the NFL. If he actually used that talent around him effectively yesterday would PFF slant the credit to his receiving core elevating Baker's game or go back to reinforcing their original narrative and saying Mayfield was back to the QB they thought he was in 2018? ...yesterday per PFF: "Baker Mayfield didn't seem to trust anything happening around him. When he did trust his first reads, he threw into tight coverage. Baker was 2-of-10 for 25 yards and was sacked twice when pressured. Even when Mayfield was kept clean, he went only 19-of-34 for 164 yards with one big time throw and two turnover-worthy plays. Odell Beckham Jr. gave the proverbial side eye every time Baker missed a pass in his direction. Beckham caught five balls on seven targets, including a wide-open drop. It’s hard to think of a worse Week 1 performance by an offense in recent years — the Browns stay winless in the PFF era in Week 1s."

Not a great pass by any means, but Allen had defenders coming hot from his right and you can see him sling it sidearm in a hurry to get it through the tight window before it closed. It was a street ball kind of move that Allen is known for. Kind of gives me flashbacks of Bernie Kosar or Favre early in his career creating plays on the fly. Can be nerve-racking roller-coaster when I go from the "oh *****" in my brain to "I can't believe that worked", but Allen does make it work more often than not and the negative plays (outside of the fumbles on the designed runs) have trended downward over his time behind center for the Bills. I hope that trend continues and Daboll does his part to help with that. The big takeaway was the right audible being called, the offense being on the same page to execute the play, the offense actually executing it without misfiring, and the unselfish blocking by Diggs and how Brown gave him props right away. Bean going out and finding the kind of receivers that have a wide catch radius is a great thing too. Josh has to keep working on his accuracy, but all QBs throw errant passes from time to time and benefit from receivers that can track and adjust to the ball. Josh's presser, the unselfish behavior on the field, and the desire to work together to improve as a team is the kind of team chemistry you want to see.

And it has been proven over and over again that big names do not a winning team make. Year after year Belichick takes cast offs and low draft picks and by having a good system and a few key players he builds competitive teams. Solid coaching and organization continuity within an effective system is more than half the equation when it comes to winning programs. We fans that have been around for a while have seen many NFL owners who have thought they could buy their way to a championship; grabbing every big name free agent and thinking that having all those me-first personalities will lead them to victories. The results rarely if ever live up to the hype, yet every year we have to endure the free agent zealots who preach doom and gloom if the Bills to not spend up to the cap on every big name out there. The Browns went that route and the results once again seem to point to a team without chemistry, that does not have the leadership needed to get all those strong personalities pointed in the same direction and playing for something bigger than themselves. Not looking good for Browns fans. I like how the Bills approach free agency. They are prescriptive about the guys they want to bring in, the veteran leadership they can bring, and seem to do their homework around what makes them tick and do think about how those players will fit into the locker room chemistry they want to maintain. It is a bit early, but it seems like Diggs is an energy guy who demands a lot from his teammates, but backs it up with his own play on the field. Could be a great fit for this new Bills era.

Oliver played a good game in McD's system. He was disciplined with his gaps, pushed the pocket, and generated a good amount of inside pressure on Darnold. Bell could not get going early in the game (before his injury) and Darnold could rarely set in a pocket or step up, he was often forced to reset side to side where our DE's could pressure or sack him. Sack stats are nice, but I think he played the responsible way we need our interior DT's to play in this defense.