Chaos

This is not a meaningful metric. It is meaningful though that no QB/HC combo since the 70;s has made their first Super Bowl after year 4. There are lots and lots of statistical samples for that particular metric. There is a first time for everything, of course. But most head coaches when given a truly elite QB talent, get there pretty promptly. Some like Dan Reeves (to me the best McDermott comp) never get there with their super star QB. Guys like Marty Shottenheimer or Marvin Lewis really never got that super star QB.

I would prefer simply "smooth" , or something that invokes smooth, like "butter"

Says guy who calls himself "Einstein"

He isn't going to all the DC for his unit pooping the bed in the first quarter. He is in love with that guy.

The bills would be far worse with edmunds and without whoever would be missing to fill edmunds cap hit

PFF grades his as an average left tackle. What else you got?

Its pretty easy to diaganose guys in full uniform on TV. Also is is super easy to keep this diagnosis secret from the GM, so that he can't plan around it. Hope this clears things up for you.

I think the lack of faith in the past comes from not getting past the divisional round of the playoffs (with the 13 second debacle seared into people's brains" and for the current situation this is the first time McD is taking on duel roles, so that past does not matter for that observation.

Does not carrying a middle lineback on the roster, free up a spot for 7 WRs?

Who acquired Dane and Benford?

If you took the time out to watch the game, then your takeaways are not totally true.

locked in as starter has nothing to do with what i said. My takeaway is only about the 53. And obviously things like the injury to Tommy Doyle might change that. But nothing the Bills did last night highlighted any of the fan percieved "camp battles"

Maybe I am wrong, but the interior of the Bills defensive line (starters) seemed to play pretty poorly last night, which seems to exacberate the linebacker problem. The edges, other than when they didn't block Groot at all, were nothing special either.

Disagree. None of that means a decision is not already made. Why not the beginning of the season?

I simply repeated what was in the title and the original post. it means little to the top teams.

based on what?

It only matters for playoff preparedness. Prove me wrong. (Note-if you don't make the playoffs, you weren't prepared)

There is potentially a lot to unpack from last nights game. If you had to pick only TWO takeaways from last nights game, what would they be? Here are mine The Bills 53 man roster was set before the game or the Bills had not intention of using that game as part of determing who wins "camp battles" The Bills either have a bad problem with offensive tackles, or they have secret schemes they aren't sharing in a preseason game.

If the question is what will really happen, the answer is "no". The purpose of the post pre-season cut down, is so teams don't need to play starters in the last preseason game.

The only thing that matters. Last nights game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was an entertainment disappointment, but that is where it can end. Even the regular season means little. Unless you are the #1 seed, it only matters if you make the playoffs. Where are you at now? Will the Bills make the playoffs? Will the Bills be the # 1 seed? Will the Bills make it to the Super Bowl?

With a couple of exceptions, our starters looked slower than the Steeler starters, both on both sides of the offense vs defense matchups. The end of last season combined with this game leave the feeling that the bills are on the back nine with this roster cycle, and the peak is in the past.

If the Bills need a qb to come off the bench to play some other teams third string, we ought to be good. So there is that.

what flew up your butt

He doesn't need the money.

Are you ok with the players like Dawkins looking out of shape and gassed in the first half? Or all of the oline penalties? The other team doesn't seem to have those problems. Its preseason for them too.