Einstein's Dog

Beas got through last year without issues. And he followed the rules. Seems like he didn't think the rules under those circumstances were unreasonable. Beas got upset this year. He didn't like how they (owners/NFLPA) adjusted the rules in light of an available vaccine. One possible reaction to the availability of a vaccine would be to loosen the restrictions for everybody. Instead they decided to discriminate between vaccinated and unvaccinated. IMO, I think Beas' frustration this year stems from the discriminatory policy. IMO, I think the NFLPA did a terrible job in negotiating a set of rules for a post vaccine environment.

It seems you're having a hard time grasping what his point is, He is not playing because of the rules. He is physically able to play. So it is not the virus making him so sick he can't suit up, but instead he is out because of the rules. And Beas was one who was upset with the NFLPA. Remember early on, he questioned the rules. Apparently the NFLPA did not reach out to the players as a whole, but instead agreed to the policy with the owners. It seemed through Beas and others comments, that the NFLPA underestimated the opposition to their position.

I'm voting D Knox on offense. Reasoning: D Knox is healed/back. He came back early but is now a full go. Knox showed earlier in the season his new improved self The wind won't be anywhere near 60mphs and BB will have to prioritize eliminating our 25 yard laser game advantage. This opens up the underneath for D Knox (and Beas). D Knox will be the recipient of the Pats missing their rangy rookie.

I don't like the idea of thinking you come out dinking and dunking. That's the Pats* game plan. One team has a QB that can fire 25 yard lasers that can travel through 15mph winds like a knife through butter, and the other team doesn't. Lets make sure they are selling out to stop those lasers. Then we can proceed to march down the field with Beas and Knox.

Your second one says we started at the 18, so you're really going to go with "this mythical starting at the 15 doesn't exist"? Wow. You can tell McKenzie to take it out all you want, I'm leaning towards hoping McDermott plays the kid. This is a great opportunity to integrate another youngster for the long term growth of the team.

Wow, I'm polar opposite. With Tyrod, I would be willing to take the risk of the return. Roberts/McKenzie are better, and the risk of getting something is then worth it IMO. With Josh/Daboll, I don't want them constrained by bad field position (see playoff game vs Indy).

So you like the field positions of say 25, 38, 10 over 25, 25, 25. I don't. When we're inside the 15 there is a different kind of playcalling and feel to the possesion. And the real figure used should be drive start for the return, not the yardage. That way useless yardage from the end zone would not be included, and the penalties assessed would be included in the calculation.

It is the opposite of saying always punt from midfield. The analytics and averages are showing it's a bad decision. If his average is under 25 and he is usually taking it from 2 yards deep, it's just a bad choice. And that is before factoring in the fumbles and penalties.

No, because while he could break it long with an average of just 25 that means many would be short. And that is before factoring in fumbles and block in the back penalties. I would prefer to watch Josh and the O with the ball at the 25. I'm not excited when they bring it out, I'm hoping they can get it over the 20 with no penalty. We supposedly had the best returner last year by many stats, and Roberts really hurt us against the Colts. And this year McKenzie really hurt us.

Half the kicks are not touchbacks because the returners decide to take it out. Way more than half the kicks could be TBs if the returners wanted them to be. Taking it at the 25 is an option on, in my estimate, over 80% of the time. The Bills are one of the few teams that sometimes try and kick it high and not out of the end zone. And really the kicker could let it bounce to him in the end zone and could still take the knee and get it to the 25. Generally I think most returners seem to bring it out if it is 1 to 2 yards or less in the end zone. So if they include those 2 yards in the return yardage, it means when he brings it out, the average start is the 23 or 24, before factoring in any blocking in the back penalties.

Virgil - appreciate the writeups. I disagree with the DL thoughts though. I guess it depends on your expectations but I like the strategy of drafting multiple DL. I've been pleasantly surprised by Groot. And I think they will both get better with time. It's an excellent team building strategy. The progression of Knox has been a highlight this year. But I do think that depth at TE is a problem. Knox has become an important piece of this offense.

Yeah, the league made it so the odds favor the touch back. When it was the 20 you should bring it out, but with the 25, I think the odds are against you. And that's why I would like the kick returner average to be over 25.

Flawed analysis? I said it was my standard. It's not an analysis, it's an opinion. If they're not getting over 25 yds (net after penalites) they should just take it at the 25. And if McKenzie is 4th or whatever at under 25, I think it shows a lot of returners are making bad decisions.

My point was that under 25 is not good if you're getting the ball in the end zone. On average we would be better to just take the ball at the 25. McKenzie may be doing better than other bad decision makers. But IMO the standard for impressive should be a net of over 25 (after factoring in the block in the back penalties).

It will be interesting to see. Seems that Stevenson is the way of the future. The long term plan, for a run of continued success, is to integrate the drafted rookies. Stevenson would fit that plan perfectly - replacing Mck. Does seem a little risky with NE looming though. Isaah's sub 25 yard average is not impressive. You would get to the 25 if you just let it go. And too often they don't just let it go. We rarely get KOs that aren't in the end zone, so most of the choice to bring it out is a loser. And it seems like the 24+ figure doesn't account for those frequent block in the back penalites. I generally root for us not to bring it out so Josh can have it at the 25 - I'm fine with that. Seems to me that if you have a player that just does returns, they want to bring it out more than I like. Kind of a hero ball thing, because it is their only way to make a name for themselves. Reminds me of the Andre debacle in the Indy playoff game. I hope they have bigger plans for Stevenson than just returns.

One team is known for jettisoning players a year or two early. And if you now add in the Brady exodus, you could say it is to mixed results. The Rams aren't avoiding the older stars. The Bills are trying for a formula that has them be an excellent team for a long time. That is with process guys. If it weren't for Covid, Beas would be a prime example of what the process is all about. The guy gives everything, and yes he will play while hurt. You bring in an understudy before you let JA's security blanket go.

Of course Allen would love the MVP. Wouldn't publically acknowlege it but shouldn't have to, any reasonable person realizes it. Now with Rogers missing time, Prescott missed a week, Mahomes and KC have been off - the opportunity is there. Biggest competition right now seems to be K Murray/L Jackson/T Brady. JA needs to put up some big numbers on Sunday and take the lead!

Even with a big lead I don't envision seeing Trubisky until after the 7 minute mark in the 4th. The Bills need to fine tune the offense. Plus Josh is in the running for MVP and you have to let the guy build his case with some stellar stats (according to the one odds site I saw Josh was in the lead).

Tough to flip picks into help for this season though, today is the trade deadline. If Wash doesn't/can't offer any IOL that would help for us this year, I would still like Beane to move Trubisky for a decent draft pick. IMO, would be a great overall move by Beane - picked up a top level backup QB for half a season and moved him out for a decent draft pick.

My hope is Beane can move Trubisky. Top choice for an IOL. But if not, see if you can move MT for a 3rd or 4th. Trubisky was always a one year rental insurance policy. The years half over, move him. Sure, there's some risk. I'm on of those (in the minority it seems) that wants the Bills to be good for the next decade vs the all-in on the one year.

Yes, but the whole premise of the IG was to not allow a throw away to avoid a sack. And the penalty/call of IG was to create a situation as if the sack took place. In the instance of an Offside though if it was a just a sack then the play could be avoided and the Offside accepted. IMO, the idea that the Offside can be negated by an IG call is bad. And now they're saying an IG call overrides the Offside, that would be very a poor rule. If true, I hope they change that.

What? I find that even harder to believe. Sounds like they were just making stuff up to help alleviate the injustice of not calling the obvious Offside. If true, Josh will need to learn for the future to just take the sack. Then when the Offside is called the Bills can at least get the 5 yards. An IG should not be in the same class as a Personal Foul. An IG is usually a harmless attempt at avoiding a sack. At most it should be offsetting.

I saw one article listing Trubisky as a potential Saint QB target. I wonder if Beane is tempted to trade away the half year insurance policy for a pick next year. I know this is kind of the opposite of what a lot of people are looking for, but I wouldn't be upset. I want a contender for years!

IMO, the Hughes bias is over. The refs miss stuff all the time and it is not blatant, intentional, conspiracy stuff. However, not calling the Offside when Josh has them is starting to piss me off. The top 10 QBs get those all the time. They are not giving it to Josh. Was a crucial non-call against Pitt -end of 3rd qtr- had 'em and no call. So started 4th w 2nd and 10 instead of first and 5. Was big miss IMO. Happened again today. Josh caught him in the neutral zone, got the ball hiked - and then no flag. And these hurried plays are usually less effective, so not getting the call has a kind of double whammy affect - poor play and no call. Today's was the grounding debacle. Then to piss me off more, the announcers tried to claim it would have made offsetting penalties and the play would have been done over. Remember this was on the grounding call. I find that hard to believe. In any event, even offsetting would have been much better than this missed call. The refs need to start giving Josh/Bills the call when they have them in the neutral zone. It's really starting to irritate me.

Lets Go Bills!!!!!!!