Ray Stonada

So excited that Moss isn't in... nothing against the guy but this is just a rational move by McD. Let's go get Tommy's lunch.

Thanks for updating me, dude. I had no idea!

We have the number one ranked defense in the league. We have an offense that can drop 40 while without even looking like we're playing that well. If we get up early, and get our swagger on, we can win this in a blowout. LET'S GO BUFFALO LFG

I agree with everything but the last two sentences. All the Bills need is to come together again, as a team. It hasn’t been that way this season for many possible reasons, but it can happen in a flash, and bring them back together to fight against a common enemy. Maybe Jerry Sullivan?

I just pray the Bills don't start thinking programmatically under some diktat from McD, like they HAVE to run at least X percentage of the time. The Bills, like all offenses, need to run plays that the defense is not expecting: to show run, but pass. Or show pass, but run. That's why we are more successful operating under center, because it threatens both options. Way too many plays this year have been obvious passes. It's arrogant and unnecessary. However, our backs have poor field vision, so running plays need clear lanes. When I rewatch Bills games this season, I see Singletary and Moss getting good gains when the hole is immediately in front of them. The minute the hole requires bouncing it to the outside, or a cut back, they never make the play and are tackled at the line. When running with the backs, I wish we would run more counters and other plays designed to open a hole. Our linemen are not road graders but they are mobile and can run counters and pulling pays well. We scored a nice TD running Josh on a counter on our first drive against KC. A few nice gains on those and they can go play action and should have easy pickings for Josh.

I totally agree with this. I still secretly believe the Bills are going to win the Super Bowl too. Just need them to get together and one win in tough circumstances might be enough to do it.

I agree. But we didn't have that sense of apathy last year.

I was texting last night with one of my best friends, a lifelong Bills fan like me. In high school we went to the 51-3 AFC championship game and about 20 other games together (paying our own money cause we didn't have parents with season tickets). We live a couple thousand miles apart now, 30 years later, but we text every week leading up to games. Last night, we were both predictably frustrated about the coaching and play-calling and we agreed McD seems to have a real knack for making the wrong call on fourth downs and challenges. But we were both worried about something more difficult to define: the feeling of team unity. There seems to be a weird Bickering Bills feeling floating around, like the team isn’t fighting as one. We remembered the 1989 season well and how there was a sense that Jim Kelly throwing Howard Ballard under the bus broke the team's unity back then. It took Thuman Thomas calling him out and the two of them getting over it to bring the team back together. (By the way, for my money Thurman was the MVP of the 90s teams.) Back to this season: when one of our guys makes a dumb mistake, penalty or whatever, I don’t have the feeling that they feel bad they let the team down. It's like they’re not playing for each other the same as last year. As my friend said, last year's team had that good feeling and this year's doesn't. Did the vaccine issue drive a serious wedge into the team? Is the disappointment of the season slowly breaking them down? I rewatched the Kansas City game last night and the Bills looked totally together, and McDermott looked like a different coach: cool, calm and collected. (Also worth noting, for those who think we need to pass 60 times tomorrow night: the Bills put a stamp on that KC game with a TD on our first drive using three called Josh Allen runs, and a couple of runs with our backs, which then set up the deep passes to Sanders, Diggs and Knox later.) Flash forward to the Pats game and McDermott looks like he's losing it, meanwhile players (like Knox) are making mistakes left and right, they're fumbling handoffs, the whole team just has a sense of malaise around it. The player's efforts don't seem to add up. So the question is, why has a team that seemed like they were on a mission together the last two seasons suddenly unable to win close games, make clutch plays when we need them, and get out of their own way? Why can't they elevate when the chips are down? What happened to their team spirit?

Look If you had One shot Or one opportunity To seize everything you ever wanted In one moment Would you capture it Or just let it slip? You better lose yourself in the music, the moment You own it, you better never let it go You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow This opportunity comes once in a lifetime (Lyrics from Lose Yourself by Eminem. Message sent.) LET'S @%##^$#% GO

Great post, OP. It's nuts to think of the Bills with bandwagon fans, especially in New England! One of my favorite uncles moved from Buffalo to Albany and then to Boston. He's the nicest guy ever, but at some point in the late 90s he became a Patriots fan. It hurts me to this day. I also think the whole country has done a 180 on Buffalo. When I was growing up, seemed like everyone thought of us as provincial rubes from a snowbound cave. Nowadays, when Buffalo comes up, seems it's all about how authentically awesome and real it is, a place that never lost its identity and sold out. Both are kinda true! 😂

Very comprehensive response, much appreciated, Hapless. I take all your points. I guess my response was based on watching him play against Chicago, where I didn't think he looked particularly special at WR or on teams. Your point about draft position is really fascinating and I gotta think about that more, certainly makes Kumerow's lack of playing time thus far more explicable. Maybe we're gonna keep him and he will bail us out in some tough moments this season! That said, I also feel like if they only go with 6 WR I would still keep Stevenson, who fills a need (returner, given Roberts leaving and McKenzie being kinda muff-prone). If they go with 7WR, I would be fine with keeping Kumerow too. Kinda crazy how many pass-catchers we could have on opening day: Diggs, Sanders, Beasley, Davis, McKenzie, Stevenson, Kumerow, Hollister, Knox, Singletary, Moss, Brieda, Gilliam, plus any O linemen reporting eligible. That record for number of different receivers with a TD that we tied last season might be toast.

I get that he plays teams... But it didn't help him make the active roster on many gamedays last year, and I haven't heard of him as a special teams "ace." And Stevenson obviously looks good on teams, as well.

Ah, the special teams contribution is one I might have overlooked. But I still wonder if a player's only play of the season happens to be memorable like Kumerow's touchdown, then they loom larger on the depth chart for a long time... I look at Kumerow play WR and I don't see much more than I do with Duke. Not to open THAT can of worms lol

We have an embarrassment of riches at receiver. I've read lots of great posts about our final 53, debating whether we should carry 7 WRs. However, it seems to be assumed that Kumerow should be on the 53. For a while, I assumed that too. But then I thought about it and wondered, why am I so high on Kumerow? Yes, I loved seeing his hair swoop and felt great for Touchdown Jesus as he made his only catch last season, in the blowout of the Broncos. But he has played four seasons and his career stats are 21 catches for 344 yards and 3 TDs. He is 6'4" but pretty light at 210 pounds, so he isn't going to outmuscle cornerbacks. At the same time, he's no burner and never seems to get wide open. Nor does he have exceptional route-running or quickness. And lately he's been dropping balls that look pretty catchable, which if you aren't a separation receiver, is not gonna work. Okay, Aaron Rodgers once said he likes him, but that's not really enough, is it? There seems to be a kind of groupthink love for Kumerow which has developed. I was part of it too. But I don't see it borne out by his performance. Trying to look at it objectively, it makes more sense to carry 6 wide receivers but keep Stevenson, who can also take over if McKenzie keeps muffing punts, and serves as a deep threat. Am I missing something here?

About 4300 miles away, unfortunately, here in Berlin. I grew up about 20 minutes away, off Bailey Avenue. Still planning to get to at least one home game this season.

I was at this game. Only Super Bowl I attended. My dad and I were 100% positive we would win it. It was one of the worst feelings of my life, the second half. I understand Thurman freezing, after four years, it was just too much psychological pressure. You could feel it in the stadium. Just terrible luck on the fumbles, it's not like the guy fumbled much. WE SHOULD HAVE WON THAT GAME. Dammit. The years haven't solved it for me!

Gabriel's Gate and Duff's on Sheridan are my favorites. Grew up going to Duff's most but now I go to the Gate more. I order them hot and extra crispy. Don't like a flabby texture. The Gate's other food is better than Duff's, great potato skins and fries. Anchor Bar's Suicide Sauce is not traditional but really good, it has a ton of black pepper which is surprisingly fierce. But even 7-Elevens in Buffalo, like the one on Main by Parkside Candies, have pretty good wings!

You must not have watched Bruce much, or paid attention to his preparation, fitness and productivity season after season, to think he would have nothing to teach anyone who wanted to play pro sports. He's also extremely intelligent. (And, oh yeah, the NFL all time leader in sacks.)

An underrated skill of Josh's is dealing with people of many different personality types. Kyle Brandt's whole schtick is trying way too hard. I like him, but he's not a guy you'd want to go fishing with, or anything relaxing. And he's the guy who blabs about sugar high Josh, blah blah blah. It could have gotten tense or weird. But Josh charmed him with EASE. He's in control. Gotta love JA17.

Number one celebrity he'd like to meet: Will Ferrell. Gotta love that! Great choice.

He's a credit to our team.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N1PV0xjS0gY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> (Tried to embed this above but couldn't get it to work.) Here are all of John Brown's Bills' TDs: https://www.youtube.com/embed/N1PV0xjS0gY It felt good to watch this. Wish Smoke the best for his future.

I can't wait for next season!!!

The mitochondria tweet, what is that supposed to mean? Makes me nervous about where his head is at. He did have a great season only two years ago in 2018, 16 sacks and 7 forced fumbles. But overall, he had 75 sacks in his first 5 seasons, and 26.5 sacks in the last five. And yet, somehow I feel like he could have a monster 2021.

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