Billsfaninto

Whoever approved the atrocious navy 2000s unis. In all seriousness though I think it's Maybin, EJ and Peterman in that order. EJ and Peterman because it was obvious to me from day one neither of those guys would amount to anything and watching them was irritating. They were nice guys though and I wasn't their fault they were named starters. Maybin because he was useless, expensive and had a crap attitude.

27-24 9ers Let's all hope for everyone's sake this doesn't happen. The last two super bowls were snooze fests lol

If I'm Beane I'm looking to grab a RB in the mold of Fred Jackson. A guy with the awareness and strength to block free rushers and a decent set of hands to bail out Allen when necessary. Running ability is secondary as imo Singletary should be the centerpiece.

1A) OT/G. We need premier guys at this spot. Last premier dude we developed was Glenn. No use of a premier WR if Allen is on his ass, scrambling for his life or *facepalm can't get blockers for a designed run. Better O Line also helps the run game. Key cogs for the rhythm of the O. 2B) WR. We all know why. No need to elaborate here. 3) Edge rusher- sacks/pressure was nowhere near consistent 4) Inside DT to shore up the run D. Our D got gashed on more than one occasion up the middle. The Eagles, Pat's and Houstan games are examples. 5) RB. Not necessarily to compliment Singletary as he should rightfully be the focal point of the O, but a RB who can reliably pass protect in the pocket and be a safety valve reciever a la Fred Jackson.

I find it odd that some are saying they went conservative when it's clear the opposite is true. They relied on Allen to win it in this game and it is indicative of the entire season. The moment we realized what we had in Singletary he should have been the focal point of the offense. More than that when Allen gets rattled because of the line there needs to be an emphasis on negating the rush and making things easier for Allen. Screens, slants, passes to the flat, hot reads, rolling the pocket, leaving the RB in the backfield (God I miss Fred for this reason. He was elite at recognizing the free rusher). Daboll did none of this with consistency. McD calling out Allen for trying to hard is difficult to square considering how often he's been leaned on to be the guy through the season. If these changes are implemented proactively Allen wouldn't be having to orchestrate comebacks so often. Surround Allen with better talent, actually use that talent and scheme to scenario. With respect to the defense I may be in the minority but I don't not see an elite unit. I see an excellent bend but don't break unit that did not have to face any type of elite QBing or offenses and benefited from it. (NE is in the same boat) When push comes to shove they can't hold their own against runs up the middle and are inconsistent with pressure. The losses were to teams who shoved them aside (NE, Baltimore and the Eagles game come to mind) and imposed their will on the D as we saw yesterday. They are really really good and willed us to a lot of wins, but have their weaknesses. Shore up the middle.

Hey all first time poster here. Been a fan since 2007 and loved the way Marshawn ran angry. Been to a few games including the epic comeback win with Fitz. I know where all bummed out from the loss as I clearly am to be up this late. Anyway in my own assessment I think the road ahead must address a few things For Allen: is he a franchise QB? Atm no. There are many who see the potential and many who don't. I'm on the fence but in order to take the next step Josh and only Josh need to improve in 3 key areas. 1) he needs to learn to step up into the pocket and not rely on his athleticism so much. The Bradys, Brees and Rodgers are so good because of this. The ability to know when the climb and shift is something that is absolutely crucial to succeed. Too often Josh bails to early or spins out. While he may have made some positive plays this is not sustainable long term. 2) related to this is his ability to know when to throw the ball away. If the play is not there do not force the issue. Take a short sack or an incompletion. Too often Josh will run around and try to force it leading to either a ridiculously long sack, a holding penalty or a spectacular play. Yes, that seems contradictory but it is not sustainable. I'd rather he learn that an incompletion or coverage sack is not the end of the world than to heave it. Which brings me to number 3) I'm not saying Josh should never run, or use his athleticism and running ability. It's a key part of his game. I'm saying he has to be smart about when and where to use it. It should either be a scripted play or, used in a conservative manner. Meaning when he runs he needs to run as though he's a RB and secure the ball the second he is no longer anticipating a throw. He has lost the ball numerous times and for a while he was covered by luck as it's popped out after being down. Today his luck ran out. Improve these three things and he takes another step forward. For the Defense. If I'm being 100 percent honest I don't think this defense is as good as we think it is. It's above average but it's not elite. Considering the caliber of QB we faced this year (AFC east, NFC east, the AFC North and Titans and Broncos) there were no elite throwers on this D and lots of below average QBs. The entire offence in the NFL runs through the QB. We are a bend but don't break Defense disguised as an elite D because of the schedule The same applies to NE. That does not mean the D isn't playoff caliber especially considering the end of the Brady era is near. They gang tackle well, and they communicate well but are succeptible to the run and at times the screen game. I think we need to pump the brakes about how good they truly are. Which leads to the offence. This was undoubtedly the Achilles heel of the team. Too often they put the D in crap situations and relied on them to carry the team. This is another reason why I say the D became and is a very good unit, the reps and pressure they have been out under was immense all season long. The biggest concern for me is an bigger picture focus that has two aspects to it. 1) Does the GM, HC and OC know where the positional weaknesses lie? In one sense I want to say yes because they clearly recognized the need to revamp the O and took the necessary steps to address it.They picked up a few nice pieces in the draft and off-season in singletary and Beasley. 2)The concern is do they actually know how to use the pieces once acquired. The Peterman debacle notwithstanding, for me this is a big fat question mark. Singletary was and should have been the main focal point of the offense after it became clear how good he was. The team also needed a tall possession receiver to complement Beasley in the slot and the deep threats. Duke fit the bill and to his credit Daboll got him involved but it's irritating to think how the season may have played out had he been on the active roster more often. I don't hate Daboll, but I don't think he can be anything beyond average. He does not seem to recognize the strengths of the personnel he and his play calling is questionable for long stretches of the game. For whatever reason the screen game, slants and checkdowns seemed like an afterthought in his scheme, which was baffling considering you have a young QB who can get rattled at times and a suspect O line. Daboll can scheme well and Josh has missed his fair share of looks, but overall as a collective the pieces are an unstable fit. At the end there's the HC. I don't necessarily agree with the conservative label McD gets as he has gone for 4th down on occasions where other HC might not. What I don't understand is his clock management. Our four and two minute no huddle offense is surprisingly good, however the other half of the equation is understanding how to manage the time given the situation, which is purely on a HC. While relatively inconsequential during the regular season, it can become suffocating in the PS where every point, possession and timeout matter. Settling for a FG on it's face may seemed conservative, but I think it was more a fundamental lack of strategy in time management than conservative play. Second, McD commenting that Allen tried to do too much was complete bs in my opinion and reflects on his disconnect with the O. The entire season Daboll leaned far too heavily on a young QB to be self sustaining. 3rd quarters in particular were brutal as Ds adjusted to what the O was showing. Allen does too much because he was expected to without the benefit of a friendly scheme to support him. While the jet sweeps and roll outs helped the options beyond that were questionable at best. Long developing routes can be effective but when the protection wasn't there there didn't seem to be a back to basics approach. Throw a slant to Beasley. Bubble screen to Mackenzie, fade to Duke. Don't abandon the run or have empty backfields It's the little things to pick Allen up. When they don't happen you have Josh having to orchestrate late comebacks which in turn compounds the reckless habits. In conclusion I think we're at a cross roads in the McD era. This season could not have been any more favourable in terms of injury and opponent strength. Some are rightfully pointing out that it's too early to know how much tougher a schedule will look next season but it's hard to imagine it'll be easier than this season. It's also not a forgone conclusion that the draft and FA will be successful. I believe the decisions made in this off-season specifically will determine whether the team will end up trending up or down in the long term.