Beck Water

The attempts per game Cook is getting (18-ish) are on par with other top running backs in the league (Henry, Barkley, Williams, Jonathan, Gibbs)

Let me get this straight. You want Beane to trade a second round draft pick for a CB to....sit on the bench?

I don't think Big Ed goes. I thought he still looked gimpy in the film clip that's circulating. I think Milano is more likely especially if Williams is injured. Milano looked as though he were moving and raising both arms easily. Not wearing a LB brace that was visible, just some kind of band on his arm.

Could just be me, but the place where I truly think the Bills need help is at safety.

Now that is an interesting question. Diggs has been "meh" until last week. 57, 32, 23 ypg. Against Carolina, went off for 6 receptions and 101 yds. It wasn't just one fluky mistake, either, had 3 receptions of 33,22,30 yds along with some short throws.

Looks a little gimpy and ginger about it to me. Huh. Well, time will tell.

So "ceiling" means the best you're capable of. Is that how you're using the word? Factually, Vrabel coached Titans had 11 wins in 2020 and 12 wins in 2021. So there isn't a "maybe" about it. Any coach is going to struggle if his guys get injured. Vrabel's main problem in Tenn was the team hitching their wagon to Tannehill at QB.

Hokay, all you "let's see Shaq replace Williams" peeps take note....

I caught that one. The best IMO still when that Miami LB was trash talking Josh and he stopped and leaned back to read his nameplate, like "who are you again?" Josh would never throw a ball at a ref's head. I'm sure that was an accident.

It sounded like he already had turf burn on his butt, and he ripped off the healing skin with a new burn They normally tell the player. Josh has specifically asked them NOT to tell him.

Not original to me

Y'know, the crowd noise has been there for all years but 2020. It's never been a factor before. Just a reminder that the Bills had the #4 D in the league in 2023 with Bernard at MLB (and Babich involved in the defensive design though not officially DC) and the #11 D last year with Babich as officially DC. In that time, the Bills have changed quite a bit of their defensive personnel. In 2023, the Bills had a core DL of Rousseau-Oliver-Phillips/Settle - Floyd (gap solid, good edge defenders) and an unexciting but assignment sound DB of Douglas-Benford-T Johnson - Poyer and Hyde. The LB corps was sketch with Bernard and Dodson, but they compensated by bringing Poyer into the box on passing downs playing a form of dime. In 2024, the Bills had a core DL of Epenesa-Oliver-DQ Jones - Rousseau (Epenesa not as good against the run) and a transitional DB of Douglas-Benford-T Johnson - Hamlin- and Rapp. Mentally, those safeties are a big step down from Dr Poyer and Mr Hyde. And, Douglas was losing a step. They were not playing Johnson all the time, and playing more base D and (I think) more Dime. The LB corps of Williams and Bernard was also a step back. Now we've got Bosa, who has one wondering, was he ever expected to set the edge against the run? Oliver has been out for 3 games so a rotating cast of who? at DT. Again Williams, who I don't think is playing as well as last year and last year he struggled to be in the right spot. Bishop is being given every possible chance to earn the starting safety spot, but it's clearly a learning curve for him. Communicating the play call only goes so far if the Jimmies and Joes have trouble reading what the offense is doing and translating that into their proper response with that play call, or if they're busy thinking about it instead of playing fast with instinct.. The play calls are seldom "you - do this!" they're always a flowchart of where the player is supposed to be and what his responsibilities are depending upon what the offense actually does/how the receivers actually run their routes etc. This is a transitional year for our defense, and several of the players we were counting on to anchor the transition are in the body-and-fender shop. Several of the players we were counting on to improve the D, aren't out there. @Simon I think it was, pointed it out: the defense can compensate for 1 or 2 missing starters or guys who aren't quite as assignment sound as you'd like. But once it mounts up to a point, it's Bad News. This is just my impression and I could be wrong, but I think Hamlin was more of a factor last year to the DB being assignment sound. Physically, he's a limited player and him playing deep cost us yards, Mentally, he knew the system completely, knew where he was supposed to be and I think, kept Rapp in system. Now we have Rapp trying to keep Bishop in the right place, which has elements (in my opinion) of the blind leading the blind. Weren't you the one who argued that the loss of 1 or 2 starters can be compensated, but when it mounts up at every level of the defense, it's a problem? The problem with integrating younger and newer players into the system where you may be right about whistling, is that it's an unknown whether their knowledge of the system and ability to read and react correctly will sharpen up with game time and repetition, or whether they're just not going to get it.

No chance on Hairston. At best they would open up his practice window. As a rookie who missed training camp he is going to need practice reps. We won't know anything about Ed and Cookie until after practice tomorrow and even then the answer is likely to be "we'll see how the week develops"

I know they get a bad rap as being "Bills shills", but I thought it was interesting to listen to One Bills Live with Dan Orlovsky. In fact I often like OBL when they have guest commentators like Orlovsky or Cosell who know a thing: https://www.buffalobills.com/video/dan-orlovsky-new-england-is-an-interesting-matchup They start out talking about the NO game and how NO started out playing man, which the Bills were having good success against. Then they switched to two-high zone. Orlovsky comments that the plays kept getting called "with that anticipation" (ie anticipation of man coverage) and there wasn't a "ton of opportunity" to throw the ball past 8 yards. But he also comments that the receivers were "spacing poor" and "there was a lot of guys not having definitive understanding of what their routes should look like given what that zone was" (yikes) Maybe it's not the flare and creativity that are lacking, but fundamentals of being able to read specifics of the zone coverage being utilized and reacting with the correct route option.

The thing about McDaniel is that he really only had one season of experience as OC with San Fran. He had 5 seasons of run game coordinator working next to Mike LaFleur. He might be an example of a guy promoted too early beyond his experience level. It's interesting. I think McDaniel, while not a serial bellower as Daboll apparently is, has succumbed to some of the same problems of picking the wrong coordinator and also being somewhat dealt a raw hand by player personnel decisions about who to retain and who to move on from.

Nah, that would be victim-blaming his poor kid

“Speak roughly to your little boy and beat him when he sneezes! he only does it to annoy, because he knows it teases!” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland No particular reason that came to my mind here.

There is a product for that https://www.amazon.com/AMFLOWER-Invisible-Silicone-Reusable-Washable/dp/B09XD4ZG76/ref=sxin_16_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?cv_ct_cx=silicone+nipple+covers&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sr=1-2-6024b2a3-78e4-4fed-8fed-e1613be3bcce-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1 You're welcome

Welcome to the NFL, Sauce. And oh, Boo Hoo. I think the truth is, when Sauce was the shiny new star, he got away with a lot of stuff. Well, the shine is worn down now and he's getting treated more in line with other DBs and called for more of the penalties he actually commits.

Crazy 2nd quarter. All our drives were short. 3 and out, 6 and out, 3 and out, 3 and out. Josh in fact completed 2 passes for 4 and 8 yards, but he was sacked twice for -7 and -9 yds, bookending a false start by Dion Part of it seems to be an attempt to open up a deeper passing game, resulting in a pick and an incompletion.

I'm not the defensive scheme guru that others here are, but how can you not, at least to some extent, leave the DE on an "island" as an initial run defender, in McDermott's scheme? (at least, not without leaving a giant hole somewhere else)? Of course, in McDermott's scheme, the LB and the safety should be reading and reacting correctly so the DE isn't the ONLY player in the way. But the DE has to be able to set the edge against the run. I thought Williams played better last year when he was filling in for Milano. Not that he wasn't still in the wrong place sometimes, just less of the time Perhaps we were hiding him better last year, between the DL rotation and Rapp/Hamlin instead of Rapp/Bishop?

Oh, burn

I've heard people say that "Week 1 is a liar" but I actually kind of feel like the first 4-5 weeks of the season are liars. So much depends upon which opponents a team has faced in those first few weeks. I mean, look at Green Bay. They came into tonight with a top-5 defense on 3rd down conversion, #3 rush defense, best defense in the league on points. They beat Detroit and Washington, both good teams. This was NOT the defense I expected to see based upon that record. And it wasn't the offense I expected to see based on Dallas defensive record. The Bills gave up ridiculous rush yards to the Ravens week 1. I think when things average out, our rush D isn't going to be bottom dwelling. We did better on 3rd downs, yeah - something like 31% conversion I was telling people that NO moved the ball on Seattle, they just got kicked into a pit they couldn't climb out of by their ST miscues. I would agree they've got a good start on their rebuild. Come away from this game with some pride - one thing I don't think we, as fans, take into account is to what extent the Bills have a target on them. Other teams and coaches do get fired up for their games with us now a days.

Um WAT? What Dallas NYG game were you watching? Wilson sucked. Whole GB team looks discombobulated. Indeed

I'm so sorry your daughter and your family are going through this. People don't realize what a serious disease eating disorders are. Best of wishes for getting her good treatment and keeping her in it. Oh, yeah, and eff off cheerleading, gymnastics, modeling, and anything else that gets girls to focus on being skeletally thin.