Beck Water

I'm not so clear on that. When there's a problem with the C QB exchange, you don't know which side it's on usually.

Then we have to take the L when it doesn't work out in our favor. If that's how you view it, then the Ravens were making a statement that they have Lamar ***** Jackson and they do things differently, and they too need to take the L when it doesn't work out in their favor.

It's scored as a Josh Allen fumble. There was an aborted snap in the 1Q of the MIA game. But @Back2Buff is confused, because it was recovered, just cost us a down, and we scored a TD 3 plays later. The other 2 fumbles were strips. It was clear that Allen was having to look for the ball and adjust A Lot, and that cost us all game in being able to quickly adjust and also in not being able to operate under center (Dorsey admitted that). But Morse and Allen had a couple of exchange problems at the end of the Tennessee game as well, and Morse and Allen had an aborted snap that put us in 4th and 1 in the 3Q of the Ravens game. So it's really not clear that McDermott was being "too conservative" vs. Morse genuinely having a R arm injury that affected his ability to snap and caused him to need to rest a week and heal (incompletely).

I think that's likely

What's their source of info? What did they say about Bates last week?

I dunno about that, but what's pertinent I think, is that he was being worked-out just before the Ravens game by the Bills head trainer. So if he was a game-time decision last week, seems like a good chance he'll be a "go" this week. One more time. OBJ tore his ACL mid-feb (Feb 13). The usual timeline is surgery in 2 weeks, then 9 months rehab, then several weeks of practice to get in "game shape". That puts him ready to practice at the end of Nov and ready for a game in mid-December. The Bills need a roster to carry them through 8-9 games before then, plus they can only return 8 guys from IR. We're not crying about OJ Howard per se, we're crying that Knox has been ruled out and the Bills TE will be Morris and Sweeney.

https://www.rochesterfirst.com/sports/buffalo-bills/steelers-qb-will-be-up-against-familiar-faces-in-bills-secondary/

I'd have to go back and look at the box scores, but I think last season Hamlin subbed for Hyde and Johnson subbed for Poyer. Johnson certainly subbed for him in the MIA loss. Also, when we've gone to a 4-3 base, seems like it was Bernard and not Dodson who came in (except on that goal line D vs the Ravens). So good question is it Bernard or Dodson who will play if Edmunds can't go against the Steelers?

Guys who play in the NFL generally have two things in common: 1) whatever level they played at, they're not used to losing 2) they're kind of used to being the "baddest mutha in the valley" and they need to learn how to deal with the act that they aren't Von Miller on his "VonCast" was kind of humorous about some of Pickett's comments. Stuff like "No, Dude, don't do this, just go out and play your game" People, who know him like Jon Feliciano, have talked about the "Josh Allen Revenge Tour" and him having an extra edge playing against the teams who passed on him like the Broncos, or against players like Ramsey who called him "trash". I think all of these top athletes have some ego and get a bit of extra "***** in their grits" as Ritchie Incognito put it, when someone disses them. But most of them have the self-awareness to shut their mouth and realize that the place to show that edge is in his play, between the whistles. Talking just makes you look foolish if you can't back it up. And in a league where everyone was "the Big Dog" in college, sooner or later everyone lays an egg. Hammy. Thought to have happened during the goal-line stand on the Poe-birds last drive.

One viewpoint is there might be a trade in the works. After all, we can elevate 2 PS guys for the game without signing them, and they don't go through waivers. Another would be, we're going to be signing someone to the roster, but who? Recall players who are signed to the roster from PS and then cut, go through waivers unless they have enough accrued seasons.

Unclear as of yet. My guess would be Oliver yes, Phillips no.

Hello? This is your calendar calling. The Bills will play 8 or 9 games between now, and early/mid December when OBJ will be ready to contribute (and keep in mind he would need a couple weeks to practice with Josh)

OBJ is not running down our tunnel on Sunday any time soon. He tore his ACL in the Superbowl Feb 13. He likely had surgery about 2 weeks later when the swelling subsided, because that's the usual. So following the usual rehab, he would be ready to start practicing after Thanksgiving and to contribute mid-December. You really want the Bills to tie up cap signing a guy they have to IR immediately? I don't have the energy on this issue to do a research summary, but just this season before Miami we had 6 guys limited or less all week. 3 played (Settle, Knox, Davis). 3 did not (Poyer, Morse, Oliver). Before the Ravens, we had 7 guys limited or less all week, 5 played (Davis, Knox, Morse, Jackson, Poyer), 2 did not (Oliver, Murray) I don't think last season was much different. Guys who are limited all week may very well play (>=50% chance)

I don't think that's true, especially of "LP". And we don't have the injury report for Fri yet.

I think we may see Phillips this week, or at least he might be a game-time decision. Edmunds I expect to see miss a game, depending on how bad his hammy is, but no reason not to keep Tomlin guessing on that one.

This is a total guess, but we just put Zimmer on the PS. Zimmer suffered a torn ACL 2 weeks before White did, and IIRC he's studying for a master's degree in some kind of sports training/kinesiology thing so you know he was hitting his rehab 100% and full bore. So it might give a benchmark that White might be 2 weeks behind Zim

Part of the "secondary hold up" strategy seemed to be for the offense to play "keep away" and grind down the field. In Miami, that was kind of a "pyrrhic strategy" because it meant the patchwork OL, Josh, and the WR were all limp biscuit by the end of the drive. With a forecast high of 56/partly cloudy in Orchard Park, it might work better.

So if he's "human and not stupid", does that mean he's overlooking Pittsburgh because he's human, or not overlooking Pittsburgh because he's not stupid?

No surprises with that last group of 3. I don't think we see Benford or Kumerow before the bye. I'm a bit surprised Crowder hasn't gone on IR yet.

I think he thought so too, but his face on the sideline after his pick looked like he was really really hurting. Hopefully he is coaching the hell out of Hamlin and Johnson. But this is a big loss for us.

Where did you hear this?

So my question to you is "in what way is he showing you right now that he's a really really good TE?", worth a top-5 contract? If he's a really really good TE, wouldn't we be focused on getting him the ball?

We have a TE in Knox who is being paid like a top TE. He is top 5 in contract, top 6 in AAV. I don't want to dump on the guy, 'cuz he's like 6 weeks out from a major life trauma of losing his brother. And he's become a really good blocker, which is very much to his credit because he didn't start out that way. That's what he's doing on a lot of the 75% of the snaps per game he gets. But in terms of passing game production, is he a really really good TE? I looked, and in total receptions, he's the #18 TE in the league right now. Y/G, Y/R, 1D, TD - I couldn't find a passing game category where he broke the top 20. Either he's not getting schemed for, or he's not getting open, or Josh doesn't trust him right now (which would not be a huge shock if he's been struggling with focus mentally in practice), or he's not himself physically (he's been on Injury report 3 out of 4 weeks for a whole anatomy chart of dings. In what way is Knox showing you right now that he's a really really good one? He did make a superb reception and hang on to the ball in the face of a nasty low OOB hit vs. the Ravens. But overall in the Balt game, he caught 3 out of 6 targets and not adjusting on a deflected ball (obviously, this would have been really really good adjustment) helped cause a pick.

https://www.buffalobills.com/news/6-things-to-watch-for-in-bills-vs-steelers-week-5 1. Rookie QB going into New Era vs 2. Banged up DBs on both sides of the ball. I think "advantage Steelers" here, though Bills: Hyde, White, Benford OUT, Poyer questionable. Steelers: Witherspoon Doubtful with a hammy, Sutton limited with groin and hammy, Terrell Edmunds in concussion, Fitzpatrick with a knee (my guess is they all play except Witherspoon, but maybe they'll be a bit off? 3. WR Bills have 3 "healthy" Diggs, Shakir, and Davis (and we know Davis isn't himself). McKenzie concussion, but looking likely. Need at least 1 more to be called up. My guess is we'll see Hodgins, which is why Austin "took his ball and went home" 4. Robbers at Safety Two teams tied for most picks. Nuff said. Poyer, btw, at least interviewing like he expects to be out there. 5. No Watt Looking at the above, I kind of felt like the Steelers D isn't as good this year and maybe Kevin Butler knew something, but maybe the lack of TJ is watt's up. 6. OL This is written about the Steelers but I feel could be written about the Bills: For the Bills, IMHO, Kromer needs to prove he's "worth his salt" and coach the OL into getting the details right that will make a difference for run blocking.