newcam2012

I think you don't see that because Josh doesn't play defense. No need to elaborate here because we all saw the game.

I can appreciate your train of thought here. However, I read your post twice just to make sure I'm interpreting it correctly. It's pretty striking how you just kind of gloss over the Burrow injury as just another injury.

Can one "fall in a hole" and be overly optimistic?

Since when has a McD defense come through in a big game? Lately, the coach has had the team less ready then ready. I don't see you as the bad guy. Lastly, I think the Bengals are a very tough match up for the Bills. Burrow shredded the Bills zone defense last year. They have an excellent WR core. The Bills pass rush is often negated by Burrow's quick passing. Lou A blew up the Bills pass protection last year. He called several blitzes that the Bills couldn't stop. This looks to be a long day for Spencer Brown. The home crowd will make things difficult for the Bills. Will the Bills suffer any kind of PTSD going back to Cinci? A lot has to go right for the Bills to win. It's possible but the path seems pretty narrow.

I don't see a likely path where the Bills D is successful vs the Bengals. The Bills offense better be excellent or it's going to be a long day.

Rumor was teams were only willing to give up a 7th round draft pick for him. The Bills were asking for a 6th and no one was interested.

We got their 5th in exchange. It's a tad bit expensive but the Bills absolutely fill a need. I like the pick up but I get what you are saying too.

A 5th round pick sounds about right.

Very well said! I couldn't agree more especially with the one Lombardi Trophy.

Curious to hear what defensive game plan the Bills defense comes up with to stop the Bengals. I would like to hear some thoughts because I'm having difficulty seeing it. Allen I see is the game(s) they played last year and it was a disaster. Now, the Bills go to their home with devastating injuries in that side of the ball. Dorsey better have a game plan for that Bengal defense. He better be able to make good in Gabe adjustments. Lou A will mix it up and try to confuse the Bills. He's going to use exotic blitzes and come after Allen.

17 can't do it all by himself. Personally, I don't think he's in a funk either. For the most part he's played well. If guys like Kincaid and Shakir continue to play well then the Bills have a nice shot at making a good run. The defense really needs the Vin of the past. Hopefully, that will come at the right time. If so, he makes the defense so much better. The injuries are pretty devastating though The coaching needs to be better. That I'm not so confident in. This week should tell us a lot about the team. A loss likely puts them in a dogfight just to make the playoffs. A win puts them in solid position to win the division and it a WC spot. Big implications.

The poor tackling has been an issue for years. Joe Marino does a great job tracking this. It's a fairly common theme.

The Lions are a better all around team than the Bills. Allen obviously is better than Geoff and the Lion's secondary is weak. However, they have fantastic balance on offense. Their defensive front is very good. Their coaches are superior to Buffalo's. In short, the Lions are an up coming team on the rise. Still don't think this is the year they win it all. The Bills are likely on the decline. Still a very good team but it's stuck in 3rd gear. The car needs to be sold or at least refurbished. After the Bills likely disappointing season I suspect many fans eyes will be more open minded. I hope fans don't give the regime a pass and blame injuries and or bad luck.

AFC - Cinci. Burrow is elite. Big time weapons. Experienced team. NFC - Philly. They are just too good. Biggest surprises Bills miss the playoffs. Dolphins play in the AFC championship game.

Agree. I think we both know how this is likely going to play out. Just feels like the Bills organization will spin it's wheels with McD for a few more years. The spinning started a couple of years ago and I have a headache. This is starting to feel like another disappointing end to a season. Only this time, I think it comes much earlier than expected. If Ben Johnson can make Geoff look this good imagine what he could do with Allen. If he can make David Montgomery look like an all pro imagine how good the Bills running game could be. Instead, the Bills are staying the course with a defensive coach who continues to fall short and lack offensive weapons, creativity, and explosiveness. I'll continue to bang the drum for change because I firmly believe that's the best chance to bring a Lombardi to Buffalo.

I think you are addressing the wrong issues here. Most of the info you provided is pretty useless. I think it's imperative to look at the Bills vs Bengals match up. When i do that objectively I don't like the Bills chances.

I mean the pick up can't hurt. Really nothing to lose here.

Agree 100%. I was so glad he took over the defense because now he can't hide. I'm starting to think the fan base is seeing that McD isn't untouchable. Soon they might see he's only slightly above average and can do better.

Great post. Clear as day this regime is failing to take full advantage of their elite QB. For years, they have failed to solidify an above average oline, have a merry go round of WRs 3/4/5 that haven't produced, failed to establish an effective and consistent run game, lacks explosive weapons and speed, and hired an unknown rookie OC that was and is learning on the job as the team was is focused to make a SB run. The defensive minded coach has taken over the defensive duties. Can't help to think the offensive side of the ball is being somewhat neglected by him. It's by default almost. The Bills offense has failed to take off to the next level. It mostly a failure of the Bills regime. Many fail to see this because Allen and his eliteness puts up numbers. Thus, the offensive stats looks very good.

Sadly, I can't disagree with a whole lot of what you said. Some blunt honest truth here. It can happen for sure. It's like going back to the crime scene as a victim. I mean it's pretty much known in the football world that the Bills playoff defense gets exposed. That's why Fraizer got fired despite his great regular season stats.

The "you" in my statement wasn't directed specifically at you. It was more a universal statement. I should have clarified that. Sorry. I'm always eager to pull the trigger on what I see as advantageous bets. I feel like the Bills vs Bengals game is just that. Of course, I can be incorrect and it's solely my opinion.

Their big issue for several years is their oline. Their head coach sometimes makes some questionable decisions. They kind of get a little more media/fan respect perhaps because they went to the dance by beating KC in Arrowhead. A feat the Bills have fallen short of. I think the football world will always be critical of the Bills until they can show the ability to advance to the SB and win it.

I usually bet $25 to $50 dollars. No big deal. I lose more than I win, sometimes I get lucky. There are some people out there and probably on this board that bet a lot bigger. Everyone's budget and tolerance level is different. The betting amount doesn't equate to being more knowledgeable or more successful. I do try to weigh in the sharp money.

You have to be able to separate the two. Often it's not easy to do. It really not a knock against how I am a Bills fan or a loyalty issue. It's more about analyzing the facts and trusting your process. I see this bet as being a very good bet. I think there's only a small difficult path for the Bills to win or Bengals not to cover. Nothing is a sure thing.

If that's your measuring stick then what do you make of McD winning success of 44% in the playoffs as a Bills coach?