Bob in STL

If we are still alive by the Pats* game in New England then YES. I think we can have a shot. First things first, we have to beat Miami at home next week.

What we know today is that a win is better than a tie, and a tie is better than a loss. A tie is undesirable but until all the games are played you cannot say that a tie in this game will hurt you. Seems like it would force you to win out the next three, which may be the case anyway. Another thing, the two questions were asked separately (i.e later) and context is not provided. The only playoff scenario he needs to worry about is his team winning every game and they won the Colts game.

Sure, you can criticize the decision all you want. I am talking about the over the top comments calling for his firing and the nitpicking of every call and every use of a time out. As if there is only possible decision with nothing else to factor in but what we know by watching the TV and reading the newspaper. The guy ended up making he right call. He may be lucky and he may be stupid, I don't think he is either. I think he is a bright and prepared. He is a young coach, going through a learning process. I think he knows the mentality of the team and ability of the players better than any of the fans or writers do. This is not poker and the odds are not so easy as a game with a set number of cards. Your dealing with people, and fatigue, and injury, and severe weather, and real opponents ... not luck of the draw. I heard I guy on the post game show blame McDermott for losing the LB that New England picked up off of our practice squad. That is the extent of the craziness.

Fans and Sports writer have it easy. We have the always safe option of the second guess. Suppose the Bills go for it on that fourth and one situation, and like the previous two fourth downs they fail. The Colts are now about 25-30 yards away from a long FG but with the wind at their backs and veteran clutch kicker ready to try again. The Bills are likely a bit demoralized as the defense trots out there hoping for a stop to save the tie. After giving up a very long drive in the fourth quarter I do not like our chances in this scenario at all. We will never know, and it is pointless to argue, but it is likely that the Colts would have had a shot at winning the game. The punt gives your defense a better chance to succeed but the punt is correct the decision only if your defense holds and you get the ball back in time to win. Both happened and we won. Yet many experts fans, most of whom never played or coached, cannot accept this. They insist on railing on the coach. I love to second guess ... I think that McD should have punted on the 2 fourth downs in regulation and played for the field position when there was more time to do so. I also think he should have gone for 2 points after our first TD. I also think he should have not punted in OT. I would be wrong and he would be correct. I accept that outcome, we won the game and I am happy. I fully realize that I belong on the sofa watching the game with a beer in hand. Why can't most of you do the same? Calling for his firing is just plain ridiculous. Listening to the sports writers and sportscasters is not productive. Great win Coach! Now get us ready for next week!

I was a kid. It was 1964 in the Old Rockpile in Buffalo, NY. I went with my Dad and my Uncle. Crazy fans everywhere. It was October and we beat the Jets. We were undefeated, like 7-0 or something. We won on a 4th quarter comeback by our backup QB, Daryl Lamonica. Jack Kemp went down and fullback Cookie Gilcrest was held in check for the first time all year. We got a big game from rookie half-back bobby Smith. Our flanker Elbert "Golden Wheels" Dubenion had over 200 yards. Lou Saban was our coach. We won the AFL Championship over the favored San Diego Chargers. Back then we really could beat the crap out of teams. We had the best defense in the AFL and they were even better the next season. 10 AFL Pro Bowlers out of 22 were Bills that year. We could have had a few more. It was a different game and different time but yeah, I was hooked.

I am old school and agree with Jimbo but he does not need to speak out on this in the media. Definitely, the Bills of the Jim Kelly era would have answered for that hit right away and there would have been so much shite on the field that Gronko would have been ejected for his own safety - along with a few Bills. Depending on the year Talley, Conlan, Smerlas, Bruce, Biscuit, Leonard Smith, would have all been in there. The scariest dudes on that team were some of the Offensive lineman and the back ups and special teamers. John Davis, Hal Garner, Mitch Ferotte, Jamie Muller and Carwell Garner were all mean bastards on the field. I've been watching Pro Football for 54 years and I can only think of a few times that I saw a deliberate attempt to injure a player after a play. I recall Oakland's Ben Davidson hit Lenny Dawson after a play and that sparked a big on the field brawl. Most of the dirty stuff happens during the play, that what makes this hit so bad, it was on purpose and it was after the play. Listening to Gronk explain himself after he game the conclusion is simple. He is extremely stupid for one. He also has a sense of entitlement. He is a Patriot and a star. He was frustrated because he was getting held. He was not getting the calls. The calls against him were wrong. He was frustrated. So what happens if #27 develops chronic concussion issues from this? Jerry Hughes was upset and should have made his penalty worth the effort by blasting Gronk. Hughes is one of the few guys on this current team that could have even made that roster of Kelly's teams. Preston Brown whined like a the proverbial sissy in the school yard. He is a crappy MLB, he can't shed blocks or tackle worth a dam. I hope he is gone next year. Imagine if Talley was the closest LB to the scene of the crime?

Good thing your not fans of the Sabres. Three straight shutouts against (they just set a franchise record with that feat). Home and home drubbings to the Penguins 4-1 and 5-1. The Bills look fabulous in comparison.

I still find it amazing that Marv Levy drafted Lynch. Talent is there but that guy is not a person you build a team around.

Darby? alexander ? Paup? Really. Late 80's to mid 90's we had 4 NFL Hall of Fame Players in their prime with Kelly, Bruce, Reed, and Thurman, We had a supporting cast of Pro bowlers in Bernett, Talley, Odomes, Hull , Lofton, Wollford, and Tasker ... to name a few. In the mid 60's we had some of the best players to ever play in the AFL with Kemp, Gilchrest, Dubenion, Shaw, Sestack, McDole, Stratton, Bryd and Saimes ... to name a few. We also had OJ Simpson who was the best football of his time, at least for a few years in the 70's.

Not so sure about that. Whaley was erratic. Made a few good moves but made some bad contracts (Dareus, Williams) and made some bad drafts errors (Manual and Watkins). Marrone - I would really like to know why he left. --- No QB? Did not like Whaley? The Pegula's? Maybe just take the money and run to NY? Once he left and Polian shied away we ended up with Rex and more Whaley and just and wasted 2 more years. I think the OP is correct. Bad drafting and too much coaching change.

sorry Coach but I do not want to see the Pegula's leave. I want to see them succeed and I think they will. Neither team had a competent GM and staff running things when they got there and yes, they have made mistakes and made things worse.. At some point they will hire the right people and give them the time to turn it around. I have not given up on McD or Beane yet. They are bright young guys and they need time. I do know I would have done things differently. I would have hired proven experienced leadership right from the start. For the Sabres they have done an even worse job in my opinion. Lots of change, tons of bad contracts on overrated players, tanking which is setting a losing culture. Sadly, this culminated with hiring yet another inexperienced staff (GM/Coach) to run things. Despite this I can only wish them the best and continue to hope these young guns turn into smart hires down the road. When I go to Buffalo to visit, which is quite often, I see revitalization and growth for the first time ever. The Pegula's are part of it and they will someday find the right people to get things turned around.

If true then McD is really in trouble, and so are we.

I understand we had a transition from Whaley to Beane with McD running things in-between but some of these moves are GM moves. What about McD as a coach? Still too early to say IMO. Why we hired a first time ever head coach and then let him run a draft and then hire a GM is just wacky. He started out well prepared and showed some signs of innovation and some ability to motivate players. Then the lowly Jets exposed them and we are all of a sudden in the worst 3 game tailspin in franchise history (and that is really saying something). His decision to start a rookie QB when hold the 6th and final playoff seed was dubious at best ... kind of smacks of arrogance. The mid season Dareus trade is also proving to be a very bad move if they were serious about not tanking. After an impressive start the defense is much worse than the year before. The offense is much worse than the year before. The overall talent purge has weakened the bench to laughable levels (see WR, RB, Right side of OL, TE, DL, and LB). He is on the cusp of losing grip of a 5-5 team after last weeks debacle. He needs to get his team to play a respectable road game at KC. I can see that we could finish 5-11, its that bad right now. Hopefully he can turn this around. Longer term his only option is to get rid of a few more aged and pre-McD players and then start over. Hopefully Bean can find some low cost free agents that can help and that we also find a few starters in the draft ... including a QB. Tall order for a rookie GM and a rookie coach indeed. Once they strip the team further you are looking at a 3 year rebuild, assuming you found a QB, while working for an owner with an itchy trigger finger and a desperate fan base. Knowing the Bills and the Pegulas, it is unlikely McD will get to that 4th year.

If you can trade up to get the right QB then do it but you don't trade up to get any other position. Besides QB we need DL, LB and OL to be addressed in the first 4 rounds.

The Peterman start was a bad decision I agree, but I doubt Tyrod wins this one. Lynn knows exactly what to do to stop TT. So does the rest of the NFL. Now, lets hope TT gets the "motivation" to beat KC next week.

Lot of the injury stuff in coincidence and bad luck, not on the medical staff. Watkins would be gone anyway. I think he Dareus trade is the only one that is troublesome ... he must have been a big distraction.

7-9 is not too good to get good talent. Please stop the nonsense. 4 picks in the first 2 rounds - we should be able to find a few starters AND a QB prospect.

I get your point. I would have stayed with TT until the inevitable playoff elimination, then played Peterman to get a look see. Seems like a better and more logical approach for all involved. Better for TT, better for Coach, better for NP, and for the whole team. Now we have a disaster ... maybe the team will rally around TT and beat KC in KC next week? I doubt it but weirder things have happened.

The were the 6th seed going in. If you are a player you take that and you try to win the next one. The Coach made the call, he can live with results. They will probably cut the rest of the pre-Carolina holdovers anyway. Then we can play another season with Tolbert, Ducasse, Demarco and the rest of the "talent" they are bringing in.

to soon to tell. Lynn has a Pro Bowl QB and a fine young defense. McCoach has McCoy and that is all.

Ok, Probably not. But at least you lose with dignity in aa closer fought game. If you played football and ever played on poor team you would get that. I am sure that many of the players feel that this coach just screwed up the season.

How was Peterman? My Bills watching goes back to 1963-64. Seen lots of bad. Late 60's, early 70's (Joe Collier, Harvey Johnson, Jim Ringo), the Kay Stevenson/ Hank Bullough 80's, the current drought. This coach is looking way over his head right now. This current string of three losses might be the worst I have even seen. Could be the worst collection DLs, LBs, and WRs we ever had. The right side of the OL is in shambles. There are no backup RBs worth a dang. So, Peterman was as bad as it gets but what chance did he have given the rest of the cast? He had a few bad breaks and then it snowballed. He clearly is not ready to start any more games in this NFL season.

I know this is the age of instant gratification but how playing a few games before we decide?

I hope you are correct. I do think we can win in LA with Peterman. Not sure we can win any other games once KC and NE expose him in the weeks that follow. We are capable of losing two games to Miami, just like last year. Our run defense is that bad. Our DLs and LBs are exposed. I can see the offense improving under Peterman but we still could be 6-10 or 7-9 if the defense does not come around.

Every opponents game plan is to stop McCoy. Just as you saw the past two weeks, the defense will stack the line and dare Peterman to beat them. If he does they will back of and we will be able to run.