Cray51

Fans are already piling on McD for his end of game decisions (accepting the penalty with 5 minutes left and the TO after the sneak). I think there is fair criticism to both plays, however those two decisions are NOT why we lost the game. Defense today: 11-15 on third down conversions (was 11-12 with about 5 minutes left in the game 1-1 on fourth down 0 sacks 38:30 time of possession for the Rams 457 total yards allowed The game wasn't lost in the last 5 minutes, it was the poor playcalling by Babich and execution in the first 55 that really hurt us.

I was wondering the same thing. I believe they are allowed to engage the block prior to the catch IF the ball doesnt get thrown past the line of scrimmage. Hopefully someone can help us confirm

Babich blew the game way more than McD did. He will be the scapegoat to terrible defensive playcalling in the first three quarters

End of game mistakes (penalty being accepted, TO after the sneak) pale in comparison to the struggles on third down. We were WORKED on third down all game. Rams were 11-12 on 3rd at one point. Nacua and Kupp made some superstar plays, and stafford threw well all night. I dont think any team in the AFC has that type of firepower. Allen played out of his mind - he is the MVP barring a disaster. His stats just exploded due to this game. All in all, defense needs to squeeze down on that type of poor play on third down, and Allen needs to continue to use that level headed play he showed today. This game showed me Allen absolutely has the right mentality this year.

Breece is primed for a big deal on a team with a rookie QB contract at the end of next year - Giants/Denver/Raiders/etc.

The Rams have good weapons on offense but their line leaves a lot to be desired. I also think their defense simply isn't that good. We should be able to put up 30 points on them and then it comes down to the defense doing what they have been - holding to field goals. Agree with your prediction - 31-20 is my guess

To me, there are three levels to look at the play. 1) Did he come into the game with a "plan" to injure Lawrence. I think it's farfetched 2) Did he see Lawrence coming in a one on one situation and launch at a low angle with intent to lay the lumber on the QB - I think this is the most likely situation 3) Did he react to a late slide from Lawrence and even with taking the necessary precaution to hit legally unfortunately made contact - I dont think he did It may not have been a "planned exercise", but it's telling when the LB did all of the wrong things in the moment. He changed angle of his trajectory, led with the forearm, and even if the time to react was minimal, he simply didn't make any adjustment to Lawrence. At the point of Lawrence initiating a slide, he was 3.5/4 yards from the LB. The LB's feet are planted flat and squared to Lawrence. In reaction to Lawrence's slide, he lowers forearm first and lunges forward. If he expects Trevor to run through contact, he is targeting the knees. If he is expecting a slide, he is targeting the head. Both relatively scummy to be honest. At the end of the day, his apology wasn't really an apology. It was a reaction to the negative publicity. To your point, if this play happens in the 80s, its a hard hit and the world moves on - which also means he isn't apologizing at all. So when we see him apologizing (even though it seemed thin at best), it's indication that he made a bad play. Hence the game of football as moved past the 80s and into the current way we play now. The form of the game where the defense isn't allowed to launch at the hed of a QB after they have given themselves up. And he simply didn't do that. I think it was an incredibly dirty play - I'd suspend him 1-2 games (Houston is on a bye this week, I'd probably give him a game so he is out week 15). It's a play I dont want to see happen to more QBs, this is your chance to set the standard and help reduce the chances of it happening again.

Simple fix - penalties that are the initial action leading to ejection (even if other players are ejected after) are automatically awarded. Then fouls after that offset as needed

I did completely forget about safety, I think I tend to lump them into the secondary as a whole

The only arguably worse position group on the team is DT, and that’s a stretch

I can’t wait for the stadium to erupt when he makes a tackle tomorrow - calling it now

That immediate post draft interview with Suzie Kulber where she asks about the tweets and if he needs to address it with his team, I loved when he said "I dont need to but I probably will. I'm ready to work". At 22 he had such a controlling leadership demeanor. No wonder Sean/Beane (guys who value leadership and maturity) loved him.

It's why I think the Bills/Chiefs divisional game is the greatest game ever. It had that "every drive matters" back and forth for the first 3 quarters, and then in Q4 it was the ascension of the two best players on the planet - Allen and Mahomes. Dialed in, flawless play.

If you dont mind me asking, what puts him below the "great" defensive coaches? I simply dont believe Goff is good enough to win a Superbowl. One decent QB wins a Superbowl each decade, otherwise it's the top tier. His 5 INTs against Houston should be a concerning sign to the Lions. Good teams put the Lions away in those situations.

Jets are a joke of an organization. They set themselves up for failure all of last year and in the offseason, only to then get rid of Saleh (who isn't a great HC, but is serviceable) and their GM lol. Offseason: Sign Mike Williams Sign Greg Zuerlein and cut Austin Seibert who now has been a great kicker for Washington Trade a 3rd for Reddick and then cant work out a deal to get him on the field day 1 Putrid. Bad. Unacceptable.

I dont see Daboll going to another HC role. He was brought in to improve Jones, and he didnt do it. I find it hard that another team would give him the HC role with a young QB. Maybe an OC role, but HC I dont see happening

I'd have to think Zac Taylor is gone if they don't make the playoffs for a second year in a row. Top 5 QB, Top 3 WR, Top 5 edge rusher... Losing close games falls to the coaches. Their DC is gone for sure, but if they have a shot at Ben Johnson I'm suspecting they will move on from Taylor and to him.

Lamar had a "4th and 2" play when he took the designed run for the two point conversion yesterday.... where he ran into a wall of Steelers and threw the ball towards his lineman. lol

I agree, I said the Bills were a 13-4/12-5 team and that the Jets and Miami were super overrated. With that said, this quick roster turnover without skipping a beat is something to be praised.

Beane's ability to understand that a boundary guy who can block well and catch the occasional pass doesn't need to be your WR2 and could cost a fraction of what a WR2 makes was very stout

Coming into this season, the Bills were looked to be in a transitional year. Most media suggested we were the third best team in our division, and a wild card bubble playoff team. Last season our average age as a team was 27.4 years old, with our starters averaging an age closer to 30. "Core" players out: Diggs Davis Morse Hyde Poyer White Neal (ST ace gunner) Taiwan Jones (ST) You dont remove 6-8 pieces of a team, and essentially 3-4 PB caliber players during their tenure here, and expect success. Which is why what Beane and McD have done to be so incredible. The Bills have IMPROVED their team with a new core of young and determined talent, unfazed by past losses. The Bills new core is as follows: Allen - Drafted - First round Shakir - Drafted - Fifth round Kincaid - Drafted - First round Brown - Drafted - Third round Torrence - Drafted - Second round Dawkins - Drafted - Second round Bernard - Drafted - Third round Williams - Drafted - Third round Oliver - Drafted - First round Taron Johnson - Drafted - Fifth round Coleman - Drafted - Second round Rousseau - Drafted - First round Benford - Drafted - Sixth round Current total roster age? 26.7. Average age of our new core listed above? 25 years old. These guys are the immediate future of this team (expecting all of them to be around for at least another 3 years). Beane and co have implemented a retool of this roster while competing for a Super Bowl and taking on a large deap cap hit to set us up for prolonged success. In addition, we have a first and two seconds in this upcoming draft, ready to pick more starter quality, young, cost controlled talent to add. So where does this leave our team? We still have pieces to fill. We need another WR (Maybe a shock short term deal for Cooper keeps him here). We need a CB2 (Elam? Draft pick this year?). We need a space eating DT. Fortunately, Beane and Sean have set us up to leverage aging talent for this year and next (Daquan Jones, Von), and will continue to turn scrap heap FAs into quality depth. This new core will take the Bills through 2027/28, when they will STILL average under 30 years old and we can hopefully leverage our draft picks from the next few years to continue our train of success. Big big credit to Beane. Huge credit to Sean (who continues to field hate that will baffle me. He is as good of a coach as there is in this league). I knew Beane was a top 5 drafting GM from 2018-2021, but his recent drafts may have shown an elevation in the ability to find star players in the later rounds, the last step he needed. Go Bills, and I'm looking forward to watching this group take us forward

My takeaways: 1) Even though the run game wasn't working well, it forced KC to keep guys in the box. Credit to Brady for keeping them honest 2) Defense came ready to play. Front four did a good job creating pressure WITH lane integrity. Mahomes does not have the weapons right now to score at will if you keep lane integrity and dont let him escape. Bills did a great job in that regard 3) Kelce is a shell - I know he had a good past few weeks, but he isn't blocking as well and he looks slower. He may only have a year or two left of football 4) Chiefs defense is really really sound in the front 4. They make the secondary's job much easier. 5) Shakir needs to be a Bill for a long time. His RAC, hands, durability are all top notch 6) I'd expect to see more Ty Johnson if we play them again. He burst out of the backfield helps against such a strong front 4. Cook dances a little too much for me 7) McD is coach of the year right now. Tomlin is also doing wonders, but I dont believe it's sustainable. This team was being talked about as a potential non-playoff team, and they are 9-2 and just beat the Chiefs. 8) Dawson Knox is likely gone after this year. Morris and Ferguson will come and take his spot. I'm incredibly happy with what Knox has done for this team - even though he gave up too early on that 4th down route lol 9) Bills can beat ANYONE at home. #1 or #2 seed are a must for this team. With their remaining schedule, and how HEALTHY they are, they can absolutely achieve that.

Such a far cry from the statements about this team in the offseason. what an incredible draft by Beane and co. Unbelievable

That’s a great point. Mcd and Beane know how to run the secondary.

I feel differently. When you have a top 8 LT and RT on your roster, locked down, you dont pick up the phone. A top 5 first round pick? Ok, I'll listen. But that's not getting moved for either of those players. A second rounder? Crazy talk IMO. You are creating a huge hole to pick up a chance at a player who would be as good as these guys.