UKBillFan

For me, the difference is Josh COULD move to the top premier tier, as his issues are over mentality rather than physical. I think Burrow is at his peak now and won’t improve.

I realise I’m showing a split personality over Josh so to try and clear things up - he’s low in the list of things that are wrong with this team but he has issues which needs to be sorted out. People blame Dorsey for schemes but there have been several occasions where players have been open and Josh has overlooked them. For a guy with his strength he has a surprising issue holding on to the ball, with too many fumbles against his name. He has a disposition for the big play which over-rides common sense. But he has no little to no protection from his O Line and, outside of Diggs, our wide receivers aren’t in the same league as the Bengals and Kelce and Pacheco are or have shown more to their play than Knox and Cook, both who I rate. He has a head coach who is a DC at heart, and has focused the building of the roster on that side of the ball, without learning the lessons of Green Bay. Recalibrate the O Line and get a proper WR2 and we’d see an improvement in our offensive play, about that I have no doubt.

Turnover wise, so fumbles as well as interceptions, Josh had 19, Burrow 15 and Mahomes 12 across the regular season.

Agree to an extent. I definitely think that out of Mahomes, Burrow and himself he has the worst offense to play with and the weakest OL. But he doesn’t help himself. My basic take is he’s physically the best QB in the league but, mentality wise, he trails behind those two. And that’s why it’s irritating - he has it all but he can’t quite compute how to get the best out of himself more often than not.

No. The issue is Mahomes or Burrow seem to have a hideous game and move on. Josh’s errors seem to permeate across a run. Maybe fewer in a single game but they build up across a number.

Failing to win the SB last season wasn’t on Josh.

😆 You’ve really got it in for Josh.

So was Josh last post season. Indeed, he was more than good enough up to the bye. Would love to know what happened after the Chiefs game as the entire team seemed to go off the boil at that point.

Every QB is going to be prone to a boneheaded error. The issue is Josh seems more boom or bust than the rest. He’s in the top five QBs in the league because of his physical attributes but his mentality is dragging him back. The O Line isn’t helping, no, but he does make more ‘unforced’ errors than his peers at the top.

Just to point out, Josh had only one more turnover this year compared to 2021 (19 to 18).

The big issue is the red zone turnovers. He was so clean there for so long but last year became an issue. But it’s not as if Mahomes was flawless.

How many throws did Josh make this season? How many interceptions? Now compare to Mahomes.

You think we should trade Josh, then?

Josh is physically the best QB in the league for me. He has the arm, the body strength, the legs, to make plays that no one else can, including Mahomes. But where Mahomes, and possibly Burrow, is better is mentality. They can read the field better and they’re more adept at protecting the ball. We saw peak Josh in the play offs and at the start of this season, but his floor is lower than Mahomes and Burrow. I think stricter coaching would help. He needs to be kept on a leash and it feels like Dorsey is too happy for him to make big play after big play, which feeds into Josh’s natural approach. A lack of an O Line also, understandably, feeds into Josh’s mind and sometimes he feels rushed when he has time. We saw at the end of the Bengals game that his first reaction post snap was checking his protection rather than reading the field. Mahomes is a fantastic QB but, for the most part, he was aided and abetted by his O Line. Consider how ordinary he looked when it collapsed against the Bengals last year. It’s the same for every QB - no one, no matter how talented, can do it on their own.

Surely the opening TNF will be a repeat of the Super Bowl?

There is a legitimate argument, for me, that Mahomes would not look as good if he was the Bills QB as he does with the Chiefs. As a counterpoint, Cook would probably look better playing for the Chiefs than he does at the moment.

Considering Stefon’s dead cap, and Trevor entering the last year of his deal, is it more like the latter joins the Bills than Stefan moving to Dallas?

Though there are five key words said in that interview - Josh Allen is my guy. Considering his coldness in previous interviews, I think that’s a sign of him mellowing. I do think it’s a really revealing interview, though, especially when talking about the Chiefs,

You do not do it in that manner. And Josh basically carried us through the season - his excuse, not that he points the fingers at others, seemingly unlike Diggs, is pathetic protection from a dire O Line. If anyone, Diggs should have been yelling at them.

The NFL is a team game, dependent on the quality of the coaches and play calling. Having a class QB is important, but not key. Look how far the 49ers went with Purdy, and they would have pushed the Eagles more than they did had he not picked up an injury. Josh is, physically, the best QB in the league for me but he needs support on the mental side of the game, whilst a better O Line and weapons at his disposal. Put him in the place of Mahomes tonight and the Chiefs would have still won. Put him in the place of Hurts and I think the Eagles may have won. Their coaching calls are what is superior to the Bills at the moment. I’m hopeful Dorsey may grow as a coordinator. McDermott and Frasier less so.

Think it's time to see if there's some brown envelopes making their way from Arrowhead to the commissioner. A dreadful call to end a superb game.

NFL Superbowl winners: The officials.

I think I'll be watching the game on mute. Won't be able to stand the over-praise if one of the QBs does as much as sneeze. I looked forward to last year's game more.

Have to admit, I feel worse now than I did directly after the Divisional round. The bubbling under of Josh and Diggs falling out with no attempt from those involved to quash it, Frasier seemingly being offered a new contract despite failing in the play offs time and again, Beane apparently prepared to run it back next year rather than making moves to improve matters... any hope I had after the Bengals play off game has been diluted. A good draft and a couple of decent signings off free agency will change my mind. And it is a long time until September.

I don’t think Diggs pitching a fit is a key concern, as much as the subsequent interview where he refuses to call Josh by name and admits it was down to increasing tension through the latter part of the season. Diggs is Josh’s number one guy, but the key to that is a good relationship. Is it as strong as it was? Diggs’ interview suggests not.