BigAl2526

He could be the poster child for "me guy" syndrome if there weren't so many other players like him.

If I were to bet on his availability, I would certainly bet he'll play. Still, players recovering from a concussion can sometimes stall at one stage or another in the protocol.

I'm 72 and I remember that from high school.

This is kind of old news. In the NFL, teams have to make personnel choices, and they do it generally to deal with league trends. League rules made it easier to have high powered passing attacks, so most teams tried to build defenses that had a chance to counter that. Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley are unicorns. So is Lamar Jackson for that matter. Buffalo would be foolish to try and build a defense solely to combat Lamar Jackson and Derek Henry. Going forward, I think some upgrades can be made in the secondary and on the defensive line that will enable Buffalo to be more effective defending the run while still being effective against the pass. Daquan Jones has not been as effective in 2024 as he was in past seasons. Taron Johnson is an outstanding slot corner and far better against the run than you would expect of a smallish DB, but he's still under 200 lbs and some running backs are going to run him over. I don't view Taylor Rapp as a liability in run defense, but I think that position can be upgraded. He's smart enough and very physical, but his lack of speed gives him no room for error when it comes to anticipating receivers and choosing angles (as Denver's first touchdown demonstrated). Whether or not Cole Bishop grows into a quality starter at either safety spot is open to question. As far as the game Sunday is concerned, having all Buffalo's starters on defense available will help. If Buffalo plays a clean disciplined game on defense, I think they can keep Baltimore from exploding on offense better than they did in September. Of course, Buffalo's offense needs to perform a lot better too.

No, he does not.

According to an article on Buffalo Rumblings, game time temperature could be 8 degrees farenheit. Lamar Jackson's coldest game ever was 27. Derek Henry's coldest game ever was 22. That may be cold enough that Lamar and Derek will have a tough time adjusting.

I love crab cakes.

The only observation I have about Vrabel is that he will do his best to field a team that will try to beat your team up by being more physical.

The Bills seemed to have an idea how Josh Allen might turn out, though I suspect he has exceeded even their expectations.

I'm hopeful that Milano is back, at least mostly. His absence, along with some other defensive players being hurt really devastated Buffalo's defensive effort against Baltimore in the regular season. I'm hoping his presence and maybe some maturing by Bobby Babich will be enough to change the outcome next week.

Yeah, a quick lead in the Baltimore would be huge for Buffalo. Then you can talk about long time-consuming drives to keep the ball out of the hands of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.

So you wanted Josh to get a 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty?

I have to say, I was surprised this season when Pittsburgh switch to Russell Wilson as their QB. Fields has had his issues as a young QB, now in his 4th year. Wilson is past his prime. He'll make a play occasionally, but not often enough. In the game tonight, the Steelers flat could not run the ball, and Wilson was entirely too pedestrian passing the ball. They made a bit of a run in the third quarter, and Wilson made a few deep passes, but overall, I think the Steelers were entirely too predictable. At least Fields gives them another set of legs to scramble a bit or move out of the pocket. He may still have some upside if Tomlinson were to get him some good coaching and time to grow into the Steelers offense.

Obvious, Lamar Jackson being named to the All Pro first team has a tendency to even the odds for being named MVP, if not making Jackson the favorite. I'm willing to bet that this along with the overall snub of Bills players in the Pro Bowl voting has caused a major chip to develop on the shoulders of Josh Allen, the offensive line and the whole team. Assuming the Bills get past the Broncos, it could be a setup for a huge revenge game next week. I think the Bills want, almost as much as a Super Bowl win, to prove that they are as deserving as Jackson and the Ravens of all those accolades, if not more so.

I don't live there, but no, I don't think southern Californians expect major problems with wild fires in January. If they are going to get significant rain, this is the time of year they expect it.

Often in church, I sit on the opposite end of the row from a die hard Dolphins fan. He's had a rough season. I go easy on him. Forgive my ignorance. What is a "madrachim?"

The Sunday School class is 9:15 AM. I don't mind doing it. I'm also substituting for the pastor by preaching on Sunday. I'll still be home for the game at 1 PM. I don't mind.

I think in general, Bills players have felt very supported by the team when they've had to deal with personal/family problems. It the long run, that is to the benefit of the Bills as this is one more reason the Bills are a desired destination for free agents. Players like to stay in Buffalo too as long as the money is competitive.

Not going to happen. For Kelvin Benjamin to switch positions, he would actually have to spend the energy to move.

A 1 o'clock game means I'll be teaching Sunday School. How does that happen? Our regular teacher is a photographer for USA Today. He takes pictures at all home games and has to leave pretty early Sunday Morning to get set up for 1 o'clock games. I'm his sub.

Hey Jets, Ken Dorsey is available if you don't want Rex Ryan.

It is extremely difficult to get named to the Pro Bowl in Buffalo. Case in point: This year the 3-14 Cleveland Browns had 3 pro bowlers this year compared to 13-4 Buffalo's 2 pro bowlers. I think he's very good and probably still has some untapped upside. If the current offensive line does not improve its pass blocking, Josh Allen is still getting sacked at a very low rate.

I honestly don't think McDermott would consider McDaniels. McDaniels seems addicted to speedy players and big plays in the passing game. I think he would want to make a significant change in Buffalo's skill position players on offense, and that would upset Beane's strategy of steady change and long term management of the cap. McDermott is fond of balance. I think he might worry that McDaniel's system might lead to an uptick in Josh's interception ration. Also, I wonder if McDaniel's offensive tendencies would fare well in the potential weather conditions that Buffalo has after mid-season.

Maybe it's just me, but does it look like Buffalo is playing a "prevent defense" for entire games?

Yeah. McDermott engages in coach speak. That's not a big surprise. What he's saying is that given the restrictions they will impose on themselves both with personnel and play calling, they will still try and win. It's like saying you're going to try your best to win a game of one on one basketball with one hand tied behind your back.