BigAl2526

I haven't paid to read the article and don't intend to. McDermott is a human being. He has flaws like any other human being. The fact is that he and Brandon Beane have together built a franchise that had been mired in mediocrity for two decades and turned it into one that makes the playoffs with regularity. It is true that Josh Allen is a large factor in the team's recent success, but there are other factors as well, and at least some of them point to McDermott's coaching and team building skill. I do think that Dorsey was something of a scapegoat, but I don't think he is entirely exempt from blame for the team's erratic performance on offense this season. I recall in particular the one game a while back (I forget who the opponent was where the offense marched down the field with ease using short passes in rhythm. The next time the Bills had the ball, I think they tried running the ball a lot more and it was like running into a brick wall. They never went back to that quick rhythmic passing game. The Bills lost. The explanation after the game for not continuing the quick rhythmic passing game was that the team wanted to be more balanced. I agree that in the long term the offense has to be able to do different things, but in the short term, if something is working to perfection, why would you abandon it and never come back to it? Maybe it was McDermott who made that decision, but I suspect it was Dorsey. Going forward, I don't think the Bills should fire McDermott, nor will they. I'm not ruling out the possibility that firing McDermott could be the right decision in a year or two. In the meantime, I hope that McDermott is self-aware about the issues Dunne apparently raise, and works at getting better.

I think there are league rules that prevent teams from having extra practices during the bye week. The Bills practiced today and will have practices tomorrow and Friday, the same as KC. The advantage the Bills have is they've been able to use the bye to get healthier (except for players on the season ending Injured Reserve). We don't know if Elam or Knox will be ready to play, but hopefully soon. Elam obviously is not a crucial player, but it would be nice if Knox and Kincaid could do again what they were doing at the start of the season when both were on the field at the same time.

McDermott will take it "one day at a time."

Just don't screw over teams by giving them a "home" game designation overseas when the advantage is clearly for the other team, like the league did to Buffalo this season.

McDermott clearly places a premium on experience, though he has normally started first round picks. Elam was the one first rounder who did not quickly become a starter. Oliver has taken a while to develop, but that's not unusual even for first round picks who start from day one. If first round picks often need development time, it's no surprise that later picks like Epenesa and Bernard can take time to develop. As for Elam, maybe he'll develop in McDermott's scheme and maybe not. Lot's of first round picks bust. I agree on Torrence. He's been a successful first round pick and there's no reason to think he won't improve his technique and gain some polish going forward.

Well, obviously Harrison will go probably in the top two of the draft. Most mock drafters have Nabers going next. He might not have the measurables that wow observers quite to the degree of some of the other top receivers, but he's probably the most polished WR after Harrison. Then there is Odunze. He's got a nice combination of size and speed. He might slip down to the Bills if the Bills draft in the middle of round 1, but it's more likely that he'll be gone. Coleman will be available when the Bills pick. I'm not sure if I would pick him or not. He's similar in size to Odunze if not quite as fast. Egbuka is similar in size to Nabers, but faster if not quite as highly regarded. He's the second best receiver on his own college team. Worthy is fast, but built like a string bean. I'd be worried about durability in the NFL. If he gains weight, there is no quarantee he's maintain his speed/quickness. Troy Franklin is a little bigger than Worthy and not quite as fast. Most observers regard him as a 2nd round pick. I've seen him mocked to the Bills in the middle of the second round. Xavier Legette has the most intriguing combination of measurables on the list. He's not quite as big as Calvin Johnson ("Megatron") or DK Metcalf, but he could be faster. He's not as polished as others on this list. Because of his speed, there is a decent chance he gets drafted in round 1. The team that drafts him that high is taking a chance, but it could result in a big payoff. Johnny Wilson is a receiver in a tight end body. He's a late 2nd round pick. If Buffalo wants him in round two, they can certainly get him. If I'm Buffalo and drafting in the middle of round 1, my first choice Odunze if he's available, Egbuka if he's not. I also would be tempted to trade down some and pick Legette. All that said, there are other positions Buffalo could consider addressing in round 1 where they might be drafting, including offensive line, defensive back and edge rusher.

I think the Bills should not make any roster changes and wait until they see how this plays out. They probably should not put him on the field. Cutting him is too expensive right now. If he's exonerated, fine, the Bills can make future decisions on the basis of football merit. If Miller is found to be guilty, the league will take the appropriate steps and the Bills will be relieved of the salary cap burden they are bearing for having signed Miller. Miller's football career will be over at that point. By the end of any disciplinary action the league might take, Miller will be too old to realistically resume his career.

If the receiver did not make a football move, completing the reception, then it's an interception regardless of whether a defensive player touched him.

Buffalo - 17 Philadelphia + Officials - 7 At least Buffalo was able to limit second quarter penalties to "only" 4, including the intentional grounding where a receiver (Diggs) was in the area and the officials ignored a horse collar tackle.

I met a woman this past summer from Cameroon (in Africa on the Atlantic coast near the Congo). She fled to the US out of fear for her life from her abusive husband. She is well educated and the daughter of a pastor.

Nick Bolton is on IR. I don't know if it is full season IR or not or what his injury is. There are four total Chiefs on IR. Bolton is the only would be starter. There are nine Bills on IR, four of them starters. Two of those have been to the pro bowl.

I assume Rapp had a bit of a setback after practicing yesterday. Johnson practiced in full today and is good to go. Both Hyde and Poyer are healthy. If they can stay that way, losing Rapp won't hurt too much. The same with Dane Jackson. Benford and Douglas are both healthy. They're the two best outside CBs on the roster with Tre White out. Lewis and Neal can handle some spot duty in relief. If the Bills need to, they can activate a guy from the PS. There are 4 CBs on the PS.

I have felt all season that when the Bills are playing to their ability and they can manage injuries successfully, they can beat any other team in the league. Obviously, they haven't done that all season. It still goes however. If the offense can perform like it has a number of times this season, scoring in excess of 30 points, and the defense can deal with the continuing injury issues (the latest being defensive backs dropping like cluster flies) they can indeed beat the Eagles.

We sure aren't getting much from Harty.

It is really encouraging that Buffalo has accomplished its sack production without Von Miller contributing. I don't know that he can't be effective at some point. I think sometimes we as fans undervalue the negative effect that injuries can have on player production even after players return to the playing field.

I fully agree.

Teams are paying more attention to defending against Josh Allen runs. That doesn't mean he should stop, just that he needs to make the right reads when he considers running, and maybe be a bit more selective. Having at least the possibility of a Josh Allen run forces the defense to account for it, and that can cause other plays to be available.

A good example of why stats should be used carefully. Another stat line to be aware of is turnovers. The Jets had a turnover problem on Sunday and Buffalo got points off of Jets turnovers more than once. That may be harder to accomplish versus Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia than it was versus Zach Wilson and the Jets. The Jets turnovers definitely inflated the appearance of the Bills' offense, not that I was disappointed in the offense.

We saw some promising play from the offense when both Knox and Kincaid were on the field at the same time early in the season. I want to see Knox get healthy and Buffalo putting both on the field at the same time again for a while before I decide if it's worth paying both of them.

I'm not harboring any illusions. Buffalo can possibly afford one or two more losses this season and they have to run a gauntlet the last 7 games. The injuries have been devastating, but mostly the Bills have been their own worst enemy the last several games, particularly on the offensive side of the ball where injuries have been less of a factor. I'm not going to worry about the playoffs until the Bills string a few wins together, but I'm encouraged that the Bills figured out how to play a game without beating themselves. They just need to head to Philadelphia next week and do the same thing and I will be happy.

My assumption is that fans are tough on coaches generally. That probably true in all sports and in all cities. As soon as a team appears not to be living up to fan and media expectations, the coach haters come out of the woodwork.

I think he is a youngster with an intriguing skill set and plenty of upside. He's not really ready to be a starter. Think Terrel Bernard last year. People were thinking he was a wasted pick. This year, he's starting and playing well. We can't be sure Williams will develop in the same way, but I always tend to err on the side of optimism.

I don't disagree, but if anything, player performance might be tied to position coaches rather than the coordinator. The coordinator's job has more to do with scheme, game planning and play calling.

To me, the road to the playoffs looks to be about 13 1/2 months long now at minimum.

Special teams was a mess yesterday. There does need to be some accountability here.