BigAl2526

Mmmm canned spinach!

Agreed. While I'm pleased with the win, and happy with a blowout, it did not alleviate the concerns I have. For whatever reason, Buffalo is shying away from passing the ball deep. The one big pass play today was a catch and run. It wasn't even a balanced offense. It was run heavy. That's fine when you can make it work. James Cook was amazing today, but there will be games where he will be far more ordinary, and Buffalo is getting nothing from Davis and Ty Johnson. Josh had a bunch of off throws today, and they were short throws. I wonder why. There have been no reports of an injury. Balance would be great, but the complete dearth of downfield plays, or even just attempted downfield plays will cause defensive coordinators to strategize to stop the things that Buffalo is doing successfully if Buffalo doesn't force them to account for the deep throw. So, has Buffalo abandoned the deep throw because they don't feel capable of executing it (weak group of receivers) a philosophical aversion to plays that carry a higher risk factor, or they are saving it in order to surprise Kansas City or some future opponent. I think the third possibility would be a mistake. If it is the first possibility, I'm worried because that will bite Buffalo when it counts. If it is a philosophical choice, I think it is a mistake. In the end, chicken ball can be just as deadly as hero ball. I think Buffalo needs to find a happy middle ground.

For me, the question at this point is, whether Brady is completely his own man, or does his play calling reflect Sean McDermotts philosophical biases?

I think Poyer and Hancock will both get some reps at safety. Who knows, Sam Franklin might even get a few.

I think the Bills value quickness and coverage ability in their linebackers, which is why they gravitate toward guys that everybody else might regard as undersized. Willson is bigger than the linebackers buffalo currently has, and is probably a poor fit for Milano's weak side role. He might be a better fit for the Mike role. Probably the biggest argument against making the trade is a greater need at other positions.

It is a no brainer that Poyer will be activated. I do agree that Poyer should be as effective as Rapp. That's a pretty low bar. I think McDermott will be looking at his options should Poyer get hurt or not be effective. The problem is the options are really limited. The best free agents still on the market are Julian Blackmon and Justin Simmons. Both have significant warts, obvious since they are still unsigned in late October. On the team right now are Cam Lewis, (undersized) Jordan Hancock (unproven rookie) and Sam Franklin Jr. (never been more than a special teamer).

Reports coming out of Carolina today say that Young is not in a walking boot and is suited up for practice. Looks like he will try to practice and if able, may play this weekend.

I agree with what most observers would say, that Hoecht is the better player. Ogunjobi will make a contribution mostly because Daquan Jones is hurt and Buffalo needs some experienced bodies on the interior of the line. I'm mainly hoping he can solidify the run defense in the middle of the line a bit. Hoecht is an upgrade to almost any other defensive end on the Bills right now, even Rousseau (the way he's played the last few games. No, he's not Myles Garrett, but he's something of a physical freak for his size, combining both strength and straight line speed. I'm counting on him getting some sacks, pressures, TFLs and quarterback hits.

I agree he's not going to start versus KC. When he is activated to the 53 man roster, I expect his snaps will be few and far between. As the season progresses, the number of snaps that he gets will depend on how well he's doing/

Well, Dalton will be less prone to mistakes and better at reading defenses, but on the flip side, he may be a bit rusty and he's going to be far less mobile than Young. Buffalo has been terrible at containing mobile QBs this year, so that is one thing the defense won't have to worry about. Dalton will lack a real established top tier receiving group. At running back, Hubbard is certainly serviceable and Dowdle is a nifty backup, but neither has the elite traits that Buffalo has had to face multiple times this season thus far. If Buffalo can't keep Carolina reined in on offense, then they probably need to be afraid of every team.

Not a question of "if" but a question of "when" Mike McDaniel is canned. I agree with Casey that he has a good offensive mind. I would never consider him as a head coach. However, if Joe Brady moves to a head coaching opportunity elsewhere, he does offer something as an OC. There are some questions about fit, however. McDaniel built the Miami offense for speed. Last season, they had the fastest WR corps and the fastest RBs in the league. He wouldn't have anywhere near that in Buffalo. Curtis Samuel and Elijah Moore have some speed, but they barely get on the field. James Cook has enough speed, but nothing like the pair of Raheem Mostert and Devon Achane. In 2025 Achane's backup, Jalen Wright is faster than Cook. The question is, what would McDaniel do with Buffalo's far more pedestrian team speed?

At this point the only reason to use any running back other than Cook in any situation is to avoid wearing him out and making him vulnerable to injury. How much work can he take? The answer has to come from trainers and Cook himself.

Retire? Maybe when the Bills get all their injured CBs back and healthy. Not right now though.

No thanks. I'd have to donate two to do the work of one normal one.

Bruce Banner - Football is an emotional game. I want to see what happens when the other team makes him mad. He'll need a really stretchy uniform though.

Daboll now has wins against Philly and the Chargers. I thought the decision to start the season with Russell Wilson at QB was a mistake whether is was made by Daboll or somebody higher up, but the Giants may be looking up now. Cleveland and Miami are both train wrecks though.

I am listening on radio. ABC at least in Rochester is carrying the Chicago-Washington game. I hope they have no watchers in WNY. It sounds like Buffalo is something of a MASH unit. Sloppy play coupled with lousy officiating again. Buffalo is fighting back though. Just a 7 point difference at the start of the 4th quarter. There's still hope.

I fully expect that this is Mike McDaniel's last season. That's assuming he makes it through the season. I sort of doubt he does. Let's hope Steven Ross maintains his propensity to hire losers.

I don't expect that Poyer is going to suddenly start playing like the Jordan Poyer of 5-6 years ago. I do expect the Bills to sign hin to the 53 man roster and take Hamlin's backup snaps. Barring injury, that will probably be 2 or 3 snaps in a game.

When McDermott came to Buffalo, he brought a notebook filled with everything he could put in it about how to be a head coach. He used that as a manual to guide his actions. Following that meant that his approach to coaching was a bit mechanical at first. Having done it for a number of years now, I expect he has chucked the notebook now. He has established a routine and is now free to experiment a bit and even follow his feelings at times because he has his routine and the trust of his bosses.

You sure you don't want to see him play tight end? With that wing span, he would be really tough to cover in contested catch situations.

I wouldn't say I'm panicked. I think the loss sent a message to the players-that they can't take the playoffs for granted. Injuries are going to happen. There is not a great deal teams can do to prevent them, beyond making sure they have a good training staff. Too many players had a sloppy game against the Patriots. There were way more penalties than what one might consider acceptable. It wasn't all due to officiating. Several skill players on offense were careless with ball possession. The coaches don't escape blame either. Brady seemed to fail to take Patriot weaknesses and vulnerabilities into account in his game planning. More than one observer has said that in the first half it was like he was throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what would stick. Babich gets a bit of a pass because of all the injuries on defense, but injuries happen and it is his responsibility to deal with them.

It would be shocking if he survives. He's had long enough to turn things around in Miami. He's a clever offensive mind and not much more.

I saw a really ticky tack holding call on Conner McGovern. As I noted in another thread, I thought Davis held Coleman during the pass play where Josh Allen overthrew a desperation pass at the end of the game that was just out of reach for Coleman in the end zone not defensive pass interference at the catch point).

On the desperation pass play where Josh threw the ball a bit too deep in the end zone to be caught, it was probably not defensive pass interference. However, earlier in the route, I thought Davis held and interfered with the route running of Coleman.