FilthyBeast

The NFL is very unforgiving and also why I thought this warranted a serious discussion relevant to McDermott. Like I've said in the past, I respect what he's done here but I'm not beholden to him and also not sold on him being a true wartime head coach that is going to consistently beat good NFL teams and HC/QB's. Because the fact of the matter is he hasn't especially on the road. And this is a very good point about how this team somewhat underachieved last year against a much softer schedule on paper. This team was 3-5 last year between a 4-1 start and 4-0 finish which should raise red flags. They played a historically bad schedule in terms of opposing QB's which also inflated DVOA. Does this mean the Bills were frauds last year? Not exactly, but their inconsistency showed up when it mattered in the playoffs and why they went home despite all this talk that in a parallel universe somewhere the Bills steamroll their way to a championship last year. At the end of the day though I do expect this team to win a minimum of 11 games again unless something seriously goes wrong but McDermott has to prove he can consistently compete with the upper echelon QB's and coaches in this league especially when he's getting historic performances from his own players like JA17 and Davis did last year in KC.

Are you talking about losing to KC in the playoffs again or SB or bust option on the poll? Like I said just curious what folks think. As down as I've been on McD at time realistically the only scenario the Pegulas would consider firing him is missing the playoffs this year if we are fairly healthy and coaching proves to be a major issue against a very tough schedule.

The cupboard is now fully stocked (DB only real question mark still) and there are no more excuses for him. And the best path for this team in terms of a SB appearance is to play consistent football from start to finish to ensure the road to the SB goes through Buffalo. And to McD's credit he's been great at home in the playoffs the last few years and has never lost a home playoff game. But deep down I still think very poor in game decisions and situation football awareness is something that can be exploited again not just in the playoffs, but against a very tough schedule this year.

Now that the dust has settled from the draft and we move closer to the 2022 season, was curious what the current pulse is on McDermott. Expectations are obviously sky high in Buffalo and it's truly SB or bust as far as a lot of fans and pundits see it. On one hand the McDermott is still the best HC this franchise has seen since Levy and the 90's, but on the other the stench of playoff loss in KC still looms large and could be an issue in the locker room if this team gets off to a slow start in 2022. I would go as far to say his regular season record against playoff teams and never being able to win a road playoff game is a root cause for serious concern as well. Adding a poll here but personally there are 2 scenarios I would pull the trigger on dumping McDermott after 2022: 1) We have a losing season/miss playoffs (with major injuries NOT being a factor in this). 2) We lose to KC in the playoffs for a 3rd straight season regardless of round or whether game is in Buffalo/KC. Either of these happen and the Pegulas have to seriously ask themselves where they seem the direction of this team heading under McDermott knowing you are only going to get so many bites at the apple once Allen's contract kicks in similar to Mahomes in KC. Beane cannot show blind loyalty either IMO and look at himself and McDermott as a package deal moving forward.

On paper there is good potential with this oline, but I wouldn't go as far to say it's the best he's had in his career just yet until they prove it on the field and unfortunately this group may need time to work the kinks out under a new OC/Oline coach. The early season schedule won't do us any favors in that regard either.

My only cautionary statement with this is we had a very advantageous schedule last year too, not just with the rest differential but caliber of teams/QB's we played. And we still only managed 11 wins and were 3-5 at one point in the middle of season sandwiched between a 4-1 start and 4-0 finished. Moral of the story, this team needs to be far more consistent this year or expect a similar outcome.

Really sick of hearing about this guy and Browns are going to be the new most hated team in the NFL regardless of when he takes the field for them.

Some day people are going to look past the politics/kneeling stuff and realize that Kaepernick was never a good NFL QB and another run of the mill back up type. Better than Peterman? Sure, but there's a reason this guy has long been out of the league if you look closely.

Agree, but when your arm goes it goes badly and Brady is also on the brink of embarrassing himself which is why I thought he probably was done after and surprised he unretired so quickly. Won't be surprised if Brady looks a lot like 2020 Brees this year.

We lost to both TEN and PIT last year despite neither of them having great QB play, especially the latter which was at home. Ravens are being overlooked IMO and will be right back in the championship picture if LJ is healthy and they don't lose half their roster to IR again. Miami obviously looking to break out this year and finally beat the Bills again. The more I think about it I will not be shocked if the Bills get off to a bad/slow start this year similar to Chiefs last year before the schedule eases up and they put together a dominant run.

Agree, but we aren't going 17-0 next year and it's still a bit silly to think we will actually be favored against the Chiefs in KC unless Mahomes is hurt or they are complete garbage this year.

Brees is toast and embarrassed himself playing a year or two longer than he should have just like Big Ben.

Ingram is a solid pick up for the Fish. Their defense is looking pretty loaded with talent but until they can stop JA17 from doing his thing doesn't really matter.

Man these first few moths are going to be brutal. And I could definitely see the Bills getting off to a slow start like the Chiefs did last year before putting everything together and playing their best football in the 2nd half of the season when the schedule softens up a bit, at least on paper anyway.

It's great the Bills are getting all this love but I wouldn't put much stock in these point spreads. It's like reading into political polls months before an election and that's the same deal here with these lines, many things can and will change between now and the start of the regular season.

I still wouldn't be surprised if Hughes is cut after training camp and this contract seems to be structured in a way that allows that in terms of the Texans not being on the hook for a ton of money.

People said that last year and he won a SB despite trailing in both the SB and NFC Championship games late in the 4th quarter. Also made monster plays after the Bucs and Brady made a big comeback in the divisional game in Tampa. To say this will be a huge test for the Bills is an understatement especially how their season ended in another infamous playoff debacle similar to wide right and music city miracle.

The final score was very misleading in that game considering how close it was into the 4th quarter. And the previous year in Miami we easily could have lost that one if not for Allen and his first 400+ yard game which was another come from behind in the 2nd half affair. Again the point is that everyone is gunning for the Bills in the division now just like many teams tried (and mostly failed) against the Pats and Brady for the greater part of 20 years.

On one hand the Bills will get a chance to make a statement right out the gate against the defending SB champions who many felt the Bills would have beat in the SB. But at the same time the home team and defending champion in recent years has always come out strong and defended their dirt so to speak and there are some very bad matchups for the Bills in this game (i.e. Aaron Donald against our interior oline, Rams WR's against a secondary that likely won't have White).

I don't care so much about us trying to raid the Panthers roster again as much as what we may have offered. And if it was anything in the 1st/2nd round arena that probably would have been a huge mistake given McCaffrery's inability to stay healthy and on the field. But a conditional mid round type of pick that could go higher if he stays on the field would have made sense and perhaps that's all beane dangled out there.

Like I've said all along, eventually the Bills will lose to them again. And it's seems like our current rivalry with them mirrors the Patriots dominance over the Bills prior to 2020 in that they always play us close one game with chances to win and get blown out in the other. If Tua takes another step this year (even marginal) the Dolphins will be division/championship contenders. If he has a 2020 Josh Allen type of breakout season then all bets are obviously off.

I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes a very good GM in Pittsburgh but at the same time wouldn't bank on it. But if he has full autonomy to make his own decisions there vs Buffalo where there were many other hands in the cookie jar so to speak he might actually surprise folks and he was seen an a rising star years ago in the same Steelers organization when Buffalo brought him alongside Nix in the first place.

I think you hit the nail on the head with Peterman here....he's more of a 'student of the game', first in practice/last to leave type of player which is why McDermott loved him and gave him every opportunity to start again after the Chargers debacle his rookie year and despite drafting Allen with a premium 1st round pick. Also likely same reason Gruden was infatuated with him during his time on the Raiders as well because he really believed he could fit their offense and even add another element with his legs if Carr were to get hurt. There were even some Raiders fans that wanted Carr benched at one point for Peterman which is kind of crazy in hindsight because I think Carr is a top 5 - 10 QB in this league. So while it may be unlikely at this point that Peterman ever sees the field as a legit NFL starter, he probably will have a long career as a backup and/or transition to a QB coach at some point sooner than later.

Peterman has looked great at times with the Raiders in preseason the last few years, albeit against mostly backup level competition. Would be interesting to see what he does in live action again if he ever gets a chance to start again. Either way good for him for finding a way to hang around this league so long.

I don't think Tua is nearly as bad as some make him out to be, but he's probably under the most pressure of any NFL starting QB this year to perform and take his game to the next level. If he does that the Dolphins very well may be the Bills biggest threat to the division title, they certainly have been within striking distance the last few years.