Sierra Foothills

I agree that it's absolutely okay for fans to criticize the team. I want to make it clear that I'm not judging those people. What I am saying is that I wonder about those posters who frequently and repeatedly post the same highly-negative and inflammatory messages. Some people have an itch that they want to keep scratching over and over... like they have a sore that they're not allowing to heal. I became a fan of the team in 1968, just in time for the Harvey Johnson Dark Ages. Of course I then lived through the 4 Super Bowl losses and the 17 year drought so I've suffered as much as any Bills fan, not being old enough to enjoy the AFL Championships. I don't believe that the Bills "owe me" anything or that I "deserve" a Super Bowl Championship. I'm trying to enjoy the ride.

I agree. I see the constant negativity and/or bipolar overreactions exhibited by many posters here and it doesn't make me question their football knowledge. More than anything it makes me wonder what kind of people they are and how well-adjusted they are (or aren't)... how they react to adversity in their own lives, how successful they are as human beings... how happy they are (or aren't) in their lives... whether they're hypocritical in holding others to higher standards than they hold themselves... whether they live vicariously through the team because they're frustrated in life... whether they're too invested in the Bills to an unhealthy degree... those are the sort of questions that come to mind when I read a lot of the posts here.

Apparently I'm the only one on the entire board who doesn't think Tre has been bad. With maybe one exception, the only plays I recall him being beat on this year were plays were there was no pressure on the QB and he had to man cover for an extended period of time, which is a losing proposition for any CB. There were a few plays against Miami where he was in an impossible situation,, trying to stay with Waddle on crossers with plenty of traffic. Feel free to flame away. Just know that I'm not gonna debate anyone. Everyone can believe what they want... as will I.

Agreed. Some years there's a clear cut best team in the league. Some years it's about which team is peaking at the right time. Considering this is Penix's 10th career game and 8th career start, there's a good chance that he's improving and will have his best NFL game so far. The Omni in Atlanta... Tom Lysiak, Eric Vail...

I'm not sure the Falcons offense is better than the Patriots. They have a few nice skill position players but Penix is an unproven quantity. And yet they lost 30-0 to Carolina. No question in my mind that the offense lost the Patriots game... coaches and players. To me the Falcons are an unknown. Yes, they have some talent but really zero track record.

This guy's son is getting married this weekend and because of the incident, he won't be able to attend. Not only is there video, but apparently there were several witnesses and it sounds like they all saw the same thing... meaning not good for Sanchez.

Yes, thanks for all of the good work you put into this post!

Had he done so instead of turning upfield, they would certainly have had one more play from the 30 yard line.

Funny thing is, they just drafted 2 QBs. I'll be interested to see how the QB drama plays out... how long they give Gabriel, how well he does, and if he stumbles, at what point they give Sanders an opportunity.

Ah, for some reason I thought they were down 3. Never mind...

I'm not missing it. I thought it was clear that I'm saying last year is not relevant based on all of the changes in scheme and in personnel this year. l'm done here... it's all yours.

The idiot receiver Thrash could have run out of bounds to set the Browns up for a FG attempt but he turned upfield instead and was tackled. The clock runs out. Game over. And the botched attempt at downing the punt earlier in the 4th... The Browns pissing away an upset opportunity by failing to understand the fundamental concepts of the game.

Go Buffalo Joe!!!

"Folks, we regret to inform you that we just poured the last shot from that bottle of Jagermeister that's been collecting dust here since 1979... which means that we're officially out of any and all adult beverages. The bar will be closing in 5 minutes." Back on topic, it's just been reported that Rex and Michelle Ryan are keeping overnight vigil at Sanchez' bedside... sitting by the footboard.

Ciarlo hasn't passed Buffalo Joe on the depth chart yet, has he? That's funny. I've not heard that one before.

As @Robert Paulson touches on, Ciarlo could take some of Buffalo Joe's special teams snaps which in a longshot, reverse trickle-down way might mean that we see more of Buffalo Joe in the defense. Personally I'd be all for him getting more opportunities. This is super interesting. Somehow I missed Ed's comments. Thanks.

I thought both coaches were patient and balanced the interests of the team, the quarterback, and themselves perfectly.

Arguably so.

Here's the way I see it, both before and after harvesting some great opinions in this topic: There are three groups in this discussion, the believers, the doubters, and the "wait and see" group. A fairly large percentage of doubters are panicking about the defense based on only 4 games PLUS the regime's history of poor defensive play in the postseason... Expressed as an equation it's like this: My final judgement = the first 4 games of this season + the Bills playoff history. There are some legitimate concerns but also some legitimate counter arguments and almost no criticism or counter argument of the defense has yet been proven for this season. Some people here want to pass final judgement in week 4 but at the risk of belaboring my point, their opinions are based in fear and history and ignore the upcoming 13 games. Nothing the believers or the wait and see'rs can say will reassure the doubters that this year will be different. Some of the doubters will be vocal and constant if the defense doesn't improve over the course of the season. Some of the doubters will be vocal and constant even if the defense improves over the course of the season. I'll repeat what I said before the season started (anticipating it would take months for the defense to gel)... it's preposterous to judge the defense after 4 weeks. There are 2 new coaches, 5 new veterans, and 7 defensive rookies who are all trying to grasp a defense that is clearly different than last year's. The testimony of several respected posters in this topic point to a defense that's evolving. Even the type of players the Bills acquired this offseason are different prototypes than they've sought in the past. Everyone should take a chill pill and at least withhold judgement until the week 7 bye... though it would be better to withhold judgement until after the Chiefs game in week 9. The constant drumbeat from the doubters is really tiresome, having taken over several topics and dominating the topic listing. We've reached the point of diminishing returns on this conversation. Let's put this on hold for a few weeks??? As far as Babich, in the near term (week to week) he's not on the hot seat. In the context of the 2025 regular season and playoffs, he probably is. Are you saying that @GunnerBill isn't a normal person? 😊 I'm not disputing anything you're saying here but it's funny how you take a criticism of the Bills defense and turn it into a criticism of the Bills offense. Clearly this is one of the worst 4-0 teams in the history of the NFL. 😆

As others have pointed out here and elsewhere... that is the question... how effectively the Bills will throw when the defense knows they have to throw? I think the offense is well-constructed and QB-friendly and that's what makes me concerned that Trubisky has such a hard time running it. I know there are a lot of factors when choosing a backup QB but bottom line, I'd like a better one. This is another of my concerns... the drop-off from Cook is too large. IMO we need a better RB room... or Johnson and Cook have to start playing a lot better. This is the other question... how much depth, complexity, and variation Brady adds to the offense. Is this happening behind the scenes? Are the Bills keeping stuff under wraps? Except Manning had Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne in Indy and Demaryus Thomas, Eric Decker, Emmanuel Sanders, and Wes Welker in Denver... plus excellent tight ends. Manning has had better weapons than Josh. Kudos to the Eagles on being the first team (fittingly) to build wrinkles off of the Push Tush. How great would it have been against Kansas City for the Bills to have used it as the basis for fooling KC in the championship game? Based on the Chiefs overselling out to stop it, there seems almost no doubt that a trick play counter would have worked for the Bills. And without the benefit of a great defense. The bolded is the great unanswered question... how much influence does McDermott exert on the play calling?

Fast forwarding to this year, I think that the Giants and the Browns waited as long as they could before going to the rookie QBs.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ That's pretty much every week for some of the posters around here... Regarding this game and both teams, I'm nearly blue in the face saying this about the Bills but it especially applies to the Patriots too, who have virtually an entirely new coaching staff and a substantially re-made roster... We don't know who these teams are yet because it's week 4. We have a better idea of who the Bills are but their defense and the entire Patriots team are works in progress. The Bills overall are much more established in their program and being at home and in prime time, I see the Bills covering the spread.

What were your public feelings about the Amari Cooper trade at the time it happened? I understand your frustration but both McDermott and Beane have stated many times that the team's philosophy is that you win football games in the trenches. This is their philosophy. A few things on the subject: 1) Solomon is a core special teamer. 2) This is Solomon's audition. It's his last big chance to show he belongs before they make a decision on him. 3) The team is winning without Jackson and still has plenty of time to ease him into a rotation based on Solomon's performance... there's no reason to rush.

I'm a bit concerned if Dorian Williams misses the game from a special teams standpoint. I disagree with the bolded... agree with the second sentence. Agree. My gut feeling is that Oliver, Brown, and Milano are all close decisions for this week.

You brought our 1st round pick into the discussion and it seemed like you were making a negative statement ("Jackson and Hairston are 2 of 3 players picked in the top 72 picks that have yet to play a down. ") about the 2025 draft class. In following up you're saying that Hairston and Jackson not playing is "more of a fact than a criticism" which clarifies the intent of your first post. Sorry if I misinterpreted. More broadly, I understand that people can criticize an individual pick 4 weeks into the season if they want to but knowing the crapshoot nature of the draft, it seems fairer and wiser to look at the entire draft class. We have 4 rookies that area already getting significant playing time and we haven't even seen Hairston, Jackson, or Hancock. IMO this is looking like a great draft and so I guess I'm sensitive when someone wants to prematurely judge one member of the class... if that makes any sense.