Sierra Foothills

This is not a criticism of you, Max... your comment reminded me that it's a popular parlor game here to criticize D-linemen who aren't going full throttle in pursuit. The most recent Bills target of this criticism was Von Miller but even HOFer Bruce Smith was accused of dialing down on his pursuit on extended plays. Bosa isn't either ancient or huge but he is 30 years old and 280 pounds. Most of the time the player knows better than the fan, how to apportion the energy that's in his tank. You're right. There was a handful of people on this site who were repeating the message before the opener that the Ravens matchup came at a bad time... a power offense with a set identity against a smallish defense with lots of new parts that didn't play many snaps together in the preseason. It's really a beautiful thing that we won week one.

Josh said three thing about. the visor yesterday: 1) He's worn them before in college. 2) They capture heat inside the helmet. 3) His voice reverberates inside the helmet. I wouldn't be surprised if he ditches it early. His youthful enthusiasm with his teammates is just a joy to watch. Another thing about Josh is that he often says "we" even when talking about himself. When asked how his nose was he said "we can breathe, so all good." When asked about protecting his nose he said "I think we're going to try a visor". Talk about a total team player...

Yes, as Ralph's buddy Harvey was twice interim coach of the Bills and in each of those seasons the team won exactly 1 game. Yes, Bullough's malapropisms showed a deeply flawed mind whereas Berra's "Yogi-isms" were almost an art form.

@Hellcamino, not to pry (and feel free not to answer)... how long will you be in Buffalo and what's on your list of places to go/eat/things to do? @DrMaxPower, same question for you. I'm really curious what you guys have gleaned from being in this community! Thanks!

How did he know? I think it's a mini-bildo... a good luck totem.

I copied and pasted your question into AI and yes, apparently every game is a trap! 🙂 Who knew?

I LOVE Dorian's physicality and his attitude. When predicting his future, it's all in the context that Dorian: Is beginning his 3rd year Has played in 36 games Has started 15 games Has played 907 defensive snaps and 490 special teams snaps At the very least he'll be a great special teams player and capable backup linebacker. Will he take the next step? I couldn't tell you but I'm hopeful as hell.

You're in BIG TROUBLE!!! Stay in your lane... Calling @eball!!!

Recovered fumbles and dropped interceptions are what even out over the long run... it's those things that are somewhat random. Consistently taking the ball away over 8+ seasons and consistently protecting the ball over 2+ seasons are not random. Regarding the 2 point conversion attempt interception, that's like a Hail Mary play... a desperation... unlike Geno Smith throwing the ball away on 4th down, Josh was trying to force a pass into the end zone. Same as above, see below regarding sample size... McDermott started in 2017 so I'm going to drop the two years previous. The mean average is 5.125... the median is 4. Yes, the luck is a smaller component of this story. The sample sizes (touches) are enough to carry statistical validity. In an average NFL game there are 120-150 plays. These numbers are not outliers... they're the norm for a team which is obviously coached to protect the ball on offense and take the ball away on defense.

I understand those who object to the binary framing of the Parsons trade in terms of winning or losing the trade. I often object on these very pages to such oversimplified black and white, overly-reductionistic framing of issues, in sports or elsewhere. But look, it's hard to dispute. The Packers didn't make this trade to just improve. The did it to win the Super Bowl. You don't take on a contractual obligation like they did and give up 2 first round draft picks and one of your best players simply to improve. They're gambling that Parsons is the final piece who'll put them over the top. They're taking a calculated risk that they hope pays off... knowing that there's a downside if it doesn't. If they don't win a Super Bowl this year, what are the chances that they'll be able to improve minus 2 1st rounders and saddled with a huge contract on top of Jordan Love's contract? What happens when players like Elgton Jenkins, Rashan Gary, and Xavier McKinney start coming due? I don't buy that the Packers traded for Parsons simply to improve the team. And I don't think that they think that they'll somehow be able to add more talent to get them over the top if Parsons doesn't get them there. I admire the Packers for pulling the trigger but if they don't win a Super Bowl with Parsons, the huge gamble didn't work. There's no in-between here.

Herbert's playing better now than he has since entering the league but he still has a ways to go. His ball handling on crucial downs was sloppy. He was responsible for the poor handoff on the 4th down RPO and was also responsible for the poor handoff that resulted in the lost fumble. Incredible talent though... very Josh-like minus the running ability.

I could be proven wrong if/when they're both healthy but Samuel and Moore, though subtly different, for all intents and purposes play the same role... the Isaiah McKenzie gadget/slot role. I don't think they'll both be active for the same game. It's a sign of the Bills depth that they have two physically talented and dangerous players to play one position. Samuel being on the sidelines is just a luxury in my book... a weapon in the arsenal that we haven't needed yet. We don't miss him because we have Moore but there might be a time when Moore is unavailable and Samuel is ready to step up. I'm glad Moore contributed against the Jets and I anticipate that both he and Samuel will make plays this year that'll make us glad that they're both on the team.

Well Milano agreed to a pay cut and a void of the final year of his contract. Would you prefer that they cut him?

Guys, he's not a personal hygiene product, he's a football player. The word is "expendable." 😆 According to the week 2 snap counts, Anderson had 2 more snaps than Van Demark or SVPG so it's possible he played 2 snaps as the extra tight end. Also, Reggie Gilliam is a Core Four special teamer as well as playing snaps from scrimmage so he's probably closer to indispensable than he is disposable.

Curry has a very interesting football history. He's one of the greatest high school quarterbacks in Virginia scholastic sports history and he proceeded to re-write the North Carolina Tar Heels record book as a QB. But he was drafted as a wide receiver and never played QB in the NFL... and now he's the position Coach for one of the greatest QBs in NFL history.

So a solid, assignment-sound veteran will do after all? 😆 I thought Buffalo Joe played well against the Giants and the Bucs. He played poorly against the Bears but the whole team did. Are you a betting man? 🙂 I have faith that if you think about your question, that you'll be able to answer it. Agreed. Knowing this team's MO, they're going to promote from within and backfill from the bargain bin. They generally believe that if they have the right people on the roster and coach them up, that they'll be fine. Doing things like trading for Amari Cooper are out of character as far as I recall. I liked Paul too and for the long term this would be a good move. But I doubt he'd be of much help this year.

I misunderstood your post. Yes, Brady will likely be another OC that benefits from his association with Josh and we shouldn't be surprised if he's not here for too long.

Fair question and I'm sorry that I took liberties with the facts. I thought I saw where Milano would definitely not play against Miami. I added "Out" to Oliver's "DNP" because I'm certain that I'm right... in both cases. Again apologies for mixing my convictions with the facts.

To paraphrase Greg(g) "Bountygate" Williams, "Kill the bottle nose and the body will die." I read here that the Bills have scored over 30 points in 11 of their last 12 games. They've scored 71 points in 2 games. You guys realize that talking about switching OCs is a bit crazy?

The Bills held a walk-thru practice today. Here's today's defensive injury report: Ed Oliver DNP/Out Matt Milano DNP/Out Taron Johnson Limited Cam Lewis Limited Shaq Thompson Limited Jordan Hancock Full Milano has been declared Out and I doubt Oliver will play. There's a question mark at nickel corner with Johnson and Lewis both on the report. The injuries are certainly concerning but my concerns are softened by the Bills upcoming schedule of Miami, New Orleans, New England, @ Atlanta, Bye, and @ Carolina. There couldn't be a better time for backups and young players to get live game experience. As Nietzsche said, "That which does not kill me makes me stronger" and I'm glad of the silver lining... that so many of our young players will have this opportunity to grow their skills in games where their mistakes are likely to be inconsequential. Moreover, the extra experience they gain now will mean that the team's depth will be that much better later in the season when the stakes are higher. For instance I love that Dorian Strong already has 72 defensive snaps under his belt. Because of Oliver's injury Sanders had 23 snaps and Walker had 22 snaps against the Jets. Zion Logue had 16 snaps. With the return of Hoecht and Ogunjobi, I maintain my excitement for what this defense will become.

Bass has had several lower body injuries in his relatively short career. It's entirely possible that he's not physically the same guy he was just two years ago and I am definitely skeptical that he has greater range than Prater. I agree with your entire post except the part about Dan Campbell. Unless there's some video I missed, I thought that he handled himself well and with maturity after the Week 1 loss to the Packers... and I was definitely curious as to how he would take the loss. In fairness, many people lose their train of thought when that combination of words is used... I'm looking at Taron's and Cam's snap counts from Week 1 and Week 2 and I'm thinking that the Bills are reducing their use of the nickel as their base defense. I agree with those upthread who said that some of their heavy reliance on nickel has had to do with the lack of quality linebacker depth. I too hope that the Bills are more multiple in their base defenses... unless they can find a replacement for Taron who can play at the All-Pro level that he used to play at. There aren't too many industries where a person who is unable to speak in coherent sentences would be rewarded with a leadership position. This is 2 hours and 26 minutes. Is there an excerpt you could direct us to? A CliffsNotes? The question of how much influence 1) Josh has, and 2) cares to influence McBeane with... There are players that were close to Josh who are no longer with the team and I believe he wants to avoid the appearance (and maybe the practice) of being a diva QB a la Aaron Rodgers. Josh is a team guy and might flex his clout muscles a bit but I think there are limits to how far he'll go, in defiance of McBeane. Regardless, I'm pretty sure Knox will take a substantial contract modification to stay with the team.

I have to say, with the addition of Chris Tabor as Special Teams Coordinator and the additions of Sam Franklin, Matt Prater, and punter Cam Johnston, I'm feeling better about our special teams than I have in a long time.

Which makes them 984 years older than Tremaine Edmunds! Quit being so judgmental.

You can't be more injury-prone than to get banged up at a press conference... what did he do... walk into a chair? It's a popular prediction that Thursday night will be the last game for the Dolphins Head Coach. People here should love McDaniel but whatever. There's plenty of entitlement and spoiled child frustration in the game threads... for better or worse you don't have to listen to WGR to find it.