Sierra Foothills

Welcome aboard! The Bills will break the consecutive record but not the total record. They'll break the latter next season when they're defending their Super Bowl title. As to who they beat in the Super Bowl, I think Detroit's injuries (now David Montgomery is out for the season) have derailed them. Philly does look tough but Minny and Green Bay are coming on and the Rams are a dark horse. Regardless of the opponent I'd like to see substantial defensive improvement by the Bills in the upcoming weeks.

Good question. Firstly it might be a moot point. There's no assurance yet that Hamlin and Rapp will play in week 16. Also Kareem Jackson looked solid to my eye so he's now in play for snaps though it's interesting and encouraging that Bishop got the start. Bishop went from zero snaps in the previous 4 weeks to 47 snaps (59%) against the Lions. Assuming cooperative game scripts, I'd love to see Bishop get 10-15 snaps per game instead of zero. I feel the Bills are generally too cautious with young players, especially on defense. The more Bishop, Elam, and Solomon play, the better they'll get and the more game-ready they'll be in case of further injuries. I don't like seeing young, talented players nailed to the bench, week after week. To me that exhibits a caution verging on fear. I don't like fearful coaching. JMO.

Re-visting this topic: Many/most NFL observers consider the Lions O-line the best in the league. Their run game was averaging 141 yards per game heading into the Bills game. The Bills held the Lions to 35 yards rushing on 13 carries (2.7 ypc). Also Ed Oliver answered his critics. "According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Oliver generated a season-high 10 pressures on 42 pass rushes against the Lions, the most pressures in a game by a defensive tackle this season. A majority of his pressures (7 of 10) came against Lions left guard Graham Glasgow." It seems (and some here predicted accurately) that the Bills were determined to atone for the embarrassment against the Rams. It was pretty obvious that they played with more intensity. The other difference was the snap breakdowns (79 total defensive snaps): While Rousseau, Epenesa, and Von had about their usual number and percentage of snaps, DaWuane Smoot played 29 snaps (37%) after not being able to play vs the Rams. He made a big difference. I'd be happy if he started ahead of Epenesa. Casey Toohill didn't play. Javon Solomon had 8 snaps (10%) after getting zero in the previous 4 games. The biggest difference in the DT rotation was that while Ed Oliver and Daquan Jones had about their usual number and percentage of snaps, Jordan Phillips was #3 in the rotation with 20 snaps (25%), after not playing against the Rams. DeWayne Carter (17) and Austin Johnson's (14) snaps were down a bit and Quinton Jefferson didn't play at all after playing 19 snaps (25%) against the Rams. Another oddity was at LB where Dorian Williams played 20 snaps (25%) but it was Baylon Spector at 18 snaps (23%) who came in when Milano went down. In the backfield, Benford, Elam, and Cam Lewis all played 100% of snaps but Taron played 71 snaps (90%). I didn't notice it during the game but there must have been some plays where Taron came out and the Bills had Dorian in with Milano and Bernard. It's really hard to evaluate the Bills D. They did a great job of shutting down an excellent rushing attack and also put decent pressure on Goff. On the other hand they were porous against the pass and gave up 42 points so there's tons more room for improvement. Also there's so many moving parts among the LBs and DBs that it's a bit unclear what the defense will look like after players return to health and the injury auditions end. I'm still in favor of more snaps for Elam, Bishop, and Solomon. Between the injuries and the softer schedule, this is the perfect scenario to give them game experience. Snaps now are an investment in their training which could very well payoff if/when they're forced into action. I love that all 3 have high ceilings. This defense still needs to improve and the clearest path to improvement is playing those with more talent and upside. They can only gain trust and become more assignment sound by playing, so I say let them play. It'll be really interesting watching the snap counts over the final 3 weeks.

Because: 1) It even says "Regular Season" (it doesn't) 2) Everyone knows the regular season is more important than the playoffs.

Mack Hollins pushing the pile... love having big, physical wide receivers. Separation is important but a bit overrated too. Yes, David Edwards hands were clearly inside the shoulders and the defender didn't even make an attempt at disengaging. Extremely poor officiating call.

I don't do X so I'll not be monitoring or commenting on this but I'll be curious to know if the Ravens' social media team has taken the post down.

Or minimally distract the receiver. It seems like most here would love to see Bishop get some work in place of Hamlin, but not necessarily for Rapp. I was happy with Elam's play. He'll never be a physical player IMO but you can tell he's bigger and stronger than he was as a rookie. With the final 3 games against New England (twice) and the Jets, the margin for error is large enough that both should get more reps, IMO. Kareem Jackson had 32 snaps and I was pleased with what I saw. It's easy to see why the Bills wanted his experience and physicality available in a pinch.

I called him yesterday to extend words of encouragement but he didn't pickup... I left a voicemail. What does height have to do with anything? There are plenty of NFL kickers that are my height (5'9") and are very accurate.

And QB stats are extremely inflated today to the point where lots of mediocre QBs have better lifetime stats than many Hall of Fame QBs... In adding to the conversations, FWIW there are 92 first ballot HOFers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith, and OJ Simpson were all inducted in their first year of eligibility.

He did but Brown has been playing at a league honors level and brings a nastiness that has become the offense's identity. Losing Brown would be a really big loss. He also makes ample use of "week to week." "Getting better" is wishful thinking on our part because all he really means is "getting healthier."

You haven't read through the topic? Even just the last page?

And even fewer were born when OJ played (1969-77) and it shows. Personally I have OJ ahead of Bruce.

With the constant name confusion, Joe Brady has to just get it over with and change his name to Joe Hines-Brady. Joe Brady will be judged on the entire body of his work, not by 1 or 2 possessions. Yes, but older than Tremaine.

The went beyond just having him clean the latrine... https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/report-49ers-to-suspend-devondre-campbell-for-final-three-games-of-the-season His refusal to enter the game will cost him about $235K.

I see a lot of people in this topic don't appreciate what a great player Max Crosby is. Maybe they simply haven't watched his career. As an edge rusher, as a football player, as a leader, as a tough guy... he takes a back seat to no one.

Very impressive with Cook running in a heavy snowfall and on a slick track. That guys seems faster with the ball in his hands... a true home run hitter... one of 2 the Bills have at RB... and Ray Davis can break long gains too. I love the speed of our RBs. I'd love to get a hammer next year to run behind this big O-line.

Fair and legitimate questions. Only Groot has taken more snaps among the Bills D-line. For better or worse AJ's not their 10th DL. I don't think this is fair. On offense we've arguably see the Bills modify their approach to personnel decisions and now they have their best O-line in memory, and are solid if not above average at all the other offensive position groups. More to the point they've arguably changed the traits that they look for and the philosophies they employ. I think it's very plausible that the Bills do a thorough re-examination of their defensive philosophies and act accordingly. McDermott is not going to want his defense to be associated with the organization's failures and I believe he will do some soul searching and change his ways. It's obvious that the defense has to get significantly better so as not to be an anchor on the organization's fortunes. I'm hopeful that the teams approach to personnel, traits, and philosophies will be re-evaluated based on how the offense was allowed to evolve.

If Crosby ever became available I would love for the Bills to make a play for him. IMO he's right up there with TJ Watt and Myles Garrett... and should still have plenty of good years left.

If the Niners want to be spiteful and punitive, they can. According to PFT: "Under the CBA, willful refusal to play constitutes a forfeitable breach. That allows the 49ers to recover 25 percent of his $3.35 million signing bonus. Because, however, the deal includes four voidable years, the signing bonus allocation for 2024 is only one fifth of the total amount, or $670,000. So the direct price of refusing to play is $167,500. Throw in the fine for a one-game suspension (if the 49ers do that), and Campbell loses more than $234,000." "And, yes, the Ravens could do the same thing to receiver Diontae Johnson, even though they didn’t pay any of his signing bonus ($17.5 million), his 2024 roster bonus ($3 million), or his pre-trade restructuring bonus of more than $3.2 million. Johnson’s refusal to play could end up being VERY expensive, possibly more than $3 million in all."

This happens all the time... not sure what the big deal is.

Apparently a fair amount of diddling. Confirming what we already know... that we're a bunch of #######s.

The organization collectively rebounds from last weeks debacle... Bills 34-31. KC loses to Cleveland.

He's gotta be faster than Keon... The appropriate response is "Git er done!"

I've heard of him!!!

Josh Allen has a red zone interception % of 2.3 which is 17th best all time. Not throwing due to fear of being intercepted is a fearful and losing approach IMO. Josh is one of the best run/pass option QBs in history. You put the ball in his hands and expect that he'll make the right play... which is a pretty good bet. The sneak in this situation is a bad call for the exact reason we witnessed. Yes. The Bills were short on an earlier tush push in the 1st Quarter. In Joe Buscaglia's The Athletic analysis of the failed sneak, he pointed out that the Bills used a different approach than the one that has been so successful previously: "On most of the Bills’ sneak attempts this season, they’ve put some receivers on the field with a running back lined up in the backfield. Having that personnel on the field keeps the threat of throwing the ball, even if it’s a slight chance given how often the Bills like to run the quarterback sneak with Allen, which keeps smaller defenders on the field. But the group the Bills put on the field for that first-and-goal attempt from the one-yard line had no deception whatsoever. The Bills went extra heavy, using sixth offensive lineman Alec Anderson, tight end Dawson Knox, tight end Zach Davidson and fullback Reggie Gilliam on the field at once. The other skill player was James Cook, who they split out wide and had a safety up against him. The Bills’ personnel is important because it allowed the Rams to match personnel, and they went even heavier than the Bills did. The Rams used a group of four heavier defensive linemen in the middle of the formation and four edge rushers who normally battle at the line of scrimmage. It was those eight all lined up in a row, with their usual two inside linebackers roaming on the second level to see where Allen would try his rush. Instead of going with what has worked time and time again, the Bills had no one lined up in the backfield, and instead called Davidson in motion to the backfield and then snapped the ball. Davidson extended his arms to try and get to Allen to get a push for him, but by that point, the Rams had already infiltrated between the left tackle and guard to stop Allen’s momentum. And with that many large players all piled into one area, it would take even longer than normal to get everyone up, to the line and to run another play." This is a very well-written and well-researched article. I've not read the writer's material before but he's dead on. "Tom Brady, the best situational player in the history of the game, laid out the Bills path to victory: throw for a touchdown, complete the PAT, kick off, stop the Rams for a three-and-out with a timeout after each play and then bring the ball into field-goal range for a win. Brady warned: Whatever the Bills do, they cannot run the ball on the goal line. But that's exactly what they did. At the 1-yard line with one minute and six seconds left, Allen ran the ball on a QB sneak. The Rams stuffed Allen, and the Bills had to call a timeout. Their chances of winning plummeted. "Now you’ve gotta onside kick. We’ve got a 3% chance on an onsides kick. … That changes the entire complexity of the last minute and two seconds of the game," Brady said. "Even if they score, what’s the big deal? You’re gonna have to go for an onsides kick. I did not like that one bit. That could've just cost them the game right there." It did." It's sad that Tom Brady could read the situation clearly and Joe Brady/McDermott couldn't. Said Joe Brady: "You look at us on the 1-yard line this year, and we haven’t been stopped on a QB sneak outside of this game. The only one that didn’t work going into this game was an illegal formation. … At that point — percentages-wise — the highest percentage play was the QB sneak. But at the same time, the cost at not getting it essentially did cost us the game," Brady said. "So I have to do a better job in that situation. And it’s something we’re continuing to evaluate. … We’ve got to be better. I’ve got to be better." It’s nice of Brady to take the blame there. But this is what head coaches are for. McDermott, who is not a playcaller, has to step in to override his coordinators when they can’t see the bigger picture. McDermott let the mistake happen." Said the writer: "Instead of plugging the leaks, the Bills need to figure out why the leaks are happening. It's not enough to look at their in-game failures and say: We won't do that again. Every game is different. Every decision is different. McDermott might need a better infrastructure in place so he can quality control his coordinators... It’s worth noting that Marc Lubick has the title of game management coach for the Bills. He’s been with the team as long as McDermott but only stepped into the game management role in 2020. It’s unclear, however, exactly how involved Lubick gets in these situations and decisions. "Those are not easy situations overall. There’s a lot of communication that has to unfold. … [We’ll] adjust our process a little and hone that in a little bit closer," McDermott said. That process is everything for the Bills. This is a Super Bowl-caliber team. Its coach needs to be ready to make Super Bowl-caliber decisions. And he doesn't have a consistent track record of doing that."