Ballhawk

All I kept thinking was how the "You sure" comment on twitter would feel if I were his quarterback. Contrast that against the famous T. Owens interview where he teared up and said "that's my quarterback!"Online comments are always open to interpretation, but how could Josh not see that "You sure" comment and not feel somewhat salty. QB/WR relationships are delicate, even Diva WR's usually know they have to maintain them. Once a WR starts thinking he is the cause of the success and is carrying the QB you have a serious problem. The good news is that any WR Diva's that join the Bills moving forward will be joining a team with a mature established elite QB. These types of QB's set the tone (even with Diva WR's), moreover they win with only average to good one's (see most Tom Brady's NE years and Patrick Mahones in 2023). I think we'll see a fired up Josh Allen next year. The league should be afraid of JA out to prove he didn't need Diggs.

It sure looks like this is going to be a let's be as competitive as we can be this year and re-tool for next year. As much as I get that trading Diggs was the right (and perhaps only) move given his apparent discontent I'm still sad to see him go. I think he's actually one of, if not, the best route runners we've ever had. Can't wait to hear Josh's take on this, I can't help but remember his repeated interviews where he said the Diggs stuff was nonsense driven by the media. Guess he was wrong.

I don't want to sound petty, but I'm so glad he didn't go the Dolphins (or in the division for that matter). Now I can wish him well!

What scares me is that while we've certainly had our fare share of bad luck with injuries, Allen has been remarkably durable. I keep waiting for the (seemingly) inevitable injury that is coming... As bad as our injuries have been we haven't had QB1 go down (like the Bengals last year). With his style of football it seems a matter of when not if. If it happens, we might miss the days when all we did was win the division and lose in the divisional round under McDermott and Allen.

As others have suggested, I'm really happy with what Beane as done. Resigning Daquan was huge, literally. I'm nervous about losing Hyde and Poyer in the same year, I would have preferred to stagger that loss, keeping Poyer for one more year. To me it's not the talent on the field but the experience and leadership in the secondary. I think that's a lot to overcome at the same time and expect we will get burned deep more this year. Even a talented high draft pick, it that's what Beane does, will not instantly rebuild 8 years of experience and chemistry.

I think it's ok, but anyone that has played Defense in the last 100 years was told Defense was "read and react". Increasingly defenses are having to adjust on the fly, literally. I don't know how a defender can play while not trusting his instincts to react. I suspect we are going to see a lot of offensive players take advantage of that initiative. Even the (alleged) "fake slide" by Allen against Pittsburgh. While I happen to not think it was a fake slide, it is a good example of how defenses are screwed as you can't lay off a hit once you've committed, so you have to do it early enough for the offensive player to see it and still react. The net result of adjusting to new rules is that talented offensive players will take advantage of that indecision.

I answered no, not because of the talent in this draft of the risks as I have no idea of there's a WR that will pan out. I'm simply looking at it from a cap management perspective, Beane needs to keep his picks and hit on many of them, this is simply the reality of having Allen on his mega contract. I'm just hoping we can follow the Patriots model of using the extra draft capital of never having to draft a QB on ever shifting complementary pieces around him.

Trevor Lawrence must be thanking the gods he was drafted 1st overall and avoided the Jets. I'm actually starting to feel bad for this kid. This is just Woody unable to accept that much draft capital going to waste in 3-year span. Somebody needs to take him aside and tell him to suck it up and do right by this kid and let him have a fresh start elsewhere. Instead Woody's going to hold this kid's future ransom because he can't accept the loss.

Honestly, in the modern day NFL I don't think any defense can be counted on to win a championship. The rules continue to favor the offenses. If anything I thought the adjustments McDermott and Beane made halfway through last year to improve the defense gave the Bills a real chance. People forget there were plenty of games (like the first game of the year against the Jets) where the defense kept a woeful (and healthy) offense in the game. Come crunch time on the modern NFL, the best offenses are unstoppable. When the Chiefs took over in the SB, needing a touchdown in overtime, with 4 downs, plenty of time and modern NFL rules to protect them, it didn't matter what defense would have been out there. The 85 Bears could have played that series and they would have been scored on (and have committed about 10 fouls!). I always find it funny when people blame one side of the team as though the performance of the O and D are not connected. McDermott still has to prove his team can finish and win the Superbowl, but he's proven he's a capable leader and coach.

That'll really suck if they don't make the playoffs! 😁

It think it's because they wanted to use quick screens to get Diggs involved to get him going. If I have to watch him curl up in the fetal position after gaining three yards next year I think I 'm going to have to change the channel...

Appreciate the perspective Shaw, I too have been a longtime fan. Most of my friends expected me to howl at the moon after the game (and on Monday too). I could see their sheepish, furtive glances as they knowingly approached me. Instead all I felt was proud of the Bills and Josh. After the victory over the Steelers I turned to my son and said, god help us marching this bedraggled defense out in front of Mahones and Kelce next week. I honestly expected to get clobbered, the coaching staff knew it too it seems, and their Payton Manning-esque ball control strategy almost allowed us to steal a game we probably didn't deserve to win with the roster we marched out there with against KC. I hope our injury luck will even out with the years we have left with Josh, (man he was unbelievable), but I guess I'm more proud about the Bills performance given their injuries than I am bitter about circumstance. Also, my dog doesn't have to hide in the bedroom from all the shouting at the TV now that I'm starting to mellow out with old age!

What surprised me the most was how effectively the Chiefs loaded up the box and stopped our running game, on first down especially. We stopped getting 7 to 8 yards on first down and instead got 1-2 yards. The easy answer would seem to have been to throw the ball more, but given : a) the fact we needed to control the clock to protect our defense b) Our receiving corps was inconsistent with drops c) we had , as usual, a terrible screen game that we were going to keep running into 9 and 10 man boxes. Hindsight is 20/20, but Brady and McDermott should've adjusted to the fact the Oline was increasingly losing battles as the game wore on. Even the 4th and short plays were getting less push and Josh was barely making 1st downs that he easily made in the 1st half. They dared us to pass, and we proved that while we are a much improved running team, we are not a team that can run effectively when the D commits to taking away your running game.

Great, I won't have to watch that old man vertical leap on hail marys next year!

Lol, Cut him! (on his way out the door) Love ya! NFL is a business, but I suspect Tre gets every chance to take a) a pay cut and b) prove he's still got it after his recovery.

This is the most compelling one to me ! It actually looks like Mahones losing his cool undermined how they operated with those remaining downs. I can understand KC being upset, if this had happened to the Bills I'm sure I would have been upset but... for a seasoned vet to not compose himself and deal with his feelings internally is surprising. It tells me he hasn't had to deal with a lot of adversity in a public setting to develop this skill. Andy and Pat wouldn't last long with Buffalo's luck with calls/fate.

Unless Elam becomes a locker room cancer there just isn't a compelling reason to cut him while he's on his rookie contract. I would keep Poyer and cut Hyde, I'm not sure I'd want to absorb both losses to the depth chart in the same year. Tre is a tough one, cap savings makes case for cutting him but I think management will be watching his recovery closely as this one could go either way. TJ is one of the most valuable DBs to this nickel defense as he let's us play light and get away with it, I would leave him were he is.

Yep, I've really lost respect for Andy and Pat after this. It's easy to be magnanimous when you are winning, reminds me a lot of Brady and Belichick. What I cannot for the life of me understand is how the CHIEFS with their tomahawk chop chant have not been forced to rename their franchise as was the case with the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians. Every time I hear that chop chant, I'm like, this is just wrong (and I'm usually the last one to be politically correct!). Honestly, I didn't think it was possible but my immense respect for Allen has just grown from this as he has suffered as much as any QB in the league from heartbreak and never resorted to this crap. Sideshow Bob should go cry elsewhere than Allen after the game!

What can he do? Evolve as a leader and start holding others accountable. We've all heard the stories of the fun big kid next door that leads by example. We don't need Allen to have a cape, he needs a stick. Josh Allen clearly: 1) Puts his body on the line to win 2) Stands up for teammates in ways most QBs don't (i.e. Williams play in Giants game) 3) Holds himself personally accountable What's not clear is if he is holding his teammates accountable? Fans can't know if Davis keeps screwing up (but Josh does), and if he is, I want Josh to get in his face. While conventional wisdom says that should mostly occur behind closed doors sometime the moment dictates that it be on the sideline. Between McClappy and Josh this team's leadership style appears on the surface to lack accountability. When you look at some of the most iconic QBs to play the game, once they were 5 years plus into their careers they held players accountable on the field (Brady, Manning, etc...). Monday morning accountability means not adjusting to the game in real time. Josh's play is not the problem (certainly not yesterday), where he can improve is in taken full control of holding the offense and the team overall accountable. My hope is he gets so sick of losing that he adopts a more assertive leadership style next year. Anyone that has a problem (ala Diggs) can STFU and get in line with Allen's way. Give him full control on the field (excluding play calling). I hate (and I mean hate) Tom Brady, but you have to admire how he controlled his offenses and got after guys that were not on their assignments. This team is politically correct and says all the right things (one game at a time, trust the process, personal accountability...), it's time for Allen to start getting in people's faces.

Buffalo 21 Philly 17 I think these defenses come to play.

I'm pretty sure Beane, McD and all the coordinators are way too busy to consult this board. Maybe the Assistant to the Assistant Quality Assurance Coordinator who preps video review and gets coffee for everyone checks here. Yeah, that person might be tasked with keeping an eye on the pulse of social media.

Stats like passer rating and Time of possession always make me wonder if these stats are correlative vs causative (i.e. a reflection of success rather than a cause of it). For me there are two main other considerations in firing McDermott: 1) Can Beane fire McD given how they were hired as a package (surely he can technically do so, but practically I'm not sure this is in play). By extension are we saying get rid of Beane as well then? I've been pretty happy with the level of talent and the moves he's made and I'm not sure I want a new GM. 2) How do NFL teams quantify the value of continuity in assessing personnel decisions. Many this week might say, if the continuity is flawed then what are you preserving, does that by extension mean it is absolutely without value, I doubt that. Emotional fans might think so (of which I am often one), but I doubt Terry and Beane see it this way. Just ask Allen's draft mates (Darnold, Mayfield) what they think about continuity? That being said it's clearly not the whole equation as evidenced by the Dorsey/Daboll transition. All this to say, I'm assuming McDermott/Beane go together, given the massive upheaval this will cause I would rather assume the risk of trotting this, at times, mis-managed team out for another year (sans-injuries, hopefully) than rolling the dice with an entirely new GM and HC.

2020 AFC Wildcard game against Houston registers high on the pain index for me. Thought we had that one locked down, I guess blowing leads doesn't stand out anymore!

Lacking the qualifications or information to assess risk does not mean it doesn't exist. A lot fans knee jerk reaction this week is to want to replace McDermott without considering there is any risk involved. For every McVay, Taylor and Siriani there are dozens of one and done HCs. I find the premise that changing HCs next year is an automatic improvement highly flawed.

I think this speaks to the levels of desperation of certain franchises. Cleveland swung big to try to cross the finish line I respect that. Let's face it franchises like buffalo and Cleveland need to make deals like this to try to compete with the likes of the powerhouse markets (and tax free states) or draft exceedingly well (maybe both). As for Watson, it reminds me of the idiom "Football doesn't build character, it reveals it". Taking Watson was a risk they were desperate enough to take. Buffalo under Beane and McDermott have been unwillling to take players with character issues and who knows where we'd be if they did. It seems that usually character issues don't simply disappear (see 'Diggs' for Bills comparison).