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I think it does, as painful as it is to think about. That series forever changed the psychology of the team. Its been said that McD has been too tight in big moments ever since. I for one think it has a significant bearing on all our playoff failures. And it can also be viewed as the crushing weight that caused josh's post Denver reaction. He's been made to carry this weight, IMO, and I think I blame McD for it.

Wow. If this is true, along with McD positioning the D after the kick, what does this say about Leslie Fraser and his treatment by McD.

Free team evaluations and staff scouting.

Its the only thing that explains why Beane's top of draft picks generally suck and Day 3 picks prosper. Day 3 is when the scouts get to do their job?

I think he got fired for insisting on 'his' undersized players and a scheme that ultimately lost a lead in the 4th quarter of all our playoff losses. McD, the defensive guru, who fired other D coaches for our failures.

No, but not everything is about WRs. When taken as a whole, our offense puts up 30 almost every playoff game, and lose to 33. Were we desperate for better WRs because we had to score 40?

Everyone is stuck on the promotion. In this case it means very little. Beane was already head football operations guy. All this promotion did was make it clear he will hire the new coach, and that coach will report to him. Standard stuff. Pegula just removed himself from the drama.

I read the same thing and come to the opposite conclusion. The message coach sent out was, The team isn't good enough to win the Super Bowl. That he was right is not the point. Meaning: He was making excuses before he even lost in the playoffs. That's called CYA.

Agreed, but its not as simple as 50/50 or whatever. IMHO, McD pushed for players at the top - the guys we think of as busts. The scouts did the hard work of making rounds 4+ look good.

Would you have preferred Beane throwing McD under the bus? Yes it is. But don't conflate that with the possibility that McD wasn't a big reason Beane's Day 3 drafting superstars suddenly were useless in rounds 1 and 2.

That's rock solid truth. Pegula saw it, however you want to describe the roster formation. That isn't speculation. Beane may have been able to show him a list of the all-pros McD forced him not to draft. It also explains the massive discrepancy in pick quality between Day's 1 /2 and Day 3. Day 3 the picks come fast and the resumes are short or complex. This is likely when the scouts got to do their job unimpeded.

And it must be asked: What influence did McD have on the draft? I have been a huge critic of Beane on his 1st and 2nd round piks. I have also been a HUGE fan of his day 3 picks. I do not believe these picks were made with the same process. Days1-2 failed often because they were reaches, while Day 3 were always value picks. I would not be shocked to find out that McD held his thumb on the scale at the top of the draft because of roster needs.

That or conspiracy, no difference. Both prove the NFL has their thumb on the scale. Both prove that we should NEVER give them our money or our passion. Better to find God ... or gardening ... or spending more time with family. They are lucky if we keep watching. If I wasn't a draftnik, I'd probably live without. I may anyway. Steratore is officially a clown.

Sure, but no matter how hard Buffalo tried to lose that game, they couldn’t have gotten it done without the help of the refs.

Correct. The tie goes to the receiver. The DB doesn't get to rip the ball out of a downed WR's hands.