dave mcbride

Being conservative means at least in part being a slave to routine and highly averse to variety/novelty. Lombardi was the equivalent of someone who ate excellent pancakes for breakfast, a very good cheeseburger for lunch, and a nicely cooked piece of steak and mashed potatoes for dinner (followed by a bowl of solid vanilla ice cream) every day at the same times for seven straight years. No Thai or Ethiopian food for him.

Not really true. The year after Shanahan left, they had a good offense and lost in a squeaker in the second round of the playoffs at Philly (the eventual SB winner). The offense was good last year too. They just had a ridiculous number of defensive injuries in 2018. I can't really fathom them this year other than to say that they're better than their record. They were good the next year too. The loss to Philly in the playoffs came down to basically the final play. They missed on a fourth-and-goal play from the 2 in the final minute and lost 15-10. They beat the Rams in LA in the first round.

So it sounds like you're saying that if the running game is successful, it's not conservative. If it results in a lot of 3-and-outs, it's conservative. In 1961, the Packers were 14th in passing attempts in a 14-team league. They were 3rd in rushing attempts. In 1962, they were 14th in passing attempts in a 14-team league. They were 2nd in rushing attempts. In 1963, they were 13th in passing attempts in a 14-team league. They were 2nd in rushing attempts. In 1964, they were 14th in passing attempts in a 14-team league. They were 3rd in rushing attempts. In 1965, they were 14th in passing attempts in a 14-team league. They were 6th in rushing attempts. In 1966, they were 15th in passing attempts in a 15-team league. They were 3rd in rushing attempts. In 1967, they were 15th in passing attempts in a 15-team league. They were 4th in rushing attempts. 1967 was their last SB year and their last year of dominance under Lombardi. Dog, I fear you're just making it up when discussing the Lombardi-era Packers. Over a 7-year stretch, they were literally DEAD F**KING LAST in pass attempts every year except one, and in that year they were second last. More to the point: https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1991-01-27-1991027150-story.html 'Lombardi liked his football plain and simple. One defense -- four down linemen, three linebackers and four defensive backs in man-to-man coverage. Two offensive formations. Compared to today's modern teams, the Packers were a Model T. But they moved forward like a plow cutting through snow. "Vince didn't like multiplicity. He liked simplicity," said Hank Stram, whose Kansas City Chiefs lost to Lombardi's Packers in the first Super Bowl. "He might have not even liked the modern game enough to coach it." In his time, Lombardi ran the offense, Phil Bengston ran the defense, and that was that. The Packers coaching staff consisted of only six men. There were no coordinators or special teams coaches, no fancy playbooks filled with schemes or trick plays. "I don't see another Lombardi today," said Bengston, who was Lombardi's successor as Packers head coach. "They go at it entirely different. A typical NFL staff has 11 coaches. Well, jeez, I can't imagine him sitting in a meeting like that. He let me turn in a report on the defense once a week. I don't think he ever read it."'

Lotta stupid people out there, but most Bills fans seem to love him and are hoping for the best.

I'd be curious to know how much emphasis they place on injury history in the draft and FA process.

??? I *like* Allen. I criticize certain aspects of his game, for sure, but I believe he can improve and certainly has the talent to do so. He's only 23!

I don't know what your point is or even what you're referring to. I haven't drawn *any* grand conclusions about *any* of these players. Why the hostility anyway? What's the point of that?

Mayfield had a legitimately excellent rookie season. He has had a down year this season, but it's way too soon to tell. The coaching situation there is a complete sh*tshow, so I'd hold off on drawing any grand conclusions yet. There were plenty here who ripped him. I recall it well. We could have Alexander the Great as our OC and a decent segment of Bills fans would still blame everything on him.

My favorite stupid stat remains ESPN's QBR. Did you know that Allen's Espn-QBR rating last year is higher than this year's despite him improving in virtually every category? https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AlleJo02.htm Regardless, this is a stupid exercise. It's too early to tell. Mayfield played really well last year but struggled this season in a pretty chaotic situation. Darnold is having a decent season and has looked decent of late. I'd wait until four years are up to make any judgments with Darnold/Allen/Mayfield, who are all reasonably close in terms of on-field performance. Jackson is clearly the best of the lot so far.

That's not true. It's a seven-month injury for shortstops (i.e., Didi Gregorious just this year, and he throws 95 mph) and there is research out there that shows that it's an even quicker timetable for QBs. The QB throw is an entirely different throwing motion than pitching a baseball, and there's a lot less stress on the elbow than on a baseball pitcher. http://billsmafia.com/2018/10/16/ucl-injury-not-common-in-football/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20609599

Yeah, Jules is a real riot: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001004922/article/roundup-julian-edelman-fined-63k-for-penalties

That wasn't resting starters - that was inaugurating the future!

I'd say 1995 - they were 10-5 and had clinched the division, and they ended up starting Todd Collins vs. the Oilers in the final game. He was absolutely awful. Van Pelt came in and made it look a little more respectable.

Yet QBs ranked 6-11 are all in the playoffs.

I couldn't find anything on the internet about this.

A search of the internet for this topic turns up nothing.

Serious question - do you worry that he's about to enter his decline years, and that he's never going to be as good as he was in 2018?

Nothing about the need for Cole Beasley to have a rebound game?? Mission Accomplished ()

In his five seasons as Rams coach, they were, in succession, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 2nd, and 2nd in rushing attempts.

Chuck Knox was an EXTREMELY conservative coach. His Bills years were a minor part of his career, btw. It’s the Rams years where he made his well-deserved rep as a conservative coach.

My favorite part of that was Edelman *clearly* faking an injury and then immediately popping up (as if nothing happened) when the flag was thrown in his face. His faking of being knocked out is what got him sent to the tent, I believe.

That sequence arguably cost the Bills the game. If the refs had done the right thing and spotted the ball properly, resulting in the Bills taking it over, then everything else being equal, the Pats would have gone for one on their final TD to go up by 3, 20-17. The Bills could have then tied the game on their final possession. Incidentally, on the first play of that possession — from the half yard line — Michel only got to the one yard line and they spotted it at the 2 yard line. Those OPI calls were obvious ones to call and were correct.

I believe Edelman took PEDs to improve the healing process for his ACL tear and probably knew he might get suspended for it. I also suspect the logic was, better healthy legs and a 4-game suspension than a long-term decline in play due to a serious leg injury. I really don’t hold PED use against NFL players because a) I think HGH use is rampant and b) HGH is actually a very good healing agent for muscle tears, which NFL players get all of the time.

The Daboll haters today are literally fools. Ignore them.

Daboll was so NOT the problem today. Christ, people. He drew up two easy TDs that Josh missed at the beginning and the end vs the best D in football. That said, Allen played well overall in crunch time. and ef you, Pats fans.