dave mcbride

I'm thinking more the boundary CBs. Dane Jackson and Benford don't really drop anything. Benford had a chance for a pick vs Mayfield late but seemed to try to defense it rather than snag it. Don't get me wrong - I like Benford. He can cover. Also, on second viewing, I don't think Poyer dropped that shallow crosser pass - the receiver got his hand in there and defended it well.

The Bears just traded a second round pick for Montez Sweat. Wondering how this factors in, if at all ...

Yeah, but you do need playmaking ability. Johnson apparently has that. And he's also apparently sound in zone.

Um ... I'm pretty sure McDermott likes INTs too. He had two great defenses in Carolina: 2013 and 2015. In 2013, they finished fifth in the league in INTs, and 2015 (their 15-1 season), they finished first. The Buffalo D's INT rankings since McDermott arrived: 2017: 6th 2018: 7th 2019: 8th 2020: 7th 2021: 4th 2022: 3rd Currently, they're seventh, but they were first after four games. Long story short: McDermott defenses rely a lot on interceptions.

There are no CBs currently on the roster with an interception, and the defense hasn't had a pick since the Miami game (four games in a row without one). My guess is that if he landed here, the lack of playmaking ability at the CB position would dictate that he plays sooner rather than later.

Surprised Mario Clark isn't on the list. He was their top corner on a couple of great defenses (1980 and 1981) and had 25 INTs for the Bills between 1976 and 1981. But Butch Byrd is the obvious choice here, although James was very good too (but a short career).

Yeah, and that allows him to dictate where he wants to go. SF seems like the likeliest landing spot. They have $40 million in cap space right now.

The coach is 72. Not much time left.

I think it's a pretty cheap price, actually, but the issue is the salary and the Bills cap situation. They don't have the room for a trade like that.

This is a pretty big trade. The Seahawks are going all in and doing it around D. They are currently the #2 seed in the NFC, although they have a very tough schedule: SF twice, Philly, at Dallas, and at the Ravens.

From The Athletic today: https://theathletic.com/5012253/2023/10/30/buffalo-bills-trade-deadline-sean-mcdermott/ "A more existential question: Why does this team appear to be perpetually under stress? Nothing seems to come easy. The Bills often appear tight. I think we’re going to find out over the remainder of this season and beyond whether the Bills’ very good, very successful head coach, Sean McDermott, is a great one. The intensity McDermott shows on the sideline and in general is part of his nature. It’s part of his success. Is it what the Bills need right now, as they try to cut back on the stress points? Does McDermott have another gear? ... “I just think that team has been through a lot,” an exec said. “They remind me of a team that won it twice and is trying to do it again, like they are barely hanging on.” ... “Some of these guys like Doug Pederson look relaxed in the games, going for it on fourth down, running Philly Special when their quarterback suggests it, and the team can play accordingly,” a veteran coach said. “You want them to play opportunistically and loose. Kansas City looks like they have fun. They are running ring-around-the-rosey. Buffalo does look like they play tight in some of the big situations.”

Oh, totally -- the NFL is truly an "any given Sunday" league and some bounces might go the Bills way. I do think Cincy's defense is probably a little better than Tampa's, and for some reason it matches up pretty well vs. Buffalo based on recent results. I'm not saying the Bills can't win, but on paper it doesn't look like a great matchup.

Feel free to condescend. I can take it. I never said that the Bills are pre-destined to lose (or anything close to it), so I don't know where that's coming from. I simply stated a basic fact: the Bills struggled to beat bad teams (two of them very bad) in the last three games, two of which were at home.

Allen is leading the league in QBR: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2023/passing.htm#passing::pass_int_perc

Kinda the wrong way to look at things. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2023/passing.htm#passing::pass_int_perc

That call should be eliminated. It is in my opinion the worst rule in the NFL because it rewards poor athletic play (inaccurate, underthrown passes) and meta-gaming -- that is, incentivizing QBs to make bad throws to get an easy call. I hate it. It cost the Bills vs. Tampa in 2021 when they called it on Levi Wallace in OT (and Wallace didn't actually touch the receiver). It was a poor throw by Brady, but it was deliberate because he's smart enough to exploit bad rules that make it unfair for defenders.

I honestly don't understand this response at all.

A terrible Giants team with a backup QB, a terrible NE team, and a truly mediocre TB team on the road all proved to be bad matchups for the Bills, so maybe the conventional wisdom on TBD is correct?

I think the Bills might get curb-stomped. To beat the Bengals, you need strong DT play, particularly interior push. Otherwise, Burrow just picks teams apart. The Bills don't have a credible 1T now, and they'll be exploited again (just like in the playoff game last season). The Bills' offense will need to score over 30 points to have a chance, and I just don't see it. I mean, they could only put up 24 against TB and they looked good on offense on Thursday. In the previous three games, they didn't surpass 25. The Bengals' defense is better than all of those other teams, and they'll be playing at home.

By committing an unforgivable penalty. The coaches have to drill into the players’ heads going into a situation like that that the only way the jets can tie it is if they commit a penalty. Jumping Offside there was so stupid. It’s ok to be a step behind the OT out of the gate if the clock doesn’t stop. Also, it was so fitting that the game basically ended on what I believe is the worst penalty rule in the league: the DPI call on the well-underthrown ball. It’s a penalty that rewards a bad athletic effort by the quarterback.

Meh. Bills fans complaining about nonsense like this as opposed to actual plays in the game and athletic performance is the gaming world equivalent of rules lawyering. No one likes those people (except for other rules lawyers, who appear to be well represented in this thread).

Brav-o!

Fans spend WAY too much griping about calls already, and to complain about a call/non-call that actually had no bearing on an actual play? It’s tiresome. Refs neither favor nor or biased against the Bills.

Why are people complaining about this?

Yes, when that happened I started looking for the flag.