dave mcbride

This is pretty entertaining and absolutely true! https://www.nbcsports.com/watch/nfl/profootballtalk/should-giants-have-run-on-final-play-vs-bills

This is his Epenesa's payday year. Pass rushers who produce get paid, and if he keeps this up, he's going to be able to set himself up for life next spring. He won't be on the Bills, though.

Taylor played pretty well, I thought. He was accurate, didn't make mistakes throwing the ball, and threw a nice pass on the final play. The ref bailed the Bills out by not calling PI, but it was a good throw.

It was definitely PI. Sometimes PI is the right thing to do.

Slot receivers are about being able to repeatedly run option routes, and that requires total trust between the QB and the receiver. It's why Kelce is always open. They are trying to work Kincaid up to being that player, but it takes time. Shakir and Harty aren't that player.

Actually, he was questionable coming in with a wrist injury. Maybe he sits if Kincaid had been cleared. The injury may have affected the play.

Just to note that the end zone PI prevented a TD, and the Giants walked away with zero points.

I found this Athletic piece pretty persuasive and wanted to punt last night. The Giants-with a truly non-dynamic offense--weren't going to go 90 yards with no timeouts. I would have run the ball on third down and punted unless a run resulted in a big enough gain where the FG attempt was not a 50-50 proposition. https://theathletic.com/4966164/2023/10/16/eagles-jets-result-fourth-down/ 'Most would agree that NFL teams have gotten smarter in their handling of fourth-down situations, going for it when it makes sense instead of punting almost out of habit. Making the aggressive play to win can absolutely be the smart play, regardless of results. It’s progress when teams seriously wrestle with these questions, not just on fourth down, but in all aspects of their game-management strategies. But when the Philadelphia Eagles tossed a killer interception on third-and-9 from their own 46-yard line while protecting a 14-12 lead against the New York Jets with two minutes left in the fourth quarter Sunday, a longtime NFL exec reached out with a question: “Have we come too far with coaches wanting to ‘win’ the game instead of sometimes being more traditional?” His point: Philadelphia could have run the ball on third-and-9, then punted from around midfield. The Jets would have taken possession with barely more than a minute remaining, no timeouts and Zach Wilson behind center facing a ferocious Eagles pass rush. Hurts was struggling in the game to that point. Was having Hurts pass in a situation when gaining a first down is unlikely the smart play under the circumstances? “Are coaches not willing to go against the slight statistical benefit that WPA (win probability added) provides?” the exec asked. “Is it no longer OK to let your defense win the game when it clearly has a huge talent/performance advantage? This Eagles game was 14-12, not 37-35.” Critics attuned to the trend toward aggressiveness pounce when teams pass up chances to go for the kill. Coaches know team owners tend to be fans, not football strategists. They know owners listen to these criticisms. That can provide an incentive to make the aggressive play, to go down swinging. “Everybody thinks they are playing Brady, Manning or Rodgers in two-minute,” a veteran coach said. “If before the game someone offered Philly to put its defense against Zach Wilson on a need-field-goal drive starting inside his own 15 with no timeouts and a minute left, you think they would have taken it?” In the situation Sunday, the Jets’ offense had netted 19 yards on its previous three possessions, producing one field goal on a drive that gained 16 of those yards. The Eagles had already suffered three turnovers. They knew Wilson would be taking over deep in his territory with very little time remaining.' 53-yard kicks in Buffalo are never "high percentage plays." They're roughly 50-50. Bass is 11-18 lifetime on 50+ yard kicks.

I figured out that he’s being sarcastic.

Extremely catchable, and Knox has a long history of dropping passes like that. It’s who he is at this point.

But he profiled as excelling at what the Bills want their corners to excel at: playing with receivers in front of them, turning hips fluidly, and sound tackling. Perfect for zone.

I guess I don’t see the physical trait issue. Tre White: 5’11”, 192 lbs, 4.47 40 time, 32” vertical McDuffie: 5’11”, 193 lbs, 4.44 40 time, 38.5” vertical. I mean, they are virtually carbon copies of each other physically and just as importantly, he scouts perfectly into their defense: “McDuffie possesses excellent play speed. He makes transitions extremely well and has an effective backpedal and lateral shuffle that allows him to stay facing receivers for long periods of time. He shows no issues in pure man coverage and was tasked with covering many types of receivers throughout his career with no glaring missteps. Long speed is a concern that may limit him when faced with NFL-caliber receivers. Instincts (75 - Elite): Will be one of the smartest players on the field, McDuffie is seemingly never in the wrong position and is continually one of the first players to the ball. He is extremely disciplined in coverage, always reading what is happening around him to best allow him to lock down his receiver. Anticipates and reacts to break quickly and efficiently in order to keep the ball from being thrown his way. He is extremely active as a run defender and really shows a complex understanding of how plays develop in front of him.” He’s basically a slightly better (in the scouting sense) Tre White(!), who has turned out to be a great player himself. My take: Bills people didn’t want to admit that they lost out on their targeted prospect *to KC of all teams* and spread the word, sour grapes-wise, that he wasn’t a fit anyway. As you and I both know, to this point he is a far better player than Elam (this is all irrespective of whether they should have drafted CB in rd 1, which is beside the point in this discussion). And I thought this prior to the draft. Also, why do you think KC felt that they had trade up to get him? What other very good team lurking close by was also clearly going CB given their roster and the word on the street?

I know @GunnerBill will argue otherwise, but I continue to believe that the Bills really wanted McDuffie given that he was a near-perfect for the McDermott system (i.e., great zone player and tackler coming out of Washington). I mean, it makes too much sense not to be the case, and it wasn’t the first time the Chiefs took advantage of the Bills in a draft. They then sorta panicked and got what they felt was the last high physical-talent CB left.

Joe B in The Athletic: Buscaglia: The concern probably should have started in his rookie training camp when, after getting a full share of starter’s snaps, he allowed Benford to get into the competition and then ahead of him. We know how it all unfolded in 2022 from there. But this year has gone a bit worse. Tim mentioned the healthy scratches, and from my perspective watching the film, Elam was the worst Bills player on the field Sunday by a healthy margin. He was a distant fourth on the cornerback depth chart to begin the year, and now he’s in jeopardy of remaining fourth if Ja’Marcus Ingram has earned more trust of the coaching staff to be where he’s supposed to be at all times. In the spring, I mentioned Elam as someone the Bills could consider moving before the regular season to try to capitalize on value if he didn’t lock down the starting gig. Now, I wouldn’t rule out them looking at Elam as a trade chip to improve a position at the trade deadline. In the interim, he may get one or two more chances, and it’s paramount that he takes advantage. https://theathletic.com/4957403/2023/10/12/buffalo-bills-new-york-giants-week-6/

Jax scored 10 points and compiled 230 yards. Any decent offense would have crushed Jax in that game. The Bills D also dropped a couple of INTs.

Unbelievable that he didn’t throw it. Wtf?!?

A lot of people don't really watch other teams except on Sunday nights, and the Broncos aren't on much.

Belichick tanking isn't going to happen given his chase for Shula's record.

41-10 Bills.

I think he was playing great last season but got hurt down the stretch — arm injury — and it really affected his play. But the Bills knew how good he was when healthy. This isn’t directed at you at all, but I think a lot of fans see unevenness over the course of a season and chalk it up to inconsistency when it’s really injury. I’ll never forget Bills fans being down on Robert Woods and Chris Hogan in their last seasons here for—respectively—a decline in explosiveness and drops, but then it turned out that Woods was playing with a torn groin for half a season and Hogan with torn wrist ligaments for more than half the season. The Bills never reported the extent of injuries once all season, and only at the end of the season would they list Woods as “probable (leg).”

I can’t get too down on Diggs, who is so far having the best season of his career. He is on pace for 132 receptions, 1768 yards, and 17 TDs. I expect it to tail off due to weather, but he has been playing like a first-team all pro this season.

The defender made a great play. The other side makes good plays too.

It was good that it went for an INT instead of an INC. It was the Bills’ best punt all day: 51 yards and no return. It was 3rd and 15.

I take your point, but I thought Jones was arguably their best d-lineman last year too.

I think this is pretty wrong. Jones has been their best defensive lineman this season.