dave mcbride

Um, they were seventh overall when he was benched after week 16 last year, and they finished 12th in 2015.

Better than 5-4 with this roster? They should be 4-5 given the Atlanta giveaway by the refs.

they were terrible under Rex - 24th in defensive DVOA in 2015 and 27th in 2016. They were second in 2015 under Schwartz.

yup, and perhaps they're grooming Peterman to be the longtime capable backup. He's a lot cheaper than Taylor and under control for three more years after this one.

I'm not going to celebrate because I'm not crazy about the move, but I think this tells us two things: 1) Taylor simply isn't going to be highly productive in a standard-issue NFL offense that isn't tailored to his skills, and 2) we have a crappy offensive coordinator who is ten steps down from Greg Roman in terms of adaptability and cleverness. I've thought this for a while, and this sort of confirms it. Hopefully Peterman can make this offense work. My guess is that we have Trevor Simien Mach II on our hands, but I also think they're going to draft a QB in round one.

My takeaway: his four-year career of bouncing from practice squad to practice squad with a bevy of cuts along the way suggests that he sucks. Scroll down: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deandre_Coleman.

That is not my point AT ALL.

I suspect he wanted to leave given the stuff I've heard about him feeling burned by the medical and coaching staff regarding his foot last season. The fact that that team didn't pick up his option (when it was pretty clear that he was going to be healthy) and traded him as soon as they could showcase him suggests that they didn't think he wanted to be here. The new regime was pretty clear from the get-go about wanting buy-in.

Jax is far more talented, but since Bortles turns it over with such regularity, it might actually turn out to be a game given the Bills' ability to ballhawk.

The Saints' RBs are far from mediocre.

I don't either. It's an issue that the team faces and which the fans don't factor in enough. Players don't want to stay.

20-18. You should always count game one of the 2015 season, in which Cassell got credit for the start because they ran a trick play on the first play of the game, with TT split wide.

There does seem to be a constant here that you're not addressing: highly talented players really seem to want to get the hell out of Buffalo. I'd add Watkins and McGahee to this mix.

A much better measure is DVOA, which factors in opponents and a whole bunch of other relevant factors like turnovers ( http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef ). 2017: 16th (he took over a D that was 27th in the league the year before; that was Ryan's D) 2016: 10th 2015: 2nd 2014: 15th 2013: 3rd 2012: 11th 2011: 32nd 2010: 11th (Philly) 2009: 3rd (Philly) All in all, his record is quite good. In 9 seasons, he has finished in the top half eight times, in the top 11 six times, and the top 3 three times. He had one disaster season - his first year in Carolina. Incidentally, your 2011 stats are wrong. Carolina's D was 27th in points allowed and 28th in yards allowed. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/car/2011.htm

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/film-room/2015/film-room-ryan-fitzpatrick for all of his flaws, taylor is a lot better than fitzpatrick.

Yup. If rivers is out, they will be favorites. It sounds like he won’t go — self-reported about his concussion.

Because if the season ended today they'd be in the playoffs, and their primary contenders for the 6th spot have suffered equally embarrassing losses.

Did you watch the Ravens lose 44-7 to Jacksonville? Miami lose 40-0 to Baltimore? Those are the competitors we're facing. Yup!! I trust you about the Ravens, of course.

There are a lot of people out there who are pretty uninformed about how crappy the AFC is this year beyond the top tier.

The defense was terrible from the first play onward. The Saints marched up and down the field on every possession. *They did not punt.*

Taylor was awesome in garbage time a mere ten days before. Never forget that in a situation like that - up 47-3 - the primary goal of every defender is avoiding injury.

Ah, how soon people forgot. Taylor had a garbage time performance for the ages only ten days previously. Don't read too much into these things. With a 47-3 lead, the primary motive of every defender on that field is not getting injured.

You also don't last long in the NFL if you don't care. Major sports leagues do a pretty good job of weeding out the not-caring types.

The Chargers are not good despite some real talent! Go check out their message boards (if they exist); I guarantee you that people are bitching about how bad they are. They give away so many games. Agreed that if the Bills lose in LA, the season is utterly over.

Your standards are way to high. I'll take any playoff game at this point, no matter the outcome.