sullim4

This is a football fundamental, and this defense is absolutely atrocious at it. They go for style points, trying to punch the ball out, rather than make the tackle and stop the runner from reaching the line to gain. Please look at this play again and tell me the tackling is acceptable. This isn't a one-time thing either, it feels like this happens several times each game:

Your name is literally "FireChans". I mean... I guess Modkins was the offensive coordinator for Gailey? But Chan was the de facto offensive coordinator.

I've seen terrible tackling performances before, but I think the first half tonight took the cake. It seems like the defensive staff is telling the players to try to punch the ball out rather than make the tackle, and this is costing the team significant yards allowed after contact. They cannot continue to do this - they will lose to good teams in the playoffs playing defense like this. I see several threads trying to go after Dorsey in this game... but I was a lot more disappointed in the defensive performance, especially in the running game.

Saffold is... bad. Very bad.

They don't have the best track record...

This defense... I mean it's pathetic, no?

It's Ian Eagle's son.

I am a big fan of the individuals offering parking on their lawns on the south side of 20A, just east of the stadium. It's very easy to get out - just a right turn onto 20A and there aren't a ton of lights. East of Orchard Park, you can then link up to a number of options that will take you north to the Thruway.

I mean... is he any worse than John Brown? I don't get the coaching staff's unwillingness to give Shakir a chance; perhaps they are seeing something in practice or on film that tells them he isn't ready. Beasley knows the offense and he'd be taking McKenzie's spot in the slot. McK is a headcase that's wildly inconsistent. I think the question is whether you'd have McKenzie or Beasley out there... and I've seen enough of McKittrick that I want to see them try something else. If Beasley is the best FA they can find deep into December, and aren't willing to go the OBJ route, I'd be fine with this assuming he concentrates on football and leaves social media alone.

This is my take. If he has enough to help us during the stretch run, that's great. We don't need 17 games + playoffs out of the guy. McKenzie has just been wildly inconsistent... if they aren't willing to put Shakir out there, they might as well give Beasley a chance as long as he's in shape.

Playoff-status says Miami has won the head-to-head tiebreaker with us already...

Wonder what @Jimmy Spagnola thinks about his quarterback?

At some point, it's irresponsible. It's not much different than the Tua situation.

I actually think Frazier round 2 would be a decent selection for a HC job. I think he's learned a lot during his time in Buffalo about how to build a winning culture and that's an underrated part of the role IMO. You're almost always going to a bad or mediocre team that needs a culture shift - and I think Leslie would be good at that. He'd need strong leadership on the offensive side of the ball though, and I kind of wonder if the plan on offense has always been a weak point in his previous interviews.

I've never liked offensive holding as a 10 yard penalty. It is highly dependent on the officiating crew in terms of whether it is called, and it often has zero impact on the play unlike something like defensive pass interference where the ball is required to be catchable. I have been watching football for 35 years and I still don't fully understand what rises to the level of a hold, versus what's considered legitimate. The argument that it saves a sack... well, since 1993, the average loss of yardage on a sack is 6.5 yards. That's a lot closer to 5 yards than it is 10 yards. It also doesn't take into account holds on running plays, which might result in a 1-2 yard loss if the hold didn't take place and the runner is somehow caught behind the line of scrimmage.

Russell Wilson and the Broncos say, hold my beer....

So let's see... Buffalo on a Sunday night in December. Sounds like the right time for the heated benches on the visiting team's side to fail, right? Maybe the HVAC for the visiting team's locker room is stuck at 90 degrees? The possibilities for revenge are endless.

The game will be Sunday night:

Jets-Bills was protected by CBS. More Nantz-Romo...

I can't believe Belichick isn't calling the timeouts... this is not the Patriot* way.

That was Quessenberry, not Knox?

Pretty sure it was Dunkirk Don or the guy claiming the stadium was gonna be built in Batavia.

I hear he is an architect... so he's gotta know his stuff, right?

See, this is the issue I take with it though. If this is all he could say... then just don't say anything until you can report on the complete story. Yes, this is a fine line to walk at times, but I think in this particular case, after two brutal losses and with a disgruntled fanbase ready with pitchforks and torches, the decision to leak this tidbit feels more about clicks and getting people to talk about what he knows and less about reporting on the franchise. I mean - this thread is exhibit A. We're now at 28 pages speculating on what this could be. It puts the team in an odd position where any journalist worth their salt should be asking McD about this at his next press conference. Wawrow has enough credibility that there's very likely some truth to this so now either McD has to deny it (which probably is misleading at best and an outright lie at worst), sidestep the question, or very unlikely, address it head on.

I agree with this. He is well connected with the franchise, certainly going back to the days when Ralph owned the team. His pieces are usually spot on. That said, this style of report-by-tweet is the kind of click-bait that I thought was beneath him. If there's something to report, then report on it and don't just let half of a story hang out there while people hit F5 waiting for the follow-up with additional details. Perhaps it drives engagement numbers for his work, but it's frustrating as hell for the reader and it just leaves you unsatisfied as a reader. Where is the discontent? Is it between players? Coaches and players? Offense vs defense? Allen vs everyone else? The Pegulas vs McD and Beane? Reading between the lines, it would seem he knows what is going on -- but for whatever reason, he's choosing not to share it. If this is indeed as major as the Beasley vax situation, isn't it his job to report on this? What's the point of being well connected if he just keeps all the info to himself?