BuffaloRebound

Does seem like there’s a lot less confusion/panic pre-snap with Thompson on the field.

Not sure how much it has to do with Bernard being out, but the defense the last 6 quarters has been dominant. Cincy will be a much bigger challenge, but the defebse is trending in the right direction.

Doubt they’d ever trade Jefferson. They’ll sign a Mac Jones type QB in the off-season. Could see them move Addison for a 1st as they probably aren’t interested in paying 2 WR’s $35m+ per year.

Running the ball straight up the middle to cook and davis worked. Problems arise when it doesn’t as we have no downfield passing game.

Bosa and Benford. Defense took over snd won the game.

Define ‘everywhere’. It’s Josh and Cook, who McBeane took care of last this off-season. Knox, Samuel, Palmer, Shakir all make close to $10m or more. On defense, Bosa, Rousseau, Oliver, Jones, Ogunjobi, Hoecht, Epenesa, Milano, Bernard, Taron, Benford all make good money. Those 15 guys got paid $150m this year and none are top 10 at their position. Most not even close to that. I’d much rather have 1 Micah Parsons and 1 DK Metcalf than all those good to borderline JAG guys.

Signing a bunch of mid guys hoping a few of them pop has been an abysmal failure at WR as well as D-Line.

Obviously. The fact that it always comes to this is the problem. The inability to find and develop younger players to fill these roles is the failure.

Steelers must be terrible for us to be 4 point favorites in vegas for this game.

Just make it stop. How can this regime not find promising young players to fill these roles?

Raiders feel a lot like the drought-era Bills. Some good individual players but an organization lacking any direction. That’s the type of team you poach players from like Marshawn, Peters, and Gilmore were freed from the Bills and became Hall of Fame players.

We simply don’t develop enough good young players on either side of the ball but especially on defense. Then we are stuck having to give significant contracts to above average players because it would take so long to replace them. And supplement that with guys well past their prime like Poyer, Tre White, aj klein, jordan phillips, shaq lawson, gabe davis, etc. We are about 3 years into the McBeane ‘Holding on to something they never had’ tour. The only thing preventing the wheels from falling off is a superstar QB.

It’s not just WR. The LB and secondary room is almost as bad. Beane is to blame but so is McDermott, who trots out washed up guys who he’s familiar with. Both of them need to go. They’re both above average at their jobs, but we need great to go along with our QB. Does Terry have it in him to dump above average to go for great?

I mean he held up 1v1 for 3.5 seconds against an elite pass rusher and probably gets a holding call if he tries to re-engage after that.

Rousseau is a solid player. Benford was good but is injury prone now. Same with Bernard whose contract was a lot lighter. Shakir is a good player. Cook is an All Pro. And who else was available to give that money to? The problem has always been the defensive scheme and that McDermott values guys who can run his complicated scheme over size and speed. And you end up with a ton of injuries then having to recycle washed up guys who know the system.

Why is Ray Davis not getting any carries the way he is returning kicks the last 2 games?

Yep. He’s like the 20 year old kid on a team of 50 year olds at the local YMCA pickup basketball games.

I simply hate watching this defense. Aging, undersized defenders who can’t tackle, get pushed around and constantly get hurt. It’s painful. McDermott usually finds a way to duct tape it together long enough to give the offense a chance, but it’s no way to win a championship.

Yes. Denver did it with a competent coach. Watching 190lb Taron Johnson playing Linebacker on a 4th and 1 getting dragged 7 yards by the Running Back sums up the McDermott defense. It needs to be blown up and Mcdermott needs to go with it.

Josh Allen is always worth watching. Mcdermott and his defense aren’t. It’s like watching a fight where a scrappy 180lb weakling gets pummeled by a bigger stronger opponent. Congrats McBeane. You’ve managed to build a defense that is the exact opposite of your unicorn QB. I particularly loved watching Taron Johnson unblocked on a 4th and 1 get dragged 7 yards by a RB.

bernard was off the field.

whoever came in for bernard. Defense looked competent once Bernard got hurt.

This. It was maddening watching the play clock run down on every snap. So much confusion pre snap.

Thats never happening. Teams have eaten far more in cap space (Denver and russell wilson) and made the playoffs the next year. Bills need to clean house on defense and that means Mcdermott too. That game was lost in the 2nd quarter when Bills made Davis Mills look like an All Pro.

The defensive effort in the 1st half was horrendous. Same story against Tampa. Difference between the 2 games we were playing a top defense on the road tonight. We are not a legit contender. Beane knows this. It’s why we made no deals at the trade deadline.