Dr. Who

All you have to do is let it rest yourself. There's a lot that plays out in a season. Fortune is fickle. I think you're creating a somewhat false dichotomy. Hardly anyone disagrees that the defense needed a major overhaul. I would add that the scheme needs to add new wrinkles, which I am hopeful is part of the plan. None of that touches on Beane's team building strategy. For those of us who think he doesn't value WR enough, that perdures. Folks have already pointed out the weakness in the offense that shows up with greater scrutiny. I don't think it's just a matter of chance and adequate players who just happen to not make clutch plays when it matters most. Many are serene, regardless. My bottom line to you: McDermott has had plenty of investment in both the draft and FA on his side of the ball. He needs to show up not just in the wild card round, and once in a while in the divisional round, and hardly at all in the rare conference championship game. You want to preach complementary football? Fantastic. Whatever inevitable growing pains integrating rookies into the system show up early, the wisdom of Beane's plan will be judged by how it plays out late.

I hear you. I certainly think McDermott should be held accountable if his defense does not perform well in the playoffs. The expenditure on that side of the ball this off-season in both the draft and free agency ought to be enough to work with. I don't trust Pegula to get it right, but at some point, you have to win a Super Bowl with Josh Allen as your quarterback.

The other factor, and I'm sorry to bring up hockey, which I know is a dull subject for you, but Terry Pegula is the absolute worst owner in the NHL. He hires inexperienced GMs, and continues to keep an inadequate fella in the role, at least partly because he feels heard by Kevyn Adams. The Bills were dysfunctional before McD and Beane arrived. They have built a strong and competent culture. I fear what would happen should that be gambled away, though I appreciate the concerns of those who question the ceiling on the regime.

Fella is going to be good, I think, but bonus points for all the memes that are going to be relevant.

Yes, well, it's also clear why you weren't so anxious about the non-elite WR room, but so be it. There was another thread where unacceptability was on display across the board. Joe Marino is, in fact, a bitter fella obsessed with the injustice of the actual podcaster, worse, Doc Brown is not Christopher Lloyd, GunnerBill is actually a dental assistant from Hoboken (the whole British accent thing is a function of electronic AI), etc. I do not judge, nor do I make any confessions regarding Gallifrey. At least I can rest content, relieved that you are straightforward and honest at the Defense household. Given your extreme sensitivity to careful distinctions, and at the risk of pedantry, I must tell you that there is a common confusion unfortunately present in your brief post. Complementary football is, I suppose, as the coaches like to say, all three phases of the game. Complimentary football is when the opposing side acknowledges fine play, and instead of trash talking, claps politely, even when scored upon. As you may surmise, this latter version of the game is not very popular in North America, though I'm told it is favored in Iceland, Denmark, and Singapore.

They are a hapless, idiotic organization. Alas.

Interesting analogy. I think a lot depends on whether Palmer can block well enough downfield to mitigate the loss of Hollins, and also be a sufficient downfield presence to replicate whatever threat the ghost of Amari Cooper brought to the table. I'm not too confident about it, but it's not impossible.

I think there's something to that narrative, but when you're fighting for the 1 seed, it's better not to need a tactical defeat to motivate the congregation.

I'll be disappointed if he's Shaq Lawson.

I think they should be open to modifying the plan consequent upon having an elite wide receiver. It's not an issue, because they do nothing to make that even a remote possibility. I still think acquiring Metcalf would have been the perfect add. (He's not elite, per se, but he excels precisely where we needed improvement.)

Well, I found the specific quantitative comparison particularly elucidating with regards to playoff failures. Of course, it is accentuating what it already known.

No one is interpreting the meme as implying that. They are correctly seeing it as an indictment of the Bills' defense.

Yes, I forget him, because I suspect he's not going to become a much more productive player just because Josh Allen is his qb. He might, though, and even if not, it's correct that his production could be an improvement over Hollins and an injured/washed Cooper.

Yes, probably. There's a fella on the board who claims to have a friend who is cognizant of Coleman's offseason work that offers a more positive prognostication. I am not terribly ebullient about the WR room, but folks who believe everything is aces with the offense are in a heady mood just now.

And all those clapping Beane on the back will be crying in their beer if Coleman doesn't make a leap, because it's hard to see where else the receiving room is going to offer significant improvement.