Dr. Who

Hey, Figster. Hope you are well, old friend. It can't compete with this site for substantial insight on football. I mainly post over there on matters that are not sports related. If you've read any of my posts over there, you know why.

Yes, I suspect you are right. There isn't likely to be a worthy olineman that fits our scheme and merits a late first. There are some wrs that are arguably worth a shot there. Honestly, I would think about taking Washington if he's availabe at our pick in the first. Washington and a day two wr/ol may be better overall than other options on offense. He would materially impact the oline and offense overall more than I suspect folks imagine a TE #2 would make. All that said, they will probably take a safety and I will scream at the tv.

I was over there, too. One of the those got very weird, can't remember which.

When you get around to looking at TE, I suggest you think about Darnell Washington. He will be an exemplary blocking TE#2 with some catch ability. I've seen him mocked earlier, but if you can get him in the third round, I believe he would be a very nice add.

Any idea why? Here's a list that comes to mind. Maybe the elbow injury limited some throws, the oline was fair to mostly bad, Dorsey had first year growing pains, but none of that is sufficient to explain it. Josh seemed a more mature qb late last year.

I was over at BBMB and was simultaneously registered here, but mainly lurked. Timelords are always planning for contingencies. It's not nice when they implode the universe without warning, but this is a nice place with knowledgeable folk. As in every universe, alas, there are trolls. Don't feed them.

Frazier's scheme came to the forefront decades ago. And like fashion, no doubt there may come a time when various trends make what is retro contemporary again. The question is has it proven effective in the post-season in the game as exemplified today? I can't think of one. Look at the four coaches and teams in the conference finals this year. They are all teams with an offensive coach at the top. Let us hypothetically surmise the Bills put the majority of resources into building up the offense. You do what you can to seriously upgrade the oline, you add an outside wr with size and speed that can reliably catch the ball, you add a solid blocking te #2. You do all that, even if it means sacrificing some skill on D and letting a few fellas walk because you can't pay for everything with a cap and Allen's big contract numbers hitting the books. Then you try to upgrade the overall gameplanning on offense so that your run game and passing game compliment one another and you actually make use of pass catching rbs like Hines and Cook with YAC potential. All that would be in line with what is working right now in the NFL. The corrolary to a dangerous team on offense with a top level qb is you can afford to play an attacking D. If you give up a few big scores, you have the fire power to strike back. The plus side of a non-passive defense is you are less likely to get gutted with long drives while the bend-don't break approach waits for the extended drive to break down. There won't be a whole game of sustained drives that demoralize and keep the ball away from your high-powered offense. And on both sides of the ball, you put pressure on the opposing team. That's the rough strategy behind it and I believe it makes some sense. Regardless, I think Frazier's tactics are deceptive in that they produce generally good numbers and regular season results, but have failed more often than not in the playoffs. Aside from that, they don't blend well with the optimum approach for what would make best use of Allen's talents and the team's overall success. Maybe they keep him and prove all this wrong or that their strategy can be an outlier to how the game is played to success in its current best practice (that is always a fluid situation.) I am skeptical on that, however.

Well, I agree with much of this, but I just don't think the passive D employed by Frazier is the answer. I agree with those folks who assert 1) The scheme requires too many premium athletes and the health of those athletes to be effective and 2) the defense puts up gaudy numbers by pummeling average and weak teams in the regular season, but struggles against better competition in the playoffs. Changing schemes may require a step backwards regarding personnel, but staying with something proven ineffective when it counts most isn't exactly staying in place.

75 yrs old, but he could coach D.

I don't think many folks think he will be gone. Quite a few think he should be. I am personally ambivalent, but I absolutely see the point of concern. You have a defensive coach in an era where the most successful coaches are offensive minded. The D coach prioritizes assets for the defense which does well against average and below average teams, but struggles against better ones, especially in the playoffs. Because the weight of investment is on D, the offense is overly reliant on Josh Allen playing at superman levels for the offense to thrive. It's out of kilter. Moreover, if you want to play complimentary football, it makes more sense for a powerful, quick strike offense to be matched by a more aggressive D. Bend but don't break strategies match up with game manager qbs. What happend this last Sunday should never happen. It was an extraordinary season, emotionally difficult, but at minimum, the coaches should have been much more prepared for the tactics thrown at them. A team with three backup oline dominated. There was no adjustment, just surrender. The trenches are weak on both sides of the ball, the drafts have been mediocre, the early prime of one of the most gifted qbs in the league has been squandered. You think that kind of concern is trollish or ignorant? I'm not at all convinced that McD sees the depth of the problem or that he has the capacity to make the necessary changes. Almost certainly, he'll be given the opportunity. We'll all have to hope and pray he does, but he is on the hot seat.

Happy Birthday. You're a year older and your team sucks. Sorry, I'm all out of

Yes, that was more a gesture towards maybe an offensive minded coach. Maybe Ben Johnson with the Lions? Volpone is pretty funny as well.

I'm intrigued by Ben Johnson, but can anyone see Pegula making a change at HC? It won't happen, so the best feasible outcome is changing coordinators. At minimum, we need to bring in someone less conservative and reactive to run the D.

And shortly after Romo was singing his praises, the score was 14 - 0. We need to build a bully oline, add a wr threat, and adopt a much more aggressive mindset on D.

No, I'm not arguing for that, though if Josh Allen doesn't start winning playoff games, their tenure will rightly be on a hot seat.

I'm not either. I can't multitask and so I'd have to stop typing to accomplish all that. I don't see it as childish to want accountability. I already pointed out the constraints of roster change. The most direct path to change is different strategies on O and D. Maybe Dorsey matures and becomes better. No chance Fraser does anything new.

If you're satisfied with where the franchise is right now, that's your prerogative. I think it's an abolute dereliction if they basically stand pat. They'll have to cut folks to be a player in FA. There is only so much you can accomplish in a single draft. So, I believe coaching philosophy needs to change. They've got a good system for winning the regular season. They flame out in the playoffs unless Josh Allen is literally close to perfect. Not good enough, that's my prerogative.

I have not forgotten about the drought. I am old. I remember when OJ Simpson was used as a decoy. Here's the bottom line: you play to win the SB. The point of reaching the playoffs is to win in them. Making them to lose, often in embarrasing fashion is just an exercise in masochism. We are wasting the early prime years of a HOF level qb. Now Josh has to watch Mahomes, Burrow, Hurts, and a rookie last pick in the draft compete for a championship. You establish long-term legacy by what you do in the playoffs. If there's any self-awareness, Terry Pegula makes changes now, not waiting for another year of regular season success and post-season failure.

Demanding a trade is foolish and won't happen. Expressing deep concern and demanding accountability is right. Josh is a legacy qb, but you only get the rewards with playoff success. The current team and coaching philosophy leaves a lot to be desired to make that happen.

You need to take the reverse out of your screen name.

I really wish we could be in on the Sean Payton sweepstakes.

We need to improve the oline. Mahomes has one of the best. Ours is average on a good day.

Damn, neither am I.

Talking heads keep saying he's the new Brady. He might really be the new Namath, but maybe you have to be old to see it.

Strategy appears to be look like you're disjointed and not getting the offense to purr, all the while you are subtly killing the enemy.