folz

I was going to say the same thing. Don't give up on Dareus yet people. I don't think he is a malcontent as has been rumored. Maybe he needed some tough love, but McDermott is the kind of guy to do it right. Two points: 1. As DaBillsFan said, Marcel made the tackle on the last long lateral play of the game. He was right there at the end fighting. 2. Watch Marcel's face during Kyle's postgame speech (linked above) he looks happy, engaged, he keeps saying "yes sir" to all of Kyle's statements. I love how McDermott is running this team. And as for Kyle, why wait for retirement, put him on the Wall now!

I just watched the game back on gamepass and took a look at the throws to Zay. From what I could see, he caught 2 of 9 targets...which doesn't look great, but... 4 passes were completely uncatchable/no where near him (bad throws by Tyrod due to pressure or whatever) 1 catch on the sideline where he was draped by a CB, could have made the catch, but it would have been a tough/great catch. There was the one miss on the throw to the endzone, where he got tripped up by the CB's feet, so I don't put that one on Zay. 1 bad drop, no excuse 2 catches: one for a first down another for 7 tough yards in the redzone. When you actually look at the plays, he didn't have 7 drops, he had 1 drop and one contested play that maybe he could have made. It wasn't as bad as 2 of 9 appears.

Give the kid a break. He's a rookie in his 6th pro game. He's just a little inside his own head right now. It's not his fault that he was drafted to a team with a weak WR corps and he was forced to be a number 2 and then number 1 receiver (with Matthews and Clay down) right out of the gate. That's a lot of pressure for a kid coming from a small school. If we had at least two solid threats ahead of him and he was eased into a slot receiver role, his development would have probably been better, without so much pressure. But despite his drops, he's getting valuable starting experience. He just needs to gain Tyrod's trust back and catch some passes to get his own confidence back. How anyone can call a player a bust after 6 games is beyond me. Honestly, how many draft picks 2nd round or lower each year bust out right away? Many receivers don't fully get it until their third year. For the love of God, let the young players develop before you run them out of town.

As far as this incident goes, no big deal. He went out there to protect someone close to him (on the other team) thinking he could get his teammates to back off before something happened. That might not go over well in the Raiders locker room, but I don't think his intentions were bad. He wasn't running out there to start fighting. However, rules are rules. He did leave the bench and shove an official. He was right to be penalized, ejected, and fined. That ref doesn't know that he's cousins or whatever with Peters, so in the moment, he can't assess his intentions. Just like the Von Miller/Tyrod Taylor psyche play. In that moment, the ref doesn't know that they're friends and just joking around, so he assumed the intention was something else. You can't expect refs to know the players relationships with each other. BUT...those who don't understand why many people don't like Marshawn obviously do not remember his time in Buffalo. I don't know the guy personally and people who do say he's a great, funny guy. But from the outside when you see him hit a woman with his car and then flee the scene (not even waiting to see if she is ok) and try to not get caught for it, when he brings his own liquor to bars (very disrespectful to local businesses), when he would (be it some kind of joke or not) intimidatingly corner people in bars and demand that they give him twenty bucks, when he can't get over himself with the media (as bad as they can be), when he talked bad about the Bills or Buffalo (back at that time), arrested for illegal gun possession, DUIs, etc., it is no wonder some football fans don't have warm fuzzy feelings about the guy. Maybe he has matured since his days in Buffalo, maybe not. But I was glad when he was traded and no matter how well he played for Seattle, I never wished we had kept him. I want to like the guys that I root for (like the guys on this McDermott team). Marshawn may be a great guy to the people in his life or in his community, but from the outside he doesn't appear like a great guy or appear to extend common courtesies to people outside his circle. I could be wrong and I'm not condemning the guy, everyone deserves second chances...but there are very solid reasons why some fans don't like him.

If the refs had called a fair game, Jets win this one comfortably. Beyond the S-F no TD that directly took points off the board, the refs also picked up two flags against the Pats, didn't call the obvious pass interference on Gronk in the endzone, etc. They may call some make-up calls at unimportant junctures of the game, so the number of penalties at the end of the game looks balanced, but the Pats always get the calls that have a big impact on the outcome of the game when they are playing non-Marquee teams.

Rhino...Sammy may have elite ability and elite potential (you probably won't find many to disagree with that) but you can not call him an elite WR in this league. At least not yet. With 4+ years in the league this is what you are getting from Sammy: 10 games played per season / 61 yds per game / .45 TDs per game over a season, that would equate to 610 yds and 4 or 5 TDs. That is good for a 2nd WR, great for your 3rd WR, but does not equate to elite. If he played 16 games with those averages, it looks better with 976 yards and 7 TDs which is very good, but still not elite. Add in his availability issues to date and his possible "me" centric attitude and I doubt there are many teams who would have given us more than what we got for him. No one was giving up a 1st rounder for that production. To think that every other front office would pay top dollar (money-wise or trade-value-wise) for Sammy is naïve. Most GMs and coaches are conservative and don't pay for potential (they may draft for it, but you don't give up too many assets for it). Yes, Sammy has big potential and if he stayed healthy for a whole season and had good QB play in the right scheme, no doubt he could be elite. But there is no way he can be considered that at this point in his career. Elite potential means nothing until you prove it on a consistent basis. Plenty of guys have had potential and it never quite panned out in the league. To be elite you have to be available and consistent. So far we have seen a few games in his rookie year, one game for the Rams this year, and that 8-10 game stretch in 2015. That equates to less than 1/4 of his playing career thus far where he played at an elite level. I like Sammy, even drafted him in Fantasy because I thought he would break out now that he's healthy and maybe he will eventually reach elite status, but as of now, no, he is not an elite receiver and I think the Bills made the right call moving on from him...even though we could use him now. It was the right move for this team at this time.

That article is sexist...what about Helen Hunt?

I'm surprised that some posters are saying Humber had a bad game in Carolina. I think maybe you are letting ONE play (against a really elusive player no less) where he missed the tackle overshadow what was otherwise an excellent game for him. The guy had 11 tackles, 7 of which were solo tackles in space. He was ballin' all over the field. Humber has been playing really well. I'm not sure what games some of you guys are watching.

I stepped away from the board for a couple of days and was surprised when I came back to still see so many posters kvetching. First of all, Sammy, Robert, Marquise, Hogan, Gilmore, Gilislee, etc. are gone. What is the point moaning over it, good decision or bad. Root for the guys who are here. McDermott and Beane are going to have a long leash. They aren't going anywhere soon, so let's give them more than two weeks to see what they are building towards. Secondly, what did some of you expect? It's a new coaching staff, an entirely new receiving corp, a new blocking scheme, a QB who had, what, one practice with his new receiver before week one and a rookie on the other side. Not to mention that most offenses struggled the first two weeks of the season this year. There was no way this team was coming out of the gate on fire. It was obviously going to take this team (the offense more specifically) at least a few weeks to start putting it together. Look at Miami last year (with a new head coach), they started out rough and still wound up in the playoffs. (No, I'm not saying the Bills will make the playoffs, but I'm also not automatically counting them out after just two weeks either, however improbable it may seem at the moment.) And with as many 4-6 win predictions as were made, I'm surprised people are so upset sitting at 1-1, no matter who we played. So many fans wanted us to tank, but are now upset at one loss? I assume those people are already chalking up this Broncos game as a loss too. Not me...Go Bills! Let's put the past behind us and take it one game at a time. We're on to Denver.

I think it is like another poster said upthread...we don't think Tasker is more deserving than TO, but having already picked TO as most likely and assuming that he is a lock (at some point), we chose Tasker for the most deserving category. Of course, we could have instead said TO most likely and most deserving and then made a case for Tasker separately.

Most likely: T.O. will and should get in. But, though it was fun having him for a season, I don't really think of him as a Bill. Most Deserving: Steve Tasker should already be in. When they talk about criteria for the HOF it usually comes down to two things, was the guy transcendent at his position and did he change the game. The answer to both is yes. Probably the best special teamer to ever play (outside of kickers) and he (along with Marv and guys like Mark Pike) made special teams relevant again at that time in the game. Teams had to game plan for him. And on a 4-time Superbowl team with multiple HOFs, his special teams play many a time, turned a game or won a game for his team. He had a huge impact and with so many fewer snaps than the guys starting on O or D. Chuck Knox should eventually get in. Great coach. Though his playoff winning percentage of .389 is probably what hurts his case. O-linemen are tough. It's hard to quantify their careers without solid stats and most people don't understand or watch line play enough to really compare one great O-lineman vs. another. No doubt Kent Hull and Reuben were soooo important to the Bills teams they played on. Kelly often says Hull is the one who really made that offense work. But were they more transcendent than other O-linemen who are in the conversation? I'm not sure. I guess as they said on the John Murphy show, you'd have to talk to the players they played against to stack them up. But I think it may be a tough road for them to get into the HOF. Not that they aren't deserving. Cornelius was a supremely talented athlete who made a lot of impact plays on a 4-time AFC championship team. I think he is on the bubble. But I'd be thrilled if he got in. Darryl Talley was not only the heart and soul of that 4-time AFC championship defense, but its brain and emotion as well. He still sits at 10th All-time in the NFL for total tackles (of all players since the 70s when they started keeping the stat). That stat alone should keep him in the conversation. Not sure if he'll ever get in, but imho, he should get in. Good luck to all of them!

​"All right. Where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right, and who is dead...You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders---the most famous of which is 'never get involved in a land war in Asia'---but only slightly less well-known is this: 'Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!' Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha..." - Vizzini

Has he ever called an audible and have you ever noticed him call an audible are two different things. I don't pretend to be an expert, but he audibled at least once in week one as the color commentator actually pointed it out.

This kind of post just kills me. I have no problem with posters who think that Tyrod has hit his ceiling and think it isn't good enough; that he won't improve the areas of his game where he is weak. Especially when they point out specifics about his game they have a problem with. I'm personally taking a wait and see approach for this year, yet I do think the team can win with Tyrod. But to just say he sucks and blows is not only pointless, it is wrong. First of all, no one in the league sucks. The worst guy on the worst team is a phenomenal athlete. Secondly, the team won today and Tyrod played well. 222 yds passing, 43 yds. rushing, and 2 TDs is at least adequate, not sucking. If you're actually going to root against the QB of the team that you follow, you can at least discuss what specifically he did in today's game that bothered you. Ya know, actually add to the discussion of football.

Feel bad for him...nice kid and a good ballplayer. Wish him the best!

Good night: Helped their cause Here is who stood out to me (in no particular order) Nathan Peterman Joe Banyard Brandon Reilly Trae Elston EJ Gaines Gerald Hodges Greg Maybin Matt Milano Nick O'Leary Logan Thomas Ian Seau Eddie Yarbrough Jonathan Williams

This. Great analogy BuffaloHokie13.

It was my junior year of college. I had just been home for Christmas and was at Rich Stadium for both the Kelly/Marino 44-34 showdown in the snow and the 51-3 dismantling of the Raiders in the AFC Championship game (thank God for brothers-in-law with season tickets). For Superbowl Sunday, I was back at school in Boston. I had a huge party in my apartment on Charles Street. I went to an arts college, so there were very few sports fans there. But, around 30-40 friends who couldn't have cared less about football came and rooted for the Bills just because they knew how much it meant to me. There were two friends from NYC (also not football fans) who started rooting for the Giants, just because it was New York. And as Norwood's kick went up, about 20 of us were all holding hands...and then, UGH! Like Charlie Brown after Lucy pulls that football away. The last things I remember from that night (from my last somewhat sober moments) were holding my face in my hands as my friends tried to console me and one of my roommates trying to kick out our two friends who were still cheering for the New York win.

I still think this comes down to continuity. Finding a coach who can come in, look at 53 men, with 53 different skill sets and devise a scheme that fits each of their best abilities is like finding that elusive franchise QB. There are only so many of them at any one time in the league. Yes, Bill Belichick seems to be able to do it and maybe there are a few more coaches that can, but that too is a rare talent. And even Belichick is bringing in players that fit "The Patriot Way." But, for the sake of argument, sure, that is one way to win. Have one of the best coaches in the league. Another way to win is to have continuity. A stable FO and coaching staff who have a system they believe in and then giving them enough time (more than 2 years) to build their roster. Once you get through the turmoil, if the system is sound, then you have a roster built for that system and you can continue to draft and bring in players that fit and then you don't have to worry if someone fits the system or not. No one is here if they don't fit the system. And the coach doesn't have to be a genius, just a good leader/teacher with a solid, but somewhat adaptable scheme. I'm thinking of teams like Pittsburgh. Yes, you must have good coaching...but this need to have a coach who can mold a system around his player's talents the way Belichick does just comes from the constant turnover of coaches and schemes our franchise has seen. We like the talent and want it to be used properly, but the players also have to compliment each other as well as what the coaches are trying to do. Every coach will try to put his players in the best position to be successful, but building a team is, as we've been hearing, more than just accumulating talent. It is work ethic, buy in, the players talents complimenting each other, players fitting the schemes the coaches want to run, managing the cap, culture, always looking ahead, etc. I agree with the OP that coaching has been bad throughout the drought, but so too has the FO, and the relationship between the FO and coaches and some years, the talent also. It hasn't been just one thing on its own. I think if we give this new FO and staff some time to build the team they want, in a year or two we won't be discussing guys that don't fit the system anymore or why the coach can't mold someone to fit or why a talented team continues to underachieve. They just won't be relevant questions anymore. I'm not saying it is a guarantee that these guys succeed, but I can guarantee that the playoff drought will continue if ownership isn't eventually patient with someone.

I think your list of locks is right on Wayne. Of the players left to fill those 17 spots, I see two categories (not thinking about possible FA cuts): 10 more players I would expect to make the team at this point: Rod Streater Logan Thomas Adolphus Washington Tanner Vallejo Matt Milano Kevon Seymour Leonard Johnson Shamiel Gary Reggie Ragland Seantrel Henderson (though won't cost against the 53 at the start of the season) On the bubble (7 of these 12 guys make it---special teams a plus here): Joe Banyard Taiwan Jones Philly Brown Brandon Reilly Dakiel Shorts Ryan Davis Deandre Coleman Max Valles Colt Andreson Bacari Rambo Greg Maybin Vlad Ducasse (or another interior lineman)

Fair enough 26CB...and I agree that both were great QBs. And the line about fantasy wasn't directed at you but more at posts like the one below. Just posting stats doesn't tell the full story. Did you ever actually watch Kelly play? Overrated? Just as an experiment (stat-wise) let's look at a couple of things. First, Marino played 17 years in the NFL. Kelly played only 11. Kelly played two years in the USFL. Now comparing those stats to NFL stats may be a bit of comparing apples to oranges, but if you add those in it becomes: Marino: 61,361 yds, 420 TDs in 17 seasons Kelly: 45,309 yds, 320 TDs in 13 seasons You posted Kelly's yearly average, but not Marino's Kelly: 3,485 yds, 25 TDs, 17 INTs Marino: 3,609 yds, 25 TDs, 15 INTs That equates to about 8 yards more per game for Marino and 0.125 fewer Ints/game. Hmmm... Not looking like quite as big of a difference anymore. And if you prorated Kelly's averages out to 17 seasons it would look like this (not saying the length one plays/durability isn't a factor in making a player great, but again, Marino always avoided contact and Kelly took it head on, so goes to figure his career was a bit shorter). Kelly: 59,245 yds, 425 TDs, 289 INTs Marino: 61,361 yds, 425 TDs, 255 INTs Yes, it's just a lot of number crunching, but it shows that the gap probably wasn't as big as it seems on a year to year basis, as opposed to just looking at their overall yards/TDs at the end of their careers.

I guess you stopped watching Kelly's career and the Bills after the 1989 season. Yes, Kelly came in as a cocky SOB. But under Marv/Polian and through the bickering Bills stuff, he matured and became a huge team guy. He had the entire team over to his house after games, look at the relationships the players still have, he never cared about his stats, etc. Yes, Jim had a better supporting cast (at least RB and usually defense) and as I said before Marino was by far the better pure passer (the guy broke just about every record there was), but I would still take Kelly for those precious intangibles. Watching both of their careers side-by-side (yes, with a Bills bias) there is no doubt that Kelly was a better leader and tougher. Marino would throw balls into the ground to avoid getting hit. I don't think I ever saw Marino make a tackle on an interception or get out in front of a RB who had reversed field to block for him. Now a QB shouldn't necessarily do those things because you don't want him getting hurt, but ask the other guys on the team who are constantly putting themselves in harm's way, how they feel about their QB if he does do those things. They follow him. Plus Marino was a whiner with refs, with teammmates. Kelly wasn't. So, no question Marino was a more prolific, skilled passer. His release may have been the quickest I've ever seen. Great player. Great QB. But I'm still picking Kelly as QB of my team. This isn't fantasy, this is football.

Marino was a better passer, but if I'm building a team I take Kelly everyday over Marino for the intangibles (heart, leadership, toughness, smarts, team-focused, etc.).

Great stuff as always Cover1; I really enjoy your breakdowns. A very encouraging look at Poyer's game. Like you said, if we only watch the game once and then look at the stat line, so many great contributions from players get missed/overlooked by us fans. I think the D is going to be fun to watch this year---back to being a stout unit. In the first play that you showed, when he was still a Brown, I love how he holds contain against both the QB and RB until he was sure the RB had the ball and then the RB made his decision on what hole to attack...and then he still got inside quick enough to make the tackle. How many big plays happen because someone didn't set the edge properly. Nice to see.