[Barnwell: Building a Team Around a QB on a Rookie Contract]

Just now, buffalobloodfloridahome said:

Packers are a glaring example of a team with an incredible QB and very little depth around him. Ravens spent so much on Flacco couldn't afford talent around him. Stafford has always had a weak defense because they don't have the money for it. Patriots keep dumping talent and having to reload because of Brady and Gronk salaries.

Stafford is a bad example.  He is mediocre.

[Met the mother of a current Bill this week]

3 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

It was very cool.

 

The wife and daughter and I were flying out of Denver last Sunday after a couple of awesome weeks off the grid in Grand Teton and Yellowstone NPs. Fantastic, though I had pretty much missed everything Bills-related. Saw half the first game at Lodo's in Denver, which turned out to be great Bills bar but that's all I'd seen, and I'd tried to avoid the rest so I could watch it on Game Pass back in Japan, but I didn't have any idea how the season had gone.

 

Anyway, we're leaving the check-in counter and I see that a smiling lady, an employee of the airline we're on, has given my little three year-old daughter a set of pilot wings. I thought that was sweet, so I went over to say thank you, and I noticed she had a Bills piece of jewelry right on her uniform. I asked her if she was a fan and she said she was, and we talked for a minute or two. She mentions player names and I can see she's a real fan.

 

So I was about to say goodbye and my Japanese wife, who absolutely loves to talk to strangers, asks her why she became a Bills fan. And she says, "Oh, my son's on the team." 

 

I kind of did a double-take and asked who and she said, "Ryan Lewis." I pretty much blanked on the name. Stupidly, I had a kind of glimmer and said something moronic like, "He's ... wait, is he? Is he a linebacker or a defensive lineman?" Not my finest hour. She says, "No, he's a cornerback." Looking like a fool, I just said, "Oh, that's great, when did he ...?" And she kindly told me he's just joined the team. And then she says, "He's playing today. Are you listening to the game? Do you know what's happening?" It was just a bit after noon in Denver so it took me a minute to realize that the game must have started. 

 

Then she says, "It's 24 - 0." 

 

And she's smiling, so I'm like, "The Bills are up? Against the Vikings?" 

 

She says she's checking her scores app every few seconds, hauls out her phone and says, "No, it's 27 - 0," with obvious glee.

 

We both got happy after that and talked a while. We had to go through the long security line so we had to get moving, but we talked for about five minutes. She said Ryan loved Buffalo and that they had connections in the city and to the team.

 

I asked her about what the connection was and she said that she was related to Robb Riddick. Brother-in-law, I think she said ...? I was psyched as I remembered him well and had a chance to make up for my idiocy. "He was a running back, right? He was a good player." She just smiled and said thanks.

 

It was a really nice conversation. She was a very kind person and talked a while to my daughter as well.

 

You guys probably already know the Robb Riddick thing but as I say, I've been off the grid, and I just thought that was a very cool thing. She said the family went a little nuts when the Bills called to bring Ryan in.

 

I've never really met a Bills family member before, so it was a really nice thing for me. She couldn't have been nicer. I wished her and her son good luck and we shared a "Go Bills."

Just be glad that Joe Sixpack wasn’t there.

[Who is Our Biggest Competition in the Division Going Forward?]

4 hours ago, Billsfanatic8989 said:

Disclaimer: The following question is assuming Brady retires. My guess is this is it for him. Just a gut feeling. Then again, they may not be an automatic lock to win the division with the current roster as is. Nevertheless, the below question is geared toward 2019 and beyond.

 

Jets have the franchise QB, yet are lacking alot in other areas. Dolphins offense is a concern, yet they have good defensive pieces.

 

So out of the Fins and Jets, which one will we be competing with most for the division moving forward?

Who said the Jets have a “franchise QB”?  Darnold looks more like a bust, to me.

[Should Micah Hyde be returning punts?]

29 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

I think field position is monumental with our offense. So I’m on the fence. I know Hyde had a lot of success returning punts in GB and we are fairly deep at safety but the drop off from him to Bush isn’t good.

If Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham can return punts for their teams, then we can afford to have Hyde do it.  I don’t think it’s particularly dangerous.

[Mic'd Up: Jerry Hughes vs. the Vikings]

I did not know he was so well-spoken.?

[Marshall Newhouse traded - Signed Jeremiah Sirles]

They still owe us for taking KB off their hands.  Maybe this is part of the payback.

[The NFL Can't Seem to Figure Out Roughing the Passer Calls - No Changes This Season Regarding Body Weight on QBs]

The problem is not the new rules; the problem is the refs blowing calls.  The Matthews sack, like the 3d White unnecessary roughness penalty, were just flat-out awful calls.  Both hits were entirely legal under the current rules.

[Do you think Robert Foster can develop to into a #1 receiver?]

I’m amazed at the snark generated by the OP. Of course it’s not likely Foster develops into a WR1, but to my eyes, he does some things other receivers on this team can’t do.  He beat his man badly on two deep balls on Sunday.  On the first one, Allen underthrew him by about 15 yards.  The second one was perfectly thrown and dropped.  Just the threat of the deep ball is worth a lot to an offense.  And guess what folks: players can get better with time and experience.  Goodwin is just one example and there is every reason to think Foster could too.

[Official MNF Thread: Stillers vs Bucs]

Why not an onside kick there??  Did it even occur to them?

[Official MNF Thread: Stillers vs Bucs]

90-yard penalty and we don’t even get to see a replay.  I’d wager it was bogus...

[Official MNF Thread: Stillers vs Bucs]

2 minutes ago, Kelly the Dog said:

James Washington would be our best receiver. 

Serious question: Would any of our receivers make the Steelers’ 53-man roster?  I can’t think of any.

30 minutes ago, Starr Almighty said:

Juju was on the board when we took Zay

You mean traded up for Zay

[Official MNF Thread: Stillers vs Bucs]

Awesome FG there.  Now when the Stillers score again, they’ll only be down by 24.

[Official MNF Thread: Stillers vs Bucs]

Anyone else think Dirk Koetter is a bottom five NFL coach?

[Official MNF Thread: Stillers vs Bucs]

Gutless

[Official MNF Thread: Stillers vs Bucs]

Why would a team not attempt an onside kick EVERY TIME they are kicking off from midfield?

[Unnecessary Roughness Call on Tre' White ?]

15 minutes ago, MJS said:

 

The Kelvin Benjamin TD against the Pats last year went to review. They reversed it, getting it wrong. No, I think it will always be a part of the game.

Just because replay sometimes gets it wrong  isn’t a reason not to use it.  It usually works, except when the Patriots are involved.

[Opposing defenses will adjust to Allen going forward]

4 minutes ago, mattynh said:

 

I think you misread.  That is why I said the Bills defense chewed up the Viking offense, cause they did.

 

 

True, but you used the Vikes’ meaningless yardage total to suggest that the Bills offense didn’t play all that well.

[A few thoughts about the Vikings game, in no particular order]

14 hours ago, Happy Gilmore said:

 

I notice the positioning of the DTs and DEs in the pass rush.  Lots of confidence in the LBs.

Agree that Minny was figured out by our coaching staff, so kudos to McD and crew.  My point was that they can't let off big leads on every team they play.  IF they did this vs NE, Brady would take advantage of the weak play calling and that may not have been a win.  I hope the coaches consider this in the upcoming weeks.

I said the same thing last year, after they turtled to protect leads against the Jets and Broncos.   And yet the strategy never came back to bite them, and of course it worked yesterday.

[Opposing defenses will adjust to Allen going forward]

11 hours ago, TigerJ said:

When you have a rookie QB, the opposing team does not know what to expect in his first few games.  A few more games into the season and opposing defensive coordinators are going to begin to have more extensive game film to study.  That will enable them to game plan more specifically to counter his skill set.  I'm thrilled with what Josh Allen is doing and I am very optimistic for the future, but as we move deeper into the season, that chess game thing is going to happen with respect to game planning.

Ahhh....The inevitable “cold bucket of water” post. Love it.  Please tell us why it’s important to “be aware” of this, “moving forward”.  More  importantly, why does it make Bills fans happy to post this stuff?

12 minutes ago, mattynh said:

 

 

You want some critical analysis, consider that the Bills and Vikings gained the same amount of yards in the game, 292.   Which unit really chewed up and spit out the other?  Its the Bills defense that chewed up and spit out the Vikings offense, that was the key to the game.

You’re not serious, are you?  Did you watch the game, or just look at the box score on ESPN.com?  Almost every one of the Vikings yards came in garbage time, after the Bills had accumulated a 27-point lead and were literally giving Cousins short passes to the middle of the field.  And for the same reason, the Bills’ offense went one-dimensional the entire second half.

[The Ringer: We Take it All Back - Josh Allen is Good]

But of course “the Bills are almost certainly still one of the worst teams in the NFL”. ?

[A few thoughts about the Vikings game, in no particular order]

14 hours ago, Formerly Allan in MD said:

Cousins played today like he did early in his Redskins tenure; completed a lot of throws but made some really serious mistakes.

Yep.  Perfect example of the misleading nature of football statistics.   Cousins threw for 100 yards more than Josh Allen but was badly outplayed.  Almost every yard he threw for was garbage time.

[10.5 pt. dogs at Green Bay???]

3 minutes ago, PeterDude said:

I mean, the Vikes game was more about how poor the Vikings played as anything.  It's a fluke win for the Bills until they prove otherwise.

It wasn’t a fluke win, but it proves how quickly things can go south for even a very good team when they have O-line problems.

[10.5 pt. dogs at Green Bay???]

I’m a little surprised too.  But the betting public loves the Pack, it’s two tough road games in a row, and you can normally expect a let down after a huge win like this.  In this case, though, I don’t foresee a let down; I think this was a win that builds the confidence of a team many had completely written off, and its rookie QB.

[Beane took a lot of heat for his offseason pick ups]

7 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

No way on Mack , we need those picks to rebuild and McD has got the defense rolling again.

 

 

Agree 100 percent, especially if Hughes would have been part of the trade.  If anything happens to JA, we’ll be right back in the discussion for first overall pick.

[patriots demise is greatly Exaggerated]

6 hours ago, Happy Gilmore said:

 

^^This^^^  No one should be looking past GB, who got handled by the Redskins today

Unless the folks posting here are secretly members of the Bills 53-man roster or coaching staff, we can “look past GB” all we want and it won’t make a damn bit of difference.