BillsVet

It wasn't so much the losing, but the way they lost. Some of those losses were brutal like the Dallas MNF game in 2007 when they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. It's one thing to get blown out by NE on SNF 56-10, but there were more absolutely unwatchable games (losing to Cleveland at home 6-3 when Derek Anderson completed 2 passes). Or JP fumbling late in the 4th at NYJ which was returned for a TD to squander a come from behind victory. At one time on TBD, someone had and kept updating a thread that titled something "cathartic" which listed all of the horrible losses going back to the late 90s. Really wish I could find that because it was comprehensive. No, I don't miss the losing primarily because during the RW years there was no hope. Now, there is order in the front office, they have a QB, they are a playoff team, and whereas once I expected they'd lose in stunning fashion now I expect to win.

He's definitely made the case the Yankees contract offer was low. This isn't going to be an every season thing and injuries happen to the bigger guys, but wow...didn't realize he was in the Triple Crown race until looking up his line yesterday.

They could only win 1 game this week. They did that. I sincerely doubt that McD and staff will be out-worked or complacent given the opportunity at hand AND his drive in the ensuing weeks. There will be ups and there will be downs. But last night was an excellent start.

Drafting Elam in the first round, i.e. a major long term investment, because Tre is recovering from injury to is not why they took a CB.

The caffeinated one? People like him around here because he tells them what they want to hear. If there was a class called Shill 101 he'd be teaching it.

The idea is to get pressure with the front four in McD's scheme...not bring pressure with blitzes, zone or otherwise. Besides, they've invested a ton into that DL...if they can't get pressure from that unit then something is really wrong.

Listening to Sal takes for more than a minute can take a year off your life. Somewhere it's been scientifically proven that's the case.

Nah dude, I'm just reiterating what the a lotta people said around these parts before the draft. It's amazing Khalil Shakir made the team...that WR depth is gonna be fun to watch.

I thought this roster was so stacked that mid-round draft picks had almost no hope of making the roster. Trust the process? When did that stop being the mantra?

I think Buffalo could have done better than Larry Kroger...a guy nicknamed "Pinto" for goodness sake.

Peanut Butter?

Is that you Sal Cappuccino?

I don't think philosophically McD and Daboll saw eye to eye on offense. Buffalo threw the ball 57% of the time last season and I can't see McD liked that imbalance. It's why they went after an IOL who is suited toward run blocking and drafted (another) RB high. We're going to see, but achieving offensive balance in this era is not always a good thing especially when you have an MVP candidate caliber QB.

You've got a lot of time on your hands...and thanks for following me around like a lost puppy. I've never criticized the Miller signing and won't because they needed a bona-fide pass rusher because McBeane could (EDIT: not) find one in at least 4 off-seasons. But context is key. Buffalo kept sinking picks and UFA dollars into that DL and still couldn't pressure with their front 4 as evidenced by the Divisional game. Doesn't remove the fact their top investment and best player remains Josh. And they did very little to support him besides another highly drafted RB and some 1 year UFA deals to aging veterans.

You'd think that after paying Josh 40M+ for 6 seasons they'd put better talent in front of him so he's less likely to get hurt. I guess they figure running it more and taking the ball out of his hands is the safer approach. We'll see.

When their top off-season acquisitions are Rodger Saffold, OJ Howard, and Jamison Crowder.

You think Hill is worth 30M per? On a team where they're paying Mahomes? Where they took the money saved this season on Hill and spent it on 2 receivers in UFA and used 2 of those acquired picks on defense? I'll trust the HC who fleeced McD 5 years ago to build an offense.

I'm thinking you're just dense and deliberately missing the point now. Enough so Josh isn't running the ball 9 times a game like he did from Week 13 through the Division Round. Enough so they can have more than 1 top end option at WR. Enough to keep pace with other AFC teams they'll meet in the playoffs. They aren't talented enough at offensive skill positions, notably WR and TE.

I don't live or die on likes. This ain't some mindless Twitter post where people crave validation for their thoughts. My criticism is directed toward how this franchise values and allocates picks/UFA dollars on offense. And I suspect how they'll scheme the offense this season. Josh covers up a lot of their offensive deficit in skill players and this will become evident when they try to balance out their run-pass play-calls. Another big issue is their skill players aside from Diggs aren't blazers. Last season in more than 1100 offensive snaps they had just 2 plays more than 50 yards. And I know about Davis' Divisional round game where he broke a few. This season he moves up to be a Z from that 3rd option he'd been before. He's never had a catch rate over 57% and now faces better coverage. The AFC is quickly become dominated by the teams who not only have the QB, but feature 3 and 4 receiving options. Compared to Cincinnati, the Chargers, and KC, Buffalo is not keeping pace offensively nor do I expect their defense to get to the playoffs and shut offenses down. Defenses can't do that anymore.

The coaches and front office handling of Ford really casts into doubt their "failing" forward approach on players, especially picks. And, he's the highest drafted OLineman they've taken in 6 drafts which supports my contention that they struggle to identify and develop offensive personnel. They nailed the Josh pick, but there is no other drafted player on that side of the ball who I'd say is a Pro Bowl caliber player. At least not right now.

We'll revisit this topic when Buffalo invests a high pick to replace Hyde and/or Poyer in the short term.

GB - This is a heavy dose of quibbling. You're citing the Rams and Bucs as evidence other teams are investing as much in secondary talent? I will be ecstatic when Buffalo also begins investing on offense the way TB and LAR have these past few seasons. Or, with KC who up until last season had All-Pro caliber receiving talents that scorched Buffalo's vaunted defense 2 playoffs going. I'm not arguing against drafting CB's high (sorry @BillfromNYC), but there's a decision to be made when they're as weak in outside skill players as this team is heading into the regular season.

2 first round picks in 6 drafts is a lot of draft capital, particularly when their WR depth is as poor as it is. As are the UFA/re-signing contracts for 2 safeties and a nickel CB. At some point, the defensive investment needs to pay dividends and, considering the original point of this thread, that should be this season.

This same rationale was used in 2006 when John McCargo flopped out of the league and Kyle Williams played well. Sure, it's great that they get a starting player but missing on 1st rounders and claiming that's acceptable for the aforementioned reason isn't enough. Not when the HC is from that side of the ball and has significant input into drafting that player. McD's big thing is secondary and he's invested a ton there.

Has @Logic weighed in yet on the comparison between Dick Jauron and Bill Belichick?