finn

Well, you're doing a good job saying it now. You put your finger on the question that more sunny posters here are ignore: not whether the Bills do something, but whether it was enough to produce a better outcome in the playoffs than the past seven years. I share your concern, to the extent that my hopes for the season rest pretty much entirely on Allen and the offense. I think the defense may win a few games for the team via turnovers, as they did in the Baltimore game, where they were otherwise overmatched. But for the most part my hopes for a Super Bowl appearance/win rest entirely on Allen and the offense. Not a whimsical hope, I might add.

Although, to be fair, they have like half the time to get home on their rushes than their counterparts on teams that have a competent secondary. It doesn't take much time to hit receivers routinely given a ten-yard cushion.

He does have a lot going for him. Crazy motor, plays like a wolverine. Freakishly long arms, plenty of power. He'll never bend like Von Miller, but I think he could easily stick as a valuable rotational piece.

I disagree with those who argue Beane did enough at cornerback by drafting one in the first and fifth round and signing White and Jackson. The draft picks were unlikely to be ready to start, and while both White and Jackson both know the system, neither are starting quality. And that's quite aside from the prospect of injuries. Realistically, the best-case scenario was White doing an adequate job while Hairston and Strong developed. But hanging the season on a 30-year old coming off serious injuries does not (and did not) sound very prudent. It's not like Beane didn't have money to spend, when you consider the contracts for Hoecht and Ogonjobi. I think Hoecht was a good signing, even with the suspension. But even if Obiwan were performing great, which he isn't, it would have been smarter to put that money into the secondary. It looks like 2023 all over again, when Beane had to give up a third-round pick for a cornerback who hit the wall the following year. Let's hope the Bills can muddle along until Hairston is ready--and that he plays well.

He reminds me of Reggie White, the way he tosses around 300-pound offensive linemen. White maybe had better balance, but Walker is similarly huge, powerful, and agile.

You might be right, but it seems to me that it has more to do with McDermott's temperament. He's willing to roll the dice on offense, but he's always been as conservative as a cat on defense, his supposed bailiwick. To be fair, his approach does get it done (although what approach wouldn't when you have the highest-scoring offense in the league), but in the playoffs, it's akin to waving the white flag. He might as well cup his hands and yell over to Reid, "hey, Andy! I'll let you score at will, but keep it under 32 points this year, ok?"

To the extent I'm optimistic the Bills go all the way this year, I think it will depend on Allen taking it up still another notch in order to overcome the continuing deficiencies of his head coach in the playoffs. I suspect he knows that. As I've said elsewhere, I'm not confident McDermott could go all the way with any roster in the league. He's a deer in the headlights when he faces KC, shocked--shocked!--that his bend-don't-break defense breaks when it matters most, even though it has happened time after time after time after time. If this team finally reach the Super Bowl, it will be despite McDermott, not because of him.

You know, there's something in that, and not just past the midfield line. I realize McDermott does go for it on fourth down more than most HC's, but with the the best QB in the league back there--and with spotty special teams and his own ineffective defense as the alternative--he might get better results going for it on everything shorter than 3rd and 15, even from his own end. Swap McDermott for Dan Campbell and we'd have a dynasty.

McDermott appears to coach his players to give receivers a big cushion in order to not be burned deep then make the tackle. He might be right that this approach produces more wins, at least in the regular season, but it's deeply frustrating to watch. He doesn't seem to grasp, or somehow rationalizes away, that this means his pass rush is much less likely to get home. Call me old fashioned, but I'd rather see our defense completely crush their opponents while giving up the occasional big play than watch them play pitch and catch hoping they drop the ball at some point. At the very least, he should change it up in the playoffs. How much evidence does he need that playoff teams feast on soft cushions and don't make the mistakes that he counts on them to make?

Fair point. I do feel more comfortable with the cornerback depth than I do safety. Still, Dane Jackson is no more than emergency depth, and Tre White, although I'm certainly rooting for him, is a gamble with his age and injury history (as we're seeing). I do like Strong, who may be a significant player next year, but Hancock has always been slotted (it appears) as nickel and safety, not CB. That adds up to putting all your chips for this critical position on your first rounder, hoping he's both good and stays healthy (!), with the iffy White as insurance policy. After having to give up a third-rounder in mid-season two years ago because of a lemon first-round CB and inadequate depth, you'd think Beane would have done a bit more at CB. Same with safety after last year's debacle. Hence my point that he seems fixated on DL at the expense of other positions. I agree DL should be the top priority, but not if it means leaving other positions threadbare. Hindsight is 20-20, but I look at Carter, Jackson (yes, yes, way too early), and Obiwan, and I can't help wonder if those investments (two third rounders and $8 million) would have been better spent on S and CB.

Exactly. Beane seemed to overreact to Philly's D-line manhandling KC the same way he overreacted (the huge six-year contract to 33-year old Von Miller) after Tampa Bay's D-line manhandled them in the 2021 Super Bowl. In both cases, he went berserk on the D-line at the expense of other team needs. You can argue bad luck in the case of Miller, but in the present case, they have more D-lineman than they know what to do with, while the only reliable starters in the secondary are Rapp, Taron, and Benford. They're pinning their hopes on the best-case scenario of Bishop panning out and everyone else staying healthy. White's recent injury is a reminder that you can hope for the best, but you don't want to rely on it.

I'm glad to have Sanders, Walker, and Jackson, but I wish Beane had invested free-agent money in one very good safety and a reliable corner besides White instead of Hoecht and Oganjobi. Hoecht's contract is worth up to $24 million over three years, Obiwan is guaranteed $8 million for one year. I'm sure they'll contribute, but even before the injuries in the secondary, I would have preferred the money go back there to make double sure we don't have a repeat of last year's nightmare. At this point, the D-line is loaded and the secondary might end up being a dumpster fire. Reminds me of those power lifters with an overdeveloped upper body and stick legs.

Not desperate enough to bring in Gabe Davis, at least not yet.

Is this many injuries normal? I mean, are other teams seeing a similar number of players going down?

Well, you can't argue Beane did nothing in the offense to address a defense that has choked in the playoffs year after year. I'm excited about Sanders and Walker especially, and some of the other picks, like Hancock and Strong, I think will be very valuable as soon as next year. I dread the prospect of Hamlin starting, but Bosa is a big upgrade over Miller, and Milano looks like he might have a career year. But even if this defense is a LOT better, we still may be watching McDermott facing Andy Reid in January. And that problem is not going to be fixed by personnel changes of any sort, I don't think. Reid sees through McDermott like a grown man watching a little kid playing in the backyard. Thought experiment: If McDermott were given Philadelphia's or Baltimore's defense (or even his pick of both teams) with a full year to work with it, would he win--or even get to--the Super Bowl if he had to face KC and Reid? I don't think so, either. Allen may end up being recognized as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, but every time his name is mentioned, people will shake their heads and say, "Why oh why didn't they ever get rid of McDermott?"