finn

They held Cook to that few yards in part because Brady inexplicably took him out in crunch time. Unilateral disarmament.

I meant just on wide receivers. Shavers and Shakir were nice late-round picks, but otherwise Beane is passing or whiffing on WR picks, hence my metaphor of the picky batter passing up not just players that fell to him, like Metcalf, Adams, Pickens, Nacua, and McConkey, but also not trading up for players within reach. I realize you need a trading partner, but every year since he drafted Allen, I've wanted Beane to trade up for a receiver who can help him. For example, I was dying that he sat pat in 2023 when teams picked Smith-Njigba, Zay Flowers, and Jordan Addison. He traded up for Kincaid instead, which has worked out ok, but the WR was a problem then and is getting to be a bigger problem every year. I'm not saying anything new. I just hope Beane a) prioritizes wide receiver next year; and b) figures out why he has repeatedly missed on the position.

True, but you could say the same for almost ever player and GM in draft history, since none of them traded their entire draft to pick Tom Brady and other the other HOF players. That doesn't mean GMs are beyond criticism. I think Beane's done a good job overall given the draft position he has to work with every year, but there's no question he and his staff are deficient in their WR evaluations, to the extent that they should probably bring in new scouts and stage an intervention for Beane. He's striking out looking every draft, waiting for the perfect pitch then whiffing when he does swing.

The matchups are one thing, still not getting open after Allen buys more time--and more time, and MORE, and sometimes even MORE time--and they still don't get open, that's another thing altogether. You look at the tape, and the wide receivers are either running into coverage, jogging around with the cover man in their hip pocket, or sprinting down the field with no separation. At best, they break open briefly, frantically signal, then get covered again. I'm hoping for a breakout game from Cooks. (I've written off Palmer and Coleman, and I wonder if the team has, too.) If they're going all the way, it'll be because of the tight ends and running backs, with an occasional contribution from Shakir, Cooks, and Shavers. Man, what a missed opportunity! With even one stud receiver, or better one plus a strong WR2, this could be easily be the best Bills offense of all time. Every other piece is in place. They would have rocked the league.

Yep, I made a version of that mistake. I'll just say he should win three in a row starting now because when his kid is four, Allen will be like, "Football? What's football?" The good news is that, until that point, his urgency to win will increase exponentially. He'll realize he's on the clock, big time.

So that's why he said winning the Super Bowl is not the most important goal for him anymore. I get that.

And don't forget the hype about Mac Jones. "Experts" were saying Allen was the second best quarterback in the division after Jones' second year.

Palmer, too. The malady has gone from his knee to his ankle back to his knee again. Check back next month, he says.

At least they could use the box of tape they would get for him.

I'm intimately familiar with the Bills' strengths and weaknesses, but on principle I refuse to watch Patriots games (Bills fans in NE will know why), except when they play us. Can someone give me rundown of where they're strong and weak, especially vis a vis the Bills? The rundowns I can find online are insipid, fatuous, partisan, obnoxious, obsequious, opaque, overly long, sophomoric, pretentious, officious, and/or dated.

Must have been the dreaded walk-through practice, that Bermuda Triangle of injuries.

If Cosell is right, then Allen should win MVP for the success the team has had and will likely continue to have. I don't understand how people can hype Stafford without acknowledging that the team around him is superior to Allen's. Anyway, if the Bills go all the way, they won't be the first no-name team to do so. Sometimes it's less about individual star power and more about team character. That's not to say the Bills have, it, but they might. We'll see Sunday.

Full credit to Cooks, but when that DB looked back and saw Allen running full speed his direction like a runaway racehorse, well, let's just say he didn't fight too hard to get unblocked.

What are you, his agent?

Yes, but I suspect the inconsistency has to do with losing focus, which they are more likely to maintain in the playoffs, as they have in the past. And the injury train may stop (we certainly have had our share), while the injured players--Bosa, Oliver, Palmer, Bernard--all could be back for the playoffs. (I have the least confidence in Palmer; for some reason, I think he's dogging it.) As for Brady... you might have a point. He's doing a bit better lately, but my confidence in him remains very low.

"Slightly better"? Allen is one of the top three candidates for MVP despite playing with the worst receiver room in the league and having Brady in his headset, while Mahomes has a good to very good set of receivers and a HOF playcaller. Allen has by no means been perfect, but he keeps racking up the game-changing plays. I doubt there's a team in the league that wouldn't take him over Mahomes, who doesn't seem like the same player he was two years ago.

Right--and do the same for your own team so you can surprise your opponent by breaking tendencies.

Yes, and maybe McDermott, too, in the case of Babich and Brady. Babich might turn out to be a terrific coordinator, but it's pretty clear he wasn't ready yet to take over play calling duties. And Brady.... Let's just say I hope he lands a head-coaching job. In that sense, I'm totally in his corner. If he does move on, I really, really hope McDermott looks outside the organization for a replacement. He should be able to attract top candidates.

I was being facetious. Still, sometimes the obvious eludes the wise, as per your misreading of my post 😉

The man needs more color in his house. What's with the wintery shades in a wintery climate? That can't be good for his recovery. Get a few Bills blankets and pillows, man.

A gratifying stat, but I always resist the notion that one quarterback beats another. Yes, there is some willpower involved--willing one's team to victory, coming back in the fourth quarter and all that--and I don't want to discount that. But head to head doesn't account for myriad other variables, especially coaching, injuries and teammates, that affect the outcome in ways the quarterback can't control. Allen has outplayed Mahomes every time he's faced him, except for the first playoff game (when, IMHO, McDermott held him back), yet his team lost. Does that mean Mahomes is better anyway, as the stat you cite implies? So I think the stat has some merit but has to be considered in the context of many other factors. (All of which I am happy to manipulate to make Allen come out on top. 😀)

I'd like to know how much the Bills invest in scouting their next opponent. If I were them, I'd put a whole squad on prepping for games down the road, especially important ones. I'd hire a dedicated expert on every divisional opponent studying tendencies, even monitoring fan forums like this. I'd also have a working group, not just one person, on quality control, studying the Bills patterns as much or more than the opponent will. The personnel needn't all be top people; a bunch of smart, eager interns could come up with all sorts of valuable intel. Sometimes I think this forum knows more than the Bills coaches. Somehow, I don't think this is happening. My guess is that the team has one or two scouts and one quality-control person. Anyone know for sure?

Agree. You can get a lot more value picking for positions like nickel, safety, and running back in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds that you can looking for defensive line, which is Beane's fixation. Instead of a backup, which is all Solomon, Carter, and Jackson will ever be. Yes, you can hit on a Walker once in awhile, but you're playing the long shot instead of the more sure thing.

One of the best talents, I grant you. But he never was or will be a great player for the very reasons we agree are his strong suits: grit and willpower. Both disappear if he's not in the mood to play, much like Pickens. He made that spectacular catch in Minnesota, but too often he disappeared in the clutch for the Bills, most notably in the 13-second game and in 2023, when he literally dropped the ball. No Hall of Fame votes from me. I'll remember him as a shot of adrenaline to the team and a critical piece of Allen's development, but also as a peevish, choke diva. I agree he'll show up on Sunday. He thrives on spite.

Who replaces Poyer at safety then? His expiration date is coming up fast.