finn

I wish I didn't remember that commercial as well as I do.

To my unpracticed eye, Ankou seems to play well whenever he's in, better than Jefferson, Phillips, or Austin Johnson, so I'd like to see him play. But I believe callups are unlimited in the playoffs, so maybe we'll see him then if not Sunday. Same with Shavers.

Not likely, but maybe they're making room for Calais Campbell or another useful veteran who may be released after Sunday's games.

Maybe I'm just a homer, but looking at Lamar's highlights, like in this video, I'm just not that impressed. Most throws are ones we've seen most QBs make, including rookies Drake Maye, Bo Nix, and Jayden Daniels. I don't see many truly special throws--against the grain, while falling down, into tiny windows, with tacklers hanging off him or while running fast--of the kind that Allen throws every week, including the two TD just last week. Yes, Lamar shows crazy speed and moves on his runs, but his escability is oddly not much better than Mahomes, who twitches like a squirrel, and Allen, who has the frame to shrug off defenders. With his slight frame, Lamar goes down on contact if he can't juke, which might explain the 10 fumbles his fans don't see fit to mention. Over Jackson, I'd take Mahomes, Burrow, Goff, Daniels, or Allen any day. I'm thinking something else is going on besides production. Not race, exactly, although there is a resemblance to last year's Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark controversy. Something appears to be fueling resentment against Allen and hero worship of Jackson.

And yet the Bills coaches aren't recognized as elite. So logic suggests that either the selection process is highly flawed, or one or both of those two players are so much better than the rest of the league that they've carried the entire team to a better record than the Ravens. I suspect both theories have merit. Meanwhile, Benford is the biggest snub here. His play has been All-Pro quality, not just Pro Bowl.

If that's what you're saying, cheers. We're just misunderstanding each other.

You're doing the straw-man thing. I'm not saying talent, coaching, and other factors determine team success. I'm just saying chance plays a bigger role than people think. Your reply proves my point.

See?

For some reason, that joke is never going to get old.

I'm not discounting the myriad factors that go into winning football, including elite QB play and coaching; I'm just agreeing with the OP that randomness plays a bigger role that most people think. Injuries are a prime example. I'm convinced the Bills would have beaten KC last year if Bernard had been healthy. That critical factor is ignored in the crowing narratives of KC dominance over the Bills.

Amen to this, although I think the word "realize" may be more accurate than "admit"; that's how deep goes our collective delusion goes, one amplified by the loudest commentators in the media. For example, it's more likely randomness more than some ineffable winning quality that contributed to KC's near-perfect record this year--and their playoff run last year, when the Ravens or Bills could just as easily gone to the Super Bowl instead. Once you winnow the field to the elite teams, it's pretty much a coin flip from there on. Yet some part of us wants to bestow superlatives on the winners and pejoratives on the losers, as if the outcome were inevitable from the start, the winner always being winners and the losers always losers, with randomness and plain old probability dismissed outright, if considered at all.

Anyone know who is the Bills' emergency quarterback?

Some media person compared him to Gretsky, Jordan, Ali, and Ohtani. I think he might be right. Lamar may have stats and some nice plays, and Burrows makes excellent throws on a regular basis, but Allen isn't just on another level; he's in a different league altogether. The clip above shows that even his teammates can't keep up with his abilities. I've watched football for 40-plus years and seen some great quarterbacks, but I've never seen anything like this. Every game he makes throws that you just don't see other human beings make.

I'm cautiously optimistic Milano will contribute some big plays going forward, but I wonder what happened to Bernard, who looked like a budding Pro Bowl player last year. The secondary looks pretty good, even with Hamlin, who is dependable in both good and bad ways. Oliver and Rousseau can disappear some games, but they can also dominant, and I think Von may really help in the playoffs if the offense can build a big lead. Bottom line: This defense is at its best when the team is ahead, but it has shown it can help (a lot) with turnovers. Now ask us about Special Teams. 🤔

I have nothing against Lamar, Henry, or Saquon, but I'd like to see OPY go to Darnold. Too bad they tweaked the criteria for Comeback Player of the Year; he'd be the perfect candidate.

The Jets game seems to have done the trick. It was like an "Ok, fine, whatever" moment for the fence-sitters and maybe even some Lamar supporters, from what I can gather from a short selection of the media blather (which is all I can stomach). Those two TD passes by Allen, along with that incredible (but for Allen routine) pass to Coleman that Coleman dropped and the bucket pass to Coleman that was called back, appear to have done the trick even for the "What have you done for me lately?" crowd.

Shoot, I didn't know McGovern and Edwards will be free agents next year. That helps explain why Beane drafted a center so high in VPG. Not much depth at guard, especially if they want to keep Anderson available to play as a sixth lineman on plays. High draft pick coming? But re the thread, I agree it's nice to not worry about the tackles or even the depth at tackle. The play of the line this year might be the most important factor of the Bills' success this year, aside from the Supernova at QB, followed by the excellent trio at RB. Three elite units on a team with, arguably, no other unit much above average anywhere. (One big caveat: the defense's penchant for big plays, which recall the Super Bowl Bills.)

And you do? You sneer at the poster without addressing his arguments. Got to work on your game, oldmanfan.

I did take a second. Look, he's our hero, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's not human with human flaws, nor does it mean that as an admirer I need to admire everything he does and says. Of course his teammates support his goal. I would, too, out of respect and admiration for him, not necessarily because it's a noble goal. Yes, maybe the streak means something to him that I know nothing about--a promise to his grandmother or something--but I suspect it's an ego thing. It's fine: trivial, not a big deal, and very easy to shrug off, even be fond of, maybe. But I am mildly surprised that Superman is human.

Yeah, but the men in the locker room know the difference between playing through pain and taking a few snaps to keep alive a streak. The first is real and important and for his teammates; the second is phony and for show. I love Allen, but I don't think much of this priority of his.

Seems like a silly streak to care about. Does he want to be seen as an iron man or tough guy? His many enemies will be eager to divide his TDs, yardage, and so on by an additional game to argue his stats aren't impressive.

True, but the Bills might have inadvertently created the next big thing in offensive football. You need an excellent line to buy the QB time and an elusive quarterback who can scramble and create. The receivers don't have to be great, just competent, because, given enough time, someone will get open at some point. It's brilliant, because if the designed play is there, fine. If it's not, you go into backyard-football mode. In short, an offense designed to do what other offenses resort to only as a last resort: scramble. How do you defend against that?

I think Allen has it wrapped up, although it won't be unanimous. Could be given to both, but the arguments about wins, Henry, and pre-season takes outweigh the stats argument, which is hardly a slam dunk anyway. Also, Allen has a far more jaw-dropping plays. Jackson's has a few, including some electrifying runs, but most are rainbow throws to wide-open receivers.

Perfect description of Coleman's leaping ability.

Waiting for the TD pass to "tackle eligible" Anderson to set a new record for number of receivers with TDs in a season. Or maybe save it for the playoffs.