finn

Would Lamar still win MVP? 😀

Hobbled and also still developing chemistry with Allen, at least in the case of Coleman, Samuel, and Cooper. With Allen, the tight ends, and a line that's been playing together all season, this offense is on the rise. Barring more injuries, it should be peaking just when the playoffs hit. It's a nice time to be a Bills fan, isn't it? At this point in the season, I'm used to thinking about the draft next year.

From what I gather, Joe Burrow should be the winner, even though he's not listed. You wouldn't know it from his pretty-boy clothing habits, but he's evidently a good guy on the field, sort of like Andrew Luck was: saying "Good hit, man" and just being a regular guy on the field instead of a prima donna. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes being on the list doesn't pass the laugh test. I mean, he was fined for whining too loudly about that Jason Kelce throwback TD last year, and he had nothing gracious to say about escaping the Bills in the playoff game.

Chargers. I want the bloom to continue to fade from the Ravens' rose (to mix my metaphors).

Interesting combination: near-best pass rush but most yardage given up. Sounds like a boom or bust defense. Looking at the highlights, it looked like the Bills were moving the ball pretty well on offense much of the game. Penalties, a tipped pass, and a well-timed blitz shut them down early. What really jumps out is how badly the defense played in the first half. The Ravens were doing whatever they wanted.

I read that it's their defense, which I find surprising, since I associate that team with rock-solid defense. Also, the offense chokes, one reason I thought the Bills could have come back in that game. But, yeah, it is puzzling.

The weakest likely playoff team this year looks to be Houston, but every team has its weakness. I'd say Bills and Chiefs are the least vulnerable, followed by the Ravens, Steelers, Chargers, Bengals, and Houston. As you say, no gimmes.

Could he be a Darnold type, someone who just needs a second chance? Or is he more like Carson Wentz, good early, but essentially not good? I haven't watched him much.

Context is the first thing to go when people compare quarterbacks. What quality receivers is he throwing to? How many times was his team behind and he had to throw vs. ahead and didn't throw (or score)? What kind of running game and defense does he have to rely on? What teams did he play? Did he have a good offensive line? Were his coaches competent? What factor did injuries play? I don't think I've ever seen an analysis that took even half these factors into account. It's always "X is the GOAT" or "How many trophies does Y have?" I (grudgingly) respect Brady because he won with a wide range of teams and against every kind of opponent. I respect Allen because he won with a mediocre team around him, at least early on. I respect Marino because he incredible things all by himself. But I've always been skeptical of Mahomes because he's had every last thing a quarterback could want: great receivers, coach, line, defense, luck...the works. Burrow? I'd say the jury is still out.

Three-plus hours of Collinsworth making everything about Mahomes? No, thanks.

I was kidding, but you're right. I wouldn't hand out batteries or lacrosse balls to an NFL crowd, either.

I see your point. Allen can't play defense, as we saw in the 13-second game. His will to win was enormous in that game, but it didn't carry over to the defense or coaching. Does that make Burrows the true MVP then? (I mean, in a just world.)

My point is that Allen would have the Bengals winning their division, not because he's more talented physically than Burrows (I would say his mobility and power is offset by Burrow's superior accuracy) but because he has more will to win. In other words, there IS more that Burrows could do. Of course, if he could do what Allen can do, he wouldn't be Burrows...

I agree, of course, but I would argue it's more of a QB stat than it appears. Put Allen on the Bengals and Burrows on the Bills. What difference would there be in the respective teams' record compared to their records now, all else being equal?

Rocks in bottles, hm. He may be on to something. Would beat the train noise.

We already have Daniel Jones for a backup, or his clone anyway.

Play it out or trade him when his stock was highest, at the beginning of that fifth year. I don't recall any team having the foresight to pull off this kind of move. I thought Arizona should have traded Kyler Murray at the same point. I still stand by that judgment, given that haul they could have gotten for him and (I think) how unlikely it is he will take the team to the Super Bowl.

They convinced themselves he was their Josh Allen. Letting him walk would have been a courageous move, but it would have been the right one.

Am I the only one who finds the train whistle utterly obnoxious?

As I recall, McDermott said they picked Bernard mostly because his coach at Baylor, a friend of McDermott's, said Bernard was the real deal. He was right. So was the writer of his profile on NFL.com, at least in terms of Bernard's strengths, quoted below. I admire his play for a lot of reasons, but especially how he studies film. Scouts rave about his leadership and character. Never-quit attitude despite adversity. Film junkie who rang up 100-plus tackles in 2019 and 2021. Rapid read and response against play-action. On a continuous quest to go get the football. Loose and fluid in pursuit and change of direction. Bends and flattens off the corner as a blitzer. Speed to cover man targets underneath.

I'm not upset, nor have I missed the positive coverage of Allen. I'm just pointing out that the constant refrain "Allen turns the ball over too much" is never, that I've seen and heard, paired with his remarkable touchdown production. It's the mindless repetition of the Narrative I object to. By the way, I also object to the "Mahomes won three Super Bowls, so he should be spared all criticism" narrative you repeat, too. I'll assume the best and won't accuse you of being mindless on this point. Maybe you thought it through and concluded Mahomes should only be praised. All Hail Saint Patrick?

Yes, but why that narrative, repeated ad nauseum even by Bills fans, never paired with his scoring far more touchdowns than everyone else? He's had 189 TDs since 2020 vs. 62 interceptions. Mahomes has 167 TDs in the same period vs. 56 interception. So 22 more TDs than "the best player in the league" and just 6 more interceptions, yet he's a turnover machine, not a touchdown machine. Bias anyone?

Absurd how that silly poll of 103 players got so much attention. Just 11 voted him the the most overrated passer (not player) and 39 voted him the best quarterback in the league. The media turns that into "Allen's peers think he's the most overrated player in the league." https://www.si.com/nfl/bills/news/buffalo-bills-josh-allen-most-overrated-term-of-endearment

Wow, really impressive technology. Funny to think our grandkids will scoff at how primitive it is. But it is some cool. Give you a sense of how complex and fast things are on the field.

It's about time the narrative evolves. The last time I was hearing similar praise for Allen was after the 2022 playoff game against the Chiefs. But the old narrative still lingers. At one point in Sunday's game, Nance was going on about how Mahomes has dominated Allen in the playoffs, but the graphic on the screen showed that, head to head, Allen was better in all categories but wins.