finn

How about Taron? My sense is that Taron and Bernard aren't carrying their weight out there, and most everyone else is. (Not sure about Milano.)

That would be ideal to me. I don't want a Super Bowl victory tainted by "It's only because they didn't face KC." Time to exorcise those demons by finally smacking down KC at home in the AFCG. The perfect farewell to the stadium, too.

I want to know what is with the walk-throughs. By my count, they've led to injuries to Rapp, Bass, Sanders, Kincaid (twice now), Dequan, Samuel, Palmer, Milano, and Bernard. It's just practice for god's sake! What are they doing, throwing woodstoves to each other? So far. I suspect a reckoning is coming. They're a lovely football team, ripe for a smackdown.

I am thinking logically--about an illogical season that has turned expectations upside down. The Raiders beating the Ravens? The Panthers beating the Rams AND Green Bay? Miami blowing out the Bills? As you say, "Like that was ever going to happen." But it did. So, yeah, New England could easily lose three more games. A few injuries like the Bills have had, a few bad bounces, Diggs doing his diva thing, and the bottom could fall out for them. And I for one would love to see it.

I agree, but I also thought they would beat Miami easily and take care of business in Houston. It's been a roller coaster of a year, and going into the home stretch, I'm still not confident I know who this team is. I wouldn't be surprised if they won out, and I wouldn't be surprised if they lost to the Bengals and New England and then lost in the first round of the playoffs. Either way, we'll be saying, "See? I told you so!" In a way, their utter unknowability makes them more fun to watch, since I have to temper my expectations, meaning I'll be less crushed if they lose (half expecting it) and more thrilled if they win (only half expecting it). Being a fan is weird.

I admit I avoid the Patriots' games and so shouldn't comment on their performance. My animus toward all things related to the Pats* was showing there. But what gives you away in turn are your absolutes, as in your claim that the Bills' anemic passing offense is "all about" the wide receivers and nothing to do with Joe Brady, which I think is ludicrous. We see what we expect to see. That might apply to me, but it also might apply to you.

Is the division out of reach? Miami is surging. It's not out of the question that they sweep New England. We win out, and we take the division. Not too crazy a scenario.

Kincaid, Palmer, Samuel, and Bernard, wow. Given their contributions to date, it might have been better to put them all on season-long injured reserve and sign players with less talent who can actually play. Best case scenario: All of them return to full health (along with Oliver) for the playoffs. Realistic scenario: They all continue showing up as "Limited" on the injury report but never show up on the field. Or, if they do, immediately get injured again. I'm a Bills fan, so I'm hoping for the best and expecting the worst.

"All about" is pretty strong. Look at the Patriots game, when Brady benched his best skill player in crunch time, or the Houston game, when he did nothing to protect Allen against a fierce pass rush, or his failure to do anything with Moore or Samuel, who both put up much better numbers with their former teams. You could say Coleman is a bust--or you could say Brady has failed to tap his potential. You could say Samuel sucks, Shakir is limited, Shavers does nothing, and Moore was a wasted signing--or you could say all of them would thrive with a coordinator who figured out how to use them, not utterly give up on him, as Brady appears to have done. How many screens to Shakir behind the line of scrimmage will it take for you to agree that another coordinator could do better? How many back-shoulder throws to Coleman, endless mesh routes, stupid gimmick plays, and utter lack of deep shots, except for that one to Palmer--one!--in the Atlanta game? No argument that this WR corps is awful, but what would a good coordinator like McDaniels do with it, given that he didn't have much more than that to work with when he was coaching Tom Brady? Heck, look at what he's doing now with a group of receivers that, on paper, aren't much better than the Bills have: a fading Diggs, a journeyman in Mack Hollins, and a promising but often-struggling rookie in Kyle Williams? Yet they're 10-2, with a quarterback, line, and set of running backs that are not as good as what the Bills have. No, Brady is the problem. Swap receivers with New England, and I guarantee you McDaniels would do as well or better with ours and Brady would do as badly or worse with theirs.

Yikes. He really has cashed in on that thin resume, hasn't he? I'm beginning to think he may be the only impediment to this team going all the way. If he rises just to the level of "adequate," they could to the Super Bowl. I don't think I'm being unfair. The wide receiver corps is bad, but he's not doing anything at all with it, and I suspect a better coordinator could do much more.

I made a similar point in another thread, that, ironically, this could be the year the Bills go all the way. A mediocre set of receivers, an incompetent offensive coordinator, a long list of injuries, a league-worst run defense...and they end up going to the Show and even winning it. The universe just seems to work like that sometimes. And in fact if you squint, you see a Super Bowl team in this year's iteration: QB, RB, OL, and TE are all very good to excellent, while the defense just might be coming into its own with McDermott evidently taking over, with veterans like Thompson, Poyer, White, and Milano giving it one last best push and young players like Bishop, Hairston, Walker, Sanders, and Hancock adding shots of talent and energy. If Brady can do something--anything--with the passing game, and the defense we saw in Pittsburgh and the end of the Baltimore game is who they really are, this could be the year. All the other pieces are in place.

There's the rub. Brady did wonders at LSU with Burrow, Chase, and Justin Jefferson, which a dead rabbit could do wonders with. Give him merely an MVP quarterback, a solid set of tight ends, and one of the best lines and running backs in the league, he doesn't do so well. Poor guy! How can anyone expect him to thrive without two All-Pro receivers also?

I wonder how Burrow would do the Bills receivers and line. Not very well, I'd guess.

You think Milano still has gas?

I guess the big question now is, Was this because the Bills run game was that good--or that the Steelers run defense is that bad? Watching the breakdowns, it sure looks like it was the Bills line, tight ends, and receivers each doing his job perfectly and just blowing open holes. Can they do that against New England? At least Shavers, Hawes, and Knox can block effectively. Silver lining!

Bequeathing him Chase and Higgins at the expense of defensive improvements isn't supporting him adequately? Funny, it's sort of the opposite of Beane's preference of investing in the two lines and only throwing a few dog treats (Palmer, Coleman, Samuel, et al) to Allen for receivers. So one quarterback throws to elite receivers and ducks for his life, while the other has all the time in the world behind an elite line but no one but safeties and cornerbacks to throw to.

But we have Brady calling plays. So.

A few thoughts: a) I'm glad the film guy gave credit to Kromer as well as Brady; b) depressing that we couldn't hit a long play-action pass off so many successful runs--and didn't even try; c) mindlessly calling the same 10 plays is a Brady special that is not going to work on better teams, and I'm concerned that, far from learning from the losses this year, most of which are on him, he's now going to double down on his tendencies, making the Bills offense an easy target in the playoffs; d) we have us a gem in Hawes, Shavers is a terrific blocking receiver, and the two backups look like keepers.

It was supposed to be a wide-receiver screen for no gain. Someone screwed up. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Brady is that clock, and one of his two moments has come and gone.

Or sign him so when they waive him we can sign him. Can't beat that Carolina imprimatur.

I'm starting to get excited about the Bills defense. Seems like McDermott has decided to assume the coordinator role, and the results are impressive: better tackling, more aggressive attitude, a renewed determination to force turnovers. Or at least what I think I'm seeing and hope will continue. They've struggled with tackling against the run, and if they really have fixed that, as it appears, they have a chance to be excellent, barring injuries. Shaq for Bernard is a key change, as is Poyer for Rapp. Sanders at end might be something. Still concerned about the pass rush, so it's not all daisies, but I do think this unit could do its part and more. Maybe, just maybe, soft zones and bend don't break have been shelved. Offense... I keep thinking of those games--New England, Houston, Atlanta--where the D gave them a chance and they didn't take it. I've made Brady my whipping boy and stand by that take, but I think they can do better despite his input. Allen could audible to different plays, Cooks could end up being a late-model Diggs, Kincaid might not be injured the second he returns. Heck, Brady might even stumble across "play action" while browsing online some night and boldly put it in his game plan. Admittedly, it would mean the end of his quest for the NFL record for runs on first down, but he might be man enough to put his ego aside for the good of the team. A fan can only hope. EDIT: I meant say all this by way of agreeing they have a chance to go all the way to the AFCCG.

Not sure about Milano--did you see something I didn't?--but I agree Poyer has been solid. He can long chase down anyone if he takes a bad angle or is out of position, but he's seldom either, at least the last few games. Good signing by Beane, who has been criticized for dumpster diving. White was solid yesterday, too. But let's see how they do against Burrow and Chase next week before we look into playoff tickets.

No argument here. As I said, the stars aligned for Brady's offense, since the conditions, including the injuries you mention, dictated a game plan that required no imagination, insight, flexibility, or any other quality except a play-calling sheet about four inches long. Like the proverbial stopped clock, even Brady is going to be right once in a while. But consider: a competent coordinator would have also stuck with the run in the second half, since it was starting to click, in large part because the defensive turnover and late hit on Allen fired up the team. But that competent coordinator would also have mixed in a few potentially explosive plays that the constant running set up. Even Shavers or Coleman can catch a long ball if they're not covered.

Sounds good. But you misspelled "Brady."

Reasons for optimism: Allen, all three running backs, Cooks, Hawkes, offensive line, McDermott taking over as defensive coordinator, overall veteran moxie, Benford, Bosa, Hawkes, Gilman. Reasons for pessimism: Milano, Poyer, Bernard, Brady, Coleman, another six Kincaid injuries forthcoming, decline/misuse of Shakir, Brady. (Did I mention Brady?)