finn

Yes, he was terrific. But he did have some odd moments of standing around. At least twice I wondered, "Who in the hell is 31?" Also, Elam's upside is pretty high. He's got length, size, speed, athleticism, and (we're told) a solid work ethic. You would think his weaknesses--tackling and zone awareness--could be learned. But busts do happen. Anyone old enough to remember James Williams, the Bills' fast, athletic 1990 first-round pick at cornerback? Anyway, yeah, a tough call. If Beane extends Douglas, he'll have a solid corner and good depth for at least two or three years, albeit an older one (Douglas will be 30 in August). But his salary cap problems deepen. If he doesn't extend him, he saves a nice chunk of change but is gambling that either Elam or White can hold up that side. Given that it's a lean year and we have no DL depth, I would understand if Beane rolled the dice.

Yes, there have been stinkers. But think of the outcome the Bills may be facing at the end of 2025: $114 million dollars for half a season of excellent play. There have been some truly awful contracts, but not many compete with that much money for that little production. Not blaming Miller or, really, Beane. He rolled the dice and (so far) got snake eyes. Happens. I'm not so much angry as bummed out that one of the few huge gambles Beane took has fallen flat.

Not saying that. I acknowledged Miller was performing well and still might return to form. But if he doesn't, his contract will prove to be a horrendous waste of money and lost opportunity. Beane wanted to get to Mahomes. I wished at the time and still do now that he had instead given Allen another weapon so he could outscore Mahomes. Allen did anyway, at least during the regular season, even throwing to Diggs and a bunch of warm bodies.

Very unlike Beane, too, who has otherwise navigated for the long haul. The Tampa Bay rush shutting down Mahomes in the Super Bowl really seemed to make an impression on him. Fine, but committing that much money to a single player, especially one on the back end of his career, was really risky. I remember just at the time he was upset at Washington for reneging on the McKissic deal. Could he have acted impulsively? Plus, he either didn't consider or dismissed the idea of giving his own star quarterback the same weapons Mahomes had--TWO star receivers, along with (the next year, in response to the Super Bowl loss) a rock-solid line. This coming year, if both teams score a good WR, the two offenses will be more or less on par, finally. But, because of the Miller swing and miss, the Bills defense will likely take a step back. Beane always seems to be one step behind KC.

Unless he's a superstar next year and very good the following year, too, Miller will go down as one of the worst free-agent signings in NFL history. $114 million for 8 sacks, to date. Think of what that kind of dough could have bought elsewhere. He could still turn it around, but at this point, signing Miller was like putting all your retirement money in Blockbuster--in 2004.

Any list that doesn't have Allen on it is unpersuasive to me. FWIW, I think Marino would blow away Mahomes and anyone else in today's game. Not to be a homer, but the only possible exception is Allen, who can't match Marino's passing but is a superior runner.

Yes, at the time it was a good trade. But in retrospect, the Bills clearly got the better deal. Allen AND White for Mahomes? The impact of the trade is distorted because Mahomes landed on a team that had everything but a quarterback, Allen on a team that had squat (anyone besides Milano?) and was starting from scratch with a new regime.

Great insight. We're cheating ourselves of a lot of fun and pleasure by being perennially disappointed the Bills didn't go all the way and by dwelling on the low points of the year. This quarterback we have may be the best the franchise has ever had and ever WILL have, even in the lifetimes of the younger fans among us. I've been watching the Bills since 1973, and only Kelly is in the neighborhood of Josh Allen. That's 50 years, folks. If we need a model of how to approach the game, we have one in Allen himself. He's positive, cheerful, fiercely competitive, and never blames others. He feels losses keenly but bounces right back. I'm already looking forward to next year!

I confess I didn't watch the video. I'm a bad, bad poster. 😔

Thank you for what memories? The downfield blocking? The "positive locker room presence"? How earnestly he ran a limited route tree and get an inch of separation? Nice fellow, wish him well. Also wish we had never drafted him.

Yes, I get that. Plus, they probably would prefer signing what little dough they have on keeping Jones at DT to ease the transition from the high draft pick I hope they use on the position. Most likely, they'll draft a free safety in the mid-rounds (or a corner they can convert) and hope he can step in. The answer is certainly not on the roster now, unless they convert one of the CBs. Safety is a glaring hole, second only to the yawning chasm at WR2. Man, the Miller signing is like a rotting corpse draped around a drowning man.

Kyle Dugger is a free agent. Would be a dream signing, very expensive. More of a strong safety, although he's played free safety, too. Since we have Poyer, it's probably not a perfect fit. But he's a budding star coming into his prime years. Give me WR and DT/DE in draft and Dugger in free agency.

This with a single top receiver--and even he dropped off a cliff midseason. Screw the defense. Give this man three top receivers, good protection, and a run game, and he will score 75 points a game.

For not playing "complementary football"?

Tell that to McDermott.

Yeah, I'm less willing to defend Beane on the offense he's provided. Too little too late. That ginormous contract he gave Miller could have gone to an A+ receiver that may have put them over the top, even taking into account the impact Miller might have had if he had stayed healthy. That was just a bad call. He saw how Tampa Bay got to Mahomes and thought that was the only way to stop him. Did he consider that Allen could simply outscore KC if he had sufficient weapons? Major fork in the road with that signing. Beane took us down the road to Pallokaville.

I've maligned him often, but I don't think I was being unfair. He's been beaten on numerous occasions since he arrived, most memorably in the 13-second game, when he was rag-dolled by Melvin Ingram. He's been beaten so often over his career Josh Allen would reflexively dodge the rusher Brown let through. "Take snap, dodge Brown's man, look, throw." Who was the poster who generously posted his review of each O-linemen after every game? Brown always got low grades. Same with the grades from the Athletic. Only this past year, and maybe just the second half of last year, did he do a competent job in pass-pro. He's improved to average. That's something, I guess. But I'm hardly excited about him.

Not sure you're being entirely fair to either Beane or McDermott. Putting aside injuries, look at this defense Beane provided: Miller, Oliver, Rousseau, Jones, Milano, Bernard, Taron, White, Benford, Poyer, and Hyde, with reasonable depth everywhere. Plus, he hit the jackpot with Floyd and Douglas when injuries did hit. That's three All-Pros (Miller, White, and Milano), three Pro-Bowlers (Taron, Hyde, and Poyer), and three future Pro-Bowlers (Oliver, Rousseau, and Bernard). And Jones, who might have been their defensive MVP last year. Pretty good shooting. Now look at the injuries: White, Milano, Miller, Hyde, Bernard, Jones, Benford. They lost SEVEN key players for either long stretches or for the playoffs over the past two years. And they still fielded a reasonable defense.

This Bills team is this generation's version of the Kelly-era Bills: Good enough to go almost all the way, but never never never good enough to win it all. With yet another version waiting to break our hearts in 25 years. Always wide right, throughout eternity. 😱

I should have said "WE Bills fans." ☹️

Bills fans are hard on McDermott, Davis, Bass, etc., because they live vicariously through the Bills and they hate feeling like the almost-winners or losers they feel like they (not the Bills, they) might be.

Ah, I wouldn't spend too much time fretting that the Bills are inferior. I don't they are. I won't be winning any arguments because results are the bottom line, but just watch. As long as the Bills don't become a "I'm a loser!" head case like the Super Bowl Bills against Washington and Dallas, they'll win their share of championships. When KC and Buffalo play, it's a coinflip who will win; that's been the case for years. The flip just happened to come up Buffalo in the regular season matches and KC in the playoffs. Just about all of those games could have gone either way. No, all else being equal (no small condition, I realize), we'll see a regression to the mean, and on two Lombardi trophies in Buffalo.

How come he never seems to get a HC offer? He's the DC I respect the most of the opponents the Bills regularly face. He just gets it, like blitzing on that key down late in the game last night to force the field goal try and get the ball back. McDermott might have blitzed, but he might also had played it safe with a soft zone, hoping no one breaks a tackle. Maybe I'm misinformed, but I favor an aggressive offense and an aggressive defense. McD has his moments, but overall he seems to favor ball control, field goals, and "complementary football."🙄

Gabe Davis will always be a bust in my book, if only for his egregious drop of what would have been one of the most clutch passes in NFL history. Waning minutes of the Jets game last year, Allen--with a hurt shoulder--throws the ball 63 yards in the air right into Davis' chest, perfectly in stride. And he drops it. I don't blame Beane for drafting Davis. But I do blame him for thinking Davis could be a WR2.

I'd say that's a wash. They're both busts. Speaking of which, is it a low blow to bring up Cody Ford, another bust Beane had too much faith in? Or Wyatt Teller, an all-pro Beane did NOT have faith in?