finn

I thought at the time the Damar visit was weird. It wasn't about Damar, it was about Stefan. Look at me! He wasn't quietly sneaking out the back door after the visit. Divas don't change their spots.

I wonder if the injuries are a byproduct of McDermott's commitment to a what he calls a "nasty attitude" on defense. Where else do you inculcate that attitude but in practice, and how else than by practicing nasty, resulting in injuries? (What is nasty, anyway? I'm losing my handle on it. Aggressive? Unpleasant? Impolite?)

I'm pretty tall, but I would be looking up at everyone in the lineup except Cook. Gives you some perspective.

From left to right and front to back in the 13: 6'4" 6"5" 6'6" 6'5" 6'6" 6'8" 6'4" 6'4" 6'5" 5'll". That's a big offense.

In that case, keep him out of practice, too. We must lead the league in practice injuries.

Has Bernard ever not appeared on an injury report? The list should read "Bernard and the following players."

Good point. I should be careful what I wish for. It's easy to look at Sanders, Jackson, and Carter and dream about how those picks could have been star receivers, but that's not how it works in the real world. They haven't worked out yet, but a) they could still; b) he did hit on Bosa, Hoecht, Walker, and maybe Obi-Wan; and b) there's no saying for sure one or more WRs after the first round or via free agency or even trade would have been better, except in hindsight, which is B.S. No, you want balance, for sure. I do think Beane is doing a good job overall. He's probably doing better than all but a handful of GMs. Of course, those GMs run the Eagles, KC, SF, and Baltimore, so there's that. (Not looking for an argument on this one, btw.)

It depends on what you mean by "great." I don't think this offense is great at this point, do you? Very good, balanced, efficient at times, but not great. And that's just my point. With two and possibly even one top receiver, this very offense has the potential for true (like historical) greatness. It has the offensive line, the back, the tight ends, and certainly the quarterback. All it lacks (putting aside the coordinator) is at least one elite wide receiver. They wouldn't need to score on every drive, just one or two more times a game than they are now. That is what I mean by Beane letting us all down by settling for Shakir and a bunch of backups. I get it, he has a lot of holes to plug on defense. I don't even blame him, really, although I think a historic offense could just outscore everyone. But it's a bit sad to think what we're missing.

Yeah, but you're comparing an ancient Flacco to a guy who is his prime. I think Burrow might be overrated. Think of what Allen could do with those receivers. Either one would instantly be the best WR on the team. By not getting him a true WR1 since Diggs, Beane has done a disservice not just to Allen and the Bills but to the entire NFL community, who haven't had the pleasure of seeing what the best QB in the league can really do. It's like Usain Bolt running with a weight vest.

To be fair, Beane gave up a third for Amari Cooper last year, which was not a value pick. So I wonder if he tried to outbid Seattle for Shaheed, who went for a fourth and fifth-round picks. Even a third and fifth still sounds like value to me if it give Allen someone to throw to besides his tight ends.

Yet another year No Super Bowl in the cards Beane sits on his hands

I was afraid of this. I figured Beane would see Allen's performance against KC and figure he can do it in the playoffs, especially with Palmer coming back, and he'd say to himself, "My work here is done."

I hope you're right. He's been AWOL in quite a few games, including the KC game, where he played 41% of the snaps and had one catch for six yards. What is he doing out there?

No, more of a caveat emptor. I thought Samuel was a good pickup. He did pretty well with Washington and was universally regarded as a decent receiver. But as a Bill he's been underwhelming.

People said that about Samuel.

Sounds like my family talking about me.

So he's not working out in Dallas either?

Don't forget he also had a year of Hyde's tutelage.

Agree on the WR, even if Beane trades for one now. But at safety I'm hoping Hancock steps in. He seems fast and savvy. If Benford regains his form and Strong returns to replace Taron, the secondary could go from a glaring weakness to a team strength next year. (Allowing Beane to draft DL in the first and second rounds AGAIN.)

One of the most elegant malapropisms I've seen. Love the inference that we should all just shut up on the topic.

Who was it that went for the interception on fourth down in the Vikings game a few years ago instead of knocking it down, giving Justin Jefferson a chance to make a great catch and save the game, which he did? That game was the Chiefs' Super Bowl. 😀

They've defied the Super Bowl hangover syndrome for a long time. It's real, especially after victories. Very happy to see that they might finally be tired of the slog. Let's hope it's the beginning of a long slide into mediocrity.

You're right. I've been in the front row criticizing McDermott and especially Brady, but both did well yesterday, especially McDermott, who put on a master class. Brady.... I'm guess I'm glad the clouds finally parted and a beam of light descended from heaven, inspiring him to keep Cook on the field when it mattered most and even--yes, you read it here--throw the ball to him on third down. True, he was the last person in the NFL football community, my aged aunt in Lackawana included, who realized he should use one of his only two weapons on offense in crunch time, but let's give him credit for finally getting there. Of course, on the next third down, he benched Cook again, so maybe we shouldn't give him too much credit. But all props to McDermott. Regression to the mean. It's not magic after all, it's just probability. Long may it continue.

I didn't see Hancock out there. Did he play well?

I wonder if the oddsmakers think voters will take into account that he has replacement-level wide receivers.