3rdnlng

Lewis admitted after the game that he went for the interception when he should have just slapped/punched the ball away. Still pictures show that he was in perfect position to do just that.

Your bear traps weren't enough?

What don't you understand about my original premise? I'm not criticizing his physical abilities. I'm saying he has shown that he is very bad in situational awareness which is not just a mental mistake but a mistake of either not knowing the game or being too lazy pre-snap to remind himself what he should do.

This has no bearing on my premise.

I'm not criticizing Lewis for his physical abilities. He has shown a lack of situational awareness twice in the last few weeks with one instance extending an opponents drive and the other instance costing the Bills the game. Because other players may have been guilty of the same thing doesn't excuse Lewis's actions but confirms my premise that some NFL players never learned the basics about the game that is their living.

Thank God for karma. Back in the day when BB was still considered The Greatest Coach of All Time he got his team to the Super Bowl against Seattle in 2015. In the waning moments of the game the Seahawks, who had displayed a rugged ground game that day led by Marshawn Lynch (who was showing why his nickname was Beast Mode) were in perfect position to close the contest out with a touchdown. They had marched down the field with the innate inevitability and confidence of scoring the winning touchdown. The whole world could see it coming and astute observers like yours truly wondered why the Patriots* coach wasn't using his timeouts in order to give his team a chance, albeit slim, to come back and score. No, Billy was either perfectly happy to let the Seahawks win the game or had misread the clock and thought it was still the 3rd quarter. Anyway, the Seahawks had a first down with a yard to go and a couple of timeouts to give them 3 opportunities to breach the goal line with a back that hadn't been stopped all day. Pete Carroll let Belichick off the hook and the Seahawks threw a pass into the end zone that got intercepted and ended the game. It was another Super Bowl victory for The Grumpy One that helped cement his genius status and establish him as the greatest coach of all time. Sometimes in life it takes a good deal of time for the story behind the story to come to life. Back at the turn of the century Bill Belichick had just recently been named head coach of the Patriots and had experienced a successful career as a defensive coordinator for various teams. Bill was worried that after his losing Cleveland HC experience he didn't have what it takes to be a head coach. After a relaxing night full of Sam Adams Winter Lager and a stimulating conversation about interior offensive line techniques and the different nuances of QB pre-snap cadence with his dog Taylor, he had a vision that turned his career around. Bill had an eerie visit from an apparition that looked just like that Al Pacino guy on the vcr tape he had recently rented from Blockbuster. It took him a minute but after looking at his late notice he deduced that the movie was named "The Devil's Advocate" and had that seductive little hussy in it played by Charlize Theron. The creepy looking guy that looked more like a gangster said to just call him Michael and made it a point to get down to business. "This is the deal" said Mike in a voice that could only be described as a cross between a raspy utterance and a whisper. "You want to be a successful head coach and I'm behind two of my assistants in buying souls. I'll make you an offer that you can't refuse. Sell me your soul and by the time you retire you'll be widely hailed as the GOAT". Bill, sensing that this was a watershed moment in his life hesitated and asked if he could have a little time to think it over. Mike, smiling like a benevolent father agreed to give him a week to return the contract. Five days after the meeting with the mysterious Mike, Head Coach Bill Belichick strolled the sidelines of a football game between his team and the New York Jets. During that game star quarterback Drew Bledsoe was seriously injured and some no name 6th round QB from the University of Michigan had to come into the game. After the game Bill deduced that his career was in doubt without sealing the deal with "Mike" and he rushed over to deliver the contract before Mike changed his mind. After shaking hands, Bill lamented the fact that he had just lost his starting QB and that was the catalyst for him agreeing to the deal. Mike, sporting his benevolent fatherly smile again chuckled and said "welcome to my world, nothing happens here by chance. I think your new QB will be a pleasant surprise." Over the next 20 years coach Belichick enjoyed widespread acclaim for his numerous Division Championships, playoff wins and Lombardi Trophies. Along with praise for his on field success his involvement with numerous cheating scandals was basically discounted by the press and his curt and rude comments were categorized as "cute" idiosyncrasies by the genius. Flash forward 20+ years and Bill Belichick was once again sucking down Sam Adams Winter Lager and talking with his dog Taylor, who didn't seem to have aged a day since Bill's time with the Giants. Bill commented about the play of his linebackers in the recent beatdown by those "&#%$ing upstarts in Buffalo who have the audacity to think that they deserve to win my division. My guys are failing me", harrumphed Grumpy. "They let that farmboy from some hicktown in California who couldn't get a chance anywhere but at some college called Wyoming beat them all over the field". Taylor, affectionately called "LT" by those in the know, responded with a whisperlike bark that sounded somewhat raspy. "I'm considered Man's Best Friend but I'm going to give it to you straight. For over 20 years I've been here by your side, making it possible for you to become the GOAT. Throughout those decades you gave me no respect and instead of showing confidence in my ability to help you, you chose to cheat your way to the top. You fed me that cheap dogfood from Dollar General and even kicked me after last year's playoff loss to the Bills. I stuck by you through thick and thin. I even caused the weather in last year's regular season game to give you guys a chance in Buffalo. All bets are off you fat bastard. The contract is cancelled." "You can't do that" cried Bill. "You promised that I'd be the GOAT." "Well, let's see", LT said with what sounded like a little snarl. "When is your next game?" "We play the Raiders this Sunday" said Bill looking smug again knowing that LT was giving in because of his stature. "All right Bill, no commitments for any future games, but I promise you that Sunday's game will solidify you as the GOAT".

BREAKING NEWS: Chiefs fan caught leaving the First Bank of Kansas City on an electric bicycle after robbing it of an undisclosed amount. He got about 3 blocks from the bank when his battery died and Metro Police apprehended him. Police confirmed that the thief was wearing the famous wolf mask that's been reported on a subject that has robbed 3 other local banks and has been recently in the news. When the police removed the mask they noticed that he had a fake mustache painted on his face. Famous coach Andy Reid who arrived on the scene shortly after the alleged thief Patrick "M" was apprehended, took one look at the Fu Manchu and told the officers on the scene that "he would look into it".

I hate to knock a Bill's player but these guys are earning a very good living doing something that they most likely love. I played some football but played baseball or softball from Little League up until I couldn't physically play anymore. In the field before every pitch we were taught to review the situation and decide what we were going to do under the different circumstances that might occur. These guys have no excuse.

In a pickup game in your back yard you have a choice of Mahomes or Allen as your QB. Which one do you choose?

Sadly enough Lewis showed against the Vikings that he has the ability to not think at critical times in the game. Trying to intercept that ball that Jefferson caught instead of just knocking it away lost the game. Guys in the NFL have played football since they were kids. Situational awareness should be part of their DNA and there is no excuse for Cam taking the angle that he did on that attempted punt block. Singletary showed situational awareness and a team first attitude by going to the ground short of a sure touchdown. He put team over personal stats.

BREAKING NEWS: The Bill's medical staff just consulted with the Dolphins preeminent concussion expert/head coach Pajama Boy who diagnosed Morse with either a minor back injury or "something wrong with his ankle". Mitch is now scheduled to start the game in Chicago and play as long as his ankle holds up enough to keep him from stumbling around the field like a drunken sailor on leave. -)

I used to hold my breath when Josh would take off running and still wait anxiously for him to get up when he flies through the air and collides with the three guys trying to take his head off. Those kind of runs seem to happen now only when a play from him is needed at a critical time. He is very good at sliding or getting out of bounds when a Superman play is not necessary. In a lot of instances a running QB is no big deal if he isn't also a good passer. Josh is a great passer and a great runner with power and guts. It's truly like the Bills have 12 men on offense most times.

You make some good points. Brown is a huge tackle that most likely spent his college days dominating in the run game and more than holding() his own in pass protection. His competition was such that his size afforded him a real advantage. In the pros, that size is still an advantage in the run game but he needs to work on his techniques in pass protection. It's a rare O-lineman that excels in the run and passing aspects of football but Spencer's size naturally puts him on third base to start and his athleticism allows him the opportunity to become excellent in pass protection. His nastiness would bring smiles from Conrad Dobler and Richie Incognito.

Beasley made the choice that he felt was right regarding what amounted to an experimental drug that he was going to allow to be put in his body or not. Seems like I've seen a lot of masked people protesting about the same thing. Anyway, many in the fanbase and the media blew his decision out of proportion and deliberately created a feces storm. He was hounded incessantly. He was injured and played through it during several games. People were claiming that he had lost a step and was finished. As recently as two weeks ago posters here were calling him "washed" and doing so with an attitude that put all of their past and present animus on display. By the end of last year Beasley was fed up with the way some of the fanbase and media were treating him. He played through injuries for the Bills with one of those injuries being a broken leg. He was the one who asked for his release and Beane gave it to him. Cole was considered as one of the top 2 slot receivers in the NFL in 2020. His average per catch went down in 2021 (the year he had to work through injuries)but he still had as many catches as in the previous year. His timing and familiarity with the way Josh read the way the routes should be run was nearly perfect. Slot receivers get a lot or most of the short or medium 3rd down passes. If it was a 3rd and 7 Beasley would time and again get 8. He was great at knowing just where the sticks were and getting beyond them. He also chipped in with bringing in longer passes and blocking downfield. He's never been a prima donna and displayed a loyalty to the team even when he was being treated like a pariah by many of the fans and instigators the likes of Jerry Sullivan. So, Beasley is back and only time will tell if he can't return to his super effectiveness. I welcome his rejoining the Bills and only regret that he had to leave us for nearly a year. Maybe throughout this stint with the Bills he'll be judged on his play with the team and not by people doing so with their own agendas.

I'm just glad that I have no reason to be able to make that comparison.

I'm just happy that I read that headline slowly and correctly.

The slot receiver gets a lot of slants and short outs. Opponents may not be respecting #6 like they would Beasley. That affects the positioning of the DB's and the other receivers might not be getting quite the room that Beasley would give them. Holes in zone coverage is what 3rd and 7 likes.

Mine got ghosted.

He had 4 catches on 5 targets for 17 yards. Slot receiver is important, especially on 3rd downs. Also, timing with the QB is really critical and Beasley was on the Practice Squad there and only got bumped up for games. Not sure how much time he got to work with Marcia.

I haven't read this whole thread but it has always bothered me that people think that just because someone is a good coordinator they would make a good head coach. The jobs and specific responsibilities are different and because someone is good at drawing up game plans and calling plays on game day it doesn't mean that they can lead a team and make decisions with the big picture in mind.

Last Thursday the Bills held the Pats* to 10 points (7 of those points came on a long play that one of our guys near the line of scrimmage took the wrong angle on) and certainly held Mac Jones in check. The week before Jones threw for something like 375 yards. If we don't have too many injuries we should take this game. Besides Milano being questionable the health & availability of Dion Dawkins is very important. His backup, Quessenberry is also questionable and he showed a lot of grit against the Pats while playing with that injury, he was getting beat often. The Jests will make every effort and game plan around beating the left tackle. Maybe the Bills should take advantage of their pass rush to that side and throw a few screens there to slow them down.

OMG, I opened this thread and thought the OP's post was worth responding to. My response of course went to the last page (#13). I'm not going to read through it all mainly because of the stupid comments I've seen here on the last page. People bashing McDermott for not having a 300 yard passer in his first 3 years either have no knowledge of what was going on with the Bills during those years or are ignorant of what it takes to win a game. McDermott arrived and had a QB who was at best a game manager. The Bills squeaked by with just enough wins and with a little luck made the playoffs. If I remember correctly prior to that year they had the longest playoff drought in the league. McDermott and the Bills ended that dubious distinction and stopped every NFL announcer and prognosticator from talking about that streak whenever mentioning the Bills. The next year McDermott and Beane dumped highly drafted players that made their salary cap unmanageable and players they didn't want to build their team around. That year they had a losing record but the management and head coach made the tough long term decision to change the team's culture and work towards long term success. They also drafted a QB that had a tremendously high ceiling along with all of the intangibles that they wanted for their franchise QB. Josh Allen hadn't played for any bigtime colleges and he was considered very raw. No other team in the NFL that was looking for a QB considered drafting him early on. Josh was thrown into action sooner than the plan due to injury and had to develop his raw talent and all of the mental aspects of a pro QB on the job. The goal was not to turn him into a prolific passer right away but to develop him as a franchise QB. Posters and fans that didn't know jack about football complained that he wasn't throwing for 300 yards. Allen's efforts have all been about winning games and if it takes throwing for 400 yards he'll do it. If it takes his team running 40 times then that's what he'll do. He also is a fearless runner himself and has shown time after time that he'll put his body on the line to make a needed play. To all of you who are making a big deal about statistics other than the final score I have a suggestion for you. Go get a book called Football 101 and learn the intricacies of the game. If you don't want to do that, I'll give you the Readers Digest version: The team that has more points at the end of the game wins.

Yes, McDermott has been a big part of changing the Bill's culture and adding the stability and continuity that is needed for any sustained success. Brandon Beane and his management team are a big part too. You are correct in saying that all coaches make mistakes. Many people believe that Bill Belichick is the best coach ever. Think back in the Super Bowl that they won over Seattle. The Pats* won that game by pure luck and BB coached as if he didn't want another Lombardi Trophy. In the waning seconds (quite a few actually) Seattle had a first down really close to NE's goal line. They had Beast Mode who had been running all day over the Pats* and couldn't be stopped. Of course Seattle threw the interception that gave NE the victory. What most people don't realize is that BB failed to call any timeouts to save the Pats* a little time after Seattle scored their almost certain go ahead touchdown. It was a giant mistake by Belichick that was ignored because (I assume) Pete Carroll made an even stupider call to throw a pass into the end zone. In all fairness that Lombardi Trophy shouldn't have been awarded to anybody.

A big concern is Dion Dawkins, who has only practiced on a limited basis. Quisenberry is also injured and may not be able to play. That could be a big problem vs. the Jests DL. Quisenberry, who played through his injury against the Pats* struggled. While NE took advantage of the situation there's no doubt in my mind that Saleh will make it a big part of his game plan. The Bill's defense is predicated so and plays to its strengths when it gets a decent lead. When our offense clicks, our defense if not weakened by injuries, has the ability to shut down their opponent.

Knock off the sneaking in of semantics to try to make your point. We all know Floridians are not born but.........................hatched!