Patriots' offense is a disaster per The Athletic's beat reporter

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

Smoke and mirrors 

 

Belicheat wants people to believe that they are pushovers 

[Beck Water]

2 hours ago, HOUSE said:

They can always run the ball like 55 times per game 

 

yeah but if the result is "run stuff" they won't get very far with that

 

9 minutes ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

Smoke and mirrors 

 

Belicheat wants people to believe that they are pushovers 

 

Haha part of me 100% believes this

 

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by Beck Water

[HereComesTheReignAgain]

59 minutes ago, Bandito said:

This all sounds good but they won a preseason game and will give us a good game in the regular season. Any given Sunday in the NFL

Based on what?

[teef]

19 minutes ago, Jay_Fixit said:

Same design.

 

Yours is a small. His is an XXL.

you have a real bias against being lean with muscle.  

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, Don Otreply said:

The saving grace for the Bills with Miami is that Tua will likely stay true to form, they do have talent, I’m thinking a short pass offense on their part, 

 

I think they do have talent on offense. Though Armstead apart I remain unsold on their line. It is actually the defense I question. Two good corners but otherwise a lot of meh that was helped a lot by Flores's coaching IMO. 

 

That said if Wilson misses serious time my Jets for 2nd prediction has gone for a burton.

[May Day 10]

Im still not whistling past the graveyard.  Last season they nearly smoke and mirrored their way to the Division title, which could have knocked the Bills completely out.  Now, the Bills ended up dealing out 2 death-blows which helps everyone forget.  They also werent all that bad with Newton as an awful starting QB.  They have yet to see the floor fall out.

 

With that said, I wonder if the floor does fall out, how eager Kraft will be to turn the page on his franchise, move on from Belichick, and chart a new course

Edited August 24, 2022 by May Day 10

[Rocky Landing]

A much better day today, apparently.

 

[HereComesTheReignAgain]

17 minutes ago, Bandito said:

You base a bad practice on them sucking during the season? Based on it is the NFL. I would not be surprised if the Pats beat us 1/2 this season.

No, I base my assumption on the fact that the Bills trounced them in every game last season that didn't involve 50 MPH wind.  

[folz]

On 8/11/2022 at 4:44 PM, Beast said:

 

I'm not saying he hasn't been a good defensive coach. That is not debatable.

 

I believe he is extremely overrated as a HC. He was fortunate. Much in the same way Marv Levy was fortunate.

 

The Head Coaches that have had success at multiple locations with multiple core players are the coaches I have the most respect for.

 

Sorry to jump on an old post, but I'm always surprised by how many Bills fans think Marv Levy is overrated, lucky (due to personnel), or just not that great of a coach. I assume a lot of this sentiment is from younger fans who didn't actually watch those '90s teams and only see 4 Super Bowl loses with a loaded roster.

 

But, you say Marv Levy was fortunate---i.e. he only has a good record because of the talent he coached on the Bills (Kelly, Bruce, Thurman, Andre, etc.). And that "Head Coaches that have had success at multiple locations..." As if Marv never did anything before coming to the Bills. Here is an abbreviated list of what he did before coming to Buffalo. I hope you and other fans who think Marv is overrated read this.

 

 

- In his first coaching job (2 years coaching football and basketball at a high school in St. Louis), he coached their basketball team to a championship.

 

- He then returned to Coe College (his alma mater) for two years as asst. football coach and head coach of the basketball team. He led the basketball team to a championship.

 

- At his next stop, University of New Mexico, he was an asst. for 4 years before being named head football coach. In two years as the top man, he had a 14-6 record and won Conference Coach of the Year.

 

- Didn't do great in his stint with UC Berkeley, but did hire and groom Bill Walsh on his staff.

 

- In 5 years as head coach of William & Mary, he won a Conference Title and Conference Coach of the Year twice.

 

- Four years in the NFL as Special Teams Coordinator under George Allen.

 

- Became Head Coach of the Montreal Allouettes in the CFL. In 5 seasons, he took the team to the playoffs and the Eastern Conference Finals all 5 years. And made it to the Championship game 3 times, winning it all (the Grey Cup) twice and earning CFL Coach of the Year in 1974.

 

How many coaches can say they took their teams to 4 Super Bowls and 3 Grey Cups? He made it to the big game 7 times with two different teams.

 

- Five years Head Coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. People knock his record here, but he took over a 2-12 team, the worst team in the league, that just had their best two defensive players retire. Not counting the strike year, his record was 28-36. Not great, but there was improvement every year (from that 2 win season before he arrived) to 4 wins, then 7 wins, then 8 wins, and to a 9-7 record in 1981. And remember, this was pre-free agency. Rebuilds took a lot longer back in the day. It wasn't like today where teams can go worst to first in one year with a good free agency class.

 

With the Bills, besides the Super Bowl runs and his record, he was also named NFL Coach of the Year in 1988; and AFC Coach of the Year 3 times (in 1988, 1993, and 1995).

 

And fans really underestimate how he was able to bring that collection of alpha, ego-driven, big personalities of the '90s Bills together as a team. A lot of coaches wouldn't have been able to bring that group of guys together no matter how much talent they had. It took Marv's wisdom, experience, and demeanor to do that. Not to mention how hard it is to coach one team to a Super Bowl, but to keep getting a team back there despite losing every year is a major coaching feat in its own. The character, commitment, perseverance, and fortitude to do that is rare. And Marv did have success in multiple locations with different players---maybe not multiple NFL teams (as HC), but then, he only had two opportunities as HC in the NFL and at least his KC team was improving each year.

 

If anything, Marv is now underrated by too many Bills fans.

 

End of rant. 😊

Edited August 24, 2022 by folz

[Royale with Cheese]

41 minutes ago, teef said:

you have a real bias against being lean with muscle.  

 

Your muscles would be bigger if you ate more double cheeseburgers.

[Patrick Duffy]

22 minutes ago, Bandito said:

You base a bad practice on them sucking during the season? Based on it is the NFL. I would not be surprised if the Pats beat us 1/2 this season.

 

I would. Maybe if it's 75mph winds again.  I'm not sure there's much difference than last season. Did they improve weapons for M.Jones very much in WR etc? Also  Matt Patricia all oif a sudden jumping over to OC from DC doesn't concern very much.

 

 

[teef]

13 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

Your muscles would be bigger if you ate more double cheeseburgers.

parts of me would certainly be bigger.

[PromoTheRobot]

53 minutes ago, Bandito said:

You base a bad practice on them sucking during the season? Based on it is the NFL. I would not be surprised if the Pats beat us 1/2 this season.

 

But it's not one bad practice. It's been a tire fire all summer. If it were the Bills no one would be laughing it off.

Edited August 24, 2022 by PromoTheRobot

[Captain Hindsight]

1 hour ago, Bandito said:

You base a bad practice on them sucking during the season? Based on it is the NFL. I would not be surprised if the Pats beat us 1/2 this season.

They will need to force a punt in order to win

[mjt328]

59 minutes ago, Bandito said:

You base a bad practice on them sucking during the season? Based on it is the NFL. I would not be surprised if the Pats beat us 1/2 this season.

 

If you took the exact same roster and put a different logo on the helmet, most people would be expecting 6-7 wins.   Max.

It took 2-3 seasons before people got used to the Bills being good.  It's just as hard for people to get used to the Patriots being average.

 

[Patrick Duffy]

5 minutes ago, Captain Hindsight said:

They will need to force a punt in order to win

 

Watch out for Matt Patricia drawing up all the trickery and amazing plays that will have heads spinning on Bills D. 

3 minutes ago, mjt328 said:

 

If you took the exact same roster and put a different logo on the helmet, most people would be expecting 6-7 wins.   Max.

It took 2-3 seasons before people got used to the Bills being good.  It's just as hard for people to get used to the Patriots being average.

 

 

Lol, Maybe it is for me. Not for me it wasn't. Was expected without Brady obviously

[stevewin]

58 minutes ago, Sheneneh Jenkins said:

 

I would. Maybe if it's 75mph winds again.  I'm not sure there's much difference than last season. Did they improve weapons for M.Jones very much in WR etc? Also  Matt Patricia all oif a sudden jumping over to OC from DC doesn't concern very much.

 

 

I think if there's a 75mph wind game this year the Bills would beat them down just as bad as no wind.  They are not going to be able to run every play against our DL this year

[Airseven]

I'm hearing they have been celebrating excitedly! I tend to celebrate depressingly.

[BigAl2526]

But Mac Jones impressed Belichick with the improvement he's made.

[Punching Bag]

4 hours ago, Jauronimo said:

The playoff game where the defense didn't get a stop, force a punt, or prevent a score on any possession?

 

I'm not convinced they do anything well at this point.  They still have Belichick who is the best game day coach and strategist in the league. But they also have Belichick the highly questionable GM and decision maker when it comes to drafting and pro personnel.

 

I am sure they can cheat better than anyone else in league.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, mjt328 said:

It took 2-3 seasons before people got used to the Bills being good.  It's just as hard for people to get used to the Patriots being BAD.

 

 

Fixed it.

[Patrick Duffy]

40 minutes ago, BigAl2526 said:

But Mac Jones impressed Belichick with the improvement he's made.

 

Rumor is his improvement is largely due to Matt Patricia's creative top notch offensive scheme that was kept secret and finally after many years of so much success at DC  , Coach BB deciding to unleash and declassify Patricia's Offensive genius upon the rest of the NFL

Edited August 24, 2022 by Sheneneh Jenkins

[Last Guy on the Bench]

1 hour ago, folz said:

 

Sorry to jump on an old post, but I'm always surprised by how many Bills fans think Marv Levy is overrated, lucky (due to personnel), or just not that great of a coach. I assume a lot of this sentiment is from younger fans who didn't actually watch those '90s teams and only see 4 Super Bowl loses with a loaded roster.

 

But, you say Marv Levy was fortunate---i.e. he only has a good record because of the talent he coached on the Bills (Kelly, Bruce, Thurman, Andre, etc.). And that "Head Coaches that have had success at multiple locations..." As if Marv never did anything before coming to the Bills. Here is an abbreviated list of what he did before coming to Buffalo. I hope you and other fans who think Marv is overrated read this.

 

 

- In his first coaching job (2 years coaching football and basketball at a high school in St. Louis), he coached their basketball team to a championship.

 

- He then returned to Coe College (his alma mater) for two years as asst. football coach and head coach of the basketball team. He led the basketball team to a championship.

 

- At his next stop, University of New Mexico, he was an asst. for 4 years before being named head football coach. In two years as the top man, he had a 14-6 record and won Conference Coach of the Year.

 

- Didn't do great in his stint with UC Berkeley, but did hire and groom Bill Walsh on his staff.

 

- In 5 years as head coach of William & Mary, he won a Conference Title and Conference Coach of the Year twice.

 

- Four years in the NFL as Special Teams Coordinator under George Allen.

 

- Became Head Coach of the Montreal Allouettes in the CFL. In 5 seasons, he took the team to the playoffs and the Eastern Conference Finals all 5 years. And made it to the Championship game 3 times, winning it all (the Grey Cup) twice and earning CFL Coach of the Year in 1974.

 

How many coaches can say they took their teams to 4 Super Bowls and 3 Grey Cups? He made it to the big game 7 times with two different teams.

 

- Five years Head Coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. People knock his record here, but he took over a 2-12 team, the worst team in the league, that just had their best two defensive players retire. Not counting the strike year, his record was 28-36. Not great, but there was improvement every year (from that 2 win season before he arrived) to 4 wins, then 7 wins, then 8 wins, and to a 9-7 record in 1981. And remember, this was pre-free agency. Rebuilds took a lot longer back in the day. It wasn't like today where teams can go worst to first in one year with a good free agency class.

 

With the Bills, besides the Super Bowl runs and his record, he was also named NFL Coach of the Year in 1988; and AFC Coach of the Year 3 times (in 1988, 1993, and 1995).

 

And fans really underestimate how he was able to bring that collection of alpha, ego-driven, big personalities of the '90s Bills together as a team. A lot of coaches wouldn't have been able to bring that group of guys together no matter how much talent they had. It took Marv's wisdom, experience, and demeanor to do that. Not to mention how hard it is to coach one team to a Super Bowl, but to keep getting a team back there despite losing every year is a major coaching feat in its own. The character, commitment, perseverance, and fortitude to do that is rare. And Marv did have success in multiple locations with different players---maybe not multiple NFL teams (as HC), but then, he only had two opportunities as HC in the NFL and at least his KC team was improving each year.

 

If anything, Marv is now underrated by too many Bills fans.

 

End of rant. 😊

This is my favorite post of the past five years. Thank you.

 

You're fighting the modern current of smug opinion that labels anything with an imperfection (i.e., everything, eventually) as "trash" and that overlooks the many, many talents and character traits it takes to succeed in even the smallest way at the highest level. Marv had a number of remarkable qualities, and you do a great job showing how those qualities helped him win consistently in many contexts. And that's ignoring the other positive effects he undoubtedly had on many people beyond the football field.

 

And sure the Bills were talented in the 90s, but it is no easy trick getting talents like that to align effectively for a year or two, let alone multiple years in a row. Marv is completely deserving of his HOF recognition, and we were beyond lucky to have had him as our coach.

[Meatloaf63]

1 hour ago, Last Guy on the Bench said:

This is my favorite post of the past five years. Thank you.

 

You're fighting the modern current of smug opinion that labels anything with an imperfection (i.e., everything, eventually) as "trash" and that overlooks the many, many talents and character traits it takes to succeed in even the smallest way at the highest level. Marv had a number of remarkable qualities, and you do a great job showing how those qualities helped him win consistently in many contexts. And that's ignoring the other positive effects he undoubtedly had on many people beyond the football field.

 

And sure the Bills were talented in the 90s, but it is no easy trick getting talents like that to align effectively for a year or two, let alone multiple years in a row. Marv is completely deserving of his HOF recognition, and we were beyond lucky to have had him as our coach.

We lost to the Giants in the first super bowl because he couldn’t control Jim Kelly's ego and run the ball. Look at Thurman Thomases ypc and asked why he wasn’t used more to force the Giants out of their defense? I for one will never forgive him for that…

[Warcodered]

 

[wppete]

[Rocky Landing]

1 hour ago, BigAl2526 said:

But Mac Jones impressed Belichick with the improvement he's made.

And last season it was "an open competition between Mac and Cam." Belichick is an effing liar!

[dollars 2 donuts]

6 hours ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

I’m with you MGK. 20 years of angst over one team has a way of letting things get pent up to now I will never wish them well no matter who’s on the team or who they’re playing (even if it’s one of our erstwhile SB opponents). I was so disappointed we knelt on the final drive in the playoffs last year and didn’t hang a 50+ point burger on them, thus handing Belicheat only his 2nd worst ever loss…😉

 

HUDS, no lie, my buddy in New England said a few weeks ago on Boston area sports talk tv the topic one day…

 

…

 

…

 

…was about whether Mac Jones will be a Hall of Famer.

 

 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

Listening to one of the sports 📻 shows whilst driving and some guest was saying Mac was THE best rookie last season. 
 

I know the QB crop wasn’t stellar,

but the Mac “Tua” Jones was the best of the class…. 
 

 

the experts were right 

the QB crop wasn’t stellar

[Captain Hindsight]

3 minutes ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

Listening to one of the sports 📻 shows whilst driving and some guest was saying Mac was THE best rookie last season. 
 

I know the QB crop wasn’t stellar,

but the Mac “Tua” Jones was the best of the class…. 
 

 

the experts were right 

the QB crop wasn’t stellar

Mac was better than I expected him to be, but with his limited skill set, hes probably reached his ceiling or close to it. With limited weapons, I dont expect much improvement and with a year of tape, I expect more struggles

[BuffaloBills1998]

On 8/10/2022 at 7:49 PM, aristocrat said:

Devante Parker can’t get open on that secondary?  They’re in trouble 

Wait till he gets hurt game 2 and is out of action for 5-6 weeks

[Scott7975]

5 hours ago, Rocky Landing said:

A much better day today, apparently.

 

 

Belichick to defense:  Hey guys ease up on the coverage a little today.  I dont need this kid in my offfice crying all night again.

[BillsFan130]

Mac is a reasonable average QB IMO.

 

The problem?

 

I don't think his ceiling is that high.

 

And when you have Josh Allen, Mahomes, burrow, Herbert, Rus Wilson in the same conference, you are going to need to play better than average.

[Captain Hindsight]

3 minutes ago, BillsFan130 said:

Mac is a reasonable average QB IMO.

 

The problem?

 

I don't think his ceiling is that high.

 

And when you have Josh Allen, Mahomes, burrow, Herbert, Rus Wilson in the same conference, you are going to need to play better than average.

Exactly. Right now their ceiling is wild card team. Their floor is probably 6 wins  they remind me a lot of the drought era Bills 

[NoHuddleKelly12]

1 hour ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

 

HUDS, no lie, my buddy in New England said a few weeks ago on Boston area sports talk tv the topic one day…

 

…

 

…

 

…was about whether Mac Jones will be a Hall of Famer.

 

 

You don’t need to watch McCorkle play football to know that he’s a shoo-in HOFer…

[dollars 2 donuts]

38 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

You don’t need to watch McCorkle play football to know that he’s a shoo-in HOFer…

 

Shut the board down now.  It’s over for the evening.  Thank you, HUDS.  Thank you. Simply outstanding.

Edited August 25, 2022 by dollars 2 donuts

[Success]

1 hour ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

Listening to one of the sports 📻 shows whilst driving and some guest was saying Mac was THE best rookie last season. 
 

I know the QB crop wasn’t stellar,

but the Mac “Tua” Jones was the best of the class…. 
 

 

the experts were right 

the QB crop wasn’t stellar

 

It needs time.  Mayfield was considered the best of Allen's class after year 1.

 

Mac Jones would have failed miserably on the Bears, Jets or Jags.  He was in a perfect situation for a young QB, and they designed the safest possible offense for him.

 

[Stank_Nasty]

53 minutes ago, Captain Hindsight said:

Exactly. Right now their ceiling is wild card team. Their floor is probably 6 wins  they remind me a lot of the drought era Bills 

I personally think the floor is probably lower than that. I would be less surprised with them winning only 4 or 5 games than I would be if they somehow snuck into the playoffs again. 

[ColoradoBills]

4 hours ago, BigAl2526 said:

But Mac Jones impressed Belichick with the improvement he's made.

 

He should.  Mac Jones was a "Pro Bowl" QB in 2021 and the Bills QB was not.

BB is judging his QB on another level.  

[Last Guy on the Bench]

3 hours ago, Meatloaf63 said:

We lost to the Giants in the first super bowl because he couldn’t control Jim Kelly's ego and run the ball. Look at Thurman Thomases ypc and asked why he wasn’t used more to force the Giants out of their defense? I for one will never forgive him for that…

Cool. Let's say you're right in your analysis of SB XXV. (There are a lot more variables at play in a complex phenomenon like a football game than your simple reduction can possibly do justice to, but for the sake of argument, let's say you're right.) You are holding up one bad decision or failure against the LONG pattern of success that @folz outlined. And to you, that means he's a bad coach and can never be "forgiven." You completely erase all the decisions he made along the way to get them to that Super Bowl. I just can't think that way.

 

If you want to argue that Marv wasn't perfect, I'm right there with you. But of course no one is perfect, so that's not much of a discussion. If you want to argue that Marv's failings significantly outweighed his strengths, then I refer you back to @folz's original post.