NFL Network projects Bills at 9-8?!

[DapperCam]

1 hour ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

yes...The NFL is absolutely desperate for clicks in the off season

 

 

lol

I mean…they are, right? NFL Network has advertisers even in the off-season. Individuals (show runners, social media people, on-air talent) have their job performance assessed based on the number of eye balls they draw in, even in the off season.

[Mr. WEO]

2 minutes ago, DapperCam said:

I mean…they are, right? NFL Network has advertisers even in the off-season. Individuals (show runners, social media people, on-air talent) have their job performance assessed based on the number of eye balls they draw in, even in the off season.

The NFL owns all other major sports and dominates the sports internet year round—even in the off season…even during the championship  finals of 2 other major sports.  So they aren’t thirsting for “clicks”

 

stop

[Buffalo_Stampede]

3 minutes ago, purple haze said:

I hear you - it does seem like a tough schedule.  However, the Bills have won 37 games the past 3 seasons, only second to the Chiefs.   The current roster, on paper, is better than those teams.  They have a top 5 QB in the league.  If they finish below 11 wins they had long term injuries at the wrong positions or inexplicably lacked focus and urgency. 
 

Tough competition doesn’t mean better competition.  The Bills are better than most of the teams they will play outside of KC, Cincinnati and Philly; and I believe they are even with the regular season version of KC.  The Bengals, at this point, are better.   A healthy Tre, Hyde, Miller and Jones could easily change that equation though.  That Philly game will be a mosh pit, but the Bills talent is equal to Philly if the additions on both lines show up.

 

I’m so glad they play the Jets week one on national TV.   A point needs to be made.  That last payoff game left a bad taste in everybody’s mouth, but don’t overreact.  The Bills are a serious threat for the Lombardi schedule be damned.

 

 

It’s tough. I have them going 12-5 predicting game by game.

 

I wouldn’t be shocked if they go 14-3 or 9-8 though.

 

 

 

 

[Robert Paulson]

2 hours ago, Einstein said:

 

I don’t understand the narrative some Bills fans have that Rodgers is washed up. He has literally won 2 of the last 3 MVP’s and played on a terrible team last year.

 

If the Jets had even average QB play last season they would have been in the playoffs. 

I'm here in Green Bay. He ain't the same 

[Einstein]

13 minutes ago, Robert Paulson said:

I'm here in Green Bay. He ain't the same 

He doesn’t have to be, and that’s the point. If the Jets get even average/mediocre play out of him, they are a playoff caliber team. They don’t need HOF Rodgers. They simply need a QB that isn’t worst in the league like Zach Wilson was.

[78thealltimegreat]

5 hours ago, BobbyC81 said:

The NFL Network projected 2023 records for all NFL teams and they had the Bills at 9-8?!

 

What are they smoking?!

 

They have the Jets winning the AFC East with a 13-4 record.

Adam Rank is awful at his job and does it to get rises out of fan bases. 

[WotAGuy]

4 hours ago, DaBillsFanSince1973 said:

I predict the world will end in 20 days. see, I can make a prediction too, doesn't mean it happens.

 

If this happens, I’m blaming you.  In heaven. Or wherever. 

[Robert Paulson]

51 minutes ago, Einstein said:

He doesn’t have to be, and that’s the point. If the Jets get even average/mediocre play out of him, they are a playoff caliber team. They don’t need HOF Rodgers. They simply need a QB that isn’t worst in the league like Zach Wilson was.

So they traded away several picks and are on the hook for $100m next year expecting mediocrity? They could have kept white mike

[Taro Nimbus]

I mean, didn't the Bills finish 13-3 last year, with a tough schedule?  All while missing key parts of the Defense all year?   

[Shaw66]

1 hour ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

 

 

I wouldn’t be shocked if they go 14-3 or 9-8 though.

 

That's right.  Who knows what will happen?   11-6, 12-5 may be most likely, but anywhere from 14-3 to 9-8 certainly is possible.   But predicting 9-8 doesn't make a lot of sense. That's predicting a lot of injuries or total coaching failure or a half dozen teams getting remarkably good.  This things are unlikely.  

[Capco]

5 hours ago, nucci said:

you're listening to random people make predictions. Why?

I get your point.  But at the same time... isn't that exactly what we do here on this forum a lot of the time when we are talking to each other?  lol

[nucci]

5 minutes ago, Capco said:

I get your point.  But at the same time... isn't that exactly what we do here on this forum a lot of the time when we are talking to each other?  lol

Yep, we do. I get it..I just stopped listening to this stuff years ago. We know this team much better than the people on twitter or on TV

[Einstein]

18 minutes ago, Robert Paulson said:

So they traded away several picks and are on the hook for $100m next year expecting mediocrity? They could have kept white mike

 

Aaron Rodgers is much better than Mike White.

 

They won't be on the hook for $100M next season as the plan all along was to re-structure his contract.

[Einstein]

1 hour ago, 78thealltimegreat said:

Adam Rank is awful at his job and does it to get rises out of fan bases. 

 

That means he is great at his job. 

 

More eyeballs = more advertising dollars = Adam Rank keeps his job.

[MJS]

It's Adam Rank. He has a job because he is funny, not because he knows anything about football. He has silly hot takes every year.

2 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

It’s tough. I have them going 12-5 predicting game by game.

 

I wouldn’t be shocked if they go 14-3 or 9-8 though.

If they go 9-8, that means something happened, like a Josh Allen injury.

[Capco]

6 minutes ago, MJS said:

like a Josh Allen injury.

How dare you even utter these words!

[BigAl2526]

Click bait.

[Bulldog]

Anyone can throw out any crazy prediction about the NFL in June - here's mine:

 

The Patriots (who I despise) will finish ahead of the Jets in the AFC East Standings this year! 

 

That makes as much sense as saying the Bills will finish about .500 - while possible, as anything can happen in an NFL Season - I can't see either as likely. 

[JerseyBills]

7 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

This season’s schedule is setting up to be a grind. Fans need to be ready for a tough hard fought schedule. It’s very possible the Bills go  9-8 or 10-7 and sneak in as a wild card. 
 

BUT I think it’s their best roster and they can do a lot of damage once they get in.

We had a brutal schedule last year and went 13-3 could have been 14, Allen played half the year with a significant injury.  I see no reason they can't do it again 

[K-9]

6 hours ago, DCofNC said:

I don’t see the Jets going 13-4, but I could see the Bills at 9-8.  I don’t think this team is as good as the record has made them look the last few years.  It’s going to be all on Josh again.

And in KC it’s all on Mahomes, in Cincy it’s all on Burrow, in Jacksonville it’s all on Lawrence, in …

 

There is no team where it isn’t on their star QB to produce. 

[Robert Paulson]

1 hour ago, Einstein said:

 

Aaron Rodgers is much better than Mike White.

 

They won't be on the hook for $100M next season as the plan all along was to re-structure his contract.

Lol, they have no leverage. They owe him $100M one way or another. They can spread it out but that is what they owe him.

 

Not sure the current arod is much better than white mike. We will see but this setting up to be russ Wilson in Denver all over agsin

[billsfan89]

7 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

This season’s schedule is setting up to be a grind. Fans need to be ready for a tough hard fought schedule. It’s very possible the Bills go  9-8 or 10-7 and sneak in as a wild card. 
 

BUT I think it’s their best roster and they can do a lot of damage once they get in.

Last season and the two previous seasons fans were talking about how brutal the schedules were. Yet the Bills still managed to have good regular season finishes despite “brutal schedules”. 
 

I just don’t buy the hype about the difficult schedule.

[ExWNYer]

When I saw this topic thread, I actually thought the prognostication might have been from MJD who is probably the worst employee at NFLN. I'm not sure if he would even concede 9 wins for the Bills. He's a shill for the LA teams and rarely utters an intelligent sentence. If I see him on air, I flip the channel. He's just a waste of my time. NFLN has a ton of their 'analysts' make these on air predictions which are just fluffy, worthless air time filler. If it had been Michael Robinson, he probably would have had the Bills going 14-3 or something. It's all just individual perspective and not worth any more or less than the next guy or gal.

 

As far as Adam Rank is concerned, he's a Bears homer and his shtick is trying to be funny. Sometimes he succeeds, often times he falls flat. It's difficult for me to ever take any of his 'objective' analysis seriously because I just don't find him to be very credible, believable, or knowledgeable. He rarely picks against the Bears no matter how bad they are. I remember him laughably picking the Bears over the Bills last year when the Bills were 11-3 at the time and fighting for home field advantage and his beloved Bears were 3-11 and staring at the #1 overall selection in the 2023 draft. The Bills promptly smoked them in Chicago, 35-13. I also find his fantasy football analysis to be subpar. In fairness to him, I don't find anyone's fantasy football analysis on NFLN to be informative. As someone else said upthread, Rank is harmless and can be taken with a grain of salt like just about everyone else on that network.  

[BullBuchanan]

I think the Jets are this year's Broncos. A-Aron is washed.

[Starr Almighty]

If the Bills sign DHop this guy will change his prediction to 14-3

[78thealltimegreat]

2 hours ago, Einstein said:

 

That means he is great at his job. 

 

More eyeballs = more advertising dollars = Adam Rank keeps his job.

Yeh but you’re a Jets fan you’ve been hoping for seasons like he’s projecting since Bill Parcells was there in the 90s 

37 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

I think the Jets are this year's Broncos. A-Aron is washed.

Watch him last year it wasn’t all new receivers he really isn’t the same player  heck the year before the 49ers beat him in Green Bay with Devante Adams without scoring an offensive touchdown. 

[buffaloboyinATL]

10 hours ago, BobbyC81 said:

The NFL Network projected 2023 records for all NFL teams and they had the Bills at 9-8?!

 

What are they smoking?!

 

They have the Jets winning the AFC East with a 13-4 record.

What?!?  Hahaha. They are drinking their own koolaid about how great the Dolphins and Jets will be.  I actually love this, cause Josh plays better when people doubt him. Light that fire!

[Einstein]

5 minutes ago, 78thealltimegreat said:

Yeh but you’re a Jets fan 

 

lol, i'm a Jets fan!?!?

 

[Mat68]

I love it.  Buffalo and Allen as underdogs.  I feel this team is deeper than last year.  This is Allens year.  He claims his MVP and title.  I see parallels to a few NBA stars.  Media pegs him as the MVP or best player.  They fall short then nationally they move on to something else and then it happens a year  later.  

[DrBob806]

5 hours ago, 78thealltimegreat said:

Adam Rank is awful at his job and does it to get rises out of fan bases. 

Agree. He's the TV version of Mike Florio.

[ControllerOfPlanetX]

Josh Allen > Aaron Rodgers.

 

And after the Jets sh*t the bed this year, they will be in 8-9, 9-8 purgatory for the next 5 years.

 

 

[Augie]

2 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

Last season and the two previous seasons fans were talking about how brutal the schedules were. Yet the Bills still managed to have good regular season finishes despite “brutal schedules”. 
 

I just don’t buy the hype about the difficult schedule.

 

If the schedule does NOT look brutal, that may be the more unpleasant surprise. We never “really know” who will be good until we start playing the games. It may look daunting now, but I like our team and our chances. It should be another fun season to entertain us. 

[JESSEFEFFER]

11 hours ago, freddyjj said:

Love your avatar.  As a kid in the 70s we all practiced tapping our toes on the sideline like #81 Bobby Chandler.  Before it was labeled Toe Drag Swag.  

 

As for the NFL Network prediction, remember where they are based and the fact they employ many Long Island parents' cellar dwellers who love Gang Green.

 

I say 12-5 for Bills this year.   

We didn't get to see much of the rest of the NFL then but I too would swear Bobby Chandler invented/perfected that toe tap catch.

[BobbyC81]

12 hours ago, freddyjj said:

Love your avatar.  As a kid in the 70s we all practiced tapping our toes on the sideline like #81 Bobby Chandler.  Before it was labeled Toe Drag Swag.  

 

As for the NFL Network prediction, remember where they are based and the fact they employ many Long Island parents' cellar dwellers who love Gang Green.

 

I say 12-5 for Bills this year.   

Yep, everybody else could be Fergy, JD Hill, OJ.   I was Bob Chandler.

[BobbyC81]

49 minutes ago, JESSEFEFFER said:

We didn't get to see much of the rest of the NFL then but I too would swear Bobby Chandler invented/perfected that toe tap catch.

Back then, there was also another pretty good possession receiver named Fred Belitnikoff.  He was my favorite before Chandler was drafted by the Bills.

[Gunsgoodtime]

10-7 is very realistic imo.  9-8 is not that far off from that.  I'm not sure what triggered you to post this

[Mat68]

3 hours ago, BullBuchanan said:

I think the Jets are this year's Broncos. A-Aron is washed.

They are the 2022 Greenbay Packers.  Probably lose there last game for a playoff spot.  

[benderbender]

11 hours ago, DaBillsFanSince1973 said:

I predict the world will end in 20 days. see, I can make a prediction too, doesn't mean it happens.

 

 

My favorite is from the pc game Empire Earth. You start off in the prehistoric age with a wooden masked prophet. But when you level up your society to modern times, your prophet becomes a naked sandwich board wearing guy like this:

 

[BADOLBILZ]

5 hours ago, Bulldog said:

Anyone can throw out any crazy prediction about the NFL in June - here's mine:

 

The Patriots (who I despise) will finish ahead of the Jets in the AFC East Standings this year! 

 

That makes as much sense as saying the Bills will finish about .500 - while possible, as anything can happen in an NFL Season - I can't see either as likely. 

 

Yep.

 

People seem to forget that the Patriots finished ahead of the Jets in the AFC East last year..........despite Saleh declaring that his Jets would meet the Bills in the playoffs after they lost in Buffalo.

 

And while the Bills and Dolphins have mostly had their way with the Patriots the past few seasons........the Jets haven't even won a single game against the Patriots since 2015 so I will believe they are better than the Patriots when they actually beat them in a football game.

[JoPoy88]

5 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

Last season and the two previous seasons fans were talking about how brutal the schedules were. Yet the Bills still managed to have good regular season finishes despite “brutal schedules”. 
 

I just don’t buy the hype about the difficult schedule.

nor should you buy into it. SoS is not predictable year to year. Never has been. No statistics support it. It’s something media talks about in the offseason because they have little to talk about. 
 

Every year some previously good teams get worse, bad teams improve. Factor on top key injuries (which also obviously can’t be predicted) and the whole “team x has a difficult schedule” takes in June are meaningless. Good on you for recognizing that as well.