WhitewalkerInPhilly

Yeah, that's what I was thinking when I did the matchups in my head. Cover 1 does very well made breakdowns in advance of games so I will defer to them but from a quick look I think that our strengths and their weaknesses match up very well for us. The advantage of the Steelers defense is a very, very good D-line. I am not going to dismiss them, and I think they will get their due. With that said, Josh's ability to extend plays and throw on the run do mitigate that advantage. On top of that, apart from Minkah Fitzpatrick at safety they seem to be subpar in the secondary. Seeing the slant routes that Trubs nailed vs the Bears and the dump off routes to Sanders we saw vs the Packers, with the fact that we seem loaded at WR with Diggs, Sanders, Beasley and Davis I think that the Bills could pass sixty times and have the wheels to keep it fresh. The Steelers finally seem to have a decent running back and Ben has some pop back in his arm, I am not overwhelmed by their WR group. Our secondary is good enough that unless they just go 5 wide all the time I think they are containable. Oh, I think that they will manage to dink and dunk well, and I will be tearing my hair out because they will make 3rd downs they shouldn't, but a weak offensive line and a rookie RB should not gash our run game weakness, and our overloaded group at D-line should keep us fresh. I think the Steelers keep it close, but the Bills have an extra gear the Steelers don't have anymore.

I'm actually happy to see so many pro-Pitt takes. I want the Bills hungry on the 12th. But "disheveled from COVID?" What? Maybe at most Dawkins missing a lot of camp, but he looked fine last game and he has another week and a half. No other players have missed substancial time. That's a hot take.

I know the risk is always there that you let go of a young guy for a so so vet, but I have to agree with it. I see the future in Espenesa, Groot and Basham but they really do need more time to season. Hughes and Addison have one final year for the transition. I would rather have the veterans for the final year before we turn it over

I don't want to get cocky. Their GM seems to be avoiding some of the dysfunction that plagued the Phins in the 2010's and they seem to have some talent. But yeah they got spanked by Matt Barkley and the 2s in a game that they had to win to squeak into the newly created 7th playoff spot. To say that transplanting even an above average QB into that mix equaling a Super Bowl seems premature.

We have a rare problem of too many good special teamers and a glut at defensive line. We got value for a 7th round pick we were likely going to need to cut. I'll take it.

We have experience with "high end meetings" ourselves. Also, Miami staff is high as a kite if they think that they are Super Bowl contenders at every position but QB

Short answer: not as long as Diggs is here. Longer answer: I like what I've seen from him last year and thus far in preseason. He is a fantastic piece and I am happy to have him. However, Right now he is probably the third or fourth best receiver on the team (Diggs and Beasley, it's been a toss up between him and Sanders) so the idea of seeing him compete for #1 seems premature. I don't think we have seen him able to take on a top flight CB and win, or handle double teams That said, I do see him competing to be a very good #2 receiver. Do I like the idea of him one on one vs most teams #2 CB? Definitely. If the Bills are willing to move on from Beasley in 2022 (cap savings on a 33 year old slot WR) I would feel a whole lot better with Davis here.

I have a feeling that this will bite me, but I think it's more likely than not that a Dolphins trade for Watson can quite possibly hamstring their franchise for years. I don't think the Dolphins can pay his salary without last minute cuts. Watson's contract for base salary is pretty damn heavy after this year (~25 million a year) for the next four years so it's not like they can roll over a ton. Then, to give up three first round picks on top of that... For a guy who might never play an NFL snap. And who I think is grossly overrated. Yeah, Houston is incompetent but they couldn't run away with the division the past few years playing the Jags, an banged up/Andrew Luck-less Colts and the Ryan Tannehill Titans. And you want to hock the next 3-4 years on it? I'm willing to play those odds. Edit: I don't think he's bad, I think he is Matt Stafford and there is a reason why the Lions have never been serious contenders.

Dude, I love me some run game, and Henry might be the most talented person at his position in the last five years, and that's with the big names on Zeke Elliot and Barkley. But I would still take Josh over him.

That is way too low. I mean, there are some good players on there but come on. Someone is taking Derrick Henry over a franchise QB? It's bad enough that Deandre Hopkins got ahead of Diggs, but over Josh? That is just criminal.

Honestly, I've seen what I need to see. Allen has no rust. Dare I say he looked close to his peaks from last years (that breakdown throw to Beasley). The Defense has some problems, but that red zone defense is excellent

This is borderline politics, but the joke is so good I have to risk it: https://www.chicitysports.com/forum/threads/official-igt-bears-vs-bills-preseason-edition-mitchisback-the-final-chapter-aka-mitchpocalypse.84283/post-3723219

A gem from the Bears forum Post in thread '***OFFICIAL*** IGT: Bears vs Bills (Preseason Edition: #MITCHISBACK - The Final Chapter AKA Mitchpocalypse)' https://www.chicitysports.com/forum/threads/official-igt-bears-vs-bills-preseason-edition-mitchisback-the-final-chapter-aka-mitchpocalypse.84283/post-3722939

Unrelated, when I go to other teams forums I am reminded that TBD is way above average quality.

here is the GameDay thread, starting at the first three and out this is the "was it Nagy or Trubisky" My favorite line was when a fan popped in saying he had forgotten the game was today and someone responded "It's ok, Nagy and Dalton forgot too"

I've been reading the Bears forum. It's pure schadenfreude

I had a friend ask me last year, right after the Chiefs vs Browns game "Would it really count as a win if Mahomes didn't play?" (He was a salty Ravens fan) And yeah, absolutely yes I would have taken it. We could have beaten the Bucs had we made it there and no one here would be complaining if that was he case.

I don't ever wish for injuries. But I never say "I want to beat them at their best" I want to beat them. I want them to be bad for a long time. No one went out and handed us the AFC Championship because Beasley and Diggs were hurt.

You know how for years we talked about Belicheck being some 4-D chess master? It feels like that's what Beane can do

Absolutely. I remember the chants of "Suck for Darnold" and we were supposed to have missed out because he didn't come out of the draft the year after Rex left. And then he got taken four picks ahead of Allen by the Jets. The Jets and Adam Gase in particular are a case study of what not to do

This was me as well. I had my reasons. We had just tried drafting a project QB in EJ Manuel and we finally had a playoff roster. I still thought we could make it work under Tyrod. Rosen was considered one of the most pro ready to handle an offense and was an accurate passer. I am very, very happy that I was wrong. Allen is unusual in that he has continually increased his accuracy along with just making smarter decisions. The fact that I still think he's improving after a near MVP season speaks to a sky high ceiling.

I mean, I trust in Beane, and he has done an excellent job in spacing out contracts so we haven't had a purge since the first year. The fourth and fifth year rookie deals help a great deal when trying to get talent around the QB for a Super Bowl run. Obviously, I would rather have Josh and figure out the rest than have a ton of cap space and no clear QB (like most of the drought years), but Kansas City is one hell of an obstacle to get over.

I think we could have waited, but I am pretty happy with the result. If it's an extension, he should be very affordable for the next few years and we should have a window.

One of the things I have come to love as the McDermott years continue is the steadiness I feel getting training camp reports. I still love to hear about the progress, but I no longer freak out over every pass and/or drop. I just see steady, determinate progress and feel confident that we are going back to the playoffs. I don't think I can remember feeling like that as a fan. Maybe back at the end of the Kelly era. I would have been 7 his last year with us.

Remember folks