Sisyphean Bills

Is the best chance of winning having EJM put the ball in the air 50+ times a game?

It's kind of hard to imagine the hype going up from where it is at the moment. Especially if he's sitting on the bench.

Exactly. These were precisely the types of QBs that I was alluding to with consistency in the playoffs. Manning and Flacco are capable of playing great against excellent, well-coached teams. They are also streaky and can get on a roll. But both of them are quite capable of lay an egg here and there. (Sorry if I wasn't clear—I was not saying you need a guy who was perfect and never laid an egg ever, because even the great ones [brady, Peyton, Rodgers against the Bills] lay an egg once in a while.) As maligned as Sanchez is, (like I said before) his numbers are trending upwards. He might be on his 3rd team next year. Does he continue to develop? Does he find a fit on a team running a system he can excel in? That has the complementary players? Can the team win consistently, be more than mediocre? It's possible. He might be successful with Bruce Arians, for example. So, closing the circle is what does that tell us about EJM? Is he trending upwards? Is he showing signs of consistency? Or of dominant play? Can he lead? Can a good NFL-caliber coach build an offense around his skills? (You already answered this, I think. Acknowledging that and agreeing. I don't see it with EJM, unfortunately. Maybe we will both be surprised.)

Sanchez is a good example of falling in a rut with a guy. He tried hard and desperately wanted to be the guy, but it wasn't enough. And at times he can lull people into thinking he is pretty good. Right up until he lays an egg on the field. Like you said he was protected by a great defense and a running game. When they asked him to do more, his numbers actually ticked upwards but the teams record went sharply downwards. The half season he played in the Chip Kelly system this year was his best numbers-wise and he had some great games and also laid another egg. Does he continue to improve? Who knows. He has generally been trending upwards. Do those numbers really mean anything? The W-L record is a pretty flat middling record, but is that Sanchez or the entire team? The tough question, besides whether to cut bait or fish, is a guy like that's ceiling. Will Sanchez (or EJM) ever get to the point to win a Super Bowl? A QB has to be able to play 3-4 excellent games against the best competition to do that. That's a very tall order. While it takes more than a QB to win the Super Bowl, you really can't afford to have a guy lay an egg in the playoffs either. The QB has to be consistent and have enough support around him ... and a few good bounces helps.

Meh. There are people with opinions that come here to share them with fellow Bills fans. As far as getting paid: Ken Lay got paid millions to make decisions. Didn't help Enron much.

Serious question: How many years does it take? If EJM is the same QB he was last year 7 years from now, then we should give up on him based on your Cutler comment. And I know you want to play him or develop him still. But I wonder if there is some point between year 2 and year 10 where we've really seen enough. (This is really a general question. I don't want to make it about investment in EJM.)

I think it's a trick question. "Revive" implies that there was consciousness before...

Are you claiming to be Josh McDaniels? Shouldn't you be ... I dunno ... studying film?

I was wondering if someone actually throws a party each time Wile E. Coyote suffers misfortune.

Herbstreit says, "It's off the charts!"

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2015-01-13/jim-schwartz-buffalo-bills-defensive-coordinator-out-status-update-dennis-thurman

No biggie. I heard Urban Meyer's 6th string QB is better than Joe Montana.

Can they spin the revolving door there any faster? Why doesn't the FO hire a new head coach between each practice?

Alex Smith is an interesting comparison. As you noted, he is on his second team and still inching along his development curve. (I would say his last year in SF was his best year, btw.) http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitAl03.htm

It's going to be interesting to see Meyer and Harbaugh going at it over the next few years. Big 10+4 fans should put their pads on before getting their popcorn.

Why would Meyer want to do that? He is now a god in the state of Ohio and he can apparently recruit so well he's got dozens of Championship caliber QBs sitting around waiting to throw 90 yard perfect spirals on a moment's notice...

Well, the commentating was pretty bad, but congratulations to Ohio State. They got the lead and turned it into a slug fest, which isn't Oregon's game.

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Was he a genius when they blocked the Dolphins kick? The home press expresses doubt. http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2014/12/report_dolphins_believe_patriots_used_illegal_form.html Section 1, Article 3(b) is unambiguous. And there is clearly 7 players on the right side of the formation. http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/12_2013_Scrimmage_Kick.pdf Maybe boston.com should "read the rule book".

Actually he might not be all that. The Detroit Lions ran a similar trick formation earlier this year. In their case it failed badly. The Vikings D decided to take full advantage of them having only 4 blockers and sacked Stafford immediately. The Ravens should not have been fooled every time. That was a breakdown on their part. I won't be surprised if there is a rule clarification next year where announcing the ineligible player, lining up, and snapping the ball can't be done at bang-bang speed. For much the same reasons you can't have 18 players in the huddle and have 7 of them run off the field (based on which defensive personnel are spellbound trying to figure out what's happening) and in the same fire-drill scramble have your 11 line up and instantly snap the ball.

The Commissioner didn't look overly thrilled to be shown in the stands. Was that a Red Sox cap? And Bill Vinovich is supposedly going to ref the Super Bowl. Hmm.

Do you enjoy winning football games or losing them?

http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/8_Rule5_Players_Subs_Equip_GeneralRules.pdf See especially: Section 3, Article 1. Section 2, Article 10 and 11. There was a problem if the referee was not performing Sec. 3, Art. 1 and giving the defense the information and allowing the ball to be snapped. What the Patriots did was legal, but the officials did not officiate the game properly, IMO, giving them a clear competitive advantage. If the Patriots try this again, I hope the officials are instructed properly. Defensively, I think you line up in press and overwhelm the 4 blockers. They are basically playing 10 on 11 and relying on deception (and the officials to help with it) to get uncovered receivers.

Well, if he lands Roman and Roman turns EJM into Kaepernick of 2 and 3 years ago...

Push the Easy Button ... c'mon, you know you wanna.