Utah John

Well if the pats don't give up, what team was that yesterday that didn't even try to get a quick TD with five minutes left?

Here's what I liked best of all: During the last five minutes or so, with their team down by two scores (16 points), the Pats just gave up. Really. They quit. Amazing. You assume any pro team will make its best effort, always, under any circumstances. Their TE, Bennett, was killing the Bills' DBs. Gronk was on the field. Amendola, Edelman, Hogan, all ready to go. And, the Pats were running routine running plays into the line, apparently to pad stats for their RBs. No effort to score quickly to try to win. Incredible. They GAVE UP.

Reggie should be wherever he can rehabilitate best. Maybe that's at the stadium, getting around on crutches and going to meetings, so he develops a connection with the other players and learns how the schemes work. Maybe that's at home. It's not our call. Lawson should definitely be at the stadium every day. His arm might be in a sling or not in a sling, but he can still walk without risk and should certainly be attending meetings. Whether they or other injured players are usually on the sidelines, I'm not sure why they would be. They would be in the way, they can't really help anything or serve any purpose.

Personally I think Karlos Williams provided a dimension to the running game that's missing this year. Great combination of power and speed, mostly power. Granted, Gillislee like Fred Jackson seems to find ways to get the tough yard when needed, but KW would get four in the same situation. But, I think he's finished. For his sake I hope I'm wrong, but maybe he'll serve as a wakeup call to the knuckleheads coming into the league, all full of themselves and thinking they've got it made.

The Bills have made their bed for this year and are going to lie in it. It's TT -- EJ -- Cardale. They are willing to spend the year letting TT show what he's got. Next year will be without EJ so there's room for an addition. If TT isn't cutting it, probably he'll be released or traded since they can't afford two premium-cost QBs. If Romo comes back and looks completely healed and strong, and Dallas wants to move to Prescott, Romo might be OK. But trading for him means accepting his contract, which means no TT. So, there are too many questions right now to answer the question.

Where was this defensive backfield? Last Thursday, half of it (the safeties) was in the box because Wrecks decided he needed to stop the run. So with no deep help, we saw a series of jump balls between our CBs and Jets receivers 5 or 6 inches taller. It should have taken no more than a quarter for Wrecks to realize he had to adjust his D. Instead we blew that game. Today's game was how last week should have gone. I think one difference is that the Ravens and especially the Jets have very good D lines. I don't think I heard the names of any of the Cardinals D linemen today having made a really good play. Today there were running lanes and time to pass, that weren't there the first two games. Also probably the Cardinals were expecting to play in snow, and the nice weather fooled them.

Marv Levy was pretty old also when he took over a disaster team mid-season. That worked out OK, and Levy didn't have a very good track record before then. Coughlin? Sure. Better than Wrecks any day.

What bothered me was the absence of adjustments. It wasn't working the way it was, but Wrecks just kept on. In two years the D line has gone from the best in football to a disaster. Kyle Williams is still playing hard, but the rest? Part of the problem was fatigue. The Bills probably lost the game on the first Jets drive, when they just wore out and then couldn't recharge. I know, these are professionals who are supposed to be in shape, but any defense gets tired faster than the offense does. In years past the Bills had such depth at DT and DE they could roll out two high-quality lines. On Thursday they dressed five defensive linemen. Jerry Hughes started out great, then evaporated. About that first drive by the Jets. They got their first, first down with a pass Gilmore couldn't break up (though he was in position). The Jets' second first down came on a third down play where Fitz was sacked, but there was a phantom holding call on Gilmore. Without that terrible call, the Bills get off the field, the D line doesn't get worn out, and who knows what happens then. Of course the real problem, Wrecks, wasn't going anywhere, just standing there watching with him mouth hanging open, so probably the result would be the same.

The frustration was revealed in the second half of the Jets game. The Bills were in 3rd and makeable, and TT threw one of his half dozen ducks toward Clay, who was not exactly making the best effort either. Incomplete, fourth down, and Watkins was on the other side of the field, watching, and then pounding the ground in frustration. I suspected it was frustration at the incompetence of TT to hit basic, elementary-school throws that an NFL QB has to hit 99 times out of 100. I haven't seen any injury reports about Watkins, but he wasn't on the field when the Bills were making their slow-motion last-gasp attempt to come back. I hope his foot was just sore. My guess is, his heart was sore. He knows he's a talented player but it just isn't working. I think Watkins will be in Buffalo until his rookie contract runs out, and then takes less money than the Bills offer, to go. Anywhere.

I see you fellow old guys bragging about the games you've seen. Well we all forget details sometimes but for heaven's sake not this one. It was 51-3, not 52-3.

Unfortunately for the 2016 Bills they weren't playing the 5-11 2015 Ravens. The Ravens look pretty good. The Bills D was about a B+ which is far better than last year, and except for a really good runner they had the Ravens offense well contained. This looks like the team we expected to see at the start of last year, pretty good defense, shaky offense. The Bills never got into the flow yesterday, because they couldn't convert third downs and stay on the field often enough. So Shady didn't get enough carries and none of the WRs got enough targets. Why? Taylor played poorly but he was only part of the problem. He needed better protection. On Thursday the Bills with Cordy Glenn hurt play the Jets with their fearsome D line. Gronk is not the answer to protecting Taylor, and Felton is a good pass protector. This is a good move.

Look, I hope Watkins is OK to play, and he gets through this year in good shape, and comes back in 2017 in actual good health. But these things happen. No one thinks Keenan Allen is a kitty or fragile, but look at this: 2016 NFL Knee Allen blew out his ACL during play in Week 1, ending his 2016 season. 2015 NFL Kidney Allen came down for a touchdown pass hard on his back and lacerated his kidney. He had to undergo surgery and was placed on IR 2014 NFL Ankle Allen got pulled awkwardly in his week 15 game against the Broncos and had to leave with a sprained ankle and fractured collarbone. He missed the final 2 games of the season. 2012 College Knee Allen tore his PCL in college that required surgery Finally I doubt the Chargers fans are beating up on their best player because he's been hurt. They're disappointed but they suck it up and move on. Just what we ought to do. In our case, there's a good chance Watkins can be productive all year, whereas Allen is out, so we should be happy to have Watkins as long as he can play.

The Ravens were 5-11 last year and this year are aiming at 11-5 and see no reason not to shoot for the division championship. The Bills were 8-8 last year and this year are aiming at 10-6, or 9-7 if that squeaks them into the playoffs, and never talk like they're going to take the division from the Patriots. A man's reach should exceed his grasp. A team that is just trying to be less mediocre, well...

Someone please find Tyrod's mojo. He misplaced it somewhere between Week 17 last year against the Jets, and Week 1 this year. No sense of confidence or attacking. Even his miraculous throw to Clay was just scrambling to stay alive. He NEVER attacked the deep secondary. Why not put Watkins in the slot if that's all you're going to ask him to do. Woods made some plays, but what happened to the other WRs? Tyrod is just as quick and strong and agile as ever. Use your skills, Tyrod, and attack the defense.

Belichick isn't a villain. He's a great coach who happens to be in the same division as the Bills. If he was our coach, we'd love him. He does have the personality of a mouthful of unsweetened lemon juice, I'll give you that.

ALL teams have tons of weapons. ALL teams have personnel and schemes to neutralize the weapons. It comes down to a few players with special talent, the ability of coaches to make adjustments, and above all, execution. I think the Bills have an edge in talent, with Watkins, McCoy, Gilmore, and Hughes better than the Ravens' best. I am not sure I've ever seen Wrecks make effective adjustments on defense, but Roman does make good adjustments on O. As for execution, that has me worried. The same sloppiness that leads to so many penalties pervades the Bills' execution and costs them every game. For that, I blame Wrecks as well. This is a winnable game. But the other factor I didn't mention above is the officials. The buffalo on their helmets must look like a target to the refs, based on the silly number of bad calls working against the Bills in the preseason.

Mario was a great player who's declining but still very good, but he's not as good as Vernon was last year when the Bills beat the Fins. Unless Miami's DBs suddenly improve, there are weak links there to be exploited. As for Mario leaving, just like Hogan leaving, they're both in systems where they can do better than how the Bills used them. I liked both of them when they were on the Bills and I wish them well, personally and professionally. That doesn't mean I hope they rip up the Bills or that their new teams beat the Bills. It's just I don't start hating a guy just because he leaves. Last year, Mario did not act like a true professional. He acted like he was an artiste, entitled to do his own thing instead of meshing with the other 10 men. Memo to the league -- good player if you want an artiste, not a good choice for a "team defense" approach.

So, who gets cut to make room for Dareus and Shaq?

The article about Humber said he's 5-foot-11 and 232 pounds. Eric Striker is 6 foot and 218, and he was too small. Humber carries a little more weight but he still seems pretty small to play LB.

None. Bruce Smith was a star. There are different rules in the NFL for stars.

I was on vacation and couldn't watch the Bills v Skins game, but I was able to hear the radio broadcast on line. The replay of the Alexander sack shows it was a terrible call. I wanted to ask about the OPI call at the end of the game. I was watching the Browns game in a bar, and Josh Gordon manhandled the DB, pushing him out of the way so Gordon could make a TD catch. The commentators were a little embarrassed that he got away with it but said that's the kind of non-call Gordon always gets. I wondered if the Bill OPI was anywhere close to that level of a push. The Bills commentator on the radio said, yeah, there was a little push but nothing like what receivers usually get away with. Bottom line, it seemed like Hochuli and crew were just out to screw the Bills, and protect the Skins at all costs. Were there any questionable calls that went in the Bill's favor?

Hogan is worth what the Pats are paying, in their system. He wouldn't be in ours. The Pats love to have quick, responsible receivers with good hands who can get separation in the first few yards and give Brady a quick read. They complete a couple of those and then send Gronk deep when the defenders adjust to the short game. Happens all the time. We can't do it like that, and no one else without Brady can either. So this is how it goes. A player finds a system that works for him, and suddenly looks better than before. The Bills have that work for them, too. Look at Tyrod Taylor and Jerry Hughes.

3. Risky Business

The Sabres players didn't intentionally tank during their two last-place finish years. Most of them tried as hard as possible, as professionals. They just weren't very good. It was the management that cleaned house, leaving the team bereft of NHL quality players. The Bills management is absolutely not going to clean house this year. For one thing, seriously, wait till next year. We not only get next year's draft class, we get this year's too. The offense is still pretty loaded with talent and the defense will be too after another draft. This year looks grim, from all the injuries and the stupidity. I expect the players will put forth a better effort on D than they did last year, but if the D still sucks look out for a serious collapse. And that could happen especially with one or two more injuries. If they start 1-3 or 0-4, I expect Ryan to be fired. It isn't worth losing a season on purpose, but come on, we don't have anything to do with it. Do you think the Bills players will tank because we ask them to?

Dareus was quoted as saying he wasn't happy about playing the Pats when Brady was suspended. I'd say this is taking that preference to an extreme.