dpberr

I'll be in the minority and agree with the OP here. ? It's a very big game for the psyche of the PTSD-stricken Bills fanbase and the Bills media. This game could be quite the confidence builder for team and fans. There is an entire generation of Bills fans who have no concept of the Bills being 6-1. If the Bills win, we all will feel that *this* season might just be different. The media (outside Philadelphia) loves the Eagles, their "brilliant" coach and "shrewd" GM and the talking heads all had this team as a Super Bowl contender at the beginning of the year. If the Bills lose, we're going to think it's 2008 all over again and questioning whether the media is right - that we're a mediocre 5-2 team.

MLB and NBA have a legitimate tanking problem because those leagues do not have a hard salary cap. Teams have to acquire high draft picks to acquire control over those contracts for a period of time before the wealthy teams (with owners who laugh at the luxury tax) give their players the godfather offers they cannot. I think the NBA is very unfair - no cap *and* tanking teams aren't assured of that #1 pick so they can't win no matter what - but hope to be really lucky. As a fan, I don't have a problem with a team using tanking as a competitive strategy. I'd prefer it to the Miami Dolphins approach of the last 30 years of spending gobs of money bolting on free agents and getting nothing better than my usual 8-8 season, with an occasional blip of brilliance at 10-6 with a first round exit. If I were a Dolphins fan, I'd be happy that management is trying something new.

Good analysis. I think something interesting is the number of snaps is inverse to the targets and catches - Jeffrey and Agholor play 90-95% of the snaps in an game and Ertz, just 80%, yet Ertz receives more targets. I wonder if Jeffrey and Agholor receive their targets when Ertz is taking a breather. (I honestly wouldn't know that, just a thought.)

Wentz may be the better physical QB talent but Foles is the far superior QB for the Andy Reid/Pederson system. A core principle of that system is distribution of the ball. RBs, WRs, TE. Just like you see in KC. It's hard to figure out the offense when everyone is catching the ball. Foles was great at that. A Nick Foles game has every WR, TE and RB getting at least two targets. Wentz, on the other hand, dials into Ertz and he panics when he's not open. He doesn't distribute that ball. I agree that the Eagles should have rolled with Foles and traded Wentz for a haul for that terrible secondary if they were committed to Pederson as coach.

Does that list have anyone under age 60 besides MJB?

...if you don't watch the Bills on TV because you think you'll be the bad luck. ...even at 13-2, you'll still be fearful of a late season collapse. ...you feel every game on the schedule is a trap game.

Let me clarify - I don't think you'll see Brady have a Michael Strahan or Steve Young sort of entertainment career. He won't coach in the NFL either.

He wants the statue in front of the stadium. He won't play for another NFL team. I see him taking the Joe Montana route in retirement.

Excellent topic selection OP. I've never understood why any NFL coach would ever take their foot off the gas until maybe the two minute warning in any game. I don't think BB is an unethical sportsman for playing the entire game, and I've always admired that trait in him as coach. If the NFL was giving trophies and banners for being nice, Dick Jauron would be in the Hall of Fame. He's cutthroat and I don't think many, if any, NFL coaches are on his level.

He's a promising coaching talent with a crap roster and has the best long term potential of the rookie coaches IMO. He is not a "process" guy who sticks to a script and that's worked well for BB. He also appears to make adjustments when necessary and not wait until halftime to do so.

I think Pat Shurmur is the bigger problem in that franchise. He's a terrible coach...making terrible decisions, the biggest one giving Jones the David Carr "let's get sacked until your ribs collapse" experience. They ask Jones to make Eli Manning throws instead of giving him plays that will build confidence.

IMO, Wentz is a one dimensional quarterback in that if you eliminate Zach Ertz as a target for him, that offense struggles mightily. He's poor at distributing the ball. Their Lions and Cowboys games are blueprints on how to do it.

If everyone is losing their minds over Syria, just wait until Trump (or another President) finally pulls the plug on Afghanistan. At least in Syria, you have the Russians, a resilient Syrian government, battle-tested Kurds and a state (Turkey) that can be hurt via sanctions. In Afghanistan, there will be nobody to stop the inevitable Taliban offensive and obscenely bloody wave of reprisal killings.

I think he got a raw deal from the NFL, absolutely. He hasn't helped himself, however. He needs to show NFL teams he's in shape and can still play and he's, to date, passed on opportunities with the AAF, CFL and XFL. That's absolutely on him.

I think the refs are trying to do their job with both hands tied behind their back and blindfolded. There are so many rules, many of them overly complex by design, that no mortal can competently do the job 100% of the time in such a fast paced game. For some of these calls, guys sitting at a desk with an array of televisions and equipment have to look at in slow motion 10 times to come to a decision. The only way to a better officiated game is less rules so they can focus on getting what's important (in the opinion of the NFL) right.

I think the Turks were coming across the border regardless. They gave us the heads up. Were we going to get into a shooting war with one country while occupying another one? No. The ISIS problem will solve itself if you let the Syrians do their job. I think the Turks are painting themselves into a corner. If they get into a shooting war with Syria (and Russia), I don't think anybody in NATO is coming to their defense and they aren't talking to the Saudis anymore either.

Quinn. Atlanta is a dead stick. Kitchens might be first because the owner is all emotion and the expectations for their season were substantial. Marrone is a dark horse.

What isn't a cliche in the modern NFL? The press conferences Windowless room Disinterested coach, win or lose Brightly colored sponsor background The NFL pre-game shows $5,000 in tailored suits and $1,000 in leather pants and heels for the ladies Shouting Pre-game reports from inside the empty stadium NFL Coach Attire Two front war on buttons and ironing Maybe met the washer last night, maybe not Clearance rack items on fanatics.com Could be coaching an NFL game or raking leaves after lunch

Personally I'm not sure if 95% of Republicans truly approve of Trump - or 95% of Republicans loathe the current state of the Democratic party and/or the Clintons for the reasons you mentioned.

Slower since the ankle injury. His speed pre-injury is what made him very effective as a coverage LB. Bills would have to see if that's a chronic issue.

If I was a high school or college freshman kicker with any potential, I'd be practicing NFL extra points like basketball players practice jump shots. You might see kickers that can consistently hit those kicks going higher in the draft in coming years. I see NFL teams paying a lot more attention to the kicking game and lower tier colleges carving out a niche as Kicker U. The Broncos won't sell because John Elway's ego will forbid it. The inconvenient truth for Philadelphia is that Carson Wentz does not distribute the ball as effectively as Nick Foles did during their playoff runs. The Eagles offense lives and dies on whether Zach Ertz is open or not. If a team removes Ertz from the Eagles gameplan like the Lions did, that offense grinds to a near standstill. They will not go to the Super Bowl with Wentz at QB. Bruce Arians will be one and done in Tampa. Not because of performance but because he's just not into coaching anymore. The Falcons should put Dan Quinn out of his misery.

Kitchens is a one and done head coach.

After watching the Jets sleepwalk against the Eagles, couple thoughts: The Jets have already quit on Adam Gase. Sam Darnold and his healthy spleen won't save this season. These players have no interest in playing for this guy. If this team wins 3 games, it'll be beating expectations. Lots of disinterest and quit there. Adam Gase is a weird guy - he stood completely alone on the sideline the entire game. No coaches or players near him. During warmups, didn't really talk or hang around anyone else. He's noticeable from the stands because he's the coach dressed in all black. Woody Johnson - equally as weird - he did not step one foot across the Jets sideline, as if there was a force field. Jeff Lurie had to cross the *entire* width of the field to shake his hand and say hello. Johnson just waited for Lurie to get there. The Jets linebackers are slow. Hewitt is a good run stopper but he can't cover across the middle against anybody. The Philadelphia offense was pedestrian yesterday about across the middle was open all the time. Steve McClendon is a baller. If the Bills were going to trade for defense, he'd be a guy who I'd like to see the Bills get.

If it's Bills gear or even Bills colors, it's a-ok. Bills fans come from all walks of life, some with limited means to invest in the team. Nobody should be shamed for wearing a historic jersey - and that's what they truly are - historic treasures, a snapshot in time of the franchise and the fan's life. I personally like the menagerie of jersey colors and names. Still impressed with the fan who had an authentic John Digiorgio jersey who wasn't...John Digiorgio.

At the Eagles game today he stood alone on the sideline the entire game. Not a coach around him for all four quarters. The team and staff were always 5 yards away. That team has quit on Gase. 10 sacks today by the Eagles.