hondo in seattle

I don't have time or energy to hate anyone. And, as far as announcers and commentators are concerned, they never annoy me. There's not a crew out there that I dislike. Sometimes they tell me stuff I didn't notice or didn't know. On the typical play, however, they add nothing at all because I have eyes and can see. I just don't worry about what they add - or don't add. I only care about what's happening on the field, not what's happening in the booth. An if I do get some insights from the crew in the booth, I count that as a bonus.

Dogoda - Polish goddess of the wind. But despite Dogoda, Diggs is going to feast underneath. On D, Jackson will be targeted but will hold up well and get a pick. I so agree!

Agreed. But the game plan needs to include short and intermediate routes. It can't be 40 rushes. Unless Feliciano makes that big a difference, our line just isn't consistent enough to execute a run-heavy game plan.

Yeah, Buffalonians have a different attitude about snow. I was living in Seattle running a bunch of restaurants several winters ago and surprised when I started getting reports that my restaurant managers weren't opening their restaurants due to snow. I got into my SUV, drove to multiple locations in a full 3 inches of snow, and was entirely perplexed. Another time, the Seattle area was largely closed down because a local weather event dubbed, "Snowmaggedon." I was in Buffalo at the time and showed a video of Snowmaggedon to my nephew who commented, "Snowmaggedon? Hmm. We call that Tuesday." Hopefully Josh loves this weather more than Mac.

It may be that the weather hurts our passing game. I just don't think Belichick will game plan for that. I think he'll try to limit our medium-to-deep game like other defensive coaches have. I don't think he'll load the box, assuming we can't pass because of the weather. And I don't think Daboll is going to scheme up some amazing running game because of the weather. We're not built for that. We're built to pass.

When running is our weakness and passing is our strength, why would the Pats choose to focus on our running? Because of a little wind? I personally don't expect loaded boxes.

I really don't get the Collingsworth hate. Sometimes he says something a little odd. But generally he's a knowledge and cheerful commentator.

There's enough serious crap going on in the world, and in my life, for me to worry about. I really hope the Bills win. I don't care what cartoon graphics Fox uses.

I'm with you, brother. I was afraid once when a drugged out kid tried to gut me with his knife... and again when enemy mortar rounds were being fired upon me in the desert and there was nothing much I could do about it... and again when I had to rappel down a rocky cliff - I don't like heights... But I won't be afraid Monday night when I sit in the comfort of my home, eating wings, watching the Bills - even as I acknowledge the possibility that they may lose.

Mac Jones... more of a dunker and dinker... not as strong-armed as Josh... in a cold, windy stadium... against a good pass D (even without Tre)... against a front four that proficient at pressuring QBs... It just doesn't seem to add up to a game where Mac 'lights it up downfield.' But who knows?

Why waste emotional energy on hate??? I don't hate any team. I don't hate any player. I don't hate any coach. I've been to war. I don't hate the soldiers who were trying to kill me and my guys. Why would I hate someone who plays a game for another team? Or roots for a team other than the one I love? I get there's no love for the Pats. But I don't get the hate. Life's too short to spend any part of it on that.

The Pats don't have a bad fan base. Unlike the Bills, they've been wooing fans with playoff appearances and Super Bowl runs for the past 20 years. That's excellent PR and it's - rightfully - earned them followers. That said, I don't think Pats fans are as loyal and maniacal as Bills fans nor do they travel as well. Though, to be fair and honest, how many New Englanders - even diehard fans - want to travel to Buffalo in dismal December? I grew up in the burbs of Buffalo. I love Buffalo. But I don't blame them. There are better places to visit this winter. So maybe 5% of the stadium will be wearing the wrong colors come Monday. Maybe 10% at the very, very most. That's my guess as someone who hasn't been to a game in Orchard Park since 1974. But for the Pat fans who do show up... What an epic battle! The top two teams in the AFCE! Raucous fans everywhere! The old dynasty facing the new challenger! I have nothing against the fans of any other NFL team but I hope all the folks wearing Brady, Gronk, or Mac Jones jerseys leave in rivers of tears.

Their win-loss records say the two teams are evenly matched. One of the better computer ranking programs out there, ELO, agrees. It has the Pats at 1628 and the Bills at 1615. ELO nonetheless predicts a Bills victory (56% chance) because of homefield advantage. I'm excited to see if the Bills rise to the occasion. If we play like we did against the Colts or Jags, Monday will be pretty miserable. But there have been other games where our offense was unstoppable and our defense impenetrable. Dr. Jeckyl or Mr. Hyde? Which Bills squad will show up on Monday?

Agree with boom or bust. As for the run game, statistically it has undeniably improved. Yet I still don't feel like we can run when we want. We can't impose our will on people. Our OL can't, with any consistency, create holes for our backs. When we are able to run, it's mostly because defenses are more worried about Josh and the receivers. The ancient Chinese football strategist, Sun Tzu, once said, "Attack where there is no defense." Our running attack works only when we do that.

Most of this doesn't surprise me. Like you, I'm a fan of per-drive stats. The O can't control how many drives they get a game. But they can control what they do with those drives. And that leads me to the one stat that did surprise me: points per drive. We're actually ranked a bit higher this year than last year. My overall feeling as a simple fan who watches all the games is that the Bills D is better this year but the offense - while still capable of scoring in bunches - is, overall, less efficient and consistent than last year. Not all the stats agree with my assessment.

The Pats have won 6 in a row. We recently lost to the Jags. I worry.

While I don't think Breida transforms our offense, I do think he's a bit more than just a speed guy. He also has a knack for finding a crease. From what I've seen so far, what he lacks is the physicality to power through tackles. Agreed

Thanks for the good insights. Don't go to the game. You're not helping us. The Bills are 4-0, lifetime, when I see them in person. I'm saving my live mojo for the Bills first Super Bowl.

That's got to be hard. One year he piles up 1,000 yards as a starter on a dynamic offense. Two years later, he can't find a spot on a crappy 53 man squad.

Last year the Pats had their Rent-a-QB under center. This year they have their new franchise QB and their D is back on track. This is different. We need to prove that the Belichick era is over and a new day has dawned. This is the Bean, McDermott, Allen dynasty and we own the AFCE. Monday is a statement game.

My similar thoughts last week in a different thread: There have been a lot of disappointed Bills fans out there calling for Beane's, McD's, Daboll's, and/or Frazier's head. A lot of it has to do with expectations. We thought the AFC was ours this year and we'd prance through the season all the way to the Super Bowl. Well, expectations are a deceptive b*tch. Here's how I see it: We're going into December, tied for the AFCE lead, with a critical game coming up against the Pats. Compared to the sorry reality of a few years ago, this is a fantastical dream come true. Meaningful games in December... a real opportunity to take down the Pats - again... I mean, this is really good stuff and I'm excited. https://www.twobillsdrive.com/community/topic/236166-our-nemesis-the-new-england-patriots/ After worrying about the OL in the offseason, I started to think this was our year when we took down the Chiefs. Well, maybe not. But this showdown with the Pats has me jazzed! Can't wait till Monday!

Right now, 538's ELO system is giving the Bills a 56% chance of winning the game.

Yeah, that seems to be the case. Hope we're both imagining it. But, with his arm strength, he does well in a dry wind.

These are different scenarios. But regarding Peterman, what I heard was that he looked really poised and accurate in camp. And again in preseason. And fell apart in actual games. All talent evaluators make mistakes. For whatever reason, they have hope some guy is going to step up and he doesn't. But to say McD made Breida sit because Moss and Singletary were 3rd round draft picks is just not very probable. McD cares about winning. For the sake of the team, the fans, and his own career, nothing is more important. But he'll make Breida sit because of favoritism for a 3rd round pick. That's not a believable scenario. Breida was a backup in San Francisco. A backup in Miami. But when McD makes him a backup in Buffalo, it's some kind of idiotic conspiracy.

Thanks for doing this work. As a fan, I watch the ball - not so much the line. And when the game is over, I read what my fellow fans have to say. And, sadly, that's how I typically form my opinion about linemen. So I was deeply in the Ford-Must-Go camp until reading your reports. I'm not yet in the Ford-Must-Start clique, but I am now keeping an open mind.