hondo in seattle

Although I get maryland-bills-fan's sentiment, I feel "unsettled" too. During the drought, I was thrilled with any win, not matter how undeserved it may have been or how sloppy the offense or defense may have played. But now, for me, it's not about individual wins. It's about a Super Bowl season and so far this year we haven't played like Super Bowl contenders. Last year, our passing offense was the key to the team's success. Our pass D was okay. Our rush D was maybe less than okay. Our running attack was mediocre. We won a lot of games because our aerial assault was nearly unstoppable. This year that strength has been missing. So, yeah, 35-0 was a lot of fun and I am still feeling the afterglow of a one-sided victory against a division opponent. But there's a nagging worry deep inside me that taints the joy just a little bit.

Well, my predictions are still live.

This was great. He's usually so terse and reticent. But when asked about, arguably, the least valuable guy on the team, he excitedly pontificates for 9 minutes.

A mysterious woman with long, unkempt white hair living in a candle-filled cave on Soeraksan in the Taebaek Mountains of Korea whispered this in my ear back in 1988 and I've never forgotten her strange prognostication. And if that weren't enough, my predictions are just statistically more probable than saying that Bills players will break not one - but two - long standing NFL records.

Bold predictions. Very bold. But wrong. I'll be less bold but more correct: Josh won't break Van Brocklin's record but will throw for over 400 yards at least once this season. Dak won't break Van Brocklin's record either. Not this season. Not ever. Bass won't break Vinatieri's record. Not this season. Not ever. Sean McDermott will take sole possession of second place on the list of most playoffs wins by a Bills head coach.

That's a massive "If..."

I partially agree with you. Clearly Daboll saw a 'weak' secondary and reasonably thought he could exploit it. But he overestimated our ability to protect our QB. And Josh had a bad day. We're a pass-first-and-second offense. When Josh has a bad day, we're in trouble. Daboll doesn't go into a game with a Plan B: 'If we can't pass it, we'll run it and here's how.'

I agree, it's way too limiting. I think every DC in the league knows Daboll is a pass-first guy. So I don't think the formation really matters all that much. Whether Motor is in the backfield or not, the defense is expecting pass. Ideally, an offense can attack the entire field. It can run between - or outside - the tackles. It can pass short, middle, or deep - to the sideline or between the hash marks. When a defense is forced to defend everything, it often fails. But Daboll doesn't put defenses in that position. Yet, for all of Daboll's flaws, the Bills averaged over 30 points a game last season. He's clearly doing something right.

People have been saying for 20+ years that NFL is a passing league. Each year, that's more and more true. Seeing the trend, Beane and McD went all in on the passing game. On defense, we run Nickel about 90% of the time - most in the NFL. One of our 2 starting LBs is a former safety. We're built to stop the pass. On offense, McD hired Daboll as OC - a guy with a reputation for being good at the passing game, weak at the running game. Then Beane, McD, and Daboll built our offense around Allen. Yesterday's performance notwithstanding, our offensive lineman are almost to a man, better at pass pro than run blocking. We have ace WRs and mediocre RBs. We're built to throw the ball. Last year, a staggering 73.5% of our yards come through the air. There used to be something in the NFL called "passing downs" but not in Buffalo Bills land. The term is meaninglessly axiomatic in WNY: every down is a passing down. The problem with building a team entirely around the pass is that if the QB is having a bad day, we don't have much of an alternative. The 90s Bills could win on the ground or in the air. This team needs to air it out. When we can't, we lose.

My wife and I were talking about this. Josh played great last year when stadiums were empty. He listens to Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Junior before games, rather than music that pumps him up. Maybe when he gets too amped up, he plays poorly. So maybe the best thing for him is peace and calm. I think everyone in the stadium should do a silent, joint meditation when the Bills are on offense.

That makes it a two game losing streak. Just saying.

I read this when it first came out and thought, "How low-class." And what was the point of saying this stuff. I can't imagine the violent words will change the game in any meaningful way. I don't think Steeler players are going to tackle harder because their DC talks tough. And I don't think Allen will be any more reluctant to run when he hears these quotes. So I guess the point is to show the public what a badass he is.

Happy Birthday, youngster. Thanks for all you do!

Hot sauce... blue cheese for dipping... throwback uniforms... the kid is embracing Buffalo!

Reading about his off-season training program, I agree Motor will be better this year. But Daboll is an interesting play caller. He doesn't give a damn about balance. He know he's got a great QB and excellent WRs. He's happy to use those weapons all game long. And when Daboll does dial up a run, it might not be to Singletary. He's going to share the rock with Moss and others. It's hard for me to envision Motor rushing for a thousand in the Daboll-Allen aerial show.

No one wants to predict another Tampa-KC Super Bowl. Too boring. Not click worthy. It's far more interesting to talk about up-and-coming teams. Right now, in the AFC, that's the Bills.

Businesses are often valued as a multiple of their earnings (often expressed as EBITDA: Earnings Before interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization). For example, you can buy a Burger King franchise for around 6xEBITDA. The multiple is decided by the market: buyers & investors consider how strong the brand is, the safety of their investment, and their projected future returns. The price generated by the multiple will be modified by a number of things including the physical assets included, expected future expenses, the strength of the specific market, and so on. So while the multiple for Burger King might be 6x, the actual price you pay for a particular group of BK restaurants can be somewhat more or less. These modifications can get complicated when looking at the valuation of a NFL club. This is how Forbes does it: METHODOLOGY Figures for revenue and operating income (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) are for the 2020 season and net of stadium debt service. Debt includes both team and stadium debt recourse to team owners. We employ the cash basis, rather than the accrual basis, of accounting. Team values are enterprise values (equity plus net debt) and include the economics (including non-NFL revenue that accrues to the team’s owner) of the team’s stadium but not the value of the stadium real estate itself. www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2021/08/05/the-nfls-most-valuable-teams-2021-average-team-value-soars-to-35-billion-as-league-shrugs-off-pandemic-year/?sh=b510896654e9

The only game I ever saw live at the stadium in OP. Monday Night Football! As I recall, Madden's Raiders were undefeated on MNF. Cosell and the gang were there. OJ - the engine of the offense - gets hurt about halfway in. No chance now. Yet the Bills score a TD with about 2 minutes left to take the lead. But after a heartbreaking Bills fumble, the Raiders score a TD with about a minute left to regain their lead to preserve their perfect MNF record. And then amazingly, improbably, with precious seconds ticking by, young Fergie cooly leads the team down the field and with a perfect toss to Ahmad Rashad earns the victory!

I've had Bocce Club and it is indeed very good. As for locations, Buffalo is a smallish city with much lighter traffic than the big California metros. Bocce is worth a trip and not a tough trip where ever you might be staying.

Statisticians like to talk about 'regression to the mean.' When a player has a killer season - like when OJ rushed for 2,000 yards in 1973 - it's unlikely he'll repeat or better that. He's more likely to perform in a more average way the following season. But football isn't just about numbers, trends, and patterns. It's about flesh-and-blood players. Unlike the OJ example where his skill set had already reached it's zenith, Josh seems to still be learning and growing. I expect him to be a somewhat better overall QB this year than last. A little better at reading defenses... a little more composed in the pocket... a more wise & mature leader... As others have said, if Allen's stats regress in any way it'll only be because of injury to Josh or other key offensive players.

When ALynn was calling the plays, and Tyrod was the QB (not even a full season), the offense was competent. While he had limitations as a thrower, he was a great runner and defenses had to account for that. And TT was a hard-working guy. I'm rooting for him.

I like Charlie the Butcher for beef on weck. Celebrity chef, Jeffrey Zakarian, is a also big fan of Charlie's and calls it "the perfect roast beef." www.charliethebutcher.com/index.php/our-story/media-gallery/ As to pizza, I don't visit Buffalo enough to pick one standout location. But who ever told you to get pizza, told you right. While most cities will have at least one good pizza place, the average pizza joint in Buffalo is much better than the average in any other city I've spent time in.

I think the world needs more myth, not less. So the playful deification of football players - and guitarists - is fine with me. 1970s poem... Same say that god is dead, and we are in a chaotic age. But I wonder if god is dead, then who is Jimmy Page?

I personally don't respect people's right not to get vaccinated. I know veterans - war heroes - who have died of COVID presumably because some unvaccinated person gave it to them. I know innocent, beautiful children who have died of COVID because some unvaccinated person gave it to them. No American has the right to kill other Americans. The scourge of smallpox was eliminated from the world because enough people got vaccinated. But good people are going to continue to die from COVID 19 because idiots like Beasley provide a breeding ground for new variants and spread the disease. Beasley's uneducated selfishness just doesn't put the Bills championship hopes at risk, he puts lives at risk.

I've heard intelligent arguments on both sides of the Bruce/Reggie argument. But I do think it's fair to bring in the 4-3 versus 3-4 alignments. As a DE, it just is harder to get sacks in a 3-4. Yet Bruce got plenty. I'd rate the two as roughly equal.