hondo in seattle

You're right that ultimately the only person who can make Allen better is Allen. But you don't think it's helpful to watch the GOAT? I imagine Allen admiring Brady's footwork and committing to working harder on his own. Or seeing Brady check down and thinking, "Hmm. I would have made a different decision. Let me think about that." And so on. I can't imagine anything bad happening from studying Brady's film but I can imagine Allen getting better because of the film study. I'm glad we have a QB who's committed to his craft.

Who is he hurting, CB? I'll skip past all the medical stuff about the harm he's doing himself and the moralistic stuff about him being a role model for America's children. Let me get straight to the money. You do realize, right, all the criminal activity - murders, beatings, rapes - that are funded by the drug business? Chung might as well send a check to Al Qaeda or the Taliban. Neither option is any worse than giving money to the drug cartels.

The first sign of compassion on the board... and it was meant in jest. My brothers, Patriots are humans too.

I don't think he should be asked to run less. Running is a huge part of his game and a real threat to opposing defenses. I do think he should be trained to read defenses and run through his progressions better. Finding the most open guy quickly will result in a more potent passing attack and - at the same time - have him running and risking injury less. But if taking off on his own is the best option on a particular play, I want him to run.

I've read a few of his posts. He seems like a thoughtful, well-intentioned young man. Though I don't necessarily agree with every opinion. If I had been talented and dedicated enough to play in the NFL, I think I have had a more positive attitude about it than he does. But as Sean Peyton says, "It's not for everyone." I wish him only luck in his future endeavors.

Somebody just had to make this joke.

This is exactly where I'm at. Shady's not done yet - but he's going to share touches. And this OL isn't great yet - but it's better than last year.

Briefly, if you can guess this year's point differential with reasonable accuracy, you should be able to guess this year's win total with reasonable accuracy. In other words, it's a lot of speculation dressed up in math. It's called "Pythagorean" partly because the formula used looks a bit like the Pythagorean theorem and mostly because it makes the idea sound geeky legit.

I see your point but there's a nuance of difference here. While NFL content is on his site, he's charging you for his commentary on the footage. I don't think anyone goes to Cover1 to see highlights. They go for his analysis.

I'm torn. On the one hand, I've heard that some guys on the selection committee won't vote for any special teamer. And I get that. Special teamers don't play a lot of downs. And the best athletes don't play special teams (not counting returners). But on the other, the special special teamers change the outcome of games as often as defensive players do. Tasker was one of those guys. I don't know how many coaches and players I've heard describe him as the best punt and/or kick coverage guy ever. It seems if that's true, Steve deserves a bust in Canton.

The AFL probably doesn't get enough respect from the HOF. Butch Byrd was a 5x AFL All Star and selected to be on the all-time AFL defensive squad - though behind Dave Grayson who's not in the HOF either despite his own impressive credentials (AFL all time interception leader, etc.). Only four 1st stringers and one 2nd stringer on the all time AFL defensive squad are in the HOF. Tom Sestak of the Bills is another guy who's been short-changed. He's a starting DT on the All Time AFL team but has never been inducted into the HOF. Yet Buck Buchanon, who's a backup on the All Time AFL squad, has his bust in the Hall. This on Sestak from Wikipedia: During the 1960s, only six professional defensive linemen were unanimous All-League selections for three or more years, Sestak (3), Bob Lily (5), Merlin Olsen (4), Willie Davis (3), Gino Marchetti (3), and Deacon Jones (3). The latter five, all former NFL players, have already been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while Sestak, a star from the AFL, like many other AFL players has been ignored by the Hall of Fame selectors. At least Bill Shaw got in.

Exactly. This is not "another" reason Rex was fired. It's THE reason he was fired. He failed to lead of group of coaches and players to success.

I see both sides of the press credential argument. But as a fan who appreciates Erik's work, I'm disappointed he doesn't get better access. Just talking about my specific case, the more I'm into the Bills, the better it is for the team (the more gear I buy, etc.) and Erik helps me get into the team.

If this OL achieves mediocrity, I'll be thrilled with the progress over last year.

I suppose subconsciously I was thinking the Bills deserved a better rating than 5th.

When we say he's not worth that kind of money, what most of us mean is that if we were GMs, we wouldn't offer him that amount even given the realities of the NFL pay scale. It's too much cap space invested in one player who only touches the ball a fraction of the time. The spend versus contribution is disproportionate. Well, that's what I think anyway.

I'm concerned. Concussions are not a good thing - for the team or the individual. And Morse was someone I was counting on to improve our OL play. I wonder how serious this concussion is. And I wonder how it might cause him to reflect about retiring. But I'm not convinced the sky is falling. A concussion is not the end of the world. In the old days, players got their 'bell rung' all the time and kept playing. We're smarter now with fears of CTE and all that. But for many players, lives and careers continue on just fine after a concussion. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Agreed! An outstanding publication with a well-deserved reputation for journalistic excellence.

Sports Illustrated Kids ranks the Bills as having the 4th best fan base in the world of sports... 1.) Borussia Dortmund - Soccer 2.) Hanshin Tigers - Baseball3.) Winnipeg Jets - Hockey 4.) Newcastle United FC - Soccer5.) Buffalo Bills - NFL 6.) FC Barcelona - Soccer 7.) Nebraska Football - College Football 8.) Duke Basketball - College Basketball 9.) Iceland - Soccer 10.) Sacramento Kings - NBA Basketball "Losing four Super Bowls in a row would have crushed a lesser fan base. The #BillsMafia loves its team so much, they donated $415,000 to Andy Dalton's foundation in 2017 when the Bengals' QB's Hail-Mary touchdown against the Ravens sent the Bills to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years." https://www.wkbw.com/news/sikids-names-buffalo-bills-fans-among-top-five-in-the-world

I wish we all lived in a universe where good people prospered and bad people didn't & thus learned not to be bad. I think in that universe, we'd see NP develop the skills necessary to be a NFL QB. Nate's such a weird story. Chuckie tends to get excited about lots of college QBs but he genuinely seemed to think that NP would make it in the NFL. And Nate played well in preseason for us. The kid really grew on me. While his arm strength wasn't ideal, he seemed to have the skills to be a good backup. His accuracy, poise, understanding of the playbook, and work ethic all seemed solid. As I recall, he led the NFL in passer rating one preseason. And then the regular season happened and it was one bad mistake following another. Whatever talent he displayed in the preseason simply evaporated. It was like Jekyll and Hyde - hard to believe we were watching the same guy. He was so bad I was genuinely surprised his NFL career didn't end when the Bills released him. But if anyone was going to give him another chance, it had to be Gruden.

I think this is an interesting topic but I'd like to hear from observers who have been going to camp. If some of these guys are falling behind, I'd like to know why. Dropping balls? Routes not crisp enough? Not fast enough? Can't beat press coverage? Not hustling? Doesn't know playbook?

In an offseason with some silly, useless posts, I actually think this is an interesting question. You can make good arguments for and against each guy. I voted for Brown simply because he's the only WR listed who's actually had a #1 type season, getting 1,000+ yards a few years back. Zay's doesn't have 1,000 yards in his career yet. But I really don't have a strong opinion on how this will all work out. It's going to be fascination to see how this season unfolds with so many questions - especially on offense. Which receivers will start? Who will get the most targets? Who will be the starting five on the OL? How will the touches be shared among the RBs? Will Josh step us his game? Will Daboll step up his???

I hate look-at-me stuff. And this is just way over the top. I'm glad he's not a Bill.

I'd go just a little deeper into Raider history and think about Daryle "Mad Bomber" Lamonica as a Josh Allen prototype. Lamonica had a stronger arm than Stabler - more like Josh. And liked to throw deep - hence the nickname. The Raiders used to stretch defenses with their vertical passing game and then take advantage by running the ball - often between the tackles. In other words, Oakland reversed the conventional thinking of the time and used the passing game to open up the running game. I'm not sure that wouldn't work for the Bills, with our outside speed and strong-armed quarterback. If we force defenses to respect the deep pass, Shady and Gore will find less defenders in the box.

Agreed. I watched the No Punt game so there is nothing mythological about it to me. Just one simple fact: it was the first game in the modern era with no punts. It was a really fun game to watch with the lead going back and forth. Next to The Comeback, this might be the game I enjoyed most in my many years of Bills fandom.