hondo in seattle

I gave a class on kaizen to my team (restaurant industry) earlier this year. Interesting to see the Bills use it.

It's not - and you know it 26CB. Beane and McD aren't idiots. I think you're just expressing your frustration. Beane and McD didn't pick up the game of football just this year. Like anyone involved in the NFL, they've known for many years that speedy players can stretch defenses. It's a matter of weighing pros and cons. They apparently saw more pros than cons in having KB out there instead of a speedier guy. KB can't get separation. Foster can't catch. It was a pick-your-poison situation. But when KB started demonstrated he couldn't catch either, it made more sense to go with the speedsters. And when that proved to be successful, Beane and McD reevaluated how they weigh different attributes. They're now putting more weight on speed.

If Vegas odds are determined by roster spending, we would be underdogs every game this season.

I'm not sure why some Bills fans obsess over McD's use of the word, "process." Virtually any leader tasked with rebuilding a team or organization has some kind of plan or methodology in mind. Several sports coaches - not just on the Bills or Colts - like to use "process" to describe their method or plan. Long before McD, even I've used the phrase "the process" when talking about building up business teams. The word is apropos because building a winning team isn't like flipping on a light switch - it's a series of complimentary actions. McD has never laid out (to the public, anyway) the specifics of his particular process. Maybe he's never really formulated a list. But I imagine the elements would include: * build a winning culture * find players who put team first * practice hard, play hard * pay attention to detail * be on time * hold each other accountability * minimize whining & negativity In other words, it's a lot like the processes of Belichick, Cowher, Walsh and many others. I have little doubt in the wisdom of McD's process - as best as I can discern it. The pertinent question is: Can he execute it as well as the guys who win Super Bowls? Patton once said something to the effect that 5% of the success of any plan depends on the plan itself. The other 95% is execution. With a very limited payroll, McD has done a nice job building the D. But we've seen this all too many times in our history. Either the O is good or the D is good but they're almost never good at the same time. Can Beane and McD break that trend? Next year we'll learn how well they draft; how effectively they attract FAs; and what McD does with the influx of new blood. Until then, I think it's a bit premature to judge the Beane/McD process, plan, method, program, strategy, system, modus operandi or whatever you want to call it. But I'm glad they have one because they'd be idiots if they didn't.

Show us that quote because I don't recall it. McD has talked about the importance of culture. And he's right, it's important. Bill Walsh valued culture, too. Walsh - who went 2-14 in his first year with the 49ers - wrote that "Culture precedes positive results."

This is a worthy thread. Rather than another Let-me-share-my-opinion-again-why-I-think- Terry/Kim/Beane/McD/Peterman-sucks thread, I want to thank DCO for sharing new and interesting insights. Good work!

Thought the the same about Bruce. All good DEs are held.

Better D. Worse OL. Better OC???? Maybe yes.

The Saints have attempted about half as many "deep" passes as the Bills but completed 4 more. Quality trumps quantity.

Rodak's remark about short fields isn't very meaningful, actually. The fact that Bills opponents are facing short fields could explain why the Bills are only giving up 25.9 yards per drive - 2nd best in the NFL. But it doesn't explain some other things... The Bills offense has a lot of 3-and-outs and turnovers, so I'm guessing the Bills face more drive starts than other Ds. I know for sure only five defensive units have had to face more plays. The Bills D is playing under duress. Yet the Bills D only gives up 4.9 yards per play - 2nd best in the NFL. And the Bills lead the league in tackles for a loss and forced fumbles. This D is pretty good.

Continuity is great - when you have the right folks in the first place. And not just on the offensive line. The Steelers love continuity in general. Both their GM and HC have been around for a very long time. I'd love to see both more continuity on the Bills and an investment in the OL.

One of my favorite Bills WRs - Eric Moulds - had as much production in year My 2nd favorite Bills WR of all-time, Eric Moulds, had twice as many yards in Year 3 (1368) as Year 1 (279) and Year 2 (294) combined. After an unimpressive start to his career, Moulds averaged just about 1,000 yards per season from his 3rd NFL season to his 10th, despite some injuries. Some WRs need time to blossom. Hopefully Zay's best years lie ahead.

I'm not sure we need another thread on tanking versus not-tanking. Though, I suppose, Peterman's cutting adds a new wrinkle to the conversation. I personally never thought we were "tanking" per se. I'm sure McD and his staff try their hardest to win each week. And I don't believe Beane ever talks about intentionally losing games. But leading the league in dead money this year and then being #3 in available cap space next year is no accident. Beane did very little to make 2018 a successful year. He's doing a lot to make 2019 and beyond good years.

I think Pancho Billa has surpassed Pinto Ron as the most famous Bills fan in America. (Not counting Bills fans like Wolf Blitzer who are well known for other reasons). I was telling Pancho's story to my wife yesterday and then suddenly, mysteriously, there were drops of salt water on my cheeks.

C.Bisc, I kind of get what you're saying about modern football and kind of don't. While it's a passing league, you still need a run D. You won't stop many drives without a run D. And despite our offense continually giving the ball back to our opponents (turnovers, 3-and-outs), we're leading the league in 2018 in defense. In other words, the Bills are fielding a modern defensive unit. We're not giving up a lot of passing yards. We're not giving up a lot of rushing yards. Overall, we're only allowing 4.9 yards per play which is very good. And Star is playing an effective role in that defense. If a lesser man was in Star's place, our D wouldn't be as good. The 11 guys out there have to fit together in a complimentary way. Right now they do. I wouldn't chose to mess with that unless we can upgrade somewhere. And his cost is bearable given that we have $90 mil available next year.

McD explained it clearly one time. He said Peterman performs well in practice and preseason. But what a vote of no-confidence when the HC starts a career journeyman who's been on the team for 12 days over a guy who's been with the team for a year-and-a-half. I'd advise Nate to enjoy the NFL while he can because I think he's going to be looking for a new line of work pretty quickly

Happy Birthday!

Yeah. Not so good. Might be better if the O didn’t have so many 3 and outs and turnovers

Fun trivia: In terms of yards per game or yards per play, the Bills have a better defense than any of these teams.

I voted for the Saints most because I'm Purdue alum and bugged that so many people make it sound like a closed case that Brady's the GOAT. I love watching Brees toss the football around the field and don't believe anyone does it better. But the more I think about it, the more I think the Rams are the NFL's best. They're out-gaining opponents but a whopping 93 yards per game. The Saints, in comparison, our out-gaining their opponents by 37 yards per game and the Chiefs by a modest 13. The Rams likewise lead the other two in point differential. Right now, the Rams are more dominant.

You are right on all counts. The Bills offense performed well today against a competent defense. It was fun to watch. But the worries are... * What's up with the OL? They played well today. Was it Teller? The scheme & play-calling? Or just an anomalous good game? * Who's the QB? Barkley played well today but his career stats are unimpressive so we're still wondering if Josh Allen can be a franchise QB or not. The jury's still out. * Who's the RB? Shady played well today but he's not getting any younger. * Who's going to catch the ball? KB continues to disappoint and Zay - while improving - still needs to prove he deserves to be a NFL starter. There are enough questions that we need Beane to draft well and spend all that cap money wisely on some offensive help.

I've been saying for weeks that this season is preseason for 2019. We're not going to the playoffs this year so let the young guys get experience. Barkley looked good today but he's not the future. I voted Allen.

People usually use the term, "complementary football," to mean that both the offense and defense are playing well. But I'm thinking about it in a different sense. On that first drive, Barkley and Foster made the Jets respect our vertical game. Shady made them respect our running game. The passing game made the run game more successful and the run game made the passing game more successful. To me, that's complementary football. I'll add that I was proud of our OL today. Shady had some holes to run through and Barkley had time to throw. So, yeah, I agree that the Bills fielded a NFL offense today. Barkley wasn't great. He didn't throw with the precision of a Brady or Brees. But he made enough good short, medium, and long throws that the Jets were forced to defend the entire field. I imagine Daboll going into the QB room this week and saying, "See! That's what I've been talking about!"

Do we really need a new thread to discuss how cgg’s opinion has not changed?

Fergie’s underrated. He started out being the guy who handed off to OJ but later developed into a good QB. In 1981, for example, he threw for more yards than better remembered guys like Montana, Bradshaw and Jaworski.