hondo in seattle

Timely takeaways saved the season last year. Takeaway totals - unfortunately - aren't very consistent from season to season. They're a combination of skill & luck and not dependent on skill alone. That said, this year's defense will probably be better.

Not a lot of consensus but a nice little feel good article. I probably would have wanted to also know who's disappointed.

I'm not a bettor so let me ask this question: Isn't betting on preseason games kind of like betting on the flip of a coin?

Once when I was a platoon leader in the army stationed in Korea, some of my soldiers got into a barroom fight with a group of soldiers from another battalion. To my surprise, my battalion found out and - after questioning me about my involvement - firmly told me something like, "Lieutenant, that kind of behavior is unacceptable. It can't happen again." Duly reprimanded, I crisply replied "Yes, sir" and was happy to be let out so easily. Then in a low, conspiratorial tone of voice, he asked. "Just tell me one more thing: did you and your guys win?" I paused for a moment wondering if I should tell him the unadulterated truth. I decided to go for it. "Sir, we kicked their freaking asses," I replied in my most professional army officer voice. "Good!" he erupted. "Today's army is too damn soft! Understand that I have to admonish you not to let this happen again. But, goddamit, this is a violent profession and we need men who aren't afraid of a scuffle!" Football is also a violent profession that requires men who aren't afraid of a scuffle.

A couple thoughts... First, some QBs are really good at finding the open guy. Other QBs are really good at threading the needle or throwing a receiver open. Either ways gets you a completion. Ideally, a NFL QB can do both - find the open guy and/or thread the needle - but not all actually can. Second, inaccuracy has different causes. If Allen is just genetically inferior to Brees et al (worse hand-eye coordination or whatever), it can't be fixed. But if his inconsistent accuracy is a function of poor biomechanics then good coaching can make a difference. In fact, some QB guru or another observed that Allen's accuracy woes are due to mechanics. Specifically, Allen's not disciplined with his feet. His stance varies from snap to snap. When he's not solid in the bottom half of his body, his passes are often errant.

I was taught to keep my eyes on the ball carrier while hitting with one shoulder or the other, wrapping up with my arms, and driving the player to the dirt. My high school coaches said this was both safer and more effective. And this was back in the 1970s. We were still both violent and - one year - undefeated. That season only two or three teams even scored on us. Our 'tamed' tackling technique didn't seem to hurt our defense. I'm not sure how safer tackling techniques ruin football. I worry about the judgment calls but agree with Kelso that the basic idea is right. If we don't do something to reduce concussions, more and more athletic kids will chose other sports, and that will ruin football.

Was Gilbert on our roster so long ago that his son is now in the NFL? Wow, time flies. I'm getting old fast.

Just wanna say thanks to Gunner and everyone else who has contributed to this thread so far. I didn't watch the game - except for a few highlights - and you guys are getting me caught up on who did well - and who didn't.

The preseason tells us nothing about scheme, play-calling, etc. The preseason isn't about winning. It's about evaluating players. For example, we passed a lot yesterday. Does that mean Daboll plans on passing a lot in the regular season? Or does it mean he wanted to get a look at the QBs? I suggest the latter.

300+ yards. We don’t see that often.

I saw the article on BR this morning. Not very encouraging. I'm hoping he reinvents himself in Buffalo. But my expectations are low.

Bleacher Report now says he's not very tough and doesn't seem to know what's doing on the field (doesn't know where to line up, etc.). In fact, a Browns teammate calls him "Charmin soft." Not high praise. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2790115-can-corey-coleman-resurrect-his-career-in-buffalo?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_medium=referral

"Of the total 21 participants, eight of the athletes were former Bills, and 14 were Sabres." I'm searching my memory and coming up empty. Who's the one guy in the study who played for both the Bills and the Sabres??? ?

It's a different situation. Let's look at OJ, for example. OJ was great on the field and a great teammate as well. His overall contribution to his team was immense. He was an easy first ballot HOFer. Only later did we find out he was a crappy human being. TO, on the other hand, was a bad teammate. Some coaches felt like his poisonous prima donna attitude hurt a team as much as his talent helped a team. And some selectors chose to consider that. I think rightfully so.

I have not been to training camp, but the reports are exactly what we expected from him. Allen is making some throws the other two guys probably couldn't make. But then he's missing some easy throws too. Mostly, he's performing like the rookie he is. I'm not sure who would be disappointed with him. So far, he's pretty much as advertised: a raw talent.

Cool to see all the smiles - on little Drew and on the faces of the bigger players!

AJ's only regular season starts came in 2015 when Andy Dalton got hurt. The Cinci offense was humming that year under Dalton, averaging 376 yards per game over the course of the first 13 games. When AJ came in relief the last three games, the offense slowed considerably - averaging only 276 yards per game. AJ averaged a Tyrod-esque 184 yards passing in his three regular season starts. Think about this: the Bengals offense was 100 yards per game worse with AJ under center than Dalton. Why would Cinci play AJ ahead of Dalton??? As Bills fans, we can only hope that AJ is a better QB today than he was in 2015. Otherwise, he's Tyrod Taylor without the legs.

Weird how different people have such different takes on the same player. Joe B has also said: To this point in training camp, Washington has been mainly invisible and has only one win during 1-on-1 drills out of a total of 10 tries. His only win by my count came against rookie Wyatt Teller, and the remainder of the time right guard John Miller has dominated him on most reps. If you combine his lack of a presence early on with the fact that the Bills have already started giving Harrison Phillips work at Washington's three-technique position, it all is not adding up well for the past Doug Whaley selection. https://www.wkbw.com/sports/bills/joe-b-7-observations-from-2018-buffalo-bills-training-camp-day-5

Exactly what I was thinking. The guy can write an informed, balanced article. But, too often he relies on sources who have no idea what they're talking about.

Right now half of our roster went undrafted. Percentages will change as we move from 90 to 53.

I'm not sure this will happen by Week 5 but I agree with your opening day and future depth chart.

So our opponents are trying to defeat us with their stout defenses. Since we don't want their defense to win the game for them, we want to field a proficient offense that can overcome their strong defense. So offense wins games?

Agreed - to a point. Analytics work better in baseball than they do in football. And they work better in the NFL than they do in college.

Because she had a talent for modelling and was thus able to book high paying jobs?

When the draft was looming - and then especially in the aftermath of the draft - I read a lot about Allen and watched some film. Opinions are strongly divided. Some smart football think really highly of him. Some don't. I don't know if the division is entirely an 'analytics' versus 'old-school' thing but there's certainly a difference of opinion. I don't which camp is right. And I won't know for a while. For now, I'm content that the Bills went for the QB they believed had the highest upside. At this point, all a fan can do is wait and see. New opinions on the matter just don't faze me much any more. I really don't care what Football Outsiders thinks.