hondo in seattle

I'm surprised how many people in the media are picking the Ravens partly because they want and need it more. Didn't the Ravens want the 2 games they've lost already? Bills 27 Ravens 20

That's what I'd be thinking. I usually don't do that. But I did check out FinHeaven after the Miami game and ended up feeling very sorry for them. The misery was overwhelming and some folks actually wrote complimentary things about Allen and the Bills.

The analytic gurus can go down deep statistical rabbit holes at times. But the most important stat in football is Win-Loss record. The Bills and Chiefs have identical 3-0 records. The next most important stat is points scored/allowed. This is what NFL teams train to do: score points and stop the opponent from scoring. The Bills have a league-leading +64 differential. The Chiefs have a mere +13 differential. Next, we could go to yards, strength of schedule, DVOA, and all sorts of other things. But the most meaningful stats give the edge to Buffalo. Right now, at this present time, it's fair to say the Bills are the best team in the league. Though, sadly, the Chiefs might still win another Super Bowl. Still - for now - I'm enjoying the view from the top of this temporary hill.

My memory is imperfect so I was probably wrong. But the general idea remains. Injuries suck. All teams get injuries but our D seems to be cursed with multiple injuries to key players. Yet McD seems to, maybe not right away, field a capable D despite whatever injuries we suffer... but only until the playoffs.

Berger Cookies? "A beloved treat in Baltimore, these cookies consist of a soft shortbread base topped with a thick layer of chocolate frosting. They have been a staple since the 1830s and can be found at various bakeries throughout the city." No Blue Crab here on the West Coast - mostly Dungeness Crab. I don't like seafood anyway. I never heard of Pit Beef sandwiches before but they sound good.

My recollection is that we start off good. Then injuries derail us. Then the coaches figure out how to win, despite the injuries, as the backups gain experience. But the injuries prove too much to overcome in the playoffs.

You mean, it's not "p-o-t-a-t-o-e"???

I agree. I don't think the Bills will continue to score 37 ppg. Brady and the offense will have some bad games. And I don't know if one good year as an OC with superman as his QB will persuade every GM and owner that Brady's the man. And Brady himself has a say. Everyone knows being at HC in the wrong organization sucks. Some owners meddle and some GMs give you crap talent to work with and essentially set you up for failure. I think the chances that a team with a HC opening wants Brady as their first pick, and Brady reciprocates & wants that team, are probably long. I think he'll get a couple of interviews but end up staying with the Bills.

Everyone? Suddenly I feel old and left out. I don't know a single lyric of that song. Let me put a Doors song on my turntable and contemplate my loneliness.

I don't watch many non-Bills games so this observation is a surprise. Roughly 2 out of every 3 yards gained in the modern NFL are gained through the air. To help make that happen, and keep QBs off IR, contemporary teams have favored offensive linemen who excel at pass pro over the 1970s road graders who knocked people over opening up holes for backs. With that in mind, I would expect excellent pass pro in the NFL at the moment. In any case, I've spent years criticizing Beane for not building a better OL to protect Josh. I envied some of the lines that guys like Mahomes and Brady played behind at times and wondered what Josh would do if he could stand in a clean pocket. Now I know.

I just discovered this post. Thanks Thurm. I never knew this.

I said repeatedly that Brady has enough weapons to lead a potent offense if he's a good coordinator. And when Brady started preaching, "Everyone eats," I imagined what we're seeing now. But I wasn't convinced that Brady was talented enough to realize his vision. Yet here we are - the highest scoring team in the NFL. I hope we keep that up.

I'll be impressed when he does this in January.

Okay, so I'm 0-6 now. But, Dawkins and Douglas both had solid games from what I saw live (no All-22).

I guess it's how you evaluate the production. To exaggerate a bit, Dorsey offensive approach was to have Josh throw downfield to Diggs. And if the OL wasn't giving Josh enough time to throw... well, it was on Josh to find a way to make it work. Brady's approach is everyone eats. The backs will both run and catch. Josh will get some runs as well. Both Kincaid and Knox will get targets. As will all five of the wideouts. I don't think our WR production is comparitively low because they suck. I think their production is low by design. The encouraging sign is that they've been efficient. Josh has a good rating throwing to them and they haven't been dropping balls as often as our wideouts in the past. They're effectively playing the role Brady is asking them to play.

I'm not disagreeing, Doc, but I thought the emphasis on the Jag's crappy play was overdone last night. Jax only gave up 20 to Tua and the Fins. They gave up 18 to the Browns. Yeah, they were missing a couple of CBs. But next man up - that's what the Bills do. And the Jags had Walker and Hines-Allen. Where were they? The Bills put on a clinic. Still, it'll be interesting to see how successful Brady will be scheming against elite defenses.

I tentatively, cautiously agree with all of this. Brady was okay last season but didn't excel. But with an entire offseason to install his offense, things seem to be humming now with the Bills scoring 37 points per game. In the first half yesterday, Brady's play designs and play calls were fantastic. As the announcers said (more or less), Brady seems to have built an offense that doesn't require Josh to put on his cape every week for the Bills to win. But even Dorsey had hot streaks where we put up a lot of points. Let's see how this plays out.

We all know McDaniel has flaws as a coach. But when people call him a genius, they mean with Xs and Os. And I'm sure McDaniel has a plan. I'm also sure he hasn't told Chris Cote what the plan is. But what is McD supposed to do? He's not a medical genius and can't cure Tua of his concussions. And he's not the GM and can't poop out a QB. Whatever the plan is, it's not going to be a great one.

Brady's first half today was a thing of beauty. Good game plan & play calling.

I may have underestimated our team a bit.

Considering we're averaging 37 points per game, I'm not sure how relevant this argument is. Does it really matter how good the WR room is if we keep putting up 30+ points using a balanced approach?

Logic, you may be right. If you look at his measurables, and how he's been used so far, Worthy might turn out to be a gadget player in the NFL and nothing more. But, after three games, I agree with the folks saying it's too early to assess. There were smart people who thought OJ was a gadget player - a track star who used his speed to excel at college football. He only averaged about 50 yards a game his rookie season with Buffalo. Even less his sophomore year. Few people back then would have predicted that he would go on to prove himself one of the greatest RBs - if not the greatest - of all time. I'm in the wait-and-see camp though I don't really care that much. I just want Coleman to morph into a star.

We all end up in the same place anyway so I'm not sure what good I ultimately accomplish trying to eke out a few extra years. But I truly enjoying hiking & running with the dog in the mountains.

I try to avoid rooting against anybody. I pretty much want all people to thrive and be happy. But there are exceptions. I root against murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and people who spread hate. I also root against our opponents in the AFCE. I'm not saying they're at the same level as murderers, rapists, etc. But that's who I root against.

Like all of us, Mercury was an imperfect soul. He was arrested for drug trafficking after his career ended but later turned his life around and became a motivational speaker. Many remember him as a good guy. One mildly funny story I remember has to do with OJ... Mercury liked OJ but was apparently jealous that the Bills built their running attack solely around OJ while Mercury had to share totes with both Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick. Mercury said something to the effect that if he played for the Bills, he'd get 2,000 yards too. One of his linemen took umbrage and countered that if OJ played behind the Dolphins offensive line, he'd have 3,000 yards. For the youngsters out there, Morris finished his career averaging 5.1 yards per carry - the best career YPC for a halfback at the time (the legendary Marion Motley and Jim Brown both had higher YPC but were fullbacks).