hondo in seattle

I'm guessing this is why she doesn't seem to be involved much with the Bills, despite some previous stories. She's got something else going on. Won the Berlin Open today. Top Ten in the world for 100 weeks. Currently ranked #5. Representing the USA in the upcoming Olympics.

I've never heard Brady say anything to the effect that McD is breathing down his neck. So I'm not sure what your source is for this. I agree, though, that Brady needs to get better. I assume he was involved in some of the offseason WR moves and told McD and Beane what kind of receivers he wanted for his offense to work. Allen has said that Brady is installing new concepts and it's like learning a new offense. In other words, it doesn't sound like we'll see the same aerial attack this season that we saw at the end of last year. There will be new players running new plays. Without knowing more, it's hard to guess how it'll all work out.

One of my worst takes ever on TBD... I thought Harty and Sherfield - especially Sherfield - were good additions. In my defense, I'm guessing Beane thought so, too. Now it seems whoever you want to chart as Harty's and Shefield's replacements are going to be upgrades because both were huge disappointments. Shakir is an upgrade over Shakir because he's getting better. Samuel is an upgrade over Davis because he's faster, more versatile, and has better hands. So 4 of our top 5 wideouts are upgrades. That leaves Coleman versus Diggs, and that's highly unlikely to be an upgrade. Hopefully, Coleman finds a role with the Bills where the downgrade isn't extreme - and then the 5 versus 5 comparison is an upgrade overall. If Coleman struggles but Claypool plays up to his potential, we could be okay. It helps that our TEs could be better this year. Kincaid seemed to improve as the season progressed and he learned the offense and how to succeed in the pros. And Knox, with a little luck, will be healthy this year.

I agree McD did a fantastic job in his role as DC over the second half of the season. But Rampant Buffalo is right when he says that McD needs to find a way to generate stops in the playoffs. Better talent would help a lot: guys who can pressure the quarterback and DBs who can blanket receivers. I'm not sure we have either of those but we'll see. But McD needs to surprise, outthink, and outscheme opposing OCs and HCs in the playoffs. Relying on his normal gameplans has proven inadequate. Being healthier (fingers crossed) will make a huge difference but I also want McD to be more innovative on defense - a defensive version of Andy Reid. Maybe McD's frustation at not getting to the big dance yet will have him rethink some of his past conservatism. We needed to be 4 points better against the Chiefs. Just 4. Maybe Brady's modifications to the offense gives us that. Maybe just being healthier will give us that. But I'd like to see the defensive scheming get a little better as well. Having Babich as DC handling the day-to-day stuff might allow McD to do more high-level, innovative game-planning. I don't what to expect. I'm heading into the season with a ton of curiosity and a lot of cautious hope.

Maybe my memory is bad, but I don't recall McD playing a higher percentage of soft, zone, and prevent defenses in the playoffs than he did during the regular season. His base defense, 4-2-5, would be considered a "prevent" defense back in the 1980s. But it's common in the NFL these days and serves us well - in the regular season. My recollection is that (1) we've had trouble getting pressure in the playoffs with our 4 down linemen, and (2) while our DBs were good, they weren't lockdown great. If you give Mahomes or Burrow time - and we did - they'll complete passes in tight windows. If you're correct about the soft, zone, and prevent observation, I agree its a problem. I'm just not sure you are. In any case, I do agree that the coach is ultimately responsible. McD has got to find a way to win - maybe with exotic blitz packages or new coverage schemes the opponent haven't seen before. But I think the more fundamental problem is that Beane hasn't yet given McD quite enough talent on D. Nor have the Gridiron Gods been kind to us - too many bandaged Bills warriors were on the sidelines watching as Mahomes marched the Chiefs down the field. We need our best guys in the game to stop offenses of the Chiefs-Bengals calibre. Imagine if Groot and Elam were as good as Beane hoped they would be. And if Milano, Tre, Von, Rapp, Bernard, Douglass, etc. were all fully healthy. Last year's playoff story would have been different. Those are all Brandon Beane and Lady Luck issues. Let's not forget, too, that despite playing on crutches, we outgained, earned more first downs, and came within 3 points of beating the SB champs. If Bass hadn't missed that FG...

I spend my time doing crap like hiking, biking, running, meditating, reading, writing... because, sadly, there's nothing going on at TBD.

So what's the theory? Playoff games suck McD's IQ out of his head? The stress of the playoffs make him forget everything he knows about football? Here's my theory. McD is the same coach year round. He studies game tape the same way whether he's in the playoffs or not. He coorborates with the defensive coaches the same way. He goes about his game planning process the same way. He schedules the players for the same preparations. And if he's calling the defensive plays, he does so in accordance with his philosophy and beliefs whether it's a playoff game or not. So why the different results in the regular season versus the post-season... (1) In the playoffs, we face the very best offenses so of course our D is challenged. (2) The past two seasons, we entered the playoffs significantly banged up on defense. (3) The players overperform during the regular season thanks to McD's scheme and excellent teamwork. In the playoffs, teams like KC have the smarts to overcome our scheme advantages. So in the playoffs, the battle of our D versus the Opponents D gets decided by roster talent. McD's magic scheming doesn't overcome the shortcomings of our defensive players who lose too many one-on-one battles in the playoffs. We just haven't had enough talented players to match up with the AFC's best offenses.

If $5 million is out of your price range, you can have this beauty for 1/10th the cost... The house is 100 years old and there's a small hitch. The tenant who lives there pays only $416.67/month in rent. You can't evict them, nor can you raise the rent for the next 30 years.

I got a "Go Bills!" in the Philippines once - though from a fellow American. Once in little Gig Harbor, WA, a guy kept beeping his horn at me as I drove down the street. So I pulled over wondering what the heck was going on. He was a Bills fan and saw my stickers. We talked congenially for a while and ended the conversation with, "Go Bills!" Eating at a restaurant in Morgan Hill, California, the couple at the next table said "Go Bills" when they saw my Bills iPhone case. They were friends of the Allen family and had become Bills fans when Josh was drafted. Here on the West Coast, I hear "Go Bills" maybe about once a month. More - much more - if I go to Bills Backers bars on game day.

One of the Bills more consequential 10th-round picks - though originally drafted by the hated Chiefs who quickly cut him.

I get the impression that Beane and McD aren't just coworkers, they're friends who talk a lot. Maybe daily. So I'm guessing Beane told McD that Dunne wanted to interview him and McD raised no objections. If McD was against the interview, I doubt if it would have happened.

I doubt if Beane and his staff or McD and his staff are putting much effort into this.

I miss the Senator's 17-0 predictions.

I voted 5-8. But that doesn't mean I've given up on a trophy. First of all, it's not true that the best team wins the Lombardi every year. Even if we're not the best team, we still have a shot. Secondly, as a fan, I hope. I hope the WR group is better than expected, and Brady turns out to be a great OC, and Miller returns to form, and so does Milano, etc. I especially hope we enter the playoffs healthy.

And I remember when our punter was the most bored, underworked guy in the NFL. Let's go back to that. Who needs Punt God?

Not really facing charges. The young woman's lawyer was on TV saying things that weren't accurate. I got the impression, if I recall events correctly, that the DA was never even tempted to bring charges because none of the witnesses corroborated her version of events.

Wade was an NFL head coach of six different teams and compiled an 82-64 record despite his vagabond lifestyle which seems to say he's an above average coach. Yet he can't sniff an NFL job. It seems unfair though his poor playoff record might have something to do with this. I hope he gets another chance.

Dunne graded McD an "F." It's clear he sees McD as a failure and found some disgruntled ex-employees to support his premise. The things is, we don't know the entirety of what the disgruntled exes said. Their accounts may have been more balanced that what appeared in print. Dunne may have selected the choicest, most damning quotes for print with a light sprinkle of positive remarks thrown in to appear that he was fair and balanced when he wasn't. I don't trust the man. There's a saying in India, "When a pickpocket walks down the street, all he sees is pockets." Scientists call this 'confirmation bias.' I think Dunne had a point of view in mind when he began the article and actively sought out supporting quotes. The players grade McD an "A." They're a 1000x more credible source. Andy Reid and Bill Cowher (both HOF, SB winning coaches), in published quotes, seem to agree with that grade. Who are you going to believe?

My daughter was only 2 so she doesn't remember this, but she knows the story... When she was little, I used to throw her up to the high ceiling of our house and catch her whenever the Bills scored a TD. She would squeal in delight. Well, there was a certain game where we weren't scoring much. I was feeling pretty morose and she wasn't having any fun waiting for a touchdown even if she didn't understand what a touchdown was. Then The Comeback happened, and we both began yelling and squealing in delight!

I've thought that too. But Allen seems to think it helps and he's a smart guy in a position to know.

People on TBD attack McD all the time. And that's okay. This is a place for fans to opine and vent without real world consequences. But Dunne's article damaged McD's reputation. And it potentially hurt his ability to get another job after the Bills. With real world consequences, Dunne needed to do his due diligence and interview McD's fans and supporters as well as his critics. He didn't. He thoroughly explored McD's bad side using biased sources and only scratched the surface of his good side. I get journalists have a job to do. I expect political journalists to uncover the unsavory stories of our elected officials. We need to know those. But McD coaches a game. It's entertainmnent. Journalists don't need to do hit pieces on coaches/entertainers. It doesn't serve the public good. Finally, Dunne hurt the Bills. How many coaches or players want to come to Buffalo after reading that article? This is another real world consequence of what he wrote. Nothing good came from his hit piece. Only bad things. It should have never been written. I can't respect a guy who needlessly smears the character of a person most consider a good man or hurts my Bills.

I was disappointed when we cut him. I thought "innocent until proven guilty" wasn't just a legal principle, but an American value. And I thought about the Brian Banks story. For those who don't know, Banks was a talented high school football player who dreamt of playing in the NFL someday. But when he raped a classmate, those dreams were crushed. Except that he never raped her. Years later, she admitted that she had fabricated the whole story. While not common, false accusations happen. It's hard to made definitive determinations but various studies in the US and Europe conclude that 2% to 10% of sexual assault accusations are false. Considering charges were never even brought against Araiza, I thought he deserved the benefit of the doubt. Though I did understand the PR considerations.

I refuse to pay for Dunne article. Those who say his McD article was not a hit-piece, I hear you. I get your arguments. But when you attack a guy so strongly, I find it unethical. I don't believe Dunne made up any quotes. But I didn't agree with his conclusions nor did I like that fact that he interviewed mostly malcontents. Reading the article, you'd think McD was the worst coach on the planet. Yet, the players gave McD an 'A' rating in the NFLPA poll. It wasn't fair and balanced reporting. Dunne says he still stands by it which is why I still stand against him. Not willing to pay, I listened to most of the WGR interview with Dunne. Some interesting stuff. Nothing specific about the Diggs trade other than Beane telling Dunne that it was about more than the cap - but we knew that already. Dunne was complimentary of Beane which made me feel like he was trying to repair damaged bridges and make nice with Bills fans.

I don't think he's worth it... but I suppose his chances are better than mine.

When I listen to Rodgers's interviews, I wonder about his mindset. I get the feeling that football is good for both his ego and his bank account. But his bank balance is fine so he doesn't need football. It seems more like a hobby to him at this point. It's important - but there are other things just as important. And so I wonder how good he'll be this season. He's very talented, obviously. But it's hard to succeed in the NFL and harder yet when you're in your 40s. So lacking a passionate, single-minded commitment, I don't know if we'll see the best version of Aaron Rodgers this season, or ever again.