hondo in seattle

I'm bummed that Allen is throwing for fewer yards under Brady than he did under previous coordinators. Although I realize that Brady isn't working with all-star receivers, I do wonder about his ability to scheme a potent passing attack. Then again, this Bills squad scores. A lot. And that's what an OC is supposed to make happen. So I agree that we should pay him whatever it takes. But the lure of a HC job is more than just money. It's ego, the love of a challenge, the professional gratification of running your own show, etc. Money may not be enough to make him stay.

I normally gear up before a game which I did. No problem there. I normally cook wings which I didn't until after the game. Oops. And I normally watch every single play. Walking the dog, other household chores, conversation, peeing, pooping... None of that can happen when a play is being run. It's bad juju - but yesterday I missed some plays because it felt like a preseason game. My fault.

Maybe you're right but we're all just guessing. I've never met Stefanski and can't claim to read his mind or know his intentions. I acknowledge that it does seem odd when an offensive HC fires the OC who's running the HC's scheme. But Dorsey's been fired twice in past 2 seasons. Both offenses Dorsey was in charge of peformed better before Dorsey. One of them performed better after Dorsey. We'll wait and see about the other but the pattern we see so far isn't a good one for Dorsey. I also beleive McD and Stefanski aren't morons. They've earned HC positions partly because they make more good decisions than bad. In the realm of football, they probably have above-average analytical skills. And both agree that Dorsey isn't the OC they want.

Yikes, this was discouraging.

Agreed. Some at the time said this was proof of Dorsey's passion to win. As an ex-military guy, I had a different take that had to do with Dorsey's emotional maturity. If a military leader has a soldier injured or killed, they still needs to remain calm and analytical to carry out the mission. There's no time for childish antics. Venting and mourning are selfish luxuries for later. As a leader, you owe it to your soldiers to fully dedicate all your intellectual, spiritual and emotional faculties to eventual success. The stakes aren't nearly as high in football so it should be easier for a football leader to keep his composure and focus on what needs to be done. Dorsey's tantrums didn't reflect highly on him.

Our turnovers went down and our scoring went up but Josh didn't personally experience an explosion in production under Brady. His yards per game went down. I think his passing TDs went down too. I'm not sure Dorsey was fixated on keeping Diggs happy. He may have seen Diggs as our best receiver and thus wanted to feed him the ball. In any case, Brady is putting more points on the board and the offense is harder to defend because its not all about one connection: Allen to Diggs. So I'm just nitpicking when I agree with your general point.

Our receivers don't typically get a lot of separation anyway.

I've never liked Bayless. Sometimes he says unkind things with little justification. And sometimes he seems to act the contrarian just to be difficult. Not sure how he got a national audience.

She’s one of 50 people chosen by AP to vote.

who’s enamored? Personally I think he’s fine as a #3. I’m glad he’s getting reps and keeping Mitch and Allen safe.

This is true but may also be a case of false reductionism. Maybe poor production isn't the entire story. Maybe Stefanski watched how Dorsey prepared for games, worked with his fellow coaches, worked with the players... and decided the Browns needed better. A little over a year ago McD made the same decision about Dorsey when Josh Allen was Dorsey's QB. Maybe it's not the players fault that Dorsey was fired. Maybe it is Dorsey's fault.

I hope Brady doesn't take a HC job this year but does hire & mentor his replacement.

It didn't seem like a love fest at the end of the McD-Daboll era. They didn't openly criticize each other but the expression, "damn with faint praise" comes to mind. I would be surprised if McD ever brought Daboll back. I just hope Brady doesn't leave. While I find issue with some of his playcalling and the design of some of his passing concepts - it's hard to argue with his results. It took him a while to put together a viable offense that gets the most out of a motley group of NFLers. I'd hate for a new OC to come in and start over again from scratch.

Offense: Trubisky Defense: Solomon

The new stadium ought to have a museum dedicated to the Bills mafia. And this story - along with any old photos available - ought to be included. Legendary!

Gruden has a 117-112 record as a head coach. He's 5-4 in the playoffs. Both his regular season and postseason records become sub .500 if we ignore 2002. So let's look at that season. It was Gruden's first year in Tampa. He finished 12-4 and went 3-0 in the playoffs to win the Lombardi. Did he just ride into the playoffs on Dungy's horse and or did he get the team over the hump? Warren Sapp observed, "Tony baked the cake and Jon put the icing on it." Maybe that's a fair take and both deserve credit. But here's some context. In the five years before the Super Bowl year, the Bucs won 58 regular season games under Dungy. In the five years after the SB under Gruden, they won only 36 games. Post SB, Gruden had a losing record with Tampa. Some Buc fans rightfully believe that Gruden killed Dungy's horse. So instead of Vrabel, let the Jets hire Gruden and his lifetime .511 record. He's basically Marvin Lewis with more personality - sadly including hints of homophobia, misogyny, and racism. As a owner, player, or fan, I wouldn't want him.

What am I missing? The biggest downgrades for us will be at QB and offensive tackle. Other than those two spots, our lineup won't be much worse/different than our normal starting lineup. Unfortunately, the downgrade at QB from Josh to Trubisky is huge. I'm hoping (A) some Pats coaches and players want to lose and don't do their best, and (B) Trubisky plays like a former first-round draft pick. If A and/or B happens, the Bills win. But I'm expecting... Pats 20 Bills 13

If I understand correctly, fans, coaches, and players each count 33.3% in the selection process. It's a fun way to do it but not guaranteed to get accurate results. I don't trust any of these groups completely and I certainly don't trust us - the fans. There are a lot of knowledgeable fans whom I respect on OBD. But a lot of fan voters are relatively unsophisticated - teens and pre-teens who vote numerous times basing their choices on their favorite team, who they see on TV, and who the announcers talk up. Even here on OBD, a lot of us aren't expert, for example, at the nuances of offensive line play. How can we accurately distinguish the #1 guy from the #10 guy? As far as that goes, I don't even trust the Seattle's punter to accurate assess the players on the Bills offensive line. Yet he gets a vote, too. I'd rather see a vote from head coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators, and pro personnel directors (not draft guys).

If anything, he may be overhyped in some quarters leading to a reaction against him.

I've got to admit, this was good for a laugh. The top center is the guy from the Lions. So are the top two guards. And the top two tackles. This is truly amazing. The Lion OL must be the greatest offensive line of all-time. Thurman with creaky knees at age 58 could gain yards with these guys out front. Yet the voters also voted the Lions RB #1.

Back in the 1970s, Miami had the "No Name Defense." We also have a No Name defense - if you include only our starters and not Von the backup. We have a One Name Offense. Yet we won the AFCE and beat both the Lions and Chiefs.

This is what happens when you check in on a thread midstream and don't look at who's posting. Apologies.

Happy New Years! I wish us all abundant health and happiness... and a Lombardi!

No. This season, Beane decided to pay him $31 million to go away. That's how bad he wanted him gone. After paying him $31M to be off the team, why would Beane pay $1.2 million - or even $1.20 - to get him back on the team? The Bills have less talent at wideout this year and yet we're scoring more points and seeminly exeriencing more teamwork, unity, and camaraderie. The Diggs trade was a classic case of addition by subtraction.

Altough I see the clunkiness too, your earlier point is valid: it's hard to argue with the results. As it stands right now, the Bills have the second highest points per drive for a season in NFL history. In other words, this offense is more productive than the offense of nearly any Super Bowl champion in history. I suppose the question is: Is the offense productive and consistent enough to produce wins even when our medicocre defense falls on its ass?