hondo in seattle

We had far more victories to be savored than defeats in those years. And reaching the SB four consecutive years was, and remains, unprecedented. But the pain of ending each year empty-handed endures.

I wish we had a better #2. But I don't think "the absence of a bona-fide #2 absolutely kills this team." I like the diversity and overall depth of the receiving corps. I like Harty and Sherfield in the roles they'll likely play. I like the different skill sets of Knox and Kincaid. I like Cook and Hines out of the backfield. I think we'll pass for a lot of yards and score a lot of points. This isn't a dead/killed offense. It's a very potent and dangerous one. But, yeah, it would be more dangerous if Diggs had a nearly equally skilled partner on the other side.

I've seen roster rankings between #3 to #8. If the best rosters in each conference meet in the SB, it'll sadly be Philly and KC again. At least according to ESPN. I do, personally, like our roster although our ability to dominate this season is riddled with if's... ... if all of last year's walking wounded regain their health & form. ... if Dorsey figures out how to use all his disparate weapons. ... if a replacement to Edmunds steps up. ... if our new stable of RBs works out. ... if this year's OL is better than last year's. On the whole, though, I'm actually probably a bit more optimistic this offseason than I was last offseason.

Cook is a talented guy and I hope you're right. But I'm not convinced yet that he's an every down back.

My view of Harris is a little different because I don't see him as Moss. Harris is bigger, faster, better. If Moss's stats are comparable, it's because Moss played against light boxes with us since we're a passing team. Since Brady left, Belichick has been running a far more balanced offense there. Defenses actually game-plan for the Pats' running attack because it's a real threat. Of course, my view of Harris is a bit skewed by his performances in Bills games. He always looked good against us. But I've visited Pats message boards and knowledgeable Pats fans do seem to think highly of him. Harris is not the best receiving threat, but he is a good all-around back you can leave in there on different down-and-distance situations.

Between guys getting healthy, FAs, and draft picks, I think every position group is better LB. Hopefully, we're not degraded by new injuries to key players. I don't want anyone to be injured but if players have to get hurt, I hope it's JAGs, not Josh, Tre, Von, or Diggs. If we stay reasonably healthy, we have a shot.

It's absolutely true that Beane has not - yet - built a Super Bowl quality roster. But it's hard to talk about errors. He tried to fix everything all at once - within the mighty restraints of the salary cap. And he's been largely successful. This is the best squad we've had since the early 90s. But, yeah, Beane tried to fix the OL mostly on the cheap with journeymen and it hasn't worked out. You would think that getting a capable bodyguard for your generational QB would have been a bigger priority. I wonder, though, if he had spent more on the OL, who wouldn't we have right now? Diggs? Miller? Someone else? The bottom line is this. Our roster isn't the best in the NFL. But, each year, it's one of the best. With a little luck, we'll get a trophy before McD and Beane are done.

Did we do enough? Probably not. We certainly don't have the best roster in the NFL. But it's a good roster - somewhat better than last season's squad, I think. And sometimes the best roster doesn't take home the Lombardi. It's certainly not a certainty. It's not even a probability. But we have a legit shot.

Weird. The Romans built concrete buildings with quicklime (rather than slaked lime) that had self-healing properties and lasted thousands of years. Modern engineers can't build something out of concrete that maintains its integrity for more than 10 years?

I'm not sure Allen meant it as a dig at Diggs. But this is a good point. QBs usually talk about a receiver's work ethic, route running, speed, hands, separation, preparation... Not his lack of complaining. You do have to wonder why that trait came to Allen's mind.

So we have no playmakers... Our OL has been bad... We don't have a marquee RB... Our QB played with a bad UCL... But we should fire our coach for not winning the SB? The thought process of fans confuses me sometimes. But I do think that if Barnwell updates his ranking at the end of this season, he'll have us higher. Josh and Diggs are the only proven playmakers on the team, so I get his POV. But I think the cumulative contribution of the rest of the skill position guys will give the Bills a potent offense.

I'll go out on a limb and say Harris starts, though Cook will get his touches both as a ball carrier and as a receiver out of the backfield. Harris and Cook will get the most carries. Murray and Hines will both be used in certain situations but with significantly fewer touches than Harris and Cook. I do hope Dorsey uses Hines some in the passing game. He can catch and is dangerous in space.

The game looked bad in the beginning. The Chargers' star RB, Keith Lincoln had a 38-yard run on the opening play against a good Bills D. San Diego jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead. But at 5:52 you'll witness the "hit heard round the world" - Mike Stratton's devasting smackdown of Lincoln that broke his ribs and knocked him out of the game. The Chargers didn't score again. Cookie ran for 122 yards on 16 carries that day. Too bad there was no Super Bowl back then.

I love to believe this happened somewhere in the multiverse.

I don't think the best team - or the best HC - necessarily win the Super Bowl, especially in the era of the salary cap. Each year, there is a group of roughly equally talented teams capable of making a run at the start of the playoffs. Winning each week is a factor of coaching, roster strength, weather, injury, the bounce of the ball, refereeing, and other factors. Some of these factors are outside the team's control. Maybe your QB finds his gf in bed with another guy the night before a big game and it screws with his head. Or has some other mental health issue. Maybe your star receiver's dad dies. Or your stud DE catches the flu. Or your shutdown corner sprains his ankle while walking down the stairs at home. As Forest Gump says, "Sh*t happens." The best coaches tilt the odds in their team's favor with good preparation, game-planning, play-calling, etc. The best GMs give their coaches a roster that has a legitimate shot. But you can only slant the odds. No coach is so much better than his peers that he can guarantee victory. And no roster is so good that it's invincible. With 32 teams in the NFL, the average team has a roughly 3% chance of winning the Super Bowl in any given year. A good GM/HC combo might increase your odds to maybe 10 or 15%. If you have a good combo, you keep it together until it finally delivers. Maybe it happens in their first year together. Maybe in their tenth. Some of it is simply dumb luck.

I've seen the Bills play in Miami, San Francisco, Seattle, and Kansas City. But the last time I was at a home game was in 1974 when OJ got hurt but the Bills still rallied to defeat the Raiders on MNF. But I'm going to make it to Buffalo when the new stadium is built. The video excited me. I want to hear New Highmark rock and feel the energy!

I should be gloating because the Allen-Diggs problem I suggested, and was criticized for, has only gotten bigger proving I was right to be concerned. But... (1) I'm a Bills fan and I don't want there to be a problem. (2) A lot of stuff in the media sounds like nonsense. Even as someone who suspects there might be a problem, I'm not buying some of the stories circulating right now. Too much rumor and speculation. And sometimes, I hate to say, I do think some media guys invent sources to mouth something newsworthy.

Back in April, I was wondering if there was an Allen-Diggs problem. So I started a thread: "The Allen-Diggs Relationship in Decline?" I received a lot of negative feedback and confess that there is a tiny part of me that wants to gloat about later developments. But even I think the recent Diggs talk in the media is insane. We still don't know definitively if there's an Allen-Diggs problem, but the talking heads have already given us dozens of reasons why the problem exists - none of which is supported by hard evidence. There are a lot of rumors, speculation, and unadulterated BS out there.

Interesting comments on McD: The head coach’s gruff coaching style made matters worse. Jones describes McDermott as a “lunch pail guy” and does credit him for being manically detailed. But he also calls him downright “intimidating.” During meetings, McDermott would spontaneously grill players. Ask Jones, for example, to name the top three coverages the Baltimore Ravens run on third-and-“2 to 6.” When Jones answered Cover 3, McDermott pressed him. Which type of Cover 3? Such a high-pressure environment was a natural pendulum swing away from Rex Ryan’s country-club ways. But wind everybody up this tight year ‘round and players will inevitably crack.

Curious. The names you expect to see at the top are not at the top. I wonder what their methodology was.

Regular season prowess buys you a ticket into the playoffs. It's important. We haven't had a coach for a long time who could do that. McD does it regularly. Football in the playoffs is played with the same rules with the same players. It's not some special animal. The only difference is that the 'schedule' gets tough. All the teams are good. Each game is, more-or-less, a 50-50 proposition. But the Bills - under McD - can beat anybody. They just need to string enough victories together in the playoffs to walk away with a championship. They haven't done that - yet. But give them enough shots at it and they will.

No GM, no HC, entirely controls a season. No GM or HC guarantees a team a Lombardi. What you want is a guy who tilts the odds in your favor. McD and Beane both do that. By building a good team each year, they give us a legit chance for a trophy. If they stay around long enough, the gridiron dice will eventually favor us.

Milestones... For nearly two decades, we couldn't win many games, couldn't get into the playoffs as a WC, couldn't win the AFCE. Now we do all those things. Beane and McD are raising the bar. They still need to raise it a bit higher. Terry is going to let them finish the job they've capably started.

Playoff history... We had zero playoff appearances or wins in the 17 years prior to McD. We've had 9 appearances and 4 wins since he's been here. It seems we're on an upward trajectory.

It's funny. So many folks thought it was Super Bowl or Bust for McD. Apparently, Terry didn't see it that way. I'm personally happy. After 17 years of hopelessness, we finally have a legitimate shot at the Lombardi with these two. You can't win the dance competition without a ticket to the dance. These guys give us tickets.