2003Contenders

In McCoy's defense, he has not had plenty of opportunities this season. With the exception of the Jets game (in which Shady played well), all of the games in which Josh Allen did NOT start wound up being blowouts where the running game went out the door rather quickly. In the games where Josh has started, defenses have ascribed to the strategy of loading the box and forcing Josh to beat them. If you are a defensive coordinator, you are going to identify Shady as the team's biggest threat and game-plan to stop him. A few more big plays like we had against the Jags on Sunday, and maybe teams will start to respect the pass a bit more. Also, another thing to note: when the pocket breaks down Josh's first instinct is to run, which worked out well on Sunday. A nice wrinkle for Dabol to add would be to mix in more dump-offs to McCoy (I believe there was only one of these against the Jags).

Compare this to how our young QB handled himself in the PC after the Jags game when asked about Ramsey's comments. I prefer the classy manner in which Josh Allen handled himself. Also, I suspect that the Browns current douche of a head coach -- the beloved GGG -- probably helps to propagate this sort of behavior with the players, rather than to caution them about making sensational public statements.

I agree. Rookies are by their very nature erratic. Recall that the game after the big one against the Vikings, Josh responded with a stinker against the Packers. This is going to happen from time to time, and I hope the fan base will be patient and not get overly hysterical when Allen inevitably has a bad game. These rookie QBs are all in varying situations. If we believe all of the media reports that came out leading up to the draft, the Browns really were conflicted about Mayfield versus Allen. That is, the polish and savvy of Mayfield versus the off-the-charts potential (but overt rawness) of Allen. Cleveland decided for the good of the franchise to go the direction of Mayfield. And, so far that looks like they made the right decision. But who knows how well that will pan out down the road? After all, the 2018 draft was not all about which QB would be best in 2018 -- but who may have the best chance being the face of the franchise for the next 10 years. The early returns prove that the naysayers were right about Mayfield being pro-ready. But there were other experts who believed that Rosen may be the most pro ready of them all. Rosen has decent weapons -- but a horrible offensive line. Then there is Darnold, who has also shown some potential but has also been brutal at times. I, for one, never understood the consensus "boom or bust" prediction for Josh Allen heading into the draft. The boom is obvious given his crazy measureables and smarts.. However, the floor seems too high to fear that he could be a real bust (a la JaMarcus Russell or Ryan Leaf). Even when Josh has struggled, he's never had that deer-in-the-headlights look. More impressive to me in the victory yesterday (even than the long run and the big pass plays) was his pocket presence. I am talking about the manner in which he stepped up in the pocket when he needed to, made subtle movements in the pocket or rolled out, and was willing to stare through the teeth of the defense and keep his eyes downfield. If the coaches and front office handle him the right way, he has a chance to be something special.

Pretty much. At least that was the "excuse" that Marrone reportedly gave for exercising the buy-out clause in his contract. The Pegulas wanted him back and were willing to give him a contract extension to stay. He demanded that all of his assistants (including Hackett, who was heavily criticized during his 2 years here as OC) also be given guaranteed contract extensions. When the Pegulas balked, the inevitable happened. While that may have been the reason Marrone "officially" gave for moving on, the real reason was that the buy-out gave him a guaranteed $4M -- and the Jets head coaching position (supposedly his dream job) had just opened with the firing of Rex. Marrone received word from his agent (prior to the exercising the contract buy-out) that he would be viewed as the top candidate for the Jets' job . Ironically his quitting on the Bills made him toxic to fans as a head coach candidate in New York (and elsewhere). Hence, his biding his time until the Jags job opened and like-minded Coughlin was calling the shots.

Bingo!

The revisionist history regarding Brees is comical. While he deserves credit for evolving into one of the greatest passers in NFL history, there was little indication that this would happen early in his career. 1. Despite being such a prolific passer at Purdue, he fell to the 2nd round back in 2001 largely because of questions about his arm strength and short stature -- just 6'0". 2. Brees did not look great for the Chargers in any of his first three seasons. I remember a game he played (I believe it was in 2002) against us in Buffalo. He absolutely could NOT throw the ball in the poor elements. The Chargers coaches benched him in the 2nd half, and Flutie came in off the bench. (The Bills held on to win the game.) 3. The Chargers thought so little of Brees that they drafted Eli Manning with the #1 overall pick in 2004 -- and, yes, Brees played a significant role in getting them to the position of drafting #1 overall (he also missed a number of starts that season due to injury). Of course, the team made the swap with the Giants when they were on the clock at #4 to take Philip Rivers. 4. Maybe the drafting of Manning/Rivers served as a wake-up call because Brees finally played well that year (2004). However, he injured his throwing shoulder late in the season. It is hard to blame any team for passing on a QB coming off a serious shoulder injury, who played well in a contract year prior to the injury -- but had otherwise shown little. Credit the Saints for recognizing his potential and signing him to what was at the time a hefty contract.

I think it is a couple of things... 1. I am convinced that Doug Marrone honestly did not get along with the rest of the front office during his time here. Marrone certainly bears some responsibility here, as he could be quite surly at times. In hind-sight, though, he was probably the one in the right versus some inane goings on with Doug W and Russ B. I firmly believe that Russ was the one leaking all the "Saint Doug" stuff to the press. I suspect that much of this started with the drafting of EJ, as Marrone never seemed to be on board with that selection. That was exacerbated by Whaley's trading away the 2015 first round pick to move up 5 spots to take Sammy in 2014. Worse, the front office never brought in a capable backup as insurance for EJ. It was not until Marrone had the infamous outburst at Whaley and Russ in the 2014 preseason that they brought Orton in. I still do not like that Marrone took the money and quit on the team after the 2014 season -- but I think the relationship with him and the guys in the front office had become toxic. The Pegulas could have done a better job of stepping in here and navigating the situation -- but they were still trusting Russ too much at this point. 2. Sitting out a couple of years probably helped Marrone gain some perspective. Over that time he likely did some soul searching and recognized better that a large percentage of being a successful head coach at the NFL level pertains to the PR aspects that seemed to annoy him in his first go-round. I've also heard Marrone on Sirius radio in recent months, and he definitely comes across much more laid back and likable than he ever did during his time in Buffalo.

Here are my thoughts: -- Anthony Lynn is a good coach. -- Sean McDermott is a good coach. -- I believe that the Pegulas' interest in Lynn was sincere. -- Whaley and the Pegulas (inadvertently, I believe) threw Lynn under the pass, forcing him to face the press when Rex was fired. It was not a good look for Lynn or the franchise. -- The Pegulas wanted to go in a new direction. I also believe that the two teams were looking for something different in their head coaches at the time. The Bills were looking for someone whom they believed could serve as the face of the franchise -- someone they believed could also play a role in being the architect of a new-look team. The Chargers, believing that they had a quality front office in place and a telent-loaded roster that had under-0achieved under McCoy, were looking more for a solid leader and coach who could get the most out of the talent on the field.

Oh, my. Let's at least wait until the season is over before we start talking about "growth", OK? If McD was on the level about going back to Josh Allen (assuming that he is healthy), the coach is in effect saying that the team is willing to ride out the season with the rookie come what may. Six games to finish the season combined with what Allen already exhibited earlier in the season at least provides a body of work to evaluate. But, guess what? That still is not a very large sample size. So, please be patient. It could take another year or so before we really know what we have in Josh Allen. Progression is not always linear, either. So Allen could look great, for example, against the Jags -- and then turn around and play poorly in his next game. That does not necessarily mean that he is regressing -- it just emphasizes again how inconsistent young players (especially QBs) can be. I am so glad that the folks around here that are prone to overreaction are not responsible for running this team.

Bill Parcells used to speak of a 3-year assessment for top rookie QBs. Emphasis is on "top", meaning that the QB was acquired by the team with the thought/hope that he could become a franchise QB. Year 1: They are rookies. Understand that and be patient with them. Year 2: There is usually still much to learn -- but there should be SIGNIFICANT improvement over Year 1. Year 3: This is the decision year. By Year 3, the QB should be trusted as the face of the franchise and able to carry the offense if need be. If that happens, you are set. If it doesn't, then you acquire a different QB in Year 4. The caveat is that, along the way, if there is regression or the player clearly exhibits issues that the scouts missed, you cut ties with them even sooner.

Here's the thing -- and hopefully McD understands this. If he rolls Barkley out there and he struggles, making the move to Josh Allen (whether in-game or down the line) is an obvious and expected decision. However, if he starts Allen and then makes the move to Barkley for fear of losing the locker room or whatever -- that could very well have lasting, dire consequences. We have seen it all to many teams how benching a young QB can affect their mojo as well as the confidence that the rest of the team has in him. I have always felt that the original plan was to have Allen sit behind a place-holder until he proved ready to take over as the permanent starter. The problem was that McCarron simply was not good enough to do that -- and Peterman actually out-played him in the preseason. The surprising effectiveness of Barkley against the Jets gives OBD a chance to reset that original plan. It is up to Barkley how long that timetable lasts. If the Jets game was an aberration, then we could very well see Allen by halftime against the Jags. If the Jets game was indicative of what Barkley could potentially bring to the table, then maybe Allen gets the chance to sit, watch and learn. In that event, I would expect both Peterman and Anderson (once he clears concussion protocol) to be sent packing. At least that is how I would handle the situation...

How quickly we forget the crap-fest Watson put on against our very own Bills a few weeks ago. Fortunately for him, Nate Peterman came in for an injured Josh Allen and sealed the deal.

I know the emergence of the Rams with McVey and the Bears with Naggy has everyone talking about offensive-minded head coaches. However, I don't think it has much to do with whether the coach is offense-minded or defense-minded. Bill B may go down in history as the greatest head coach in NFL history, and he is a defensive guy. Beginning with Mularkey, three of the four head coaches (Mularkey, Chan, Marrone) that the Bills hired came from the offensive side of the ball. For the Bills, the problem prior used to be that Ralph simply did not see value in paying top dollar for coaches.Hence, all of the retreads over the years. Recall that Marv was himself a retread at the time that he took over in 1986. I think Ralph finally learned the error of his ways when Jauron was fired in the middle of the 2009 season. At the time, the team even tried to court Bill Cowher and Mike Shannahan, and Ralph was reportedly willing to pay $10 per year for either. It was Cowher who recommended Chan. At least Marrone, Rex and McDermott were somewhat in demand at the time that the Bills hired them.

I actually do not disagree with the author's premise. In fact, during the game Moose kept pointing out how, realizing that their backs were against the wall with the team in the position to HAVE to start Peterman, the supporting cast really needed to step it up. They did not do that. In fact, the supporting cast in no way helped the struggling young QB -- and proved to be more of a hindrance. One play in particular underscored this, and it was on the 4th and long, where Peterman scrambled to his left and made a pinpoint toss to the endzone for KB. It was a tough catch, as it was well defended. However, it hit Benjamin in the hands; if he is as good as he thinks he is, he should make a catch like that to help his young QB. The real issue is that the supporting cast is itself so bad (including the gutless KB). The receivers are getting no separation, and their hands are not very good across the board. That spells doom for a noodle-arm QB like Peterman, who tried to "fire" the ball in there.

6-10 was my expectation with 8-8 as the upside (hope). I was trying to be pragmatic, realizing that last year a number of things went just right for this team. For those that are overly pessimistic, expecting a 2-14 finish, I would remind you: 1. The schedule thus far has been brutal. The Bills were underdogs in every game -- and still found a way to win 2 of them. 2. The schedule starts to get easier this week. 3. Even with the offense playing so poorly, it will not take a shootout to beat the likes of the Jets and Dolphins. 4. Simply protecting the football on offense and cashing in on turnovers on defense could be enough to win 3-4 more games down the stretch. 5. There is a chance that we have 1-2 more games like the Minnesota game where everything goes right. For me, the record is not the issue. What I want to see is Josh Allen show marginal weekly progression -- and for the team to at least be competitive and stop these embarrassing blowout losses. That said, 4-12 or 5-11 is now my revised expectation -- with 6-10 being the new ceiling.

I agree with you. Additionally, I would like for the Pegulas to do what they were originally reported to be doing when they took over a few years ago -- that is bring in an experienced and impartial guru as an "aid" to the existing front office. Now that the offense has completely bottomed out, someone who knows what the hell they are doing needs to come in here as an architect to help set a solid foundation.

Yea, it is a double-whammy having receivers with bad hands who are unable to get any kind of separation. When it bounces off their hands, it goes right into the waiting hands of a defender. Still, Peterman is just bad. It may not be all his fault, but he is clearly snake-bit and needs to be somewhere else.

Alas, we are pretty much in agreement.

It is hard to say how much better the team would be with Tyrod behind center -- at least in the wins department. The apples-to-apples comparison, of course, is the variance between Tyrod and Josh Allen -- and I suspect that the outcome of the games that Allen started would have been the same if Taylor was the starter. It is interesting to note that Allen's performance in these games (underwhelming passing numbers, an occasional big play, mostly protecting the football, and making his most consistent plays with his legs) was remarkably consistent with what we had come to expect from Tyrod. The difference? Allen is a rookie whom even the most optimistic fans agreed needed some time to develop before ever seeing the field. It is hard to argue that Tyrod would not have been better than either Anderson or Peterman -- neither of whom should really be employed in the NFL. Sadly, I am not sure if the record of this team would be much better even with an elite starter. Yes, a Rodgers or a Brady consistently gets more out of his supporting cast. But the quality of receivers that this team has may be the worst of any team -- ever. No separation, poor hands, etc. And KB is proving each week to be more and more of a gutless cancer. The talent level of this offense is truly pathetic at all levels, which makes it difficult to even blame the coaching. You can only do so much with so little.

Not sure why this is so hard to understand: The plan this season was to have a veteran QB come in and serve as a bridge until Allen is ready. The team thought they were getting such a guy in AJ McCarron. However, McCarron did not live up to expectations and Peterman out-played him in the preseason. When the Raiders offered a 5th rounder, McCarron became fully expendable. After they traded McCarron, there were reports that the Bills reached out to other veteran QBs (including D. Anderson); however, they were unable to make a deal. I do believe that the coaching staff (and McDermott in particular) like Peterman, but they also know what they have in him. Peterman seems like a good kid who really WANTS to be a good QB. He just does not have the physical talent. That said, the team gave Peterman a shot against the Chargers last season -- and McD was quick to pull the hook, benching him at halftime. The only time he saw any playing time at all the rest of the season was when Tyrod got hurt (before the Colts game and during the Jacksonville playoff game). By de facto, Peterman started the first game against Baltimore -- and, again, McD was quick to pull the hook and bench him at halftime -- making the decision to go to Allen, even though they desperately wanted to red-shirt the rookie. Given that the team likes to carry two healthy QBs, my guess is that Peterman would have been cut if they had another viable QB on the roster besides Allen. When they finally brought Anderson in a couple of days before the Houston game, they most likely planned to cut Peterman sometime the following week. However, Allen got hurt, leaving Anderson and Peterman as the only healthy QBs. As such, Anderson got the start the next 2 games. Now that Anderson is out, that leaves Peterman. So, it took injuries to two QBs (including one who has only been with the team for a couple of weeks) to get Peterman back on the field. And, with both Allen and Anderson ailing, they just brought in Matt Barkley. With the bye week approaching and Allen hopefully healing up, the Chicago game could very well represent Peterman's last chance in the NFL.

LOL... Things seemed so promising after those first 2 games back in 2003, starting with the 31-0 drubbing of the Pats.

It really is sad that Peterman has become such a laughing stock in the national media and serves as the poster child for what ails the Buffalo offense. Here are some random thoughts... 1. I understood why McD made the decision he did last season when he elected to bench Tyrod and give Peterman the start on the road against the Chargers. By then the coaching staff had come to grips with the fact that Tyrod was not the long-term solution. The team had also come off back-to-back games in which the team had been blown out and Taylor showed he simply did not have it in him to do what was necessary to win a shootout in come-from-behind fashion. The road game against the Chargers was another game in which the Bills were heavy underdogs, so McD was looking to catch lightening in the bottle. Given that Tyrod was not in the team's long-term plans, the coaches wanted to get a live-action, meaningful look at Peterman to see whether or not they had uncovered a 5th-round diamond in the rough. The results spoke for themselves by halftime. 2. It is undeniable that Peterman lacks the requisite arm strength necessary to be a bona fide starting QB in the NFL. That has been on display with many of the INTs he has tossed. However, he has also run into some bad luck. Recall that he looked decent moving the ball against the Chargers until DiMarco allowed a pass to bounce off his hands and into the arms of a defender. The next INT was also the result of a blind-side defender getting there as Peterman released the ball. After that, nothing went right for him -- and he let it get in his head. 3. On that last point, in addition to less-than-ideal arm strength he appears to lack the mental agility to forget about the previous bad play -- and move on to the next play. I also wonder if sometimes the big stage is simply too large for him. When he was given the chance to take the reins (against the Chargers last year and on opening day against the Ravens this year) he embarrassed himself. When in a situation to win a game -- against the Jags in the playoffs last season and against the Texans this year -- he threw game clinching INTs. 4. He has to understand that this is his last chance to be an NFL QB. Another poor performance on Sunday and we have to expect that his 9th life will have expired. With the bye week approaching, that means an extra week to get Allen and Anderson healthy. It also means an extra week to get Barkley ready. With the veterans likely to stage an uprising in the event of another Peterman melt-down, the team would have little choice but to release him. 5. That bit about the veterans... It is time for them to step up. There is no elite QB coming to the rescue in 2018, so the team leaders need to rally around Peterman this week and hope for the best. Yes, the defense has been pretty good -- but they played a large role in the losses against the Chargers and Colts. Receivers need to get open and fight for the ball. The line needs to protect. And so on... 6. Despite all of his shortcomings, Peterman is NOT without positive attributes. He does get rid of the ball quickly. He can throw with anticipation. It was these things that the coaches liked about him in the preseason that led them to name him as the opening day starter. If Dabol can come up with a game-plan that makes use of these attributes, good things could very well happen.

With the sheer lack of talent on offense, it is difficult to fairly evaluate the OC's skills or philosophy at this time. Dabol deserves some time to merit a fair evaluation.

As you said, time will tell. But at this time last year the 2017 class did not look all that great. Trubisky struggled mightily as a rookie. Watson looked good in a few games -- but was out for the season after that. Mahomes did not see the field until the meaningless Week 17 game. The 49ers thought so much of Beathard that they traded their high 2nd round pick for Jimmy G. Meanwhile, in 2018, Mayfield looks to be the real deal. Darnold has had his up's and down's but shows promise. Allen and Rosen are both in terrible situations, but both have shown glimpses; certainly, neither looks any worse than Trubisky looked last season. Like you said, time will tell.

Mahomes' physical talent was not in question. The questions surrounding him had to do with his ability to make the leap from the college spread-style in which he had exclusively played to an NFL pro style offense. Mahomes landed in an ideal situation: -- KC had a professional, established starter in Alex Smith, so there was no rush to get Mahomes on the field -- Say what you will about Andy Reid, but the man knows how to evaluate and groom young QBs -- The Chiefs have been a perennial playoff caliber team for years with a winning mind-set -- Associated with the above, the Chiefs have a strong supporting cast, including plenty of skill position players and a pretty good OL Compare all of those factors to those surrounding Josh Allen's introduction to the NFL. And, for those wishing that the Bills had stayed put at 10 and taken Mahomes (or Watson, who looked worse than Allen when we played them in Houston a couple of weeks ago), the reality of the situation is that the team was never planning to take a QB there. The word was that they guy they were targeting at 10 was Lattimore.