mjt328

We'll see how great Doug Marrone looks when Andrew Luck and Deshaun Watson return from injury. Next year, he also gets the schedule of a division winner (Patriots, Steelers, Chiefs) instead of the team that finished last (Jets, Browns, Chargers).

It's not about "not giving McDermott credit." Let's just look at reality. The AFC had three key QBs go down with season-ending injuries: Andrew Luck, Deshaun Watson, Ryan Tannehill Houston and Miami were both playoff teams in 2016, while the Colts finished 8-8. Those injuries realistically took three Wild Card contenders off the table. Not to mention, three of our nine wins came against those teams with backup QBs. Despite this, we still needed a 4th-12 miracle from another team to make the playoffs. Don't get me wrong. I'm absolutely thrilled we made the playoffs, and ended the drought. McDermott deserves tons of credit for getting maximum production out of a roster, who most people figured had a 7 win ceiling. The team took a really bad mid-season slide, and he got them back on track mentally. That was a huge deal. But realistically, a 9-7 record is not going to get it done most years. And realistically, you can't depend on tie-breakers to reach the postseason. And realistically, three starting QBs (all on playoff contenders) are not going to suffer season-ending injuries at the same frequency. The team MUST get better, or we can't expect this to happen again.

The Bills have won between 6-9 games every season for the last seven years. I don't believe this team was any "better" than those that came before it. I don't believe we got "special" coaching from Sean McDermott. We finally had some lucky bounces go our way in close games, and the rash of quarterback injuries in the AFC allowed us to have a chance with only 9 wins under our belt. It's highly unlikely everything falls our way like that again in 2018. If the team does not improve greatly in several areas, I highly doubt they will return to the playoffs again next year. Despite getting to the playoffs, I expect a massive overhaul in the offseason. We could easily see in the area of 10 new starters across the roster. The next few months are going to be crucial towards the overall success of Brandon Beane and McDermott. While 2017 was mostly about purging unwanted players from the roster, this will be our first true glimpse at rebuilding. They need to make the right decision on whether to keep or fire Rick Dennison. And if they move on, they need to hire the right guy this time. They need to properly address the quarterback position, both in free agency and the draft. And they need to get a nice haul from the 2018 draft class, which they have so highly invested in.

Ironically, this Jaguars team reminds me of many recent Bills teams. Especially Doug Marrone's last year here with Jim Schwartz as Defensive Coordinator. - Very good pass defense, mostly because of a great D-Line and pass rush. - Rush defense is suspect. - Very good rushing offense. - Pass offense is weak, because of an inconsistent QB. The big difference between the 2014 Bills (who finished 9-7) and this Jaguars team (who finished 10-6) is that we played in the same division as the New England Patriots, and it took a month before Marrone could replace the terrible EJ Manuel at quarterback. Talent-wise, the Jaguars clearly have a superior roster. But like the old Bills squad, their weakest point (Blake Bortles) could be the equalizer. Our defense really needs to force some interceptions this weekend. Tyrod Taylor is a mediocre QB, but he doesn't turn the ball over. And he may be able to exploit that defense with his legs.

Hard to know what the Bills and Packers will look like next year. Even with all the players we traded over the last 12 months, I would fully expect this offseason to be even crazier. Most new regimes have the greatest player turnover between their 1st and 2nd seasons. Not to mention our stockpile of draft picks. I would not be surprised to see 9-10 new starters on this team by the time 2018 Week One.

Ridiculous it actually came down to this.

This is why everyone says you "need 10 wins" to get into the playoffs. Bills can't blame anyone but themselves. They had a chance to beat Cincinnati. They didn't show up on the Thursday night game. They literally threw the San Diego game away.

12 Men on the field. The Bengals defender wasn't even trying to get off the field. They don't care.

Hope nobody is too excited here. The Bengals (and of course the refs) are handing this game to the Ravens.

Refs have helped the Ravens about 3-4 times with questionable calls within the last 10 minutes.

Some of you are thinking about this too hard. Yes. A vast, league-wide conspiracy would probably be tough to pull off. Do 32 billionaires and Roger Goodell meet in secret every spring, then decide which team to vault to the Super Bowl that season? Probably not. But is it possible that certain owners (lets' just say Robert Kraft) has some key officials in his pocket? That's certainly not a hard idea to wrap your head around. Especially now that instant replay is done by a single centralized source, rather than a crew by crew basis. Notice that all of these controversial calls in favor of the Patriots came through replay - either overturning a call that shouldn't have been, or not overturning a call that should. One guy on the take, and you can swing a half-dozen games in your favor. Is it possible that organized crime has heavy influence on the gambling side? Think about how much money is changing hands, based on the spread of a game. I would be shocked if something was not happening behind the scenes here. Then of course, you have the obvious favoring of star players - particularly the league's top quarterbacks. This may not be considered technically fixing or even cheating, but it absolutely affects the outcomes of numerous games every single season. And it only helps teams like the Patriots, Steelers, Packers, etc. Think about how many quarterbacks have gotten injured over the years. But when Tom Brady went down for the season with an ACL tear, the NFL immediately started passing rules about hitting QBs low. When Aaron Rodgers got hurt earlier this year, all of a sudden there were stories everywhere about how the NFL needs to pass more rules to protect the passers. (So don't be surprised when that happens again this offseason).

Forward progress only applies if runner reaches a certain point, and then the Defense knocks him backwards. If the ball is pulled back by the runner on his own (before he is called down), that would be the same as him reaching the first down marker, and then running backwards. It was a crap call.

I don't believe the NFL is completely "fixed" - at least not to the extend that the WWE and professional wrestling is totally scripted for a particular outcome. But that doesn't mean I believe the league is completely fair and free of outside influence. If there is a dollar to be made by swaying a play or even a game, it's highly likely that someone is trying (if not succeeding) at doing just that. The MLB turned its back on steroid abuse for over a decade, because players chasing home run records was big business. In the NBA, a referee was caught by the FBI betting on playoff games. Since being convicted, he has alleged that ALL of his colleagues do the same. This summer, he claimed the league was trying to let the Cavaliers win to extend the Finals. When the Patriots were caught cheating the first time (Spygate), the NFL responded by immediately destroying the evidence, giving the team a slap on the wrist and doing everything in their power to downplay the incident. Even if there isn't an NFL mandate that states - "Must help New England win the Super Bowl" - you better believe the refs are pushed to protect the league's marquee QBs like Tom Brady. Maybe there isn't a giant conspiracy to assist the Steelers or Packers - but you would be foolish to think these officials are not gambling or playing fantasy football. And with the money involved, organized crime is certainly entrenched behind the scenes.

I seriously doubt his faith has anything to do with his coaching decisions. I'm a Christian. And I am one of the most analytical, statistical, data-driven people you would ever meet. Early in the game (with 3 quarters ahead of him), McDermott saw nothing wrong with being aggressive. Late in the game and down 7, he panicked and just wanted to get away with some points.

Taylor's best plays come from holding the ball too long, narrowly avoiding pass rushers, then hitting a big pass downfield. Today he was unable to get away. The Patriot defenders managed to get a hold of his feet, or just keep him trapped in the pocket (which has always been the most successful strategy for beating him.)

Have you actually seen the other teams we are competing with? Ravens, Titans, Chargers... These teams are all crap too. We don't deserve to be in the playoffs. But neither do those teams. I will gladly take a first round @$$ whooping, just to get the monkey off our backs.

I usually consider Patriot games an automatic loss from the get-go. Even in games like today, I never really believed we had a true chance at winning.

Splitting him out into the slot and then making him the first read on a slant pass (in the Red Zone no less)... I was literally speechless. I'm 100% certain he was signed for "locker room leadership" reasons. But I can't figure out why they keep giving him the ball. It's almost always a totally wasted play.

There ya go. That's why the NFL keeps screwing these things up. The ref should be asking "Am I 100% certain his foot is NOT touching the ground?" Because without the inconclusive evidence, the call should not be overturned. Instead, the replay official is trying to make the determination himself, with no care for what the original call was. Same thing happened last week against Pittsburgh. The ball clearly moved when the receiver fell into the endzone. But there were no angles that showed the ball actually touching the ground. It should not have been overturned either.

I completely forgot he was voted to the Pro Bowl. Wow.

Sometimes I think it's like the WWE pushing a villain. The entire country turns in week after week, rooting for the Patriots to lose.

The overturned Kelvin Benjamin TD was very bad. But nobody is talking about the equally bad overturned 4th Down stop. The first down marker is not the end zone line. You cannot reach the ball out, then pull it back and get credit for forward progress. But hey. I guess the refs aren't supposed to know ALL the rules. Right?

Maybe we've had worse FA players. But how many of them have had the negative impact of Tolbert? It doesn't matter how many fumbles, drops, runs for losses... the coaching staff just keeps giving him the ball and designing plays for him. It's insane.

Most OCs would use somebody like Mike Tolbert as a change of pace back. But not Dennison. He literally changes NOTHING when LeSean McCoy comes out of the game. Somehow he believes that "if McCoy can run that play, then why can't Tolbert?" The only value Tolbert brings to this team, is if he somehow helps Dennison get canned.

OK, well forget that... Next week, we need (in addition to a win against the Dolphins): Ravens loss to the Bengals OR Titans loss to the Jaguars AND Chargers loss to the Raiders