eball

So did we have a good draft or not?

DL is a shambles? Hughes is a stud, Star is solid (despite what others say), Phillips is a rising sophomore with lots of potential, and Oliver could be a game-changer. Murphy is one year removed from an ACL and supposedly in great shape. Shaq had a decent season last year and is playing for a contract. Jordan Phillips is a quality rotational DT. Hardly a "shambles." Nothing to help OL? Drafted Dawkins and Ford in 2nd round. Drafted Teller last year. Did McD anticipate Wood's injury and Incognito's meltdown? Gee, I guess not, shame on him. The reason you don't post these "other similarities" is because they don't exist. The "McD is another Jauron" theme is a lazy one espoused by those who don't know what they're talking about.

I think that's a silly question. The concern would be if McD didn't recognize mistakes. Everybody has to learn on the job.

I didn't say you hope they fail. I said you have the attitude that you're expecting it. There's a huge difference. I know you're a fan.

You "believe" he has a similar mindset? Has McD really proven to be a conservative coach? You can cherry pick a play or two all day but it certainly wasn't "conservative" to bench Tyrod for Peterman. Let's see how McD's gameday management changes as he has more confidence in his offense. The challenge thing is overblown. I think a lot of times, particularly when you know you're out-manned, you may challenge a close call in the hope it gives your team a break. Again, once McD has confidence in his offense I'd like to see how much he utilizes the challenge system. I agree that McD needs to improve on things like clock management. I don't see a Jauron clone. Not for a second.

Whether you're seeing it or not, the Bills' offense made considerable strides forward as the season progressed. Daboll deserves credit for that, working with a rookie QB and terrible OL. There is literally no comparison between the 1st and 2nd half of last season on that side of the ball. I tend to not get bogged down in what coaches did early in their careers unless there is some blatantly obvious pattern. Daboll is still a relatively young guy and has gotten a lot of experience around super head coaches (BB, Saban). I was encouraged by his willingness to adapt last season, and it looks like he seriously considers what his QB and players do well (and enjoy) in crafting strategy for games. I guess the difference between you and me is that I'm excited and looking forward to what Daboll can do with the new tools he has been given, while you're just holding your breath waiting for (and expecting) failure.

"Strange or mysterious, especially in an unsettling way." Please explain what about the coaching history and tendencies of Jauron and McD fit this definition.

Good point! Chip sure showed LeSean who's boss!

Dennison was a bad hire. McD corrected his mistake after 2017. With respect to Daboll -- how can anyone possibly evaluate him after last season, good or bad? He had to start the season with Peterman at QB. His OL was crappy all season. Benjamin was a joke. He then had a raw rookie QB. If anything he deserves a pass for last year. And while we're talking about 2017 -- did you not see marked improvement in the offense over the 2nd half of the season? Does Daboll receive no credit for that?

I'd say the dad should be prosecuted, but I guess he already has to live with knowing he's the reason his son is dead...

The opener is a very tough game to predict. Neither Gase nor Greggggg are "new" coaches/coordinators so the Bills will know what to expect. Of all four starting units on O and D I would think the Bills' D should be the best prepared to open the season, based upon the continuity of scheme/coaching and talent (with an influx of Ed Oliver). The Bills' O may be the least prepared, however, because of the very short time all of the new pieces will have had to work together. The Jets had great ST last season but lost their best returner, who is ironically now a Bill. One would expect the Bills' ST to be markedly improved, if for no other reason than increased focus and the energy of a new, young coach. At the end of the day I think Daboll and McD are relying upon the Bills' veteran backfield of Shady/Gore and a much improved line to give Allen every opportunity to progress. The matchup I think will be key in the opener is the Bills' D line vs. a suspect Jets' OL -- the Jets did bring in a lot of talent this offseason but largely ignored one of the weakest units on their team (25th last season according to PFF) despite trading for Osemele.

Yeah, but that's the very reason he's not a good OC. Anyone who forces his scheme upon players who can't execute it is doomed for failure.

Any OC who calls outside runs for Mike Tolbert is suspect. End of story.

All of this may be true, but it's hard to look worse than the Chargers did against the Pats*** in January. They were woefully unprepared. In the one shot McD has had at the playoffs his team held a superior opponent (one that should have reached the Super Bowl) to 10 pts at home.

Never heard of him. But ok, sad day if you say so.

Do you mean the 4-2 finish that got them in the playoffs, when everyone wrote them off after the three losses to NJ, NO, and SD? Put that together with the 4-3 finish last year and McD's Bills teams are actually doing pretty well in the 2nd half of the season! I'm sure that's what you meant.

Backpedal, backpedal, backpedal. "McD lacks confidence to deal with prime age stars"..."McD didn't think he could get buy-in from prima donnas"...all ridiculous takes espoused by you in this monstrosity of a thread -- while at the same time treating one of the most fair-minded and objective Bills beat reporters out there like dog crap. You're exactly what you appear to be -- a loudmouth know-it-all who claims superiority on an internet message board and can't have reasonable discussions with anyone who doesn't bow to your "supreme" knowledge and insight. Which is a joke. I've got nothing against Anthony Lynn but the roster he inherited already had the likes of Rivers, Gordon, Allen, Gates, Henry, Inman, and Benjamin on offense and Bosa, Ingram, and Hayward on defense. He should have flourished in a division with the crappy Raiders and sinking Broncos. And we saw what happened last season in the biggest game yet -- Lynn had his lunch handed to him far worse than what Belichick has done to McD. McD's Bills have "struggled" to a 15-17 record (that includes a playoff berth) because of the systematic decisions he and Beane made to rebuild the roster. They had a plan, they stuck to it, and now is the time to prove it. That's all any of us "apologists" have been saying while you and your ilk continue to live in the past.

Oh it’s absolutely what you said. I’m not surprised you are backtracking from that historically absurd take.

I'm sorry, but it always cracks me up to hear 17-year-old boys labeled as "victims" for receiving nudes from someone.

Or maybe McD and his staff are good coaches.

This is so deep it's beyond my comprehension...

The intarweb editing fairies?

If McBeane's process results in sustained success you can bet the "they shouldn't have torn it down" crowd will be quick with the rationale that the Bills are only good because they "lucked out" with Allen. I'm still wondering why Shady is on this team, given McD's obvious fear and loathing of star players. Oh, that's right -- they "bought" his buy-in. I guess they bought Mitch Morse's, John Brown's, Cole Beasley's, and Frank Gore's buy-in also.

'90 AFC Championship '91 AFC Championship '92 Wild Card Comeback vs. Houston '93 AFC Championship '90 vs. Broncos (3 TDs in a minute)

It's really quite remarkable, the magical spell Peterman casts upon his head coaches.