eball

Huh? They're not alike at all.

He mentioned the steak dinner...

Did you just 'yada yada' a trip to the ballet?

I'll boil it down to one simple statement -- there is really no such thing as a "trap game." Teams favored to win their next game against an "inferior" opponent do so at the same rate whether or not there is a perceived "big game" the following week on their schedule.

You're new around here, aren't you... That, and the point differential.

Yes and no. A GM and HC need to be careful not to put too many eggs in the "future" basket because things can and do change from year to year that are outside of their control. That said, with this regime we know that they are trying to prime the pump for sustained, high level success so it is always a process of getting better. They're good enough to make waves in 2019, though.

You mean like calling 10 passes to 4 runs in the 3rd quarter yesterday? Because that's what happened. It's hard to sustain drives when you have false start penalties and your TE drops a perfect pass over the middle. The Bills weren't successful offensively in the 3rd quarter but it was most certainly not because McD "went conservative." As for the Cinci game, they've put up a ton of production through the air over two weeks, but pass defense is the Bills' strength. This will be the second straight week the Bills enter a game knowing they "should" win, but I'm sure many of us are understandably apprehensive since we haven't been in this position in a while.

This is the formula. In my 10-6 prediction the Bills needed to win their first three. Two down, one to go. The remaining road games are Tennessee, Cleveland, Miami, Pittsburgh, Dallas, and NE***. If this team continues to improve it is not hard to imagine two (or three) of these as Ws -- traveling to Pittsburgh suddenly seems much less daunting. The home games are the three in division plus Cinci, Philly, Washington, Denver, and Baltimore. Again, if the team continues to improve they will be favored against all but NE***, Philly, and (perhaps) Baltimore. The path is clear if they stay grounded, hungry, and continue on the current trajectory.

The last time the Bills started 5-0 was 1991, and they went to the Super Bowl. They also started 5-0 in 1980 and made the playoffs. So 5-0 starts have been good to Buffalo. You may be thinking about these relatively recent starts: 3-0 in 2011 (and 5-2), then the bottom dropped out. 4-0 in 2008 (and 5-2), then the bottom dropped out. But yes, there is a lot of football left.

I think everyone needs to remember that the first two weeks of the season — maybe the first three or four — are about finding your identity and trying different things. The fact that this almost completely new offense has produced SIX 70+ yard TD drives in two weeks is outstanding. Josh missed a few today but every QB does. I was pleased that the Bills did not go conservative in the 3rd (as noted in another thread); they just failed to execute. Holding two opponents to <17 points on the road is winning football. This 2-0 start certainly has a different feel to it than the last two times we saw it (2011 and 2014). Five of six at home coming up. I’m holding my breath about Motor.

I'll leave a sizable mass after finishing my morning coffee.

The Giants stink. I'm now expecting a double-digit win. I may have been drinking out on the golf course.

If my panties haven't been twisted by now, it's safe to say they're un-twistable.

Fines are stupid in the NFL. Make it really hurt; suspend them a game, or a half, or whatever. Keep them off the field (and thus lose pay) because of their actions.

I just want to say, again, for the record, that I suggested this might be Eli's last start as a Giant earlier in the week.

They asked ScottLaw and his extended family.

You be you, man. You be you.

No, I think we know who the "tool" is in this thread.

If there is anything Josh has, it's all of the tools necessary to be a top guy. He's big, athletic, smart, a natural leader, and has a cannon. Which tools are you thinking he lacks?

As an admitted sitter (at home) I have a question to ask of you men who believe this is a "sissy" practice -- do you enjoy peeing all over your bathroom in your house? If you say you "don't miss" or there's never anything to clean up you're lying.

Yes, tipped balls and bad snaps are typically flukes. And I agree that Beasley made two big errors on Sunday -- the deflection and the drop -- and I expect he's going to be ready to go this week.

This is an interesting take for a Bills fan to have, because at least three of the four turnovers in the first half were flukes, the offense moved the ball all day, and the defense didn't give up spit.

I'll give 'em two. Engram is a really good TE.

BBFS Exhibit A right here.

The topic of blowouts in 2017 and 2018 gets a lot of play on this board...and the typical conclusion drawn is that McD has been "outcoached" or "owned" by the opposing coach. One of our resident McD critics believes Bill Belichick "owns" McD because the Super Bowl bound Patriots*** were able to pull away in the 2nd half of their games against a talent-poor (particularly on offense) Bills squad. Nobody likes to see their team out of it when the 4th quarter rolls around, but at no time during the past two seasons did I have the impression that McD took an evenly matched squad and then "undercoached" them to a blowout loss. In 2017 the five "blowouts" were losses @NYJ, NO, @SD (the Peterman game), and the two contests vs. NE***. Only the Jets game is one in which the teams were somewhat evenly matched, and Tyrod was terrible in that game (which was still only 10-7 at the half). In 2018 I think we all can agree the Bills -- particularly early in the season -- had one of the worst offenses in NFL history and were completely overmatched. They also turned the ball over at an alarming rate (5 vs. IND, 4 vs. CHI). The Bears game stands out as unique since the Bills only allowed 190 total yards yet were blown out 41-9 (the Peterman effect). Once Josh Allen returned from injury, however, it was a different team. Only the late season loss at NE*** can be termed a "blowout" over the final 7 games, and once again, over the course of the season McD did not "undercoach" an evenly matched team to a blowout loss. The blowouts were @BAL, LAC, @GB, @IND, CHI, and NE*** -- all playoff teams with the exception of GB (which was somewhat of a surprise). What is my point in all of this? To address the quoted comment above, I do not believe there has been a "checkers vs. chess" scenario in which McD was playing checkers. If anything, he has won more games than he had any right to win. McD was the chess player @ATL and @KC in 2017, and @MIN in 2018. Those were three completely unexpected road wins. Show me the game in which the Bills were favored and then came out flat? They haven't had the horses and yet somehow managed to get into the playoffs in 2017, and then finish 2018 strong. 2019 is McD's first season in which he is arguably playing with a full assortment of chess pieces. If the Bills get blown out this season it will be the first time (in my opinion) we can ask, legitimately, the question of whether it's because of McD.