eball

The blame rightfully belongs on the manager, who should have had a defensive replacement in the game. Buckner could hardly walk and yes, he knew he needed to hustle to beat Mookie. As a young Mets fan that still ranks as one of my all-time favorite moments. Sucks Buckner had to put up with that schitt for the rest of his life. The Sox could still have won game 7. Norwood has it tougher.

I think Josh gets this. In his first press conference post OTAs he mentioned “consistent ball placement” as his number one area of focus. He understands he needs to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers so they can make plays. Last year he was learning on the job and didn’t have many playmakers. This year we see just how smart Josh is and what he has learned.

I maintain that Allen is an analytical unicorn. The stats used to measure him in college do not take into effect factors like what sort of coaching he received, the skill of his teammates, and his experience playing the position. If you want to respond that “all D-1 QBs are measured the same way” that’s fine, but I’ll assert that statistics used in that way are flawed. I think nearly everyone who questions Allen as a “valid” NFL starter has solely relied upon those flawed college statistics. Allen’s low completion percentage during his first season in Buffalo appears to them to be proof of his expected failure. They are making the same mistake. Give me one good reason why a player possessing Allen’s physical and mental characteristics couldn’t get a sniff from any decent D-1 program? That, by itself, is evidence of a flawed system. You’re really telling me the top college programs wouldn’t want a talent like Allen in their system? They just “missed” on him because he didn’t have the right pedigree, so he went to a crappy Wyoming program where he still elevated those around him. This kid may be the most unintentional victim of “analytics” in sports history. It’s going to be a joy watching him shut all of the doubters’ mouths.

Correct, and many have talked about how much more simplified offenses were and that the position is different now.

The gist of the Wonderlic, with respect to QBs, is that a high score doesn’t necessarily predict success but a low score (i.e., under 15) is a pretty reliable predictor of failure (since the 90s, if memory serves).

This is falling upon deaf ears with @C.Biscuit97 and others. Sacks are all that matters and we sucker Bills fans are “settling” for Hughes on a true hometown discount contract! Oh, to be a damaged Bills fan!

Some of the comments to that article are pretty humorous. I’ll maintain the position I’ve held since last year...Jackson will prove to be no better than the 4th (if not 5th) best QB taken in the 1st round last season.

But...but...but...why are we as Bills fans willing to “settle” for this?

Kyle is the dude who will beat you at golf, pool, darts, bowling, or whatever game you bring up. Just one of those guys with great hand-eye coordination who is a sneaky good athlete. Plus he has that competitive fire. It’s a shame he only got one playoff game as a Bill but he will forever be a tremendous ambassador for the franchise.

You predicted Peterman would be a good NFL QB, right? You’re either a troll or an idiot. In either case, bye bye.

“Historic” would be the Bills trying to put the finishing touch on a 16-0 regular season.

Nice job. The “realists” will continue to assert “I’ll believe it when I see it” and live in their world that consists of fear of failure. They’ll also continue to point out every draft pick and free agent signing that didn’t pan out (as if even the best franchises don’t have boatloads of each). I say screw ‘em. It’s much more fun as a fan to see where this team is headed and enjoy the ride. Edit: sorry for complaining, but do folks really not know how to respond without copying the entire long post?

The “analytics or bust” guys are going to be lukewarm on Allen until his play forces them to rethink things. Even with his progression through last season they can still point to stats like completion percentage, and even if the Bills win a lot of games behind Allen you know they will come up with reasons beyond his play for that happening. That’s how it goes in today’s world in which everyone needs to be “right” and only a small few are willing to have reasonable conversations and change their perspectives.

Cheers, Jimbo!

...but you won’t be shocked if they are wrong. Sorry, just completing what we all know are your true thoughts. Your keyboard must have jammed up while you were composing your post. You really should read McD’s interview from a couple of days ago, talking about the media using sacks as the key stat but specifically talking about forcing incompletions and picks by getting consistent pressure, which is exactly what Hughes does. This “Bills fans settle” nonsense makes you sound like a fool. Name a fan who doesn’t want the best players at every position?

I snipped most of it but you spent an awful lot of time to prove what exactly? Are you conceivably making an argument the OL will be worse this year? Because that’s the question the original post pondered.

Poor Blake Hance. He looked so happy in his Bills press photo.

I’ve never complained to a mod that I can recall; I’m happy to address issues directly with folks. That said, if calling someone “damaged” is an insult I think somebody is a wee bit sensitive. I’m pretty tired of hearing the same people say the same things over and over and over again, and I’ll keep calling them out for it.

Well that sucks. Dawson’s Creek better get up to speed fast.

Ok I’ll bite. Why? Is it because he wasn’t given every opportunity - even those he didn’t necessarily deserve - to succeed in Buffalo?

That was the PFF ranking. And what the hell are you talking about? Last spring and summer I said there is no way Peterman should start, but if he did I would root for him to succeed. That’s called being a fan, not “accepting mediocrity” or failing to be objective. Stop looking for ways to insult fans who want to be optimistic and are still objective. We don’t want to wallow in your misery.

This whole thing matters little to me since I never listen to the radio feed (can’t stand Murph) but I’m happy for Wood because he seems like a good dude and the articles he has written for The Athletic have been insightful. I think he’ll do well.

I’m with @RobbRiddick on this one. Tasker is a hell of a guy, but one who should never have been placed in front of a microphone.

Man, you are just as damaged as guys like ScottLaw. Settle for what? “Settle” for a guy ranked in the top 10 edge rushers in the league? And to set the record straight for the umpteenth time, I do not blindly support any move the FO makes; I simply choose to look at the potential positives rather than dwell on the potential negatives. It’s a philosophical choice you just might not understand, but it makes me a much happier, more content person. Cheers!

You do understand that pressure results in errant passes and interceptions, right? Of course you do. You’re just hell bent on convincing yourself Beane and McD are no good so you won’t be disappointed. Live a little, man! This is a very solid, proactive move by the Bills for a key player.