Rocky Landing

A tale of two games. I was at the Rams game the year before, baking in that concrete wok that is Olympic Stadium, following the longest beer line I've ever endured at the tailgate. Bills fans were outnumbered by only about 4:1. I didn't even know there were that many Bills fans in SoCal. But, It felt like a home game. We were LOUD, brother! The Bills players said that, too. What a blast that game was. Taylor was at his best. I was third row at the Bills end zone when Hunter made his first catch as a Bill, which was also his first TD as a Bill. I was very close to Nickell Robey's interception, too. That was a thing of beauty. The Bills were clicking on that day. Well, the Chargers game was a helluva lot more comfortable. The tailgate was about 1,000% better run the the year before. In fact, everything regarding the logistics of going to that game was easier. Easier to park. Easier to get in. Easier to get a beer. I sat in the shade ten rows back from the 20 yard line. I was cautiously optimistic about Peterman starting. But, actually being at that game, I think, made it easier to understand that the five pics Peterman threw only told half the story. It wasn't just Peterman that stunk (and, make no mistake, he stunk). The whole team looked junior varsity. I'm not sure that perception translated to television. And, this is my biggest knock on Peterman: I'm not sure he can lead a team. What you missed in the second half of that game, was a team being led by its QB. That's not me trying to pump up TT- I certainly understand his limitations. But, in the second half of that game, they looked like a different team. And, here's another confession: I CAN'T WAIT for the Bills to play the Raiders in Vegas. I'm in my fifties, and married, with kids, but I will spend whatever it takes for decent tickets, book a room at the crappiest, and cheapest room I can find (and, trust me, they have some crappy, flea-ridden rooms off the strip), I'll take a Greyhound from LA, and spend four days on the deepest, depraved bender since my twenties.

I know there are two schools of thought on "character issues." Some don't really care, as long as they win games. I'm not like that, myself. I want to like the guys I'm a fan of, and to me, character matters. And, Winston is one low-character guy. I'm glad he's not a Bill.

Hmm. Kinda feel like we've already opened up that box...

Has anyone done Sunday Ticket on Roku?

I spent a lot of money for good seats at the Bills @ Chargers game.

What I would like to take from this is that Allen responds well to pressure. But, really, I'm not going to put much stock in it.

Was Rosen off pouting somewhere?

My father-in-law* is a hardcore Pats* fan. It was a pleasure to shower his grandson with Bills gear.

Simple troll.

I have always maintained that NFL football is the best way to get your family to leave you the #@&% alone for three hours on a Sunday.

Copy that. Context is everything. My bad.

Now that this thread has fallen onto pure semantics, I would nitpick the above, bolded statement. It is illogical. All 32 starting QBs are NFL caliber. The range that currently exists literally defines that caliber. Currently, NFL caliber would be defined as Brady*/Rogers, down to Paxton Lynch, or whomever is the crappiest, current starter. Taylor lands around the middle of that scale.

But, do we knead him?

What the hell are you talking about??? Do you really think that the millions of dollars spent on evaluating players entering the draft, and the people who spend their professional lives doing the evaluation have no idea what they're doing??? You may want to rethink that bolded statement!

Really, there are two separate philosophies. On one hand, you have the corporate model, which espouses the PAAC philosophy (profit at all cost). On the other hand, there is the philosophy that a football team provides a service that benefits the community as a whole (which includes the players, and the owners). Performance based contracts, or (as Oldmanfan suggested) lower salaries, would work well under PAAC, and does not hold ownership, or shareholders accountable in any way. IMO, if such a contract existed in the NFL, it would most certainly need comprehensive protections for players who suffer injury, and incentives to keep players from playing injured. But, I understand the frustration with players who pedal their efforts back after they land a big contract. But, I wonder if there weren't some more player-friendly (and safety-friendly) options that would help the same issues? How about profit sharing for players,and coaches? Perhaps a certain portion of each team could be owned by the community in which they reside, like the Packers' structure, but at a percentage? What people often don't realize about an organized labor force is that the labor force operates under the same economic pressures that the business does. If the company doesn't thrive, then neither do the workers. The more invested the labor force is in the product, the higher the motivation to put out a high quality product.

He had a pretty steep drop-off in production from 2016 to 2017. I have a hard time believing that it's simply a question of age. Players don't generally decline that quickly. He's only 30-- a year older than Shady. I was super happy with signing. Was was a beast in '15, and '16, but I would like to know the reason for his decline last year. A Shady/Ivory duo could be great.

I was exactly the same way. I believed in Tyrod, too. I even believed in Thad Lewis for a game, or two. I'll even believe in Peterman in the unlikely event he starts the season. One more confession from me, though: I despise three-way QB competitions. I think they damage a team's early-season development.

Also, I would think that McD would be loath to be forced to start Allen before he is ready, and that alone would be reason to keep all three. The chances of McCarron, (or Peterman, in the unlikely event he starts) getting injured early in the season behind a newly formed O-line is high enough for this consideration. McCarron certainly doesn't envision himself as a career backup, so the question for me is: has Peterman shown that he can be a competent backup? If he has, then keep all three.

I’m married to a Pats* fan. My father-in-law* is a fanatic. No amount is penance can absolve you of that last confession.

You will say anything to prop up Peterman to the point where it is weird. Is there another QB alive (or any other player, for that matter), that you are so willing to give such a long tether?

I’m a great lover of Tobasco, myself. But when it comes to a Southern sausage gravy (nothing else should be served with crow) it’s Red Rooster, or Crystal, ftw.

I believe that conspiracy theory started as a result of the miked up defensive player on the Chargers (I forget who it was) who came out and said of Mills, "he literally didn't block me..." But, I don't believe for a second that any of that was intentional. I was actually at that game (and, if I have any resentment towards Peterman... OK, I do... it is because I spent good money to watch that piece of history), and I have always maintained that the five interceptions only told half the story. No one on that field wanted to throw a game. Not when we were in playoff contention. But, what I saw in that first half was utter confusion. You could see it in their body language. When Taylor came out the second half, they looked like a different team.

Pretty much agree with all of this. And, I will say this about Peterman: If he bounces back from such an historically bad rookie outing to the point where he is a viable starter, it would be momentous. To the bolded: he probably would have if they left him in.

I completely understand what you're saying, and in some ways, I feel the same. But, to be honest, I'm rooting for Tyrod. I was a Tyrod fan while he was here. He was fun to watch when he was good, which, admittedly, was not often enough. But, I loved his athleticism, and the way he extended plays, and I loved his attitude. And, I always wanted him to be better. He's got some good weapons in Cleveland this year. I would love to see him lose to the Bills in the playoffs. This is very true. Although, he didn't have a huge number of opportunities to throw to, or build a rapport with Benjamin.

It will at least be fun to be in a competitive division for a change.