Rocky Landing

NFL Bold Prediction: In week 10 on Monday Night Football, Ndamukong Suh will step on Tom Brady’s* spleen causing explosive, shotgun diarrhea on national television. A patriots* ball boy who goes by the name “The Defecator” will steal Brady’s* crap-stained jersey from the team laundry, and sell it on ebay. The sale will spur a high-profile bidding war between Kanye West, and Donald Trump Jr., who secretly hates Brady* because the senior Trump once referred to him as “the son I never had.” The entire incident will become overwhelmingly embarrassing to Brady*, and his play will fall off to the point that the ever-fickle Pats* fans* will begin chanting for Jimmy G. Bills Bold Prediction: The Bills’ 17-year playoff drought will finally end with a wildcard spot. They will win their first playoff game vs. the Pats* and “Tom Sprady*” who will throw a pick six to Kevon Seymour, intended for Chris Hogan. Belichick* will be seen openly weeping on the sideline.

This may be the single, strangest thing you've written on this site.

I hope there is a tailgate. But I hope it is better organized (or perhaps less organized?) than last year's Rams game, in which we paid $$, and went through a security checkpoint for the privilege to stand in the single longest beer line I have ever encountered. It was organized by the Bills Backers club which meets at a spot in Santa Monica called Buzby's. Great bunch of people. Very comforting, as a transplanted Western NYer, to be around other Western NYers. But, if it's another $45 ticket for a gargantuan beer line, and food trucks, I'll likely pass. Hopefully, people take advantage of this thread and organizing something smaller, and more clandestine. The game was a blast, though. About 20% Bills fans in attendance, but still drowned out the Rams fans. Bills players afterward tweeted that it felt like a home game. I imagine that the Chargers game is going to get pretty expensive. Stubhub only holds 29,000 people, and is MUCH nicer than Olympic Stadium, and LA Chargers fans are already more established than Rams fans due to the proximity to San Diego. I think your best bet (if you don't already have a source for tickets) is to find someone with season tickets who only wants to recoup the cost of a game they are planning to miss. I was lucky to have a friend in that position. You can find such people on Stubhub-- but I'd start looking now.

I want to get paid more, too...

I wouldn't exactly agree that our team is full of "holes," but it certainly is filled with question marks. And, I think that training camp is going to answer most of those, and by the time the season hits, I think we are going to be pretty solid. Defensively, I don't think anyone needs to worry about the front seven at all. A lot of hay has been made regarding our LBs, but I think they're going to come out of TC as a solid unit. I also think our CBs have a lot of potential, and I'm not worried about Darby one bit. But, after Hyde, I we are awfully shallow at safety. Offensively, I don't have any issues with our RB corp, considering the depth we have at FB, and the way they will likely be used. TE is the obvious choice. But, I don't feel particularly comfortable with our WRs, either. After Sammy, I don't know that we have any big play makers. With only one vote, I'll go TE.

It's like you're a plant trying to give #34fan an opportunity to sound reasonable.

At this point in time, we would be literally competing to tank. Get over it. We're not tanking. We have two first round picks in the next draft. We have plenty to trade for if we need to. Anyone who thinks we're tanking is not paying close attention, or is blinded by their own agenda.

That's right. He's with Cleveland now. Let's talk about him instead...

Who was the last Bill nicknamed Tank? I can't remember.

Well, by that yardstick, 9-7 is likely a flameout in our division.

7 wins is a "flameout?"

It would be cool if he turned into a 2017 version of Brad Smith... (How's that for a useless, offseason debate???)

One point I'd like to make in considering Mills' situation last year is how good the other side of our line was. Richie is really, really good, and Cordy has the wingspan of a 747. And Wood is solid, as well. Miller is solid, and smart, imo, but not at the level of Richie. It wasn't hard for defenses to know which side of the line to attack on a blitz. Mills faced the lion's share of pressure, and that did not relent for 16 games.

With the departure of Gilmore, Woods, Goodwin, Hunter and Gillislee, I can see how someone who doesn't follow the Bills would think we were tanking. But, a "national reporter" should have a little bit more insight than a casual observer. It's all been said on this site, ad nauseam-- Gilmore's departure was all but a foregone conclusion. Woods wasn't worth the cost. Goodwin was fragile. Hunter wasn't versatile. We couldn't match Gillislee's offer. Etc, etc, etc... And, they've all been replaced, with the exception of Gilly-- although, one could argue that our two fullbacks will replace his production. The Jets are tanking. We are not.

I'm a fan!

I absolutely agree that Tyrod's mobility has saved more than a few plays, and often in spectacular fashion. However, I do also believe that some of those plays were saved from himself. I also disagree with your exaggerated view of Mills. He certainly started off the season terrible, no doubt. But, what I saw was someone that improved (albeit gradually) throughout the season. I know that's not a popular opinion. But, I wouldn't be at all surprised, or disappointed, if he started the '17 season.

I certainly wouldn't just place blame on Tyrod for the O-line issues-- that would be overly simplistic. But, would you not agree that some QBs are harder to protect than others? And would Tyrod not be one of those QBs? For the record, I'm not a Tyrod hater. There seem to be a lot of assumptions of an "agenda" on this site lately, in both directions, for anybody who compliments, or criticizes Taylor... There's a lot to admire in Tyrod, his mobility being one of those things. And, it's fun as hell to watch. But. I feel like that often translates into an unstable pocket that he stretches to the limit before it is really necessary, and I wish he would get that under control. I believe that if he could not drop so far back in his initial steps, and step forward into the pocket as he was reading the field, he could make a major improvement in his game, and change a lot of minds about his status as merely a "bridge quarterback," (which seems to have become an absolute given on this site). I also question just how much more difficult it is to pass protect vs. run protect. There are O-lines (the Packers', and Browns', for example) that excel at pass protection, and struggle in run protection. That assessment is from PFF-- I don't get ESPN Insider, as was referenced in this thread. (That same PFF analysis, BTW, had us ranked very close between pass, and run protection.)

Last year at the Bills @ Rams game, Bills fans were outnumbered by about 4 to 1. But, it sounded like a Bills home game. It's pretty hard to quantify that kind of enthusiasm. My father-in-law is a Pats* fan. He was at my house watching the last Super Bowl, and left he house pouting before they made their comeback.

I feel that he also stretches the pocket way too far, and never climbs up into it. Contrast the size of his pocket to that of someone like Matt Ryan, who will climb up into it to extend the play. TT's pocket is three times the size. How much harder is it to pass-protect when the O-line has to have eyes in the back of their heads to know where the QB is?

I remember a similar study several years ago. I don't remember the university, or where we ranked, but I do remember a similar smell of bullish*t.

I've worked on set with some of these people. I haven't worked with Costner, but he has a pretty good rep for being OK to be around, politics notwithstanding. Some that I have worked on set with: Sam Jackson? KING DOUCHE!!! Mariah Carey: BATSH*T CRAZY Rock & Spacey: TOTALLY COOL

so, you're saying we should have run the ball less? Because you cant have it both ways.

I didn't realize Holmes was a scrub.

Comic relief. In the Maclin thread, it was food. In this thread it's this guy.

This is just how it goes when you're a farm team for the Patriots*.