Rocky Landing

Just in the most general, and over-simplified terms, my explanation for the Bills' '21 season is that the Bills' mid-season slump, where we lost half of our games and looked like pretenders, was more or less due to the league figuring out how to defend our spread offense, and it taking the Bills two months to adjust to it. It was a question of scheme, and finally figuring out how to engineer a zone blocking O-line that, along with giving Allen adequate protection, could also block for a decent rushing attack. And that is huge. Once they had that dialed in, the Bills' offense became elite, and that is where they pick up next season. Had we won that coin toss to start in OT, it would have been Allen marching down the field against a gassed defense, and scoring a TD. Sure, we didn't advance to the AFCCG, but to this homer, I'm calling it a step forward.

Tell that to @GunnerBill!

Gibt es ein Kontingent der Bills Mafia in Deutschland? Ich frage mich, ob es in Frankfurt eine Bill's Bar gibt? Und tauchen sie ihre Flügel in Blauschimmelkäse? LOS BILLS!!!

When it comes to the Patriots*, Mike Florio can be trusted about as much as the Patriots*.

Shoulda kept it in Hawaii.

If the Bills were to move on from Fraizer, Jim Schwarz would be my first choice.

I think it's also worth mentioning that along with drafting so late in the round, we also had so much continuity going into '21, that we were essentially drafting for backup positions. It's hard for players to make much of an impact if they're not likely to see the field. That being said, Groot could very well develop into a serious threat, and Spencer Brown developed spectacularly. And just the fact that six of our draft picks were on the 53 makes that a successful draft, IMO.

Spencer Brown was the steal of the draft. (Ya hear me, @Zerovoltz?) And while I haven't been a real fan of Bobby Johnson, I do think he (and Daboll) did a great job of developing him, and Doyle (and Boettger, for that matter).

@FilthyBeast agrees with you.

I can't really vote in this poll. Josh Allen's playing style has evolved every year. Why would his evolution stop now? In 2037, it's unlikely he's going to be hurdling linebackers. But, why would his play just stagnate between now, and then? My conjecture: He'll be a slightly different QB next season (as he is a slightly different QB from last season), he'll be a very different QB ten years from now, and he'll be great until he retires.

I hope Dorsey fights to keep McKenzie in a Bills uniform. I suspect that Daboll might have been McKenzies biggest supporter in Buffalo. A lot of hay has been made about how McKenzie really emerged in the latter part of the season. But, a lot of those plays were things that McK was running in 2019, before we acquired Diggs-- those jet sweeps, and end-arounds, etc. Especially with the likely departure of Sanders, and possibly Beasly, McKensie's role on offense seems as important as ever.

This game going into overtime makes me physically ill.

If the Chiefs win by another coin toss, I'm going to be physically ill.

If the Chiefs lose in OT, I'm going to be physically ill.

https://www.theonion.com/dipshit-owner-looking-for-perfect-dipshit-gm-to-carry-o-1848420806

Because of the value that Beane, and McDermott place on character, any team can rest assured that any player coming through Buffalo will, at the very least, have a good work ethic.

I have to say, I'm a little surprised this thread hasn't turned into an anti Tyrod Taylor dog pile. This site has really evolved!

No way. If we bring in Fitzmagic, he will end up starting. It happens everywhere he goes.

To my mind, the bottom line is: At the end of the game, both offenses owned the other’s defenses. If the Bills’ defense had held the Chiefs to a field goal in OT, or if they had won the coin flip, the Bills would have won.

Looks like another defense-heavy draft.

Lotta bad kicking and punting in these playoffs.

I'm really looking forward to this HT show. Even just historically speaking, it's a pretty cool lineup. Dr Dre is rap royalty. However you feel about his music, his influence is undeniable. His resume as a producer is massive. M.J. Blige is amazing live, and might be the most talented one up there. Kendrick Lamar almost single-handedly returned rap to popular relevance with the release of We Gon Be Alright. Eminem (originally produced by Dr. Dre, btw) was one of the biggest drivers in expanding rap into mainstream appeal. Snoop Dogg deserves some credit for that, as well. I've worked on over 30 Snoop Dogg videos in my career, and all but three of them were other artist's videos "featuring Snoop Dogg." No one who has met him doesn't like him. It's hard to overstate how much of a unifying influence he has been in the music industry, and in popular culture. I've turned down a blunt from him three times! (Don't judge, I was working, and had to keep my head clear...) If I have any misgivings on this lineup, it's that it's so one-dimensional. I've always thought the shows that had a lot of crossover genres were the better ones. Madonna in 2012 had a ton. And I still hold out hope for the Super Bowl Halftime Show that would, in my opinion, be the greatest of all time: Weird Al Yankovic with Special Guests. There used to be an annual petition for him.

If Allen's throw had the same trajectory as Jones', #33 Williams would have had the same chance of coming down with the ball as Sanders. Mac & Cheese's throw is lofted so high, it leaves the frame-- almost twice the altitude as Josh, and almost a second longer in the air. Micah Hyde covered about 20 yards of field after the ball left Mac's hand. Mac & Cheese's college highlight reel is filled with these lofted throws that drop out of the sky, right into the WR's bread basket. That's really impressive in college. In the NFL, it's tantamount to a Hail Mary. I strongly suspect that Hyde, and the rest of the secondary, have watched tape of these throws, and prayed they'd get to defend one.

I posted this in the post-game thread, but it’s worth reposting here. How rare is it to get two plays by opposing quarterbacks where they throw the exact same route from literally the exact same spot on the field (42 yard hash mark) to the same corner of the end zone? And look at the difference between these two throws:

I really disagree, here. While we do currently have 15 players on the 53 who are 29, or older, we also have a GM who is constantly building for the future. We also have a coaching staff that understands the importance of development. In fact, quite a few of our current starters had humble beginnings in the league, but were developed into starters. You'll never see Beane/McD drafting a player because they were "the most NFL ready," like the previous regime did with Zay Jones, or the Patriots* did with Mac & Cheese. They're far more likely to draft, and acquire based on future potential. That can be risky, but Beane, and his staff have proven to be expert at recognizing potential, with a high value placed on character. Spencer Brown, Ryan Bates, Levi Wallace, AJ Epenesa, Groot Rousseau, Ike Boettger-- all guys acquired for their potential, and some of them with very little tape. And then look at some of the guys currently on our practice squad: Tanner Gentry, Joe Giles-Harris, Isaiah Hodgins, Nick McCloud, Quinten Morris, Josh Thomas, Antonio Williams. All being developed. Don't be surprised to see some of these guys on the 53 in the next couple seasons-- some even as starters.