Rocky Landing

I tend to agree with you. Constant pressure is certainly important. But, especially with playoff caliber coaches, and QBs, it's a given that they will be able to adjust to pressure. Dropping the QB to the turf definitely adds another wrinkle to personnel adjustments, and an undeniable psychological element to the quarterback.

Regarding the pass rush, and since this is the Pats* game thread, it's worth noting that Mac & Cheese threw the ball a grand total of three times way back in.. uh, three weeks ago...

Mac & Cheese had a 100% completion percentage in the first half of the Bills game. True, he did only throw the ball once...

Hey, Mac & Cheese had a 100% completion rate in the first half of the Bills game. Pretty impressive... (psst... yes, while technically true, that is a joke. he threw exactly one pass in the entire first half of that game.)

I love Frank Gore-- truly a great person, and teammate. But, I think Deron Williams is going to beat the snot out of him.

Duh

Maybe there should be one thread on Mondays called "Hot Take/Overreaction Monday."

I came onto this thread to say something about improving O-line coaching (talent is there, IMO, scheme is not), but I now realize that I currently have little capacity for rational thoughts. If I didn't have to work today, I might just close all the shades, blast the Dead Kennedys, and cut myself. EDIT: Thanks for all the work writing this, @corta765. I'm sure it's well written, and thoughtful. When my stomach settles, I'll probably read it.

I don't like admitting this, but... I think what I haaaate the most about the Pats* isn't their evil-genius HC, their corrupt organization, their annoying past dominance in the AFCE, or their long, and storied history of cheating. It's their fanbase. I know lots of them. I have numerous family members (from my wife's side), and co-workers who are Pats* fans. I have friends who are Pats* fans. They're all good people. But, when it comes to the team, and especially on game day, or in football discussions, they turn into the worst douchebags you'll ever meet. The smarmy chest-thumping, and endless gloating, and the reality-twisting narratives of "they hate us for our success," and "ALL teams cheat..." and "GOAT this, and GOAT that..." It's sickening. Every sentence from the MFs ends with some LOL emoji. And let's stop calling them the New England Patriots*. People in Vermont hate them as much as the rest of the country, and Maine follows hockey. Hell, there's even a big chunk of Western Mass that hates the Patriots* They're the Boston Patriots*. F*** them.

My kid's school district has Monday off (something about teacher development, or something), and I live on the West Coast. Now everyone lay off!!!

We get back in the evening, and I'm on the West Coast.

Football games, especially those with playoff implications, represent interstate commerce, and any attempt to illicitly affect a games outcome would go beyond a civil case (which would, in its own right, be substantial), and fall into RICO felony status. The idea of the referees, or the NFL, getting on board with such a scheme would, IMO, be a non-starter. Too risky for the refs. Too risky for the NFL. It was the RICO implications that made the Spygate controversy, and the weird scene of NFL executives, in their suits, and dress shoes, destroying evidence in a concrete hallway in Foxboro, a much bigger deal than Patriots* fans will ever admit.

I'm going to be on a Boy Scout campout with my son over the weekend, and will miss watching this game live. I'm debating whether I will look at the score before I watch this on Game Pass. Honestly, this game has me more on edge than any game I can remember. More than the AFCCG last season.

Well, I'm certainly never one to shy away from a poetry challenge. Chicken wings, hotdogs, oysters on the shell Thermoses filled with hot tomato bisque The tailgates will display an epic story to tell Highmark stadium is the Bills citadel The weather in Buffalo will be quite brisk But the mood in the stands will gather and swell The Bills’ season has been a high-speed carousel The rewards will come with serious risk May this game be the Patriots*’ season death knell They lie, and cheat, and shuck so well With pitifully little more than a tsk tsk tsk From the league, the media, and Roger Goodell May the Patriots* offense flounder, pell mell From the moment they call heads or tails on that disk And may Groot cleanly ring Mac & Cheese’s bell Belichick* is the evil genius of the NFL That bastard’s earned his asterisk May he, Handyman Kraft, and the Pats* go to Hell Dang, it’s hard writing a football villanelle…

IMO, Beasley will be a Bill until he significantly loses a step. It’s pretty common, and popular to compare Beasley, and Lil Dirty, and yes, to an extent Lil Dirty can fill the role that Beasley occupies. He can also fill the role of P/KR, gadget routes, running back, he throws an extraordinary block for a WR his size, and a couple seasons ago, in a pinch, they put him in at cornerback. And apparently, he makes a mean brisket. McKenzie really is the most versatile player on the team, but the thing is, he’s really not great at any of those things. (Actually, I’ve heard the brisket is great.) Beasley is great at what he does. The point is: they’re not the same player. McKenzie can no more replace Beasley’s role on this team than Beasley could replace McKenzie.

Whatever happens in this game, I'm sure it will make me sad.

You’re allowed. This one hurt. Bad.

It sickens me to think that right now, the Patriots* are the better team.

Do these refs think they're officiating a flag football game?

It's going to be interesting to see how much AP has left in the tank. When he was in his prime, he sure was something special.

It's a bit amusing that much of the debate in this thread is centered on the assumption that we will be picking 32nd. That is... hubris.

Maybe Joe Rogan can play quarterback?

Official statement from Brandon Beane in 2019: "We inquired about Antonio Brown on Tuesday, and kept talks open with the Steelers. We had positive discussions, but ultimately it didn't make sense for either side. As great a player as Antonio Brown is, we have moved on and our focus is on free agency." And this from Barstool Sports in April, 2020: https://billswire.usatoday.com/2020/04/17/brandon-beane-on-antonio-brown-best-moves-can-be-ones-you-dont-make/ It's an overstatement to say that Beane "went after AB..." And if you think that Beane, and McDermott don't take character seriously in building a team, you haven't been paying attention. You can call it a "stupid idea" if you want, but I don't believe for a minute that anyone in the Bills organization wants a WR of OBJ's caliber barking in Josh Allen's ear that he isn't getting enough targets, and pitching a tantrum when Allen doesn't capitulate. And considering the talent we already have at wide receiver, and OBJ's history, there is every reason to believe that is precisely what would happen. He did it in NY, and he did it in Cleveland. That kind of behavior is bad in the locker room, and it's bad on game day. So, yeah I'll say it: Not Beane material.

In morals and ethics he doesn’t lack For spiritual guidance, he’s got your back He’ll give you a clean slate He’s an upstanding team mate If only he could righteously play quarterback Peterman

The "same concerns" there would be for OBJ? There really weren't. The only concerns came from Vikes, and Bills fans who were buying into the media trying to make a story out of it. But all of the behavior that makes OBJ a legitimate concern-- the tantrums, the calling out of team, and teammates, the poor relationships with QBs, all things that go back to his time with the Giants-- are things that Diggs did not display, and Beane, and McDermott were confident in his character.