WIDE LEFT

This is a take you hear all the time; it’s treated like gospel - when facing a great QB, you should run the ball, control the clock and thus keep that great QB on the sideline. None of the “experts” who offer this advice ever bother to check just how successful that recommended strategy is. Why bother, it’s common sense right? Well analytics have reviewed this entire concept and discovered that this strategy is an overwhelming failure. The Buffalo Bills, ever oblivious to analytics, employed this very strategy when playing the Pats last year. Predictably ( if you bother to familiarize yourself with facts) they weren’t even competitive against the Pats last year - two losses by 20+ points each game. Well an “expert” would say, you have a very limited QB and u can’t go toe to toe with Brady blah blah blah. Well there was a team that faced this same situation- the Eagles last year heading into the Super Bowl. They had a very limited (backup) QB but a great defense, a defense far more talented than the Bills D. Experts would advise - play great D, run ball, control clock, keep Brady off the field. But Philly head coach Pederson does pay attention to analytics, and did just the opposite. His great & talented defense did not force the Pats to punt once during this game. A run first, ball/clock control offense would have been a disaster, as it was for the Bills last year and in many years past. Philadelphia won by paying attention to analytics. Whatever offensive philosophy Bills adopt tomorrow they will most likely lose. But a loss is guaranteed if they stick to what has been a miserable failure last year, and what analytics has shown to be a miserable failure overall. And I am confident that the Bills will stick to this formula that has never succeeded for them, and never will. Why base your decisions on evidence, when your “gut” tells you different. There may be a a day when Bills pay attention to analytics, but many losses will happen before that. Tomorrow night will be a disaster.

I would enter the thruway at the Hamburg thruway entrance - it’s further south, less traffic heading south away from stadium and your are heading south on 90 when traveling to Erie anyway

Well I guessed it. Somebody actually posts that Coach punted so as to evaluate a second string punter who has zero chance to make the roster. So a critical fourth and three situation close to games end is not an ideal situation to test your #1 pick and your offense; it’s far more important to test a punter and guys will not be on the team in 3 weeks. Genius insight

It was encouraging to see at least a glimmer of hope that the Bills join the 21st century NFL with an offense that uses the PASSING game to set up the run. Maybe the two double digit losses to the Patriots last year at least gave them a hint that their ball control, run first offense doesn’t cut it in this era of NFL football. Or maybe watching Philadelphia use their 2nd string QB to completely shred Minnesota & Pats defense in consecutive weeks. Or a Super Bowl which had one punt the entire game, as two pass first offenses slugged it out. But I do have concern that Coach McD will not follow through with this philosophy when the regular season roles around. What gives me pause is his complete disregard for analytics, leading to his complete mismanagement of strategic/game time decisions. So with about 3 minutes to go, down 11 points, 4th and three, his decision, in defiance of all analytics (and common sense) is to punt the ball ( and the game) away. And this in the PRE SEASON! Yikes. Almost as bad, TV “analyst” Tasker never even questions the move, nor did any of the media at post game press conference. Let’s hold a coach who is all about accountability; accountable himself for terrible game time decisions. This wasn’t the first time he has mangled important, game management decisions. And please don’t tell he wanted to give his second string punter some practice

Wow there are a lot of folks on this board who are completely naive or are such fan boys they can’t see the forest for the trees. The facts are pretty straightforward - UNSUB uses keys to enter the home. Beats the ex girlfriend while demanding the EXACT jewelry Shady has been asking to be returned for months. Beats the ex girlfriend who Shady has been trying to evict for months. Shady just happened to change the security cameras shortly before the incident. History of police visits to home because of domestic disputes. There is only one conclusion, Shady was not directly involved, but the UNSUB was acting at his direction. The UNSUB was given the keys to access the home by “somebody”. Who but Shady. But relax fan boys. Police or NFL are a long way from proving any of this. If the UNSUB is never identified, Shady skates. A real possibility. Doesn’t change what common sense clearly dictates. You would have to be a complete fool to believe, given this fact pattern, that Shay had no involvement.

My point exactly - no worse or better than opinions voiced here. Except from a professional/paid sportswriter/columnist, you should expect more than what’s posted on Two Bills Dr

Jerry Sullivan was shown the door and in typical fashion he portrayed his departure as being motivated by his “independence” as a critic of the Bills. We expect a columnist to be critical, nobody ever had a problem with that. But Sullivan’s entire claim to fame, in his mind, was that he was an independent critic and not a fan. But he took that to a level wherein he was critical of everything, without any balance. So he was equally as critical of the Bills during their Super Bowl years as well the drought years. The Pegulas were “over their heads” as owners, as if every new owner comes into the league with experience & expertise. Virtually every new owner is owning a franchise for the first time. And they took over the franchise from an owner who, despite is 50+ years of experience, ran the franchise into the ground. He also had a heads I win, tails you lose mentality. When Dareus had his troubles early in his career, Sullivan wanted the Bills to cut him. After Dareus had his big pro bowl year, Sullivan completely flipped to Dareus side. When Dareus had his most recent problems/issues, Sullivan wrote “see I told you so, should have cut him like I said” Heads he is right, tails he is right But none of the above was Sullivan’s biggest weakness. The biggest problem with Sullivan was that in all his years there, he never developed any sources of information, either inside the Bills organization or within the NFL, to provide insight or analysis based on experience, film study etc etc. So all you ever got from him was just the opinion of a guy who never played or coached the game, who never watched game film and who never developed a source or asset who had the experience/expertise to provide insight. Sullivan’s opinions were no more valid than any fan sitting on a bar stool watching the game on TV. And that was obvious from his columns. Tyler Dunne was with the News for one year, and consistently produced columns that were based on his interactions with NFL insiders or those with experience & expertise in evaluating the game. It was no wonder that Dunne was hired away after one year here, while Sullivan took the easy path of voicing uninformed opinions mixed in with potshots at everybody. And felt that was good enough, because after all, he was “no fan”. Criticism is fine and welcome; but readers/subscribers are entitled to informed opinions, or at least occasional insight from sources well placed, well versed or experienced with game of professional football. Sullivan could not be bothered to provide any of that. Good riddance

Are u serious? Even if they are equal an NFL receiver can’t avoid the collision with a DB - he doesn’t take his hand off the ball to lessen that contact. And there are many examples of receivers catching the ball, falling to the ground and keeping both hands on the ball and NOT breaking their fall. Not only can it be done, it’s done on regular basis. And if I am paid big bucks to catch a football, I don’t jeopardize that by taking my hand off the ball. You think if Charles Clay had that play over he would still take his hand off to break his fall. Not likely

The point is a fall, even from 4-6 feet, is nowhere near as punishing as a routine hit by a DB or LB. So you risk losing a reception, and/or a touchdown? They don’t take a hand/arm off the ball to cushion a hit from the defense. BTW - they are paid a lot of money to catch and retain the football.

This is an observation I have made over many years watching NFL receivers; and yet I have never heard a coach, analyst, broadcaster address this. That is, the habit of NFL receivers upon catching a ball and falling to the ground, to take one hand off the ball and use that hand/arm to break/cushion their fall. This can and has caused many a receiver to lose control of the ball resulting in an incomplete pass. It happens more often than you think. Go back to Dez Bryant catch/no catch which started the whole controversy about “surviving the ground”. In that play, he took his hand/arm off the ball to break his fall. Fast forward to last week: Charles Clay catches ball in the end zone, has it wrapped up, but takes his hand off the ball to break his fall, and thereby loses control of the ball and loses a touchdown. First game of this season, first drive, Mike Tolbert did the exact same thing, losing a sure TD pass. Jordan Matthews did the exact same thing on a huge third and three in the Cincinnati game, but his was ruled a fumble. Of course it happens many times where the receiver does break his fall and doesn’t lose the ball. For example, Kelvin Benjamin non touchdown last week, he also uses arm to break his fall, but retained control. The point is, these receivers take huge hits all the time, and it seems odd that so many times they risk loss of control just to break their fall, which certainly is minor compared to a hit by a DB. It does not seem that this is emphasized in coaching NFL receivers, since it happens so often. It’s equally odd that you never hear a comment on this from any coach, analyst broadcaster or NFL writer. So go take a look at the Charles Clay drop again, then pay attention in the NFL games you watch as to how many times receivers do the exact same thing Clay did. You will be surprised

Numerous issues with his play calling, but I will concede that the head coach has a lot more input into the types of calls any OC makes. A conservative, defensive minded head coach will insist on conservative play calls. Having said that, Dennison earns poor marks as an OC regardless of HC input. The biggest red flag, the most obvious indicator of his incompetence should be apparent to even the casual fan. An OC generally scripts the first 10 to 15 play calls in any game. He had all week to review film, identify play calls that should work and script the calls accordingly. It’s the beginning of the game where OC has most input. And yet the Bills offense has been terrible in the first quarter, almost historically bad. Very little production, very few points. This is on Dennison. The other time an OC has a lot of input is the beginning of second half. You have the whole halftime to review what the other defense has been doing, and adjust accordingly. The Bills offense has been HORRIBLE when starting second half, even worse than beginning of game. Three & out virtually every time they have received the kickoff to start third quarter. The play calls have been unimaginative and completely unproductive. This screams out that our OC is in over his head. His offense is least productive when he has the MOST input.

Our 2017 draft class, especially White, is looking strong and is a credit to Whaley, the prime talent evaluator for that draft class. One often overlooked (and brilliant) move was one Whaley pulled off towards the end of 2016. He signs Logan Thomas off Detroit practice squad, and to do so he had to add him to the Bills 53 man roster. All based on potential; the guy had never played tight end. The potential Whaley saw last year payed off big time last Sunday. In the years to come, Thomas will evolve into a pro bowl type tight end

It’s a huge transition for WR going from college to pros. Many great receivers have taken several years to successfully transition. If not for the sorry state of our receiving corps, he would/should be benched. It’s bad right now - not just the drops, but stumbling out of breaks, failure to run correct routes and/or gain separation etc etc. We can only hope he turns it around, sooner rather than later

Walter Powell - needed speed receiver soon coming off suspension - familiar with this offense and with Tyrod

Sidelines on Delaware (across from Embassy Suites) is an underrated bar to watch games - great tv setup, great atmosphere and good food. Bada Bing on Chippewa works too ( no it's not a strip club).

It never ceases to amaze me the basic lack of NFL knowledge on the part of guys who write for, and who get paid by the Buffalo News, to cover the Bills/NFL. The most recent demonstration was Gleason's column this morning, where he advocates just cutting Dareus and swallowing the $24 million cap hit. So it's clear, even though he is paid to cover & analyze the NFL, he has no idea how the cap works. Bills can't cut Dareus and absorb that cap hit because they DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NEAR $24 million in cap space to do that. They have less than 10 million I believe. They would have cut players like Hughes or Tyrod (or both) to create that kind of cap space. But this NFL "writer" has no idea what the ramifications are of his ridiculous proposal. Doesn't quite understand how the NFL works. But why should he, since he has only been doing this for 20+ years.

You don't want to bash Ralph Wilson? Okay I will do it for you. Long before Tom Donahue or GM Levy, good old Ralph was running this franchise into the ground. He is the only owner in NFL history to lose the number one pick in the NFL draft to the CFL, for christsakes. Ralph owned the team for 20+ years by the time he drafted Jim Kelly; at which point Kelly saw what a mess this franchise was and jumped to USFL. Read Kelly's autobiography. They had to sneak the hiring of Bill Polian past Ralph, who opposed it. After hall of famer Polian constructed the best teams Buffalo ever had, Ralph fired him. He paid $25,000 for this franchise, which appreciated in value to over 1 billion dollars, and that wasn't enough for Mr Wilson. After realizing a significant profit every year, in addition to his billion dollar + windfall, he decided he needed an extra 10 million so he gives up competitive advantage by moving games to Toronto. The players hated it. John Murphy railed against it. For most of the years he owned this team, their win/loss record has been horrendous. The notion that most Bills fans have,m that is that Ralph deserves hero worship because he kept the team in Buffalo, ignores the huge financial award he received for keeping the team here. And conviently ignores the fact that good old Ralph, in the early 70s, threatened to move the franchise to Seattle, unless the taxpayers of Erie County built him a stadium. For which he paid nothing for. And named it after himself, despite the fact he contributed zero to it, and despite the fact that for all his whining about lack of revenue, he was willing to give up the 5 million plus per year in naming rights to have the stadium named after him, that stadium everybody here but him paid for. The great Ralph Wilson indeed.

Yes it's kind of silly when these posts criticize the characterizing of the WR position as "not important". Every position is important. Every QB would love to have a stud wide receiver(s). That is all self evident. But in a cap controlled league, you have to determine where and how to allocate your dollars. Where to spend the most money. It does not really matter what I or any fan thinks, the original point is what the Bills brass thinks. And based on their experience with the Panthers, going 15-1 with mediocre receivers, it's clear to them that there are more "important" positions i.e. more critical places to spend your money. Thus the Watkins trade.

Again someone making my point. As you state "Newtons best year as a passer" came in a year where he lost his star receiver (Benjamin) for the entire year. He produced his best year with mediocre receivers. This is what Beane & McDermott witnessed first hand. So no surprise they devalued the need for a high priced star receiver. Spend your money elsewhere. For those who question who is the more accurate thrower of the football; just look at the stats, it's Taylor by a mile. Cam was 52% last year. That does NOT mean Taylor is the better QB.

Nobody is suggesting that the Bills are Super Bowl contenders. Two meaningless preseason games tells us nothing about this offense. But you make my point - Cam Newton was NFL MVP that year throwing to a mediocre set of receivers. No one believes Taylor will be an MVP candidate, but it is true that he is a far more accurate thrower of the ball than Newton. His performance last year was far superior to Newton's 2016 season

When analyzing how professionals in any business operate, it helps to look at their past experiences, specifically the scenarios/situations where they have had success in the past. Consider Beane & McDermott. Their most successful year by far was the year the Panthers went to the Super Bowl. That particular team had a QB known more for his running than his passing, had a very strong running game, had a mediocre receiving corps ( they lost star WR Kelvin Benjamin to injury in preseason); and they had a defense designed & coached by McDermott. Sounds a lot like the current Bills. But the real lesson they learned from that very successful season is that you do NOT need a stud, #1 receiver to be successful. Having that great receiver is a luxury, not a necessity. Look at the very best receivers in the NFL over the last decade. The number of Super Bowl wins those great receivers have is close to zero. This explains a lot about the Watkins trade, especially knowing he would demand huge dollars next year. The choice to devote your cap dollars to other areas of the team (D & O lines) is a wise one. And to those who would dismiss this years team's chances, or call this a tank year, go ahead and review the success of that Panthers team.

It's not even close - if you can - stay at Pearl Street Lofts - attached to Pearl Street Grill. - your hotel room there is really a two bedroom condo, with full kitchen & fireplace. Cannot be beat, location is ideal.

I generally like what Lombardi says about all aspects of the NFL but I agree with some of the criticisms specific to this article. He does not do a good job in defining what constitutes a successful culture. So the Bills had a very successful culture until Kelly retired. Then it's unsuccessful? Lombardi's beloved Patriots did NOT have a successful culture until they stumbled across the lottery ticket that is Tom Brady. Let's see how successful their culture is when Brady is gone. Lombardi needs to point to a successful culture that excels WITHOUT a franchise QB. He does not point to one here.

While it's no surprise the local media is completely negative on Bills playoff chances, I am surprised at the widespread belief that this team is floating in the area of a 5 win season. Yes of course the QB is vitally important and remains a question mark. But this QB has produced solid if not spectacular results, and if his offense can produce an average of 26 points per game (as it did last year), I will take it - right now. But leaving the QB issue aside, most agree that successful NFL teams are built from the inside out ie strong offensive & defensive lines. Any neutral observer would agree that the O & D lines of the Bills are their strength. Both lines are talented, experienced and proven. That's huge in the NFL. Sprinkle in some great playmakers like McCoy and Watkins and you have a recipe for NFL success. It was the defense that was the main problem last year. I don't believe the talent level on defense is any less than what Schwartz had in 2014 when our defense was great. Ryan's game management and his defensive schemes were abysmal, and McDermott doesn't need to be a defensive genius to produce far better result. Good defense coupled with offensive production even slightly better than last year can produce a 10 or 11 win season. Last years win total of 7 would have been much higher with a decent defense.