BarleyNY

At what? It sure isn't football. A Gino led Jets team is sure a lot more beatable than a Fitzy led Jets team. That matters a great deal to a team that probably has to beat them twice to make the playoffs.

Probably. Not sure if it can wait until after the season or not though. In any event it's on his non-throwing hand so if he can still take snaps he can probably gut it out. The Jets are definitely better with him at QB than Gino so it'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

He really hasn't played that well this season from what I've heard. Possibly ill effects from last season's injury. In general he's been an excellent zone blocking center who has done an exceptional job with recognition and line calls.

Actually I try to take emotion out of situations and look at them realistically and I'm doing that here. Saying that sometimes teams with mediocre records at the midpoint turn around their seasons and make the playoffs is true, but misleading. It happens, but the odds of it happening with any one specific team are very low. That's reality. That the Bills have given me precious little reason to think they'll turn things around is also reality. That's subject to change (obviously) but it's where things stand.

I was just joking around. I've seen a fair number of posts like yours and while I can appreciate the optimism I find the cherry picking of statistics amusing. Yes, it's not technically over. In fact according to fivethirtyeight the odds of the Bills making the playoffs increased from 16% to 22% this week. Yes, being .500 at the halfway point means the Bills would have a chance to make the playoffs. But the reality is that right now the odds of the Bills making the playoffs are not great and that the play of the team has yet to give much reason to believe that is likely to change. And even if they were to make the playoffs, then what? They're still a very long way from competing with the best in the league. But you never know and it doesn't hurt to root hard and hope.

I think history will show that the Bills don't make the playoffs. Ditto teams without quality QBs. So maybe don't hang your hat on the history thing.

That would appear to be what's going on here. Honestly, it's probably what's best for them. The Bills can't afford either player and if either has a say in where he goes (Mack definitely does, not sure about Thomas) I can't see them wanting to come to Buffalo. Neither will get top dollar here and this isn't the place for someone looking for a ring.

Rex's shtick is a lot of fun when his team is doing well, but gets pretty old pretty quick when they're not. It is what it is. He was smart when he dialed it back in NY when things weren't going well. I suspect he will be here for quite some time to come though. Anyone thinking that firing him due to his span of 7 games as HC is justifiable should maybe just take a step back. I don't agree with everything he has done, but he's a good coach and nothing positive would come from firing him anytime soon. It would not help the perception of the team and it would not help the reality of it. The worst thing a team can have is incompetence in its front office and coaching ranks, but the second worst is constant turnover which often looks just like the former.

I'm with the OP except my expectations were not as high as most. I expected the 6th playoff spot and a loss in the divisional round. They certainly look like they will fall short of that. The defense is not as bad as it appears to some, but it has not been a top 5 as expected. Specials have been poor and not met expectations at all. The offense is about as expected overall. I expected the QB position and OL to hold this team back. The OL really hasn't. They haven't been great or anything, but they also haven't been the big liability they were expected to be. The QBs haven't been great. EJ has been terrible. Taylor has been decent, but doeant look like long term starter material. His passing needs to improve if that's to change. He still can make plays with his legs, but he does that too often. He's not big enough to last taking shots in the NFL and I cringe every time he takes off or runs a read option. What I'm looking for the rest of the way out is improvement in Taylor's passing and improvement in scheme/player usage. Seeing those things - even some of them - would give me hope for next season.

That's always been Tanny's game. He's a WCO style QB, a short to intermediate thrower - and that's in Florida. In Buffalo in the wind whipping winter, he's a short thrower. If he had arm strength he'd be a franchise QB, but he doesn't and he's not. NE aconsistiently played with 9 or more defenders up on or near the LOS. The rushed hard, jammed his receivers and dared Tanny to beat them over the top. You saw the result. That's why I'd want no part of him.

Yup. Their cap space wad has been shot. Retaining or replacing Incognito and Glenn should be their primary goals. Other than them they'll just be looking for deals - and a QB.

I agree with all of that. Glenn and Incognito are the two FAs that need re-signed. My one minor difference of opinion is that McKelvin was listed as one of the expected CBs next season under the Brooks section. He's been injured so much of the last couple years I'm not sure that he's on the team in 2016.

I firmly believe that the very quietly implemented HGH testing has a lot to do with it. Seattle had a ton of positive tests when it first got implemented (the year they won the SB), but mostly that got swept under the rug. Ditto with some other teams. Excuses were made. The NFL didn't want the bad press so there was little done publicly league-wide. A few players were allowed to retire surprisingly, but fairly quietly. Willis (SF), Worlids (Pittsburgh), etc. Hopefully the HGH testing helps level the playing field long term.

I distinctly remember watching the Bills run a kickoff out from deep in the end zone and thinking "Probably not a great idea, but I don't blame him. With EJ the offense is t doing anything right now and he's just trying to make something happen." Sometimes you just have to take the chance. Besides, if they think the unit is improving or they see something on film or during the play they might have reason to think they can do better. I get what you're saying, but I don't blame them for trying in most instances.

A team can do a lot worse than take a chance returning a kickoff with one of their speedy playmakers in the open field. And if the returner feels some pressure to make a play because the offense is sputtering then that's very understandable.

Yup. I understand some time off to rest their bodies, but the whole week off for a team with their backs against the wall like the Bills are makes me shake my head. It's one thing for fans (like me) to declare their playoff chances dead, but another entirely to see the coach shrug his shoulders at a time like this.

To be fair the Bills get two whole weeks off before hosting the Dolphins. I know scheduling kinda sucked for the Bills with teams coming off bye weeks, but this one is tough to gripe about. Oh and this game is in NE with a national spotlight. I'd be surprised if it was close. The best we can hope for is some dirty shot on Brady that puts him out and gets Suh suspended.

That's really NOT the bottom line. I like the QBR stats to check what my eyes are telling me. Taylor actually ranks 10th in Total QBR, which is good. But the breakdown of the QBR components is where the concern is - and it supports what I see. His legs are a huge asset and compensate for subpar passing. He's 26th in the passing component, which is a big problem. It is a problem that is exacerbated by his size. He's not big enough to make a living running the ball in the NFL. The sample size is small so far and he's new to live NFL action so there certainly could be growth as a passer. It might happen. Or it might not. If I'm the Bills I'm not holding back on other quality QB prospects until I'm sure I have a FQB in Tyrod. And right now I'm a long way from being sure. That's not a knock on him and I don't give up on him, but I don't put all of my eggs in that basket either. http://espn.go.com/nfl/qbr

Bye week team update: Everybody have a nice week off! See you all* a week from, what? Monday? Nah, make it Tuesday! *Percy Harvin excepted depending on if he feels like showing up or not

If a team with its long term franchise QB already on the roster winds up with the first overall pick, then some team will go full Redskins or beyond for a QB. It could happen for the second pick too. And if I were the Lions or Ravens and sitting there with a probable franchise QB on the board I'd just pick him and go the Green Bay route.

The last person to know that would be Travis. He can't keep track of the 9 kids he sort of knows about.

Watkins should to learn that criticism is part of the fame-and-money-celebrity package. That's reality. He's going to be lauded, put upon a pedestal and given riches. He's going to get more tail than he can handle and people are going to fall all over themselves to do him favors. But he's also going to get hangers on. He's going to be criticized and even made fun of - even if he's successful, even if he doesn't totally deserve it. And if he does deserve it or ask for it or egg on those doing it, then it is going to be much worse. That's the deal. Don't like it? Can't handle it? Then walk away. Nobody is holding a gun to your head, Sammy.

That's gotta be one awkward Thanksgiving.

I couldn't agree more. The problem is that Glenn is almost certainly going to hit free agency. Why is he going to take an average pay kind of deal when some team is likely to overpay for him? I thought Hughes was going to hit FA too though. So I guess you never know.

I'm not sure how you free up that kind of space with Mario without putting a huge boat anchor around the team's neck for future years. It's pretty crazy. Until the Bills find a QB that puts them in position to make a run at a title they can't rob the future for the present. McKelvin is a good call and he is a player I should have included. $3.9M cap savings from declining to pay his roster bonus is a must. I don't see parting ways with Kyle Williams over a $5M cap savings unless his play were to drop off substantially. Starting DTs aren't cheap either so it'd be tough to replace him and I'd expect a drop off in play from the position. I don't make that move. You're not finding Lawson's replacement for less than what the saving from cutting him would be either. Unless you're looking at drafting one. Urbik and Dixon have to be replaced, too. Not much savings to be had there either. Exactly. And when you're looking a starter quality replacements you might not even come out ahead.