GunnerBill

It would have to be a very terrible blunder for him to get canned this year I think. I'm not sure I see it. Not saying he should be safe if he makes a poor coaching decision, but I think he would be unless it genuinely was like very terrible. Agree to calm the narrative around him down he needs to at least get to the AFCCG. If he does that and loses there to KC or Baltimore there would still be criticism but it would be considerably less vociferous.

The only game where I'd say Lamar was a big part of the reason for their loss was Pittsburgh. Most of Baltimore's losses this year are on the defense.

Possibly. He just does so many things, he can play on coverage teams, he returns kicks, he can pass protect, he can be a receiving back (and win downfield not just check downs) and in a pinch he is a serviceable runner. I wonder if a bad team with a few cap $$s to throw about and a young QB they are trying to prop up might find him enticing as a #2.

I disagree with that. I think Josh is the MVP but Lamar is legit #2 to me. He's had an incredible year and is an incredible player.

Has to in what sense? To limit the criticism? For you personally to be satisfied? Or to keep his job?

I want Denver. I think it will be Denver. But Miami are still in this thing.

I eyerolled the post you are quoting because the guy he was responding to wasn't saying they were perfectly satisfied with Sean or even that they wanted Sean to stay. They might do, I don't know, but that was not what they were saying. They were just saying he is nowhere no matter what happens in these playoffs. So it did not justify the response it got.

I'm sure they want him, but do they want him if it's more than vet minimum?

You don't think Damar puts effort in?

I wonder if the Bills will be able to keep him. I'm sure they'd love him back on another vet minimum type deal, but he might have other options this year and want to wait until FA opens.

It's two. The AFC Championship game too. Josh wasn't dreadful that day, I wouldn't call it a bad game as such, he was okay but he was clearly out-Quarterbacked by Mahomes so I also don't think you can say he had us in a position to win. The other two defeats to Kansas City, absolutely he has and he hasn't had enough help around him - from defense, skill players and coaching.

He's gotta get better everywhere on yesterday's performance.

I'm not commenting on the McDermott piece, we have exchanged views on that. Neither is changing the other's mind based on re-hashing the past. Minds will only be changed, in either direction, based on what happens in the future. But I did want to comment on the where is this time and how should we honest assess it. I'm not sure I'd describe them as fool's gold. I think they are legitimately a 13-3 football team. I actually think in respect of the two "statement" wins as you call them, neither of those games were as close as the scoreboard made them look. The Bills were the better team in both contests and deservedly won the games. They outcoached and outexecuted their opponents on the two biggest stages of their season. That said, what I think you were getting at - which is reasons to be concerned going into the playoffs - I think there is a big one that is more acute than in previous years and that is the defense is not very good. The defense hasn't played well enough in recent playoff exits - that is true - but those defenses have been good defenses that for whatever reasons be it coaching, execution, injuries, or being put in bad spots by the offense on occasion have not lived up to that billing in the post season. This feels different. This is a poor defense right now. The Bills are 21st in yards allowed. That would be their worst output since 2017 when McDermott and Frazier were trying to run their defense largely with players acquired for a totally different scheme. But I think even that is a slight sugar coating. I have long since believed 3rd down % is where you truly judge how good a defense is. Yards and points to an extent can be influenced by other things - the 2018 Bills finished 2nd in yards allowed and while that D was a decent defense its yardage totals were helped by the offense turning it over so much, hard to give up 70 yard drives when the O turns it over inside its own territory a ton - special teams and offense factor in. 3rd down is just a referendum on the defense - the Bills were 19th last year but in the Frazier era were consistently top 10. The Bills went into yesterday 31st in the NFL at 44.4% given up and yesterday gave up 4 of 9 for, you guessed it 44.4%. I just don't know how you hope to improve that in the playoffs. Maybe there is a magic formula somewhere that Babich has been hiding all year but they look so non-fundamentally sound to me compared to the Bills defense that we have been used to seeing. The argument goes, from some, the Bills D has always been one that can be got by really talented offenses executing at a high level (I mean so can ANY defense to an extent, that is the NFL) but at the moment it doesn't require that. They are dropping more underneath coverages than I have ever seen, they have two defenders guarding the same guy while someone else is open more than I have seen they just look uncoordinated. I don't know whether that is a result of the injuries this year where guys have been in and out of the lineup - particularly in the back seven - and if that has affected continuity or if it is just talent (Milan declining - though he played his best game yesterday, Bernard regressing a bit from last year, Rapp and Hamlin just not being the level of the players they replaced, Douglas coming back to earth which was always likely) or whether it is a result of the coaching changes (it isn't just Babich taking over as DC but Marcus West was promoted to his first DL coach job in the pros, their corners coach is in his first gig in the pros and Al Holcombe was here last year but is in his first year taking over from Babich as linebackers coach that is a lot of churn and a fair amount of experience leaving the building in Eric Washington and Joh Butler). It's probably a combination of all three but it is definitely concerning. There will be those who say "McDermott is supposed to be a defensive guru he should just sort it out." And sure, he is. But the life of an NFL Head Coach there is just not enough time to be that hands on in preparing the defense. Even last year when Washington and Holcomb were handling some of that but McDermott was calling the plays I thought it affected his overally capacity to lead the team effectively. There just isn't time mid season for a Head Coach to spend the level of time fixing the unit. That isn't to absolve McDermott of accountability for what we are seeing. He is the Head Coach and when a unit is failing on offense, or defense, it is on him ultimately. He hired Babich as a first time DC and then lost his two most experienced position coaches and replaced them with rookies. To the extent that the coaching churn has impacted defensive performance that is on McDermott. To the extent some of it is personnel related that is on Beane (I have been saying for years don't let Poyer and Hyde walk at the same time for instance, good roster management would have been staggering their departures and for about the 4th year running he has had to turn to vets off the street mid season to patch up his botched offseason work on the dline). How have they kept their head above water? As you say, its turnovers. How sustainable is that is a fair question. After yesterday we are at 16 interceptions and that is about standard for this team. They have had between 15 and 19 every year since 2020. Their scheme with enough disguise and baiting/inviting enough throws into zones between defenders pretty consistently generates that. I don't think there is a ton of randomness about it. Where we are a bit up on the average this year is fumbles forced and recovered. We are at 15. Our previous high is 12. That is the turnover type where there is most inherent randomness anyway - it's a funny shaped ball that does not bounce predictably and where it goes when it's on the floor is often down to luck. I do think I have seen the Bills defenders raking at the ball as a point of emphasis this year more than I can ever remember - so I give the coaches some credit for that - but it is a slight reason for concern that one of the areas we are overperforming in keeping our heads above water is the one with the most inherent randomness and therefore, it is safe to assume, the least sustainability. FWIW in the playoffs they have generated turnovers. They have 9 turnovers in 9 playoff games since the 2020 post-season. Though fair to point out of the 3 playoff games where they have failed to generate one two were ultimately elimination games: 13 seconds and the Cincy loss. I think the part that has not got enough focus in terms of helping the defense stay above water is how well the offense has avoided turnovers. Through 16 games the Bills have only 8 giveaways. You have to go back to the 2019 Saints for the last time that was the case. Had the offense put them in bad spots - like it did a lot last year - it might be safe to assume the D's numbers would look even worse. In previous years people have said they'd trade the defense giving up more yards for a few more splash plays to take the ball away, get teams off the field. I think that is kind of what this D is right now (even in the first half yesterday it didn't play well but Groot/Phillips and then Epenesa made big splash plays at critical moments) not necessarily by design but by necessity. So how is a team with what I think we have established is a legitimately bad defense (compared to their own standards in previous regular seasons) legitimately 13-3? It is because the offense has played really well. Franchise records in points scored and touchdowns scored. That's incredible. That said one of the three losses - Houston - was unquestionably on the offense. But essentially it comes down to the fact Joe Brady has done a great job and Josh Allen is playing the best ball of his career. He is almost certainly the MVP. I do give McDermott and Beane some credit there - McDermott's decision to fire Dorsey when he did and bring a lot of spotlight on himself was a courageous one, but a right one and Brady has been a slam dunk hire. Beane's decision to take what had been a decent oline last year, pay Spencer Brown after basically one decent year, move on from Morse and keep Edwards, moving McGovern to center was questioned by a lot of fans but he got that spot on as a personnel calculation. Given a clever coordinator and the best line he has had in his career, Josh Allen has been the best Quarterback in football, even without stellar receiving talent around him. The record you want to watch the Bills go for next week is the 14th guy to have a receiving touchdown. This is the second time they have tied the NFL record of 13 players - 2020 was the other and they tried to feed Taiwan Jones an endzone catch in the final week of the season to break it. If Mitch plays at least most of the New England game watch for Davidson, Hamler, or Virgil being elevated from the PS and getting looks to score. I know that is a long post - quiet work day between xmas and new year - but here is the conclusion on where to my mind it leaves us going into the post-season I think compared to this time last year I have more confidence in the offense, and less confidence in the defense. But by the time we got to that KC game last year any confidence in the defense was evaporated by the injuries. If this D can stay healthy and somehow play its best game (which they pretty much did in the KC regular season matchup) then maybe they can do enough to support a high scoring O and get us on a run through the playoffs. This roster is clearly, to my mind, less talented than the 2020, 2021 and 2022 rosters... but maybe with Josh at his best, with the D doing just enough to hang on and find some splash plays from Groot, Epenesa, Oliver (who has played 3 excellent games back to back after a below par season) and whatever is left in Von's tank and the bit of luck here and there every Superbowl team needs the Bills can make a run. Here's hoping. But the likelihood that any route means going through Baltimore and Kansas City means it is going to be tough.

Not disputing the rest but this really is not true and keeps being repeated. Their first touchdown came after Josh threw a bad pick that gave them the ball at the Bills 18. Their second touchdown came on defense when Josh fumbled and they scooped and scored and two of their FGs came when the Bills stopped them quickly after another Josh interception at midfield and a long punt return set them up already in FG range. The Dolphins scored 31. Of those 31, 20 were gifted to them by the offense and special teams. Miami's drives that day: 2 yards 2 yards 10 yards 38 yards 18 yards 8 yards 18 yards 0 yards 1 yard 4 yards -9 yards 13 yards 75 yards 5 yards 30 yards If the Bills had lost that game it would have been on offensive turnovers and special teams blunders, not because the Bills had any trouble with Skylar Thompson.

He's fine. Think you can expose him a bit in coverage. He isn't in that elite or potentially elite category the others are in. He is a decent starting linebacker.

Yes. Of course Woody first. But then Rodgers.

The issue with the Jets is Aaron Rodgers. He is toxic. They now face a fight to keep Garret Wilson with the team because of Rodgers' behaviour. They had a group of talented younger guys who totally bought into their Head Coach, for good or bad, and wanted leadership and guidance from a vet QB. Instead they brought in an ego centric arsehole who is only interested in undermining every one around him to prop himself up. Even last night when he missed Yeboah on one of those early drives he is doing all the hand signals to make it clear for the cameras "that's not on me, these guys run the wrong routes." I'm not a bit pro wrestling guy but remember when Vince brought back the nWo and the story was he was intentionally injecting poison into his own company? Well that ridiculous pre wrestling storyline is literally what the Jets did two years ago trading for Rodgers. Here are the positives going forward. The Jets have: Sauce Gardner Quinen Williams Will McDonald Jermaine Johnson (if he can come back healthy) Alijah Vera Tucker Garret Wilson (if they can persuade him to stay) Ola Fashanu (that kid is a hit) That is still one of the better collections of age 27 and under talent in the entire league. If they can get the toxic posion out in the shape of #8, get the right GM and Head Coach there is talent there to start from. But the entire culture needs remaking because of the damage Aaron Rodgers has done. Any team considering bringing him in for 2025 (he still wants to play and prove he isn't the problem) be warned. He is a franchise wrecker.

This was a great call. It is exactly what happened. Sure the Bills played excellent games to beat KC and Detroit, and they lost the two early toughies at Baltimore and Houston but the rest of the schedule just played out better than some expected. The rest of the AFCE sucking balls helped. A cold as ice take from halftime of week 1.

No. It was easily his worst game since Houston. Two of the Jets bigger runs in the first half were him taking completely the wrong angle. He was late to his spot multiple times in coverage (that is theme at the moment he is just not anticipating and reacting quickly enough) and the Conklin touchdown was on him. I will be interested im how the graders see it and obviously I haven't watched the all22 but he was comfortably the Bills worst starter yesterday to my eye.

Lucky boy

All four of our marquee games next year are at home: KC, Baltimore, Cincy and Philadelphia. The Bills do not lose many regular season home games. Best home record in the NFL since 2021 I believe. Running the table on those 4 might be tricky but could easily see us go 3-1 or worst 2-2. One of the easiest road slates you will see. With the usual caveat of Josh staying healthy that should be a look at the #1 seed. I doubt it. Other than Jax I don't think a team has given up 2 homes in 3 seasons specially since they went to the 9/8 split where it meant losing the advantage of the extra home game twice in a row. We know the NFL likes to make the Bills an "experiment" but I doubt by that much.

Yea I agree. I don't think any realistic chance he is fired this year. From everything I was told previously the relationship with Terry is solid and to hear him talk about Sean in the 10 years of ownership video it's almost a father - son type deal. And I don't think Terry lets Beane and McDermott embark on their re-set last February / March without an acknowledgment that it might affect their championship chances in 2024. However, a third home playoff loss, and worse, one in the wildcard round to a team the Bills are clearly better than would I think heat the seat up signifcantly going into 2025 and then I think they might be in its "now or never" type territory. Losing a heartbreaker to Baltimore or Kansas City doesn't get them there, IMO. Losing at home to Denver or Miami would.

I wondered that too but I think they would say Tyrod never re-established as a passer. The early one on Brown? I don't think it was a TD. Coleman was out at like the 2. But it was a bad holding call. Brown blocked really well. Not sure what the official thought he saw.

But we can't play them before the AFCCG as the 1 and 2 seeds.

The award is based on 50 voters. To be co-MVP it would have to be 25-25.