msw2112

I agree that the Hamlin situation and the playoff seeding issue are not mutually exclusive. I think that Hamlin's health is MORE IMPORTANT than the playoff seeding at this point. That said, I still have some curiousity and interest in how the playoff seeding situation shakes out. Another poster said something similar: I have had family members pass away, but was still concerned about how things are going at my job, for my kids at school, etc. It doesn't mean that the family member's passing was not the MOST IMPORTANT issue on my mind, but other things continue to exist, even in light of a tragedy. As also stated above, for some people, participating in everyday activities and/or discussions is cathartic when dealing with grief. I think we all need to process this situation in the way that works best for us. First and foremost, thoughts and prayers to Hamlin and his family.

Perhaps they wait to see the results of next week's games to see if this game is necessary to determine playoff seeding. That said, it's hard to imagine a scenario where it isn't. I guess if the Chiefs and Bengals both lose next week and the Bills win, the Bills would lock up the #1 seed regardless of this game, but does that still leave the #2 vs. #3 seeds (KC vs. Cincy) in question and/or the AFC North championship (Cincy vs. Baltimore)? I don't have the time to run the scenarios....back to work. Continued thoughts and prayers for Hamlin.

I partially agree and partially disagree with this. All of Josh, the run game, and defense will lead us to the Super Bowl. Josh has not played his best lately and has made some poor decisions leading to key turnovers, but he has been clutch when the game is on the line, again and again. The defense has kept us in games, for sure, but when the game was on the line, Josh has delivered. Those winning drives have also featured key contributions from the running backs. What makes this team dangerous in ways that other teams (such as last season's team) were not is that they are going to be more difficult to game plan against if they have multiple ways to beat you.

"Benching" is usually equated with a demotion on the account of poor play. I don't know whether Wills has played poorly, but this looks to me like Willis is a starter that is being rested (along with other starters) to avoid injury in a meaningless game and save him for a very meaningful game next week.

I liked Watt earlier in his a career and he was a hell of a force on the field. For a strech of a few years, he was one of the best of all time. In recent years, he's become a caricature of himself. His schtick has worn a bit thin with me and I don't really care for him anymore. I like guys that are passionte about the game, but sometimes the enthusiasm seems forced and contrived and that's what I see with Watt in the later part of his career. Too much "look at me" with the screaming, yelling and punching of his chest for the camera. He may well be a good guy in his community and I applaud that, but I won't miss seeing him in the spotlight.

Old school pro tip for those whose cable is out and can't get out to buy an over the air antenna: make your own antenna. Take a piece of wire and insert one end into the tiny hole in the center of the area where your cable line (coaxial) screws into your TV. This is typically on the back or side of the TV. You will have to unscrew your cable line. You can then move the other end of the wire around the room until you find the best reception. This hack has worked reliably for years! In the old days, a wire coat hanger would work, but that stopped being an option when antenna connections went from 2 small screws to a coaxial connection. Some of the older folks on the board will know what I am talking about. These tricks date back to my days as a kid when I used money I earned from my Courier-Express paper route to buy a 12" black and white TV to watch Bills and Sabres games. Quite a difference from the 4K 75" OLED I will watch the game on today! And it will be sunny and close to 70 where I am today, so no problems with reception. Best wishes to all of you in my two former long-term homes: Buffalo and Chicago. Stay warm, stay safe, and Go Bills!

Brady has earned his arrogance. Like him or not, you can't argue with what he's accomplished and what happened after he left New England leaves no doubt of his greatness. Collinsworth, not so much. That said, I don't mind Collinsworth as much as some on this board. Yes, he's a big Mahomes guy and that gets old, but Mahomes is great....Collinsworth has also been very positive about the Bills and Josh Allen too. Seeing Collinsworth's kid on NBC is a bit annoying. He's OK, but do you really think a guy that young would be where he is today if it wasn't for his father?

My experiences: Chicago - total *****. I was a Chicago resident at the time, but went to the game in Bills gear. Was harassed the entire game by a total douche. It was the JP Losman era and the Bills were down the entire game. I made no noise or trouble (not much to cheer for). Green Bay - fans were great. Very friendly. Pre and post partied in some guy's garage a block from the stadium. We paid to park in his yard and the price of admission included sausage, cheese, crackers, beer, and a veggie platter in his garage.... Denver - local fans were a bit obnoxious and annoying, but they didn't give us any trouble Minnesota - old Metrodome - no issues San Diego - Qualcomm - no issues San Diego/LA - temp soccer stadium near Long beach - no issues LA Rams - Coliseum - no isuses LA Rams - SoFi - no issues Arizona - was fine pregame and all game, but some dickbag got up on my grill after the game and I had to restrain myself from taking him out. Sabres games - have gone in Detroit (Joe Louis), Chicago (Stadium and United Center), Arizona (Glendale), Philadelphia - no issues anywhere - intentionally kept a low profile in Philly due to reputation of fans there, but it wasn't a big deal. At most of these games, there were tons of Bills/Sabres fans and we are usually not the small, mousy types, so there's strength in numbers and people don't mess with you too much. Also, most people are good natured souls that like their teams and welcome friendly competition. There are also drunkards and a-holes everywhere, but those folks are not necessarily indicative of the entire fanbase (and that includes the Buffalo home crowds).

Herbstreit is great on college football with Chris Fowler. He's OK on TNF, but seems a little bit muted or understated. I can't quite put my finger on it. And Michaels also just seems a bit off. Not sure if it's father time catching up with Michaels, a lack of chemistry between them, Herbie being new the NFL, bad matchups, the Amazon broadcast, or what, but something is definitely lacking. Unless the Bills are playing, these TNF games have a hard time keeping my attention.

I thought the runway had run out for Mr. Rosen. I realize there's a lot of reason to dislike the guy, but he had talent at one time and he appears to have been humbled over the years, so I wish him well.

I want to dislike Tua because he played for Alabama and plays for Miami and has probably been a bit overhyped in his career. But he seems like a class act and good dude, and he has played well this year, including on Saturday.

This would not have worked. The Bills original pick (before trading up to get Watkins) was #9 and Evans was picked at #7, so he was gone by the time the Bills pick came around. That said, Odell Beckham, Jr. lasted until the 12th pick, so, theoretically, the Bills could have drafted Beckham without trading up and would have kept all of the draft capital they traded away. NOTE: I have not read the thread beyond the post I am responding to, so my apologies if someone else already pointed this out.

Yes! I was trying to think who was the NFL player that tore up his knee in a flag football game and ruined his career. I was then going to post that very fact. You did it for me. Thank you! The only value I can think of for the Pro Bowl at this point is that it's an excuse to gather and have fun. I have friends who are big NFL fans and were in Vegas for the Pro Bowl. They had a great time being about town Pro Bowl weekend, they met Bruce Smith and Andre Reed (separately), and they sent me a bunch of photos. They aren't even Bills fans, but like and respect those guys and wanted to get some photos to send back to me, who they know is a huge Bills fan. They partied for a couple of days, attended some Pro Bowl-related events and had an overall good time. I'm honestly not sure if they even attended the game itself, or if there even was a game....Maybe just punt, pass, and run (or it run, pass, and kick?) event - like what they used to do for kids or like what the NHL calls a "skills competition."

Did the Chargers have them too? Based on what I am seeing here, if the home team doesn't use something, the visiting team can't either. Or, maybe, as the post quoted in the one directly above this one says (with the awesome Church Lady .gif), Florio is wrong and the visiting team can bring their own equipment as they see fit?

Not to say that 232 is a good number, it's not, but if you score 20 points when your opponent scores 12, you have a 100% chance of winning the game, regular season or playoffs. If the Bills had been down a score or two, rather than up a score or two, they probably would have had more than 232 yards.

A few things: 1. Quality of opponent. The Bills schedule is much more difficult at this point in the season than expected. Our opponents from "tough" early games games such as the Rams and Titans have turned out to not be very good teams. Even the Packers have turned out to not be very good. On the other hand, the Jets, Dolphins, Vikings and Lions are all much better than expected at the beginning of the season. 2. Injuries. The Bills have had a ton of them, and they have been to key players at key times. Some are obvious - Hyde, Miller, etc. and others are more subtle (guys are banged up and less than 100%, but able to go) - Allen, Milano, etc. 3. Chemistry on offense. The Bills are 10-3 and holding the #1 seed. They will be favored in at least 3 of their 4 final games. Still, the offense just seems a little off. Even when they succeed, they don't seem to have the rythym that they've had in the past. I think that #1 and #2 above are contributing to that. There is so much film on what the Bills do well that opponents have adjusted defensively to make it more difficult for the Bills and these improving teams are able to do it (#1). For example, in the past few seasons, the Bills could do whatever they wanted offensively against the Jets and the Jets couldn't stop it. Now, the Jets have better players and better coaching and they can challenge the Bills offense. And, whether the OL is playing well or not (and it is largely not), Josh is not 100% physically (#2). 4. Outlook. Fortunatley, the Bills run defense is so much better than last year, and the pass defense is good enough when it counts (in the red zone), that the team has found new ways to win games. I do think that the offense has to find its form if they want to get to and win the SB. KC, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia are major challenges. If the Bills pull it all together, they are capable of beating all of them. Earlier in the season, I thought Philly was a fluke who piled up wins against an easy schedule. I don't think that anymore. They are solid in all phases of the game and are dominating their opponents, even some good ones. They are for real and will be tough to beat if the Bills meet them in the SB. Still, if the Bills play at their best and the Eagles play at their best, the Bills come out on top. If the Eagles play the way they are playing right now, and the Bills play the way they are playing right now, the Eagles probably take it. The Bills need to find their stride. Maybe Beasley and Ike Boettger are the missing pieces.

What airline? With the elimination of the direct PHX-BUF flight by Southwest, there is no easy way to get between AZ and BUF. For the Green Bay game this year, I booked on Frontier, my flight in through Denver was cancelled, and I had to buy a last-minute seat on American through Philly. It was a VERY long day. I left my house at 3:45 AM and landed in Buffalo around 10:30 PM. Frontier actually got me back home the day after the game. So that was my longest travel to a Bills game. Phoenix to Philly to Buffalo, or around 2,300 flight miles. The way back was Buffalo-Orlando-Phoenix, or about 2,800 flight miles. Also got to see a Sabres win that weekend! Had a blast and can't wait for the next one.

$

I should clarify. He has lost his opportunity to PLAY from now until he is recovered from the ACL injury and back on the field. He certainly did not lose his opportunity to GET PAID. Even pre-injury, the contract the Cardinals game him was terrible, but they had backed themselves into a corner when they drafted him #1 and made him the leader and focal point of their team. You can't NOT pay your franchise QB and expect to have fans in the seats, but it was obvious to many (including me and many of our comrades on this board) that the return on this investment by the Cardinals was not going to be a good one. The team went all-in on Murray, Kingsbury and Kiem and will regret it for years to come. The Cardinals are an organization like the Bills used to be. Would it be diplomatic to use the term "clown show?" I can't state enough how happy I am that the Bills have competent management in place.

I am not a Murray fan. I more or less despise him. That said, I wish him a speedy recovery. If he worked his way out of the NFL with poor play or a bad attitude, I would be fine with that, but I hate to see a guy lose his opportunity due to an injury and an injury that occurred while he wasn't doing anything that would be remotely considered risky or stupid.

I've seen Purdy play in college. He won a lot of games. He's a gamer - scrappy, intense, competitive, football-smart, coachable, etc. Those are great attributes to have as a QB. They may not get you to All-Pro status, but if you have enough athletic ability and a good team around you, you can have some success and I think Purdy will have some. I think that Purdy will have a successful NFL career as a backup with some starting mixed in. I don't know that he'll ever be a "franchise QB," but with SF's current offensive scheme and defense, the team can win with him. What teams really want is a gamer (scrappy, intense, competitive, football-smart, coachable, etc. ) who ALSO has top end athletic ability. Buffalo is fortunate to have just that in JA17. So back to the question posed by the original post - "for real or fools gold" I would say "for real" as long as you define what that means. Does it mean Purdy is the 2nd coming of Josh Allen, no, but does it mean that Purdy can play QB in the NFL and win some games, yes.

I did not like the distraction that Beasley was to the team in his last stint and I did not like the negative comments he made on the way out the door. That said, if he keeps mouth shut and focuses on football, he may be able to help. A few random comments about the situation: If Crowder was healthy, I don't think this signing occurs We got Beasley back at a much lower price than had we retained him going into the season We got Beasley back fully healthy at the end of the season, where he has not been in previous seasons For now, he's only on the Practice Squad. So he has a little bit of time to get into game shape. And if he shows in practice that he's simply washed out and done, he can easily be released.

As much as I hate to admit it, the Jets have improved a lot and a good team. The Bills were not going to simply waltz all over them and get an easy win. I really liked Dorsey's game plan against the Pats in the previous game, but the Jets have a better defense and better interior DL than the Pats, so perhaps the game plan was adjusted accordingly. I'm sure nobody on this board would be happy if the Bills banged the ball into the line for no gain all game long....The bottom line is that the Bills scored 20 points against a very good defense on a cold, windy, wet day and it was enough to win. The Bills biggest threat in the AFC, the Chiefs, played the lowly Broncos and had a lower margin of victory than the Bills did. Winning games in the NFL this time of year is not easy.

Forgive me for being naive, but isn't an injury settlement only done in situations where a player is being released (and typically on a 1-year deal, or in the last year of a deal)? And also fogive me if there is sarcasm above that I am missing. I don't think it's something typically used with star players.

I typically like to see the Bills on a Saturday night. Unfortuntely, not this time. I was going to get tickets to see the Sabres play the Coyotes in Arizona that same night at roughly the same time. Now, I have to choose. The Sabres game is live and only happens once a year. That said, the Sabres game is fairly meaningless in terms of the standings and the season overall (2 teams in the middle-to-lower end of the pack), whereas the Bills game could determine the division title and #1 seed. And the Bills game is on TV (free) in my own living room, and the beers are much less expensive.