msw2112

I generally agree with this comment, but the injuries to the Bills defense last season, particularly the LB corps, were well beyond the usual injuries a NFL team faces at that time of they. Starters were out. Backups were out. The Practice Squad guys were used up and they brought in a guy that was literally out of football and on vacation with his family to suit up and play significant snaps in a playoff game. Given what they had to work with, the Bills did a decent job of holding it together with scissors and duct tape, taking the eventual SB champs down to the final 2 minutes of the game (and the Bills OFFENSE actually had an opportunity, if played correctly, to run out the clock and tie or win the game, but didn't).

While I don't think he has much left in the tank, I agree that he would have added value to the WR corps, especially playing with Allen, so he would have been worth a 5th. I thought I saw above that he's still owed $3M in salary, which would have been a problem for the Bills. In the end, I'm not too worried about Hopkins. The Bills got the much better player (at this point in time) in Cooper at less than 1/3 of the salary and if the Chiefs advance past the Bills in the playoffs, I don't believe that Hopkins will be the reason why.

Mayfield, Darnold, Geno Smith.... Maybe there's still some hope for EJ Manuel.

Here's the question, though. Can Worthy bulk up? Some guys just don't have the frame for it. Or, even if he does bulk up, what happens to his 4.2 speed? Can he maintain that speed at a heavier weight and carrying more bulk?

I think his biggest game at FSU was against LSU. I also saw him torch Michigan (my alma mater) when he was at Michigan State. So he has played well against top teams in college. That doesn't mean that he doesn't have a lot of progress to make at the NFL level. He's proven to be an NFL-level contributor as a rookie and has made a few big plays (sideline catch vs. Cardinals, long TD versus Texans, a couple of big grabs Monday night). To my mind, he's met or exceeded where one would expect a 2nd round rookie to be at this stage of the game. He's got some work to do if he wants to be come the star he was in college at the NFL level.

Bills 27-13

The Sabres stinker at Columbus or this horrible NFL game? Which was the lesser of two evils? At least the Yankees-Cleveland baseball game was a classic (even though I'm a Yankees fan and they lost). I live in the West, so even though these games started earlier and at different times, buy the time I got home from work and had a chance to start watching sports, I had these three options on "DVR delay" (plus the Mets-Dodgers, but I can't do more than 3). Fortunately, I made the right choice and spent the majority of the time on the Yankees game. For the Sabres, I just kept fast forwarding until they got back into the game, and every time they did, Columbus scored within about 15 seconds to knock them back out of it. My thumb is sore from its excessive use on the fast-forward button. I'm hoping for a little better out of college football on Saturday and the Bills on Sunday. That said, if the Bills have a Broncos-style blowout, I won't be complaining.

Gabriel's Gate is a favorite of mine and I went there the last 2 times I visited Buffalo. That said, it's a small place with small tables. It cannot accommodate a party of 16. Duff's on Millersport, also a Buffalo classic and favorite, is also not a good spot for a party of 16. Britesmith is also a very good place that I went to for the first time on a recent visit to Buffalo - they have very good food and beer, but not what I would call "traditional Buffalo food." Amherst Ale House is pretty close to UB and has good "traditional Buffalo food" - they don't have any large tables that could accommodate 16, but if it's late afternoon (after lunch, before dinner), it's probably won't be that crowded and you could just take a bunch of tables adjacent to each other. I have never been to Wingnutz and have not been to Elmo's in decades, but I'd go with the recommendations from the guys who live in town. I've also never been to Duff's on Transit, but if it has Duff's food, lots of TVs and a bigger place than the one on Millersport, it's probably a good option. Bar Bill on Main near Transit also has a large patio room that could accommodate a large group and serves wings, beef on weck, etc. I have not lived in Buffalo for a very long time, but I've hit some of these spots on recent visits, so hopefully the insights help. Have a great time! And keep the Olive Garden comments going, as I laugh every time. Who doesn't love them some "OG" every now and then? Unlimited salad and bread sticks. What could be better?

Given that he's a rookie that missed a great portion of training camp and the pre-season, it makes sense that he's not yet a starter. I don't agree with the argument that he was over drafted, at least at this point in time. Some players take more time to learn the scheme and develop. See Shakir, Bernard, and what appears to be happening with Dorian Williams.

I guess there's one thing the Dolphins do better than the Bills. And who knew that John Elway was pursuing a new career?

Two clichés apply here: 1. Timing is everything 2. Hindsight is 20-20 At the time the Bills signed Samuel, WR help was a huge need. Given what guys like Gabe Davis make, Samuel's contract looks like a bargain. He's hasn't been very productive so far, but there's a lot of season left. I don't know if the turf toe is the issue, or if it's just the plays the Bills are calling. I was expecting to see more carries, jet sweeps and other creative plays with Samuel. Also, Simmons almost certainly ended up settling for a relatively cheap 1 year deal after holding out for a lot more and not getting the offers he wanted. He wasn't going to take a 1-year, $7M deal at the time the Bills signed Samuel. I don't know if he'd have taken a 3-year $21M deal at that time. I'm guessing not. Would I love to have Simmons on the roster? Of course, but the timing did not work out.

They made some adjustments and got to within 11 points, had the ball and the momentum with more than a quarter and half remaining. By NFL standards, they were right in the game. They were moving the ball well and the defense had held the Ravens back a little bit. So something was working in the first part of the third quarter. They the trick play happened and the wheels came off. Football is a game of momentum and the Bills had it for a small portion of the game, then proceeded to give it right back to the Ravens.

The TV feed doesn't necessarily show what's going on downfield, but this is more how I saw things. The Bills were dominated in the trenches and Allen was running for his life on most of the pass plays. He didn't have time to sit in the pocket and go through his reads like he has the last couple of games. That's not to say that getting some veteran WR help on the cheap wouldn't be welcomed, but I don't think it's the biggest issue from last night. In addition to the failure to contain the pass rush, the Bills have been able to get away with backup players on defense for the last few weeks (and I'd put Hamlin in that category), but the Ravens were too talented and too well-coached for the Bills to get away with it this week and, as such, the got steamrolled.

I've played football, but never coached, and I certainly have not played at the NFL level. Is it common or realistic to make major game-planning changes on the fly, or does that typically happen at halftime? In my experience as a fan, it's typically at halftime that those adjustments are made. Marv Levy and the Super Bowl Bills were NOT good at that. That team had so much talent and typically way more than their opponent, that they just did their thing all game long, and most of the time, it was good enough to win. That team sleepwalked through a lot of first halves against inferior opponents and came back to win most of the time. It came back to bite them in the Giants Super Bowl. Obviously, they almost pulled it out, and were wide right by only a few inches, but had they made more adjustments at halftime, the outcome may have been different. Back to the current team, I actually think that McDermott (and maybe Babich) is pretty good at making halftime adjustments. I worked against the Cardinals and almost worked last night until the ill-fated trick play, when the wheels came off.

This is a well-reasoned post. The Super Bowl Bills used to go to KC every year on a Monday night (back when KC was not the Mahomes/Reid KC teams of today) and get crushed and then would respond and finish out the season strong. Football is a game of momentum and the Bills never had it. If the Bills had scored on their opening possession, the entire tempo of the game would have been different. Likewise, had they scored on the ill-fated possession with the trick play, they would have cut the deficit to 4 (or 7) and had all of the momentum. As it turned out, those things didn't happen and the game got out of hand. It happens in pro football. The Ravens are a very good team that was desperate for win and were hyped up for a prime-time game at home. The Bills were not.

Last night was tough pill to swallow. But I choose to see the glass as half full, maybe even a little more than that. Here are some positives: 1. The sun came up this morning 2. The Bills are 3-1 at the quarter pole (I realize that the 17th game screws up the math, but close enough) 3. Taron Johnson and Bernard will be back soon 4. The butt-kicking by the Ravens should give the coaches a great idea of their deficiencies are with plenty of time to correct them 5. The rest of the Bills' division includes the lowly Patroits, now-lowly Dolphins, and middling (at best) Jests 6. Josh Allen is still on the team

I agree with everything you said. This may be a player's only opportunity to show what he's got. I just don't get as excited about it as I would about a similar play made at a critical point in a contested game. But to each, his or her own. Everyone can enjoy the different parts of the game in their own way. I'll be the first one to jump on the bandwagon when Solomon does that in a more hotly contested situation (and for the record, I believe that time will come). Keep in mind that the original post was considering why there isn't more talk about Solomon and I was suggesting my opinion as to why.

I'm not saying that plays made by backups at the end of blowouts (typically referred to as "garbage time") are not important to the players or to the fans. They count on the scoreboard. They are often the only time that these guys are going to see the field and gain NFL experience (outside of the preseason). What I'm saying is that just because a player made some great plays in garbage time, it doesn't mean they're destined for stardom and I'm cautious about being overly optimistic based on what I saw from a player in that situation. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled for those guys to make those plays and as a fan, I really enjoy every touchdown, sack, interception, etc. I'm even crazy enough that I watch the kneel-downs at the end of the game while the clock ticks down to zero, so I truly enjoy it all. I'm just saying that garbage time plays and statistics may not be predictive of future success in the bigger scheme of things (they might be, but they just as well might not be). And for what it's worth, the stats say that Solomon had one sack. This was it - he sacked backup Mac Jones and not starter Trevor Lawrence: https://www.buffalobills.com/video/javon-solomon-with-a-spectacular-sack-bills-vs-jaguars. I don't have the time to look up whether starting or backup linemen were on the field at the time. It was a terrific, fun, exciting play and I am really happy for Solomon (and all Bills players and fans) that he made it.

It's the #1 killer of domestic cats....

I see what you are saying, but the games were different. The Cowboys were at home, had their starters in, and were trying to make a comeback, which they almost did. The Jags were on the road and had conceded the game. They pulled Trevor Lawrence from the game and had Mac Jones in there. Anyone remember when Nathan Peterman came in against the Saints in garbage time, looked fantastic, and got the starting job? I had the misfortune of attending the next game when he made his first start. AGAIN, not to say that I'm not excited about Solomon's future. I absolutely am! I think he'll end up being a very good player for the Bills. I'm just making the point that garbage time play is not something that I get too hyped up about.

A couple of years ago, Bass looked like one of those elite guys and the Bills paid him accordingly. Unfortunately, he had some struggles last year and had an up and down camp this year, as well as a couple of blocks/misses so far. I think that Bass is as good as anything that's available right now and has the big contract, so the Bills are going to ride it out and hope he returns to form. I recall Mason Crosby, an excellent kicker for the Packers for many years and the kicker on at least one, maybe two, Super Bowl squads had a bad season. They stuck with him and he came back strong the following season and the few seasons after that. While I don't think the Bills would have beaten the Chiefs last year in the playoffs even if Bass had made the kick (too much time left on the clock and Chiefs would have gotten into FG range against a MASH unit Bills defense), that's certainly the type of kick you need your kicker to make. It would have given the Bills a chance to win that game, and with the miss, they had no chance. I agree that all kickers miss kicks from time to time, and I'm no fan of Butker, but he's made so many crucial kicks when they've needed them, including the 49 yarder in the 13 seconds game when all the pressure was on him. Not to rub salt in Bills fans' wounds (my own included), but it's the truth. Vinateri and Tucker made so many of those kinds of kicks in the prime of their careers. The Eagles' kicker (Elliott) made a 59-yarder in bad weather against the Bills last year to extend the game to OT where the Eagles won. Does Bass make that kick? Not criticizing, just throwing it out there for thought and discussion.

His sack was (and all of his snaps were) in garbage time when everyone knew that the Jags were throwing the ball, so I'm not going to get too excited about that one play, but it still was a nice play and I do think this guy has the potential to be a very good pass rusher and was an excellent pick in the later rounds. It's not an unrealistic notion that Solomon (Round 5), Coleman (1), Bishop (2), Carter (3), Davis (4), SVP-G (5), and Grable (6) could all someday be solid NFL starters. Even Hardy (6) showed well in camp and could elevate to the active roster at some point. I have not seen enough of Ulofoshio to assess where he might end up down the road. That's on hell of a draft - credit to Beane and the scouting staff AND to McDermott and his staff for coaching them up.

I don't know if it's realistic to expect him to have his elbows together when he's running full speed and his body is fully extended. But I have not played professional football and when I played at the amateur level, I was lineman and only got to touch the ball if someone fumbled it and it was on the ground. I have zero training the fundamentals of pass catching. I'm simply making a practical assessment based on what I see. I agree that some of the great, highly skilled receivers and pass catching RBs would make that catch and that Cook, at this point is not one of them. Thankfully for the Bills, he's been contributing greatly in other areas.

It looks to me like his back leg is off the ground and his body is fully extended. It's a great throw, but also would have been a great catch if he made it. Maybe it wasn't a "leap," but it was certainly a full stretch/extension. Do I think a professional football WR should make this catch? Yes. A RB, maybe. I don't think this one is the same as the one in Philly, where it hit him right in stride. I found an image of that, but can't paste it in because it's too large of a file and I don't have time and/or the tools to modify the file size....An interesting side note is that on the Philly play, the guy he beat is current Bill Nicholas Morrow. (Side note: I'm a little surprised that they're playing Spector over Morrow, but Spector seems to be doing OK.)

Based on what I've seen, Daniels looks great, but I agree that with his style of play and his smaller build, he may get beat up and fade quickly. On a somewhat related topic, for what it's worth, I'm very happy to see Josh starting to slide and/or get out of bounds. I think that his broken hand (or whatever is wrong with his non-throwing hand) from the leap into the end zone in Week 1 may end up being a turning point in his career. There was at least one play against Jax where he could have lowered his shoulder and run into the end zone for the TD, but wisely slid and didn't take the hit. There are times when you take the hit (playoffs, late in the 4th quarter of a close game, etc.) but Josh has taken too many unnecessary risks to this point. He is a tough SOB and has demonstrated a willingness to pay through pain, but there have been times when he clearly was not 100% and it impacted his play (not to say that Josh at 70% isn't better than most), but better to slide more often and avoid the hits.