theRalph

The Allen era has begun.

Not what I wrote. I said “to a degree”. Thx for reading!

Time for another RalphRant: This post's title is insane...maybe. But it is no more insane than the negatively charged, analytics infested, 3 -13 cover-your-ass sort of drivel I've been hearing about the Bills' chances this season. This inanity has been largely present in the national press, but also in the local radio shows. A national guest on the Flagship the other day even went so far as to say the Bills are the worst team in the league. Of course this notion is espoused and spread like foul flatulence by the current crowd of drippy analytics geeks that have no index for heart and desire. Here are my five reasons the Bills will surprise the league this year, indeed returning to the playoffs... 1. Josh Allen will excel as a rookie QB. "Analytics" as a science is, to a degree, both valid and valuable. But past that degree, analytics isn't worth a hockey puck. There is the Eyeball Test and the "it" factor, which Allen passes and possesses, respectively. He came from a program that was under-talented, but this is of great value to him since he is already familiar with adversity. The other high QB picks don't share this attribute. He has progressed before the Bills' eyes, and he is obviously completely unafraid to aggressively throw anywhere on the field (in addition to being probably the most gifted prospect in a generation). The only reason there is no real QB separation yet is that they're all playing well. 2. Contrary to the annoying opinion of the local afternoon radio host, words like "process", "family", "DNA", "culture","chemistry", "got-your-back", "attitude" and "accountable" do indeed have a huge impact on the performance of a team. And Sean McDermott is a firm believer in this. It has much to do with the Bills playoff appearance last season. Even the Dalton throw. It's the Law of Attractions at work. The Bills outdo many, if not most other teams in this regard I believe. This was in evidence last season. How much better will it be this season? 3. The Bills' Defense is in it's Sophomore year, with a highly regarded DC, and stocked with inarguably more talent than last year's squad. There is no rational reason for them not to improve. The secondary, so important in today's NFL, may be amongst the best in the league. 4. This is meant for the receivers, but applies to all players. It is very, very difficult to make the NFL. Rex once said it's easier to win the lottery, which is accurate. This just in: The level of talent in the NFL is pretty even across the board. The players are all good. But there is more than talent, much more. There is team, intelligence, experience, coaching, and effort, and yes, character (see point 2). There is some speed at the receiver position now, but this notion that the Bills receiver group was so bad is crap. They're all good. An intelligent offense that throws into mismatches (check) and good and great throws (check) make receivers look great. Our receiving corps is just fine. This also applies to the O-Line. It's so much more about scheme and team. They're all good. 5. The point about the schedule difficulty is not a point at all, but more a surfeit of inane projections based on reputation and expection, not performance. These teams are all new and all different. We have to see the performance. The Bills will be a tough out on the road and will be a surprise early in the season. Shady is going to blossom into something we haven't seen before, simply because a pass offense exists. They're going to be better. Period. I do wonder what kind of odds one could get on that Allen bet...

Josh Allen is winning this job. How refreshing to see some separation starting to manifest on day three of camp...rather than week three. We all know what that looks like. It’s interesting that Allen had the most adversity in his college career of the 5 first round QBs and will be the first of them to start.

Here's a question: How many of the people against players for kneeling do themselves fail to remove their hat during the anthem..like you're supposed to at Church. I care about the hats the same way that these folks care about the kneeling... And then, I don't. I might glance at a hat, but it really does not affect my purpose for being at the GAME. And for that matter, nor do I think the majority of NFL fans really give a frozen NHL Hockey puck whether players kneel or not. It's really not an issue. I kneel to the Lord Jesus Christ... And the Bishop wears a really cool hat. If you hate the kneeling, it's probably something else you hate and you're taking it out on the kneeling. NFL players pay a lot of income tax. The Constitution gives them and, us all, rights to do whatever we choose within the law. Its not like they're standing there shouting "f*** y** to the universe. But, FCC Rules aside, they could if they so chose. The the NFLPA would protest, but we need a 24 game season, so we can avoid having to spend words on this issue and get back to football. At what point would Josh Allen start in such a season??

Then ck this out if you haven't already... https://youtu.be/VOBj9pnY9s0

theRalph is good friends with George Costanza. Who is, in secret, also a Bills fan.

The October 29 date has some historical significance and, hopefully, is prophetic. On Monday night October 29, 1973, the Bills hosted the Chiefs in their first ever Monday Night game in brand new Rich stadium. The Bills won 23 - 14. This was the 7th game of the then 14-game season and on this night OJ went past 1000 rushing yards on his way to 2003. Linebacker Dave Washington also broke his upper arm that game. theRalph did not need to look this up. theRalph was there.

AJ was brought here not so much to start as to establish the Bills 2018 QB floor. He should edge Nate. The question is where will Allen fit. It’s a competition like Beane says.

It’s a felt logo. All homemade years ago

Sure...Facebook @hollywoodnightsband

Tenor and alto. Also some guitar and organ. Precisely the impetus for creating the Rant!

Point taken...and thanks it is brand new. Ah...the glasses. Just trying to keep my true identity a secret ? We’ll take it under advisement?

That’s due in no small part to the changes in the Wyoming roster from 2016 to 2017. His line was completely changed and he had substandard receivers. At the “U”, this was not ever an issue...now or 30 yrs ago.

Ya part of that is the change in the game from 25 yrs ago, but that's just partial. He passes the eyeball test. The guy can flat out throw. And he's not from a pass-happy shotgun offense with prime D1 players that smoke lesser DBs with 3 yds of sep.

True enough...but it’s my recording of the MNF theme (im a guitarist too) so I shamelessly left the whole song.

If Belicheat could bench Malcom Butler in the SB for no apparent reason, then their cutting Garcia is PFTC.

I just watched the embedded version....really compressed. Thx for heads up. Added the direct link.

Exactly the result we're after. Glad to hear it!

I wear them for performances...also as saxophonist with Hollywood Nights - the nation's top tribute to Bob Seger.

Episode #1 of theRalphRant....brand new Bills Talk Show. theRalph discusses Josh Allen's selection by the Bills with the 7th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. https://youtu.be/VOBj9pnY9s0 Better quality directly on YOUTUBE...embedded version is really compressed

Amongst the others.

What the Bills no doubt recognize - and what many fans, apparently, do not, is the fact that you can't evaluate College QBs with analytics unless you go far deeper into the numbers than these lame-brain draftniks that craft their careers by pushing their nonsense onto unsuspecting pinheads like Mike Schopp. As much as the likes of Schopp like to say that NFL teams don't know how to evaluate talent, the fact is scouts know a lot more about it than do the number crunching analytics-nerds we listened to for months. The Bills avoided Josh Rosen not unlike how you or I avoid touching a red stovetop. Rosen himself demonstrated the reasoning with his post-selection rant. But the Bills, behind closed doors, are snickering at the press on Allen. They know what they have and will unleash it on the league soon enough. Until then, here's an important safety tip: The instant any of these talent-evaluator hacks that are paraded across our airwaves make a connection between 56% and accuracy, immediately turn them off. And if anyone wishes to debate the merit of using 56% as a measure of Josh Allen's accuracy, bring it...

Every Allen hater needs to see these. My God, his receivers dropped 3 passes in the 1st quarter alone of the Oregon Opener. Well done on analysis.