Logic

I mean that's certainly what I suspect, too... But do you know FOR SURE that it's a schtick? Has he admitted it or dropped the facade anywhere at any point?

The one I'm really curious about is the Packers fan that used to come around here. He was overly "aw shucks" and Wisconsin Nice. So much so that I truly couldn't tell if he was putting on an act or if that's just who he was as a person. He also mostly wasn't here during Bills-Packers weeks, but just randomly here in general. Would pop in to say nice things about the Bills, and then disappear again. Was it schtick? We may never know.

All time favorite. Perfectly captures the bittersweet nostalgic longing for the Christmases of my childhood. Beautiful song.

My Pats hatred actually DID need to be rekindled. Thanks for this! Really gonna add to my enjoyment of beating these guys twice in three weeks.

To answer the "what year to buy" question: This year's version is of course the only version that's going to have up-to-date rosters. And even then, they'll only be TRULY up-to-date if you download roster updates online, which would require an online subscription. If you don't care about having current rosters and don't plan to play online, then you can save yourself a whole bunch of money by buying an older version. A quick Amazon search reveals that Madden 24 (which has Josh Allen on the cover) goes for $29.99, while Madden 23 can be had for under $10. For the purposes you're describing, any of the last few years' versions should do the trick, so it's just a question of how much you want to spend and whether you care about updated rosters.

I went over to JetNation forums expecting to see outrage and calls for Woody to sell the team. While there's certainly some of that, I'm surprised by how many people there were doubting the article, casting aspersions on Diani Russini and Mike Silver, and in some case saying it seemed outright made up. I understand that when so much of your identity is wrapped up in a team, it can be hard to accept such a huge death knell for its success: That you have awful ownership and team culture. So the most logical defense mechanism is to just say it's all lies and fake news and go on thinking you're a year away from success. All I can say is that where there is smoke, there is usually fire. The articles about the Bills being a toxic dumpster fire and having awful culture that proliferated prior to McBeane wound up being right on the money. Admitting it, rooting it out, and rebuilding from scratch was the only antidote. Maybe Bills fans were just as quick to dismiss those articles when they came out as Jets fans are to dismiss this one now. The general thrust of the Russini article rings true to me, though, even if all of the specific details are not 100% accurate.

I respectfully disagree. I think the quote is right on the money. That doesn't mean that Joe Douglas or Robert Saleh or any of their other "football people" over the years should be absolved of any mistakes they made in team building. But the buck 100% stops with Woody Johnson. He IS a meddlesome, impulsive owner. I will repeat over and over again the idea that Marv Levy espoused in his autobiography: In order to be a consistently winning franchise in the NFL, you have to be good from the top down. And "the top" means ownership. If you have bad ownership -- whether meddlesome, impulsive, cheap, impatient, whatever -- you're never going to consistently field a good franchise in this league. The Jets have an ownership problem. The quote seems right on the money.

I do agree that sometimes there are quarterbacks that seem to lack a certain "it factor". Kirk Cousins is the best example. If you look at purely his statistical production in the prime of his career, it's very good, even elite at times. And yet, his teams rarely made much noise outside the regular season, and almost no one was looking at Kirk Cousins and saying "boy am I scared to play THAT guy". Buy why? Why is that? I don't really have an answer. There was just...SOMETHING...that was missing. I don't know what. It was like empty statistical production. Is it heart? Will? Grit? The invisible, intangible, oft cited but impossible to define "it factor"? I don't know. I'm not sure I'm ready to put Herbert in that category just yet, but I see where you're coming from. I'd like to see what he looks like in year two of a Jim Harbaugh offense, after they add some legitimate receiving weapons for him. He's a really talented guy. Does he have the "win or die trying" gene like Allen and Mahomes? Not sure yet. Jury's still out.

Players from losing teams almost never get offensive player of the week awards. It's the same principle as MVP voting.

The Eagles, Steelers, and Chargers aren't so bad as to make me discount that level of defensive improvement. I'll grant you the Giants, but the rest are viable NFL offenses.

For those saying the Ravens defense stinks. Well...it DID stink. It's been getting A LOT better lately:

Friends, countrymen: Illegalize flexing games from 1pm to 4:30 pm. It is a crime against humanity that should be punishable by death. Thank you for listening.

There is a certain charm and uniqueness to the architecture in blue collar, rust belt type cities like Detroit and Buffalo. In fact, one of the most underrated aspects of the city of Buffalo (and nearby Rochester) is its architecture. You don't necessarily realize it growing up. You don't sense that it's unique, and you take it for granted. But then, leaving western new york and going around the rest of the country, it dawns on you: Huh, some of that architecture from the city I grew up in is actually pretty special!

It's nothing more than Patty's annual melodramatic exaggerated/fake limp. Seems like it happens late in the season every year. Analysts breathlessly speculate on "what it means for the Chiefs" and gets the 24-hour sports news cycle in a tizzy, then lo and behold, he plays the very next week and looks just fine. Maybe limp-hops after a touchdown pass or two. Lather, rinse, repeat. Wake me when they amputate something.

I can agree with that. Overall, the only defense I believe can stop Josh Allen in his quest for a championship this year is Sean McDermott's defense. I agree with what you say: For being a "defensive head coach", the one constant theme in the playoffs every year under McDermott has been the failures of his defenses. Every. Single. Year. The notion of pairing an elite QB with a ferocious defense SHOULD put you in realistic championship contention ever year. It did with Tom Brady, and it's doing so now with Mahomes and the Chiefs. Only, for whatever reason, McDermott's consistently ferocious regular season defenses (top 5 or top 10 almost every year he's been here) turn into paper tigers in the playoffs. Until that changes, the Bills won't win a title. And if it doesn't change this year, they'll again waste an All-World season from the best QB on the planet.