Logic

You’re probably right about the amount of touches he gets....but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a big day. We’ve all seen him get a sweep or pop pass or drag and taken them 40 yards.

McKenzie and Beasley will have a big day tomorrow, I predict.

I have to think that the personnel news -- Chargers getting Ekeler and Harris back, Bills losing John Brown -- affected the line.

I was in the stands that day. One of the most painful in-person losses I've ever witnessed. Sure, the game didn't really mean anything, but it was a chance to beat a good Steelers team. It would have been so sweet to shut up all the know-nothing Steelers knuckleheads sitting around is in our section. Alas, I'm glad that experience was at least the catalyst for something positive for Stevie Johnson.

I, too, am curious about this. We'll never know the answer, of course. There's simply no way to say with certainty that Morse would definitely be starting at center this Sunday if Ford wasn't injured.

Haven't read through this entire thread, but just wanted to say this: I'm not ready to give up on Cody Ford or call him a bust. He finally got to play what is most likely his best position this year for the first time as a pro. It came after a weird and truncated offseason, and he only got to do it a few times before he tore his meniscus. I'd like to see what he can do with a full, regular offseason at his new position before I'm ready to declare anything on him. I still think he can be an above average guard.

To be fair, being “connected on LinkedIn” doesn’t mean much.

Honestly, Tomlin deserves Coach of the Year award. TWICE now his team has been screwed over due to COVID, neither time was his team’s fault, and they’re still 10-0.

I always knew we’d see you again, Dunkirk Don.

You want us to believe that Ty Dunne wrote this article as a response to YOU — some random dude on a message board — and that Monos colluded with him by making up a story about Terry Pegula? Forgive me, but it seems FAR more likely that you have paranoid delusions of grandeur.

I'm late to this thread, but I wanted to say this: I think Flores made a poor decision on Sunday. I hate -- absolutely HATE -- when coaches pull young QBs too early or too often. I am of the opinion that it absolutely DOES hinder their development. Flores needed to decide whether he wanted to go for the playoffs this season or get Tua his reps this season. Once he decided, he should have stuck with that choice. Yanking a young QB in a close game, three games into his NFL career, is NOT a good thing to do. How is the kid supposed to grow from the type of adversity he was facing Sunday? How is he supposed to learn to adapt to and overcome defenses like the one he was facing Sunday? I am so, so glad that the Bills didn't pull this crap with Allen. I'm glad they let him learn through his mistakes and are now reaping the benefits. I like Brian Flores a lot, I think he's a great coach, and I think the Dolphins likely have a bright future under him. But the decision to pull Tua was a bad one, and I stand by that.

Good point. I hope that they haven't concluded that Mitch Morse isn't good enough at run blocking to warrant continued status as the starting center. For one thing, the Bills were a top 10 running team last year. What changed? Perhaps it's the injuries/health thing, as you mentioned. For another, it would mean that they probably don't believe in him as the starting center going forward, which would put another giant need on the offseason "to do" list, since I don't view Mongo as the long term answer at center, and he's a free agent anyway. I guess what my long-winded brain is trying to say is this: It seems like it would be best for the Bills if the guy they chose to make the highest paid center in the league was actually good, healthy, in good graces with the coaching staff, and considered to be "the answer" at the position going forward. Any other outcome seems like it would weaken the Bills in both the short and long term.

I agree with this TO AN EXTENT. When a player has a certain amount of respect and stature and is a leader on your team, you don't play the "I'm not gonna comment on whether or not he'll be starting" game with the press. For instance, I doubt McDermott would tell reporters that Allen is "in the mix" to start at QB or that "we'll see" if Stefon Diggs starts at WR. I am hoping against hope that this is nothing more than deception/coyness, as you said, to give the opponent more to prepare for. I can't shake the feeling, though, that there's more to this one.

I'd be willing to bet that front seven players, particularly interior defensive linemen, DO prepare for specific players in the lead-up to a game.

Hmmm. I'm really, really hoping this is just the usual thing of McDermott not wanting to tip his hand, so that the upcoming opponent doesn't know who to prepare for at a given position. If they really, legitimately are thinking about not starting Morse at center, I'll be concerned that something highly unusual and not at all good happened behind the scenes in the OL room. When it was pre bye week, coming off a concussion, I understood holding him out. But now, after the bye, with Morse being fully medically cleared? I just wouldn't understand not starting him. He was highly thought of by everyone on the team, from Beane to McDermott to Allen, and for him to suddenly be anything BUT that would worry me.

I could be wrong about this, but it sure seems to me like the McDermott Bills tend to beat the teams they "should" beat more often than not. I don't remember many (any?) instances of them losing to clearly inferior teams with bad records. This being the case, I'm optimistic about the Chargers game (though I certainly don't think they'll be pushovers) and the rest of the season in general. Of our six remaining games, four are against teams with losing records and will see the Bills favored to win. 4-2 should be good enough to win the division, particularly with the Phins having lost yesterday.

I think Hapless nailed it: We lost Star, Zo, Shaq, and Phillips. Milano, Edmunds, and Oliver have been injured off and on all year. We have yet to play a single game this year where our top four corners are all active. Combine loss of personnel — two of whom, Star and Zo, were really good and important players — with injuries to three core guys and much of our secondary, and you have a recipe for major decline. I think the defense will improve for the stretch run of the season. They’ve already improved greatly at third down defense the past couple weeks, for instance. But I don’t think they’re ever going to completely “figure it out” this season and look like the unit we’re used to seeing. Going forward into 2021, I trust McDermott and Frazier and Beane to right the ship. I think as long as we have McD and Frazier running things, the Bills are likely to have a good defense more often than not. Oh, and one more thing: it’s not a stretch to say that Star opting out (and the lack of a capable replacement at 1T) really, really hurt our defense. When your three star front seven defenders all make their living off of speed and quickness, you need that anchor that draws double teams, keeps the LBs clean, and gives your 3T one-on-ones. Star was a BIG loss.

Diggs calling him “one of, if not the best coach I’ve ever had” is extremely high praise. The proof is in the pudding. Hall appears to be getting the most out of the WRs.

I'm in a pivotal matchup in my fantasy football league (on the ESPN Fantasy platform) for a decent amount of money, and my opponent has Taysom Hill. This wouldn't bother me, except that ESPN lists Hill as TE/QB, meaning my opponent is able to play him at the TE spot, where he is projected to have 21.2 points. Absolutely indefensible decision by ESPN Fantasy. The second he was announced as the starting QB this coming Sunday, they should have removed his "TE" designation. Lame, lame, lame.

It depends on what you like about football. If it's just the gladiatorial, "people smashing into people really hard" aspect, then you'd probably feel as though football has gotten worse. If, on the other hand, you enjoy the athletic spectacle, the complexity and diversity of offensive and defensive gameplans, the creative deployment of personnel, and the parity, then you probably think football has gotten much better. I tend to fall more in the second camp, though there are certainly moments where the over-officiation and over-penalization of hits is regrettable and irritating. The level of competition across the league is great. The quarterback play is at an all-time high (though that fact is clearly inseparable from the offensive rule changes and protections that have been inserted in recent years). The playcalling and schemes and creativity and deployment of personnel is at an all-time high. The willingness of pro coaches to utilize college schemes and ideas has really injected new life and freshness into the NFL. And this is all just the league itself: I haven't even MENTIONED the "access" to the league, or all the stuff around the league. Between super slow motion high definition replays, NFL Sunday Ticket, Red Zone, ten thousand preview, review, highlight, and recap shows, fantasy footballs, DFS, legal sports gambling, social media, mic'd up, NFL Films, etc, etc, etc....there has never been a better time to be a fan of football. Sometimes it boggles my mind to remember that, in order to find out what happened in NFL games across the league, you used to either have to catch local news sports highlights, or read the next day's newspaper. Crazy.

Thank you for this thread. I truly believe that gratitude is transformative. Lately, I've been taking a "gratitude walk" every morning, where I silently count to myself the things I'm thankful for. That may sound sappy or lame or whatever, but I don't care. It works. Instead of dwelling on the things that are bad in the world, I am consciously choosing as often as I can remember to dwell in a state of gratitude, reverence, and present-ness. I picked up a couple small meditations/affirmations from the Vietnamese Zen monk Tich Nhat Hanh: "I have all the conditions around me and within me right now to be happy" and "breathing in, I smile. breathing out I am thankful for this moment, I know it is a precious moment". These sentences are simple, but they're powerful. As to what I'm thankful for... - I am thankful for my wife, who is the best person I know. - I am thankful for our two sweet little cats that we've had for 13 years. They teach me about unconditional love, and they keep my lap warm on cold winter nights. - I am thankful for my ancestors and my mother and father, to whom I owe my literal composition as a person. - Speaking of my father: while his death at a young age was very hard, it showed me the importance of never taking a single day for granted. I am thankful for that. - I am thankful to my friends and family, who help me to water the seeds of joy in myself on a daily basis. - I am thankful for a shelter over my head and protection from the elements. - I am thankful for food and for water, and for the financial security necessary to have enough of both. - I am thankful for working lungs, and for the ability to take un-hindered breaths. - I am thankful for my legs and feet, which allow me to walk and run and climb. - I am thankful for me arms and hands, which allow me to interact with my environment, to play music, and to work. - I am thankful for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual good health. - I am thankful for the teachings of Ram Dass (or Richard Alpert, whichever you prefer), which unlocked many doors of teachings and wisdom in this lifetime. - I am thankful for music. - I am thankful for the sport of football and for the Buffalo Bills. I could go on and on and on. Gratitude doesn't get enough play in our world. When I concentrate on that for which I am thankful, then I see that, as the meditation says, I have enough conditions around me and within me to be happy and at peace RIGHT NOW. Life is a miracle. Waking up every day and taking another breath is a beautiful gift. As Warren Zevon said: "Enjoy every sandwich". Here's a beautiful little song about gratitude by Pete Townshend. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

This thread wins “worst take I’ve read all week”. Thanks for the laugh.

This. Morse is at the point where any further concussions could end his career. Better Safe than sorry. Heal up across the board over these next two weeks and come back fresh and ready to go on a run. 4-2 with wins over LA, DEN, SF, and NE or MIA puts us at 11-5 and likely division winners.

In keeping with the spirit of this thread, here’s how things have changed for me: I’m not worried that the Bills won’t make the playoffs. I know they will. But a Wild Card berth isn’t good enough — I want to win the division. THAT’S why yesterday’s loss hurt for me — because it could negatively affect our chances of winning the division. The fact that the playoffs have become a given, and that a playoff berth alone is not good enough...THAT is the big sign to me that things have changed in Buffalo. The Bills are likely to make their third playoff trip in the last four seasons — and that’s not good enough. Who’da thunk it?!

In the Bills tailgate lot, before the Texans playoff game. $20. My drunk ass was pretty happy about it. 😂