Logic

And this gets to the meat of what you're not understanding: a space eating DT is necessary so that OTHER PLAYERS can make plays. The great years Milano, Hyde, and Poyer had? Guess who was often doing the dirty work in the trenches so that they were free to run to the ball!

shhhhhh. There's no room for facts here when we can use metrics like "the eyeball test" and random conjecture instead!

It was all Star's fault. OBVIOUSLY.

Shaw said it all. You want to know one of the crucial pieces that helped the Bills defense jump to #1 in the league this year? Star Lotulelei. A space-eating DT that commands double teams is absolutely VITAL to the success of McDermott's scheme. If you want to argue that they overpaid for him, fine, but I disagree with that, too. You allocate X amount of money to each position group. Typically, the 3-technique would be the guy making big money amongst the DTs. However, since Kyle is retiring and the Bills don't currently HAVE a 3-technique worth a big payday, they decided to give a bigger chunk of money to Star. I'd expect them to draft a youngster at 3-technique now, and by the time he's ready for a big contract extension, Star's deal will be nearing its end, and Harrison Phillips may step into that full time double-team-commanding 1T role. Aside from that, if you look at how much the salary cap goes up each year and factor in that you often have to overpay a bit in free agency to get good players -- ESPECIALLY in Buffalo -- you realize that Star's contract isn't that far out of whack. It's also better than the contract we were paying Dareus, and Star gives us VASTLY more production. Bottom line: Many fans will likely always take issue with Star's contract because he plays a non-glamorous position. The truth, though, is that said non-glamorous position is critical to the defense's success. If the endorsement of a grizzled veteran like Lorenzo Alexander doesn't change these fans' minds, though, nothing likely will. There were a ton of impact plays, that's the thing. They were being made by the linebackers and safeties that were freed up to run to the ball by Star's commanding of double teams. Impact plays, galore.

For anyone to sit here and bash the move -- when we all know DAMN WELL that nobody knows a lick about Heath Farwell as a coach -- is just silly and pessimistic. Try reading a bit about the guy, watching some Panthers special teams footage, or using any critical thinking whatsoever, instead of just dismissing the move out of hand because he happens to have the same former employer as our GM and coach. As someone else mentioned in this thread, he wasn't even IN Carolina at the same time as McBeane. He's also a lifelong NFL special teamer himself who only recently retired. He appears to be an energetic, upbeat, hands-on coach, and just about anyone on planet earth would be an upgrade over Danny Crossman. But people are gonna knock the move because he came from the Panthers? Oy vey. People never cease to amaze me. *cough* total nonsense *cough*

I find the immediate dismissal/minimizing of anyone from Carolina by fans to be quite a bit more nauseating, to be honest. Just because he's from Carolina, he can't be any good? And did I dream up the fact that the Panthers have more wins by far in the past decade than the Bills, and have made a Super Bowl in that time?

I think Philbin would be an outstanding hire as offensive line coach. He's a well respected leader with head coaching experience. What's not to like?

Luckily for Pack fans, Matt LeFleur is apparently going to be doing the playcalling. Still, I wouldn't want Hackett's fingerprints anywhere near my offense.

It is just INSANE to me that the Packers' number 1 objective was "challenge Aaron Rodgers" and "Get him in a modern, innovative offense".... AND THEY CHOSE NATE HACKETT!!! The aren't even really words for this type of insanity. I am without speech.

Hemma won this thread early on. There's no sense in even continuing the discussion. Point differential is the best metric when discussing NFL team success. You need to score a lot, but you also need to stop the other team from scoring. Revolutionary, huh? 4 of the top 5 scoring differential teams are playing on championship weekend, and the 5th (the Bears) lost in an upset on Wild Card Weekend. Point differential, point differential, point differential. That's it.

Right. The fact that I missed that something was already posted because I don't spend every waking minute on PPP licking Trump's orange ####### means I'm an idiot. Sure. So is everyone around here still pushing the "nothing to see here" narrative, despite the fact that the sitting President was the subject of a counter-intelligence investigation for being a Russian asset, is still under investigation by the special counsel for collusion and obstruction, and refuses to let anyone know the content of his secret meetings with autocrat Putin? Just checking. And exactly how many presidents in history have been the subject of investigations as to whether or not they're a bought-and-paid-for asset of another country? A bunch, right? "Nothing to see here" ?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/11/us/politics/fbi-trump-russia-inquiry.html F.B.I. Opened Inquiry Into Whether Trump Was Secretly Working on Behalf of Russia WASHINGTON — In the days after President Trump fired James B. Comey as F.B.I. director, law enforcement officials became so concerned by the president’s behavior that they began investigating whether he had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests, according to former law enforcement officials and others familiar with the investigation. The inquiry carried explosive implications. Counterintelligence investigators had to consider whether the president’s own actions constituted a possible threat to national security. Agents also sought to determine whether Mr. Trump was knowingly working for Russia or had unwittingly fallen under Moscow’s influence. The investigation the F.B.I. opened into Mr. Trump also had a criminal aspect, which has long been publicly known: whether his firing of Mr. Comey constituted obstruction of justice. Agents and senior F.B.I. officials had grown suspicious of Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia during the 2016 campaign but held off on opening an investigation into him, the people said, in part because they were uncertain how to proceed with an inquiry of such sensitivity and magnitude. But the president’s activities before and after Mr. Comey’s firing in May 2017, particularly two instances in which Mr. Trump tied the Comey dismissal to the Russia investigation, helped prompt the counterintelligence aspect of the inquiry, the people said.

Mahomes is really, really good. I'm not questioning that for a second. I'm just saying that I don't think he would have thrown 50 TDs with this o-line, our receivers, and Brian Daboll. Would he still have a darn good season? Probably. But he wouldn't be "Showtime Mahomes" with the Bills' offensive cast, that's all I'm saying. And for what it's worth, I'd make the trade.

People always seem to assume that Mahomes would be Mahomes wherever he wound up. I'm not so sure. He has an all time great offensive mind calling plays for him and an all-world set of skill players and linemen. If you had airdropped Mahomes into the Bills' offense this year or last, anyone want to bet how he would have looked?

Based on what? A few football related comments you saw me make on a message board during the offseason? I have no idea who you are, and I'm not sure how you seem to think you know who I am. What a weird thing to say.

I think it's for the best that Reich never became the Bills head coach. The pressure on him here would be ASTRONOMICAL. Not only that, but the fear that all of his ex-teammates would be too much of a distraction is probably a real one. All things considered, I'm happy with how things turned out.

Similar to yours. Divisional round: Beat the Steelers in an overtime classic. Conference Title: Blow out the Patriots*, end their dynasty. Super Bowl: Bills QB drives Bills down the field in 2-minute drill and throws the winning TD pass with 15 seconds left on the clock. Bills fans everywhere have heart attacks as the ball as kicked off to the opponent with a little time left on the clock, but the worry is for naught. Fandemonium in the streets of Buffalo.

THAT.....is the truth.

As someone with eyeballs that just witnessed Quenton Nelson's effect on the Colts o-line, I politely disagree.

Right. Clearly the Patriots are the one shining example of this not being an issue. There are lots of examples where it IS an issue, though. Mariota currently, Cam Newton regressing in new offenses under Rivera, etc. I knew someone would bring up Belichick right away, but as with most things relating to the Hoodie, he seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/01/08/lafleur-hire-leaves-mike-vrabel-without-an-offensive-coordinator/ "NFL teams are looking for offensive coaches, and Monday’s decision by the Packers to hire Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur underscores it. With the pendulum squarely pointed in the direction of the Os not the Xs (solid defensive performances from wild-card weekend notwithstanding), teams have placed great importance on having in place a staff of offensive coaches who can develop quarterbacks and hone playbooks and strategies and concepts and otherwise get the most out of the collection of 11 players charged with moving the ball and scoring the points. The fact that the Titans, one year after hiring a defensive coach, find themselves looking for a new offensive coordinator underscores the problem that teams will face when hiring defensive coaches. If your offensive coordinator has any degree of success (and, frankly, the Titans didn’t have much last year, finishing 25th in total yards and 29th in passing yards), he’ll be gone and your defensive head coach will be stuck looking for a replacement." There's been a lot of talk the past couple of days about the difficulties of revolving-door OC situations around the NFL, as highlighted by the recent hiring of Matt LeFleur by the Packers. Basically, as mentioned in the article, the notion is that if your head coach is a defensive specialist, any time his OCs start to have success, they're going to get poached by another team. This, in turn, leads to constant turnover at the position, which can hinder the development of young QBs. Marcus Mariota is a great example, as he's about to be on his 5th OC in 5 seasons. Obviously, the same can happen in reverse. If you have an OFFENSE-minded head coach, its possible that his DEFENSIVE coordinators routinely get poached. However, this is theoretically less damaging to a team and, in particular, does not affect the most important position on the team, the quarterback. Furthermore, as more and more teams hire offensive-minded head coaches, defensive coordinators that have success are less likely to be stolen away after a good season. So my question, as a fan of a team with a head coach whose specialty is defense and who has just drafted a young QB, is should we be worried about this phenomenon? How will we feel if Daboll has a good season next year and then gets stolen away, leaving Josh Allen to have to learn a brand new offense just as he's beginning to hit his stride? I happen to like Sean McDermott quite a lot. I also tend to think that finding a quality leader and tone setter is the most important thing, and that McDermott fits the bill. Nevertheless, this year's coaching cycle has my mental wheels turning. Are the Bills gonna be cycling through OCs and stunting Allen's growth by virtue of the direction that the league seems to be going in terms of head coach preferences? Is this a legitimate concern or much ado about nothing?

Nope. But if we're adding national holidays, can I request that we add ELECTION DAYS?

Well, everyone in the NFL seems to be looking for the next Sean McVay or Matt Nagy. Bright, young offensive minds who are willing to push the envelope. When a popular wave such as this comes a long, it brings all boats with it, not just good boats. So the question is, are you getting a good boat or not? Anyone who says he knows the answer to that question definitively is lying. LaFleur doesn't have a long enough resume in the NFL to point to a conclusion just yet. Here's hoping, for Rodgers' sake, that the good ship LaFleur carries the Packers passengers to glory!

Now that Kyle has retired, Tre'Davious is my favorite player on the Bills. Not only is he an excellent corner, he does everything the right way and has a hilarious, infectious personality. Love that dude. Hope he's a Bill for life.