blacklabel

Teams break the season down into four quarters. So far this team has gone 3-1 through the first quarter, and 2-1 thru the second with a chance to make it 3-1 again and end up at 6-2 at the halfway point. After that, they need to play at least .500 football to end up 10-6 which puts them in a good position to secure a playoff spot. I have a hard time seeing them drop 2, 3, 4 games in a row. I think they're too resilient and competitive to end up in a situation where they drop a bunch in a row. Maybe they go W/L/W/L during a quarter but as it stands, the way they're playing gives them a legitimate chance against any team. KC will be the true test. Even if they drop that one, if they keep it close and aren't dominated, then at that point I'll probably finally allow myself to say, "I think this team is legit."

Wouldn't be surprised to see them grab a top DL with one of those first round picks. Carolina continuously drafted DL even when they had solid starters. It's been a major position of strength for them for years now. I think they take at least one player from all three defensive groups, DL, LB and secondary. Offensively, it'd be nice to get a WR who can get behind the defense. I agree with others in that an RB would be ideal if they plan to keep on keepin' on with the current offensive scheme. Probably an OL somewhere as well. If they really covet one of these QBs coming out and the chips fall the right way, I can see them picking one. But they can't be at all dissatisfied with the way Taylor has played this season. Minimal mistakes, makes a handful of "wow" plays every game and each week his play gives them a chance to win.

It's awesome that Dennison and the offensive staff realized what they wanted to do wasn't really working and they decided to reinstall a lot of what they've done over the last two seasons. If it ain't broke... I think it's just another testament to how this team/staff is built. There's a real sense of unity we haven't seen in a long time. As the game went on yesterday there were several plays where it looked like McCoy was just a hair away from breaking a long one. When they got the ball back with around 3 minutes left, as a beguiled Bills fan, even though it was 27-14, I still wasn't 100% certain they were going to win. I told my brother, they're gonna run it three times, drain the clock and a kick a field goal. *McCoy busts loose for the 48-yard TD* Or that, that works too.

I agree it was awesome to see the team get hyped for Tate. And as you said, they're winning without those players you mentioned. IMO, I think Woods would fit in with this team. Any receiver wants to get the ball as much as possible but from the day he arrived he knew this was a run-first team and instead of worrying about his numbers, he became one of the better blocking receivers in the game. Granted, his production didn't match the contract he was offered but can't blame the guy for signing with a team in his backyard.

I admit that I was a Whaley fan and felt like he tried to provide the coaches he had with the players they were looking for. Marrone wanted giant OL, so Whaley picked Kouandjio and Henderson. Rex wanted players to fit his 3-4 scheme, so Whaley gets him Ragland. I can't say Lawson and Washington were good fits for Rex's defense but the feeling must have been that Rex would find a way to get production out of guys that weren't perfect fits in his system. And he did a decent job at finding depth and finding players during the season that he could plug in. I really felt like the guy was in a no-win situation regardless of what he did or didn't do. Before him they had guys like Nix and friggin' Marv/Brandon, etc. Those GMs never did any trading/moving around in the draft and would get heavily criticized for it. Whaley came in and made it well-known that he was always open to trades whether in the draft or elsewhere. So he does the opposite of what his predecessors did and still gets criticized. Some of that criticism is fair, for sure, but just the fact that fans were clamoring for a guy who would do more than just stand pat on his picks, they get a guy like that and they still aren't happy. He was also in a no-win situation regarding contract extensions and keeping their cornerstone players. After Dareus' monster 2014 season, people were flipping out that it'd be yet another case of the Bills letting a premiere player walk in free agency. Whaley gets a deal done and at first it's all, "Yay, they didn't let a player walk for nothing and locked him up long term!" And now it's, "Aw what a horrible move." Same could be said about Hughes but I think most agree that they gave him a very fair deal and so far he's lived up to it. His production hasn't been what it was but that happens when you move a player into a position they're not a good fit for. So, I think the guy had a good eye for talent. I think where he lacked was his methods on how to build a winner. He felt like if he drafted kids from schools that constantly won, that winning nature would rub off on all the other players. But it takes more than that. And as confusing as some of the McBeane moves have been, it's becoming much clearer now that their method of team building is finding a collection of players that have each others backs. At this point, they don't have the most talented roster out there but they may have the roster with the most heart. And if they can keep that up while adding high level talent then this team might finally be on their way to being a consistent contender.

I believe I remember hearing something about Kormer leaving because he wanted to be considered for the OC position but was told they wanted to keep him as the OL coach.

Nah, Frazier said they're pleased with how Milano has played so far but he said once Humber is ready he'll be put right back into the starting lineup.

Did Dareus personally leave a bag of flaming dog poo on your steps and you're this upset? And I don't know where this out of shape stuff comes from regarding this season. Yeah, a few seasons ago he showed up to Marrone's first camp out of shape and needed a few tries to pass the conditioning test. There was none of that this season. When camp kicked off, the Murph show had Kyle on and Kyle said it was the most focused and prepared he's seen Dareus in his career so far. Whether it's been the handful of injuries he's had to deal with, the Ravens pre-season ordeal or something else, it seems like he's let the wheels fall off a little bit. IMO, I don't think Dareus wants to buy into the "compete for your spot" method of motivation that McD uses. I think Dareus believes his spot is his spot and he doesn't need to prove it day in and day out. Simply a guess on my end but either way, certainly not the best attitude to have for the way McD has this team structured right now. And regardless if he's motivated or not, loves football or not, wants to be in Buffalo or doesn't, he's still a human being. I get so sick of the judgmental name-calling BS that "fans" spout off about players whenever they have their little pantaloons all up in a bunch. It's even worse when a guy suffers a serious injury and the first thing some "fans" are thinking of is, "Oh no, my fantasy team!" Ugh. Nobody gives a crap. I'm not saying we need to glorify these guys for what they do but it seems like a few too many people feel entitled enough to say downright $hitty things about a person they don't even know. And it comes during situations where the actions of these players that prompt these disgusting responses have absolutely zero effect on the person doing the complaining. Is it your money Dareus is earning? Are you one of his teammates he let down? No.

At this point in the season it does feel a little more wide open than normal. There are no real dominant teams. And the teams picked as favorites have looked vulnerable and lost games. What I see with this current Bills team is a group that certainly seems to be playing for each other. And if that's something we can pick up on after five games then that speaks rather strongly of McDermott as a head coach already. We've been hearing "this team needs a culture change" to the point where it seems cliche, but right now it looks like McD has these guys playing for each other. They look determined and eager to defy the odds each week. I think one of the biggest improvements so far has been them not beating themselves with bad penalties or costly mistakes, that's another positive for McD. As nice as it's been to see the improvements and enjoy some big wins, I feel like the depth issues will cost them down the stretch. It's difficult not to get your hopes up because we've been fooled so many times before but at this point, I do believe they're headed in the right direction with a solid plan and a clear vision of what they want to do in terms of building this team and developing their own style of play.

Yeah, I think he's probably just referring to Henderson being back in the mix. If they're continuing on with this Miller/Ducasse competition, I can't see why they wouldn't challenge Mills with Henderson or Dawkins if Glenn is healthy enough to be back full time.

I don't get the sense that McD has a huge ego. When you're competing at the level he's at, you need to have some kind of ego, otherwise you're not going to instill any sort of confidence in your team. I haven't been fond of all the personnel decisions they've made. It's clear that McD uses competition to motivate his players. He consistently says he expects all players to be competing for their position at all times. Players that can't buy into that aren't going to be here. Does that mean Sammy was that type of player? I don't think so. He always came across like a competitor and a guy who wanted to win. But, he also wanted to get paid, and he knew Buffalo wasn't going to go past a certain limit, Buffalo knew their offer wasn't going to be good enough so they sent him off while they could get something in return. That's the nature of the business sometimes. Darby wasn't a fit for the system, along with some other guys. My only concern is that I hope Team McBeane don't pass over talented players because they don't sense the proper level of motivation or competition from them. Those things can be developed with strong leadership in the locker room. I just don't want to see them constantly choose character and intangiables over athletic talent. Teams need a healthy mix of both kinds of players. And if any coach or GM thinks they can build an entire team solely of "their kind" of players, I think they're mistaken. That'd be asking for a near perfect situation and that doesn't happen anywhere, let alone football. I feel it's going to be an interesting season. I think they're going to be close/competitive in most games. I think they'll surprise us with a couple more solid wins over good teams. But I also think injuries and the lack of depth may cost them some games against teams they should probably beat. The off-season will be very interesting. I'm interested to see what their draft and free agency strategy will be.

Carwell Gardner

I'm pretty sure he just straight up doesn't see it. His height is a disadvantage for sure, this is why he's so inconsistent throwing from the pocket and why they need to continue to move him around in order to give him better visibility and clearer windows to throw into.

Except he showed up to this camp in the best shape he's been in and his attitude was also solid, according to a guy that knows him pretty well, that being Kyle Williams. Clearly his being late for the Ravens pre-season game really put a bee in McD's bonnet. And he's seemed to always struggle with leg injuries in some form and that has a huge impact on how a DL plays. I'm wondering if they're just trying to work him back in slowly and not overwork him and cause another injury. He made some good plays yesterday. He was blatantly held on a play where the Bengals picked up a critical first down but eh whatever.

All I know is they can't continue to think they're just fine with what they have around Taylor. He's a QB that needs a strong supporting cast in order to win. All they have right now is McCoy and a run game that they can't get working. They need to step back from whatever they've been doing and look at what's worked in the past and try to find a way to implement those things back into the system. I feel like they're not doing all they can to put the offense in a position to succeed by fielding the current group of WRs they have. None of them can get separation, none of them are a threat to stretch the field and the one that's presumed to be the most talented of the bunch at the moment can't find his hands. Of course they all need to play, practice and prepare better but even if they take those steps, this WR/pass catching group is comprised of a bunch of low-level players that wouldn't start on most teams. They don't have a go-to pass catcher for when the run game isn't clicking. And they can't rely on the run game because the OL is still trying to fine tune Dennison and Castillo's concepts. I just don't understand coaches insistence on running their scheme and doing things their way. I've always believed a team is at its best when coaches coach to the natural strengths of their players. For the past two seasons this team has been an excellent running team, what they were doing was working extremely well. A new batch of coaches comes in, sees that and says, "Hmm, while it does appear to be very effective, I'm still going to scrap all of it and start fresh with all of the stuff that I know how to coach." I'm not saying do exactly as Roman/Lynn did, but at least keep some of those elements in the game plan while introducing some of your own. Instead they took the last two seasons they spent perfecting that scheme and tossed it in favor of a scheme that doesn't seem to be outfitted very well for this current group of players on offense.

Who exactly is he supposed to throw to when none of his guys are getting separation? Did he hang onto it too long a few times yesterday? Yeah. But at the same time, when they'd show the replay, there was virtually nowhere to go with the ball. The last play of the game was him trying to force one and we saw what happened. He's the type of QB that needs a solid supporting cast. He's not one of those super rare guys who can put a team on his back and pull out the win regardless of the personnel around him. There are very few guys in the league like that. It's a team effort. And the offense really underachieved yesterday however they were not put in the best position to win because the coaches felt four unproven wide receivers and one decent tight end would provide enough on offense to produce a win. They intended on relying on the running game which they haven't been able to get rolling. So yeah, I put it on the players but I put it on the coaches and front office as well. They did not put the offense in a good position to find success.

I feel similar to the OP here. I feel like the FO sold them short as did the coaches decision to roll with only four healthy receivers. One is a second round rookie who can't find his hands, another is a 6'5" vet who must be on Taylor's s-list because he doesn't target him at all, then they have a career special teams guy and a kid who was on a CFL practice squad a couple years ago. I understand the focus is on the future but in the present tense, they have a defense that is good enough to keep them in every game but on offense they really set those guys up to fail yesterday. May have been a different story if Clay hadn't gotten hurt, but now they really need to explore other options because they're not going anywhere with that current WR group. Call up Reilly, flip one of those six early-round picks for a pass catcher, do something, because if they don't, I feel like that's a slap in the face to the guys on defense. Those dudes are balling out, getting turnovers, limiting teams to 20 points or less. And then the offense gets on the field and can't get out of their own way. If part of the "process" is to neglect your offense and waste a super talented defense this season then I'm not sure what their real plans are.

I understand the plan has been to build for the future but in the present tense, I feel they have sold the team short when it comes to options on offense. Believing you'll be alright heading into a game with four very average receivers isn't doing all you can do to put the team in a position to win. We understand this year is all about the growing pains and rearranging things for the future but in the meantime, they've got a defense that's talented enough to produce some wins and it's short-sighted on their part not to try to put some talented guys around Taylor. They talk about the process, process this, process that, part of that process is doing all you can to put your team in the best position to win. Their willful neglect of the receiver position is a failing part of their process right now. They need to fix it.

Nice. Yeah, it gets so friggin' old to see constant criticism and name-calling of these players. They're human beings with a really interesting job. But people tend to think the amount they're compensated for playing is a free pass to belittle and demean them. I feel for Dareus. Not gonna make excuses but the dude has had a pretty rough life, constantly losing people he's close with, making immature decisions. I was excited as camp kicked off when I heard Kyle state that Dareus was the healthiest and most engaged he's seen him since he got here. Not sure if he's regressed on where he was at the start of camp but hopefully he can get by the injuries and start to play with a chip on his shoulder because that's exactly what McD is looking for. He's gonna play the players that are showing that they want it. Motivation seems to be lacking for Dareus but man, he's the highest paid player on the team. What Beane said back in August is still true. They expect more from the guy with the biggest contract. If he's injured and that's affecting his game that's one thing but if he's just not putting in the effort then he's not gonna be here much longer.

"Cancer" is a bit too strong a word. None of us had any clue how he interacted with teammates and coaches during his time here. He was never in the news as a guy who was turning things upside down in the locker room. In fact, he was beginning to emerge as an outspoken leader. I remember after the 2015 season ended he said something like, if guys aren't buying in they need to go, myself included. I liked that he was starting to show some of those traits. And the reason he's gone is because they knew he had no intention of re-signing here.

Gilmore always seemed like a slow starter. Last season was a good example. He wasn't great through the first few games but picked it up as the season went on. Perhaps that'll happen up in New England for him. I always like Gilmore but the more I watched the more it seemed like he had a hard time taking ownership for bad plays or for being out of position. I'm not sure if he doesn't communicate/listen well and get himself in the correct spots pre-snap but it got pretty old to see him get beat and then turn around like, "Where was my help? Who screwed this up? Wasn't me!" Other than that he's still a decent player. Good athlete, studies his opponents, etc. Just hate that he wound up in NE.

This is expert analysis.

Folk cost TB the game. Left 9 points out there.

Benoit is good at breaking down film and explaining how/why certain plays worked. I've been following him for a while now and one of the first things that I noticed about the dude is he can be extremely critical. He'll at least admit when he's wrong, though. But, yeah, I don't think he just revealed some grand secret about Taylor. They have to customize the offense to his skill set which is the smart/only thing to do. Don't force the guy to play outside of the things he already does well.

Not sure if they have an actual grudge but there do appear to be times where some writers come off as miffed that they didn't get the inside info they thought they deserved. When the new regime took over they made an effort to be a more tight-lipped organization with less leaks and that seemed to irritate some of the BN writers. The non-stop criticism and negativity expressed by some does get old. Understood I can read someone else's posts but the justification for their negativity always falls back on the playoff drought. It's like their cover-all excuse to write with a negative slant. We get it. Some guys seem to get hyped up when discussing ways the team can lose. Last week on a show one of the hosts was all but falling out of his chair when discussing Atlanta's run game. "If Atlanta gets that run game going, the Bills are dead! Dead in the water! Forget it, they can forget it, if Atlanta can exploit the run on the edges this team is done!!" Aren't they supposed to be unbiased? And any given Bills player could have an outstanding game and these dudes are gonna talk about, "Let me tell you why Player A really isn't that good. Calm down, Bills fans, this guy is an inconsistent poopyhead who will fail us next time, I guarantee it! What? He's league MVP? No no no, lemme tell you exactly why this guy is a clown show, a total amateur!" Bah.