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I hang around the NFL forum on Reddit and I’ve never seen the discussion so focused on the refs. Fans from every single team have talked about atrocious calls more than I’ve ever seen. The officiating is always hideous but it’s downright heinous and obnoxious this year. These refs need to be looked at and penalized for poor performance.

I agree. You see a number of teams with overall average or below average secondaries but they’ll have one stud. Tennessee comes to mind. Their secondary overall isn’t great but that Byard dude is always making plays. Bills are super fortunate they have two really solid safeties who both seem to be making more and bigger plays as their career goes on.

I don’t think I would really sweat it too much if Daboll gets plucked to be a HC somewhere else. It’s not like he’s solely responsible for the turnaround they’ve had on offense. Josh has put in a ton of work and you can’t understate the importance of Jordan Palmer, Ken Dorsey, and Davis Webb, those dudes have helped him a ton. Plus, Beane went out and picked up guys like Brown, Beasley, Diggs, Knox, etc. and the consistency has been a big factor as well. A new OC wouldn’t come in here and overhaul things. And Josh would probably have a bit of input on the type of OC they’d wanna bring in. I don’t know if Dorsey would be ready to make the jump to OC, but I have faith that they’d figure it out. I like Daboll for his creativity and play designs and a decent ability to capitalize on what his players already do well. I think his drawback is he shows inconsistency as a play caller. I also think he gets away from their proven bread and butter plays at times because he’s always so focused on making sure the offense can morph and adjust to any defense they play. Do what you’re successful at regardless of what the defense does. They kill it in 11 personnel but get away from that at times if he sees a defense where he thinks he should be able to run a bunch or whatever.

Saw a number of comments asking for empathy for Ruggs because he’s a 22 year old kid who made a terrible life changing choice. I struggle with that. The dude had more options than the average schmoe to do the right thing. Anyone can call an Uber or a taxi. He also had the NFLPA 24/7 transport service at his disposal. He could’ve called a teammate, a coach, a friend, hell, a friggin’ fan would’ve helped him. He knew better. He knew he had these options and he still made the decision to get behind the wheel and drive. I don’t care what he came from, I don’t care if the money and the mild celebrity status changed him. It’s not that effin’ hard to understand the four simple words of “Don’t drink and drive.” I can’t empathize with that and unlike Carr, I got no love for someone who needlessly ended someone’s life because they wanted to be a hot shot and race around in their fancy new car. 156 mph in a 40 mph residential zone on a street with a high number of traffic lights is ridiculously absurd. All my love and empathy is for the victim and her family. She’s gone because this dude was a jack@$$. His actions are inexcusable and indefensible.

What a schmuck this dude is…every time I see his name I’m reminded of his dumba$$ getting smacked by the kicking net during a Giants game where he had numerous tantrums. I read some stuff a while back that theorized the dude is done-zo because of the injuries. I can’t recall what he’s had going on and I’m too lazy to Google but the person who commented this stuff made some examples of how he’s seemed to lose a step and just isn’t as effective at getting open as he once was. Situations like this just keep me super grateful that we have Team McBeane running the show. Team doesn’t have any enormous egos or head cases or “me first and my stats!” guys. Seems like the players genuinely care for one another and want everyone to succeed at the highest level. That was something those old 90s teams always said was a huge part of their success, that they were playing for the guy next to them and never wanted to let down their teammates. Same vibe with this group. I love it when a depth player gets out there and makes a big play and the Bills sideline goes ballistic. It’s such a relief they don’t have to deal with crap like this.

They should, by all means, obliterate these guys. But…any given Sunday… That said, I think I’ll go Bills 41-13. Jags will get a couple FGs early and a garbage time TD. Mitch McTiddies steps in with 12 minutes left in the 4th.

I’ve been saying it for years, refs are ruining the game. I get the sense the NFL wants the refs to have an impact in every game for some reason. I know it’s a difficult job but there are levels of subjectivity to it, unless you’re Carl “Chode” Cheffers who would throw a flag for a player farting if he could. It sucks all around and I truly feel the entire rules and officiating system needs a complete overhaul.

They’re not going to trade for a running back just like they didn’t draft one when half the fan base thought for sure they were definitely going to spend a high round pick on a running back despite picking Singletary and Moss in the third in back to back years. The problem doesn’t fall on those guys. It falls on the OL up front for not getting a consistent push and opening up lanes for them. Both backs have exceptional vision, that’s one of my favorite things about them. Both guys are very good at finding the crease and punching through it. The problem is that every other handoff these dudes are being tackled the moment they get the ball. I also wonder if it’s scheme a little bit as well. Daboll is a very clever and creative play designer but I feel like he can be inconsistent as a play caller. Sometimes it feels like he’s determined to make something work despite the opponent shutting it down play after play. “We’re gonna pound the rock inside!” Opposing defense: lol no you’re not, you tried eleven times already and you’ve got four yards.

Even though the numbers weren’t as good last season, I kinda liked what they were doing down the stretch. They seemed to mix it up a lot more. More exotic looks, more blitzes, disguised coverages, etc. This year they get Lotulelei back and they’ve pretty much gone back to the standard rush four and everyone else cover. I’d like to see them get a little more aggressive. But that’s not necessarily the type of defense McDermott favors. They seem to be fine giving up the underneath stuff and preventing the big play and then tightening up in their own end to hold teams to FG tries. That’s all well and good but that can also wear the defense down by the end of the game. They definitely need to create more three and outs and keep creating turnovers to give the offense an extra possession or two per game.

I know 76 brings a lot of fire and hype but yeah, he’s had some real rough stretches this season. Unfortunately, I don’t think Ike has done all that much better. He got walked into the backfield a couple times yesterday. I’ve seen some others mention Ryan Bates, and I’ve also wondered why they haven’t bothered giving him a go at guard. I understand they view him as their backup center and I wonder if they’re getting him prepared to eventually take over for Morse. And not that I think Morse has been bad, but I’m also not sure he’s been good enough to justify his salary right now. They must think Bates has a shot to become a long term starter for them at some point. They traded for him and he’s made the roster outright these last few seasons. I also wonder how Dawkins is doing. He’s probably not in the best shape after his COVID ordeal, takes a while to truly recover from that, especially for athletes. I like Williams at RG and Brown at RT, even though he’ll surely take his lumps as the season goes on. I doubt they go trading for a guard, or really anyone…

Herbert had his worst game as a pro against NE, which is a major Belichick trademark, he almost always dominates against younger QBs. And they didn’t blow them out, they won by 3, so, not too crazy. But I do agree on some stuff you mentioned. Daboll’s inconsistency as a play caller is frustrating at times. I know he loves his “multiple” looks and always wants to morph the offense to whatever defense they’re up against. But sometimes I just wanna see them stick with their bread and butter and what they do well and just go impose your will.

Honestly, right now, no one. As I’ve watched the McDermott Era progress I’ve only gained more and more confidence in this team. In 2019 Josh and the offense were still coming along but the defense was lights out for much of the season and the offense would put up enough points to win. Those were the seasons where it felt like the method for winning was, “Just put up at least 20, and let the defense handle the rest.” I kinda felt like 2020 would be the same but instead the offense came alive and the defense regressed a bit. Last season I began to feel like they could hang with absolutely anyone, EXCEPT KC. I just felt like they had Buffalo’s number no matter what. Kinda felt that way this season as well but they handled them big time this year. I really feel like if they play their game, limit the penalties and mistakes that they can beat anyone.

Nah, the fans are yelling “BEASE!” after his big plays. Although, a few weeks ago he tweeted that he thought people were booing him and tons of people spoke up next said, “No, we’re yelling BEASE!” And then he toned it down to, “Oh, well, some people behind the bench were yelling mean things!l” and it’s kinda like, well dude, it’s football, that stuff comes with the territory as it is, but also, you’re out here making some not so bright statements, so, you open yourself up to the criticism when you say dumb stuff. I gotta admit, the dude soured me with his anti-vax BS. Honestly, if you don’t wanna get it, fine, don’t get it, just realize you’re in the way of progress and also, don’t turn it into some kind of stupid debate or some hill to die on. Make your choice and shut up about it. That said, I can’t help but be a smart-a$$ about him sometimes. Like, maybe he makes a catch and gets tackled two yards before a first down. I’ll turn to my wife and say, “Know who would’ve gotten a first down? A vaccinated player!” Or when he makes a catch I like to sing, “He’s an (anti) vax man! Skibba dibba doodley bop” ya know, sung in the style of that old “I’m a scatman” song.

I was happy that he made a play. I always liked Lawson, he was decent during his time here and became a locker room favorite towards the end of his run. He headed for Miami and then ended up traded to Houston and now the Jets so I had been wondering if he regretted not taking the deal from Buffalo after the 2019 season.

The Rams are gonna be SOL in a couple seasons as they’re not gonna be able to afford to pay everyone and also don’t have any picks to draft replacements.

This happens every so often with backup QBs or QBs who don’t have a whole lot of snaps in regular season. Teams get a measure of luck there in that they have a player with no film out there which makes it a little tougher for defenses to figure out. After a game or two, opponents will recognize tendencies and that QB falls back to Earth. Cooper Rush played pretty well for Dallas last night. Kind of the same with the success Taylor Heinicke had in the playoff game last year and now this season he’s taking his lumps. White played well but I also gotta wonder if they caught the Bengals sleeping on them a little. I don’t think he’ll do that again, though. And Saleh is in over his head as a head coach. Your front office goes all in on a highly drafted QB, you don’t turn around and say, hey my backup with one lucky start might just be the guy! Gotta learn that everything he says sends some type of message to his team. Either way, I’m all for any decision that helps the Jets remain an eternal dumpster fire.

Oh, are they playing to win the game or to protect the other teams feelings? I think it’s the former in this instance. Really, the Phins fans should direct their anger at Tua. Don’t throw a pick in your own end with the game on the line. I mean, I guess Poyer should’ve gone over to Tua and said, “Sorry for picking you off, kid. I’ll tell my coach to tell the offense to kneel on it for the last few minutes here. We wouldn’t wanna make you or your fans feel bad.” Get. Da. Fook. Outta. Here. Right meow! Have these whiners tried not losing? Or perhaps not rooting for a bunch of aqua colored weenies who mail it in the minute they’re behind? That’s what’s really classless. That team has zero heart and Flores has completely lost the locker room. Well…bye.

I’m aware the entire story is based around conflicts. I should’ve said fights or more action sequences, thought I’d see a bit more razzle dazzle I guess. I keep hearing the next one will really ramp it up in the action department.

Heinicke did it against the Bills on a third down, dove down to slide a solid yard short of the sticks. Kid has a lot of heart but he definitely seems like a deer in headlights out there.

That’s where I’m at with it. Watched it last night. Fell asleep several times. It looks cool, the cinematography is really good, and that’s something the director is known for. Strong cast but there really isn’t anything that stands out about any of the characters so the performances are just kinda there. I dunno, after it was over my first thought was like, “Welp, that was definitely a movie.” It just kinda meanders aimlessly, there isn’t a whole lot of action. I kept expecting some kind of conflict to break out but there just wasn’t a lot there. No one will ever mistake me for a Dune superfan, but I do enjoy sci-fi stuff here and there, and as an outsider just checking this movie out based on the scale, the cast, and the buzz from the superfans, I was left pretty unimpressed, I guess.

As a professor of foosball with nine PhD’s and roughly 37 masters degrees, my astute knowledge on all things foosball tells me that their game plan will be to score more points than the other guys. This expert analysis has been brought to you by Couch Potato State. In all seriousness, I hope they stick to their bread and butter on offense. Don’t get too cute. I know there will be matchups they’ll be looking to exploit but don’t get cute in how many different plays and things you wanna run. Figure out what works and roll with it. Defensively, pressure on Kermit is the key. Keep him contained, find ways to cover Kelce and Hill, etc. I think one of the biggest things will be the hype a lot of players will be feeling for this one. They can practice the whole “this is just the next game on the schedule” thing but you know those dudes are thinking about the loss in the AFC Championship Game. That’ll be on McDermott to temper those emotions but also use them to play with an edge. It’s cliche but I really feel like the only team that can beat the Bills is themselves. Play loose, play fast, don’t overthink it, don’t make mistakes, and they shall fly home the victors. When they’re “on” and playing their game, they can hang with anyone. It’s felt like KC has just had their number these last couple years but if they play disciplined, smart foosball, then I don’t see any reason they can’t take advantage of a subpar Chefs defense and rack up some points.

A few other people mentioned him, and it was the first name I thought of when I saw this thread and that’s Ed Oliver. I dunno, just feels like he’s right there on da cusp, as they say, of a breakout game. Had that awesome TFL last week and seemed to play pretty well throughout so, ya, just feels like the right time for Ed. I’ll say Cole Sneezely too, why not. I hope every Bills fella has just a real swell game. I know they preach the whole “this is just the next game on the schedule” mentality but you’ve gotta think a lot of these dudes are gonna be pretty fired up for this one. I think McDermott will coach them to temper those emotions but to also use them to play with an added edge, I think, anyway, I dunno, I’m not a foosball doctor or anything. They’re gonna be jazzed up, though. I’m sure the AFCCG loss is on their minds, just hope they don’t psych themselves out and go lay an egg out there.

Uh, you know, there was that one game….oh, and then that other game, wowsers! So yeah, like, totally those big games, brah.

Gonna be a tough one. It just feels like KC has had their number the last couple seasons. I know their defense isn’t playing too not right now but they weren’t playing so great last season either and the Bills just couldn’t take advantage. If Jalen Hurts can have the type of success he did against KC then I see no reason why Allen can’t. Guess it all depends on the game plan and the play calls and execution. I’ve felt like Daboll has kind of gotten a bit too cute at times. And I know they prefer to run a “multiple” system that can adapt to whatever defense they face but surely they have some core bread and butter plays to lean on. I guess what I’m saying is, don’t get too cute, Dabes. Identify what your players do well against the type of defense KC runs and put them in positions to succeed. I think Emmanuel Sanders could be an x-factor in this one and have another big day like he did against WFT. I think Moss and Singletary both could have good games as well. Hope the OL continues to improve, big test this week. And hopefully Milano is ready to go, they’re just a different defense when he’s playing.

Wow, I definitely didn’t give enough credit to that sideline toss to Diggs when I saw it. It’s literally like, ah, there goes Josh, doing Josh stuff. He is so freaking good rolling to his right. The game broadcast made that throw look kind of ordinary. The All 22 view Baldy highlighted shows just how sick of a throw that was. He was dialed in with Diggs on Sunday, dropped three beautiful deep passes to him.