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I definitely think they should make a nice offer to keep Barkley here as the #2. Definitely has the traits that "the process" looks for.

I feel like Zay fights himself a lot. Might be thinking too much and not allowing himself to just zone in and play fast. Has the ability just hasn't figured out how to reach it on a consistent basis. And any Bills receiver is just gonna have to work to get used to "area code" throws from Allen. Meaning, the ball placement isn't always gonna be on the money but it will be in the vicinity (the area code) and will need to be adjusted to in order to catch. Even so, I saw a handful of decently placed throws from Josh today that guys just dropped. My Christmas wish might be to see coaching upgrades in the receiver, OL and special teams areas of the team.

I swore earlier in the week I had read that Ivory was probable but maybe he had a setback. Should be ready next week.

Told my brother today that I hope Allen to Foster is the next Kelly to Reed for the next decade. Foster has been a huge surprise. Every now and then a team scores on an undrafted or late-round gem who just took a little longer to develop than most guys. I hope that's Foster. He and Allen certainly seem to have a great chemistry. And was it just me or did today's TD catch look similar to the bomb vs. Jacksonville? Looked like the same route and Foster caught it almost the exact same way. Allen also had his pick of open guys on that play. Zay flew up the seam and his defender fell down so Zay was ridiculously open. Allen had already zeroed in on Foster though and laid out a perfect ball. Gah. I cannot wait to watch this team with some more playmakers and better OL play. With the equivalent of a JV squad around him, Allen still has the ability to get it done. He's been surrounded by average to below average players from Wyoming til now and he has at least one or two plays a game that make you sit up and say, "Whoa, how the hell...?" Immense talent. Just keep refining it, surround him with some legit playmakers and watch this kid set the league on fire.

Lot of debate over this lately. For one, I don't expect the Bills to have a "true #1" receiver anytime soon. Like a lot of other teams, they'll roll with a collection of receivers, tight ends and backs that Daboll can get creative with in the passing game. But for the sake of argument, the true #1 receiver is the type of player that's open when he's covered and a guy you throw it to in those situations because he's supposed to be trusted to go up and make the play. He's what Doug Whaley thought Sammy Watkins would be.

I admit, on draft night my initial reaction was, "Oh no, they took the wrong Josh!" But I have since seen the error of my ways and am all in on this kid. Had they taken Rosen, I guarantee the dude woulda been sidelined with a season ending injury by week four given this OL. Rosen doesn't have the mobility Allen has in the slightest. It's scary how fast the dude is, he can get that 6'5", 240 lb. frame truckin' when he wants to. Yeah, Allen's numbers don't look super but he hasn't gotten a lot of help. I saw at least five dropped balls today. Was the ball placement perfect? No, but these were passes that hit these guys in the hands and they dropped it. I'd love to know Allen's adjusted completion rate where they take away drops and throwaways. Allen just has that stuff that tells you, "He's gonna make a play." Love watching this team grow right now but McBeane has a lot of work to do in the off-season to help the kid out.

I want Miami to get kicked in the nads.

People honestly think a person who's spent 20+ years working toward a head coaching position would take a step back after obtaining said position? Wowzers. Some people just aren't smrt. I mean, s-m-a-r-t!

I hear you. The mistake Atlanta made was continuing to throw the ball late in the game. Incompletions stopped the clock and left too much time for Brady. There's definitely a balance. When you're up by a few points late in the game, yeah, at that point you probably play to protect the lead or play to at least get a field goal to add to your lead a little bit. Coaches like Schottenheimer and others would go into preservation mode midway through the 3rd quarter if they had a lead. Or you have Jauron's style of "keep the score low and close and hope we can sneak out with a win in the end."

He's the man behind the term "Martyball" which is what people around the league called his style of playing. Once his teams had a lead, he would try to protect the lead instead of trying to add to it. He'd play everything extremely hesitant and conservatively, not unlike Dickie Jauron. Guy had numerous chances and did, at times, try to break away from his typical style but by that time the league had kinda passed him by.

Ah, good call. I wasn't sure of the implications exactly as it was four years ago, I just know it was a major bum-out to lose to Oakland after that huge win over Green Bay.

I know Eli's best days are long gone at this point but Barkley is easily the ROTY and has been almost the entire offense for the Giants this season. Kid is electrifying. Still, I can see the questioning of going with an RB at #2 overall but he's the kind of player you take at #2, he's a game changer.

I got to go to that game on a last minute type of thing. A buddy of mine's family are all season ticket holders and as I'm sure other people here have experienced, once in a while they have to miss the game so they'll give away the ticket. It was about 11:30 AM and my buddy called me and said he had two tickets to the game. I said, "Aw man, I'd love to but I just don't have the extra money right now, thank you for offering, though." He said, "No, man, you don't have to pay for these, I'm giving them to you." I was like, "Whoa! Really?" Super kind gesture. Even found a friend to take along so the second ticket didn't go to waste. Also, it's kind of awkward going to a game alone. I did that for the 2015 home opener against Indy. Had the aisle to my left and an empty seat to my right, haha. But yeah this was a fun game. I remember thinking, "Eh, I think they'll get beat but I bet this defense gives them a run for their money." I think Rogers got picked off once or twice. But, had Jordy Nelson not dropped a deep pass, Bills probably lose haha. Totally busted coverage, Nelson was wide open with a clear path to the end zone. Rogers put it right in his hands and it just slipped off his fingers and hit the turf. That game made me believe that 2014 team was going to break the playoff drought. I remember seeing the post-game locker room stuff and Kyle was super fired up, talked about how he had been on a bunch of past teams and felt like this group "had it." Unfortunately, the following week they went out to Oakland and laid an egg and were eliminated from the playoffs.

Whatever they do for the WR group, I'm not expecting a "true #1" to suddenly appear on the roster for next season. Rather, I think they will have "pass catchers by committee" much like New England has always done. Aside from Moss, they've never really had a real number one wideout. They've always used a variety of receivers, tight ends and running backs. Given that Daboll sharpened his skills in NE for many years, I expect the same type of setup in Buffalo. He's going to want a group of guys each with different skill sets so they can create match-up problems.

Good insight. Yeah, I'm not saying ALL the writers/broadcasters/bloggers, etc. stay stuck on their initial assessments. And it is nice to see people coming off of previous opinions based on what a player shows them on the field. But there are definitely those types that wanna be right so badly that even when faced with concrete evidence negating their point, they still dig their heels in and try to push their view. What Barnwell wrote kinda struck me like that. To not acknowledge that he's been the entire offense for three straight games is either lazy, ignorant or both. And I also think the expectations placed on young players are unrealistic at times. If a player is drafted who was seen as a "game changer" for instance, comes in and struggles in his first few games, you'll see the bust label being thrown around like crazy. There's just such a huge lack of patience to allow young players to grow and gain experience. I'm glad the Bills decided to dedicate a whole season to allowing young core players to get experience. Hopefully it pays off in the future and we can have that sustained success McBeane is after.

Oh, didn't you hear? That pass was "objectively" bad according to a poster or two on this board. I think, all things considered, it wasn't a great throw but it was catchable. And he was also avoiding pressure, running to his left, throws to his right without stepping into it, all arm, launches it 45-50 yards down the field. Wasn't perfect but it should've been caught. For Fartwell to criticize that throw is absurd. Most QBs in this league don't even attempt that kind of throw. These "journalists" have their pre-conceived notions about these players, man. And once those notions enter their brains, they're set in stone. Allen could go 35 of 40 for 611 yards and 8 TDs with 129 rushing yards and there would still be a couple of turds in the punch bowl that would nitpick his game to death. It's so friggin' old.

Holy pile of garbage, Batman. Maybe I'm biased because I wouldn't mind seeing 10,000 birds take a dump on Barnwell but most of his words on Allen are crap. He basically blames everything on him while failing to acknowledge that the kid has carried the entire offense for the last three games. He also places Clay's drop on him. "Failed to hit a wide open Clay in the end zone." Writing that way is so misleading of what happened on the actual play. Most QB's don't even get the ball anywhere near Clay in the fashion that Allen did. Avoided pressure, running to his left and throws 40 yards down field to his right, sorry it can't be a pinpoint perfect pass, but it was in the ballpark and Clay knows he should've had it. The other negative stuff he writes about is junk all rookie QBs face.

I keep saying this in various threads here, but when you're trying to guess whether or not a player has a future with the Bills you need to look at more than just his on-field production. Has Shady struggled this year? Yes. There have been times where he's definitely pressing because he's dying to make a play. The OL isn't doing much of anything to open up lanes for him and it's been a frustrating year. But on the flip side, he's earned himself a captain role so he's obviously seen as a respected veteran in the locker room. To McBeane, that stuff matters. I think they keep McCoy but I think he may be part of a RB by committee or they'll reduce his workload and have some specialized plays for him. TJ Yeldon and Tevin Coleman are two names to watch for in free agency. The draft doesn't have a running back worth taking until the mid-late second round this year. They may be inclined to go after a player coming out of his rookie deal who's 25-26 years old, doesn't have the mileage on him that a full-time 20-25 carries a game back has, etc.

This is more of a guess as to who they'd be interested in bringing in. QB - I think they re-sign Barkley and maybe offer another deal to Anderson but I think that depends on his health. If it's a no-go on either of those guys, I wouldn't mind them trying to get Fitz back here. Guy is wicked smart and can win a few games off the bench for you but if he's the long-term starter he tends to turn it over a lot. RB - They've said they have McCoy in their plans for 2019 but who knows for sure. They have Ivory for another year if they want him back, they drew up his contract so they have an out after this season. Both guys will be 31 next season so I definitely think they need to bring some younger players on board at this position group. TJ Yeldon makes a lot of sense to me. I think Tevin Coleman could be a target for them as well. Buck Allen from Baltimore is another name I'd keep an eye on. WR - I would love for them to go out and sign Golden Tate. He'd be perfect for that group. Dude is a class act and a total pro, would love to see him here. Unfortunately, he's 31 and I think he'll be looking to sign with a contender. Chris Conley, Donte Moncrief, Adam Humphries, Tyrell Williams, Quincy Enunwa, Aldrick Robinson are all players I wouldn't mind seeing here. TE - I'd really like to see them take a run at Tyler Eifert and it could be possible because Cinicinnati may be in rebuild mode. A lot will depend on his health, though. Other than that, I think Jeff Heuerman from Denver or Jesse James from Pittsburgh makes sense. RT - I definitely think they're gonna go back to that Carolina connection and take a run at Daryl Williams and I'm fine with that. I felt like Jordan Mills was playing decent this season but his last few games have been dumpers so, I think it's time to move on from him. Ju'Wuan James from Miami is another possibility. RG - Roger Saffold would be nice but he'll probably generate some competition between teams. Not sure if Beane would get into a bidding war for him. Maybe AJ Cann, Marcus Martin, Max Garcia, I dunno. C - Yeah, this needs to be a major focus for them, might be the most important position for them to address heading into 2019. Everyone else has mentioned Matt Paradis or Mitch Morse and I'm fine with either. I'm kinda tired of seeing Bodine and now Groy get steamrolled every other down. LT/LG - Obviously they're going to stay the course with Dawkins and with Teller, it'll depend on how he finishes these last three games. DEFENSE DE - How rad would it be for them to pick up Demarcus Lawrence? I don't see it happening but it would be awesome. I think they'd go with second or third tier kinds of players if they wanna add to this group. Maybe Aaron Lynch from Chicago? I'd like to see them steal Trey Flowers from New England, that guy has really emerged this year with seven sacks and two forced fumbles. He's coming off his rookie deal and will generate plenty of interest, I'm sure. DT - Re-sign Kyle if he wants to come back. Other than that, draft a guy if you wanna add here. This draft is loaded with DL talent. LB - Again, draft a guy here. Re-sign Alexander if he wants to come back. Deone Bucannon from Arizona is intriguing because he, like Milano, played safety for a while. Not sure of his role in AZ right now but in the past he's played LB and S and we know McDermott loves versatility. Anthony Barr could be another possibility but he'll definitely have a lot of interest. CB - Really wouldn't mind seeing EJ Gaines back here but I think that's doubtful. Bradley Roby or PJ Williams could be possible. If Levi Wallace has a strong finish to this season then I think they'll probably work with him as their CB2. S - I think they're mostly set, maybe a depth guy here or there. At the end of the day, my best guess is... TJ Yeldon Tyrell Williams Tyler Eifert Daryl Williams Matt Paradis PJ Williams

I hear you. I don't think Frazier is going anywhere, though. McDermott seems like he wants to keep things as consistent as possible. I do think there will be some coaching changes after the season (Crossman) but I don't think Frazier will get switched out. And just running straight up blitzes play after play isn't the answer either. I mean, yeah, like I said, I'd definitely like to see them switch it up and throw some different kinds of pressure at teams but obviously that can't happen all the time. It's that old saying they like to use, "live by the blitz, die by the blitz." Some QBs love it when a team blitzes, Brady comes to mind, he and any other QBs that can get rid of it fast will pick apart teams that blitz a lot. Doesn't mean I don't think they shouldn't use it, just be creative with it and be smart at the times you call for it. I recall the Chargers game when McDermott took over. I think he was just trying to provide a spark and he kinda did. The defense was flying around a lot more in the second half than the first but unfortunately the game was kinda already in hand for LA at that point. Hopefully with more time and experience in their scheme, these coaches will start mixing things up a bit more.

Nice assessment. Allen definitely makes his fair share of, "Whoa, holy crap!" plays but he also has a few, "Whoa, what the crap!" moments as well. In between there, he has an OL that is very inconsistent. A running game that can't get out of its own way and receivers who take turns dropping well-placed throws. And yeah, Allen misses sometimes but if you bought into all the pre-draft hype about him, you would've believed that this kid throws every third pass into the upper deck. At Wyoming, a lot of his big time throws came with his scrambling and improvising to make a play. He's done that here as well but what he's done a lot more of is make crisp, solid, on-time, accurate throws from the pocket. As we saw on Sunday, when he has a hot start, his confidence goes sky high and then he starts trying to do too much. He's gotta get better at that. Sometimes the play just isn't there no matter what you try so you gotta be smart, protect the ball and move on to the next play. Zay Jones looked like he was turning a corner but these last couple weeks he's been inconsistent. Other guys have drops as well, Jones just came to mind first. Josh can help these guys out by learning when to really zip it with a lot of velocity and when to just kinda feather it to his guy. Not every throw has to be a fastball. There's been a couple times here his fastball causes the drop because it'll spin right through a receivers hands, bounce off his chest and hit the ground. I'm certain he will be hosting receivers, tight ends and backs in the off-season to work on their own time and get their chemistry and timing down a bit more. Overall, I gotta remain cautiously optimistic because we've had high hopes before, only to see them dashed. But... I have to say, in just the eight games he's played in this year, he has made some throws and some plays that you rarely see... and he looks as though he can do that on a regular basis. That 75-yard TD to Foster was a thing of beauty. I have no idea how he got that throw off. I saw the pocket collapsing, couldn't even see Allen at that point, I though, "D'oh, sack, stupid Jags." And then suddenly the ball comes flying out of there, hits Foster in stride and he walks into the end zone. I sincerely think the dude just has that stuff. Sometimes you watch games and you spot a player and you get that feeling of, "Man, that dude has it, he's gonna be good." Again, don't wanna get ahead of myself but Josh has made enough plays for me to really believe in that. I hope his arrow is pointing up and as he grows he just gets better and better. He may still make a bonehead play now and again but if his bonehead plays are minimal when put up against his good plays then I think we can all live with that. And they all make bonehead plays. Russell Wilson had a whopper last night. He had 3rd and goal (I think) from inside the five, they called a pass, he drops back and gets flushed out quickly, he's scrambling back trying to avoid the pressure, which finally catches up with him, he tries to throw it away but he throws this weird sidearm pass towards the sideline but it floated right to a Vikings player and he picked it. The only reason I point this out is because I really feel like there are posters on this board that will throw the kid under the bus no matter what. They demand some kind of unattainable level of perfection that just doesn't happen in football. Again, as long as the good heavily outweighs the bad, I'm all in.

They can't do it all on their own. Considering some of the lopsided losses they've had this season, it's a big time credit to the players and coaches that they now sit at first in overall yards allowed and first for passing yards allowed. They have created turnover opportunities this season but the ball just hasn't bounced their way like it did in 2017. That first Jets game they forced what, three fumbles and somehow the Jets recovered all of them. I understand they have confidence that their front four will get pressure, but there have been a couple of games now (this last one included) where they didn't generate much pressure and recorded zero sacks and zero hits on Darnold. That's a little bit unacceptable. If you're not getting home with four, switch it up, create some pressure, send five or six, give the kid a real exotic look he'll have a hard time deciphering. They don't have to do these things all the time but it would be nice if they sprinkled some of this stuff into their game plans on the regular. Very talented young group, though, so, sky's the limit I feel. The only two major contributors they could lose after this season are Kyle and Lorenzo but i wouldn't be surprised if Lorenzo came back. He's really excelled in the role they have him in and he gets to play both off the ball and on it and I believe at this point he is the sack leader on the team. His career as a special teams/backup guy means he doesn't have the miles on him like Kyle does. Kyle has had a nice year and I wonder if he feels like they're about to turn a corner. I don't think he'll make an immediate decision after the season is over. I think he might wait and see what McBeane do to improve the team and then decide.

Booger McFarland would not stop bringing up, "Eighty-fo' million guaranteed, he ain't worf it!" It was like, good gravy man, we get it, the Vikings paid a ton for a dude they believe s their franchise QB. Sounds like the OL issues are a big problem but there have been plenty of instances where I've seen Cousins with time and he just sits back there and then scrambles a bit before throwing it away or getting hit and fumbling. With guys like Diggs, Thielen, Treadwell, Rudolph, Cook, they should be putting up points but it's just not happening.

So much for those young, innovative offensive minds, haha. I think Frank Reich probably had more to do with Wentz' monster season in 2017 given how he's completely revitalized Andrew Luck's career right now. Looking at the Vikings scores this season, it seems that when the offense is clicking and putting up points, the defense isn't clicking and they're giving up more points than their offense is scoring. And then if their defense is mostly getting the job done, the offense is non-existent. Kirk Cousins is a bit overrated, IMO. He holds the ball too long, takes a lot of sacks and fumbles way too much. Over the past few seasons he's averaged 10 or 11 fumbles per season. And he can be really inconsistent. He'll catch the hot hand and complete something like 10 of his last 12 passes and then he'll follow that up by completing 1 of his last 9 or something.

This is 20 lbs of horsecrap stuffed in a 5 lb bag. Why would you force your QB to stop using one of his best skills? He knows he needs to throw from the pocket, he's shown he can do it and I think he'll keep getting better. But when those monster lanes open up in front of him and he can rip for 20, 30, 40 yards and safely slide down, he's not gonna get reamed out for that. I don't see any coaches telling him, "Josh no run!" "But I just picked up 42 yards." "JOSH NO RUN, RALPHIEWILSONSWAR SAID SO!" It's dumb. The big comparison on Allen is Cam Newton, who, in his rookie season ran for 706 yards and 14 TDs. 14. At this point in his career he has over 4700 rushing yards and 58 rushing touchdowns. His season rushing average is about 600 yards a year. He's got three Pro Bowls under his belt, an All-Pro selection, a league MVP and a Super Bowl appearance. He's refined his game a little bit, as any QB's first instinct is to find a guy downfield and throw. But sometimes those lanes are there and no one's around so there are yards to be taken, and since he has the wheels for it, he's gonna take it. This whole archaic way of viewing the QB position as being successful if it's played ONLY from the pocket is garbage in this modern NFL. Yes, of course they have to win from the pocket but that doesn't mean they have to completely stop picking up yards with their legs, especially if they have the athleticism for it. That's like telling one of your receivers, "Hey, I know you're excellent at running a lot of sharp in-cutting routes but we want you running outside stuff now, ok?"