Drunken Pygmy Goat

Good post. It's easy to point t the finger, but most people fail to consider other mitigating factors. With that being said, Taylor has to give KB some jump ball opportunities. That's why you bring in a tall WR. He's certainly a guy that can make contested catches. Yes, ANOTHER REASON, but not THE REASON. There have been games where Taylor played well enough, but the Rex Ryan circus defense couldn't hold up their end of the bargain. Your point is true, though. You do need one of those performance every once in a while, especially in games where the defense doesn't do their part. And history tells us that we shouldn't have much confidence in those type of games that they'll get the job done on offense.

Well, if that's the case, there's at least 10 other starting QBs that "stink". All I was saying is that, while Taylor may not be as good as we'd like, he's not as bad as some make him out to be. That being said, he's a bridge, always has been. We could be doing much worse right now. Here's to better QB in the future!

I don't think Taylor "stinks", he's just not as consistent as we'd like, and defenses that know how to defend his game force him to check down or cause hesitation to throw, flustering him and create sacks. I would point to previous Bills QBs that "stink", but Taylor is certainly on a lower tier than guys like Garrappolo, Dalton, Smith, etc., as far as being a pure passer goes. Still, his ability as a runner is a nice part of his game, and should be considered.

No way to really argue this. The record when down by 4+ points speaks for itself.

Two factors there: 1) He has a very good offensive coordinator/HC. 2) Jimmy G is the real deal. My posts weren't so much as "defending Taylor" as they were critiquing the OP. We all know what Taylor is and isn't. But give the Bills Jimmy G and his coach, and our offense is completely different. We would likely see some 300+ yard passing games, but we'd still need the defense to do it's part, as well as the run game, in order to win more than lose. Having that kind of QB play certainly helps tremendously, but you cannot simply point to passing yards and say that's THE REASON WHY they won. SF beat the Titans in part because of the passing on the final drive, but also because the other facet of the TEAM contributed. Their TEAM made more plays than the Titans as a TEAM. Terrible defense by the Titans on the final drive was the difference in the end.

Not saying I disagree with this, but that could also come back to bite you in the butt. There was one series where I believe the Bills went 3 @ out in the second half with three consecutive passes, and I think they were inside their own 20. I was a bit annoyed by that as it happened, considering the score, although I'm sure the Dolphins were expecting runs, and hindsight is 20/20. Perhaps the idea to pass in that situation could have been beneficial, and that the plays themselves could have been better, while still passing. But it was one series that aided the Dolphins in making a game out of what could have been a blowout. An untimely turnover there could have changed the outcome. The Taylor INT on the opening drive against NE changed that game, although very early. The defense was stout in the first half, but instead of adding 3 or 7 points on the drive, they got zero. It was 9-3 at the half iirc, but it could have looked much different if not for the decision to pass there (it was a terrible play by Taylor, but it could have been avoided altogether). Of course, you can always fumble when running the ball, but sometimes the best way to avoid a critical mistake from happening is to minimize that possiblity greatly by making smarter play calls.

Exactly this! So many variables that play into stats. Granted, I think we all can agree that Taylor isn't going to light up the stat sheet with passing yards, regardless of what type of team he has, but to put the microscope on him for the passing yard totals is flawed. In the Chargers game, he had something like 158 yards passing in the second half, but the game was well out of hand by the time he came in. If he had started that game, and put up those numbers in the first half (with a lead), it's fair to assume that he would not reach 300, as the Bills would be more concerned with killing the clock, and running their way to victory. Btw, Taylor's yards gained with his legs count, too, and those plays often convert into first downs. I didn't see anyone complain when he score the TD with his legs against Miami. So they're not passing yards. Football is a game of inches. They're not called "passing inches".

I get it, but how many times do we need to beat this horse? I mean, Cutler has had plenty of 300+ yard games...that doesn't mean he's the type of QB you want to build around. There's much more to wins, and QB play, than just passing yards.

How many of those Bills teams were playing for their playoff lives in week 16? I think I know the answer.

Who cares about wins? As long as we get 300 yards passing, all is well! You do realize this team is built around running the ball, right?

I get that there's a difference between "complaining" and "criticizing", but the fact of the matter is that the Bills ended up WINNING THE GAME, and part of the reason is based on how the coaches called the 2nd half (obviously the defense made big plays at crucial times to help the cause). It may not have been to everyone's liking, and there were some questionable calls, but whether aggressive or conservative, it's one if those things where the coaches are either geniuses or dummies, but they won...and there was one point where instead of running the ball and bleeding clock, they passed on all three downs. It was frustrating, but they won. They also went for it on a couple 4th downs where the conservative approach would have been to kick FGs. I think the terrible officiating (on both teams) was a bigger issue, although the bogus false start against Groy (which, btw, no one on offense moved early; watched it in slow motion) may have actually helped the Bills collect points. They were going to go for it on 4th down near the goal line, and may have walked away with no points on the drive. It was a "killer mentality", but they couldn't get in on the previous 3 plays.

This was going to be my response. Not just what kind of team they have, but also what kind of team we have. Was home field an advantage in cold, snowy weather when Reggie Bush was making snow angels in the end zone? No, because the Bills defense sucked, and the offense was lacked playmakers. I know that's just one example, and but the bottom line is that what matters most, in any weather condition or crowd effect, is the quality of the teams on the field.

Consider the surrounding cast he's had throughout his career. Hansen was consistently good, but always seemed to have good players around him. I'd put Kyle above him.

Most of the sudden Miami hype/fear from Bills fans is the simple fact that they ousted the **Pats, who a week earlier beat the Bills. Of course missing Gronk was huge, and the Dolphins implemented a great game plan on defense to counter that. If Gronk would have played, it would have changed things dramatically. BUT...there was more to it than just what was posted in the OP. First of all, this is a "what have you done lately" league. The Dolphins we're coming off of a "big" (score) win against Denver, which kept their playoff hopes alive. The chance that they make it was and is still very slim, but it resonated in the players, and it was on full display against NE. Their defensive line was phenomenal, and (the name and number escapes me) their big DT looked like Dareus when he was dominating up front. Their LBs were in good position all night, and their secondary fed off of that. The pressure Brady faced caused a lot of "errant" passes. When you keep the **Pats from converting a first down for the first time in 26 years, you're playing great football. And on offense, did a good job of mixing things up, with a heavy dose of misdirection passes to players in the flats. Forget what the Dolphins had done earlier in the season. They look good right now. The Bills have also done a pretty good job of correcting some things on defense in recent weeks, but much of that has to do with simply being healthier. And having a healthy Benjamin on the field changes things dramatically for the offense. It's hard to dissect and judge anything from a game played in the conditions that the Bills faced on Sunday, but the Bills nearly let their playoff hopes slip away against the Colts, and if not for a very controversial call on the 2 point conversion, and a great catch by Thompson (as well as two missed FGs), they very likely lose that game, or tie. But the fact that they pulled it out also kept their playoff hopes alive, and clearly energized the players, as seen after Shady scored the GW TD. This is definitely a "playoff" type game for both teams. The weather won't be as bad as predicted earlier in the week. Should be mid 30s and mostly cloudy. A little snow (in comparison to last Sunday) means little to me against the Dolphins. I know they're different teams right now, but I remember Reggie Bush making snow angels in the end zone against the Bills. Home field advantage in those conditions only matters when you have a good team on the field, and the Bills aren't "good", they're "decent". Maybe there's a flurry or two, but wind will be the biggest factor IMO. Cutler has a cannon, and the wind may not be as big of a factor with his passes as it would be a QB with an average arm. Holding the Fins to FG attempts will be huge, and I like Hauschka in those conditions over their kicker. But IMO, having Taylor on the field greatly increases the Bills chances, not just because of the QBs behind him (Peterman is limited, and Webb is the #3 for a reason), but because his ability to pick up yards with his legs significantly changes how the Dolphins will attack up front. Brady is a statue in the pocket compared to Taylor (although his somewhat regular indecisiveness in the pocket negates that a bit). I get that, as a unit, the WRs aren't very good at creating separation, so that plays into that, but the coaches could do a better job of calling plays that create that separation for them, much like the Dolphins did against the **Pat's with misdirection. Regardless, Taylor has to trust his WRs and let it go faster, especially KB on the outside to go up and get balls, and Thompson on 9 routes against cover 1. And how about some draws and screens to Shady? Should be a good game, and a great atmosphere, but you can bet that the Fins are going to come out ready and try to take the crowd out of the game.

IMO, a "rift", "disagreement", or whatever you want to call it, isn't as much of an issue (happens in every workplace environment) as internal information being leaked out to the public is. I get that this is just speculation, but it's being relayed as if it is not, and if accurate, the real issue is that someone inside OBD cannot keep quiet, and that's not good for any organization, especially a sports franchise (and especially so, this franchise, that's trying to rise up from the depths of obscurity).

Hmm...I saw differently, but only watched one replay of it, a close up view that seemed to show Gronks arms shoving White sideways (but with no "success"), and then you start to see the jersey grabs by White. Maybe you're right, and it certainly could have been called Def PI.

He wanted an intentional grounding call since Brady was not outside the tackle box

Pretty sure Gronk was pushing off on that play, and Tre had some jersey after that, probably to counter the push off.

I figured that with the Bills having new owners, and after Boyko was hired, that it was only a matter of time before it was shut down. The Sabres official site message board was suddenly shut down a few years ago. Transitioning into new NFL owners on top of being rather fresh as NHL owners probably delayed the process a bit, but i felt it was inevitable, especially when Boyko was hired. The BBMB was probably a RB and company idea. It was created back when the internet (and interactions there) weren't quite as saturated as it is now with Facebook and Twitter, etc. MySpace probably didn't even exist yet. Interactions with other people across the internet came from message boards. Anyone with any niche could suddenly mingle with many others with the same interest at once, whenever they want. Adding this feature to the Bills main site likely increased the amount of traffic to the site over time, increasing revenue. But 15+ years later, the internet is different, and people are much more openly vulgar and hateful towards others, and the players on the field are the focus of much of that as well. You could google something Bills related, and several threads from the BBMB would come up, many of them filled with misinformation and the hateful comments. If you're the "new Bills", you don't want anything like that associated with and representing your business. All those leaks and speculative reports that came out of Buffalo late last year was the straw that broke the camel's back IMO. The BBMB had already became a cesspool, and even though traffic may have still been higher for the site, it was just ugly all the way around. Besides, the we're very, very few informative, good "football" type threads, and too many beaten horses. And the traffic on team sites now comes more from video contact that is now more available and easily accessible than ever before. I know there are many "fugees" here and at least one former mod (I'll read through later to see what they have to say).

I say it's a tactic. Peterman will "start", ala Matt Cassel against the Colts.

I was thinking the same in the main thread. Why not say nothing until you absolutely have to? Wouldn't that be 2:00 pm Sunday? Probably the best possible explanation.

Wow! Didn't expect this so soon, even after Taylor's game against NO. But why announce this now? There's not much tape for LA to study, but still, I would have kept this close to the vest as long as possible. Unless this is just a way to please the fans, and he'll "start", just like Matt Cassel in week 1 of 2015.

I too have been watching the lines with more intent, and it's like watching people push around a shopping cart. What I haven't been paying much attention to is the subbing and shifting of players along the line on defense. Kyle seems to have lost his quick burst off the snap, but the one thing that Worthy does best is get off the snap quickly, which has always reminded me of Kyle. Why hasn't he been getting more snaps? I know he's not an all pro or anything, but what they're doing now isn't working. Time to switch things up a bit, because the book is out.

Playoffs??? Don't make him sit through that...

If the Bills keep playing the way they have these last two then they are finished. The line is irrelevant to me. Sand Diego isn't very good, and did everything they could to lose yesterday, something they've been accustomed to since last year. The Bills can win, but if they don't, you can pretty much stick a fork in them.