Rochesterfan

Actually in fact there are a lot of fan bases that think that exact thing about Allen. The various Jets message boards have that debate all the time - what would have happened if they drafted Allen and we had Darnold. The assumption is Darnold would have succeeded because of Daboll and stability and Allen would have struggled in that mess. I have seen Browns boards wonder about Allen versus Mayfield and would they have been better off with Allen or if Allen is a product of Daboll’s system. The Broncos are another message board that thinks and wonders if Elway missed on that call. Most seem to agree that Allen (like Mahomes) is in a good situation now and that has allowed him to become the player he is. No one knows what would of happened on any of these other teams.

I just think all of this speculation is silly - fun, but silly - and no one should be hurt over it because that is all it is speculation. 1) No one knows what actually would have happened had Mahomes been drafted to that Bills team. What we do know is instead of learning under Alex Smith (career year) and Andy Reid as OC with an offensive oriented team - he would have learned under Rick Dennison (OC) with Tyrod Taylor as his mentor on a Defensive oriented team. I just do not see the growth potential there that he had in KC. 2) A few people in the organization know exactly what was going on, but even those of us on the outside recognized that Whaley was done after that terrible end of year press conference. There was no way that McDermott was going to entrust the drafting at that point to Whaley and Monos (it was even noted that McDermott did not even trust the Bills draft board) and basically Whaley was just a glorified page to make calls and field calls for McDermott. So whatever the article tries to say about what Whaley and Monos thought about Mahomes - it really matters very little - they were not really involved once McDermott took over - so everything they say is all coated with knowing the outcome because they were not making the choices and after the draft - they and the scouts were all let go and said they had little input into the entire draft. 3) Pegula may have been slamming his fist to draft Mahomes, but there is little proof of that. Pegula hired McDermott with an obvious plan to go out and get him a GM that he was comfortable with. I can’t imagine that Pegula at that point was watching film and able to identify talent that really based on pre draft assessment would have been over drafted by 10 spots. I can believe that on their evaluation trips - he may have like Mahomes, but I really do not see pounding the table and saying Mahomes would have been a good fit in Buffalo. They did say that exact thing when talking about Allen - not only was Allen a good player, but they believe he was a culture and community fit. In the end - the article is whatever. Ty Dunne was a decent writer at TBN, but I don’t believe he had the information or leeway to write something like this. Now he can freelance and take what he has heard and mix-in what he thinks and create a totally speculative article without having to go through an editorial group and cross check references. People can believe what they want - it is part of the problem with Internet media - whatever opinion you hold - no matter how obscure- you can find a article that fits it. I look at it this way. The Bills were in position to draft Mahomes (along with 10 other teams), but chose not to. They took a package that made senses for the new leadership team. That group then identified their franchise QB in the next draft and went and got him. We can forever look at Mahomes and Allen, but trying to compare what would have happened is just too much for me unless someone has been to that alternate universe and can provide absolute feedback. What I know from listening to and talking with lots of former players - who drafts you and the team and style you go to matters. Players put in a great situation excel and go on to have great careers and players drafted to bad teams at all positions can fail. We know Mahomes in KC was drafted into an ideal situation- we have no idea if Buffalo pulled that trigger how the different situation would have worked out, but there is very little to suggest the lack of WR talent would have allowed him the same type of growth.

I agree with that, but what we don’t really know is what triggered the close contact. It could have been them practicing and trying to have a discussion about how to handle something like a stacked look and you end up with Norman, Wallace, and Marlowe for example all talking game planning and they happen to exceed a time limit. They are assuming (which is part of the issue with the pandemic) that they are negative as they are all getting tested, but sometimes - especially when trying to work out how they want to handle parts of the game plan - need time together to talk out switches or ensure they are all on the same page and it bit them this time. Based on the fact that several other Safeties and CBs were not exposed - I think it was not necessarily meetings that triggered it. It more likely was a small group working on a part of the game plan to try and be ready for the game. The dining comment was more associated to the Pats situation where Cam had dinner out with Gilmore and both ended up infected from that meeting. Overall - It is tough to play. Complex style of defense and not spend time together working on it. The Bills have done an adequate job of keeping players safe, but like every team they have things they could do to get better. The Knox TE room is an example of that. They all need to learn and adapt.

No one, but 4 players were considered close contacts and had to go on the COVID report until they had multiple negative results over a course of days - causing them to miss the Arizona game. That is why there was no need to postpone the Bills game - they isolated the potential contacts and used the COVID Squad. To me that shows the Bills are following protocols in house and that the risk of transmission during things like practice are limited. The positives all come from sustained close contact (coaches during a meeting/work-out or in a meeting room, Dinner at a restaurant where 2 players dine together for an extended period of time, etc.).

Terrible Post - that is exactly what they are doing. They are following their policy - several positives came up - they are tracing the contact and working to determine cause (turns out it was a coach). Now they need to isolate players and find any additional positives prior to allowing them to travel or play to minimize the spread. They are properly delaying the game 3 days and the Ravens will be missing the same people (and perhaps more) as Thursday night. I do not see what people are missing - they are not pushing the game back to give time for guys to get back - it is to identify positives and limit transmission any further. This is very much akin to what happened with the Titans and the situation is 100% different than what the Bills just went through. The Bills had 1 positive test in Norman (did not seem to come from the facility) and they had several “close contacts” based on tracing that had to sit because there was not enough time between exposure and game to be cleared (none of them seemed to become positive meaning the protocols are working). The Ravens (like the Titans) had a coach that did not properly report symptoms and spread it to several players that have all now tested positive. Now they are contact tracing and have to determine how many others might be impacted. They also need the ectra couple of days for any additional stragglers to become positive. This is part of their policy and is exactly what they should be doing. Unfortunately (just like Buffalo earlier in the season) their opponent also gets screwed and it is unfair, but they have to do the Best they can.

Agreed!

I think this is an interesting (and very unfortunate) question. The have a good shot at a top 3 pick. Before the injury - I thought potential trade down and begin to rebuild the OLine to support Burrow. Now if this is a legitimate 1 year injury - so he is missing part of the 2021 season - it becomes a legitimate question because it potentially kills another Bengals season. I still expect them to draft support pieces because of what Burrow has shown, but I can’t imagine that coaching staff having a lot of freedom with how bad that team has been since they got rid of Marvin Lewis. It could be an interesting time as they decide how to move forward and I really feel for them.

Man this is exactly what you fear in that situation. With multiple ligaments and other structural components- you are looking a a full year rehab. So sad for someone that genuinely seems like a decent guy playing for a heartbreaking team.

Look - I am not going to going to try and argue what type of QB Tua will be long term. He has a quick release and some nice short/mid range accuracy, but his throws currently lack the velocity needed. He has some anticipation and some recognition, but like many rookies - he is struggling against pressure and combo patterns and right now he will not make a throw into coverages for fear of the Int. All of that was fine when you were the best athlete and your RBs and WRs were significantly better than your opponents- meaning guys were open and reads were easier. This is the NFL and that is no longer the case and what we have seen is he struggles to move the team consistently when the defense and special teams are not teeing up scores. What I do not know is how he is willing to work or his desire and compete level. I watched Josh Allen make a ton of mistakes, but learn and adapt and you can see each off season how much work he puts in. Compare that to a guy like Baker Mayfield that did not put in that effort and has really not improved. This level of desire is impossible for fans to know and the best example is a jerk of a QB in Brady. When the Pats originally went to Brady after Bledsoe recovered - I thought great - this guy does not have the arm to be a full time NFL QB and I thought long term Bledsoe would of ended up being the better QB, but the level of competitiveness was just not measurable and that is where I am on Tua. Until we see if he has the desire to get significantly better and take his craft to the next level - this is all just base lining for me. Right now Fitz is the better QB and more prepared, but the Dolphins are not winning anything with him - they need a next level to move on. The last thing I will say is the benching does not matter long term if Flores handles things correctly in the locker room. Tua knows he was not good and they all know they need AFC wins badly because of their division and conference record. It is not just about the division, but getting to the playoffs and it may come down to a bunch of tiebreakers. If that benching throws off Tua’s mind set to the point he struggles - then he is not the QB you want leading your team. If Flores addresses the team and basically is honest - they will be ok (we saw it in Buffalo). What would worry me if I was a Dolphin fan is that repeatedly when the change was made - NFL reporters pointed out that this was not necessarily Flores decision to bench Fitz and go with Tua, but came from management. If that is the case and the players believe that - this benching could have a longer impact because the team and the players know that Flores believes Fitz is better overall.

Of course because a troll must troll. Wish the hammer would drop on a few of them.

That wouldn’t make sense as he is a FA after the season. If they pick him up and IR him - good chance they still lose him. If they want him - they can sign him in the off-season.

There was no reason to even put it in the field of play. They only needed time to expire. Several bad things could have occurred. There was coverage that could of made a play, a fumble by the guy receiving the ball - why risk that. Poor coaching - just glad it worked out.

I believe when they got lucky and won the last three weeks - the plan changed to a shot to win this year and therefore when he struggled - the coach made the change. It reinforces that the head coach was not totally on board with starting him at this point.

Idiotic play. The roll-out and trying to pass to waste 4 seconds was fine - the throw terrible. To throw that ball inbounds was criminal. If that had been picked it would have given Miami a shot. There is no way that ball should have even landed on the turf - it should have ended up in the stands.

I don’t get what you think would have happened. It would have been a 10 yard penalty from the spot of the foul so if we could have declined the penalty- the result would have been 2 and 20 rather than 2nd and 10. We would not have gotten the first down - nor the yardage that Singletary got because the questionable block occurred at the site of the catch. We would have lost more yardage and not have gotten the first down - so the next play would have been worse.

I don’t know - they like NE played a bunch of 0-4-7 and 0-5-6 defenses (no DLine) just a scrum of DBs and LBs near the line of scrimmage. I think you really want to run over this team with a solid running attack and play action passes. The strength of the Cards is the back end much like NE. Force them to commit to stopping your running attack and then beat the DBs with play action.

Agree 100% and the plan that the Bills played versus KC was very similar to what NE and LV played and LV won because their offense moved the ball enough to win. NE and Buffalo - due to a myriad of reasons did not do enough offensively and lost. I would expect when we play them again - hopefully in better weather with a healthy JA - we will see a very similar game plan trying to force them to run or throw short all game. Sometimes even with the correct gameplan you don’t win - see Ravens last year - that does not mean you abandon it - it means you need to be even better at complementary football. The Bills offense needs to find wins in the KC and Tenn games to counteract the defensive game plan.

Smart move - even if you don’t keep him - blocks Cleveland, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh from him and they replace (downgrade) Dunlop and still have the pick for him. Gives you a small head start to find out anything and potentially (unless they cut comp picks as has been discussed due to salary cap) could net them a pick or part of a formula toward a free pick. I think that works out well as it is not someone the Bills have to face - so I am fine with this.

If the Bills want him - they can claim him before KC or Pittsburgh. He can’t sign until he clears waivers. If he clears waivers and signs with KC or Pittsburgh - then must be the Bills did not care that much.

This is just a huge bad take when talking about the Bills defense. They play nickel around 80% of the time. They do not use a true MLB most of the game and they are not asking Edmunds to be a traditional MLB. They play the majority of the time in a 4-2-5 set-up with Milano playing a WLB and Edmunds playing more mid and strong side responsibilities with a “big safety” helping as an extra coverage LB. They want Edmunds in the middle because of his size and his range. They are not looking for him to be Leighton Vander Esch or Ray Lewis as fans seem to think of as a true MLB. It looked like in the Seahawks game they switched up roles part of the time. Edmunds made some plays in the middle in his traditional role and Klein was outside covering Lockett on at least one pass, but there were also several times - especially once they were ahead - they shifted Edmunds to the outside for coverage and let Klein attack from the middle. They also used Klein up on the line of scrimmage outside Murphy a few times and blitzed Klein and dropped Murphy. That was a Lorax type play with last years defense. It looked to me like they are starting to get a better feeling of the players and how to attack - I think the lack of preseason, practice, and injuries caused them to fit people in without identifying ideal roles and they are now starting to make some adjustments. I also think they really miss that Lorax pass rush where he would attack through the guard toward the tackle and allow the end to loop under to creat quick pressure up front. I have seen fewer stunts and more straight 1:1 attacks this year.

Oishei has been releasing updates and thank you every couple of hours. That is your tracker as that is where it is going. People like Hapless have been posting those updates here to help follow the numbers. Go Bills and Bless this Fan Base.

100% agree - there were also more overthrows and ground balls than before. The ball was on the correct line, but not at the correct height - which is usually driven by the shoulders and getting them aligned at the correct height. I think what you saw was his 1st pass in the Tennessee game set that entire game up and it was high and a bit late allowing Roberts to deflect it for the Int. - The Bills fell behind and the gameplan went to crap. KC the weather had an impact along with the shoulder. It was cold, wet, and windy. That makes the balls heavier and slicker and harder to throw and I think the brace was still bothering him - adding to the difficulty. The Defense was playing a game to force KC to be slow and methodical and the offense just never got going. Give Buffalo the weather from Sunday - sunny and 75 and Josh maybe plays better (of course so does Mahomes and maybe it matters little). I think the Bills know what the issues were, but you will not hear Josh or the team use it as an excuse. If he was healthy enough to play he has to do his job and he and the team recognize that. I think it is important though as fans that we recognize why some of these things occur and maybe do not attribute it to things like regression and understand how important the overall health of these players are and the impact on the game.

Maybe, but those are tame compared to Jamal Adams, Levon Bell, Ramsey, Ngakoue, etc. and all of those guys are employed and were picked up or traded for. He does not have their Cache, but most likely he will get another job shortly.

Where are the spotters sitting they couldn’t of seen that his heel which was over the sideline did not touch in live action. There is no way anyone live - not right down next to the play would have seen anything close. The spotters needed the replay to see it on slow mo and without the fans in the stadium - replays are not being shown as quickly in stadium - so teams are missing out. I still have not seen any video evidence that shows TD. We see the heel in, but the camera angle shows the ball maybe going over the pylon - maybe not - hard to tell without a video shot along the sideline to go with the field shot so it could be pieced together. Pereira stated that he may have won it, but the league has tended to stay a lot with the call on the field. They upped the evidence required to overturn with a new group running replay in NY. I still am not sure it gets changed and therefore people would be killing him for making a challenge and failing because it was close.

Just based on Bills history with injuries - I think they will keep Morse inactive one more week just to be safe and that would also give him the bye. I really like Feliciano at center - big strong base and seems to hold his own better. I think Morse is better at calling protections.