Success

I'm probably not the 1st to say this, but I really can't wait until Belichick retires. Not saying Jones or the offseason moves will work out for them - but every move was as smart as it could be. He's just a coach who doesn't stand for losing & will not tolerate it.

Being a sports fan is a funny business. None of my teams have won a championship in my lifetime (over 50 years). I'm a Knicks and Bills fan. I don't care about hockey. I do like the Yankees, but only became a baseball fan in the past few years, so they've been plucky underdogs in my time & not the evil empire. It's a world of pain, if you really care. I'm embarrassed sometimes by how much I care, but I do. I lose sleep after big losses. I get down. As a Bills fan, I'm not sure if I would have signed up for all of what we've gone through. 4 brutal losses in a row in the biggest game. An endless quest for a franchise QB, and more "pull defeat from the jaws of victory" losses than I'd ever care to count. From Pittsburgh's 2nd stringers w/ Bledsoe to Dallas MNF to McKelvin's drop and all the rest. Just gut-wrenching, with not many good moments to offset anything. And man, 20 years of having one team just own us as New England has. I genuinely need therapy about that. It's more than a fan should have to go through. Anyway, that's where I'm at. Just one before I die. One Lombardi can definitely make it all seem worthwhile, and will be a joyous occasion for all of us, I'm sure.

No one in this division has proven anything yet. BB's credentials are unimpeachable - but he also hasn't won anything without Brady yet. I don't see it as different from too many other divisions.

That's an extremely small sample size. And even if it was 1st string, they're still playing vanilla D. Not that Mac might not turn out to be good - but man, did we ever hear the same about Stidham. And even Cam when the Pats got him. Let's see how it goes when they crank up the lights and he faces a real pass rush, and has Agholor as his #1 target.

I mean, he was mostly playing against 2nd & 3rd string, no?

I'm freaked about about Mac. Anything less than the Patriots going through a 2-decade search for a Brady replacement is unacceptable to me. My worst fear is a Montana/Young situation. But, I was also freaked out about Garropolo and Stidham. So, there's that. There are definitely a ton of guys who looked amazing in the preseason against vanilla, 2nd string D's, then folded when it was a real game. Here's hoping Jones is one of those.

Gotta say - after the Losman/Edwards debates, Tuel, Orton, Holcomb, Collins, Manuel & the rest....it is AWESOME to have a legit franchise QB.

I feel like whether a GM says it or not, it has to be part of the consideration. Just like if someone is injury prone. Availability is an important factor.

We don't know on Allen. And of course, we would never cut Josh Allen. I love Beasley. He was my favorite player last year. I also respect his right to his own opinion, and even to not be vaccinated. But he's been too much of a distraction, and if we're into the season and he's missing more than a game or 2 because of these new protocols, it's not worth it to have him on the roster.

This is AMAZING news. We need some on the team to lead by example, and be vocal about it. No way any of these guys are really worried about the "risk." They have dangerous careers and put their health on the line every single Sunday. Honestly, I hope they cut or trade Beasley. Then it's a clear message to players - be like McKenzie and get rewarded, be like Beasley and risk you place on the team.

This post gave me some hope. Of course I'd hate to lose Cole & Star. But we'd be fine w/out them - this team is stacked. I'd rather they not be on the team, then be on the team and have to make week to week adjustments based on availabilty.

I agree w/ that to an extent, but if there was a week that Beasley & Davis are out (which could be every other week for all we know), and then someone like Sanders got hurt....we'd be pretty thin.

If all we lost was Beasley, I'd be for it. I really wouldn't mind seeing him move on at this point. I absolutely love him on the field, but he has become way too much of a distraction. I can also see him missing more than a few games. I'd wonder how many would go that route, though. Would some of the younger guys like Davis really opt out of their career if it was mandated? It could be devastating for the Bills if none of our unvaxxed guys are willing to budge.

(shakes fists at sky) Why couldn't this have happened during one of the Patriots runs?

It seems crazy to me. I don't want to get too much into the vaccine, but if they consider it to be any kind of risk, why make a fuss now? NFL players risk their long-term health every single week of the season. Hundreds of millions have been vaxxed. We at least know it doesn't instantly turn you into a pumpkin. Just get the stupid jab and play ball.

Np, and you didn't really misrepresent. I think it's been frustrating in general because this really does intersect politics and sports, and it's a fine line - but it's such a big issue right now. It's what I want to talk about when I come here the past few days, since it's my top concern and #2 isn't even close. I respect what the mods do though, and agree that this isn't an easy one for them to navigate.

I know what you're saying, but this topic shouldn't be off limits right now. It is THE biggest issue as we go into a season filled w/ promise. I don't see why we should be all "Ssssshhhhhh" about it. I get that discussions need to stay centered on football, but I think they are in the context of this thread.

I agree w/ the bolded. And I say this as someone who last season had Cole Beasley as their favorite guy on the team. But his behavior is not acceptable for most workplaces. It is NOT that getting vaxxed isn't a private decision - it is. It's the way he has conducted himself on the issue. At this point, it is TOO disruptive, and if it continues, his value to the team as a player will be offset by the distraction he creates, and by potential missed time throughout the season. That doesn't mean you cut everyone who isn't vaxxed, but players need to take this seriously regardless of their private decisions. I also think McKenzie's flip attitude about it is very borderline. They need to go BB on these guys. This ship needs to be tighter.

Apparently, no GM's are listening to me: no more trading w/ New England! Is it so hard to avoid?

Purely hypothetical, and a goofy exercise, but just curious what other posters think on this one: would Belichick cut Beasley?

I know it's been said quite a few times - but I can't believe we wait a generation to finally become a contender again, and have to deal w/ this kind of uncertainty now. THIS is the season - everyone is predicting us to be a SB contender, and we all know it too. Who knows how long that window lasts. Very frustrating, and I really hope it doesn't play out like my worst fears.

I was trying to do the math (not my forte). I think Beane said we're floating around 80% at one point. So, if we're 10% short, that's really just 4-5 guys out of the final roster. I'm really hoping w/ FDA approval that a few more will take the leap. It is a real mystery though, w/ us and other teams. Mac Jones had a presser that some interpreted as him having had it, and some interpreted as not. It's like that all around the league. A lot of secrecy & coy responses (and it IS a private decision - but it's hard as a fan now knowing...)

I have a hard time believing that other teams don't have similar issues as the Bills. The Bills have become the poster team for "vaccine issues," but that's largely because of a few players being very vocal about it publicly. I'd love to see the percentages around the league for the threshold each team has hit. Personally, I wouldn't mind if the Bills based some of their cuts on it. I know that's controversial, but we'll be seeing problems regularly if we're not at a certain level. What's the point of having a guy unless he can play most of the season (and of course, that doesn't extend to guys like Allen).

Oh, Stidham ABSOLUTELY got similar hype. I check the Pats boards - he was hyped through the roof. It was almost identical. The only difference is that Jones did have an exceptional day yesterday, so maybe a little more of a foundation - but the sentiment was exactly the same. For that matter, it was the same hype when the Pats acquired Cam.

Mac Jones had an amazing day (in a game where tackling isn't allowed), so everyone is back on the Pats bandwagon. Of course, we saw the same hype about Stidham, and dozens of QB's for dozens of teams over the years. But man, would it rile me up if they did get a steal & Jones ends up being one of the top ones from that draft...