Success

Seems weird, but you could also word it this way: Belichick only gets 7 wins?

I have to wash my hair that day.

I could watch the Princess Bride every day. Never gets old. The whole "Raiders of the Lost Ark" series is great. Planet of the Apes.

I expect the draft to focus on offense - I guess that's probably pretty obvious. But the remaining needs are really O-line & RB. The D seems set at every position, including quality depth. I always support BPA in round 1, but since we're not picking in round 1, gotta go OL or RB in round 2.

This really took me back, in the best possible way. It's also nice to think about a time in life when we called that team in New England the Patsies.

Never at dusk.

To a man, they have all talked themselves into Stidham. Because "reports out of camp" said the coaching staff loves him.

I will not be shocked if BB tanks. People say he never would, but he's pretty smart, and knows his NFL history. He's seen what has happened to teams like the Bills, who stay just competitive enough to muster a 7-9 most of the time & stay out of reach of the top QB talent. If they did tank and get Lawrence, think of the collective groan from the rest of the NFL world. He'd probably enjoy that, also.

Just to add: I've spent some time perusing Pats message boards since Brady's announcement (it's a real testament to how damaged I've been by that team that I relish the small pleasures such as their fans openly admitting to sobbing when they heard the news). But what a different perspective. I guess when you win for 20 years, you lose sight of what it takes to build a team from the ground up. The level of delusion there on what is involved with a rebuild is very high. I know they have BB, but they think that they'll just have 1-2 down years and be right back in Super Bowls after that. Like a rebuild is a "just add water" thing and everything goes according to blueprint. Here's wishing them a 2-decade long search for a franchise QB, like we had, and many 7-9/8-8 seasons in the interim (so they are always picking around 10-11).

We can be the top team in the AFC. Talent-wise, we're there w/ the Ravens & Chiefs. Allen is the key. Can he make a Lamar Jackson-type leap in his 3rd year? Personally, I think he is woefully underestimated. On more "national" sports boards, he's still seen as sort of a more competitive Jamarcus Russell - big arm, but can't hit the broad side of the barn. I haven't seen that. He's obsessed w/ correcting his mistakes, and he doesn't suffer from that "zip code accuracy" thing that they used to characterize EJ with. Aside from some notable long throws that were pretty errant, his short & mid-range accuracy has been very good. He's also a "big game" type player. His best games were the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, Pittsburgh (only night game), and the Houston playoff game, at least until the lateral. I really think he's going to emerge as one of the AFC's best this coming season.

We're so conditioned to be cautious at this point. Too many offseasons where it seemed like the Pats were ready to decline, then went 14-2 or something like that. This is it, though. If BB makes the playoffs this year, he made a deal w/ the devil. Pats fans know it, too. A lot of discussion on their boards is centered around "will you still be a fan now that the dynasty is over?", and stuff like that. We don't even see the usual Pats trolls here anymore, either (unless I've missed it).

The biggest issue we had during "the drought" - aside from a glaring lack of talent - was a glaring lack of depth. Love, love, love what Beane has done, at pretty much every position group. No more JAG's filling in when starters get injured. Winning championships is as much about quality depth as anything.

Been waiting 20 years for this - the Bills are good. But more importantly, the Patriots are bad. They still have BB. That is really all they have. They are one of the oldest teams in the league, with an unproven QB and very little talent. They remind me of the Jauron-era Bills.

It would be cool to beat Brady. But the SB would be the main thing, obviously. I posted this the other day, but I realized that I don't hate Brady after all. I'm actually kind of rooting for him now. It's everything Patriot/Boston/New England that is intolerable.

It's being discussed, but the crux of the issue is balancing the positives and negatives to achieve the best outcome for everyone. If only health experts and those in the medical profession were making the decision, we'd probably be on lockdown for a year at minimum. But their only priority would be containing the spread and eventually eliminating the threat. Politicians and the business community have to weigh that against the adverse effects of the shutdown on people's lives & livelihoods. At a certain point, more suffering is likely caused by too much economic hardship. I'm just glad there are smarter people than me working on this one. Getting back to work is going to be a tough decision to make - but at a certain point, it will have to happen.

Let's say the season does get canceled. Does anyone know what they would do about draft order in 2021? Would they just keep it the same as '20?

I thought that a few days ago, but just a week+ into the lockdown, and you can tell the economic impact is too much to handle. Trump is already pushing to get things back to "normal," and they won't keep a business like the NFL on hold. I foresee something like trying to keep at-risk groups quarantined as much as possible, but letting others get back to work, maybe in a staggered way. I think the season will be on.

Bucs are going to be really good - they lost quite a few close ones last year, largely due to untimely turnovers from Winston. A deep playoff run wouldn't surprise me. I think the Pats are all in on a rebuilding year - if not a full blown tank.

Can you imagine if they got Lawrence? It might ruin me. Though I remember when the Colts got Luck and were counting their Lombardis. Not that Luck wasn't good, but he wasn't as good as they thought. Lawrence might be more hype than substance right now, also. He has played well in the championship games and overall, but he's also had some of the best WR's a college QB could hope for (who have bailed him out of bad throws frequently).

If they get Trevor, I hope he goes all Leaf on them.... Everyone says "BB will never tank" - and he certainly doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would. But more than anyone, he is an ardent student of the game. He knows what happens to teams (like the Bills) who just cling to being barely competitive for years, end up 7-9 or thereabouts, and pick around 10 or 11 instead of 1 or 2.

Pats are looking to tank, imo. People say BB never would - but that dude didn't just fall off the turnip truck, and he's always up for sticking it to the league when he can. He knows they have no shot this season, and he knows drafting Trevor and gearing up for another decade+ run would be the toxic cherry on top of the eff-you-league sunday.

It’s weird - him leaving makes me realize that I don’t really hate him after all. It’s the organization and fans I can’t stand. Feels good to have clarity on that. I hope the Pats now lose for forever and a day. Brady can win all he wants in Tampa.

I feel like I've been waiting for this day for 20 years. Not just this time - THIS DAY. We were right on the cusp this past season - now, Josh is entering his pivotal 3rd year, with one of the best WR's and WR corps in the league, and an excellent defense. The Bills are FINALLY poised to take the division. Combine that w/ the monster who has been lurking under my bed leaving the AFC East and the AFC completely, and the transition is complete. My nightmare is over. I've spent a good part of the day on Patriots boards, watching Pats fans lament the end of the "Patriot Way" you speak of. They know it. I'm shocked at how many of them have said they are crying or even sobbing (those guys are so soft - seeing those posts makes me so glad to be a Bills fan, even though they've had it so much better). Having said that, watch them somehow end up w/ the worst record in a virus-shortened season, draft Lawrence and start all over again as BB coaches until his 80's. That'd just be the way.

I actually want to see him do well there. I think it would sting worse for Pats fans. And that's my priority.

The reactions on the Pats boards really makes you realize how different their reality has been than ours. Some of the younger fans think winning is just the way, regardless, and are wondering who the next QB to lead them to Superbowls will be. Some of the other fans wrote that they're actually crying. Which is kind of fun to read. BB gone in the next few years, and that team will be in our rearview for awhile.