TigerJ

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001080809/article/pro-football-hall-of-fame-class-of-2020-25-semifinalists-ranked The appropriately named Adam Rank just did an article at NFL.com that power ranks the 25 semifinalists for the Hall of Fame. Steve Tasker is ranked #5 on his list, after a pair of safeties (Troy Polamalu and Steve Atwater) and a pair of linebackers (Patrick Willis and Zack Thomas). To me that translates to decent odds of getting in. Of course, not all sportswriters with a vote will think exactly the way Adam Rank does, and we don't know how many on the list will be admitted, but it would be nice if he makes it finally.

Picking today, I would go with wins over the Steelers and Jets, with losses to the Ravens and Patriots. I think Buffalo will give the Patriots all they can handle though. If Buffalo does by chance beat the Ravens, I would pick them to run the table after that game.

I would guess that he is considered in the top five all time defensive lineman.

I recall reading last season that he is a good route runner. There's no reason for him not to be comfortable with a full route tree.

Such reactions are so commonplace in football that I don't pay much attention. Overall, the players on the Bills have an overwhelmingly "team first" perspective. I can live with a little "look at me" behavior.

I doubt that draft scout has any hard data on the kid. More likely - it's a "guesstimate."

I think I would prefer it if both players and fans tried to stay gracious in victory. To do otherwise reminds me too much of the Patriots and their fans.

I agree that the Bills are a good football team. However, I think they were beneficiaries of a schedule that was overloaded with weak teams early in the schedule. Their offense was not particularly good in September. They had nine new starters and Josh Allen was still, for all intents and purposes a rookie. They had some talent, but they were not yet a cohesive, quality offense. They won a lot of games because they did have a solid defense and because they had a weak schedule. What that allowed them to do was to pile up enough wins to be a playoff contender while their offense was developing. Fast forward to November: Buffalo's completely overhauled offensive line has learned to play together. Josh Allen is making few mistakes and acting like a veteran. He has chemistry with John Brown and Cole Beasley and the offense is starting to get solid contributions from Devin Singletary, and to a lesser extent Dawson Knox and Robert Foster. In essence, they have grown into their record. ESPN gives them a 95% chance of making the playoffs. I think they have a reasonable chance of making it out of wild card weekend still alive. After that, we'll see.

Back during the pre-draft process in 2018, I was intrigued by Allen's positive traits: size, athleticism, arm strength, intelligence, and attitude. When he was drafted, I accepted that there was some risk given the fact that he was raw, and had an uneven college career at a sub-standard college program. I never waste my time trying to make instant prognostications about what high draft picks are going to bust or star. Nobody really knows. When Buffalo drafted Allen, I took the approach that I would be hopeful until or unless it became clear he would ultimately be unsuccessful. Fortunately, it looks like he's on track to be the franchise QB Buffalo has needed since the Kelly era.

I agree that Hauschka has struggled this season, and a replacement should be considered. I think the Bills are in a bit of a bind with respect to his contract. It's not that Buffalo can't afford to cut him. They can, but if Beane starts to jettison multiple contracts with time left, the Bills could find themselves in a situation like Beane inherited, with an onerous dead cap situation. I don't think anything is going to happen during the season. Anybody Buffalo is likely to find on the market is probably a retread from somebody else. Beane will wait until after the season and assess the dead cap from Hauschka's deal in light of all the other changes he feels he needs to make.

Unfortunately, I watched the game in a room full of people, and only one other person was watching. Everybody else was chit chatting, and taking baby pictures of my 5 day old grandson. Yes, he's family and I love him, but I can't tell you how many times people stood between me and the TV to get yet another perfect picture. I actually heard very little of what Romo said.

Yeah, that one is going to be real interesting. The Bills will probably be dogs, not because they don't deserve recognition, but Baltimore is looking like a juggernaut right now, and nobody has figured out how to stop the Baltimore offense because it is so unconventional. Wed'll see what McDermott and Frazier can do with it having 10 days of prep time.

This just in: The Bills are good. Bonus coverage: Josh Allen is too.

He only gets his picture taken in crowds?

Thanksgiving is no different than any other Thursday game. I know it's tough on teams to get ready, but as long as both teams have the same short week challenge, it seems to be reasonably fair. I think the mini bye after the game is probably appreciated by teams and coaches.

Is he like Carmen San Diego or something?

Thinks kind of sorted themselves out for out Thanksgiving arrangements. My mother-in-law, who went to the hospital Saturday is home recovering. She'll spend Thanksgiving with other parts of the family. We are hosting my two daughters in Rochester. One of them will have her husband and newborn son. We'll also have our son-in-law's parents. Everybody is responsible for part of the menu. We're doing mashed potatoes, veggies (squash and green bean casserole), and a pecan pie. We eat at 1:45. Bills game at 4:30.

Rex Ryan would be a better fit in New England when Bill Belichick retires.

It had to have been a pretty minor issue.

Duke Williams was playing a charity basketball game at Cameron, and they lost.

Dallas normally has a great offensive line, but they're a bit beat up right now. Buffalo's defensive line needs to get their assignments right and play with discipline. Frazier and McDermott need to continue to dial up some creative blitzes. Maybe Buffalo can put Tre White on Cooper, but they don't want to put Levi Wallace on anybody one on one, especially a big strong WR. The Bills have been improving on offense the last couple games. Dallas has dominant defensive ends, so I expect Buffalo is going to want to get the ball out of Josh Allen's hands as quickly as possible. Not that they won't take any deep shots, but they'll want to be careful about picking their opportunities. I could see Cole Beasley getting targeted a lot. Dallas has a defensive tackle, Antwuan Woods, who is nicked up and might be out. The are also likely without the services of star weak side linebacker, Van der Esch. I think the Bills will test the interior of the Dallas line in the run game as it may be a (slightly) weak link in the defense. I wouldn't be surprised to see some running out of a two TE formation, and the tight ends may have a bigger role in the passing game as well.

The Cowboys also have zero wins versus teams with winning records. One Buffalo win at least this season is against the Titans which does have its head just above the .500 watermark. They are in no sense a dominant team, but it's still going to be one of the toughest games Buffalo has played thus far this season.

Kyle Brandt did his weekly guest spot on One Bills Live today, and guaranteed a Bills win over Dallas on Thursday. I don't take him too seriously, but it's fun to hear anyway.

I agree. This is the kind of year where Steve really has a shot.

Without a Neilsen box on my TV receiver, nobody is going to know whether or not I watch the Super Bowl anyway.