TigerJ

Mason Rudolph played well for the Steelers. An early interception was actually a perfectly thrown ball that the receiver let go through his hands to the defender. He doesn't have Josh Allen's big arm (or Ben Rothlisberger's) but he checks all the other boxes. There's no reason to think he can't do as well as Daniel Jones, who also lacks a big arm. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001055644/article/steelers-players-impressed-with-qb-rudolph-in-debut Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Big Ben has surgery and a long recovery, the Steelers decided to cut bait with Big Ben and move forward with Rudolph long term.

I agree that they were not overconfident, but I think there probably was a decrease in intensity. That is something that is very difficult to avoid, but I'll bet Sean addresses it with his team this week. The Giants probably made some halftime adjustments as well. Buffalo made some adjustments defensively after the first Giants drive, but when they were successful in the rest of the first half didn't see any reason to make a lot of them during half time.

The Patriots?

It's a good sign when you're winning games not playing your best on the road. Just keep winning the games you're supposed to win, and pull off a few there the oddsmakers deem you an underdog, and you'll be in the playoffs.

So, in fifty years is Gardner Minshew going to be doing ads on TV telling retirees about a service to help senior citizens pick Medicare supplemental insurance coverage?

The crucial question is which Bills offense is the real offense? That the Bills offense performed better later is a hopeful indicator. One could theorize that they were working on getting the bugs out early, an the second half is the real thing, but we aren't going to be sure for a while.

The other factor is which offense will rely more on their running back. The Giants have one other reliable person the QB can give the ball to - Evan Engram. The Bills have two or three WRs that Allen has some trust in, plus at least one tight end, if not a couple. That all translates to more touches for Barkley than for Singletary.

"When I'm 23, I'll be grown up, and I can finally become consistent."

If a team has a decent running game, a strong defense can reduce the need for passing. The reason is obvious. A strong defense can keep the opponent's score low. A run based offense tends not to produce points as quickly. If you get far behind, your team will feel the need to produce points more quickly. Therefore, the running game tends to get shoved to the side. However, if you've got a good passing offense, you may choose to pass the ball anyway. There is nothing wrong with that. Scoring points quickly can put your opponent in the position of being well behind and feeling the need to abandon their own running game. That makes their offense one dimensional, and easier to defend. KC, with Pat Mahomes' remarkable skill set, is always going to pass a lot regardless of how strong their defense might be, and they will pass even with a strong running game, and big leads in games. It's just who they are.

I don't think Miami especially wants to be rid of him, but apparently Minkah wants out. Surprise, Surprise! Under those circumstances, Miami is willing to trade, but only if a trading partner is willing to overpay. Of course, that means Buffalo will not be involved in the bidding.

They can't make her come in for an interview, but if she's willing, there's no law against talking with her.

Tommy "eeeew" Brady

Kinding knows his stuff. He recognizes that Yetur Gross-Mattos in the third is a Bills fan fantasy, but it's nice to think about at least. A comment in his fifth round pick, Patrick Johnson, caught my eye. He stated that the Bills "reupped" Lawson. Is that true? The last I knew, Beane had declined to pick up the option for the fifth year on Lawson's rookie deal. Did I miss something while I was on vacation?

I think Saquon Barkley could potentially be a starter too!

I wish there were more coaches like that around the AFC East, excluding Buffalo,of course. Gase has a good offensive mind and not much else. That doesn't cut it when it comes to being an NFL head coach.

He hasn't promised a Super Bowl win yet? He's slipping.

And to think somehow, the Italians actually managed to give us the Renaissance. What happened?

Besides this being a division opponent, I don't buy the sentiment that early games don't matter as much. When teams dig themselves a hole early in the season, it creates a lot of pressure late in the season. I hate to be out of the playoffs in week 15 thinking, "if only we had played better in week one against a beatable opponent. . ."

Dodson could be cut and then signed to the last remaining spot on the PS. Maybe that's why the Bills are holding that spot.

Yeah, the first game of the season always carries a certain amount of uncertainty. The fact that the Jets have a complete new coaching staff and new systems on both offense and defense adds to the uncertainty. We know Gase's tendencies and Gregg Williams' tendencies, but we really know nothing about how the Jets' players will take to those schemes.

Isn't there anyone out there named Angerest? Santoso is the size of a defensive end and has a very big leg - but a problem with consistency.

Early in the season injuries to both Allen and Barkley (QBs A and B) would be a big problem. Davis Webb has spent time with the Giants and the Jets. The Giants' Pat Shurmur has roots in Andy Reid's West Coast system with additional influence from Chip Kelly's up tempo attack and Norv Turner's vertical passing game, but the language is probably West Coast. Adam Gase has a mixed background He has served on staff with Mike Martz who was, I believe, an Air Coryell disciple, a deep passing, pass heavy offense, but he has also been involved in offenses that featured a lot of underneath passing, particularly outside the hash marks. I don't know what kind of terminology Gase uses, but it's likely not to be the same as Brian Daboll's flavor of Erhardt-Perkins. He's going to need time to learn the terminology as well as time to start gaining familiarity with Buffalo's offensive support personnel. WRs, TEs, RBs. If he had to start for the home opener, the game plan would have to be incredibly basic and predictable. Cincinnati would eat him alive, and Cincinnati isn't very good. If Allen and Barkley do both end up hurt at the same time, I hope it at least doesn't happen until mid-season. The Bills would not have been any better off with Tyree under center because he is so raw.

Unless Daboll believes Allen just can't handle a pass heavy game plan, I think Daboll will take a very game specific approach, which he should. If Buffalo is playing a team with an average or worse defensive line and linebackers, and has great corners who like to play man coverage, I hope Daboll pounds the rock until the D says "uncle". Then pound it some more. If they can't cover the passing game any better than a a kid's water color paint set, they don't need to run the whole game. Obviously, most of the time, the reality is going to be somewhere in between, so the goal is to keep the defense off balance. Allen needs to be able to audible too, which means he has to be able to make good pre-snap reads. I think he's getting the hang of it though, so I'm optimistic.

It was. Too late to delete the whole thing. Maybe the mods can merge.

His average and net are very ordinary. If McDermott is looking for the best available, Jake Schum is probably not the guy.