RocCityRoller

It's kind of been the reason he never made it as a starter in the league. BUF should be looking at improving the backup spot this offseason with so many QBs in flux.

One of the best Bills nicknames of all time and from the footage I've seen he earned it. RIP Golden Wheels take one deep to the pearly gates. Don't get freaked out if a large guy in a Mexican wrestling mask and Sombrero is one of the first to greet you.

Great synopsis. Funny how the replies are Thurman got old, Kelly struggled, Reich stunk are littered in here. The underlying problem on offense was the OL. This is exactly why old timers and mid old timers keep pounding the table to continuously improve the OL. That team had lost 3/5ths of its 1987-1993 run. John Fina (LT), Corbin Lacina (LG) and Glenn Parker (RT) were no replacement for Will Wolford (LT), Jim Ritcher (LG) and Howard Ballard (RT) They could not run the counter or draw the same, or set up screens as well. The fact Jim Kelly did as well as he did behind that line is a testament to Jim Kelly. In the backfield you had Mickey Washington, a rookie Thomas Smith and Matt Darby trying to replace JD Williams, Nate Odomes and Mark Kelso. Can't lose 3/5ths of your very good starting OL and 3/4 of your solid DBs and succeed.

its still tight. KC and Hou are in a death match to the end for #4. if KC loses tonight Houston needs to lose next week. Way too many situations where Buffalo goes to Arrowhead in the playoffs.

I'm not an Edmunds fan. I'll state it clearly from the start. I'm also not an Edmunds hater. I want him to succeed and he seems like a good guy. Pros: he calls a good defense, hard to dispute. For a guy who is 21 he had a lot thrown at him early, and has handled it well. He calls a nice game. He is also very athletic and has stunning size. He stays out of trouble and works like a professional. He is good in coverage. Cons: He lacks any kind of MLB killer instinct. He is a stat compiler His tackles are weak, especially given his size. A lot of times he makes a play at or behind the line of scrimmage he is the 2nd or 3rd guy on the scene. His gap integrity is bad, his angles are bad, he gets swallowed up in the muck easily, he can't disengage from blockers. He lacks any kind of big play ability from this position. 2 FF, 3.5 sacks, 3 picks in 2 years is pretty weak for a 1st round draft pick at LB. His best stat after collecting tackles 4+ yards down field is passes defended. 21 passes defended. That is excellent. What LB position does best with a rangy tall guy, with good speed, and good coverage skills? I would love to see Edmunds get time at the SAM position lined up over the TE next off season. Since the Bills mostly play zone line him up on the side with the #1 TE. I think he would be a match up nightmare manning the zone on the side of the TE. Get him away from the muck in the middle of the field. Let him get some blitz looks from the edge, where he can use that speed and length to be disruptive. Edmunds does not handle the muck in the middle well. He does well in coverage, that is not the hallmark of a MLB.

Don't fear, you are not alone. I've been alone on this cart alone with my Sunday crew for about a year. Edmunds calls a good defense, I give him that. His instincts and angles leave a lot to be desired most of the time. He gets swallowed up in the muck too often. Anyone who watches him directly on defense sees it all the time. He is not the impact LB you draft in the first round. When you draft a LB that high you should land a TJ Watt, Darius Leonard or Bud Dupree. Van Der Esch is a better MLB. Edmunds isn't even in that conversation. He and Rashaan Evans are stuck in overdrafted status. This team lacks an impact LB. With Lorax approaching 37, and Edmunds and Milano showing their limits, an impact LB in the first or second is ok with me. I see team needs as #1WR, Impact LB, DE as highest. RT, Pulling style guard and RB#1 as next. Some of this can be fixed in FA (OG/ DE/ RT?). WR, LB and RB should be drafted.

I think you are on the right path with this line of thinking. Another way of thinking about the OP question is to flip it inside out and ask; "How would Josh Allen look in other offenses and player personnel packages?" "How would Mahomes, Jackson, Watson or Wilson look in Buffalo?" How does Josh Allen look in KC with Reid, Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Zeus etc? How does he look in Seattle, or Houston with their weapons? What if he was in Baltimore? I think the only QBs who could succeed in that scheme are Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and maybe Watson or Wilson. This team is a lot like the 1987 and 1988 Buffalo Bills. Those teams were defense first, a young QB with a big arm and adding in the players needed for a run. The 86-89 off seasons were huge for the Bills. The roster isn't quite ready to challenge the best teams, and this team is learning to win games. Much like 87 and 88. This team needs a better edge rusher, and impact LB, a #1 RB, a WR 1, a pulling guard and a better option at OT. They are a good offseason or two from competing with the big boys of the league, but it is trending in the right direction. Continue to reinforce the OL and offensive weapons. A better option at RT helps, a pulling guard helps. John Brown and Devin Singletary would be ideal WR#2 and RB#2 options for a championship calibre team. A real pass rusher at DE and an impact LB (think TJ Watt, Bud Dupree, Darius Leonard) would help too. I need to see a more complete roster before I can really answer this.

Been looking at the playoff calculator: Of the Ravens, Pats, Chiefs, Texans/Titans, Steelers I like the match up vs KC the least. Too many scenarios where Buffalo has to travel to Arrowhead to face the Chiefs. If KC wins out, then Buffalo almost always faces the Texans/Titans winner. If KC gets tripped up and loses at Chicago or home vs the Chargers then Buffalo has to go to Arrowhead Even if Buffalo trips up New England and wins this week, we face KC in the wild card round if KC loses either of their games! Someone check me on this, but KC winning out helps Buffalo more than anything else. EDIT ok so if Buffalo beats New England it pads well against facing KC in the wildcard round. so beat New England to avoid KC..... Otherwise hope KC wins out.

I stopped at Are the Pats cheating...... Is grass green and is the sky blue?

getting ahead of ourselves a bit Buffalo has to go in and take care of business all of this is a moot point unless Buffalo wins this week Making the Pats have to play all 16 games, and possibly making them play on wildcard weekend are both wins, and possible regardless of the outcome of who wins the AFC East. A loss to Buffalo may not mean they lose the division, but it could make them take a much much harder road to a Super Bowl run. That is all the motivation Buffalo should need. KC also needs to win and take care of business and have a leg up because they own the tie breaker versus New England.

Great post. This is a terrific place to be a football coach, or a football player for all the reasons you mentioned. Less distraction and chance to get into trouble than say Miami, NYC, LA. A place where football is loved and ingrained in the community. A small enough community where a good gesture will be recognized and not lost in the local media. As this team rebuilds a winning culture (yes the 1960's some of the 1980s and the 1990s was a winning culture), players will notice.

You trust Gore, as he is now, to make a game winning run in the playoffs or SB if needed?

Well I did start this Gem before the trade deadline. I tried to note to TBD that RB was the biggest position of need at the FA deadline. I was trying to point out that Gore can not be an RB1 if needed (what an RB2 is supposed to do) Singletary is unproven and injured (happy he came back so quickly from a hammy) Using Gore so much early meant fumes later because 36 yr old backs run out of juice (Yep) Buffalo should try to get a RB more than a WR (Yep) Buffalo does not trust Yeldon any more than I do (Yep) Buffalo should try to get Drake (Yep), Ballage (Nope), Lindsay (Yep) Well Gore is on fumes. He had some nice games filling in but it used up his juice. He did break a record and has been a pro. Buffalo did need a RB because now Gore is averaging 1.2-1.5 ydc (got used up while Singletary was out) Singletary the good unproven back from a small conference is showing fumbleitis and there is no on else to go to..... I saw it back in October when Gore was still a stud per the replies below, and it was assumed Singletary would be a stud. Listen to RocCityRoller, he knows foootballing

Honestly, the top end talent on most of those teams is better than Buffalo. All of those teams have known, nationally recognized top end talent. Buffalo plays football like a Greek Phalanx or Roman Legion goes to war. Everyone knows their role, their assignment. The 'Heroes' are few and far between. The next man steps up. I loved the graphic on Sunday Night Football that showed 5 of Buffalo's D-Linemen were first round picks. Can you name them? This Buffalo team is like the No Name Defense. It is a unit. Phillips, Hyde, Poyer, Edmunds and Milano all got snubbed. An argument could be made that Morse, Feliciano and Brown all got snubbed. They can celebrate Tre White, but I am certain this is another coaching feather in the cap. An out of town friend asked me what the Buffalo Defense is like because they don't do anything great. How is Buffalo 10-4? I compared the entire Buffalo team to a Boa Constrictor that sucks the life out of opponents. It slowly, methodically chokes it's opponents out. After struggling, the offense wakes up and delivers the coup de grace and strikes when least expected. Buffalo has been the points underdog in their last 4 games. They are 3-1 straight up and against the spread. Fine. There is no one that oohs and ahhs the general public or the average gambler. I bought a house last spring, but plenty of my friends made out well on prop bets about the Bills this year. There is still a lot of meat on that bone my friends. I ramble on now, but it all starts with coach McDermott. Better than a lot of coaches out there. McDermott exceeds expectations with his roster. The same can not be said in Cleveland, Jacksonville, Houston or the Jets. And long may that reign CrippleCreek.

nothing concrete, pure speculation Tom and Doug have ties that bind. Just a feel.

LOL I knew that joke was coming! Rochester City Schools might be better off if they were run by the sports SEC! 'Our grades are still terrible, but a lot of kids are getting athletic scholarships' - RCSB commissioner and former SEC executive

He was straight up tackled on a move just like that against Pitt. My friends and I were apoplectic. Jerry had some words for the officials a few times in the past, and they have held a grudge since. Agreed Hughes is worth more to us as a DE than the dead cap hit. I would like to keep him under contract and bring in another pass rushing Edge player

Augie I think the line would have wrapped around the door. That said I like seeing talented teams in the AFC with bad coaches. Keep Freddie in Cleveland, St. Doug in Jacksonville, Gase in NY, Billy O in Houston etc.

Pure speculation, but maybe they told Coughlin he had to fire St. Doug and Tom refused?

I'd say a DT that is 2nd in sacks at his position, on 65% of the snaps as Aaron Donald is in the realm of dominant. While run stuffing DEs may grow on trees, pass rushing DTs don't. This defense returned 10 of 11 starters and look what it has done. If I had to choose I'd keep Phillips, but it's closer than I thought. Phillips brings the energy that the rest of the DL feeds off of. There are also quite a few edge players available in FA. Will that DE buy into the process? Will they be a scheme fit? Lawson is starting to approach Phil Hansen territory. The last thing I want to see is Buffalo letting Lawson and Phillips walk and then have to address the Defensive line and the Offense in FA and the draft. With 90+ million there is plenty of $ available and that is before cuts and other potential losses.

Another McDerrmott and Beane gem. Didn't realize Phillips was a 2nd round pick. I like that Oliver is standing up for his team mate. I want Buffalo to lock Phillips up. He has filled in very well for Kyle Williams, he is the right DT in this scheme, he is juiced to be on this team and produces. Right fit schematically, right fit culturally, good neighbor (no off field incidents) and produces. Pay the man and set the example for the rest of the FAs and young guys that buy in and production count.

More fake news. I can make up other 'credible news' too: I'll be selling snow as a keepsake since Global Warming is just around the corner. Former Judge Leticia Astacio has entered a 12 step program and apologizes for her behavior. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has changed her mind and now welcomes Amazon HQ to Queens. The FBI and SEC find no wrong doing or malfeasance in the Rochester City School Board's 64.8 million dollar short fall. Wow journalism is so easy!

In Tre White's opening remarks he mentioned he was more comfortable for this play off run than in '17. Let that sink in. We have guys who have not experienced that year after year of grinding losing seasons. Tre has been here three seasons and is going to the playoffs in two of them. IMHO this is why you clean house and do a full rebuild, which McDermott and Beane have done while remaining competitive. Look at all the guys Buffalo drafted that are in their 4th season or less, or have been here 5 seasons or less as FAs. Buffalo to them is a playoff calibre team. More topically, this thread has gotten some attention in the Pats forum. Some block head posts about wanting to see Brady break his leg, or other players being injured has, as imagined, not shone a bright light on our fair fan base. Many of the fans over there early in the thread considered Buffalo a lesser of many evils than other AFC teams if New England gets knocked out. Some even hoped the Bills would win the Super Bowl should that happen. As much as I am ready to turn the page on the Pats dynasty, and see what Buffalo can do in that vacancy, it would be foolish to overlook this Pats team until the final dagger is put into that vampire. I am more confident now than any time since the mid 90's that it is a real possibility. I think KC broke the 21 home winning streak and it portents to coming things, but our team has to actually go in and take care of business. I think the Bills will be playing loose and confident, not needing the win to make the post season. I also know you don't wish ill will to your opponent and bring on bad karma or juju. Let's see how this team measures up on Saturday. Go Bills!

Congrats Tre White! Well deserved.

We got a great coach in the making. Other people told him not come to Buffalo because Buffalo's losing culture couldn't be changed. McDermott preached culture from day one and most of us rolled our eyes. He has stayed true to his philosophy, his faith and his process. He told us all to trust the process. There were no splashy promises, no grandiose displays. Coach promised a culture, a process and hard work. Under achievers and malcontents were shipped off for the picks he and Beane would use the next year to lay a foundation by getting signal callers for both sides of the ball in the first full draft he and Beane had. They made tough gutsy decisions to clear cap space. In year one he took a rag tag team of cast offs and found a way to back into the playoffs. This ended a playoff drought of 17 years. The Bills hadn't made the playoffs in the entire 21st Century. It had to help build locker room buy in with what coach was saying. Immediate results speak volumes. Year two he took some lumps, while a rookie LB learned a complicated defense and took over on field play calling. Josh had to start earlier than planned but McDermott didn't panic. Despite some bad games and a 6-10 record the team was buying in. In season when the Defense was regressing, he took control of the Defensive play calling to right the ship. The buck stopped with McDermott. Did McDermott fire Frazier, publicly call him out or embarrass him? No he helped Frazier understand how his defense and the personnel Buffalo had play it better. He did this because he is a true leader. Year three 10 of 11 defensive players returned. Frazier, Edmunds and McDermott are on the same page. The Defense is in the top 5 in almost all statistical categories. McDermott knew the defense would have to carry the load since 9 of 11 starters on the offense were new. Sure, the schedule assisted, sure Buffalo got some good bounces, but most football teams have these opportunities. Somehow Buffalo, for 17 years, couldn't take advantage of softer schedules. Sometimes what is called luck is the result of preparation and execution. The Bills have secured a playoff spot with two weeks to go. The division is still in play. How many times have the Pats had to play to the last whistle in a season? Players love the locker room, the organization, winning, the culture a lot of us laughed at, and the process. Buffalo played the two top teams in the conference to one score losses. They went into Pittsburgh, Dallas and Tennessee and found ways to win, two of those games in the national spotlight. Those are games the Bills of 1999-2017 always found ways to lose those games. Buffalo is earning a hard won and begrudging respect, unless you're PFF. Playoffs 2 of 3 years. 90 million in cap space, a nearly full slate of picks, few big contracts coming up and a culture that has turned. Football players will want to come to Buffalo. It all started with coach McDermott, and the best is yet to come.