LSHMEAB

Just beat the friggin Broncos!

This line drives me nuts. I've been very critical of Allen and the direction of the team many times on this board. I've also watched every single play since 1997. I was just a kid so I made friends with the guy at Best Buy working the DirecTV setup just so he'd let me keep the display on the Bills games. Ok, so I have missed a few plays. I vividly remember CBS? breaking into a Bills Jets game for the Clinton Impeachment nonsense. There was also the blackout during the Edwards era; can't remember the year. Never ONCE have I not been nervously rooting the Bills. Quite the contrary. The insinuation that critique and skepticism= hoping the Bills fail is RIDICULOUS. You could actually make the argument that the fans who accept everything the team is selling are not real fans. If you're perfectly fine with everything the Bills do, you don't actually want to see them improve. You just want to watch the games and HOPE. I would personally never make this case because it's silly. Who spends time on a Bills message board if they're not rooting for the team? I suppose there are always weirdo's out there, but that number is most likely TINY. I don't get the need for the eating crow stuff each and every week. This should not be a fight between skeptical Bills fans and those supremely confident in the direction. I think we can all agree the team appears to be headed in the right direction. That's a GOOD thing.

I didn't think he should have come back THIS season, but so far, so good; sort of. The Pats appear to have the best overall team in the league. But come playoff time, things can change quickly. You face the wrong opponent and it's on the QB to do the heavy lifting. I honestly don't think he's got the strength to do that. It's possible I'm way off base. It's possible the team is so good that it won't matter. But it's also possible that he has an EPIC fail in the playoffs. We shall see.

I loved Didas's reference to our coach "Norm McDermott," which I assume was some kind of crazy combination of McD and Norm MacDonald. There were several hilarious gaffes to choose from, but that was my favorite.

This is pretty much the go to logic behind why a QB the Bills passed on is succeeding; "he's in a good system." Which itself begs the question, why is our offensive coaching staff incapable of bringing out the best in a QB? At any rate, I like the 180 "approach" towards Allen by the staff and I'm hoping for good things.

The Patriots are winning games in spite of Tom Brady, not because of him. His days as an elite NFL QB are most certainly over. Unfortunately, BB is still BB.

No doubt, but I'm perfectly fine with the trade off. There were times the blitz was picked up and Fitz had an easy throw. There were also times when Fitz was so rattled that he couldn't make an easy throw. And finally, there were times when Fitz threw so off balance that it could have easily lead to pick. I'm perfectly fine sacrificing some yardage for an opportunity at more TO's and more negative plays. When you get those negative plays, the put the offense in negative down and distance which often leads to poor decisions and picks. You only need to get three/sometimes four consecutive stops in a drive. I want more opportunities at 2nd/3rd and 20 and blitzing is our best bet considering our less than stellar DE group.

Well yeah, I assume that would factor into the equation a bit. But it seemed like some were insinuating there was a specific forecast affecting the line, which just doesn't happen this far from next Sunday. If they had a specific concern in mind related to weather, I don't think they'd put anything up until there was more info.

I have a hard time believing they'd set a line like that this far out based on weather. If it was that serious, they wouldn't put anything out. I think that line is what it is.

Fair enough, but the egregiously errant crucial passes on the final drive were not overly rushed. They were made from a clean pocket by NFL standards. Again, I'm not referring to the desperation heave to Aghalor. I'm not sure if you watched the final drive, but I put those particular throws on the QB. Certainly not disputing that those extra few seconds alter throws nor am I dismissing the role solid protection plays for a QB's rhythm/timing/production.

Man O Man. I don't think Wentz sucks, but if there is such a thing as a clutch gene, he doesn't have it. Those erratic throws on the last possession were brutal. Not talking about the throw to Agholor. Talking about the gimmies he missed once they got within striking distance of the EZ. Awful.

Purely conjecture, but I have a hard time believing the increased stunts and blitzes were not a directive coordinated by McDermott. Just not sure it's in Frazier's DNA regardless of the obvious need to creatively attack the LOS. With the Bills front four lacking difference makers, THIS is what you have to do if you're going to create pressure and make the opposing QB uncomfortable.

That Patriots team would be DANGEROUS if they had a QB. I'm only half joking.

You think they'd have been running up-tempo with a ten point lead and 11 minutes left in the 4th QTR if there wasn't a concerted effort to be more aggressive? I'm guessing no.

Yes. That doesn't convince me the previous games were "good outings." This was. 2 TD'S 0 picks is nice if you're consistently moving the ball down the field; which he did today. For all the talk of lack of rushes, part of that is by virtue of not making enough plays to keep drives alive; again, he did that today. Are you telling me those outings were the building blocks for today? That the Cleveland game signaled progress? I would say that's incorrect. I would say the whole mentality shift from "'let's not mess up" to "let's go ball out" was key.

I would say he's had several bad to subpar games in a row, so the progress is not linear. It's not like this game was the culmination of previous week's growth. What we saw is the offensive staff allowing a big play QB to make plays. I don't know what to expect against better competition, but I know that something clicked with the team; the approach of asking such a player to "not make mistakes" was NEVER going to work. I want to see it on a consistent basis, but I'm encouraged.

This was an A and it was all predicated on the fact that he went out there and....PLAYED football. He got away with a few, but in the long run, I am not OVERLY concerned with picks as long as the production was there. Had he thrown a pick or lost a fumble, yet performed equally well on all non pick possessions, guess what? That's fine. They went up-tempo, he wasn't thinking "I better not make a mistake." He was thinking, "I want to make a play." That is the only way he's going to succeed in this league. I even liked seeing them go uptempo when it ran counter to "running out the clock." That was Daboll recognizing that whatever it takes to get him to focus on "playing," that's what you need to do. Best overall game as an NFL QB. Very encouraging.

I think you'd have to throw EJ Gaines name into the ring. I remember people expecting L's during that 2017 season because Gaines was out. While there was an odd disparity in the teams performance, the extrapolation that one DECENT corner made that type of impact is not really logical. Nice player, but folks got carried away with his importance.

This really should have been the approach from the beginning IMO. Asking a QB like Allen to focus on minimizing mistakes was never going to work. And if you think that's speculation, Daboll's sideline tirade after a pick/fumble(can't remember which) is exhibit A as to how they've been coaching him. He's a big boy so he should be able to handle that in the grand scheme of things, but the entire offensive ideology has to change if it's ever going to work with JA. Just saw this thread/blurb and it was somewhat "refreshing" because I've considered this a problem for a while now. We'll see if any of it actually has an effect on the field, but it would be a nice departure.

I've been hammering Allen pretty hard this week, but he's still got plenty of time to silence the doubters. This would be a great time to start. My hope is that Cleveland game is going to shake things up offensively; you can't "fake" aggressive. You can't try to micromanage a QB who's biggest asset going forward will be big plays provided he takes a step forward. Yes, they passed 41 times, but I think it's time for the OC to take a step back and let the kid do what he's gonna do. It's my view that Allen is going to thrive when he's not playing scared. It's sports psychology 101. They've essentially asked him NOT to make mistakes. It's like telling a pitcher to stop throwing balls, etc. It just doesn't work that way. They need to start focusing on what he CAN do and I'm thinking/hoping they realize they need to make some changes. They shouldn't be in this predicament in the first place offensively, but what's done is done. Hope for the rest of the season is that Allen decides it's time to just play QB and let the chips fall where they may if he makes some mistakes.

Alright. So I've calmed myself after that Cleveland disappointment. Just want to see a win in Miami because getting into the playoffs still matters; especially for a team like Buffalo. Start rebuilding the national brand by winning and you get yourself a slight edge in FA'cy. Ultimately money talks, but winning at the very least whispers.

Fair. We don't LIKE to turn the ball over. Josh is just prone to it. I honestly wouldn't even have a problem with turnovers if there was something going on downfield. People keep talking about Allen as a gunslinger; ok; cool. Take chances. Go downfield. But for holy sake, make some things happen. Where is the production?

Ok. I'll bite. What does that even mean? Allen may be better than Taylor, but this doesn't make sense. We still suck on offense, but now, we like to turn the ball over as well. That's the difference. Tyrod was better than Josh has been AT THIS POINT. Facts.

The record is fine which is why I think the team may be trending in the right direction. Allen; I haven't seen it yet. I'm a results guy. He needs to put up and improve NOW or maybe he's the problem. I want the Bills to win. I dont care who's playing QB.

It's not one and the same in my opinion. Of course it would be ideal if Allen pans out. But if he doesn't, it would be in the BILLS best interest to move on. We're not at that point; that I will give you. I'm rooting for the kid for the same reasons you are; it would be pretty AWFUL for the franchise if he doesn't succeed. That being said, I'm not tied to him because I haven't seen enough to make me believe he's going to be the guy to lead to long term success.