LSHMEAB

I agree with this. I don't see confidence as an issue with Allen, so I'm not particularly swayed that he looks MORE confident. He needs to get more efficient, find the soft spot in the defense, deliver the ball more quickly, and hit the gimmies. Confidence seemed to be an issue with EJ. I have no idea if Allen will pan out, but confidence is not something I worry about with him.

You can throw in the Steelers, Pats and any team with a franchise QB. To be fair, these ARE the teams that the average fan wants to hear about. There are so many bandwagon fans that most people root for these teams. Whether they're actually fans of the team can be debated. If a small market team like Buffalo wants national exposure, Josh Allen will have to become one of the franchise guys. Personally, I'm not sure why people care so much about national exposure. I'm much more concerned with the Bills winning, and that would go hand in hand with Allen becoming a household name. A win/win situation because the national exposure crowd can get the meaningless accolades and the "winning" crowd can see the Bills....actually win.

That was the first season in a LONG time that we found a way to win a few of those games. The most impressive game from my perspective was the KC win at Arrowhead. The team appeared to be on the verge of collapse and they went INTO KC and came away with a win. KC was struggling at the time, but the Bills DID find a way to win. McDermott as a HC has generally been solid in close games. As a Bills fan, that's important. I've seen enough meltdowns. At least when McD loses, he doesn't want his team giving any of that false hope leading up to the last second heartbreak. When he loses, he LOSES.

I think one of the reasons ESPN transitioned into a nonsense format is the emerging ease of actually watching live games. The die hard fans are probably watching the majority of the games they're interested in, so the niche market is much less hardcore fans and more casual fans who like silly debates that have very little bearing on sport itself. Back in the day, there was a much larger percentage of games that were unavailable or at least difficult to view. The demand for highlights from games a true fan wasn't able to view just isn't there. I pretty much stole your answer, but it was an accident. This is how I see it as well.

I think the team and the fans will learn quite a bit more about Foster in camp and the preseason games. Is he the guy making big plays left and right or is he the guy who was undrafted and cut? I happen to believe in Foster, but needless to say, very important camp for RF. I understand what you're driving at; if they think he was a flash in the pan and some team makes a nice offer, you consider it. That would really come down to how the team view's him as a prospect. He definitely developed a nice rapport with Allen and that's important.

Ha. The Bills definitely have a nice looking tandem back there at safety. Strictly speaking football of course.

Christian Ponder won 10 games? That CAN'T be right. What this chart demonstrates is that if a quarterback is going to be a franchise guy, he's probably going to start playing well in his second season. I'll grant that Allen is "raw" and the offensive personnel is still subpar, but I expect to see marked improvement across the board if he's the guy. There have been exceptions to this rule; Drew Brees comes to mind. But GENERALLY, a franchise QB is going to look like one at a young age.

Good point, but Welker did very little with Miami outside of kick returns. They definitely made a mistake, but Welker wasn't Welker prior to the trade to NE. We're talking about a guy who had 1 receiving TD in 3 seasons prior to 2007. At the time, you could have made the argument that it was a massive overpay by NE. Looks like they knew what they were doing, as usual.

It would make more sense if Hill was likely to receive a longer suspension or even find himself on the chopping block. Right now, it LOOKS like 4 games. On another note, I think I'd be extremely hesitant to trade offensive personnel to Andy Reid. If the Chiefs are in the market for Foster, I'm probably even more inclined to keep him. I think it's within the real of possibility that Foster was a flash in the pan, but I don't believe that to be the case. As the overwhelming number of posters have stated, even if a 2nd year receiver with tons of talent is relegated to 4th WR, why are you getting rid of him? It's not like we're looking at some huge haul for his services at this point in his career.

So you mean to tell me two of the most accomplished offensive minds loved Mahomes, but NOBODY could see it coming? Almost like the top guys see things other's don't. Weird.

Fair enough. If we're talking about fans bragging that they knew Mahomes was gonna be a stud(when they may very well be lying), I get it. Very annoying actually. My point was referencing the sentiment of "how could anyone have known?" regarding draft picks. The front office gets paid to get it right more often than not. That's their job! The fact that Joe Blow didn't know Mahomes would be great has nothing to do with the Bills brass. They make these decisions and they will ultimately be judged by them. If Allen was a hit, they'll be in business. If he flops, neither Beane or McDermott are likely to get another crack at their current gigs. I'm hoping for the former.

I used to officiate for a non competitive youth football league. They didn't even keep score! Never taken so much abuse and there were "near" fights EVERY game. It's crazy. For sure. "Specialization" is definitely newish and that could be debated. Overzealous parents? Old as time.

Agree. He was NOT good in the Pats game and he was excellent against the Dolphins. Playing well in the finale isn't "steady improvement" even if it feels that way. Very inconsistent. I have several question marks about whether experience will translate into the type of instinct required to excel at MLB. I have zero doubt he'd be an All-Pro OLB. Time will tell with TE.

Respectfully never understood this argument. None of us are paid to make decisions. Fan clamor for this player or that player is irrelevant. McD chose to pass on Mahomes and Watson, so that's on him. Beane/McDermott went with Allen a year later and that will determine their fate. But THEY are responsible for making decisions, not the fans.

Next SI is gonna write a scathing column on the dangers of rap music. Seriously, how is this new? I think the only new component is technology, but this has probably been going on since the inception of sports.

Oh no. I didn't miss that point. I would agree that Allen wouldn't have done much with Beasley in 2018. FTR, I'm not completely sold on JA. I've come around quite a bit, but I'm definitely not there. The hope is that with a year under his belt, the game will slow down and he'll become more proficient and anticipatory. I feel like the problem isn't so much inaccuracy as it is anticipation. There's no questioning the kid's work ethic, so there's a chance. He'll never be Brady or Brees in this department, but with his skill set, it's not a requirement. He just needs to become "adequate." His STRENGTH will always be the big play.

The first game I ever attended was the nightmarish Jags playoff game that marked the end of JK's career. I've been to several games since, but none particularly high leverage.(I guess we haven't had many). Perhaps you and I should watch from home for our next big game.

They can get out of Murphy's contract quite easily after 2019. If I had to choose, I'd rather pay Lawson if we're talking equal money. In a perfect world, they find a true stud DE in the 2020 offseason and Lawson AND Murphy are very low priority guys.

Fly's, deep routes are not Beasley's thing as we all know. They can't just field an entire receiving core based on what Allen has done well thus far in his career. They have emphasized speed with Brown and Foster, but you've got to have someone doing the dirty work. Considering all the tight ends have question marks, a guy like Beasley is a must. I believe your overall point is that Allen has struggled with short and intermediate throws. If he can't at least become competent in that department, it won't really matter because it will mean he's not the answer. So I don't really get the critique of Beasley.

I'm looking for adequate run support from the free safety position. I'm looking for well above average coverage skills from that spot. Poyer is at least adequate in run support and outstanding in coverage. Actually drafted as a corner IIRC. The trade off is well worth it. As you mentioned, Poyer actually made plays in the RZ; the only other guy I recall making plays in the RZ was Milano. The hope is that Oliver opens things up for the edge rushers and more importantly, Edmunds makes a huge leap. Gotta fix the RZ defense.

I'm almost surprised when it DOESN'T happen over the course of a typical weekend.

Completely agree. Maybe I'm reading too much into McD taking over the playcalling for a short time last season, but my hunch is that he was much more hands on with the defense even after the eventual switchback. What does that say about Frazier? I don't think it says anything terrific. Not sure what his deal is, but I feel like we've got to blitz more, especially with our secondary.

Man. I would have forged a signature to NOT go on this field trip. Sorry coach, Mom doesn't approve.

I think it's time to let the Kraft thing go. The best practical joke we could pull off is to sweep the Pats. That would be much more satisfying than a pun. I'm good with that one!

I also prefer aggressive, so I think the solution is to fix the offense. In a season like 2018, my attitude is why the h not? The personnel you're working with certainly factors into the coach aggression meter, but start forming good habits. I'd rather see a young coach develop the habit of going for it when the situation dictates. Looks like McDermott did a pretty good job with that last season. Let's not play for ties anymore either; not a fan of that.