Ethan in Cleveland

I think this is where most people are. It will take a two year cycle of coming up short of the SB to move on from McDermott. Barring some ridiculous collapse this year he will be around for 2024.

Good point. That’s why I said DE/edge. He was always a pass rusher first just like Miller. I think Dallas is moving him to DE full time this year

I dont disagree with anything you wrote. Define patience for us though please? How many seasons with the best QB in franchise history do you give McD? Do you keep him as long as he is making the playoffs but not a SB? If they go 10-7 and miss the playoffs is he still the HC in 2024? What if he goes 12-5 and loses in the first round at home? I've posted multiple times, I would trade him for Jim Harbaugh in an instant. Harbaugh took a far less talented QB to a NFC Championship and the SB and came within a few yards of winning it. Harbaugh would leave Michigan in an instant for a chance to lead the Bills roster.

The discussion is not whether he is a good coach. Of course McD is a good coach The question is, is he an exceptional coach that will give us a championship? We don't need good. We need a SuperBowl.

There are good LBs in round 1. But even the best ones don't make enough plays to make a difference. Corners and edge rushers are more critical pieces of your defense.

Yeah when last I bothered to look it was about 50% or a little more teams had some player that was considered a FB. So you can't say the position is extinct as many HCs seem to still value whatever skill set they bring. If you could dress all 53 I'd probably think otherwise. But I'd rather dress an extra TE, OL, or DL and use them to block.

I figured 3 Hopkins threads were enough so I thought a different thread might be fun. Is their an opinion that you have changed or evolved over a period of time? Mine involves positions worthy of a first round pick. I defended teams like the Colts taking a probable HOF guard with a top 10 pick in the past and at the time. Many others said it was crazy to take a guard that high. Same with TE when I wanted Hockenson over Oliver. In a relatively short period of time I've changed my thought. Even if a player ends up a ProBowl level talent there are just so many positions that don't matter enough to warrant a first round pick. For me its a combination of the true value they bring to winning and also the opportunity to get a player at the same position that can play at a high level much later in the draft. Positions I would take in the first round: 1. QB 2. LT 3. WR 4. DE/edge 5. CB Positions I might take in the first round: 1. DT 2. TE 3. RT Positions I would never take in the first round: 1. Obviously K and P 2. LB 3. S 4. RB 5. IOL

Fair take. I'd keep 4 RB and get rid of Gilliam. Never liked him on the roster and hated the contract they gave him. Harris could line up at FB in a pinch but heck I'd put a DT back there in short yardage if you really want a blocker. Gilliam offers nothing special. Case in point the team has been terrible in short yardage situations for multiple years now. Only the QB sneak has been consistently effective. He had a few nice blocks last season and I have nothing against him. I've been against a roster spot for a FB for years.

Agree with or without Hopkins I think Davis will have a great year.

Other way around. Diggs play is nearly flawless. Allen was careless with the ball last year. Allen is amazing but he needs to play cleaner this year even if that means taking the check down from time to time. Allen needs to trust his guys can make plays with the ball too.

No need to trade a WR. Get rid of Gilliam and just keep two TEs on the roster. That opens a space for an extra WR and an extra OL that can play TE3 when needed.

Are you seriously comparing Hopkins to OBJ???

There are many to choose from and some good posts so far Draft: Ford, Epenesa, Basham Draft misses: Humphrey FA: not so much the players but the wasted dollars on average to below players like Star and Murphy. Hated those contracts at the time. But I still think his biggest miss was not trading for Von Miller. I believe if we had Miller Bills would have won the SB. 13 seconds would have never occurred because Bills would have beaten KC by double digits.

Agreed

White, Dawkins, and Hyde

I'm one of the biggest and longest tenured McDermott skeptics on this board, but it is an absolutely joke, click bait, and attention seeking move to rank him 22nd. He's easily in the top 10 coaches in the NFL. I am still skeptical he will win a SB with Josh and I've been on record I'd take Harbaugh or Riley over him right now. However if he was fired this season no less than 10 clubs would hire him in an instant. He would be an instant upgrade over most of the guy in the NFL.

Yeah that's insanity Allen was more careless with the ball last season. He has to clean that up. Nobody knows how much the elbow injury was playing a role. He and the offense looked unstoppable at the beginning of the season. If he utilizes the entire field this season he will carve up every opponent.

I chose Tampa. Should be off PUP by then and first game can be at home.

There is nothing interesting about punters

Its a product of 13 seconds. If Bills had just been beaten the questions about McDermott would likely not exist. But when your coaching staff blows the best shot at a SuperBowl in 25 years it is a fair criticism. Last year honestly deserves an asterisk for all that the team and coaching staff endured. I'm as big a McDermott skeptic as anyone on this board but you have to praise the guy for all he did through the mass of injuries, the weather, and the Hamlin incident.

The clock is not the issue. It is the mechanics of how they monitor the clock. The ref apparently can't watch the clock and the ball at the same time. I call BS on this. If the QB can see the clock in the endzone so should the ref. You could put a mobile play clock the lines up with the LOS to the line judges are looking at clock and ball at same time. I doubt a buzzer would work given how loud it is but there are better ways to enforce this including the use of replay.

Yes a 6th of all plays are STs but half of those are FGs and XPs, which 99% of the time come down to snap, hold, kick. So real percentage of meaningful plays is far less than 10%. Add punts and KOs that are touchbacks or fair catches and you are getting down to low single digit meaningful plays. I won't argue that every once in a while you get an exciting play but the game will be fine with less kick offs. I'm for any rule that further demphasizes special teams. I dont want bottom of roster guys deciding the outcome of the game. More than not you get a holding penalty on the kick return just putting your offense is worse shape. I'd take Josh Allen at the 25 after every kick off returning the kick any day. I hope 2024 they eliminate the entire play and just start at the 25. Less TV timeouts, less injury, less penalties.

We have great fans and a great connection to the city but so does Pittsburgh, Chicago, Green Bay, Seattle, KC, Cleveland, and several others. I'd say we travel better than any other franchise, but that may be in part because so many of us have left WNY already. And that is just NFL. Baseball in places like St Louis are just as linked as the Bills are to Buffalo.

49ers at 3 is a joke. Not having a QB trumps the next ten best players. Bills for 17 years had decent rosters but no QB. Browns the last few years have had great OL, great pass rusher, and decent WRs and still suck. Packers have had terrible rosters for years yet Rodgers and one good to great WR was good enough to get in the playoffs year after year. You can't speak about a roster as if they are all equal parts. Its a team sport in name only. Its a QB and 52 other guys sport. The exceptions are incredibly rare over the last two plus decades.

Life happens - I would avoid getting a tattoo of any sports team. Oh wait that wasn't the question As others have said, I'm a Bills fan not a NFL fan. If Bills left Buffalo even though I have not lived there since 1988 I would stop watching NFL. I'd casually watch college football but not follow any one team. There is a game of the year every weekend in college football to entertain me. I would not give up 3 or 4 hours of my weekend for any NFL team besides the Bills. What part of Portland?