Mikie2times

I love college football and watch it more as a whole than I do NFL. I watch every Bills game, but I'll watch several college games. In my opinion the refs at the college level are better. I feel it's largely because they have less involvement in the game.

9 runs by running backs. Inexcusable, we already saw earlier this year what the team looks like when they abandon the run. The pass blocking just can't hold up and if you have enough pressure and enough reps eventually bad Josh will appear.

Ya, no thank you on fighting Gore. You know that dude can take a punch.

It is a very odd crime when involving injury, it's like on one hand we acknowledge when it involves injury that the negligence reached such a substantial level that it deserves a charge in the family of murder. On the other, if it doesn't happen to involve injury, it's a fairly minor charge. It's almost treated like a fight. If you get in a fight, heck, even if somebody is hurt, probably little to nothing. If you kill the guy, even if it's not intentional (bangs head on concrete when he falls from a punch) then it usually goes into the murder family. In fights, we don't get to make as clear decisions in advance (my opinion). You still have time to make them, but it's not like driving intoxicated where you can plan your travel arrangements before you even leave. Even in the event of a surprise few drinks, you have plenty of time to reflect and make a decision even if you're somewhat impaired while doing so.

In all cases involving somebody who is deceased probably the number one factor in determining sentencing is intent. I doubt most drunk drivers have any intent to harm somebody, so in my mind that does make the person different than somebody who has intent to harm another. That said vehicular manslaughter is a very serious charge. Not murder one, but he's going away for awhile, certainly enough for his life to be all but destroyed. It's never worth it to risk this behavior. Not with Uber and all the options available today. Horrible decision, one I'm sure he has made dozens of times with no consequences until now. If anything, I would be much more in favor of very strict penalties for drinking and driving. The way the crime is treated when it does or doesn't involve injury is essentially like playing Russian roulette. Any drunk driver could have just as easily had this become the outcome. Instead, for most, no outcome occurs or in the event of a DUI the penalty is not harsh enough. People don't think, "what if I get vehicular manslaughter tonight" they think, "I hope I don't get pulled over". Until more severity is placed on making the decision at the start irresponsible people will roll the dice.

It is an elite defense, Top 5. Somewhat assisted by the QB's we have faced, but I think defensive play against below average QB's is a sign of an elite defense. That is where they show the most in today's game. Elite defense in today's game is a defense that makes it very difficult to lose against average teams. Then one that can flash against above average teams and sometimes dominate a game. This is just what elite defenses looks like in todays NFL. An elite defense is still perfectly capable of laying an egg and does so much more frequently than ever before. Elite defenses will also still fall victim more often than not to elite offenses. It's just not the same game anymore. The last formidable defense that was consistent and dominant was probably the Legion of Boom and that was 7-10 years or so in the prime. We really haven't seen anything in the modern era close to that since.

Lets just throw all that is Rex out the window and just look at it logically. Rex never adjusted the modern game. Buddy coached at a time when what you could do to a receiver would now likely land you in jail and stopping the run game was priority one. It's not like Rex mirrored the 46, but he learned from his father and pursued edge setting DL's that could defend the run. Large MLB's that could defend the run. Excessive zone blitzes. I actually think Rex is a a much smarter coach than most around here give him credit for. That said, all of it means nothing if he can adapt to todays NFL.

It was ugly, but I have never seen a team lined up incorrectly and not be ready for the snap as often as the Rex Ryan led Bills. They couldn't even communicate the calls and that was just normal.

I don't know if you watched to full game, but the officiating was pretty bad. At one point they ruled Green Bay recovered a fumble when it was clear it was recovered by Washington. They got it right, but In my entire history of watching football I don't remember a time a fumble recovery was prematurely called. They always let them play and who has the ball in the end gets the ball. Green Bay never came close to controlling the ball and they ruled it that way before the play was over. Weird stuff.

Many athletes including Josh endorse products using their brand (themselves). It's not like it's hard to understand why somebody would be bummed over having no privacy, but I feel like it's an occupational hazard, especially once you decide to become a brand like many stars in sports decide to do. If it impacts them enough they can quit and the attention will stop. Naomi Osaka withdrew from Wimbledon because they forced her to do a press conference. She hates press conferences, she is introverted and has said before press conferences make her uncomfortable. She threatened that if they forced her to do press conferences she would withdraw. That's exactly what happened. Can I understand why a player just wants to play tennis? Sure, and while I respect her trying to draw more awareness toward mental health, her fame is what has given her a platform to speak about these things along with her political beliefs which is something she loves to do. Again, if it's too much to deal with, she can quit and the attention will stop. The bottom-line, in todays day and age this is an occupational hazard for a star athlete. I also imagine most like it at first. They just stop liking it when it becomes constant and the bigger you get the bigger your brand, the more constant it will be. I don't think people will leave Josh alone or be respectful of his privacy. Maybe I just don't have a lot of faith in humanity. That said, I think Josh is a mature 20 year old that will learn how to manage it.

I think Ed is a really talented player and he hasn't put it together yet/might never do so. I thought we drafted a very rare talent that would consistently crash the pocket with his get off, strength, and size. Almost like a John Randle. Very lofty expectations, too lofty, but he was regarded as a potential number one overall pick. He just went through a lot his last year at Houston not getting the freedom he wanted to rush, arguing with his HC. It led to him being available for us and I loved the pick. He just hasn't become a dominating player yet and I think we will have to look at it long and hard in the offseason depending on what money is being demanded and additional players we need to sign. I kind of look at him somewhat similar to Shaq Lawson as far as his performance and value. A good player for us, but one we likely can move on from if required.

This

He is very Diggs like in just how smooth he is. Like Diggs, he doesn't need sub 4.4 speed to get over the top, his route running is elite and if he gets you to bite he has plenty of speed for a house call. Crazy him and Beasley played on the same SMU team.

I almost look at the Hyde and Poyer as the start of it all. Hyde had some starts and some ok years but wasn't very heralded. Poyer bounced between teams, rarely starting, coming off a bizarre injury. I would consider neither to be splash signings yet both were young with experience and we inked them to long deals. From day one they started. It's almost like they knew something about them or how they would fit in this scheme that either nobody else knew or just gave them more value in the system. Then this theme has just kept playing out. How they stalked Manny Sands for years. Stole the closest thing to Julian Edelman in todays NFL in Cole. Brushed aside any of the diva hype on Diggs. Disregarded any of the accuracy death on Allen. It goes on and on. It's like they know things about players or look at players in ways nobody else does. The hit rate is just getting overwhelming at this point and just growing with the emergence of Knox and multiple players in the 21 draft class.

Oh, darn it, I wanted it to be real 🤣.......You can tell he likes to have a good time, sort of the eternal kid jokester, those people are great, that and the competitiveness is probably what makes him and Josh so close. They remind me of each other in a lot of ways.

You haven't seen "it" before. Thankfully.

Beane and McDermott had a vision, they properly identified players, then they executed on that vision. Then to throw some stank on it, they're locking up all of the elite young talent to long term deals. Then for even more stank, they seem to found a chemistry in the type of player they like that almost resembles a college team. This team loves each other like few professional teams do.

I really wish I knew more back story on this. Pretty damn funny they all picked Diggs and how they said it. "He's, he's just crazy" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d-Smb2DfvM

I very much appreciate the detail in your response. As some have alluded to in the post, I think people have different standards of the words winner or efficient or think about them in different ways. Certainly all of those QB's had other things going and were all stone cold killers. They could all take the top off a defense and Young wasn't some athletic slouch. That said, my view of saying these guys fit the word efficient was just in how the offense was conducted. They knew the ball was going to X pre snap 99% of the time. Levels of accuracy were record breaking or close, pressure was almost impossible just based on the speed of delivery. It was a demoralizing efficiency, which for me felt very similar to the TB led NE drought of the 2000's. I just don't feel that way watching Josh. I feel like teams can get him off the field. He can run hot or cold for stretches. Which to the media and some observers immediately downgrades him as he doesn't fit the style of what so many former greats look like. Then within this, he can run about as well as anybody and makes plays downfield nobody can make. So the game ends and you think, hmmm, Josh could have played better, but then you look at the score and he hung 35+. Then you look at his line and it's 300-350 total yards and 3TD's and and it always is and you have no idea the possible configuration of throws or rushes it took to accomplish that. He creates ways to create points from nowhere, but he does it so consistently, and from my view, yes, it's every couple decade talent, but also, a sheer determination to win. Michael Vick was nothing like Allen, but in freakish talent and general accuracy, he was. Take Vicks freakish talent, apply it to one of the hardest working, highest character, most detail oriented players at the position. What you would see is what we are seeing with Josh. You will have some hot and cold but the is talent is so profound, if the determination is there like it is with Josh, it's almost like a Michael Jordan impact on the field. Things will happen that can't happen and it will happen normally almost allowing a player to singe handedly will a team to victory. As it often appears Josh does for us in closer games in key plays. I say a lot, it's a forum I gave reference to Michael Jordan earlier, he needed experience and help to finally overcome the Pistons. Not having the hardware is part of what is polarizing. If he was the ultimate winner, wouldn't he have won? I still think you need some experience and a supporting cast. Last year very well could have been our 1990 Bulls season, the year the Bulls lost to the Pistons for the last time. You see similarities with the swag and attitude of this team compared to the evolution of the Bulls demeanor towards the Pistons as they got hungrier.

Has to be Bryce Paup, Ted Washington, or TKO. As far as buzz to impact ratio, I'm actually going with Teddy. He was here a long time, was not a splash signing and basically was the blueprint at his position for a decade. Paup had a massive first year. TKO was an excellent player, we paid for such and he delivered. Steve Christie belongs in the conversation as well.

I think off the field Ben is a low character POS. I live about 30 minutes from where he went to high school and the stories vibrate well past me. That said, thank you for the post. I think you really captured what I was trying to convey. On the field Ben was a force, but he was never included with those other players. Still, he could do things those other players couldn't do and often times it's why he would beat those players.

Fair, but I think you need to have a certain level of talent to even be in the running of being called a singular term. Tebow had that level of talent in college and yes, I would 100% define him as a " winner" but his talent just wasn't strong enough in the NFL. High character, determined, these also fit Josh, but they also fit Brady, Montana, Young, etc. Something about Josh doesn't make people feel as comfortable saying he is one of the best and I think in general it's mainly because he isn't that efficient at times. Not like the best have been, but people then get confused and they downgrade him when he actually offsets any efficiency issues by basically being Uncle Rico in a Captain America costume.

Perhaps the most winner, winner play of his career thus far. He has these singular plays that describe who he is in a much broader sense. What separates him from everybody. If you asked fans to describe the style of play of those players, I don't think it would be winner. It would be methodical or efficient and Josh is neither. Remembered as a winner? Sure. I would certainly agree with that.

I'm not thrilled at the hypocrisy of the NFL in any of this. That said, Gruden was sacrificed because he said what he did against two of the most influential people in the NFL. Take a shot using the same words Gruden did against your CEO on a business email server. Is that something any of us would expect to survive?

Josh seems to be a very polarizing figure in the media and while he is adored by the fan base, at times you see the that polarizing effect even leak out into Bills fans when he plays poorly. I’m trying to understand that more. While I might drop a stat or two, in my opinion stats almost muddy the waters even more. As an example, last year, Josh was had several games where he carved teams up and put up QBR's as good as it gets. But if you said describe Josh in one word, I think the last word I would choose would be “efficient”. If you asked me to describe most the legends in the QB annuals in the last 20-30 years, I would say efficient would be the most common word used. Brady, Montana, Young, Brees, Manning, “efficient” just dominates your mind when you hear those names. They had a robot-like consistency and that is what we have come to visualize when looking at the greats. More recently you see guys like Mahomes who I would also not call “efficient” as far as the first word to describe them. Perhaps, “talented or unique”. Mahomes is pretty consistent in his play, but it’s what he does that so few can that makes you scratch your head. He is also a Super Bowl winner and former MVP, so if he appears inconsistent once in awhile benefit of the doubt is given. If I described Josh in one word it would be “winner”. He is probably the most physically talented QB in the NFL but I feel his drive to just win games is even greater than his talent. At times he can go stretches looking awful and that's what confuses people . Then he does something nobody can, not even Mahomes. Then he leaps a defender gaining 20 yards on the ground. A few hours later you look at the score and we put up 35 points and think, Allen probably could have played even better. With Allen, he will always produce points, because even when he looks inconsistent, he can still become Houdini by air or land at any moment and he is the 2nd most impactful running QB in the NFL. To me Josh fits the term “winner” more than any QB in the NFL at this time. That said, Josh has not won the big one. Justifiably so, it’s hard to anoint him as the ultimate “Winner” until that time comes. Until then he seems to be stuck in this efficient ideology of NFL’s QB’s and if that shifts, he then goes to competing against a Super Bowl winning former MVP who is the only guy that can even come close to replicating some of the plays you might see from Allen week to week. Josh is not a normal QB. I don't think he will ever just unload for 5 yards unmercifully breaking your will like his predecessors. As for his sham wow ability, he probably is the top guy, but he's also getting compared to a MVP with a ring. That said nobody will ever convince me Mahomes wants it more or is as tough as Allen. Allen will run through your DT's. He isn't a Brett Farve comp, Brett Farve is a Josh Allen Comp. Farve, even with his stupid arm strength is still less physically gifted and he certainly couldn't run 1/10th as effective as Allen can. It might be hard for Allen to carve out a true identity which makes people question how good he really is. It unlikely he ever gets the efficiency label applied like many former legends have. That said once the SB rings come, It will be much easier to just label him for what he is. A winner.