[Cody Ford out for the Season]

5 minutes ago, AlCowlingsTaxiService said:

Drafting Cody and passing on DK, plus trading Wyatt .... not Beane’s finest hour

This is a lazy take-I think the Metcalf vs Ford debate has some merit, but Teller had shown nothing and people were excited that the Bills got anything done him 

[Week 12: Chargers at Bills]

31 minutes ago, appoo said:

Have a sneaking suspicion that Dane Jackson was a the 2nd best corner in the organization. Think the Bills will lock him up when given the opportunity

They already have him locked up, for this season and 3 more after that. I assume you mean to a longer contract?  Since they day he signed I can guarantee they have had zero conversations about "locking him up" 

[Morse not starting was a "football decision" per McD]

I find it very hard to believe that McD thinks the offensive line is better with Winters in there rather than Morse. I’m hoping he is just keeping his cards close to the vest, but it’s not like either lineman is someone you are game planning around 

[Is the NFL Better than Ever Today?]

12 hours ago, folz said:

While I agree that nostalgia plays a part and the fact that it just meant more to you when you're a kid also weighs into the equation, but I have to say, even though I still enjoy watching the games and am still a die-hard Bills fan, I don't think the game is as good as it used to be.

 

I will take out the physicality factor. All of us older guys grew up with a much more brutal game, and it really changed the game to eliminate that factor. And although we lament that to some extent, for player safety, it kind of had to happen. So, I won't count that as a factor. Although I do find it interesting that there seem to be more injuries now than back in the day, overall. (I assume that is due to the size and speed of the players today, despite the improved safety measures. And some of it may be that we didn't hear about every single injury back in the day/less press, etc.---but it does seem like there are still more injuries now.)

 

In the positive category for today's game, I will say that overall the players are much more athletic. Some of the athletes in today's game are unbelievable.

 

But here is why I think the game used to be better:

 

1. Scoring: I'm sure a lot of younger fans love those 44-38 score games, but damn it, I like defense too. All of the rules to prevent CBs from doing their jobs, barely being allowed to touch QBs, etc. have led to over-inflated numbers, and most games become shootouts. Some of the best games I have ever seen were 9-6 defensive battles. But the average fan would be bored by games like that now, rather than appreciate those defenses and the strategy involved in a true field-position game. I stopped watching the NBA years ago when they took defense out of the game. What's the point if everyone scores on almost every possession. To me that is boring. Where is the drama and conflict of the game if you don't have defenses on an even footing? 

 

2. The NFL's own popularity: The NFL got too big and popular that, as others have said, there is way too much pre-game/post-game hype and talk, etc, etc. The Super Bowl has become completely unwatchable to me. At first, I could just skip all of the pre-game and just turn it on to watch the game itself. But now, because of the half-time shows, the TV timeouts, the extensive commercial breaks, the hype of the game, it just never flows like an actual game and has become boring to watch.

 

3. Refereeing/NFL story lines: Another reason I stopped watching the NBA years ago was because star players started getting special treatment. If you breathe on a star player driving to the lane, he gets the call; while a role player could get hacked by 4 guys in the lane and no call. I feel like the NFL has been heading in that direction too with players and teams. No one can tell me that Brady and the Pats didn't get preferential treatment over their dynasty run. It's not the reason for their success, but they definitely got a lot of help along the way. What about the thing with Cam a few years back where the ref told him he hadn't been in the league long enough to get that roughing the passer call. And there is no doubt to me that the NFL likes to push certain story lines. I'm not saying they out-and-out rig games (cause I don't think they do), but for marketing reasons, there are definitely scenarios they would prefer and are not above having the refs give a certain team a leg up in accomplishing that with a few calls here and there at key moments. The first time that became clear to me was when the NFL basically took a Super Bowl away from the Seahawks to give it to Pittsburgh, so they could have the storyline of the "Bus" driving off into the sunset wth a Super Bowl victory. Then there are things like the catch rules, Al Riveron and his bs replay calls, too many flags, just bad referees altogether, etc.

 

4. Free Agency: Although this is a necessary evil for the players' sake (it would suck to be stuck on a bad team your whole career), it did kind of destroy rivalries and loyalties. Things were a lot different back in the day when you had the majority of the guys on your team for like 10 years straight. They were like your family members, and the rivalries would get down-right nasty because these guys have been battling each other for a decade. There are no more real rivalries in the league anymore. Hell, now the guys all kneel and pray together after the games, swap jerseys, take pictures together. That stuff never would have happened back in the day; if you lost, you were pissed, hated the other team, and headed to your locker room.

 

5. Mythic Aura: This may be down to a bit of nostalgia, but I feel the same way about baseball. I feel like the game has lost some of its mythic quality, probably due to over-exposure, prima donna athletes, the money they make, social media, etc. For instance, Brady and the Pats will probably go down as the best QB/Dynasty ever. But, do they have the same aura of Lambeau's Packers, Shula's Colts or Dolphins, Bradshaw's Steelers, Landry's Cowboys, Walsh's 49ers, etc. The Frozen Tundra, the Galloping Ghost, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Billie "White-shoes" Johnson, Mean Joe Greene, Two yards and a cloud of dust, Johnny U, the "Ice Bowl", the "Comeback", the Steel Curtain. Great games still happen, players still have nicknames...but I just feel like that old mythic aura of the game no longer exists.

 

Having said that, the NFL is still fun to watch, but I just don't feel like the game is as good (overall) as it was back in the day. It has changed (not for the better imo), but it seems like younger fans might disagree with me on that, so it is what it is.

 

 

So fans forget that free agency is a two way street. It’s not always the player wanting to leave-if you think about it in most cases it’s the team wanting to get rid of the player because god forbid the player wants to make some more money. I also don’t see why people get so worked up when guys kneel after A GAME or trade jerseys after A GAME-should these guys be sulking and pouting every time they lose A GAME like an 8 year old child?

 

and I’m sorry but prima donna athletes are a recent thing? They have ALWAYS been a thing. I’ve heard tons of stories of how guys like Dick Butkus were just always a giant piece of crap to everyone they came in contact with, and there’s the guy from the dolphins who sprints to anyone who will talk to him as soon as the last undefeated team for the season loses....prima donna athletes are not a new thing at all. We just recognize it more because of their exposure and social media.

 

Just to make sure it’s known I’m 41 years old, so I certainly don’t consider myself a young fan. I’m just not a fan of people thinking that the older players were such better people than current players, that they were manlier men, that they didn’t (or wouldn’t have if they had the chance) take performance enhancing drugs...it’s just not true

[Overview of 2020 rookies]

5 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

That’s back when the Steelers were pioneering steroid use in the NFL.  (There were no rules against them yet.). It is no coincidence that the Steelers had some “phenomenal” draft classes in the 70s though. 

It’s amazing to me that so many people think these guys weren’t doing things to their bodies back in the 70’s/80’s...they absolutely were because they knew they couldn’t be caught. That’s why they can fake shock/anger/disappointment when current guys get caught. It’s the whole looking at the past through rose colored glasses syndrome 

[Tyler Kroft, Levi Wallace, Dean Marlowe activated from Covid 19 reserve]

4 hours ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Totally agree.  If we want a shot at running the table everyone has to be healthy and ready to go. Not to mention minimizing new injuries. Even beating Pitt, NE & Mia is doable. 

Are you honestly that nervous about Miami and New England? Miami has a special teams and defense that cannot sustain what it’s doing right now. What exactly does New England have that scares you? Pittsburgh will have 1 loss by the time the Bills play them...not my intention to target you specifically, I just don’t understand the narrative about those teams, especially Miami. Tua has done nothing, and once their defense and special teams stop scoring weekly touchdowns they will be losing 

[Winning teams vs. winning teams]

Yeah but how come we have only beaten the bad 6-3 teams on our schedule, we haven’t beaten any of the good 6–3 teams. Plus 2 of the Bills wins came against the Jets which I believe negates any wins against teams with a winning record. Throw in the fact that they beat the Patriots without Tom Brady so that doesn’t really count, and essentially you have an 0-10 team here

[This wouldnt hurt as much if the Fins werent a game back]

Miami is NOT a 12-4 team.  They still have a couple of losses left on their schedule.  They are getting by right now with an unsustainable defense/special teams.  They have a rookie QB who is not doing anything special, and now teams have tape on him.  I'm not worried about them at all

[Would you fear Jim Harbaugh to the Jets?]

6 minutes ago, JetsFan20 said:

I think Jim would instantly become the 2nd best coach in the division. I could definitely see him quitting on Michigan. They aren’t worthy of him. 

2nd best coach in the division?!?! Who would he be instantly better than?? I assume you’re saying he’s behind Belichick, so you’re saying he’s better than a potential coach of the year candidate in Buffalo and Flores in Miami who has had his team play well above expectations for 2 years now! I know you’re trying to get a ride out of people, but dude get your head out of your a** first 

[Looks like we're shorthanded tomorrow - Covid-19]

So the Bills will be down 2 back ups and a starting CB who gives up a lot of catches-are they really “short handed?” Not to say they won’t be missed or needed, but reading through the comments you would think we would be down 5 starters on each side of the ball. Let’s not forget that if you look at the Cardinals injury report it certainly looks like they are going to be down several players (or will be playing at far less than 100%) themselves. This game was always going to be a shootout and the Bills still have all of their top guys for the game 

[Looks like we're shorthanded tomorrow - Covid-19]

3 minutes ago, Giuseppe Tognarelli said:

The loss of Kroger is going to sting.

ALMOST as much as Kroft 🤦‍♂️

11 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

I blame Josh Allen. 

I blame McDermott-a good coach would have taught his players techniques on how not to catch Covid. Also, gotta blame Beane as well for signing guys who could possibly test positive...time for both of them to go

[Looks like we're shorthanded tomorrow - Covid-19]

1 minute ago, gobills404 said:

 

Ok, well now that’s something-missing Marlowe and Kroger will sting a little bit, I think Jackson can fill Wallace’s spot

[Looks like we're shorthanded tomorrow - Covid-19]

Until there are names, this means nothing-why tweet something like that and have basically literally no information? 

[Week 10: Bills at Cardinals]

1 minute ago, McGahee said:

Trash, mega trash and super trash.

They all have the same amount of losses as Tennessee-does that mean the Bills also lost to a trash team? Or a mega trash team? Or a super trash team? Just going off your logic, the Bills are 1-1 against good teams 

[How much is Josh going to cost if hes a top 8 QB by next year?]

6 hours ago, BuffBillsForLife said:

Nothing says "Buffalo Bills fanbase" like having the very first reply talk about Allen taking a hometown discount.  If he keeps this level of play up the whole year and we win a playoff game, pay the man whatever he wants as long as it's less than Mahomes.

All of this-it’s not Josh’s job or responsibility to figure out how to make the cap work, that’s the job of the front office. I don’t like people saying “I see Josh as a guy who wants to win so he will take less, as that implies that Mahomes, Brees, Wilson, Watson, etc aren’t team leaders. If Josh plays well, pay him what he is worth, and let the front office guys figure out how to make it work.

 

The other thing is you also don’t want to be known as a team that tries to keep their guys with discounts-not good for future business 

[Josh Allen named AFC Offensive Player of the Week]

4 minutes ago, Philo said:

 

Klein even made that pass break up without looking!

So I’m sure this was talked about several times during the game thread, but what kind of defensive call somehow gets your slowest defender trying to guard one of their deep threat receivers??

[PFF mid season all pro team]

So the league leader in receptions and yards isn’t even on the 2nd team? Seems rather ridiculous to me

[New York Jets officially eliminated from AFC East race]

I'm just hoping they win a couple of games, especially towards the end, to convince management to keep Gase for another year

[Wouldnt be surprised if we got the Cards best game on Sunday.]

I think this take is pretty spot on-Murray was pouting a little bit so of course they are going to play their best game this week. Meanwhile, did you guys see Josh, Tre, Dawkins, all those guys laughing and smiling in the locker room after the game?? Probably means they are only going to bring their C+ game this week. THEY’RE DOOMED!!!!

[Week 10: Bills at Cardinals]

So I’m watching tv today and some of the analysts are already saying the Bills will have a real tough game because of Kyler Murray...now this is not to say he doesn’t have talent, he obviously does, and admittedly I’m going off of stats, but have you guys looked at some of the games he has had in his career so far? He had a game where he barely threw for 100 yards, a couple of games this season where his numbers have been terrible, in reading up a little bit about him I am reading that he has trouble getting past his first read-sounds awfully familiar doesn’t it? Why does he get such a huge benefit of the doubt while Josh gets crushed since the day he was drafted? 

[Diggs' trade is aging like a fine wine]

33 minutes ago, wvbillsfan said:

Just so I’m clear, I get confused easily, we aren’t firing Brandon Beane this week?

It’s still early, give people time-people have a lot of directions to go this week with it too. First, why didn’t Beane plan to have both of his starting guards go down in the same game?? And speaking of those guards, not only did Ford get injured, he didn’t make one single catch today! Meanwhile Metcalf has over 100 yards and a garbage time touchdown!

[A Few Thoughts About the Seahawks Game, in no particular order]

I thought both roughing the passer penalties were definitely bogus-I’m not sure what else Oliver or Hughes could do! I actually thought both Oliver and Edmunds had good games today. Oliver won’t show up in the stats but he seemed to be all over that pocket all game long. Edmunds was finally making plays in the backfield...it was nice to see what he can do again when the defensive line does what they are supposed to do

[Your Buffalo Bills Linebackers]

10 minutes ago, Green Lightning said:

Beaner missed on the Tremaine pick and the Klein signing. Both are big whiffs. Hopefully with the Seahawks being a passing team Tremaine will be less of a liability this week. AJ is hopeless.

Just wondering-did you think he had missed on the Tremaine pick during/after last season? When the guy made the pro bowl? 

[Week 9: Seahawks at Bills]

1 hour ago, JOE IN HAMPTON ROADS said:

maybe the combines win rate is low because ... they all played the Seahawks?

If it was week 5 I could roll with that, but not week 9-that’s a lot of losses to teams other than the Seahawks 

[Week 9: Seahawks at Bills]

3 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

How has it taken this long for this stat to come out this week? Not to say the Seahawks aren’t good or anything like that, but they certainly haven’t been playing any top teams