Billl

Yep. Bill has built a team that can win in a variety of ways. They aren’t great at any one thing, but they can adapt to take advantage of just about any weakness a team has.

Like calling a deep shot to Diggs only to have it bounce off his forearm? Like calling pass plays to get Knox open only to have him crap all over himself? Daboll’s play calls, bland as they may have been, were infinitely more creative than McDaniels’s.

Josh running in the red zone, sure. The rest I just can’t disagree with strongly enough. You don’t run gadget plays in a tornado, and no NFL game has ever been lost because Matt freaking Breida didn’t get enough touches. All Buffalo had to do was not beat themselves. New England made 2 big mistakes. Buffalo made more. BB was perfectly content to turn the game into a rock fight and dare Buffalo to execute.

This is the most tired narrative in sports. Play calling barely matters. If there was ever a game that proved it, it was this one. McDaniels ran the same 4 plays over and over and over. The Bills didn’t lose because they called better plays. They lost because they didn’t execute. Diggs lost track of a sure TD. Knox dropped balls like it was a paying job. The defense got gashed one a play that went 70 yards. Bass missed a short FG. Brieda somehow tried to take a handoff without using his hands. Play calling doesn’t change that. Last night was about discipline and mental toughness, not creativity.

Completely agree. It’s obvious what they saw in him, but there is zero reason to keep waiting for him to “get it” at this point. There are LBers every year that are being drafted in the first two days that have shown themselves to be much more capable than Edmunds. Kansas City took Willie Gay last year at the bottom of the second round. He was every bit as raw coming out as Edmunds was, and he looked every bit as lost in his rookie season. The light came on this year, and he’s a monster. Tre has now started 56 games. That’s longer than the average NFL player’s career. I don’t see how you can possibly pay this guy in hopes that he will suddenly become something he’s never been, especially at such a replaceable position. Let him walk after next year and hope someone signs him to a contract that factors into the comp formula. Better yet, see if someone will give you a bag of footballs for him after this season and let them eat the $13,000,000 he’s due.

That’s a bad look. The difference between the two sidelines during the game was striking. BB had a plan and calmly stuck to it. McDermott spent the entire game screaming at the officials and seemingly everyone else. One time in particular Buffalo had just made a defensive stop and he was yelling at all the players as they came off the field. He was yelling positive things at them, but he just looked like a raving lunatic. I don’t know how much a team really reflects the coach’s energy, but there was a distinct difference in demeanor between the two sidelines.

Don’t forget the biggest one. If Edmunds fills the correct gap, that 70 yards TD never happens and this is a VERY different game.

You’re not wrong. The Patriots are a good team with a great coach. The plays were there to be made. The players just didn’t execute. Buffalo dropped passes and missed short FGs. New England didn’t. Seems pretty straightforward.

He’s going to want an extension in the off season. What do you do?

It would have made sense if they’d continued to run it. Following it up with that pass to the end zone was dumb.

Milk the clock. This is officially the all in drive.

NFL should have put a roof over the stadium.

You’re saying a dome is needed?

Ball is out where it crosses the sideline. He was a yard short.

Called tight all night? 2 penalties on Buffalo. It was a terrible call. The Bills have had the better end of the officiating.

Need to have a separate thread for bitching about the refs. It would thin out this thread by 40%.

Because 3rd and 9 was a gimme but 3rd and 14 made Knox drop the ball? Knox false started two plays earlier and didn’t get flagged. It all sorted itself out.

If you don’t call a timeout, New England does with 3 seconds left and gets a free Hail Mary.

Hell of a pass.

He definitely deserves a mention. In fact, that’s exactly the type of pick Beane needs more of. Getting key contributors on day 3 and later is huge, especially when you’re drafting towards the bottom.

7 tackles, 2 for a loss, and a pass defended isn’t as bad as you’re making it sound. He played more snaps than anyone but Poyer. In a weather game against a team that runs power, having only 2 LBers with any real experience is an issue.

He played nearly every snap against the Jets and Colts.

There’s nothing left to debate about the Allen pick. If he gets hit by a bus tomorrow, it was still a great pick (and not an easy one). Beyond that, it’s hard so say what picks he’s really hit on. Oliver and Edmunds have been major contributors, but I’m not convinced they’ve played to their draft slot. Guys like Ford, Singletary and Moss have all had a lot of playing time, but I don’t know that any of them will get second contracts. Davis looked really good initially, but he’s really tapered off other than one big game this season. Knox is probably his best pick since Josh, but of course the book hasn’t been written on guys like Epenesa, Groot, Brown and Boogie.

Of course, and that can’t be understated. If he had taken some other Josh, he’d be out of a job by now. Setting aside that pick (which is a big aside) he’s got very little to show for 4 years worth of drafts. Fortunately there’s more than one way to add talent, and he’s done a nice job with trades and FAs, but that becomes trickier as cap space gets low and draft slots get later.

Tonight’s game will determine the outlook of this board for the next week. Win, and the topic is getting the bye. Lose, and the topic is missing the playoffs. Here’s hoping for a tie.