Einstein's Dog

Well the coaches had a designed run for Josh, when up at least 10 and in full control of the game, - and Josh broke his nose. Talk about unnecessary. Josh trying to make a TD run in a tie game pales in comparison IMO.

I don't think an AFCCG warrants a musical act. This trend is the NFLs gig to make these events - worked well with the Superbowl. The NFL would love to extend that to the next lower level and make parties out of the CGs. Remember when they almost had the big party in ATL for Bills v KC? But if the Bills did win the Championship, it is event worthy. It would be something that the powers in Buffalo should not be scrambling to put together in a week. It should have months of planning and the OPs band should certainly be in the mix. For many a Superbowl can cost too much, whereas a trip to Buffalo would be much cheaper. It would be nice for out of towners to know the dates and possible events. Last year the jinxer crowd wouldn't let it be discussed.

It's not just Josh, remember when J Cook was a fumbler, G Davis ran wrong routes, and I. McKenzie did plenty of inexplicable things. They either improved or were sent packing.

I'm not sure if I believe the bolded portion of your comment "It's not better coaching nor any particular aspect". That seems like a statement I'd expect out of the McD hater group, that it's all luck. Here is a snippet from my FF mag on the D (Fantasy Football Index, ranked #4 for FF). "Consistency is elusive at the position but the Buffalo Bills are a notable exception. Since hiring Sean McDermott, they've ranked in the top 10 in takeaways eight years in a row. They've averaged 29 takeaways (17 interceptions, 12 fumbles) over the past 5 years, nearly 2 more than anyone else". The second paragraph covers sacks and then goes into personnel changes and then says "it's a reliability worth investing in", referring to the coaching. Some neutral observers are pretty much saying bet on the coaches to do it again. As to avoiding turnovers, once again, I cannot see how any fan could not see the extreme change in scheme to decrease the offensive turnovers. The change to Brady along with moving on from G Davis, to the coaching up and maturing of Josh and J Cook - there was a concerted effort to reduce turnovers.

Simmons on a one year deal doesn't mean you're giving up on anyone. To me it just means your bolstering your weakest position for the 2025 SB possibilities. Getting A Cooper did not mean they gave up on Coleman.

Simmons would be a nice get. Then after the bye, you'd have Simmons integrated, the PED boys rotating, and Max and Tre healthy. That's a much better on-paper defense.

I've got to say I disagree with that too. It could all be about price. Beane wanted Cook but not at $15M per. Beane may want Simmons but not at $5M. And while risky, by waiting you have to figure that $5M tag drops. And he will soon not be the only name S in the market. Once the loser teams are established raiding those teams (like the WRs last year) becomes an option.

Let me correct you again. Simmons played in and started 16 games for Atlanta last year (at least according to Wikipedia and I believe them over what appears to be your random guesses of what happened). This angle you seem to keep pursuing - that Simmons has been out of the game, is rusty or hurt, is wrong. The odds on reason for him not being with a team is price. Beane should be keeping an eye on players, it's his job! And right now the discussion is on how much of his job should be focused on finding better talent on the back end of this defense. Much like last year when the board had a lot of discussion on what to do about WRs - and a lot of people were "oh, it's fine". And then, surprise, a WR.

Why do you keep saying Simmons hasn't played in over a year, when he played last year for Atlanta? Just because you keep repeating it, doesn't make it true. According to Wikipedia he played Dec 16, 2024 and two pass deflections and an interception. He has a fully guaranteed $7.5M contract. Simmons didn't do well in PFF grading. But Spotrac lists him at a market value of $5M. I would like to think our FO is looking and he is one of the candidates. But the FO might (rightfully) think they can hold off a bit and get a better deal than that with a trade candidate to be named later (which I am also hoping they are scouting).

What if the reason Simmons hasn't played is money? Maybe the Bills should think about paying him appropriately. And, yes, it's easy to say for Beane to trade for a stud safety. It's kind of Beane's job. To imply that there are none available seems to me the more clueless stance.

We're not talking next year. Coleman looked good yesterday but wasn't ready last year and they went and got a WR and let the young guy develop. I don't know the trade candidates yet but would bet just like WRs last year, they will be out there. As for Free Agents I see Justin Simmons, and Jabrill Peppers was rumored earlier.

Kind of like the problem last year finding a WR....oh wait, nevermind.

Why not think bigger though, get a stud. Then let one of our current starters be the backup (or rotate in). IMO, GM Beane need to assume this could be the year. Odds to win it all (via increased odds of number 1 seed) just increased. Work on the weak link in a big way.

My perspective is the opposite. I'm hoping if the coaches had doubts (which they should have, as we did), and they were shown against Balt (which seems like they were), they know they need to act. This game was a litmus test against one of the top opponents. The back end is a problem. Giving time against the fraudulent teams of NYJ, Miami, New Orleans, and New England proves little - is fools gold. Sure, let Bishop learn/improve but the problem runs deeper than that. Maybe do something like what they did for WR last year, scout the losing teams for a star and potential trade. Or just buy J Simmons. But twhatever it is this time don't cheap out and go for an A Cooper over a D Adams. Get a star in here. Do not wait. And do not let the lesser games decide the actions needed for the Lombardi. Get a bonafide difference maker in and replace one of the back end fodder and you improve the defense exponentially. I may be a little ahead of myself but I hope they see it as I do and the number 1 seed is now there for the taking! Go for it!

Are you suggesting Harbaugh coached a better game?

That's it, congratulations on trying to keep your irrational thoughts alive. You can help lead this outlier group in an echo chamber and pretend you have a large backing and are engaging in normal behavior.

Personally, I don't see even considering this elusive "clear upgrade" until the team does poorly. Teams that were the 2 seed and played in the Conference championship game don't "start over". There's pretty much 28 other teams in the league hat wish they could do that. It's only the true McD haters that can even discuss such a ridiculous move after the past excellent season out of the Bills. They beat expectations, took down what was supposed to be the up and coming brillantly coached Broncos, and then eliminated the hot Ravens. Losing a close AFCCG on questionable officiating is not a fireable offense. In reality McD was closer to COY than any imagined hot seat. I kind of feel bad for these people - they lost their true shot at replacing McD the year Dorsey got fired. If the Bills hadn't made the playoffs there could be an actual case for a change. That turnaround had to hurt them. But now entertaining discussions of replacing McDermott seems like engaging in internet talk with people who are mentally unbalanced.

KC losing was a nice way to spend a Friday night not gonna lie The idea that a lighter guy can take as much punishment as a larger guy is an extreme minority take. People upstream in this thread mentioned durability as a huge reason to pass on Worthy. Most rational people realize that Worthy's increased risk of injury factored into the FO's decision not to take him. And while, of course, wishing injury on anyone is a bad look, it does help support the decision made by the FO/Beane.

Why bring up what CBs in a discussion of the two WRs taken between KC and Buff? Just has the smell of haterade. The OP started this thread when Worthy flashed early. Many said to hold back because there was a concern on Worthy being physically suited for the NFL. Those concerns seem real.

Yes to Davante Adams over A Cooper. In 2024 and 2025. I can understand the A Cooper move in 2024 when factoring in cost - draft capital and money. And when they acquired A Cooper the hope was for a much more productive season than we received. But for 2025 the cost was just money. I would have liked to see the Bills outbid the Rams - who took D Adams to replace C Kupp. For about an additional $10M you get a much more established proven productive player than J Palmer.

I agree with your assessment. The comparable is right there for everyone to see. One thing that I think gets overlooked in the ypc analysis are the tough yards. When K Williams gets 2 yards on a 3rd and one, that's a successful down/run, yet in the aggregate it diminishes his overall ypc. Or for instance, Cook's incredible 4 yard TD run against KC is somehow aggregated into a negative pull on his ypc seems unjust. I've tried to get my aypc (Adjusted Yards Per Carry) stat out there to no avail. This stat would eliminate carries for first downs and TDs that are less than the players overall ypc. RB's shouldn't get penalized for tough, short runs to get the first, or for short TD runs. And First Downs (FDs) should be a stand alone stat that should be quoted regularly IMO. Anyways, if Cook wanted K Williams money it's a safe bet Cook's camp would have leaked that information and put pressure on Beane. From the silence (and the previous information) seems like we can deduce where the hold-up is taking place.

Maybe Cook will get more money, but I doubt much more from the Bills. Why would they? K Williams had more production and was on the field more. If you want to use the eye test, Cook's team better make sure it's not adjusted for importance - like 3rd downs or crunch time. The comparable has been set, it's now time to end the drama and get Cook signed. The problem is K Williams contract is probably much more in line with what Beane had offered than what Cook's team had proposed.

Except in Cook's situation he may not be able to improve his stats, so why bother? His FA market right now is higher than what the Bills intend to pay.

While Cook's leverage may not be as good as next season, the motivation to hold out is because his numbers won't be better. The Bills plan is to use Cook the same as last season, and the same RB room is back intact. TDs are kind of a fluke, and Cook may not get as many as last year. For those who play FF you would not expect much, if any, increase in points. So the fear for me is if you believe the above ,what is the reason for playing this year? The "hold-in" for 11 games and get the money you would based on last years numbers - should get you over $12m/yr and a big pile of guaranteed money (around $20M). Sacrafice most of the $5M now (and risk of injury) for the payday next year.

Where I think it is mostly likely to come into play is if J Cook is on an undefined (possibly 11 week) "hold-in" and misses games. And if, during the initial weeks of the "hold-in" R Davis and T Johnson perform admirably, Cooks days could be numbered. I could see this type of "hold-in" being interpreted as a nuclear, Diggs dimensional diss to our FO and team, where they will not have him suit up as a Bill ever again.