Beck Water

I'd worry about that couch thing more, but Joseph pretty much did the same thing with the Eagles last season - signed actually mid-November after the Eagles had 2 DTs on injured reserve - and it worked out very well for them. He went hard, especially in the NFCCG. I think at 34 now 35, Joseph still loves football but knows his body can't handle the rigors of a full season. Hopefully the Bills verified that he's in some kind of 'good shape' (for a DT)

Unless I'm much mistaken, pass rush isn't so much what's wanted from the 1TDT in McD's defense. That DaQuan was doing his job AND generating some stats (tackles, sacks) was gravy. Keep the backers clean and get some push up the middle against the pass, clog up blockers

Wait, are you saying he doesn't sound like that Alanis Morrissette song after a win and during the off-season?

I don't know of any verified specifics about the injury. But I don't think you can assume there is no knee or soft tissue injury, simply because there isn't any "official" mention. The player is under no obligation to disclose specifics of his injury other than broken leg, going on IR. I'm not sure exactly where you read exactly what, but the 8-12 weeks is for the bone itself to form new bone, called "hard callus", bridging the broken pieces (but has some differences from normal bone). After that, bone repair is still underway in the form of bone remodeling to return the bone to its original shape. During the healing process, there's usually a period of time where weight bearing should not occur, because movement of the bone fragments can hinder healing. If it's true Milano had a tibeal plateau fracture. Google this and it doesn't take a lot of imagination to see this non-weight-bearing phase may be especially important because the tibeal plateau is one of the surfaces of the knee joint, and any disunion or displacement there would be ultra bad news for knee mobility and stability. So after there's a no mobility/no weight bearing period of time, there's a need to regain mobility, flexibility, and strength, not just overall but in all the little stabilizer muscles that you can't activate while you're not weight bearing lest you tug the bone fragments out of place. I don't think that's included in your "8-12 week FULL recovery period", which is just the usual time for initial bone repair to take place. Whether or not Milano and Jones could be back before Week 18, the Bills have to get to the end of the season with a good enough record for their return to matter eg, a good enough record to make the playoffs.

@HappyDays has a source. He doesn't always hear stuff (nothing about the realities of Allen's shoulder or Milano's knee) but on other occasions he's been proven right. For example his source said that Knox had a torn tendon and possibly a cracked bone in his wrist after Jax, even though he was "questionable" for the next game and no game designation the following game. Then he was "out" week 8 and went on IR, and we heard he had surgery on his wrist. So if he hears something, it's generally considered credible.

*chef's kiss* to your Good Gravy!

Oh, Gee. Another DT who "Washington was thrilled" about......*shudder* (thinking of Settle, who Washington fans were apparently upset we signed away)

Agree on Settle. Also Poona Ford. I thought Phillips had been playing better, more disciplined football this season and doing well. Not playing lights-out like Ed Oliver, but less stat-chasing and more gap integrity. The reason Phillips wasn't a good run defender during his first stint here was that he was chasing stats and would penetrate and try for a sack at the expense of minding his gap against the run and doing his part to keep the LB's clean. He seemed to have "straightened up" this year (did it some last year - was one memorable game where Edmunds could be seen/heard chewing him out) What do you see that says he is washed?

With all respect, That's Football. To my understanding, by midseason the training room is full of players who may or may not be listed on the injury report (depending upon whether they are able to complete 100% of all aspects of practice), but who have low-level injuries that are being treated and would be improved by a couple weeks of rest. Beane is going to have to IR or cut someone to add a DT to the roster. Just like injured rookies who would probably play through if they'd earned a starting slot get IR'd, a guy who is being treated and is on the lower edge of the depth chart is a candidate. Beane didn't say "shut down for the year", he said "shut down" meaning go on IR. Could be designated to return any time after 4 games.

I sit corrected. Thanks! I was relying on PFR's injury report which collates, and didn't have him. Me bad - I know it isn't always accurate. But he was "FP" before Thursday's game and Beane made it sound (to me) like it was an ongoing thing.

Well, he hasn't been listed on injury report, would be one reason why it's not been considered. There has been talk that he has an ankle injury, but I left Beane's presser with the impression that the ankle may be hampering Elam, but if his level of play were where they want it to be, he and his ankle would be "out there" - but it's not so he isn't. I seem to remember a similar situation with Harrison Phillips, where he wasn't on injury report with his knee, but he wasn't playing effectively either and thus a healthy scratch in some games. Our media were all over "oh, gonna be traded" but he wasn't; he was inactive for 4 games (sandwiched by a game where he played, maybe as a test?), played increasing snaps to close out the season, and then played more than half the snaps in 14 games the following year. (We didn't re-sign him though, obviously) The use of the word "instinctive" in football, and specifically by Beane in this presser, interests me. It's by context, not the way we 'civilians' use the word. To me, and most of the people I know, "instinctive" is something that reflects an inborn or innate behavior in response to certain stimuli. As in this Brittanica definition. According to this definition, instincts are something you either have or you don't; if you don't, you're not going to develop them. Beane described Rasul Douglas as "instinctive". But he also described Douglas, who played 3 years for Philly then a year for Carolina, as having "things not go his way" (or words to that effect) then having the lightbulb go on for him in GB (in his 5th year). So evidently in the context of football, "instinct" is a trait a player can develop over time. Beane seems to use it as being able to 'see and react' without needing to consciously diagnose, and in particular as being able to 'see and react' to play variants that weren't covered by the coaches in game prep meetings - apparently having a deep enough understanding of the offensive play design and the defensive coverage that even if the offensive play is a variation, he can pattern-match and react appropriately to that variation. I would say that by this definition, Poyer and Hyde are 100% "instinctive" players, Benford and Bernard are either 'instinctive" or well on their way, Dorian Williams is "progressing but not there yet", and by inference, Elam is not instinctive - but, unlike what I would mean by instinct (you have 'em, or you don't), instinct is something that players can develop. Or not. But we really don't want to wait 3 years to get some use from a 1st round pick, that may not be a "bust" by my definition, but it's not a successful pick, either.

OK, so someone is trolling for clicks. Everybody stand down.

OK now wait - I may have chosen still shots poorly to look like maybe Kincaid , but was there a mesh concept in that play? Maybe I don't understand enough about what mesh is. To me, it's crossing routes from each side of the formation - shallow drag routes from either side. Like this explanation in Football 101. So Shakir didn't run a crossing route (or any route), and Kincaid's motion was R to L pre-snap. Is that still a mesh?

Dang, too bad they didn't make this decision before the trade deadline

Linky? I looked on Facebook for Milano pages and those I found looked like fan pages. Thanks! Edit: OK, found this. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0aPKjyRkwyn4ARZ8YZzBMhaFULHEBXE7BVh9EUVQiSp25pyd4DWudE7Zv2TmtCm3yl&id=100094768238055 I will say, that account looks more plausible than the others I found. That would be incredible going from speculation about tibial plateau fracture to the implication he might be back....Soon ?

I think "speculation Daquan could be back" might be a better choice of words. I'm not sure what tweets from Daquan you have in mind? He's posted a photo going into the facility, that's all. Here's Trimble's assessment for anyone interested. https://bangedupbills.com/2023/10/09/analyzing-buffalo-bills-daquan-joness-pectoral-injury/ The thing we really don't know (unless I missed it) is the location and grade of the tear. We do know he required surgery. We know that a number of players who had surgery came back in 10-12 weeks (typically that's something like 8-10 weeks to be cleared to do some kind of strength training, a couple weeks of strength training, and 2 weeks of 'designated to return' practices). So yeah Daquan could theoretically return, possibly around the Week 17 Patriots game, maybe +/- game - IF the grade of sprain isn't the most severe and his recovery goes smoothly with no setbacks. The JJ Watt Week 10 thing was extraordinary, and fueled by desire to contribute to a "win or go home" game; he played but wasn't very effective the following week when they lost to KC, IIRC. Agree on both points. And in fact, if what Milano had was indeed a tibial plateau fracture - those are serious injuries that players do return from, but it's not a given. So take your time on your rehab and give yourself the best chance at a "small setback for a big comeback", Cookie!

Well.....Josh McDaniel thought so, clearly, but how did that work out for him? Carr has that "best ability is Avail-ability" thing all over Garoppolo, for one thing. Garoppolo has had 2 good seasons where he played 15 or more games, out of 6 seasons. He played most of that time in, what I see as a very QB-friendly system under Shanahan and with offensive assistants who have been in high demand elsewhere (LaFleur, McDaniel). He's now his 7th season as a starter. Irrespective of talent and execution, 2 out of 6 seasons where he was available for most of the games is not a winning strategy for the team that looks to him as The Man.

What was the shotgun 4th and 1 from the Tampa 1 yd line, which targeted Kincaid (and was deflected by the CB)? I thought it might have been an RPO but just PA? (and what was up with Shakir? I assume his assignment is to block the LB who moved when Kincaid crossed the formation pre-snap, but could he take him out of the play as well with a route into the EZ?) It's discussed at 12:13 in the JT O'Sullivan piece as banjo coverage https://youtu.be/kom757F9Qys?feature=shared Edit: HA! I got it to let me add 3 screenshots by re-sizing to a total below 180kB, and did them all at once with this site

It kind of reminds me of October 2021. The Bills had been beaten in KC the previous season (with Josh's L arm in a shoulder brace) and then in the AFCCG. We went into KC and, dare I use the word, dominated them. We got out to an early lead by scoring a TD after KC was held to a FG, and we never let go of it. Then we took them down to the wireiest of wires in the Division round - they had so little left they looked bad vs. the Bengals. Before that game, many - maybe most - fans had us penciled in as a loss. Oh...and that game was payed without Milano. LB were Edmunds and Klein. I don't know what will happen in Cincy. Hopefully, the Bills will come out hungry and fierce, ready to prove that last year's playoff game was a fluke. But, they could come out shell-shocked and suffering from PTSD after the inevitable Damar Hamlin reprise the media will force down our throats. And, it could be we simply don't have the hosses on defense any more nor the match between players and scheme on offense.

If there's one guy who may be more of a cannibal than Josh McDaniels, that guy would be Bill O'Brien. But then again, this is Belicheck we're talking about so...

And just in case anyone thought Denver was a “rookie mistake” - first he took over as OC in St Louis and helped a 7-9 team go 2-14 and a 2nd year QB who had shown rookie flashes to play terribly (the following year, the team went 7-8-1 and the QB looked competent again). Then, there’s how he treated Indy. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. And yes, you’re right, Mark Davis should have believed him.

When someone complains that they told a friend something they wanted kept confidential, and the friend promptly “spilled the tea”, they might be asked: ”who told first, you or your friend?” If you don’t want something all over the media, fewer people who know, the better your chances to keep it quiet. That includes reasonably good friends and sometimes close relatives. Anyone who might be tempted to talk to an enterprising reporter. I think it’s a stretch that “the leg is really messed up” or “maybe he’s trying something revolutionary”. Milano seems to have a history of not talking to the press more than necessary, not being on social media, not building a “brand”. If it were someone like Von Miller or Jordan Poyer with their social media and podcasts and frequent press conferences and so forth, it might be reasonable speculation that radio silence about an injury is not a good sign. But from Milano, I think he’s made it clear he wants to fly under the radar in ordinary times. He doesn’t want his business in the press, and he’s savvy enough to figure out how to keep it that way. Doesn’t mean the leg is really messed up and undergoing revolutionary treatment; doesn’t mean it isn’t. It just is how he is.

The speculation based upon what was seen of the injury was tibial plateau fracture Banged up Bills did a piece based on that assumption, explaining what a tibial plateau fracture is and how it’s repaired. JJ Watt had an tibial plateau fracture and returned to play the following season As always the “devil is in the details” of the injury” but a key point is, the tibial plateau is a weight bearing part of the knee structure, basically one side of the knee joint. So recovery from a tibial fracture (at least used to) involve a significant time without weight bearing on the injured leg, possibly not even bending the knee for a period of time. So then there’s inevitable atrophy, and the need to regain ROM and rebuild muscle. Again, we don’t know for sure what the injury is, but if it is a tibial plateau fracture I think it’s very unlikely Milano would be back this year, and even if he thinks he can return, it might be in his long-term best interest to do a thorough rehab

That’s true, but I believe I can see O’Sullivan’s point that if he dropped back a bit more vertical he might have had a better angle to throw around the unblocked rusher This is the sort of detail I wonder if a QB coach who never played, and 2 inexperienced backups, have the knowledge to bring up with Josh and the cred to be heard.

I wish. I think it more reflects that there wasn’t a player available for trade at those positions that we thought would really help us. The question is, were there players that could help us available, but Beane wasn’t willing to go all-in, either because he didn’t think 1 or 2 players would help, or because he’s just not wired that way?