newcam2012

McD certainly hasn't thrived in the biggest playoff games. Imho, he's been our coached by a lot in the last few playoff games. He certainly deserves criticism. For the most part, he's been given a free pass by the fans and press. His good guy attitude and culture makes it difficult to not like him. Plus, he is instrumental in turning around the franchise. I get the McD support. I have mixed feelings. That 13 second disaster really has made me think of him in a different light. Add in that Cinci game and I'm really not convinced he's the coach to hoist a Lombardi. We will see what he has this year. Him taking over the D is a huge front and center moment. So you have the stats and percentages of when McD made the correct call to go for it? Or the correct call to punt it? Would love to see those stats. Like I said previously, the 4th down success fails on Allen and his greatness. When you have Allen he makes coaches look great too.

4th down efficiency is only one piece of the equation. I'd argue the Bills 4th down success is attributed to Josh Allen and not McD play calling.

Absolutely spot on here. There is such a huge difference between the regular season and playoff time. The playoff losses under the Beane and McD era are painful. Just look at the faces of Diggs, Allen, etc.. It's pretty undeniable that the regime has fallen short. It was crystal clear that McD has been out coached by a wide margin in recent playoff games. For me, that's not ok nor acceptable. Does McD suck? No he doesn't. I'd put him somewhere near the back of the top ten. I think his time is running out if he can't get this team to advance further. He's proven to be a good leader, culture builder, and high character guy. Very good regular season coach and not so much afterwards. Ask yourself is this good enough?

I just cut the cord with Direct TV. My discounts just expired and it was too expensive. Plus, no NFL ticket. Subscribed to YouTube TV. Prices went up a lot. $72 a month which is about $100 cheaper than my Direct TV. Pretty good savings. Also, signed up for $249 NFL ticket. Supposedly, it's a $100 off promotion until June 6th. Personally, I like the setup of the Direct TV better. Seems easier for a non tech guy like myself. However, YouTube TV doesn't seen daunting. Will take a little getting used to. I can't help but think Direct TV is going to lose a lot of business. The retention department didn't even really try to retain me. Offered me a $50 off for 12 months. Not worth it! Thanks for your help in this matter. A few of you really encouraged me to make the jump.

I agree with LT being likely being more vital to the line. I stand corrected as I over exgerrated my point. Thanks for correcting me.

I'd be fine with a quality vet taking the lead while Brown develops. If Brown wins the job even better. The Bills are in win the Super Bowl mode. Agree? Imho, you shouldn't have a major question mark at RT which is arguably the most important position on the line. I don't buy your explanation with respect. Beane knows more than me but the glaring question mark is RT. I don't agree that he seemingly has gone all in with a young inexperienced and often injuried Brown. Huge risk in my eyes...

Bates at RT isn't a great solution if Brown sucks again. The RT position will likely be a pretty big weakness this season. I think Beane has really failed to address this issue. No way do I feel confident or comfortable in Brown. Of course, he has legitimate excuses and is capable of stepping it up. The opposite is also a likely outcome too.

Agree with this. With that said, how much of the issue is coaching, game planning, schemes, play calling, and game time adjustments?

Kincaid is a lock for rookie of the year! He is likely the offensive piece to take the Bills to the super bowl.

Oops type STIFFER HIPS

This is correct. What also limits his routes are his stiff hips which limits his ability to create separation quickly. This is the very reason why he rarely catches or is targeted with short passes. His limitations allow CBs more predictability. This is why he only an average at best WR2. The Bills clearly need an upgrade.

Solid thoughts! I agree it's not hard to root for McD and Beane. Both seem to be great individuals on and off the field. Indeed, they have turned around a fumbling franchise to a solid playoff team and super bowl contender. Accolades they do deserve. It would be very foolish not to recognize their accomplishments. However, it's five years in and imho it's been more than time for the team to take the "next step." Back to back hugely disappointing playoff losses just can't be glossed over. Not implying you are doing so. Agree the Bills recent offensive moves look promising. At least it's a change of direction sort of speak as the defense has been seemingly more emphasized. This season should really be a "tell" of the Bills future progression. The division is tighter than ever and other teams are seemingly better, equal, or nearly equal to the Bills. There doesn't seem to be much margin for error. I can't help but to temper my expectations for this upcoming season. Perhaps that's a natural reaction to the disappointing ending of last couple of seasons. It feels like it's going to be a dog fight game by game with such a difficult schedule. As time passes, I lose more and more confidence in the coaching staff. Perhaps that's unwarranted? Coaching matters and elite playoff coaches have out dueled McD and company by a country mile. Nevertheless, the Bills are still favorites to win their division and are one of the teams in Super Bowl discussions. It certainly can happen.

Really thoughtful and detailed post.

Not saying either kick was fool proof. Saying the right decision was a squib or pooch kick. You have to give yourself a chance to burn seconds off the clock. Kicking it in the end zone was flat out the incorrect decision. Can you agree? Yes the defense and coaching was pathetic.

I thought early on that McD was pretty good at his halftime adjustments. However, the last few years McD and company have been poor at in game adjustments. Imho, he's been outclassed by a wide margin in the playoffs. After several playoff disappointments the fans really need to take a critical look at McD and the other coaches. Losing Fraizer is a positive and that was long overdue. I'm not sold that McD can lead this team to the Super Bowl. Thus far, he's shown us the opposite with several disappointing playoff loses. Sure, he deserves another chance based on his playoff run. The pressure is mounting for more success. The disappointment on the Bills players faces was clearly evident. They expect much much more. At some point with an elite franchise QB the playoff appearances with early exits aren't enough. Agree? Not sure it's fair to say Super Bowl appearence or bust. That's a really tall order for any organization. Nevertheless, this regime has had 5 years of Allen and truthfully haven't even sniffed a Super Bowl appearance. Coming up short year after year certainly leaves a bitter taste in this fan's mouth. I keep asking myself what does it take for this team to win it all? Frankly, I don't have the answers and apparently Beane and McD don't either...

Really really solid post. Great breakdown on Dorsey and the Bills offense.

This is a really accurate post.

It cuts both ways sir. Objectivity is often lost here. Take a look at a positive vs a negative post regarding the Bills. Ask yourself if you look at those posts in an objective manner. For example, Bills beat KC 38 to 10. Bills lost to KC 38 to 10. Will they be met with equal objectivity?

I think you are way off base here Augie. I think this point of view is sadly pathetic. It's nothing more than a cheap shot at Bills fans who criticize the team, front office, or players. No way do I think people on this board want to be be seen as being correct at the expense of the Bills missing the playoffs.

You play the percentages and the odds. Clearly, the best decision was to squib or pooch the ball because the top priority was to burn the clock. Kicking it into the end zone was never the right call because it can't take seconds of the clock. It's really that simplistic. Romo live was screaming for the squib kick. Also, Bass had been pooching the ball effectively all season. The coaches have to be able to trust their kickers to execute this kick. I firmly believe Bass was up to the task. Your woulda or coulda really doesn't justify how bad the Bills blew it. The excuse McD gave or didn't give was even more reason to believe he choked it. No way on earth should there be any miscommunication.

To add injury to insult the Bills took a time out to get the calls right. What's often not discussed is why didn't the Bills just blatantly hold and tackle Kelce, Hill, and all their offensive players. The holding penalty would not have hurt the Bills at all. In the meantime precious seconds would have elapsed off the clock as Mahomes would have had to look elsewhere. That was the easiest path to win the game. The 13 second debacle ranks up there in any NFL playoff choke job. It's close to the Tenn miracle. However, that was more of a fluke than anything. The 13 second debacle has to be one of the worst coaching displays in playoff history. Yet, McD is seen as godlike and untouchable. Also, I disagree that the Cinci game was all on the players. The Bills coaching staff got throttled. The players were not ready to play and the game plan was non existent. They literally made no adjustments from the whipping Cinci was giving them weeks before. So I don't think it's credible to not hold the coaches accountable. I expect them to lose in the playoffs like they have under McD and Beane for 5 years and counting. I don't expect them to beat KC or Cinci. Of course lots of variables can change in a season.

This falls flat as a rational for the Bills years of oline issues. In fact, the opposite could be true with modern day football players. They are getting faster, bigger, and technology advances continue to grow. The reason for the Bills lack of success is largely because Beane has missed on his draft choices, acquisitions, and or neglected it with patch work players. Beane clearly emphasized the dline over the oline. Boogie, AJ, Oliver, Von, etc...Now it looks as though the dline is not solidified for the upcoming years. In short, the Bills in the trenches seem pretty vulnerable. I believe this could be the achlies heel of the team. Come playoff time these defiencies will be likely exploited.

I think the real point is that it's five years and counting. That's not an insignificant amount of time. During much of that time Beane had cap room to make big time moves to upgrade the Oline. I'd argue by now the Bills Oline should be solid to very good. Who thinks the Bills Oline is that?

Of course that's true. But don't you have to take into account when Allen was on his rookie contract? That's when Beane's misses really hurt. That was the time to solidify the oline. He put himself in this position. There were plenty of optimal years for the Bills to thrive. Instead, they are left vulnerable in the trenches. We all know how important the trenches are. In short, I don't think it's fair to give Beane a pass because of Allen's big contract without talking about what he did prior to it. They go hand and hand.

The failure to build a really solid oline has cost the Bills playoff wins and likely Super Bowl wins.