Long Suffering Fan

And a 16-0 season each time....just like Retro Bowl.

Jauronimo is dead on here. I'll add that Maybin had no base and seemed to have not enough power down low. What he did with his frame for the draft was a bit deceiving. Another reason Rousseau could never be Maybin is that Maybin was drafted 11th (?).....and because we passed over Orakpo to get him. Even if Rousseau is a bust, and I do not think he will be, those two reasons mean he could never be as big a bust as Maybin. BTW, normally I don't like to play Captain Hindsight on draft picks, but Orakpo was the obvious, blinking, neon light choice that everyone could see would be a good NFL player....well, apparently not everyone.

"What your favorite NFL team says about you." Where I was born.... (in my case, within 5 miles of Rich Stadium - well, it wasn't there when I was born, I got there first, but it was on its way)

Dude, have you seen your avatar and forum name? 😄 I've spent my whole life seeking revenge...

When I first read this I thought it was your suffering as you succumbed to the virus. Like you were being funny about how you were going to live your life and then then tacked that on on the end. That's ridiculous, he wouldn't type that out, he would just say it.... ...perhaps he was dictating. Too much Monty Python...

Not to be pedantic about it, but it is actually just the opposite. Doing a push up is forcing you to extend your arms. It would be easier if the band was stretching and expanding on the up stroke. If that were the case, when he straightens his arms that would mean he is not lifting his entire weight because some of his extension would be made easier by pushing the band down. It is a center of mass thing. It is a similar principle to how kicking makes it easier to do pull ups.

Yeah, I was only kidding. That was an animal house reference.

I've been on double secret probation for quite awhile so I have to be doubly careful. I'm blaming that for my low post count. It's the only explanation. Not that we don't have our share, but I thumbed your post just for this. Beating the pats twice is maybe the most satisfying thing that happened last year (to be clear, by far the most important thing from last year is that we found out we have a franchise QB).

Blue on Blue, that was a great. It was a relaxing but interesting, Saturday morning off-season listen when there is not a lot of other content. Thank you for posting it. A couple of things that stuck out to me: (nothing below is an exact quote - typing from memory) Him talking about elite WRs - several times, when talking about the pass game he specifically called Steph and Beas elite WRs. He also talked a lot about how what made them elite was separation. He never mentioned Brown. I like Brown, but in an unintended, reading between the lines way, I think he revealed that at least some Bills players think the same way of Brown as probably most of us do. Steph and Beas are in a class above Brown. Remember, he was here for 2 years in this latest stint which means he saw what Brown was 2 years ago as the uninjured number 1 WR. Called Dawson Knox a freak show athlete that has a bright future. He is big enough that little guys do not want to tackle him and he is athletic enough to get separation. We can only hope he has a bright future. Taliking about his high catch-target % and his high TD % - If he caught a TD pass, it was not uncommon for a defensive coach or player on the other team to give him a hard time teasing him after the game - man, why are you doing me that way? They haven't thrown you the ball in 5 weeks. - He said that the Bills would often take that play out of their playbooks for the next 2-3 weeks until it got off the most recent film. Talked about how being drafted in the 5th round by the Patriots with Gronk and Hernandez on the team and how it made him doubt he could play in the league. Then he gets cut and he is talking to his high school sweetheart wife with their third kid on the way and they have college debt and they are donating plasma and eating Ramen noodles to get by. Just a humble, likable guy. The type of guy that you wouldn't mind hanging with.......I still don't want him back, though. 😃

I ate a thumbtack while reading through the list. I'd call it even.

I played tackle at the youth level. I also played intramurals and for my frat. Later I played flag as an adult. Oddly, I learned more about the game playing flag - different route concepts, plays, and even defensive concepts I see on the screen all the time. Maybe that is a bit of a statement on the direction the NFL has taken. But, no, I don't think playing experience is at all necessary to understand the game.

I agree with that sentiment. We are good enough to have "a ticket to the dance" on likely a yearly basis. That is all we need. By that, I don't mean ticket to make the playoffs, but ticket to be an actual contender. Once we get to the dance, you never know what can happen. The way the offense sputtered does not worry me. The defensive game plan in the last game does a little, but this staff has shown the ability to improve.

The Courier Express has him #1.

This article is behind a paywall: https://theathletic.com/2365170/2021/02/05/buffalo-bills-free-agency-matt-milano-daryl-williams-john-brown/?source=weeklyemail While some people like Joe B and some don't, I have fallen in the first category ever since he was learning his trade at WGR. My basic premise is that a lot of sports opinions, including my own, are bound to be wrong and at least Joe B puts some effort in. A couple of excerpts and summaries of the article: - While $175M is the floor, there has been some talk of it being higher than that for next year. It would need to be at $181M for the Bills to be right at the cap as of now. This accounts for the $3.7M roll over from this year. This does NOT include any current free agents like Mongo or Milano. This means that there HAS to be some cuts - not just that they would be nice, but that they are needed. - There is this take on Trent Murphy that I find hard to argue with: While understandable, this was still a mistake by McBeane. Having an extra $7M this year would have really helped to sign someone like Mongo or Milano. - His guess (because that is really all it is at this point) at who are cut is Brown, Butler, Jefferson, and (everyone's favorite) Lee Smith, for a total saving of ~$20.5M. He also predicts that there will be a contract restructure for Addison, Morse, and Klein for some additional savings. - With those numbers in mind, his prediction is that Milano will be kept if the cap is $185M and not kept if it is $175M The whole article is worth a read and I recommend it. There is a lot of detail and a lot that sounds right. I am looking forward to see how close he actually gets.

Their bromance is good for both of them and for the team. I just hope that it never gets old. It does comes across as "real" (as much as we can tell from so far away), so hopefully it won't go south under adversity. They are both obviously competitors and competitors can clash when things are not going well. Of course, I would sign up for things always going well so that it will never come to that. 😊

Teef and Hap, Just excellent posts. You both said everything that I would have said, except you said it better.

Eh, I'm busy. Seriously, though. I don't think they are idiots and I am almost never critical of game plans because I don' know what they studied in the film room. However, once the product is put on the field everyone can see it - coaches, fans, experts, and non-experts alike. What I absolutely do NOT understand is stubbornness in sticking with something that is so obviously not working that drunken TBD posters can see it on their TVs.

Sure. I bet they did. I'm not sure why they would have thought that, but okay. They are the experts. I am not an expert, but I figured out after about 3 series that it wasn't helping us win.

I want the Chiefs to demolish the Bucs and it is not even because I hate Tom Brady. I am as frustrated with the last game and with the coaching as anyone, but this Super Bowl is still a measuring stick for the Bills even though the Bills are not playing. I get that match ups are a big part of these games and we might not match up well against the Chiefs and maybe we had a bad game. However, if the Bucs win dominantly over the Chiefs, it will still say something about the Bills. If the Chiefs crush the Bucs, OTOH, I think I will feel like the Chiefs are just a juggernaut and it was just their year. I think it will take just a tiny bit of the sting out of our loss. What I mean to say is, I think I will be thinking about the Bills a lot during the SB. Not just how they could have been in the game, but comparing schemes to the ones used in our game, evaluating the match ups to see what works and doesn't against the Chiefs, looking at the Chiefs dominance or lack there of, etc. It has been a long time since I watched a SB with anything near that frame of mind. I suppose that is just a little bit more evidence of how different this Bills team is.

Every time I watch this play I am amazed that Tre and Taron don't clip each other's heels when they cross. At full speed that would almost always wipe you out. They get ridiculously close.

If I am honest, I need to add something to this list: 1a) What in the world are doing taking it out of the end zone!

I'll settle for three picks. Forget the Gordie Howe hat trick. I want a hat trick, hat trick. And if they were all returned for TDs....

They have two good corners and our running game is hurting and hasn't been that good all year anyway. If I am the Bills, I think I start off by playing 4 and 5 wide like crazy. Diggs and Beasley will beat their top two CBs some, but Brown, Davis, and Mckenzie/Knox will chew up their next three. If they want to play zone, they are not going to be able to blitz. They have to drop 7 against that many threats. If they blitz, they play into our hands because we want them in man. We would have a whole host of one on one match ups and Allen has proven that he will find the open guy. And if they leave a running lane, Allen takes off and runs (or finds Gabe, etc. on the sidelines).

I stumbled upon this article by accident. https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/1/12/22226135/did-the-buffalo-bills-choose-wisely-with-kicker-tyler-bass I think most of us agree that Tyler Bass passes the eye test and his progress from early in the season is evident. Still, I always appreciate it when someone puts in some effort on analysis. The numbers on "Survivor" Rookies are an interesting comparison and not something that is readily available. No paywall on this article so others besides Hap can enjoy it too. ☺️

I would have never bought a subscription to the Athletic because I am a cranky old man who does not pay for websites. Fortunately, my son, in his wisdom, gave me a subscription as a gift. I love Xs and Os, but this is a good example of long form journalism delving into someone's life and presenting him as a real person. It is perfect midweek reading. We are done talking about the last game and just beginning to talk about the next game. Heath Farwell, the most important Bills coach flying under the radar It is behind a paywall so here are a few excerpts: (this quotes add up to a very small percentage of the whole article - maybe about 10% - it is truly LONG form journalism and includes some stats and Farwell's college and pro story.) “Our special teams have been kind of under-the-radar,” Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. “Our special teams are as good or better than the other 31 teams in the league in all phases! There isn’t a weak area. “At times, we’re a dominant special teams group. I mean, it’s not even close between our special teams and our opponents at times.” A low profile is fine with Farwell. He’s still new to coaching. He turned 39 last week and is just six years removed from his own playing days. He was a special teams ace with the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks. He enjoyed a decorated career as far as grinders go, winning the Lombardi Trophy and playing in a Pro Bowl, but it’s not like he basked in the klieg lights. “I just love these guys,” Farwell said. “I have players that care and work their butts off. It’s those guys, not me.” Brad Childress, his first NFL head coach: “He was the nuts and bolts of our team. When I heard he was moving into coaching, to me, that was one of the most natural things ever. He’s got the pelts on the wall, and he can teach it.” Andy Buh, his linebackers coach at San Diego State: “The guy’s a stud. Who becomes an assistant and then, after two years, gets hired as a coordinator? He went straight to the top pretty fast.” “He relates to us,” said Jones, a gunner and jammer. “He does an awesome job of communicating with the guys. He doesn’t feel like a coach. He feels like a player. He feels like one of us. “We got guys that sit in the meetings and don’t even play special teams,” Farwell said. “It’s a cool atmosphere here. They really embrace it.” “Jordan Poyer is on kickoff for me, and he begs me to play more phases,” Farwell said. “He texts me at night, asking ‘What do you think about doing this?’ Which means he went through the game plan and studies it like he does defense. “I always wanted to be the baddest dude on the field. I wanted the other team to think, ‘We just can’t block this guy.’ I wanted to be the guy other teams had to circle. I wanted that respect not only from my own teammates, but the team across from me.” “So in Brock’s newborn photos, it looks like Heath’s about to cry. But it’s not because of the baby, it’s because he just got fired (cut from Minnesota). It was devastating.”