JohnNord

Also there weren’t 4 drive starts inside the 20 yard line. I think that miiiiiiight have been a little different

Cue the “he’s still learning the TE position” excuses

True...but to be fair, if games were coach vs. coach Belichick would win most times

I think 9-7 or 10-6 is a very realistic possibility. But sadly 8-8 is as well unless the tram fixes the defense. The AFC East games will be huge. I can’t underscore that enough HUUUUUUUUGE,. Especially New England. I’m very nervous to see what Belichick will have in store because I can assure you he’ll take the same approach to attack the Bills as Vrabel did

It’s not going to happen. Also I have a feeling the Bills will trade for help on defense before TE

If you are Gettleman and trying to save your job with a decent W-L record, why on earth would you start trading weapons

He helped at times for sure but I saw him getting pushed backward last night. It’s the middle of the field that remains open. Edmunds is a huge reason why as is Tauron Johnson. The problem is that the Bills were counting on both this year so the depth at MLB and CB is poor. Like I said, Oliver has flashed at times - last week’s 4th down stop comes to mind. But I think in 20+ games we have yet to see him really disrupt an entire offense the way other high draft picks have.

I will boil everything down to a few things: The defensive line not been good. They did a terrible job with contain which was a strength last season. They get pushes around in the middle and aren’t great at rushing the passer. Still, I think this unit has the best chance to get better. Linebackers are an issue. I think you undersold Milano just a little bit. He’s a solid player who is very good at coverage and decent against the run. The defense has always missed h when he’s been out. Edmunds has been a liability and has not been very good. It makes you wonder what the Bills saw in AJ Klein because he’s been just as bad. Cornerbacks also have been poor. Tre wasn’t having the best year. Levi Wallace is serviceable. Norman is below average and Tauron Johnson has been the worst of the group. It’s going to be a major undertaking to fix things on defense

How long can we use the “potential” for players like Knox?

They are comparable, but I think Williams has made more of a difference so far

We all love Brandon Beane who has made a lot of great moves as GM. But when you look at the players he drafted - particularly on the defensive side of the ball, they aren’t looking so good. The Bills preach “draft, develop, resign” and while this has worked for picks like White and Milano, the high to mid-round draft picks Beane has made are not making the difference you would expect. I know that it takes time to develop but we’re 2 seasons in and the excuses are running out. You will notice that severa players on this list stood out last night in a defensive meltdown for the wrong reasons. Tremaine Edmunds - Round 1, Pick 16 2018 Yes he’s young and he has been injured this year, but his weaknesses haven’t seemed to change much since his rookie year. Good coverage LB, but a major liability against the run. Unfortunately he hasn’t made any strides in shedding blocks and has missed too many tackles. Not good enough for an MLB in this defense. Bills have a tough decision on his option at the end of the year. Harrison Phillips - Round 3, Pick 96 2018 He had shown promise last season but seems to be having a tough time coming back from ACL surgery. Right now he’s just another guy on defense and maybe a below average DT since his return. Tauron Johnson - Round 4, Pick 122 2018 Opposite of Edmunds - good run CB, a liability in the pass game. He has been a major weakness this year and maybe THE biggest weakness. Ed Oliver - Round 1, Pick 8 2019 Oliver has shown flashes at times but seems to be invisible for long stretches. So far he hasn’t been been as effective as fellow 2019 DL’s like Quinnen Williams or Jeffrey Simmons have been. Out of all the picks on the list, I feel he has the most upside. Still you’d like to see him do more in year 2. AJ Epinesa - Round 2, Pick 54 Very very early to make a call on this pick, but so far there hasn’t been anything that stands out. Also the Offside penalty was a killer. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I think the offensive picks have been pretty good. But it seems like a lot of the struggles can be attributed to the lack of development of draft picks who are called upon for big roles.

People here are dismissing the human element of the situation. McDermott is a defensive-minded coach and has a long history with Leslie Frazier. The two seem closely aligned when it comes to defensive philosophy and personality. If the defense continues to struggle, I have no doubt, Sean will consider making a move, but it’s likely not Schwartz. I don’t feel he’d be a good fit given the personality of McDermott. Also he’d be firing one DC who led a bad defense, for another DC who led a bad defense.

I would agree with a B. The Bills had no running game going which put them behind the sticks quite a bit - yet he still converted some 3rd downs. The INT was a killer though. If you are going to give Allen a C, what are your grades for some other players? That’s on the LB’s.... Edmunds is just bad. At this point the Bills should just sign Nigel Bradham and sit Edmunds

This is going to create a real ripple effect at the QB position. Starting caliber QB’s like Ryan, Darnold, maybe Cam Newton could possibly be available this off-season.

looks like he feels good enough to work out

Not yet... look for official inactives to be made around 5:30

It all goes back to stopping the run. If they don’t stop the run, then Tannehill is going to use ply action to complete short passes underneath which could go for big gains. This should be a concern because Edmunds, Dodson, and Klein all were vulnerable to play action vs Miami and LAR

Anyone else pretty nervous about this game. I don’t think Tennessee is going to lie down. I expect a close game and just hope the Bills can pull this off

It makes a lot of sense on paper, but I can’t see whoever is calling in the shots in Atlanta making big roster moves as an interim. From a coaching standpoint, Morris is going to eat the to win as many games as possible to either win the Atlanta job or end up as a HC or DC elsewhere. Trading away one of the best players on defense doesn’t help him win now. There were also people clamoring for the Bills to trade for Myles Jack. I can’t see Jacksonville trading him for the same reasons. They need to win now Do you honestly see an interim GM trading a captain and one of the most-respected members on the Texans to benefit the franchise in the future, when they might not be employed in Houston 4 months from now? Maybe the new GM makes this move but not the lame duck.

I would agree... the only counter about paying that salary to the backup is what happened to Dak last night. Dallas has several big contracts on the cap and still managed to pay Andy Dalton $7M to backup Dak. It’s insurance - There was a good chance he wouldn’t play as Dak has never been injured. But now, he appears to a be a QB that will keep them in the terrible NFC East division race.

I came across this on Twitter: Based on Josh’s injury last week and the heartbreaking injury to Dak, how would you feel about Fitzpatrick coming back to Buffalo in 2021 to end his career as a Bill? By next season Josh should be solidified as the unquestioned starter, so I don’t feel Fitzpatrick would be a threat, especially since Josh and Fitz seem to be friendly. I also think he’d be an excellent teacher to help Josh continue to get better. On the other hand, the cap hit for Fitz would ($7-$8M) would be considerably higher than what we are paying the 2 QB’s on the roster combined. With a monster deal for Allen on the horizon, as well as potential contract extensions for Milano and maybe Edmunds, the cap situation could get tight and the team may not want to invest that much in a QB. The other question, is whether Fitz would want to come Buffalo, where he wouldn’t be given a chance to compete? Or would he look for a better situation behind a QB on shaky ground? You might also argue that Josh doesn’t need Fitzpatrick around as a mentor and could get by with a backup like Barkley. Either way, as a fan of Fitzpatrick, I would love to see him finish out his career in Buffalo.

The Bills did a solid job in the second half once they settled on a rotation with Oliver and Phillips and then Butler and Jefferson. Josh Jacobs who is regarded as a top RB, along with Henry, didn’t do much damage and even was stuffed by Eddie on 4th-and-1. As far as Henry’s effectiveness, it will come down to the Bills DL winning vs. Tennessee. The danger that I see are on 2nd-or-short and 3rd-and-short situations Tennessee can dictate our 4-3 defensive personnel, meaning AJ Klein will be on the field to defend the TE’s. He was badly abused by Fitzpatrick in Miami, bit on play action, and failed to recover. I can see that as a huge opportunity for Tennessee to use PA, get the ball to Smith or Brown in the open field for a big gain. Huge task for our DL tomorrow

I fully expect the Bills to call around the NFL and ask about players. It was rumored that they did this last year around the deadline and tried to get Diggs. So if there’s a player that would fit their scheme and would be available for a reasonable value, I think they would make a move.

Chicago is 4-1 and in the midst of a playoff run. Why would they consider trading him?