PBF81

I feel sorry for her. There's a very good article about the situation linked on the homepage. https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/sports-columns/adam-hill/hill-spare-me-your-outrage-and-maybe-spare-bills-reporters-job-2905797/ I'm sure she's crushed over it. She's probably been crying frequently since it was put out. My question is who was so eager to put that out. Kind of a big nothing-burger that's been made into a mountain.

Yeah, everyone's a fan of their team and the play in general, but I know of few if any people that are fans of the NFL as an organization itself.

Well, like I pointed out somewhere recently, last season we held the Jets to 20 and 12, this season to 16 in regulation. We had the 2nd ranked defense in the league. 5 other teams held them to fewer than 12 points and they were ranked 3rd, 11th, 12th, 24th, and 25th. On top of that, three additional teams and one of the same, NE, held them to fewer than 20. Those teams were ranked 5th, 11th, 15th, and 29th. In light of that, I'm not sure that holding essentially the same team to 16 in regulation, with a QB that wasn't even prepared to play, is any significant achievement. We'll see, tomorrow will be a notably bigger test. Fan energy will be at peak so that even favors us. I expect Allen to rebound in spades but the D to not hold the Raiders to under 20. And if we can't stop Jacobs ...

Well, we'll see, again, the Jets' OL isn't good and Zach Wilson was their QB. Let's not forget last season when we whupped up on the Rams and Titans early on and everyone had us going to and winning the Super Bowl. Our D played even better than against better competition and offenses. We had 7 sacks, 7 TFLs, and 16 QBHits in our first game last season against Stafford and the SB winning Rams, then played another outstanding game against the Titans, and everyone said we were unstoppable. Let's see how we're sitting after the Raiders, MIami, and Jags. They're not going to be the Jets.

The only problem with that is that the Jets' OL isn't ranked very well by anyone. Few rankings have it above 20th, most have it in the bottom quartile. This week will be a much biggest test as you laid out. Bernard was good in pass coverage. But we knew that.

I think give him half a season to settle in. Preparing for Rodgers and ending up playing Wilson was a curve ball. Also, tough to comment until at least as semblance of steady-state is there to analyze. Unless our D is simply low-end for the next three or four games, let's give him a couple months. That's not to say I'm optimistic, but in fairness ...

And it's all about the "me" culture, "look at me," "see me," etc. It's what we've created with social media. It's an untameable beast of sorts. Look at all the people often risking their lives, and sometimes dying, for their "15 minutes" or whatever. As well, at what point do we reach saturation for all of these people that are "influencers."

IDK, if you ask me, allowing a pair of RBs to rush for 160 yards on over 6 YPC, and allowing a nothing QB to post a very efficient outting, after having taken zero first-team reps in practice leading up to the game, in a balanced attack otherwise can't be attributed to Allen. 7 teams beat the Jets last season by allowing 12 or fewer points, and none featured a defense ranked higher than ours. Yes, Allen's primarily why we lost, but potential plot-twist. Let's say that two of those INTs connect and we log 10 points, or even 14 from them. Fine, one is still an INT. The conversation this week trends towards Super Bowl talk. Allen completed 70% of his passes against that D. It wasn't a good game, but again, points to the reality in Buffalo under McD these days, that he can't coach us to wins against the better teams unless Allen plays lights out ball. Imagine how the game would've gone had Rodgers not gotten injured in the first series. It would have been a lot worse. And there's a big part of the problem. McD won't get rid of anyone. He's surrounded by his underachieving buddies from Carolina now, in spades. He also won't hire an OC that can get the most from Allen and get the job done. Why not? Because it would threaten his job. We're stuck until Pegs pulls the plug. But he just unwisely gave them extensions in thinking about what, the welfare of the team, the Super Bowl, etc.? No, in thinking about his largely taxpayer/fan funded new stadium.

He is getting beaten down. But hey, "we have a winning culture" for as ill-defined as that is apart from simply wins in a division that's been crap to date.

Well, "bums" isn't the word I used. LOL Either way, it's hardly a popular narrative here. As my suspicions go however and as I've stated numerous times, I expect it to increase in popularity during and after this season. McD is fine as a "cheerleading" coach, and this "winning culture" thing, LOL, ... honestly. Any team that posts winning seasons regularly qualifies as having a "winning culture." It's a ridiculously soft measure. If one measures coaches by having their teams fully prepared going into games, particularly playoff games, making half-time adjustments, out-strategizing their peers, etc., McD's not anywhere near the top. It's rare to hear about how McD out X's-n-O's the opponents. We rely on better talent and Allen to win games. That's not particular to coaching.

... with better coaches. If Allen hadn't come along then McD would have been the next in a string of memories.

Regressing? How are we measuring this? What are the parameters? Define "regression" in this context. I'm not sure that it's "regressing." Generally speaking, I'm gonna step out here with the more controversial unpopular take. I blame a poor OL, still with weaknesses, (aka Beane and am overemphasis on D in our drafts) and coaching. There are understandable reasons for Allen to be insecure in the pocket, which is inconsistent at best, related to both. It stands to reason then that his play is also going to be unpredictable and inconsistent as a direct result. It's quite possible that he's merely reacting to those things in the ways that he always has as a patterned behavior. All I know is that the coaching, both Dorsey and McD, perhaps particularly the latter, are both being let of the hook far more than they should be. I'm not convinced that either knows how to coach Allen effectively much less optimally.

I'd take Lawrence. Always go with the QB that can manage the pocket better. That's Lawrence. Completely agree with you that Lawrence is catching on. IMO he'll rival Mahomes for top dog eventually. It also seems that coaching has a lot to do with it. I'm keeping an eye on Press Taylor. But perhaps the biggest reason is that at this rate I don't expect that Allen can go much longer without sustaining a serious injury. There were a few close calls on MN. Lawrence is much smarter in that regard too. So I'd rather have either one, healthy. But the odds of Allen getting hurt, particularly as he ages, appear to be notably greater. As a personality, Allen's a better fit for Buffalo. But in building a team you have to consider durability and longevity. Allen isn't going to be running like that much into his 30s.

I wasn't discussing a single play. This isn't a "single play" issue.

When there's open receivers, regardless of the reason, and Allen isn't under that much pressure that he doesn't have time to read/see them, and doesn't hit them and instead goes into double or triple coverage for an incompletion or INT, it's not the receivers. Send four out, hopefully one or two are open. THAT'S the job, process which one quickly, pre-reading the D is key, and then hit that open WR. I don't know where the post is, but I specifically pointed out numerous times when that was exactly the case and Allen did not hit the open guy or even try. And I included none where there would have been any chance of an INT whatsoever. It also gets old having everyone but McD get any of the blame for this.

He might be, I didn't look at the injury report. But even without him they'll be one of the more balanced offensive units we play this season. Not sure on the coachability thing, could be I suppose. I typically link coachability to intellect and there doesn't appear to be any disconnect there. IMO if it is that, then it's because McD is a players coach more than he is a tactician or analytical type in his approach to the game, ... aka coaching. When a coach's strengths are "culture," and he's more concerned with hiring assistants that "he's familiar with, trusts, and has worked with before," rather than competent ones that have proven their competence, unlike pretty much anyone on his staff at the higher ranks, then I tend to question. I'm all but entirely convinced that McD isn't the man for the job if we want a Lombardi. His offense has done less with more and goes as Allen goes with only rare exceptions. In the playoffs it's been all Allen. That's hardly a sign of competent coaching. Imagine where McD would have been with Manuel, Fitzpatrick, Orton, Losman, Edwards, or Taylor. He wouldn't be here right now.

I can't speak to the injury aspect. I have no idea on that. I've heard both arguments and have opinions both ways, but nothing that I'd stand firm on. All I know is that after nearly 80 starts this shouldn't be an issue and I have absolutely no idea why coaching isn't taking more heat for it. Again, it's not as if they're trying to change a throwing motion, footwork, or other physical issues that he's got patterned into him since he was 10 or anything. Or as if Allen is stupid and unable to learn, like Jamarcus Russell e.g., he's not, he's very bright.

That would be ridiculous. If that's the case then coaching needs to start taking some very serious heat. The Raiders last season finished DFL in QB Rating allowed, DFL in INTs (6), 29th in Passing YPG, 30th in Sacks and Sack%, 31st in Passes Defensed, and 30th in Compl. % allowed. They've done next to nothing in the offseason to have improved their D, and Perryman, owner of two of those whopping 6 INTs left in free agency. Their INTs were against Murray, Purdy, Pickett, Geno Smith, Tannehill, and Davis Mills. If Allen can't shred that pass D in our home opener then things are far more amiss than anyone's letting on. Wilson posted one of his best games compared to last season against them this past week completing 80% of his passes. The worry should be about our D against a very well balanced offense which they did upgrade with the addition of Jakobi Meyers, not great, but an upgrade, and which finished 11th in total yards last season, 11th in passing yards (with Carr), 17th in rushing yards, and 12th in scoring. Jacobs is concerning. The Denver D posted similar numbers to the Jets' D last season too and had 7 more Takeaways. I hope our D isn't going into this game thinking that it's going to be like last week.

He also did it in 2019 and at least somewhat in 2020. It's never left him. The headscratcher part about it is twofold. Given that the issue is simple to correct, as in it's not like getting a QB to alter his foot placement or throwing mechanics from what he's done for 10 years, there's the coaching side, and Allen's side. Is if fair to say that he's "not seeing wide open guys in the middle of the field," or the flats/wings, or is he ignoring them in favor of a bigger play? There've also been plays when it's clear that he does see them, but goes deep anyway. It seems that it's deliberate, making it even more correctible. But like I mentioned earlier, I've gotten so fed up with this for three seasons that I had determined to put together a running montage of it on the season. I know absolutely nothing about coaching in the NFL, nada. But that would be a very simple and effective training tool to demonstrate to Allen, what quite frankly is common sense and which anyone that's watched football for any number of years and paid attention, already knows. There's a very good reason why for decades they've called them high-percentage throws/plays. So the biggest elephant-on-the-kitchen-table question is, why hasn't McD in six seasons, preseasons, training camps, effectively addressed it? I have terminal difficulty believing that he has and that Allen's simply ignoring him. And frankly, if that's the case, one of the two has to go and it's not going to be Allen.

He can, the issue is that he sometimes, and often at inopportune moments in the game, opts for looking deep over simply taking the easy outlet for a reasonable gain and often a 1st-Down. Against teams/D's like the Jets, you cannot afford to do that. Against the Raiders on Sunday, as long as the D shows up, you can afford to do that in likelihood. In the playoffs, obviously you cannot. And even if it's only two or three a game, if it stalls a drive then it's too many, particularly in a loss or close game. Allen is the least of this team's problems and he's been carrying the offense, and even the defense at times, throughout McD's tenure. This short pass thing isn't some kind of new found mystery. The best QBs in the game in history were masters at this. Brady feasted off of it. It doesn't mean that they couldn't go deep, they simply understood that passing should be to any receiver anywhere that's open and stands to make a significant gain. "Significant" can vary. 8 yards on a 3rd-and-12 is inadequate. 4 yards on a 3rd-and-2 is adequate.

He's had the issue otherwise as well, it did not begin last season. He did it in 2020 to albeit to a lesser extent. That's when I began contemplating putting together a running montage of it. It was annoying to watch. It's beyond mind-boggling that the issue still exists on his watch and in McD's 6th season and Allen's 5th and with two different OCs now. For any astute observer the reason why should be clear, there's only one commonality in the scenario.

Here's the thing, everyone always chides others for not being coaches or "experts" otherwise, but this is not complicated and it's mystifying as to why it hasn't been corrected. I mean how difficult is it, Allen's very intelligent. You sit him down, show him the litany of plays on which he went deep with wide open guys underneath, and on the wings/flats, OTM, etc.; reiterate to him why a simple 1st-Down is adequate; explain that there's far less risk on those throws; and tell him that's how all the greats got great and how you want him to do it, in the best interests of the team. Either that's been done, or it hasn't. If it has and he's ignoring it, then that's on him. He's not so stupid that he doesn't get it. It's trivial and fundamental. If it hasn't, then whiskey tango foxtrot. Before all of this came out, I was prepared to compile a running season long video of all the plays that he did that, which, while not the intent, could have easily served as a coaching tool in that regard. But I'm no expert in that way, I've never coached college or pro ball. The point is that it should be far from difficult to correct, it shouldn't require Don Shula or Bill Walsh to correct. My only question is why is this an issue in Allen's 6th season. That would seem to reflect directly on coaching. As to the heat he's taking, it'll happen. He'll be a hero when it doesn't. But that's not the core issue and it will cost the team in the playoffs when our D goes on vacation. ... which would also implicate coaching for that matter.

But you know how it works in the modern world, everything has to be aired online, no room for forgiveness, instantaneous judgements amidst massive lacks of actual facts, etc. It's no fun if everyone takes the rational approach. /sarcasm

LOL, so it's not even original then. Thanks! I don't follow any sports but football. To the point then, even more, it seems to have merely been used by McD to deflect criticism and questioning, while representing nothing concrete. As well, rebuilds typically take a season or two, not six. Granted, he hasn't used the term much if at all this season, and very sparingly last season, but he was using it four years in in 2020. It appears to have all but disappeared from the McBeane lexicon.

Exactly!