PBF81

At this point it might do us good to hobble into the playoffs, as long as we can get hot in January. Not that that's an odds-on bet, just sayin'. We've tried the traditional approach and it's failed us twice. We're good enough to make the playoffs pretty much under any circumstances. Maybe not focusing so much on going 15-2 during the regular season and getting the #1 see will help us out come January. We'll find out very soon.

Well, let's keep in mind that their offense is missing last season's #1 WR and what they now have as a #1 (which one is it even?) makes Davis look like Moss. This wasn't a well-kept secret entering the season. LOL Their top WR was on pace for a 740/7 season, and I wouldn't bet a dime that any of their WRs will cross the 800 yard mark.

It doesn't? That's funny, having Diggs and "no real #2 WR" seems to make an enormous impact in Buffalo. Must be the thinner air in Denver.

Not sure I'd mimic our fans, we play @ KC in six weeks. Comments about Mahomes as people have been talking about Allen, Dorsey, etc., could very well come back to bite us in the a$$. Bad juju. How embarassing would that be.

Same thing that was wrong with them entering the season, they have siht for WRs. Entering this week their leading WR was on pace for 740 yards and 7 TDs. Their average scoring is down 4 ppg from last season and they've only scored more than 23 points three times, and more than 27 twice, and both of those times were against low-end Ds. 25th and 28th. Their 27 point game was against the 20th ranked D. People here complain about Davis, but Davis would be better than anyone on their team. We have Diggs on top of that.

I was torturing some benefit of the doubt. If we're either beaten by a worse team or lose due to not playing our best, he'll make his own bed.

Agree The laugh emoji was re your first sentence. Und now's the time on Sprockets ven ve hammer Nick Wright into za strudel.

One of the things that should register with everyone, is that some of the issues that arise, we've been discussing for several seasons. That says something as well.

Way to miss that point entirely.

One game with marginal adjustments, at home, against a team like Tampa isn't significant. Question though, since we saw some things that we haven't seen on anything close to a regular basis, how is it that they just came out now, after all this time? Not a good look. The rest of the season isn't going to be McD's friend, and he's now fighting what appears to be an uphill battle against the national media. Nothing we say or do is going to matter, we can merely bicker over who's on whose lawn. If he can't make the Conference CG nothing is going to change perception wise. And this can easily go from this to much worse to where it becomes obvious even to his stalwart apologists that he needs to go.

Something was gonna change re: support for McD, one way or another this season, seven seasons in. One can also only live on backing into the playoffs in one's inaugural season, as the worst of the other 7th-seed contenders, for so long. After 7 seasons, McD's playoff track record here is all but identical to that on Carolina when he was the DC under Rivera. There, 1 WC round loss 2 D round losses 1 SB loss Here, 2 WC round losses 2 D round losses 1 CC game lots Considering the difference in QBs and records of the two teams during those 6 & 7 year stretches, that's ridiculous.

It's hardly "just one game."

Which of anything, diminishes the contribution of the coach, at least to some extent, which can also be argued that extent.

That's easy. It's once we're looking for our next QB after Allen.

Great and accurate post. You nailed it right there. That's the point. If the primary thing that someone, McD in this particular case, brings, isn't apparent when it matters most, what's the point. Everyone gets giddy about our #1/2 ranking unit that plays like the 32nd ranked unit at the most critical point. One has to at least begin questioning the wisdom of having someone that "specializes" in that area when it ultimately and regularly fails to assist the team in achieving it's ultimate goal. Which raises another point. Some here have sincerely stated that they're quite content with simply having an "entertaining" regular season. So it stands to reason when they say that they don't care about playoffs or a Lombardi. I don't get it, but if that's their level of satisfaction, who are we to argue. No one cares about "culture" come playoff time. Every team deep in the playoffs has a winning culture. Nor every team has the coaching required to win it all. We're one of 'em. But for the team, that is the goal, as they say so every year. Getting back to the above, it should be obvious that McD is holding them back in that regard, not providing that "extra" that Super Bowl winning coaches typically bring. After seven seasons, waiting around to see whether a leopard is going to change it's spots doesn't seem like an odds-on strategy to me. Oh, we're relaxed. A little too relaxed now. 😁

And utopia is always just a season away. Free beer tomorrow!

It's quite arguable that he didn't learn from anything, Allen simply became "Allen" and made it seem that way. His offense in NY is DFL. It's not simply bad, it's last. That's not a coincidence that the only two decent offenses he had were two years when Allen came out.

That's a very good assessment! I would add that there's a difference between doing all that you can for him by developing your OL and running game so as to take the burden off in the rushing department, and trying to convert him into a pocket passer. He has to hone those skills, and learn to take what the D's give him, but until this season, and even pending there, he hasn't had the OL to be able to comfortably do that, nor the RB(s), which were probably a product of the former. It simply seems that McD has major and terminal shortcomings in the big-picture view of the team. That's why words like dysfunctional and disarray(ed) have appeared in recent pieces discussing our team. We've had the #1 or #2 D three times in the past four seasons prior to this one, two of those times the best in the AFC as well, and we're 2-3 in the playoffs with wins only over the Skylar Thompson led Fins and the Pats two seasons ago. He seems to have reached his pinnacle.

We'll simply have to disagree. BTW, you forgot Marv's pop-warner accolades in there.

Well, in fairness the question did say of anyone that was a potential candidate. A reasonable answer nonetheless. The only thing we differ on is the last part. And agreed, if we finish 12-5, fine, a stay. But if we only win 9 or 10 games, with Allen, contrasted with the drought era, it should be pretty obvious that McD's reached a ceiling. As you say, we'll see what happens. It seems tremendously likely that the opinion on this isn't going to be anything close to 50/50 as it now is, by season's end. Also, in line with what you said, we had the 2nd ranked Defense in 2022, the 1st-ranked Defense in 2021, and the 2nd-ranked Defense in 2019, and the best we could do was "13 Seconds." Hence my comments about the ceiling. There's nowhere to go from 1st and 2nd is close enough, particularly when the #1 D is in the NFC and you can't even get to that point in the playoffs. I would pose this, if nothing changes, we risk seeing Allen's career being Marv Levied, never even sniffing a Super Bowl much less winning one. If that were to occur, there will no doubt be endless second-guessing on it all for a long time. That would be the biggest pity of all.

Well articulated. I would look at his playoff performances more than I would the regular season. I would also look at our offense and ask why more hasn't been done to support Allen. Granted, we're getting Beane involved, and while many others around the league may not understand the preordained arrangement between Beane and McD, with the latter having brought the former on rather than the traditional visa versa, we do, so I take that for granted. He would be hired quickly, but I think that his flaws would become far more visible at the same time. Either way, unless your answer to the question is McD (is it?), then you did not answer the question. You merely hedged apologetically for McD. If, at the present time, the team were rudderless (aka w/o head coach), your first choice would be McD then? ... of all of the potentially available candidates that is. Not Reid for example. No false choice, don't hide behind it. It's a simple question, whom would you hire for the role if he weren't out head coach? If it's him, say so. And why. Shouldn't be a difficult question. Take as long as you like to answer it. There's on trickery here! Don't use it as an excuse.

I don't recall anyone claiming that he's flawless. But he is unique. And a unique QB is going to take a coach, both OC and HC, that understands how to work that uniqueness into their gameplan. It would seem that if a poll were taken as to which one, Allen or McD, meant more to the ultimate successful functioning of this team, it would be pretty lopsided in favor of Allen. Imagine McD with the litany of QBs we've had since Kelly. He would be a DC somewhere else right now. As asked above, suppose we were without a head coach right now and we had the ability to hire anyone that would be available after the season, and knowing what we know about McD to date. Would McD even make the short-list? Why would he be the primary choice or even close to be the one to get the most out of this team's offense? So since this is your post I'm responding to, what would be your answer to those two questions? What ya got?

Interesting and great post. I've actually thought similar. I've been wondering whether Dorsey's been trying to work Allen as if he's a pocket passer, like he was, and therefore is unable to provide the necessary creativity in that way. Here's the thing, this shouldn't be something that surprises an OC after having had plenty of opportunities to watch Allen, even if only on TV for games like everyone else. In short, it shouldn't take anything approaching genius or brilliance to be able to see that. Taking him and matching an offensive system would tend to take some level of competence in that area however. Whether or not we've seen that appears to be a raging debate. LOL At the same time, implications are that McD has nothing to say about it to contribute to corrections, which on a team that revolves around it, is problematic. As many surmise, if the strength of your team is defense, McD might be the right guy. But if it's offense, what are the reasons, besides the soft measure of culture, whatever that even boils down to, which isn't doing anything for us now, then it's a reach to suggest that McD's the right one. Putting it into an alternate context. Suppose we were without a head coach right now and we had the ability to hire anyone that would be available after the season, and knowing what we know about McD to date. Would McD even make the short-list? Why would he be the primary choice or even close to be the one to get the most out of this team's offense? It all reads like a loyalty thing on Pegula's part. Well, he's the one that brought us back (not Allen more so apparently), so he deserves the benefit of the doubt for continued opportunity and to run Allen's tenure into the ground. Why this makes sense to anyone is puzzling. Then again, it is primarily a business, and TV revenues, "Bills Mafia" recognition, ticket sales, TV appeal, international appeal, player endorsements, etc., are at an all-time team high. So from that end apparently that's all that matters. Lombardis are for sentimental fans.

Congratulations!!! When's the little newbie going to get its first wing? I wish I lived closer, I'd have been happy to bring you guys a meal. Sounds like you're all set up though.