Coach Tuesday

I saw this today too and found it interesting. Perhaps it's time to transition the offense based on how Allen has evolved as a player - they can't rely on him to make unblocked rushers miss like they used to be. The progressions, timing, and protection schemes need to change YESTERDAY.

Please. Stop insulting the fans. That is the issue. The issues the team has experienced this season were issues known and discussed by the fanbase all offseason (and last offseason). We are not idiots. And when Beane went on the air in August and basically goaded the fanbase by saying he's smarter than we are, because he found the "Right Josh" and basically said, stop questioning me, he brought this on himself. Buffalo Bills fans can put up with a lot, and they're wiling to reach into their pockets and spend a higher percentage of their disposable income on the product than most fanbases, so long as they're not insulted by the organization. Brandon Beane committed the cardinal sin - insulting the fans' intelligence - and he did so at a time when the issues facing the team were obvious to most of us and when they were asking us to dig into our pockets to buy PSLs for the new (largely taxpayer-funded) stadium. (And not for nothing, Sabres fans have been insulted by Pegula for like a decade.)

Happy to see The Single Worst Take In The History Of TSW still lives on all these months later!

Russini has become a weekly Saturday read for me. RIP to Joel Buschbaum, Len Pasquarelli and Don Banks, I never get tired of weekly well-sourced scoops although they’re (literally) a dying breed. EDIT: apparently Len P is still alive!

Self-preservation would be to dirt it as someone suggested upthread. McD knows that Allen could easily have suffered a severe injury the other night and then the season is truly over.

Some of that is just the crappy Thursday product. the Bills are taking every opponent’s best shot this season because the league is smelling blood and because there is extra parity this year. Them having to go on the road against an elite defense on a short week after a string of physical games was always going to be rough. And they don’t have cerebral coordinators, and tend to play it safe anyway - they tried to lean into their best plays on both sides of the ball and to rely on near-perfect execution given the limited prep time. It didn’t work, but it’s not Who They Are. But they now have (yet again) left themselves with near zero margin for further error.

Allen was running around and backwards like a rookie. I am not putting most of it on him but, why would he think he’s going to be able to turn his back to Anderson and Hunter and spin away from those guys? I thought he’d at least figure it out by halftime but he kept doing it!

I worry about both of them, plus Cook - three high-usage players who are somewhat on the smaller side. The way they use Shakir he is going to get destroyed, it is just a matter of time. Cook is great at avoiding big hits but at some point the wear and tear is going to take a toll. Benford looks like his body is already starting to break down. Bernard is another one, a smaller inside LB with injury issues is already on a downward trajectory.

Last night's game reminded me of the home night game against the Jets where plays were coming in late, the offense was totally out of sync and dysfunctional but hit a couple of explosives to make it look better than it was, the defense failed in big moments, and right afterwards Greg Roman was fired. So it's not out of the question in my mind.

I thought he played well last night?

He’s just a bad GM. He is replaceable and I’d make the move if I were Terry.

They don’t have elite speed. They don’t have elite power. They try to win on both offense and defense with precision, because they don’t have the talent to do anything else. They give themselves the smallest margin for error. If not for Allen they’d be a 3-4 win team.

They do not play with enough confidence or physicality.

The Thursday night product is terrible. Always. I was worried sick about injuries coming in and wasn’t surprised they got bullied and battered against a tough defense on the road on a short week. It’s just a really tough ask. As for the coaches, Brady is clearly limited but I just don’t know how much coaching is to blame here. The problem is personnel. It is a matchup league and the Bills have just not acquired enough matchup winners. That is on the GM. Maybe genius coaches steal another win or two or three maybe - but that’s asking a lot with how poor the personnel is especially on offense. I know folks are sick of McDermott but to me he’s not the villain and I worry about who would replace him. Brandon Beane, I would fire without hesitation. He is fully replaceable. Since he gave Allen the big dollars he has drafted terribly and they needed the exact opposite. He’s just not a very good GM.

You have thunder?