Brand J

Forgot about that ticky tack hold called on the Eagle defender that allowed the Chiefs to run out the clock. Such an anticlimactic ending to a competitive SB.

Hurts surprised me with the absolute dimes he was throwing in the Super Bowl. He was extremely decisive too. I thought he clearly outplayed Pat until Pat turned into the Grim Reaper the 2nd half. I know Hurts was slowed by an injury all year too, so his ascension to the top has been very fast, like Josh.

I remember all the complaints earlier in the year that he wasn’t all that fast. He’s not a blazer anyway (4.49), so those expecting CJ Spiller speed were always going to be disappointed. I think he was initially slowed by thinking too much, but played much faster as the season wore on. I expect him to handle himself well this year. Edit: he ran a 4.42 40 yard dash, not a 4.49. That was his brother’s time.

According to the internet, McD has 3 children, two girls and a boy. His oldest, Maddie, is 13 or will turn 13 this year.

If the guy indeed asked about any of those topics I raised (not just 13 seconds) maybe McD got pissed and found him classless and disrespectful, or maybe - as I would assume, seeing as how he answers tough questions for a living - he laughed it off and moved onto the next topic. If I invited a stranger to tag along with me on a 3 hour car ride, you could bet I’d be ready for whatever conversations that may come my way. I’ve spoken about how I would handle it. My view of my passenger’s character wouldn’t diminish simply because he asked me a question. I’d already know he’d have to be curious. If he was an a** about it? Of course that’s a different scenario. Your view of the passenger would change if he questioned you and that’s fine, I’m not saying you’re wrong to feel the way you’d feel - even if I believe it to be a little thin skinned - but there’s much bigger frustrations that come with your job as a head coach than some stranger asking job related question(s) while driving from Pittsburgh to Buffalo. I’ve said all I can about this. I’m not going to change any minds, nor are you going to change mine, so we can agree to disagree.

That’s where you and I see things differently. I don’t take asking a question about his (very public) profession as “disrespect” or “classless.” The media will badger a coach, player, whatever because yes, that’s their job. It isn’t the subject’s job to answer, it’s their job to be present for the questions. Never did I say to grill McD about those 3 topics, because that would definitely be out of line. Asking once would not. If the roles were reversed and a fan asked me a question about my very public job during a 3 hour car ride, taking it as disrespect would be the furthest thing from my mind. Naturally they’d be curious about it. If they didn’t ask at all I’d be mildly surprised. Maybe this guy did ask, who knows? You can speak for yourself and yourself only, as to how a question in this setting would impact you, not McD. Just decline to answer and move on to the next topic if you don’t feel like getting into it. If you’re in a chatty mood and want to share a little bit more than you have publicly, then hey, you’ve just added more sweetness to a fan’s already amazing car ride.

I think you’re more uptight about this than McD would be and would wager you’d get a chuckle out of him because he’d figure a question on one of those topics would come at some point during the 3 hour ride. Doesn’t mean he’d have to give anything more than he gave to the “classless” media.

Isn’t McD’s daughter 13 years old? Don’t think he was driving back to Buffalo with Jared Fogle. Asking once is harmless, badgering him about it until the situation turned uncomfortable would be low class.

That’s a long time to spend with coach to not be tempted to ask about 13 seconds, Diggs, and Leslie Frazier’s exit. Not that he’d give you the details to any of those stories, but if it was me I’d have to ask!

You’re getting a lot of push back on Bates, but I think it’s because he’s not a sexy name and fans just want better. You’re right in that he’s a starting quality guard, an average one, but a starter nonetheless. He was the 41st ranked guard according to PFF and was recorded as surrendering a single sack on the season. I don’t think Bates has ever been a problem the way Rodger Saffold was a problem. Bates is just an unspectacular guard who’s better at pass pro than run blocking. We could certainly do better, but could do much worse too. I think I remember reading somewhere that center is his favorite position to play. He’ll be next up after Morse.

He has a staccato speech at times, where it feels like his brain is searching for the right words. He may not be an eloquent speaker, but he’s clear enough and is thoughtful, so that’s enough in my book.

I have a feeling he won’t replicate the success he had this past year and the NY media will wonder if he’s in a sophomore slump. He got away with a lot of holding and grabbing, he won’t this year.

The main thing that worries me about Diggs is that when things go wrong, or are challenging, his juvenile attitude will resurface. It’s too much of a headache to constantly appease the guy. The Bills knew what they were getting into when they made this trade. Perhaps they should’ve waited a bit on that substantial pay raise to a malcontent 30 year old receiver. “If those lies help you sleep better at night big dawg…” Was that about Allen? Or some other totally unrelated situation that just happens to fit at the present time? Be competitive, fine, but don’t be a distraction.

Yeah, he’s refusing to talk about his contract now, but earlier he made some comments about wanting to keep his guys for the majority of his career and that he’d be open to a team friendly deal. That was months ago. We’ll see what the numbers on his new contract look like to see if he was FoS. Everyone wants their QB to take less like Brady, but it’s difficult to do when you know you’re worth more than that and you see (lesser) peers making much more than you.

Josh’s contract was more than Mahomes in Mahomes’ first 6 years. Pat has a higher AAV over his 10 year deal, but Josh got paid more when comparing the first 6 years of the two. There was no discount given to the Bills, but it is great that he was locked up a year before those exorbitant contracts were given to those other QBs. Will his approach for his next contract mirror Mahomes and Burrow insofar as “I have no problem with a deal that doesn’t cripple the team,” or will he want top dollar? I guess we’ll worry about that in 3 or 4 years.

I thought last year was the strongest roster the Bills would be able to field in the Josh Allen era (due to numerous escalating salaries like Stefon, Von, and Josh). Beane proved me wrong and went out and signed vets like Rapp, Poona, and Leonard Floyd for far less than market value. It’s the strongest roster on paper since the SB years.

Would you “air” or “err” on the side of caution? I haven’t seen the grammar police around so I’m just helping them out, haha.

As long as the QB isn’t past the LoS, how can anything constitute an illegal forward pass?

Some who have met him have said otherwise, that’s he’s pompous and egotistical. Were those bad experiences, or is that Murphy’s character? I have no idea. I do wish him a full recovery, but also hope for a new voice in the booth.

I don’t know about that.

Should we be encouraged/discouraged?

I suppose the words “stepping away from coaching with a possibility to return in 2024” were used incorrectly. He said he was stepping away from the game, but not even a couple months “away” he’s already enrolled in some sort of accelerator program meeting with 3 different franchises. I’d say that sounds very much involved and not at all “stepping away.” If you believe unequivocally what Leslie is telling you, then he should’ve used “I’m taking time away to learn more about the game in hopes of strengthening my 2024 head coaching campaign.” As the defensive coordinator of a successful defense it sounds even more suspect, I know, hence why he never used those words exactly. When asked by reporters “why are you leaving the team?” He responded with a generic “just needed a break.”

I don’t know. Some on this board still believe the decision to leave was 100% Frazier’s and that if he wanted to be the Bills DC this season, he would’ve been. I said it before, to get the real truth you’d have to ask McD himself, or Brandon Beane. Anything coming from Frazier’s camp or the people he knows, wouldn’t have the nitty gritty details in their entirety. Coordinator jobs are few and far between, highly coveted; seconded only to head coach. Sorry if I don’t believe in the narrative being pushed out there.

Leslie Frazier has been in football longer than I have been alive. He’s halfway to 70 years old. Do you buy the “learning year”? Do you think he really believes that bailing on a coordinator position to do the NFL rounds as an unattached coach is the best path to a head coaching position? Maybe he’ll get hired as a head coach next season because of this accelerator program, but if Vegas had odds on it, it wouldn’t be pretty. I don’t dispute your second point. Coaches are notorious for sleeping in offices and being around their players/assistants far more than their own family. But as to the bolded, what have I said that was stated as factual but wasn’t?

Hey, I’m just relaying the news 😅 But what it shows overall is that he’s not stepping away from the game like he initially suggested. He was all in on this accelerator program from the outset.