dave mcbride

I think prescott is a good player but not the best qb in the league. The production numbers at every level back that up, as does the eyeball test. He is playoff caliber. Elliott in my opinion is overrated vis a vis that team’s success. Prescott is way more important. Anyway, they are about to experience a measurable decline in o-line quality with the retirement of Frederick, so we’ll see how important that o-line is to his production.

Fair point.

The Cowboys are 40-24 in games Prescott has started. In baseball terms, that’s a 102-60 season. Seriously, try to avoid being a dumb Bills fan. This site has been really good at chasing the morons off, or at least shaming them. Be better.

He was *literally* voted the NFL defensive player of the year for 2019, and this after a great 2018 season and a phenomenal SB vs the Rams (forced fumble and key INT). Just stop, guys. I think more highly of Watkins than most here, but I’ll agree that it’s arguable. His postseason performances the last couple of years have played a big role in shaping my opinion.

The hate here for two very good NFL players Who happened to also be good players for the Bills is freaking hilarious. Jeezus.

Actually, in his rookie season, the bills went 9-7 - their first winning season in a decade. He was the team’s best offensive player too. And they were over .500 the next two seasons when Taylor started.

And Bruce’s best season was 1996, two years after this time comparison.

You do realize that Belichick is currently engineering the cancellation of the 2020 season via his pandemic unleashing skills, right? He planned for this.

Um, have you looked at the next two years after this one - 2021 and 2022? https://overthecap.com/salary-cap-space/ They clearly have a plan.

Fair enough. As a UCLA alum (grad school, not undergrad), Rosen (who I know you were high on) was the sort of guy who checks all of the boxes, but left me absolutely cold. When I was in grad school at UCLA, Rob Johnson (the ultimate talent, but teams NFL didn't like him, which mystified all the draftniks) helmed a team for three seasons in which his LT was Tony Boselli and his receivers were, in, succeeding years, Curtis Conway, Johnny Morton, and Keyshawn Johnson (bear in mind that couples of them would be on the same squad in those years). The defense was absolutely loaded too. Against ND and UCLA in those three years, SC (arguably the most talented team in the country) went 0-5-1, and it was the QB who was the problem despite the gaudy overall-season stats. The Sun Bowl was their destination in those seasons, but it should have been the national championship game. My point is, Gunnar - and I say this with all due respect, because I think you're one of the best posters on the board - is that I think you're a little too in love with the robo QB model. To quote Clausewitz, the fog of war changes the battlefield immediately. To wit: Rob Johnson could literally do it all on the practice field and was one of the greatest prospects of the 1990s. Moreover, his brother, Bret Johnson, who had a ridiculous arm and even more accurate than RJ (who was really accurate in ideal settings), was the #1 recruit in the country -- even more highly recruited than RJ -- and went to UCLA. He couldn't win the job and - after one season at UCLA - transferred to Michigan State (my wife's alma mater) and never won the job. Say what you will about Tyrod Taylor, but he did it the hard way and is an NFL survivor. He'll play into his mid-30s.

I think he is a very limited player, but I liked watching someone who took care of the ball and could pull off the occasional truly electric scramble.

But C. Biscuit's point remains spot on and empirically accurate. I have every expectation they'll take a QB.

He beat him pretty badly in the second half. On that 2 pt conversion where Hopkins turned him around, Tre looked like a defeated man. Everyone has a down game, of course.

yeah, I do watch football. A lot of it. Offensive and defensive proficiency aren't "convenient stats" proving a "terrible point." As for what he did in Clevelend, he lasted three weeks there because the Browns drafted a QB #1 overall in what was regarded as the richest QB draft in over a decade.

yeah, that was Westbrook who did that.

This is just a terrible analysis; sorry. The Bills had their highest ranked scoring teams in 2015 and 2016 this century and two of their very worst defenses as measured by DVOA.

The play that sticks with me was Antowain smith’s long td run in 1997 vs the Colts that put them up by 8 with 1:14 left in the game. If he deliberately goes down at, say, the five of Indy, the game would have ended with the Bills running out the clock. Instead, the colts got it back, marched 80 yards down the field in the final minute plus, scored, missed the 2-pt conversion, recovered the onside kick, and then failed to score. Bills win, 37-35. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199709210buf.htm. All of that could have been avoided if he had simply taken a knee near the goal line. https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/sep/22/bills-pull-another-from-fire/ It was less about being selfish then about escaping an unexpectedly tough game with no more injuries. Injury minimization is huge in a league plagued by injuries.

Hate to be that guy, but that was not a smart play by Hyde. If he sits on it, the game is over. Instead, the Dolphins got it back and marched down the field again. The team should be in injury prevention mode at that point, not prolonging the game.

Sorta kinda, although it is set in the present. It’s not Black Mirror-like in terms of actual plot, but for overall sensibility Black Mirror is a decent comp. It has great acting, great writing, and a really strong cast.

If you're looking for a great show, try Counterpart. It's only two seasons, and for my money the best show of the last couple/few years. It's now streaming on Amazon Prime.

So true. So much overthinking goes into this. Hell, I'd like to see teams forced one year to draft based on college performance only - no combine, pro days, nothing else - just to see what the results would be. Probably not that different from what we currently have.

I don't dislike Dalton and think he might pleasantly surprise people in a new environment. As for Newton, it really depends on his health. He was having the best season of his career in 2018 before the shoulder injury. I have no idea how much he has healed from that. If he has healed enough to the point where he can make all of the throws, he's still probably going to be a good player. As I've said elsewhere, I strongly believe that BB was bored with the Brady situation and wants a new challenge. He has nothing left to prove and his legacy is fully cemented as the greatest coach ever. I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to run with a new QB type. The bottom line: Belichick is in a different situation than practically any coach in league history. By way of comparison, look at Shula and Tom Landry, who were looking over their shoulders to the end. BB is better than both, and knows that he can do whatever the hell he wants at this point with no risk of losing his job.

??? - It'd be nice if people actually looked at data before making these claims. Dalton's best season in terms of AV (average value) was 14, which would have qualified for Newton's 6th best season. He brings so much to the table with his run game and ability to score on running plays, and I feel like some fans simply resent having to factor that into the evaluation of a QB's play (which is funny because of, you know, Josh Allen). Christ, someone in this thread actually said that Carson Palmer had a better 2015 season than Newton. I mean, jeez: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201601240car.htm. The dislike for Newton among some folks on this board cripples their ability to fairly evaluate him. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/N/NewtCa00.htm https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DaltAn00.htm

I don't think it was age - I think it was playcalling and personnel formations plus the fact that the Bills run blocking talent ain't that great.

My theory all along has been that Belichick is bored and wants a new challenge. He has nothing to prove and his legacy is completely cemented.