dave mcbride

They blitzed a LOT -- more than they ever would against Burrow -- so it came from everywhere. In that sense, it's not an indicative game for you as a Bengals fan. Miami simply couldn't take advantage of the blitzing because the quarterback is bad.

Miami averaged less than 4 yards per passing play. That's pathetic.

The Bills defense dominated them, but because of the score too many are kinda blind to this.

Actually, the Bills utterly dominated their o-line. The Dolphins averaged a measly 3.3 yards per play (2.1 yards per rushing play; 3.86 yards per passing play) and gave up four sacks along with a large number of pressures. When you factor out points resulting from advantageous turnover-based and special teams-based field position as well as the defensive TD, the Bills defense gave up 15 points.

One of the “fumbles” was the pitch to McKenzie in KC.

Good post. I'd add Kurt Warner to the Cards too AND Favre to the Vikings, where he had one of his best seasons ever and should have gotten to the SB if not for terrible officiating and bounty hunting.

Super Bowl halftimes are a different matter -- they are way, way, way longer than regular halftimes.

This is AWESOME, @Simon. Related, go to the discussion of the bills in the bill barnwell podcast here — it starts at around the 23 minute mark:

I said this in another thread: The defense gave up 15 points yesterday — https://www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameId/401438002. The Dolphins started 3 drives in FG range yesterday and scored on a fumble recovery. On the three drives that started in FG range, they scored one TD, meaning the D gave up 5 points they could have denied (inclusive of the 2-pt conversion). That’s 16 points that the Dolphins O had to do zero work for. 15 points were legit, but even three of those came after a terrible Bass kick that gave the Dolphins the ball at the 40.

The defense gave up 15 points yesterday: https://www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameId/401438002. The Dolphins started 3 drives in FG range yesterday and scored on a fumble recovery. On the three drives that started in FG range, they scored one TD, meaning the D gave up 5 points they could have denied (inclusive of the 2-pt conversion). That’s 16 points that the Dolphins O had to do zero work for. 15 points were legit, but even three of those came after a terrible Bass kick that gave the Dolphins the ball at the 40.

I have always disliked him because of his delivery (it’s an aesthetic thing for me), but I will confess that he’s been good this year.

He was inactive because he was injured (hamstring).

Well, I literally just implied that I hate Dallas and Washington — and I do! — so there are teams that I actively root to fail. I would throw the Dolphins and Rams into the mix (the common thread here being odious owners). I despise Miami for other reasons too (the 1970s) and of course grew to hate the Pats over the years. I would hate the Jets given their jackass of an owner and the fact that they are in the AFC East, but they are so pathetic that I can’t bring myself to muster up much hatred for them. As for the Giants, a close friend of mine who is one of the nicest and funniest people I know lives and dies by the Giants, and generally speaking the Giants fans I know are good people. And they are a good franchise that beat the Pats twice in the SB. Basically, I may have hated them because of wide right for many years, but I just can’t anymore. Ironically, the one guy who took down Belichick twice on the biggest stage is a central New Yorker (Waterloo), although I realize he’s a Parcells guy too. As for their being a lot of Giants fans in your neck of the woods, when growing up in Buffalo the most popular baseball team BY FAR there (based on 1970s Buffalo Evening News/Courier Express survey — I can’t recall which) was the Yankees. I assume they still are. The point is that throughout NY State, there is always going to a disproportionate number of NYC team fans. Lots of people from the NYC metro area end up upstate because they go to, say, a SUNY in western NY and stay. I know a few who went to UB and never left. It is what it is and I can’t really bring myself to care much. Anyway, there is no shortage of Bills fans in western and central NY.

I’ll push back a little and say he had a pretty darn good second season (2019). He wasn’t the best LB in the league that year, of course, but he was definitely above average. He struggled in 2020 after hurting his shoulder vs the Jets and had a mediocre year in 2021, but he’s been great this year. You can say they “wasted” two picks on him, but that seems unfair given that I believe he was worth at least one of them.

You realize he’s 24 years old right? Aaron Judge didn’t do a damn thing in the pros until he was 25. Edmunds came into the league so young (19) that the assessments in my view have always been wildly off base. He’s elite now, and still very young.

Bad take. He broke up a huge pass to giesecki which was potentially game changing and had two other important pass breakups too. And you’re focused on *tackles*?!?

I live in NYC and many of my son’s good friends — all very cool people and Yankees fans to boot — are Giants fans. I don’t wish them ill and what happened 32 years ago is totally effing irrelevant. Get over it — I certainly did. I don’t root for the Giants but I like my friends being happy and prefer them to the Cowboys and Commanders of the world. And who gives a damn about the “bottom line” in a league run by plutocratic billionaires? I mean, seriously.

Late in the third quarter yesterday, the Seahawks were about to be second and two from the four yard line if not for a ticky tack call on a lineman downfield. If they score a td there, they are up 24-23 and who knows what happens. Tyler Huntley, who is no better than the scrub the bills faced today, almost got the ravens up 24-17 late but fumbled. Point is, most third-time-in-a-season divisional games are tough. (I am aware of the Bills’ carpet bombing of the Pats last year, of course, but that’s rare.)

Divisional games — always tougher than the pundits think they’ll be. Lest people forget, the seahawks were about to go up 24-23 at the end of the third if not for a questionable lineman-downfield call.

That was so freaking stressful. That’s all I got!

When you’re the Walton family, the term “overpay” is utterly meaningless as it applies to a coach (they don’t count against the salary cap).

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2023/01/15/mike-vick-to-lamar-jackson-put-a-brace-on-it-lets-go/ Mike Vick weighs in. Paraphrased: Put a brace on and play. I played a whole season with a torn MCL.

Out

For a PCL? I thought those could heal on their own (unlike ACLs).

I'd take Allen over Hurts, no doubt. The ceiling is way higher. But Hurts did have a really terrific season this year. There were few more down on Hurts than me a year / year and a half ago. He really got better in a way I didn't think possible.