Low Positive

What we don't talk about enough is that they are trying to build a diva-free WR room. You can't do that, because all the good ones are divas. One of the most important jobs of an NFL coach is managing the egos of the players. If you can't manage a WR with a rapper/influencer girlfriend and 3 lambos, you can't be an NFL coach. It's in the job description.

Actually, to play Madden well, you have to read defenses and call audibles and hot routes based on coverages. You also have to shift protection to account for incoming blitzers.

They cut him because he was injured and they had too many bountry WRs with BTJ and Travis Hunter, not because they had no WRs. But yeah, it's not like adding a #1 WR. But #1 WRs are beginning to be like OTs, in that if they are any good and not nutcases teams keep them at all costs. Even Mike Brown paid up. At this point, if you offered the Vikings Josh Allen for Justin Jefferson I think they say no. If what you want is a star WR, you had better hope for Beane, McDermott, and Brady to get fired and Josh Allen to get a season-ending injury because it wouild take a different team building philosphy and a very high draft pick. The 4 wins we have this year might already be too many. I don't want any of that to happen, but I want a study WR as bad as anyone. I live in Cincinnati, and because the Bills play in primetime so much, I see Ja'Marr Chase on a weekly basis on my TV. I think he's the best player in football. He scored a TD yesterday (in a loss) that no one in Bills history would have scored, where he put a crossover move on a CB and almost made him fall down. If we have to lose, at least let us watch that.

And the melon farmer traded. You want that too.

Normally I agree with you, you he just cannot throw this ball.

2018: @ BAL @ MIA 2022: Vs. NE (Only win) 2023: @ PHI vs. KC (Div. Game) 2025 Last night. He also called the Giants upset against the Chargers last week. You know, the one where everyone got to rave about Jaxson Dart? Here's the data I have: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/officials/HochSh0r.htm.

I am every year. Just two years ago, they almost didn't make it. Remember how we had that Sunday night game in Miami that was going to be win and in unless the Jags got dumb and lost to the Titans (they did)? Same thing in 2021. The 13 seconds game doesn't even happen if they don't win out after the loss in Tampa Bay. Remember, the Pats were in first place until we beat them in Highmark in week 16. Now, because we lost last night, we're in a dogfight for the division and there are a bunch of teams in the AFC that are currently winning that could keep the Bills out. It currently looks like the Colts or Jags might take a wildcard spot. Both the Chargers and Broncos are good so we could get two or three teams from that division. Last year, only the Bills made the playoffs from the AFC East. It might be a one-team division again, and last night made that a much tougher path. So yeah, I'm concerned about making the playoffs.

I will never take the playoffs as a given. Too much can happen.

A quick search found that the Eagles are 7-1 in games reffed by Hochuli. Also, his first ever game as a ref and crew chief was the slaughter in Baltimore week 1 in Josh's rookie year.

I am watching the All-22 right now. We lost this game because of turnovers and penalties. I've vented at the refs in the other thread, but watching the Bills first drive again really brought home the fact that if that first fumble doesn't happen the Bills probably score a TD there. They couldn't stop us. Then, we got on the wrong side of a field position exchange. Keon's fumble was really bad. He wasn't even hit. Every time we got rolling in the first half after that, there would be a ticky-tack holding or illegal formation call to break up drives. They were all penalties, but the Pats were holding all night and they didn't call a single one. I just keep getting more and more angry every time I see these uncalled holds that were much more obvious than McGovern's hold with 5 minutes left in the second quarter that killed a drive that could have resulted in a Bills double dip. They say there is offensive holding in every play in every football game, but for some reason they decided that one team could magically block all night without holding. But to answer the question, the Bills need to clean up the illegal formation BS. Get lined up correctly within the letter of the law. They want to throw that flag, so don't give them the option. Also, stop turning the ball over. Maybe don't run a jet sweep with a TE with bad hands? But in terms of personnel? They need a WR who can get open even if the defense takes the pass away. Not just a fast guy, but someone who can make guys fall down with route running. But I cannot identify a team that will be out of contention and doesn't have a young QB that they are developing. Pretty much every NFL team could make the playoffs or is in the QB development cycle. The few examples are either in the division or don't have anyone the Bills would want. This had to be done in the offseason, but this is made almost impossible because we demand that our WR corps be diva-free. Guess what? Almost all elite boundary receivers are huge divas. So I think we're kind of stuck. As an example, watch this Ja'Maar Chase TD from yesterday. Yeah, he's fast. But he beats his man with route running, https://www.bengals.com/video/ja-marr-chase-jake-browning-highlights-64-yard-touchdown-bengals-lions-week-5-2025

I just learned in another thread that Josh is "good, not great." So I want a QB change.

I felt that too. The NFL doesn't want a bunch of meaningless week 18 games again. If they can keep divisions and playoff races close, they get an extra week of playoff ratings.

Bob Kraft is the most powerful owner in the NFL. He's tired of not winning Super Bowls, and he is pulling every string that he can to get his team back to the top of the mountain. Some of that is good player and coaching decisions, but you have to know that he is using every method at his disposal. His history tells us that there is no limit to the lengths that he will go to.

So long as he's not asked to run choice routes, he'll be an upgrade.

And not only was he early (see above), when you play it out he's got two hands full of jersey/shoulder pads. That was OPI AND Holding.

It gets better. Here's 6 plays later

It's not the ones they called against us. They called a tight game for one team. But the other team was holding all night and got zero calls against them. Every time Maye rolled right and made those great plays (and they were great plays), the was aided by clear and obvious holds by the Pats OL. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but the Pats are owned by the most powerful owner in the league and he was in the house. And for people who say calls don't win or lose the game, imagine a world where they let the slight OPI on Shakir go in the red zone. It would have been 3-1 from the NE 7 instead of 2-13 from the NE 19. That call was followed by the INT that, in retrospect, decided the game. I've been watching the play on the all-22 and yes, Shakir starts blocking before the ball hits Knox's hands. But a) they let that go all the time; and b) the flag comes in LATE, after the play is pretty much over. It's like the ref was looking for a reason to throw a flag. I wish I could embed the video, but you can see it here for the next two days. I think. https://streamable.com/51dywn

Don’t hold anyone accountable for the stupid things they posted in the 30 minutes following the game. Except the one guy who insulted my son. He can go to hell.

I hate the night game losses. I can’t sleep after them and the week gets started off badly. I’ll say this. we should have won this one and we should have lost to a fully-healthy Ravens team. It all evens out.

And they lost by 3. With three turnovers. If Josh doesn’t throw that red zone pick, the Bills win. If the refs don’t throw that bogus red zone OPI flag, the Bills win. If that fumbled kickoff falls to the Bills, they probably take control of the game in the first half and win. Everything went wrong, and they lost by 3. The Rams lost and the Eagles lost but I’m sure no one here would declare them suddenly 9-win teams in danger of missing the playoffs. We get so emotional, but all this was is a week 5 loss. But all of a sudden our roster is the worst in the NFL, when it’s the same roster that won 13 games last year. Yeah, it especially sucks to lose to the Pats because of the loudmouth fans and Diggs’ gloating on IG live after the game, but it’s only one early-season game. Go Bills!

That would require Mike Brown to pay a guy to NOT work. He let Marvin Lewis’s contract run out and he’ll do the same this time. So not until January 2027 at the earliest.

Bob Kraft is the most powerful owner in the NFL.

It’s about expectations. They expect their team in those helmets and uniforms to dominate and it seems to them that this is the natural state of affairs. We’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop for 6 years.

How could you? It was clear on TV, especially when they showed replays.

Any NFL offense can move the ball if the OL is allowed to hold.