folz

I remember being bugged by everyone lauding the Jets for their 2022 draft. And I was like, of course they had a good draft, they had 4 picks in the top 36 picks (two in the top 10 of the first round). That's not necessarily great drafting, that's just having a lot of good picks. So, we are not quite to the year 3 mark (2-1/2 years currently) when you can truly start evaluating draft classes. But here's a comparison anyhow: #4 overall Sauce Gardner CB #10 Garrett Wilson WR #26 Jermaine Johnson LB (Did not start rookie year, played well in year two, on IR this year with an achilles) #36 Breece Hall RB #101 Jeremy Ruckert TE (mid-way through year three has 11 starts with 36 recs for 205 yards, no TDs) #111 Max Mitchell T (12 starts in 42 games, Jets backup right tackle) #117 Michael Clemons DT (9 starts in 42 games. Rotational DT). UDFA: Tony Adams S (7 games played, 7 starts), Irvin Charles WR (8 games played, 0 starts) #23 Kaiir Elam CB (only 8 games started for our #1 pick) #63 James Cook RB #89 Terrell Bernard LB #148 Khalil Shakir WR #180 Matt Araiza P (we all know what happened here) #185 Christian Benford CB #209 Luke Tenuta (only played in 3 games for the Bills---no longer with the team) #231 Baylon Spector (3 starts, backup LB) UDFA: Alec Anderson OL (8 games played, 2 starts); Ja'Marcus Ingram CB (13 games played, 0 starts) Jets average draft position in 2022 = 58th pick Bills average draft position in 2022 = 141st pick So, for the starters (4 for each team): RB: Hall vs. Cook (imo, even, with a slight edge to Cook with how he is playing right now and the team around him. Overall, Hall has 159 yards and 1 TD more than Cook over three years. Cook picked 27 spots lower than Hall) WR: Wilson vs. Shakir (Wilson gets the edge here---but not by as much as would have been expected, considering that Khalil was picked 138 spots lower than Garrett. Of course, Khalil has had the better QB play too. Can you imagine Wilson with Josh throwing him the ball?) LB: Johnson vs. Bernard (Bernard is better, both have had some injury issues. Terrell has 109 more tackles and 5 more turnovers in only 5 more starts---Bernard was picked 53 spots lower than Johnson. Johnson was picked that high because he was considered a great edge player/pass rusher. He does have 10 sacks...but Terrell isn't far behind with 6.5 sacks.) CB: Gardner vs. Benford (I'll give a small edge to Sauce because teams will shy away from him and he's more athletically gifted. But again, it's a lot closer than expected, considering Benford was selected 181 picks after Sauce). So, imo, the Bills came away with just as good of a draft despite the Jets picking way above us. Their last pick (their 7th pick) was selected in the top third of the fourth round. We only had 3 picks total in the first four rounds. Five of our picks were selected well after the Jets draft was already done. The Jets had three first round picks, two in the top 10, and 4 picks in the top 36! (The Bills only had 1 pick in the top 62.) Now, Wilson is definitely a guy and Sauce is very good. But I think I still might take our draft (by a nose), and that's despite having blown our first pick and the whole Matt Araiza situation. Of course, I'm biased because I like OUR players...but even if you take the Jets draft over ours, it's not by much, and it's despite their picks being so much higher than ours. Pretty darn good work by Beane (outside of the Elam pick) based on where we were selecting.

Maybe like you said, this is much ado about nothing. I guess I was just reacting to the thread title of "Brady under fire..." assuming there was some big push back. But maybe it was just one article or what not. Wasn't directed at anyone on the board.

I'm not trying to be insensitive, I have a cousin with Down's Syndrome, a cousin with Cerebral Palsy, a best friend with Epilepsy, and my sister runs a school for children with autism. I'm just pushing back a bit against the over-sensitivity and shaming that seems prevalent these days (though it has gotten better than it was a few years back). To the first bolded above: I don't think that is what Brady did. And to the second bolded statement, that is the issue that I am pointing out. Again, with the "R" word. It's original meaning is to slow down or impede. It was much later used in the medical profession. And then became used as a slur (based on the medical definition). The medical profession then stopped using the word because the slur had become so prevalent (and because it really wasn't a great definition to begin with because it was too ambiguous and not accurate). Now the original definition still stands and is not a slur, it is used in music and other areas, but here we are on the internet writing the "R" word because we don't want to offend, or the board's algorithm would delete it if we spelled it out.

This is not true. There is a meaning that has nothing to do with the medical meaning and is not a slur to anyone with a medical condition. I'm just saying that the way that Brady used the word (or slang form of the word, "spaz") was true to the words original definition, "sudden, energetic action" and that definition has nothing to do with muscle spasms or someone with MS or cerebral palsy. So, why should HE be inhibited or shamed for it? It would be like chastising a person if they used the word ***** to actually describe a pile of sticks (not that anyone ever does these days), rather than using it as a slur against someone who is gay. Would people be offended if someone said, "His actions were spastic?" Probably. But they shouldn't. According to the dictionary/definition, someone can be spastic in their actions and it is not a slur against someone who has involuntary muscle spasms. It just means that their actions were quick and energetic (maybe a bit chaotic...or violent if you go back to the Latin root). It's two different things, two different definitions. And true, let's not be disingenuous here, if you start shaming people for using a certain word, eventually people become afraid to use the word in any context. I'm not saying the medical use wouldn't still be used, but the other definition of the word (which is actually the older definition/use of the word) will start disappearing. How many definitions of words do we have to erase before no one's feelings are hurt? It's a slippery slope.

“You think, I dare say, that our chief job is inventing new words. But not a bit of it! We’re destroying words–scores of them, hundreds of them, every day. We’re cutting the language down to the bone."...“Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten…” ---George Orwell from 1984 Yes, one definition is: 1. "an involuntary and abnormal muscular contraction" (that now is used medically) But, there is a second definiton as: 2. a sudden violent and temporary effort, emotion, or sensation. Such as in: "a spasm of creativity" or "spasms of pain" (Could be emotional pain, not necessarily physical). The word comes from Latin (late 14th century), meaning to draw out violently (like a sword from a hilt). The figurative sense of "a sudden convulsion, abnormally energetic action or phase" (of emotion, politics, etc.) is attested by 1817. "twitch convulsively," wasn't a definition until 1889 and not used medically until much later. So, the second definition is actually the older use of the word. So, there is a (more original) meaning of the word that is not in relation to anyone who has physical spasms or seizures. Also, the word can be used in other ways, including other medical uses: "Coughing spasms" "Esophageal spasms" "the renal artery went into spasm" It has been used in writing and poetry, like "spasms of joy" "spasms of love" "a spasm of fear" "spasms of guilt"...but now a writer can no longer use the word because a later connotation of the word has been linked to a medical condition and someone with that condition may now feel that you are mocking them? When I was a kid, one of the first things you learned was, "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names (words) will never hurt me." Why would you take offense to something that you know wasn't even meant as a slur/knock/mockery of you? And we also need to look at intentions and context, not the word said alone. Does anyone in their right mind really think that Tom Brady used that word to mock people with MS or cerebral palsy? No, he was using it in relation to Josh, with the more original meaning, "sudden, energetic action." I mean doesn't that sound just like "sugar high Josh?" He wasn't saying he looked like someone having muscle spasms or a seizure. So, why should anyone with a medical condition feel offended?

Agree. I actually thought during the game yesterday, watching him be patient and follow his blocks, that he was reminding me of prime Le'Veon Bell

That's actually an interesting question. Obviously the refs aren't going to do anything if some teammates are jarring on the sideline. And these guys more just grabbed each other's facemasks (I didn't see an official punch). But throwing a punch is a disqualifying action. If someone throws a punch at his own teammate on the field, does the player get ejected? Do you throw a flag that gives the other team yards? I don't think that I have ever seen this scenario before (at least not to this level). And as for Josh flopping...first of all, he may have embellished it a bit, but that was clearly roughing the passer. A late head shot. And yes, I've seen Josh flop and over-exaggerate hits and then look to the refs for the call. BUT, it happens all of the time in the league (maybe not as bad as in soccer or basketball), but plenty of QBs look for the roughing call, how many times do we see receivers (if they are touched at all) throw their hands up and look for the PI call. Even in yesterday's game, on one of our holding calls, Cook breaks outside to the right, and as the DL players try to disengage and peel off their blocks to chase, one of the Seahawks DLmen, threw his arms up, etc. acting like he was being held. I watched it back, there was no hold, he just made it look like it with his acting. And of course, the ref threw a very late flag. It wasn't thrown when the hold would have happened, but after the DLmen's acting job. Does Josh flop, yeah he does. But tons of players try to influence the refs with acting and embellishment too.

What I love about Shakir, besides the fact that he's becoming one of the best YAC players in the game: Catch percentage: 2023: 87% 2024 (to date): 94.7% And am I starting to actually like Tom Brady? 😬 First it was his camaraderie with Josh during "The Match" golf game, and now today, a decent color analyst who overly praised the Bills and Bills Mafia. A couple of notes about Brady's talk: 1. It was interesting to see how often he praised McDermott and the Bills for being such a well-coached team. McDermott came from Any Reid's tree and I'm sure he learned a ton from him and the other coaches he's worked with. But, early in his career, I personally felt that McD modeled a lot of his coaching style after Bill Belichick. I used to say McDermott was Belichick with a heart (not meaning he was as good as Bill or would do what Bill did---would be nice---but just in patterning his coaching style after him). 2. I also found it interesting when Tom talked about how hard it was to face McDermott's defense, because they were so good at taking away what you are good at (similar again to Bill). He said they would have to get away from their base plays, and run more exotic stuff to keep the defense on their toes. That made me think of the last couple of opponents who ran a lot of unusual plays to the point of one Bill, I think last week, saying, they threw the kitchen sink at us. I'm sure that must play into the defense being a much better second half team, or at least after the other team's first couple of drives when they've already thrown in a lot of that extra stuff/different plays they've worked on. It also shows that McD and Bobby are doing a great job of making adjustments in game. And Congrats to Austin Johnson on first first ever interception at any level of football. Great TEAM win. Go Bills!

After today's game, Keon is 24th in the league in yards for a receiver. He is still 4th in yards for rookie WRs. Rookies: 1. Brian Thomas, Jr.: 573 yards 5 TDs (23rd overall pick) 2. Malik Nabers: 427 yards and 3 TDs (still to play this week) (6th overall pick) 3. Marvin Harrison, Jr.: 411 yards and 5 TDs (4th overall pick) 4. Keon Coleman: 396 yards and 3 TDs (33rd overall pick) FYI: Xavier Worthy (28th overall pick) now has 235 yards and 3 TDs (but he also has 47 yards rushing and 2 rushing TDs). So, 282 total yards and 5 total TDs. Fourth is pretty good, especially considering there were 10 WRs selected in the first 37 picks (Keon being picked 33rd), seven of them ahead of Keon. It's still early, but then Keon seems to be improving each week also. The 2024 wide receiver draft class definitely has a chance to be one of the best at the position. [NOTE: stats are prior to the Dallas/San Fran and Steelers/Giants games in week 8. Though the only rookie still to play is Nabers, who is already ahead of Keon. As far as overall receiving, it looks like only Deebo and Darius Slayton could pass him, so he may be 25th or 26th overall in receiving yards after these games.]

I'll defend the OP. Yes, some of us old heads like to draw parallels to the 90s teams at times. And many times, I'm sure, it is more wishful thinking rather than a solid comparison. But, I think the OP's comparison is a pretty fair one. Doesn't predict we'll see the same results, but it's definitely not an out-of-the-blue analogy. 1989 Jim Kelly: If you include his USFL years, Jim was in his 7th year and established as a very good QB in the league. James Lofton: Arrived to Buffalo in his 11th season with approx. 10,000 receiving yards under his belt. Thurman Thomas: Thurm was in his 2nd year, with approx. 1,100 yards from scrimmage the previous (rookie) year. Andre Reed: Reed was in his 5th year with 3,096 receiving yards in his basket. (avg. of 774 per season, not quite the HOFer yet). Kenny Davis: Played three seasons already, but in his first season with Buffalo, nice compliment back to Thurman. [Threw this one in for HansLanda 😉.] [Other weapons: TE Pete Metzellars, TE Keith McKeller, WR Don Beebe, WR Chris Burkett.] 2024 Josh Allen: In his 7th year and already established as one of the best QBs in the league. Amari Cooper: Comes to the Bills in his 10th year with close to 10,000 yards in his career. James Cook: Cook is in his 3rd year having just had approx. 1,500 yards from scrimmage the previous season. Khalil Shakir: Khalil is in his 3rd year with 1,086 receiving yards, with his snap count and production up significantly from his first two years. Ray Davis: Rookie year, so first year with the Bills, nice compliment to Cook. [Other weapons: TE Dalton Kincaid, TE Dawson Knox, WR Keon Coleman, WR Mack Hollins, WR Curtis Samuel.] It's not an outlandish comparison by any means...again, not predictive, but pretty similar in fact, with the 2024 team having a clear advantage in the "other weapons" department, and probably at the QB position also (Sorry Jim...I love you). Now whether Cooper, Cook, Shakir, and Coleman can match what Thurman, Reed, and Lofton did remains to be seen (and are lofty goals no doubt...no pun intended). But again, pretty fair comparison overall. Obviously, the other big question would be the offensive line. We have a very good line currently, but that 90s line was pretty special. If you compare the 1990 line (since Devlin retired after the '89 season) with this year's, at least the experience level is at about the same as it was when Lofton arrived. 1990 2024 LT Wolford 4th year Dion Dawkins 8th year LG Ritcher 10th year Edwards 6th year C Hull 4th year McGovern 5th year RG Davis 3rd year Torrence 2nd year RT Ballard 2nd year Brown 4th year 23 years 25 years

As I clicked your link, I thought for sure it was going to be a Peter Pan photo. 😊

To be fair on the turnovers, I'll include fumbles. Over the same span (2020-week 7 this year), Pat has 24 fumbles to Josh's 41 fumbles. So, I'm sure that weighs in to people's perceptions about Josh's turnovers and recklessness. However, when you look at fumbles lost (actual turnovers) over the same time period: Pat has lost 9 fumbles and Josh has lost 20. So, overall, Josh has 15 more turnovers than Patrick over the last 74 games (11 fumbles and 4 INTs). Or, 1 more turnover every 5 games (3.4 more per season). But then there is the TD total again. Josh has 31 more TDs than Mahomes over that stretch. That is 217 more points. Turnovers equate to 4 points on average for opposing teams. So, Josh's 15 extra turnovers equates to minus 60 points. Subtract the turnovers from the TDs, and Josh is still on top in points by 157 (obviously Pat still has the hardware though). Most fans and media do not weigh in the fact that Josh has so many more TDs than any QB over the last five years against their perception of his turnovers/recklessness.

😆 At the end of their careers, we can add everything up (all seasons) to make the full comparisons. But I was looking at right now. Currently, in this moment, on the field, is Josh playing as good as Patrick. [Please note, I wasn't arguing that Josh is better than Mahomes, just that Josh is on the same level as Pat. Think like the Brady/Manning years. Peyton was just as great a QB as Brady, but Brady had the hardware.] The reason I didn't include the 2018 and 2019 seasons is that I don't think that is a fair comparison. Patrick was in his second year in 2018, having had a whole year to learn from the bench, and he was already more pro-ready than Josh. Pat went to a team that was already a yearly playoff participant, with a seasoned coach who had already been in KC for 6 years (already built up the culture, etc.). Josh was from a small school and about as raw as they get coming out, in his rookie year in 2018, with a team that was rebuilding, whose first-time head coach had been there for only 1 season, and a brand new GM. Josh wasn't even supposed to start right away, but got thrust into the starting line-up and had to learn on the fly. So, I'm not taking away Super Bowls and MVPs from Mahomes, I was just trying to look at the two players on as even a footing as possible. Of course Super Bowls and MVPs will always count on looking at a guy's overall career. But right now, on the field, Sunday to Sunday, are they at least equal in play. Of course Patrick was better than Josh in 2018 and 2019 for all of the reasons I stated. Not trying to erase anything. Look, I think Mahomes is a phenomenal, generational QB and unless Josh wins a few Super Bowls, Pat will always be seen as better and rank higher on everyone's lists, etc. I was just trying to show that over the last 5 seasons (outside of the hardware), Josh has been every bit as good as Mahomes on the field. It's not a knock on Mahomes, it's just trying to finally get Josh his due. Let me ask you this, if you were making a ranking of quarterbacks in tiers, would you have Mahomes as the only guy in Tier 1, with Josh clearly in Tier 2? Or would you have Josh with Patrick in Tier 1? Just curious. (I'm hoping you're not one of those guys that has QBs like Jackson, Burrow, and Herbert over Josh.)

Last 5 seasons (2020 to game 7 this year): REGULAR SEASON Record Total Yards Total TDs INTs Mahomes 56-15 21,959 158 53 Allen 53-20 21,684 189 57 PLAYOFFS Record Total Yards Total TDs INTs Mahomes 11-2 4,031 30 6 Allen 5-4 2,930 25 4 Now, of course, Pat has played 4 more playoff games than Josh in that span. So, if we do playoff game averages, it looks like this: Mahomes 310 yards/game 2.3 TDs/game 0.46 INTs/game Allen 326 yards/game 2.7 TDs/game 0.44 INTs/game So, Josh's game averages in the playoffs are slightly better in all three categories. The two quarterback's stats are pretty darn even except for two areas. Josh has a significant lead in overall TDs, while Patrick, obviously, has the playoff wins/record and SBs (which I get it, is the most important thing...but it is also a team sport). WHAT IF Buffalo won the last two playoff meetings with KC (which were both down to the wire---KC was obviously the better team when they first met in the AFC championship game). Pat's playoff record (from 2020 on) would then be 7-3 with one Super Bowl win Josh's playoff record (from 2020 on) would be anywhere from 7-4 (if they lost the games following the KC games) to 11-2 (if they made and won the two SBs). Obviously it would probably be somewhere in between those two things (but Josh would have had a crack at two Super Bowl appearances). With those two playoff games, we are talking what, a total of 1-2 plays in each game that determined the outcomes. If they went the Bills way, Josh would have the better playoff record and possibly a Super Bowl as well. With that and the fact that it is a team game, and weighing in injuries, etc. I find it pretty hard to separate the two quarterbacks in any meaningful way. imo, Josh is right there, side-by-side with Mahomes as the only two tier-1 QBs in the league right now. Prove to me that Mahomes is better. Does Bass missing a field goal and Levi Wallace not being able to cover Kelce make Mahomes a better QB than Allen? Like I said, it's a team game. Ok, one last point/example. From 1990-1996 Mark Rypien had a better playoff win percentage than either Kelly or Marino and he won a Super Bowl, which neither of the other two were able to do. But, does anyone think that Rypien was a better overall QB than Marino or Kelly? Even though the QB is the most important factor, it still takes an entire team to win in the playoffs/Super Bowls. Plus there is luck, injuries, circumstances that weigh in as well. So, if you are just looking at the two QBs in a vacuum, I don't think playoff record should be a determining factor, especially when Josh has played so well in the playoffs (I mean he has probably two of the best playoff games ever by a Qb---the perfect Pats game and 13 seconds).

I definitely don't knock Beane for not bringing in a 30-year old RB with almost 2,200 touches (no matter how good he is) when you're in a retooling year and already have Cook. We had a lot of positions to fill...didn't make a lot of sense to double-up on RBs (except through the draft). Last season, Henry had 1,381 yards from scrimmage while Cook had 1,567 yards from scrimmage. Doesn't seem like the best use of your resources if one of those two guys is on the bench at any given time. Yes, we're trying to win every season we have Josh, but we're also building towards the future and sustainability. Henry would have been a now move, not a future of the team move (building that young corps that we have now). Would Henry have put us over the top this year or next to win a SB? Who knows. But I'm really not second guessing the decision myself. And if Baltimore doesn't go on to win the Super Bowl this year, what does it matter (except that it's fun to watch...I'm happy for future-HOFer Henry to be having a huge season---finally on a good team...it's good for the NFL). Now if Henry stays healthy all year, keeps his numbers up, and Baltimore wins the Super Bowl, then maybe you can lament a bit. But let's at least see how things pan out first. What if the Bills get to the Super Bowl this year? Or at least make it farther in the playoffs than the Ravens. Will you still think the Bills should have gotten Henry? Plus, every fan base does the same thing all of the time. I just heard a Chiefs fan going crazy that the Chiefs didn't trade for Cooper instead of the Bills.

Come on home to Buffalo Joe. (not a good idea to bring Daboll back, imo.)

The other thing that's crazy (kind of in relation to Alpha's post and Keon's ypc as many have mentioned) is that he is fourth in receiving yards, but with only 27 targets. The three guys ahead of him on the list have 45, 60, and 60 targets respectively (Thomas, Bowers, Nabers)---and just behind him is Marvin Harrison, Jr. and he has 43 targets. There are 8 rookie WRs with more targets than Keon and another one with the same number of targets. Of the top 10 most-targeted rookie WRs, the average number of targets is 39, Keon has 27, but is 4th in yards and tied for 4th in TDs. Agreed. And though I loved his first interview after the draft, I did worry a bit that he might be that kind of dick/diva WR type (I don't know, something about his mannerisms---I didn't really know anything about him prior to the draft). But not at all, Keon seems humble (not about his skills, but about being a good teammate, etc.) and down to Earth. His post game interview this week displayed it well. The way he answered the question about if he helped Cooper know the alert play on Cooper's TD was so respectful to Amari. He always talks great about Josh and gives his other teammates their props, etc. And everyone who played with him/coached him seem to have great things to say about him. They went a little overboard about the whole Tom Izzo thing on the broadcast, but it's just another case in point that he's just a good kid. So happy he's a Bill.

To be fair to Worthy, he also has 47 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs. So, total yards and TDs actually look like this: Total Yards TDs Worthy 245 4 Coleman 326 2 (should be three---darn refs) [Still like Coleman better though, especially for our team---and think he'll continue to have better overall stats as the year progresses. He definitely has the swag of a top-end receiver---hopefully his game continues in that direction.]

We really need to see both the front and back angles and compare the two. Did he never have possession (was it bobbling the whole time)? If he did initially get possession, was the initial left foot still on the ground when he gained possession? If possession was secured, and the left foot was down, did the ball start to bobble on his second step, or not until after that step? If the initial left foot is down, and he didn't bobble until after the second step, then wouldn't that be two steps down, and then the turn up field is a football move, as he crosses the plane. Anything after that shouldn't matter. Now if the first foot wasn't down, then it's an end zone catch and he has to "complete the catch," as it were, i.e. maintain possession with two feet in the end zone without going out of bounds. It's just hard to determine possession and that first foot from the end zone camera angle. Also, I'm actually still questioning whether that second/third step near the sideline was actually out of bounds. The ruling on the field was a TD, so there had to be clear enough evidence to overturn the call. Was it clear that his foot was out? I'm not so sure, or at least haven't seen a clear enough shot to show he was clearly out. If that foot is in bounds, well then, he got a fourth foot down after that and regained possession before his body landed out of bounds (and then held on to it "through the ground"). If that foot was in, it is an unquestionable TD. But I agree with a few others that back in the day...that's a TD all day, every day. It may not be with today's NFL rules, but that only shows that the current NFL rules suck.

He doesn't even need to throw a pick apparently. In last week's game Troy Aikman at one point said something like "Josh is getting lucky...defenders have been dropping the ball, he should have like 5 or 6 interceptions already this season." I mean, what load of crap is that. First of all, every Qb has some bad balls that probably could have been picked but the defender dropped them. Every QB. And guess what, they don't count as interceptions. Except for with Josh apparently. And secondly, he may have had a couple of close calls, but not enough to have 5 or 6 picks. He's been protecting the ball very well this year. Obviously Aikman does no research for his job...just parroting narratives. [Aside: Today's broadcast team was so much better than Buck and Aikman. It's funny to me that on almost all of the networks, their #1 teams are usually my least favorite announcing team they have.] Mahomes has definitely earned a pass from the media for a few bad games (due to the Super Bowl runs). But, I agree with the OP. If those numbers were reversed, at least half the media would be spinning negative narratives on Josh. Sugar-High Josh, Turnover Machine, he's playing Hero Ball, he's trying to do it all by himself, he's pressing, etc. I honestly do not remember another elite QB that it took this long for people to accept him as such. I mean Lamar was questioned as much as Josh during- and post-draft, but after his first MVP year, total acceptance. Lamar is now a two-time MVP and praised, while Josh still gets questioned, why? When over the last 5 years: Total Yards* Total TDs* Lamar Jackson 19, 214 118 Josh Allen 24, 003 164 (*Includes rushing as well as passing) And unlike with Mahomes, if you are going to bring in wins and playoff games: Regular season record Playoff record Furthest advance Lamar Jackson 62-21 2-5 1 AFC Championship appearance Josh Allen 67-32 5-5 1 AFC Championship appearance

This keeps getting repeated, but is it true? Has anyone (like Cover 1 or whomever) done a breakdown of Damar's play to this point or anything? Look, I'm not saying Damar is the answer at safety. He is no where near the caliber of Poyer and Hyde, we all know that. And we would all love for an upgrade there. But has he actually been a liability or do people just keep repeating that. I'm sure he's given up some plays, taken some bad angles, etc. But, he's also made a lot of really nice tackles and seems to at least usually be in the right position and keep everything in front of him. Now, I'm sure McD can't do everything he could do with Hyde and Poyer back there, due to Damar's lack of speed, experience, instincts, whatever. But, has he really been as bad as you guys claim? This is an honest question, not just a defense of Damar. Can you guys point some of these egregious errors out (multiple particular plays) where he has been a liability? As I said, I'm sure he's made some mistakes...my eyes just tell me he hasn't been as bad as some of you make him out to be. But, maybe I'm wrong

You mention Mike Edwards experience and success in KC, and the tweet talks about him being a ball hawk on two Super Bowl teams. That makes him sound pretty good. But, let's be real, Mike Edwards has been a career backup to this point, who got some playing time due to injuries. He has 28 starts total, now in his 6th year. That means, he has been a starter for only 30% of his career thus far. He only started 5 games for Kansas City last year. He has averaged 5 starts per year over 6 years (most of that coming in 2022 for Tampa with 12 starts---also due to injury---he came off the bench). I think the only reason anyone penciled him in as a starter for the Bills this year is because with the loss of Hyde and Poyer, we felt that the cupboard was bare at safety (and obviously he was picked up before Cole was drafted). It's not because he was some All-Pro safety, but because we knew we needed someone, anyone back there. Damar has been in McDermott's system for four years now. The safety position in McD's defense needs to be the QB of the secondary, know exactly what they and everyone else on the field should be doing. With all of the time that Edwards missed early, it's not surprising that MCD felt more comfortable with Damar than Edwards or a rookie. It's a complicated position in McD's defense. And obviously, Damar outplayed him to get the spot (talk in camp was that Damar was playing really well, while Edwards was still nursing injuries). There isn't as much time in-season (as opposed to off-season) to get young guys or backups up to speed as you are preparing your starters for the games. So, maybe Edwards just hasn't been able to show enough to unseat Damar (at least to this point). Edwards may have better ball skills (defending the pass) than Damar, but McD obviously feels Damar's knowledge of the system and sure tackling is the safer bet back there right now.

Here are two more shots. Look at the momentum of Taron's body between the images. Seems an obvious push off, imo.

I was just watching the highlights of the Jets game again and saw something that I hadn't noticed before: I know refs often won't make calls on Hail Marys or end-of-half, end-of-game plays, but it looked to me like there was clear offensive pass interference by Lazard on T. Johnson. He grabbed him and pushed him down, and kind of used the momentum to make his jump. That's why Taron is in such a bad/awkward position (not looking at/jumping for the ball). He was the box out player. He would have been in front of Lazard, blocking him out like for a rebound. But he was unable to do so because of the offensive pass interference.

Does anyone know what the original tweet meant by "rising" kicker? Has he been getting interest elsewhere or what not?