Rubes

In the span of this one thread I've gone from this: to this:

Well it's about time you showed up in a breaking news thread.

Aha! It's a strategic signing to keep him away from Miami this week!

Obviously we don't know what's going on, but if I had to guess, they're looking at bringing Stills in now and getting him up to speed to have a veteran with good experience ready in case Brown or Beasley try to come back but get re-injured or can't go full speed. Also, like others have said, might be good to get him in next week vs. Miami for some reps. Maybe even an audition for 2021.

If I see this happen followed by a tweet that they're placing Beasley on IR, I just may lose my *****.

Here is the story from ESPN on November 27th: Houston Texans release WR Kenny Stills

Stills was released by Houston around Thanksgiving of this year. He hadn't played much this year, and only had 11 catches, I believe. Of note, he came to the Texans on that big trade that also landed them Tunsil and gave Miami two first round picks, including the #3 pick this next year.

Not sure what the implication is...

That's right! I remember seeing that too, and wondering why Allen didn't look for him. Completely wide open.

Great points...the thing I loved the most about that play is how Allen really did look off the safety long enough to make him hesitate...which was just enough to allow the completion. The ball gets there an instant before the safety does, and it's because Allen made him hesitate, just for a step. Awesome to see. I also loved the second play where Allen was just playing with the safety again. Allen tried to get him to bite on the crossing route, but he didn't. Allen seemed to know all along that either the safety bites and he has Davis for the long post route, or he doesn't and he has Diggs isolated on the crossing route. Awesome design and execution, and you can see how Allen is just seeing everything as it happens with total control. My favorite play of the night, though, was the lob pass to Lee Smith. Such a great design, and that was the moment I fully realized that the Bills were actually toying with the Pats**** and Belichick's defense.

Wait, are you saying Beasley should get a Brazilian?

I think using the pass to set up the run is a great strategy, as long as you have the horses and the playbook to do it. It requires WRs that can get quick separation, it requires a good pass-blocking OL, and it requires a QB that can read the field, make the right decision, and get the ball to the receivers quickly and accurately. And it also requires a strategy that works not only for short passes, but mid- and long passes as well, otherwise defenses can just squat on the short routes and disrupt it all. We've seen over the years that without all of those components, it's not the easiest to do. When you've got all of it, like we seem to now, it's nearly unstoppable. Once Brown is back (and if Beasley is healthy), we'll start to see more 4-WR sets, spreading things out, and giving the offense all sorts of options, especially in the running game. And it will work because Allen has the tools and experience now to run it effectively, read the defense, and make the right call. It all works together, but it's best when you have all of the ingredients. It's probably more complex than establishing a running game to set up the pass, but much more effective when you've got it going.

I've also noticed that Bass sometimes kicks off with only a 2-3 step approach, similar to FGs, and he still boots it to the mid/back of the end zone. That's some crazy leg strength. Other kickers are taking a 5-7 step approach with the same results.

It's definitely good to see...it was probably a combination of lack of an offseason and injuries earlier in the season, and now with guys getting healthy and spending more time together, its starting to gel...you could also say a factor is the level of competition, but we've faced some really good teams the second half of the season and rose to the occasion. Still a little concerned about the mistakes with the run D, but I like that they seem to be able to adjust and respond well after the first 1-2 drives by the other team.

Thanks...so it’s just a single numerical measure of how good a team is?

For the uninitiated, what is an Elo rating and what the heck does it mean?

The other benefit is, if someone happens to knock off the Chiefs, we would have home field throughout.

I seem to recall the last time the Pats**** were without Brady, they went 11-5 and missed the playoffs.

You mean Dwayne Haskins?

That's so cool! You can't help but love this team. Then there's this follow-up... Is that true? Or is it just a troll?

Great writeup, thanks!

I guess, but is it really intriguing? Lamar won the MVP award and always makes the Ravens dangerous, and Baker has the Browns with a winning record for the first time in forever and on the verge of a playoff appearance. I mean, sure, things get complicated when their contracts are up, but does anyone really think those teams aren't set at QB for some time?

Every NFL team's 2021 QB situation: Nine are in good shape, two could get ugly and everyone in between LaCanfora: Nine teams are in good QB shape...and the Bills aren't one of them? He lists the Bills in the category of "Mild Intrigue", along with the Bengals, Ravens, Browns, Cowboys, Jets, Raiders, Rams, Panthers, Bucs, Vikings, and Broncos. Wow. I mean, I'm not one to cry "OUTRAGE" every time a sports writer says something questionable, but seriously: Allen is legitimately in the running for MVP this season and has made incredible strides, and with all that he's done, he still really thinks Allen and the Bills belong in the category he describes as: ?

One thing is for sure, the AFC playoffs are going to have a lot of really good teams and a lot of really good games.