mannc

I did not know Tua was injured for those games. I have to say, the ridiculous talent that Alabama is going to be rolling out there every saturday (especially at WR) might make Tua even harder for NFL scouts to evaluate. I mean, he's going to be throwing all day to guys who are "college open" and who can take it to the house on any given play.

I would say that talent-wise, Auburn and Oklahoma (especially on defense) were thoroughly outmatched by Alabama. (I did not see the LSU game, but I'll concede that LSU has plenty of NFL-caliber talent.) The fact is, against the two best teams Alabama played last year (GA and Clemson), he played poorly. If I was an NFL scout, I'd be concerned about that. In general, I think Alabama QBs are tough to evaluate because the talent level on that team is through the roof every single year.

Very much agree. He’s played poorly in the few games in which Alabama was not able to completely out-match its opponent. I’m not even convinced Tua’s a first-rounder.

Simms made an interesting point about the importance of pass rushers vs coverage guys. Chiefs led the league in sacks last year, but their defense was awful. Highly recommend Simms’s podcast.

Hard to tell if alcohol or drugs, but clearly wasted.

I think that's the first time anyone has ever said that without sarcasm.

It’s almost as if drafting interior defensive linemen high in the first round isn’t the ticket to success in the modern NFL...

Yeah, but how has Lynn done head-to-head against McDermott??

You mean this guy? https://cdn-vox--cdn-com.cdn.ampproject.org/i/s/cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/45bFgMyuE32_HxTcv7R_6gF9KSY=/1400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7533011/brownshake.gif

And head coaches...

Neither was Wallace.

And Dick Jauron made the playoffs with Jim Miller as his QB. Was he a good coach, too?

What makes you think that? And who the hell is Gates?

Not gonna end well...

Apparently someone thinks Maccagnan deserved an F.

Didn’t we trade him for a fifth round pick??

I don't disagree, in that I assume Beane, as a GM, has a significantly longer leash than McDermott does. Everyone assumes that the two are attached at the hip and that if one goes, they both go. I don't think that's necessarily the case. If the Bills go 6-10 again this year and McDermott once again looks like a deer in headlights against Belichick, then Beane might feel pressure to make a difficult decision.

Is this Shaddy a free agent they signed in the offseason or an UDFA I didn't hear about? If so, I'd be surprised if he starts this year.

I can pretty much guarantee that in his interview, McDermott did not tell Pegula he was going to completely tear down the team that Rex coached to a .500 record and that the process would take 4-5 years.

I'm not going to get into what the Pegulas "knew" about how the first couple years would play out or how much they like McBeane; that's nothing but speculation. Here's the situation: Through two years, McBeane has the same record as the Rex Ryan regime, and they have been utterly noncompetitive against NE. They need to show significantly better results this year or people are going to seriously question whether they know what they are doing. That probably means making the playoffs and winning a game against NE. I can't predict whether a failure to achieve that would lead to one or both being fired, but, depending on how it all unfolds, it could very well land them in the hot seat.

Doesn’t really matter. He doesn’t have to comment.

Which is exactly why, as an NFL GM, it’s stupid to react to media reports like these.

Well, it’s not like there was anyone worth taking in the third round that year...?

You're right. I'm talking about what should happen, not necessarily what will happen. I don't think anyone here knows for sure what the Pegulas will do, and of course there are a ton of variables other than the record that can and will determine how safe McDermott is. I can foresee circumstances in which the team goes 8-8 and he's entirely safe and I can foresee circumstances where 9-7 lands him in the hot seat. Getting badly outcoached by Belichick two more times would be a huge concern, no matter what the record is (short of winning 12 or 13 games, of course). I don't think my opinion is really much of an outlier, but I don't particularly care one way or the other.?

Yeah, unfortunately, folks are already lowering the bar for this year, saying they would be OK with 8-8 or 9-7--in other words, the same as under Rex--and that McDermott is pretty much guaranteed another year unless they go 2-14. I could not disagree more. I think this year they need to (1) make the playoffs, and (2) win at least one game vs. NE or their seats are going to be extremely warm. I do think Beane is on a longer leash than McDermott.