JohnC

You don't have to pay off the bet. Just plead insanity and you will not be legally liable for such a crazy bet.

He repeatedly explained on the replays that receivers were open but the qb didn't come close to recognizing it. He was diplomatic and not harshly critical. He showed on the replays that the receivers were open but TT couldn't see it. From an offensive standpoint this was a garbage game. If you had no association with either team this game was not only not entertaining but was painful to watch. I thought that both Nance and Romo handled this drudgery with class and patience.

This is a terrific post! You are astute, perspicacious and adroit. You clearly laid out the current picture and the big picture. Without a doubt this team played beyond its limited talent level. You are very well attuned to what is going on. I salute you for this smart and clearly expressed post.

Your post is not worth wasting time to respond to. Your contributions are nonsensical and diminish this site. If stupidity was a crime you would be locked up for the rest of your life for felonious dumbness.

I'm more than satisfied with this season. As I have believed since the hiring of McDermott this was a major rebuilding job. The new coach and his braintrust significantly altered the roster, shed players, acquired picks and opened up cap space. So in my opinion he accelerated the rebuild timetable with his numerous transactions. No one who is fair-minded should be dissatisfied with what has been accomplished in one season. What is going to determine whether this upward trajectory is maintained is the qb issue. What's obvious is obvious. There is no point in even bothering with the issue of TT being an adequate bridge qb or not. That debate is over with. He's not. He is a terrific person and an earnest player. I wish him the best wherever he goes. The real challenge to keep this team moving forward is drafting a high-end qb prospect and for the short term getting a quality bridge qb who is capable of running a full range offense. Side notes: Shady McCoy deserves accolades. He was hurting yet played heroically. Another shout out has to go to Tony Romo. In short order he has turned into one of the best analysts in the business. He made a seamless transition from the field to the booth. He and his partner work wonderfully together.

That was an interference. Tough! We didn't deserve to win because our qb play was atrocious. Our defense played with heart and our OL played reasonably well against a very good defensive line. You can't win with a qb who is incapable of executing basic passing plays.

My first thought is he okay. How about some common decency!

Benjamin may be a fine fellow but from a talent standpoint he isn't good enough to wear Watkin's stinky jockstrap. Watkins is an immensely more talented player than Benjamin. Until the qb position is upgraded in Buffalo the talents of its receivers will not be fully actualized. The comparison of Woods in Buffalo to him in LA demonstrate that obvious point.

In Buffalo Sammy simply didn't have a qb who could reliably pass. No question that Watkins acted out because of his frustration. While others harshly criticize him because of his intense competitiveness I'm less willing to do so. I'll take a ferocious player who at times allows it to go too far over a less intense player who is more passive. Was Sammy too selfish and stat conscious in Buffalo? Yes. But that's not surprising for a young player who is super confident. I believe over time his intensity will be more properly channeled. The maturation process is not an instant process. I believe in his talent. And I believe that LA with its qb is a good situation for him.

I respectfully but strenuously disagree with you. Watkins joined the Rams relatively late. He didn't have an opportunity to work with the qb in the offseason. So he didn't have the time to develop a chemistry with him. If you watched some Ram games it's obvious that the emerging qb doesn't look toward Sammy as a primary receiver as he does with Kupp and Woods. If Watkins stays with the Rams I'm confident that he will become more of a primary receiver and have his share of big plays. I disagree with you that getting a second round pick and Gaines for Watkins was a steal. That isn't to say that it wasn't a good deal for us because it certainly was. I like Gaines a lot. When he plays the backfield unit is much tighter. Overall, this deal was good for us in our situation and will prove good for the Rams (assuming Watkins stays) in the long run. In my view anyone who undervalues the abundant talents of Watkins is making a mistake. From a talent standpoint he is in the top tier. So far because of the challenging circumstances it has not translated into a matching production. I'm confident that it will.

I don't see how this case can be a federal case. The suit was probably handled in Colorado instead of Ohio because that was where the home office was for the company. I'm confident that your original response was spot on and well posted.

The warrant that the casino put out was a criminal warrant and not a civil notice. It's very unlikely that the border authorities would run a check on a civil matter, especially one that was issued nearly two decades ago.

As you and everyone else has stated the qb issue is the first consideration. I don't like the idea of using one of our picks in the second round for a back. The second priority should be the defensive line and linebacking position. I'm hoping that the Bills keep Glenn so that our OL won't have an addition hole to the unit. Cadet is a good backup candidate and the free agent market should have some good veteran back options as backup players. Entering the offseason the Bills should have plenty of cap space to fill in some of the holes. If we can get a good interior defensive lineman then we will have more flexibility in the draft. The key issue that will determine how our draft goes is how much will the Bills have to yield in draft assets to acquire a qb, if that is the direction the Bills decide to go. If the Bills have to pay a heavy price to get a qb in the draft then I would prefer not to use an early pick for a back. One of my favorite players in this draft class is Stanford's Harrison Williams, a DT. He reminds me of Kyle Williams. Would love to get him with a lower first round pick or a second round pick if he was available.

I agree with most of what you said. But I still strongly contend that not addressing the qb position when there were opportunities to do so has haunted this franchise. If I had my way I would have drafted either Mahomes or Watson with our first round pick last year instead of trading down. That still has to be our priority in the next draft. White was a terrific pick but by not taking action on the qb issue last year the organization has put itself in a position where it will probably have to parlay many of their acquired picks to address the qb position, assuming it takes that route. I strongly believe in culture and a strong support system. But I also believe that strong culture or not what mostly determines success for individual players is their own internal makeup and drive. Acquiring players who are already mature rather than hoping that they will mature is in the long run the best approach to take. You bring up an interesting issue regarding expensive positions acquired in free agency. I'm hoping that the Bills keep Cordy Glenn. I don't care if it is for the right or left side or even the guard positions. When healthy he is worth his salary. When you create a hole you then lose the ability to address another need. In my estimation at this point it is better to add talent than subtract talent.

I agree with you that Rosen and Darnold will probably not be attainable. I'm a big fan of Mayfield. Of all the high end qb prospects in this draft he is in my opinion the most passionate prospect/person. What does that mean? Football is important to him. He is totally invested from a preparation and emotional standpoint. Anyone who thinks he is a Manziel type person is making an unfair comparison. His players love him and are drawn to his charisma. One scene made a major impression on me. In a big game one of his players either fumbled or dropped a pass. He was the first player to reach out to him and embrace him and tell him we'll get right back out there and turn things around. Anyone who thinks that he is a self-absorbed diva who only cares for the spotlight is clueless to who he is and what he represents. The mistake that the Bills have historically made that has weighed this franchise down with respect to acquiring qbs is that it has taken the approach of allowing the "inability to attain perfection to be the enemy of the good." If you can't get the best prospect that doesn't mean that you can't get a franchise qb. It's not unusual that the lesser rated qb turns out in the long run to be the best qb. Who is to say that Lamar Jackson in the long run might not be the best of the bunch? Anyone who believes that by simply getting a legitimate franchise qb on the roster it is going to cure all the team's deficiencies is badly mistaken. The team needs a lot more talent in a number of positions before it becomes a serious team. However, until the franchise qb is added to the roster this team will continue to be a fringe playoff team.

Terrific post. You are astute and perspicacious! There is a significant aspect to the personnel decisions made by the McBeane regime not recognized by many. It takes courage and boldness to actually carry out your vision of how a roster should be built. It's easy to spout out noble descriptions about team concepts and character requirements you want to exist within your team. But to actually act on it when it applies to some of your best players takes a lot of fortitude. Trading an enticing talent such as Watkins took a lot of courage. What it represented is the coach having the courage to live up to his convictions. It also took a lot of courage to trade Dareus, a tremendous talent but also an underachieving talent, for little in return. Yet in the big picture it was a clear indication that this regime was going to reshape this ill fitting roster to a more cohesive unit. I have said it in many posts that this overachieving team is in the midst of a rebuilding project. Some of the hard decisions that related to dispatching talented players is for the purpose of enhancing the roster in the future rather than for the immediate impact. Under this regime there is a coherency and conceptual thought that didn't exist in prior regimes. I'm on board with this line of reasoning and acting.

I agree with you that it is still an open question whether Jones will play up to his draft status. I'm more optimistic on his development than many. He was too productive in college for it not to translate to the pro game. It's not unusual for rookies to struggle. Young players adapt at different rates. Ask yourself how many people here foolishly jumped to the conclusion that Goff was a bust because he struggled in his rookie year? I'm optimistic about Jones because everything I have heard about him is that he is a good kid and a hard working kid who is serious about his profession. My sense (guess) is that next year he is going to take a major leap forward.

Didn't OSU add another defensive coach as insurance for his departure?

If you collectively look at this draft class you see players such as Dawkins, Zay Jones, White and Milano who are not only good prospects but mature people who are self-motivated and dedicated to their profession. None of these players are dazzling. All of them are the type of players/people you want to build a roster with. Dareus is without a doubt one of the most talented defensive tackles in the league. However, his talent wasn't always actualized because of his immaturity on and off the field. While many people scoff at the notion of character and the type of guys wanted on the roster by McDermott as time goes by his approach to building the roster will become more evident. It's not so much as acquiring talent as it is as building a roster. This profile of player is also apparent with the acquisition of players such as Hyde, Poyer andGaines.

The harsh critics like to harp on the in-game mistakes that for the most part had little to do with the outcome of games. And there are the unyielding critics who respond as if replacing a struggling qb with a rookie qb was a forever disqualifying decision. What is lacking is putting in to perspective what has been accomplished this year by McDermott. He took over a team and to some extent stripped it to acquire draft picks and future cap space. The overwhelming consensus was that the Bills were a rebuilding team with a realistic chance of winning 4 to 6 games at best. The performance of the team dramatically over-performed what its talent level was. This was done by good coaching and assembling a roster of players who bought in. That's a testimony to the coach and his staff. Whether the Bills win their first playoff game in a generation is not the biggest achievement of this regime. It is taking a team that has been ingloriously stuck in the muck of mediocrity for so long and put this rebuilding team in a good position to meaningfully succeed in the not too distant future. By smartly making some moves, some bold and controversial, to acquire draft picks and create cap space this team will be in a good position to accelerate the rebuilding process. While so many people want to relish wallowing in the move of replacing TT in the Charger game and some of his questionable in-game decisions I'm looking at what he has overall accomplished. He has changed the dynamic of this slumbering franchise and energized it. I'm ecstatic and I salute him!

I'm in the DC/Md area. The talk is that Denver is willing to aggressively go after Cousins. The Redskins are now more open to dealing him if he isn't willing to sing with them. It appears that because Cousins doesn't want to be in Washington the organization is willing to get a deal done. It is getting tired of being strung out by the qb. You and I have been in sync on the qb issue. We had the opportunity to select either Watkins or Mahomes with our first round pick last year. It was a mistake to let that opportunity pass. Ask Cleveland if they regret passing on Goff, Wentz or Watkisn (with their second first round pick last year)? Now we are discussing how much to give up to acquire a high end prospect in the draft. This dilatory approach to the qb position has handcuffed this franchise for so long that it has become part of the fabric of the operation. I'm not wedded to any qb. But assuming that Darnold or Rosen are not available I'm getting more intrigued with Mayfield. His production is off the charts. I believe that he can play sooner than most of the prospects in this class. Let's be clear that getting a good qb prospect on board is not going to instantly elevate this team. It takes time to develop the prospect. And more importantly this team has plenty of needs to address before the Bills can become a serious team. Without a doubt the direction is positive and the organizational structure is in place to move forward.

Winning SBs is a salve for bruised feelings. If the Pats were struggling on the field the affection for this tough and demanding coach would certainly erode. Tom Coughlin was a tough gizzard. He was for the most part a very successful coach. However, when the Giants hit a losing spell and were struggling the players who once embraced the Irish tough guy found his stern act to be very tiresome and objectionable. The key to determining how the players feel for a coach is not their public or private lamenting. The real indicator is how hard and smart the players play for the coach. And if you want to tap down any rising discontent consistently win and show your players that what is being preached is more than blowing smoke up their derrieres. It is a formula for success. Make no mistake the HC knows who is on board and who is not. He knows who is committed and who is not. He knows who plays for oneself and who plays for the team. In a two year period this roster will be turned over by nearly 75-80%. His guys may not have much affection for him but they will play hard for him. That's what counts.

I confidently don't believe he is a conniver or a snake as you put it. He is one of the most transparent people that I have seen in the coaching ranks. Is he a tad bit preachy and robotic? I'm sure some people would say yes. His earnest style doesn't bother me. What I have observed from the outside is that he is straight-forward and doesn't seem to have much guile in the way he behaves. His philosophy is laid out for everyone to see. He doesn't seem to deviate or act apart from what he espouses. I'll tell you the type of players who would not like him: the slackers and the undisciplined. Selfish players who play for stats rather than uphold their roles are not going to like him. You don't think that Adulphos Washington was severely scolded for his idiotic personal foul on the sidelines? I'm sure he might not be a devotee of the wrestling coach but the players who are responsible, like Kyle Williams, surely appreciate that type of coaching. The players who wouldn't want to play for the challenging coach are the type of players/people who the coach wouldn't want on the roster. Success is not predicated on the accumulation of talent. It is more predicated on the getting the right players to fit for your team. That is a Marv Levy dictum and it is a dictum that the wrestling coach believes in. I'm on that same choo choo train.

Kirby, I can't comment on the credibility of your sources or the accuracy of the report. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a great deal of discontent with the coach's Peterman decision. Whether the players like the wrestling coach or believe that he is not an authentic person matters little to me. From the games that I have seen this limited roster has played hard and overachieved (my opinion). There are few people who would deny that Marrone was an insufferable and arrogant jackass. Yet, the team played hard for him. That's what counts. There is no doubt that McDermott is a hard coach. He is not afraid to make roster moves or alter playing time based on performance. There is no question that certain types of players/people could/would not play for him. He demands commitment on the field and in preparation. Ask Dareus what he thinks of the coach? And ask the coach what he thinks of Dareus? Where the rubber meets the road with a hardnosed coach like McDermott is whether that punishing style results in success. If it does he will be embraced. If it doesn't he will be scorned. The bottom line is that McDermott wants a certain type of player/person on his roster and he doesn't want a certain type of player/person on his roster. When this year is assessed I believe that the rating for the coach will be high. He got a stripped down team to compete hard. That augurs well for the future. I'm on board.

Next year there is a good chance that both individuals that you find unsatisfying won't be involved with the team. The player for sure and with lesser odds the OC, also.