BillsVet

HC matchups in the SB going back the last 10 years show an overwhelming trend of offensive coaches who came up on that side. That's the better metric to illustrate where the league is going. The only guy you could make the case who's getting to the SB these last 10 years is Belichick and even then he's the best coach in NFL history. Even Pete Carroll hasn't won squat since 2014. It's been said before here that the Pegula's were regretting giving McD so much authority over their franchise. In fact, I'm not sure one guy has had that much pull at OBD ever: the HC who hired his own GM and is the major factor into personnel decisions. Sure, there's discussion during the off-season, but it's funny that most off-seasons right out of the gate they're signing defensive UFA's and, until Kincaid, were using that first round pick on McD's side of the ball. At least he doesn't have a Ford Taurus. And, is Terry's Tesla self-driving? I don't think those are cleared for roads yet, but he is 72-73 now and older people don't always know to turn their turn signal off.

Will we as Bills fans receive total consciousness at the moment each game is lost?

Every pass I see Shakir catch is against his body including the long score against the Jets. I wouldn't count on him as a candidate to be the Z receiver. Kincaid is being used on underneath throws, but is better suited for downfield. If they elect to use him that way. They've been addressing WR with lower-value options and it shows over the years with 1 year UFA deals and mid to low round draft picks. Buffalo hasn't used a 1st or 2nd on a WR since Zay Jones...when the entire league is taking them high. Shakir and Kincaid shouldn't change that they need higher talent there.

There have to be some fast safeties who can catch footballs in next year's draft. Of course, they won't play because McD doesn't really trust rookies, but he'd have them ready for 2026 or so.

On the broadcast Romo kept talking about how Philly was getting their running game outside and that was the key for them offensively. I remember one play in the RZ where Rousseau single-handedly stopped a run out there, but it happened rarely if ever beside that time. It's as if McD knows the scheme is vulnerable against the run and wants to get off to quick starts and force opponents to throw into that zone. When things don't go that way, he's runs out of ideas quickly. That defense seems especially weak up the middle and I know Jones being out hurts, but it's unreal they haven't developed a way to mitigate that by week 12 and with all the DL investment.

Beane's inability to resource an offense is not a coincidence that it perfectly complements the HC's lack of knowledge about NFL offense.

Hello class and thank you for enrolling in Conflation 101.

McD has fired a coordinator after or during the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons. I can't recall in recent years a HC of a very good team firing that many and it is sure to raise ownership's eyebrows. Firing coordinators is evidence of dysfunction under his management of the team. They have 7 games now because McD ain't going anywhere during the season save for a catastrophic collapse. I also think he benefits from TPegs likely not wanting to pay his 2024 and 2025 salaries with all those stadium cost over-runs on his tab now.

McDermott just pulled a power play and people aren't seeing it. Josh is being paid 43M per, so he isn't going anywhere. Still, he reportedly had input into elevating Dorsey to OC, but the decision was McD's. McD has fired 4 coordinators in 7 years and likely will be under scrutiny if Buffalo doesn't get to the SB. That's highly unlikely with this roster. Now, McD can spin this hire (and firing now) of Dorsey into that Josh wanted him and he did what he thought best for the franchise QB. McD gets another crack at an OC if the season continues going sideways. And probably doesn't get fired by TPegs for this (so-far) bad season. Might seem a bit Machiavellian, but this is McD we're talking about.

After that play, I had the exact same thoughts as I did leaving the stadium for the Dallas MNF loss in 2007. Mostly, just numb to it all. Or, to more succinctly describe it all: "Billsy."

What we see on the field from players is one cause. The game-plan, in-game calls, players they select to play/bench and even draft/sign, and a whole host of other reasons impact the final result. Josh is a part of the problem. But he ain't the only thing wrong with that team. This season didn't go off the rails beginning in week 1. It's been coming. Total overhaul of the organizational vision is required. Not going to happen with this HC and GM.

A lot of emotionally driven word salad to theorize that Buffalo is still damaged from that Week 16 game 10 months ago. I remember the Hamlin injury, at least in part, also cited on TBD then as a major cause for their post-season swoon versus Miami and again hosting Cincinnati. Maybe there is a team-wide emotional matter, particularly playing in Cincinnati. But if that's true, it's more because generationally-speaking people aren't taught how to handle grief and tragedy. I think you theory is offered because culture at large now has a penchant for always trying to find excuses when problems appear. We can see the adversity, acknowledge it, grieve over it, but still continue. I was at the Kevin Everett game in '07 and in the ensuing days and weeks don't recall his injury being suggested here or elsewhere as a potential consideration for team play. In fact, that Bills team went 5-3 afterward and considering they played Pittsburgh and New England the following weeks, one of those losses was the Dallas MNF game and DJ was HC, that's pretty good. That was about a generation ago, meaning players were later Gen X'ers to early millennials. Heck, Darryl Stingley was paralyzed in a pre-season game in 1978 and New England went 8-2 to start the season. And one of those games was at Oakland where the injury happened...a NE win. As to the general assumption that people think the players are "big dumb galoots" I and many other educated fans around here obviously do not believe that. Game prep has always been key at the pro level and it seems as though certain players aren't taking it as seriously. That's a work-ethic issue, not that players are "galoots." There will always be hard working lower talented players. There will be less hard working better players. And there will be the hard-working types with top-end talent. If there's a work-ethic issue, that's something on management who select and coach the players. On both issues, it kind of mirrors society at large where people don't have mechanisms to cope with grief nor work as hard as previous generations, including NFL players. And for the record I'm a late Gen X'er and not playing the "in my day-itis" card.

Gannett doing what they do best: offer clickbait garbage.

I'm sure there were a lot of afternoon daily newspapers prematurely thrown in the trash by Maroons fans. What the heck was Warren Harding doing back then aside from covering up his affair?

I want the 1925 Pottsville Maroons to get credit for the NFL Championship they won and rightfully deserve recognition for!

23-20 Bills

Jauron also didn't have anything close to the financial support this group has. During the DJ years, by mid-season, they'd dress guys off the street because their depth was nil. People here talk about the need for mid-season acquisitions, but back then I remember names of UDFAs and street FA's who got playing time when 1 guy went down. Jauron's teams were so under-resourced that they used the draft to fill needs they couldn't afford to in UFA or because UFA's wouldn't come. Buffalo was NFL Siberia from around 2006 until maybe when TPegs bought the team. For as much as Belichick is despised, he was ahead of the curve when it came to becoming an offensive-focused team. NE missed the playoffs in 2005 after 3 SB wins in 4 seasons. Against Indy in the 2006 AFCCG, Brady had the likes of Reche Caldwell (RIP) at WR. The result was Belichick grabbed Moss and Welker the following season. Didn't guarantee a SB, but the game had shifted and would continue to. BB was ahead of the curve. I haven't seen McD adapt at anything more than a snail's pace since he took the job. Even with an, albeit flawed, franchise QB.

Sabres were horrible over all of those years. Bills have become perennial playoff participants. Maybe in a big market with a media asking questions a HC is fired who doesn't make the jump from playoffs to championship level. Not Buffalo. Media tip-toes around issues and doesn't demand accountability. There used to be media types who did, but they're either gone now or don't have the forum anymore. The local media does matter, but would agree if it elevated to the national level it could prompt the owner to act. I still don't see local media making a stink over the HC's off-season and in-game decisions. Besides, TPegs' MO has always been to give their coaches what they say they need...until they don't give them it anymore. In that way, he's somewhat mercurial like his predecessor. Thing everyone is missing here is that the Bills are making money. And, TPegs is on the hook for the remainder of the stadium costs. Eating salary is probably not on his list of things to do in the interest of being more competitive. This is a business after all.

Can't forget the newest McD aphorism - "complementary football." Whatever that is. As to firing McD...I can't see Terry eating 2 years of McD's salary. Perhaps if there was significant media focus, but Buffalo doesn't have that.

It is shocking and shows little regard for how much offense wins games now, especially with a very good QB. Looking back, I don't think McD has really embraced being the Head Coach in a classic sense. He came into the job still showing preference for defense and doesn't seem like he acclimated to overseeing both defense and offense. And that was reinforced when he took on the DC function, although I'm sure there are assistants. In a way, it reminds me somewhat of Gailey playing HC and OC while abdicating defense to his DC. He had no answers when inevitably those defenses stunk because he wasn't a part of that game-prep much. And he never cared to get deep into that side of the ball.

I think @BADOLBILZ pointed out years ago when Antonio Brown was throwing fits (before he went really cuckoo) that he had issues with Roethlisberger's prep entering the season. Brown was working out hard to be ready and didn't see it from the QB. The Diggs flare-up in June seems like that. Josh isn't prepared like a top-end NFL QB should be with justification that he doesn't need as much prep because teams play him different than other QB's. Not ideal.

Had the same reaction...and if memory serves they've thrown a deep ball or two to Harty in previous games. Hasn't worked because dude's lost a step and isn't getting separation. Amazing coaches haven't seen this into mid-season.

Buffalo's mid-season funks typically start around week 5-7 and last for about 6-8 weeks. Happened in 2020, 2021, 2022, and in the middle of it this year. Issue that needs discussion is why a playoff-level team, especially one with so many veterans, can't prevent that sort of slump. We're getting closer to figuring it out, and it's a combination of Josh, McD, personnel decisions (GM/HC), and the OC. They have to look in the mirror and be honest that some elements of this team are not right and haven't been for a few seasons.

Just need a few more defensive players and play complementary football. Or could just try to feature a better coordinated offense.

McBeane's philosophy/scheme keeps running into cap management, notably a reluctance to draft DTs and develop them the past few years. It's clear they would rather pay UFA rates to keep that group deep. If that's an attempt to mitigate injuries, so be it, but so would having mid-20's aged guys with an added benefit of offering some cap relief from featuring 3-4 UFA's making 2M+ per every year. Still, it's that way at DE, LB and DB's: veterans on second/later contracts or high(er) drafted players. I don't see guys on their first contract aside from Bernard or Benford who I don't think were the plan until a player could not be fit in cap-wise (Edmunds) or for performance/injury issues (Elam, White). I question the need to feature a veteran defense every season, primarily because building out a roster this way has limited upside particularly when the playoffs come around. Another 2 DT's fulfills McBeane's philosophy, but it hurts when you don't have a veritable second/third receiving option for Josh in games you might need to score more points and the defense isn't working as well.