BillsVet

The question for 2019 is whether McD acquiesces to a more offensive style game and departs from this defense first conservative play-calling type mentality. Because all this talk about improving the offensive skill positions and line is for nothing if McD continues his current style. McD is not an innovative HC by any means, which is why I hope Beane gets in the HC's ear and tells him that if they want to have jobs in 2020 they start doing things differently. And that means strategically devaluing the defensive side of the ball and seeing if Allen can handle more on offense with better talent around him.

Phil McGeoghan's scouting report on this guy should never have been given so much credence. Another bad offensive decision in an ocean of them these past 2 off-seasons. One for which they gave up a third to take him.

When the rules revert back to what they were in the 80s, yes, perhaps defense can be king. But it's not going to happen. I always love how one weekend's worth of games morphs into the definitive evidence that defense is back...yet nothing really changed The league is built for, over the long haul of an entire season, offense to win out far more often than it loses.

Invi-zay-ble today. Well, except for the drops.

This is what happens when you've got a coach straight outta 1985 coaching in 2018.

Rebuilds don't go backward as this one has. Unfortunately, McBeane wanted to win now and win later...which means deconstructing the roster as you build it. Off the top of my head I can't recall one team that's done that. And now they're fumbling around back to talking about the "process." What precisely is the process and how much sense does "the process" make if the team goes from 9-7 to say 6-10? Last year is last year and bragging about slipping into the playoffs in 2017 means nothing now. We hope they have the QB, but the rest of the offense is a mess. I still can't get over them now realizing they need speedy receivers...after 2 off-seasons "rebuilding" and having drafted a QB who has a plus plus arm.

OP expresses doubt about a rebuild that, in year 2, is 4-8 and predictably gets flamed. While I wouldn't elevate Frazier to interim anything at this point, it's clear something is amiss. I know that talking strategy is an exercise in futility, but it's hard to trust "the process" when you can demonstrate the following events from the past off-season forward: 1. The decision to start Peterman was horrible at the time he was made the starter. They knew he lacked arm strength to make some of the throws he'd need to. 2. Their plan at QB was then foiled when Peterman bombed, leaving Allen as the only QB left on the roster and needing to start. They never signed a vet until week 5...4 weeks after the Baltimore debacle. 3. They acquired Benjamin and knew his knee wasn't good, further exacerbated by the hit he took at Los Angeles last year. Now he's gone. 4. They allowed other receivers out the door and didn't replace them with experienced types. And now we hear they're focusing on speed guys? Where was that in the off-season? 5. They started the season with 3 RBs on the roster (McCoy, Ivory, and Taiwan Jones) who were 29 or older. And Marcus Murphy isn't a 3 down back. 6. Sure, they planned on Incognito and Wood, but both were aging vets. They had little to address those issues, but their OL UFA signings have been extremely weak. 7. Yet, they've spent big money on a defense (Star, Murphy, V. Davis, Poyer) which, despite being good against the pass, still doesn't win enough games on it's own with that offense. People place their trust in the team because, well, it's the team and to some criticism means you're anti-fan. No, it's not. It just means the fan is objective when the record is what it is. Here's to hoping Allen continues to improve, they build a NFL caliber offense, and stop going down the path of building up defense in an offensive driven league. I'm interested to see how they do it, but nothing less than a playoff appearance is acceptable in 2019. How about a maximum?

I guess some people aren't happy unless they're trying to find another grievance to get angry about. All this bitterness...for someone expressing their opinion on a sports talk show? Time to refocus those energies. Maybe go for a run or something.

I think every time a Bills fan complains about the refs an angel gets their wings. Or something like that.

Your lack of knowledge on mental health is noted. ZJ had a nice game today no doubt.

Good question. Interesting just before their Week 13 game it is released/leaked. None of us know the context and it looks bad for Hunt. Just questionable why it was put out there now.

Perspective? On this board. People practically fall over themselves to pronounce something or link to "breaking news." It's less discussion now as much as it is people looking to get attention to their own threads, click bait, or LAMPs. Defenses aren't going to catch up because the rules have so fundamentally changed over the past 20 years. RTP and PI is called so much differently now that it's hard to see a tough defense dominating. And even then, how many teams can feature a top defense for say, 5 years running? Not even the Seahawks could keep their group together. BB not only changed, but he was two steps ahead in personnel acquisition. In one off-season he picked up Randy Moss and Welker (2007) after NE was beaten in the '06 AFC Championship. Then, 3 years later he drafts 2 TE's that presented huge match-up problems.

Sams aren't on the field much of the time and so investing big dollars there doesn't get this team much closer to 10+ wins. With the league dominated by passing, teams are more likely to have 2 LBs on the field, and in the 40 front that's the Will and Mike. Buffalo seems to have those 2 in Milano and Edmunds. No one knows who the UFAs will be when the new league year opens in March 2019. But if they're using big money on any UFA defender, it's the wrong answer to their issues.

Bill from NYC just exploded again. Another CB? Defense isn't the main problem becoming a playoff team because they've already spent big on Lotulelei, Murphy, and Hyde not to mention 1st round picks of White and Edmunds. Their resource allocation is already heavy defense and it's time that side of the ball be less prioritized. They're going to need those cap dollars anyway to improve an anemic offense which, until recently, was on pace to be one of the worst in recent NFL history.

Who cares? The team watches film and knows his MO. I'm sure the offensive coaches are aware that he plays dirty and perhaps looking to injure players. That sort of thing gets around the league quick. I've never seen so much worry about everything. Don't worry.

The Bills season has become anti-climactic and the only thing left to watch for is how Allen does. Other than that it's devolved into a question of potential UFA signings and where they will draft in April. The Sabres are exciting, have loads of young talent, and are winning.

To me it's better to invest in WR's and OL than the RB to support Allen. It's a nice to have thing that Bell would give them some offensive production, but still not worth the cost. I don't assume that even with huge cap space the Bills are going to be in on UFAs like some believe. If they are, it'll take a premium and that cap space will dwindle quickly. Spending 15M+ a season on a RB seems like a poor investment.

I'd make the move to add him...if this were fantasy football which is what I believe prompts observations like this. From a resource allocation perspective I wouldn't consider sinking so much into the RB position. The positional value, even for a currently top level back, is not sufficient to warrant the investment.

One of the Pegula owned teams is good. The other will have another top 10 draft pick. Football season was over a few weeks ago for Bills fans. Unless they play fantasy football.

An NFL HC/GM who needs a season plus to learn this has one foot out the door. For what they're getting paid, it is expected they will know from the outset what to do, not learn on the job. These guys are hired on their potential to win, innovate, and get the team in a position to win, not slog it out through a season and a half trying to invent the light bulb.

Al Davis had it out for Marcus back then. But what a combo at RB. It probably extended Allen's career. The best way I ever heard Bo described was someone saying when God made him, He broke the mold. Buffalo played on Thanksgiving 1994. A 35-21 loss the Lions, who were QB'd by none other than Dave Krieg: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199411240det.htm

You gotta trust the process...even when the process repeatedly changes. How many iterations of the process have they been through after a season and a half?

By which metric? http://www.espn.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/total/position/defense/year/2017 29th in yards allowed / 30th in yards passing allowed / 20th in rushing yards allowed / 5th in points allowed / 11th in turnover differential (+7) / t-18th in sacks (35) / t-28th in INTs (8) / 29th in fumble recoveries (4) So yes, by points allowed they were up there. I guess their RZ defense was better than I thought given the yards allowed. Especially considering they weren't adept at creating turnovers.

Belichick is a master of adaptability and around 2006-07 began seeing a need for his teams to be more offensive focused. No one has been more flexible about de-prioritizing defense and getting players on the offensive side of the ball.

The Red Sox claim to be "small market." Buffalo is a small market. McD would do well to avoid using the Red Sox adversity card ever again. Too many Yankees fans in WNY!