BillsVet

When the regular season is over, the teams reaching the playoffs will have good or better passing games. Right now, we know that in the AFC, that means KC, SD, HOU, PIT, NE, and perhaps IND. Over in the NFC, it's LAR, NO, MIN, and CHI. The exception is SEA and DAL, although the latter started improving when they acquired a WR. That's as many as 10 out of the 12 teams with excellent passing games. Passing has not been supplanted with running the ball and strong defense. And barring some rules changes, it's going to remain that way. One or two weeks' worth of games isn't going to change it, but people have a tendency to analyze things at the surface.

It's nice that people are getting emotional and talking about a guy's reaction. Still, that doesn't factor into whether it's best for the team to keep someone. Barkley had one start where, a few weeks before, he was out of the NFL. If he's good enough to mentor Allen and, if necessary backup, then sure, sign him. His celebration on the sideline doesn't matter.

Amazing how Foster has done all of this after having been cut. The first round guy they took after trading up with 2 seconds isn't getting cut anytime soon. The 2nd rounder from 2017 they traded a 3rd to move up for, well, that's a different story. You have no idea what that kid's been through. Mental health is not something to make fun of. Phil McGeoghan clearly knows WRs. Or at least he knew how to advocate for Buffalo to take him. Either way, OBD hasn't set the world on fire with offensive players in the draft these last few years.

And I'm sure McCoach will consider telling Beane he wants another DLineman or CB for his defense. In these final 3 games Allen needs to demonstrate he can throw the ball downfield as best as possible. That said, his WR group isn't notable, and I'd guess will change significantly by the start of 2019.

Sometimes I wonder if Sal drinks a pot of coffee before he goes on air. He's practically a mile a minute. Yet compare the over-caffeinated one with Paul Hamiltion, beat writer for the Sabres. I don't think Hamilton is too harsh or too easy within his coverage of the Sabres. Fans just don't want to hear negative, as evidenced by this board and people like Cappuccino know this. He'd prefer to run down the middle and wave the pom-poms as much as he can because everyone knows the Pegula's don't like negative attention.

Chiefs fans see a 4-9 team that will likely be in the top 6 of the next draft and think there's a chance McCoach gets fired. We know he won't, but 4-9 ain't much to be proud about. I wouldn't call that "building a winning team" either.

That one game visiting the Jets to conclude the 2016 season he really did. You know who else also struggled that day? EJ and Cardale who both showed they weren't starting caliber QBs in the NFL. And, true to OBD form, he was left hanging out there in front of the media after RR had been fired. If that's "struggling" then yeah he did...for one game. I'd also add that Lynn inherited a 5-11 Chargers team moving from SD to LA and got them to 9-7 last year and 10-3 this season. He deserves to be in the COY debate. Successful rebuilds show continuous improvement from year and don't yo-yo back and forth like Buffalo has.

It's not that simple. You can't conflate taking hits in the pocket with those on a run. The former occur for multiple reasons (coverage, pass pro breakdown, not making reads, internal clock) but the latter happen when someone elects to leave the pocket. Whatever the case, he can't take the hits he's been taken. Dual threat QBs don't work in the NFL. Defenders are too fast and will prevent even the fleetest one to run free. Besides, NFL defenses adjust, although that may take an off-season to see enough film to engineer a plan to stop them. It's a guarantee that if Allen runs 10+ times a game he's going to get knocked around more than if he stood in the pocket and delivered. That said, I know he'll run less and have hopes those attempts will decrease as he becomes more familiar with the NFL game.

If Allen keeps taking as many hits as he is there won't be any comparisons to make because he'll wind up on IR. For fantasy types, sure running the ball and scoring is nice. It was fun to watch when Mike Vick did it too back in 2002 or so. Or Vince Young. None of those guys got teams deep into the playoffs consistently.

And Ralph was apparently willing to pay 10M per to Cowher. Sure.

It takes 2-3 years to judge a draft pick unless they flat out bomb, so I don't get why people need to know right now or speculate about rookies who aren't even finished with their rookie season. The 4 QBs taken in the top 10 all went to bad teams. Teams without a decent supporting cast. It's OK to wait before needing to determine who has "buyer's remorse." Sometimes no thread is better than initiating a thread.

I'd have to pull a McDermott and say I need to look at the tape. It could be. I would expect the Jets defense would target someone who wasn't defenseless, like say the guy (Dawkins) who did that.

I'm shocked that no one on Buffalo's OL attempted to retaliate for that cheap shot. Perhaps a chop block or something to tell Anderson his play was not going to be tolerated. That said, what's the cost to a team for injuring their opponents kicker? From a cost benefit perspective, a 15 yard roughing penalty and losing a starting DL for the game is worth less than injuring a kicker to the point they can't convert XPs or FGs. With games won or lost more frequently on FGs, it's going to happen whether coaches admit it or not. This is a more serious violation than the Legion of Boom a few years ago committing PI or holding penalties on most plays because they all couldn't get called. The competition committee needs to review when this occurs and how to officials respond when kickers/punters are targets and not involved in the play.

I am aware of Frazier's history as a Cover 2 guy and his poor tenure in Minnesota. My point is, the DC works for the HC and therefore implements a game plan based on the HC's guidance.

Robert Foster has 3 games of 90+ yards receiving in his last 4 games. Zay has 1 in 28 career games and a sub-50% catch rate this season. It's not inconceivable that Zay continues to improve, but when a UDFA like Foster, who has a 70%+ catch rate (in an admittedly smaller sample size) it's concerning. The main difference is, Robert Foster didn't cost a 2nd and 3rd like Jones did.

Going to disagree on Frazier. It's not that he doesn't like dialing up blitzes, it's that he's working for McD who comes from the Jim Johnson school where pressure comes from the front 4. That said, this board will collectively explode if Buffalo goes DL with the first pick. A top penetrating DT isn't getting this team closer to the playoffs with the offensive issues they have. Talent does count and after two off-seasons of rebuilding they have major talent issues all over the field. That happened largely because it is practically impossible to tear down and simultaneously rebuild a roster.

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.