finn

How does Cook's and Johnson's role in the passing game work in this matchup, do you think?

They held Cook to that few yards in part because Brady inexplicably took him out in crunch time. Unilateral disarmament.

I meant just on wide receivers. Shavers and Shakir were nice late-round picks, but otherwise Beane is passing or whiffing on WR picks, hence my metaphor of the picky batter passing up not just players that fell to him, like Metcalf, Adams, Pickens, Nacua, and McConkey, but also not trading up for players within reach. I realize you need a trading partner, but every year since he drafted Allen, I've wanted Beane to trade up for a receiver who can help him. For example, I was dying that he sat pat in 2023 when teams picked Smith-Njigba, Zay Flowers, and Jordan Addison. He traded up for Kincaid instead, which has worked out ok, but the WR was a problem then and is getting to be a bigger problem every year. I'm not saying anything new. I just hope Beane a) prioritizes wide receiver next year; and b) figures out why he has repeatedly missed on the position.

True, but you could say the same for almost ever player and GM in draft history, since none of them traded their entire draft to pick Tom Brady and other the other HOF players. That doesn't mean GMs are beyond criticism. I think Beane's done a good job overall given the draft position he has to work with every year, but there's no question he and his staff are deficient in their WR evaluations, to the extent that they should probably bring in new scouts and stage an intervention for Beane. He's striking out looking every draft, waiting for the perfect pitch then whiffing when he does swing.

The matchups are one thing, still not getting open after Allen buys more time--and more time, and MORE, and sometimes even MORE time--and they still don't get open, that's another thing altogether. You look at the tape, and the wide receivers are either running into coverage, jogging around with the cover man in their hip pocket, or sprinting down the field with no separation. At best, they break open briefly, frantically signal, then get covered again. I'm hoping for a breakout game from Cooks. (I've written off Palmer and Coleman, and I wonder if the team has, too.) If they're going all the way, it'll be because of the tight ends and running backs, with an occasional contribution from Shakir, Cooks, and Shavers. Man, what a missed opportunity! With even one stud receiver, or better one plus a strong WR2, this could be easily be the best Bills offense of all time. Every other piece is in place. They would have rocked the league.

Yep, I made a version of that mistake. I'll just say he should win three in a row starting now because when his kid is four, Allen will be like, "Football? What's football?" The good news is that, until that point, his urgency to win will increase exponentially. He'll realize he's on the clock, big time.

So that's why he said winning the Super Bowl is not the most important goal for him anymore. I get that.

And don't forget the hype about Mac Jones. "Experts" were saying Allen was the second best quarterback in the division after Jones' second year.

Palmer, too. The malady has gone from his knee to his ankle back to his knee again. Check back next month, he says.

At least they could use the box of tape they would get for him.

I'm intimately familiar with the Bills' strengths and weaknesses, but on principle I refuse to watch Patriots games (Bills fans in NE will know why), except when they play us. Can someone give me rundown of where they're strong and weak, especially vis a vis the Bills? The rundowns I can find online are insipid, fatuous, partisan, obnoxious, obsequious, opaque, overly long, sophomoric, pretentious, officious, and/or dated.

Must have been the dreaded walk-through practice, that Bermuda Triangle of injuries.

If Cosell is right, then Allen should win MVP for the success the team has had and will likely continue to have. I don't understand how people can hype Stafford without acknowledging that the team around him is superior to Allen's. Anyway, if the Bills go all the way, they won't be the first no-name team to do so. Sometimes it's less about individual star power and more about team character. That's not to say the Bills have, it, but they might. We'll see Sunday.

Full credit to Cooks, but when that DB looked back and saw Allen running full speed his direction like a runaway racehorse, well, let's just say he didn't fight too hard to get unblocked.

What are you, his agent?