finn

I was going to say the same thing. His podcasts (I've only heard a few) seem like mashups of the discussions on this forum, conventional wisdom on Coleman, the wide-receiver corps, the run defense, Brady, McDermott... I didn't hear any fresh insights or observations. I come here for news and analysis, although I like Greg Cosell and one or two others. But I'm glad to be told I'm wrong. Does anyone have recent examples of Marino commentary they found valuable?

The game today will tell us a lot about McDermott. If he is a Super Bowl-caliber coach (despite a growing consensus that he's not), he will ensure that either Brady finally does something with this offense or he'll fire him. I don't care about injuries or how many yards and points they've scored this season. With the hand he's been dealt, Brady has fallen on his face so far. If the offense sputters again, and Brady is still the coordinator going into the New England game, the verdict will be final, at least in my book: McDermott is never going to take this team to the Show. A Super Bowl coach does not tolerate mediocre coordinators.

I don't think it's entitlement. He strikes me as just very young, like a 14-year old. Did you see him dancing on the sidelines in his street clothes before one of the games? A good kid, fun-loving, a bit lazy, not too bright, definitely not a full-grown man. He's a bit surprised everyone is making a big deal of his being late to a few practices, but he shrugs and thinks, "Whatever." To him, missing a few games is a bit of a bummer, maybe, but it's not the end of the world. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a great game tomorrow, not because McDermott game him a stern talking-to or his teammates disapprove of him, but because he's just in the mood to play well. Maybe he'll get on a roll and keep contributing the rest of the season. Or maybe it'll rain, he won't get targets, and it won't be much fun, so he'll start jogging his routes again and not bother fighting for balls because he doesn't feel it. Like so many people his age, he's a man-child. No one would much notice or care except he's in the NFL and his team badly needs him. If I were to project his future, I would say he'll do very little this year and next, get cut, picked up by another team, cut again, then, if given one last chance, suddenly explode not into a star but a solid contributor at age 27, when he finally grows up.

It's a reach, but Allen was frustrated on the sidelines after his last interception after Brady got the call in late, which caused the offense to rush the play. Maybe that will be the last straw and Allen will finally tell (or signal to) McDermott that, despise "loving him like a brother," Brady has done an awful job all year long and is directly responsible for at least three of the losses. I suspect McDermott realizes Brady is bad, but maybe he will finally be moved to action by Allen's increasingly evident frustration. It's not too late to save the season.

Especially if the Ravens also miss. The offseason storyline will be "Changing of the guard." Fine, since that's BS. But does it have to be New England? This is shaping up to be one of those quirky years when a totally unexpected team goes to the Show. Maybe Denver or the Chargers.

They'll win. It's next week that concerns me, mostly because they will win tomorrow. This team can't seem to stay focused two weeks in a row. It's almost like get excited only by challenging games, like KC or Pittsburgh. If that's the case, the weak schedule has worked against them. Same with KC. Both teams have been dominant for so long and have played so many more games than any other team, they're just no longer hungry. Put them in the playoffs, and they'll shine, is my guess. The trick is getting there, or maybe giving them challenges. Maybe they'll see New England that way, instead of another Atlanta-Houston-Jets-Miami-Saints patsy. I'm guessing they think Pittsburgh is a patsy, too, but Allen will be excited to play against Rogers, and his enthusiasm will spread. In fact, he might be the one with the ennui.

If the mods don't mind a quick sidebar, would someone mind briefly describing what has happened to the Sabres since Pegula bought the team? Is it more or less the same thing that happened in the Bills drought years, lousy drafting and coaching? I watched Roger Crozier and the French Connection at the Aud when I was a kid, but haven't followed the team since. The Bills give me enough heartburn.

But that cuts both ways. Maybe it will help the Bills' tackling by slowing down the receivers and backs. It can't make our receivers play worse than the have all season, but maybe the Steelers' DBs will fall down. I'm surprised at how pessimistic I sound. I do think they'll win this game, but I'm really down on the linebackers, pass rush, tackling--and of course Brady, who I'm beginning to suspect is on the take. What else explains his primitive play calling and failure to adapt to what defenses do? IQ? A bad marriage?

But then who plays right tackle? Grable?

Kromer. He was OC in Chicago when the offense set records his first year, before Cutler crashed.

A ten-game winning streak is a lot to ask, especially with a slew of injuries, no bye, and Brady still calling plays. Realistically, the only way they're going to make it is if the offense is utterly humiliated by Pittsburgh and McDermott fires Brady. THEN I see them running the table.

He's very good, of course, but he can't stay healthy.

A more positive spin is that this is a team in transition, with young, promising players like Hairston, Walker, Hancock, and Sanders not ready to take over from the fast-declining old guard. That's ok--it's hard to stay on top year after year, especially with so many injuries--but the offseason is critical. Beane simply has trim the deadwood and find receivers, linebackers, and (once again) pass rushers. If I were him, I'd consider trading Kincaid, Dawkins, Bernard, Knox, Coleman, and others. Come back next year younger, faster, and less injury-prone.

We need to put to rest the combination of the name "Brady" and the phrase "scheme him open." If Cooks doesn't get open in the mesh concept, he can join Palmer, Moore, Coleman, and Shavers. In Brady's scheme, wide receivers come to die.

The image that comes to mind is a drowning man desperately grabbing hold of a inflatable Barney that happened to be floating nearby.