finn

We missed your leadership in the locker room, Yolo. It's been a tough season.

Just practicing empathy, man. Can you imagine if the world concludes you and only you were holding back a Super Bowl team?

A tough draw, yes. But that works both ways. If the offense performs well--especially really well--against arguably the best defense in the league, the game could be a turning point for the season. It would be a statement. And if they beat the Eagles the following week, they go into the bye as the dark horse to go all the way. Dorsey would be the sacrificial lamb for this scenario. Or they could lose out, except maybe a close one or two, and Dorsey is vindicated. McDermott is fired, and the team regroups with a new coach. I know which scenario I prefer. Sorry, Ken.

Maybe. We'll see if whether it was Allen the figured out, or Dorsey.

Defenses seem to have figured out how best to deal with an extraordinary player like Allen, who can run, throw, and improvise in a package unlike any the league has ever seen. You make him have to be patient. That's his kryptonite. He even mentioned "taking the boring stuff." Allen was doing that early in the season, against the Raiders and Dolphins, but he's gone back to "If I throw it hard enough, I can beat triple coverage." And he can, but not always. A single interception, especially now, outweighs five highlight-reel completions. If Brady wants to succeed, he could do worse than tell him Allen is not allowed--ever, under ANY circumstances, to throw more than ten yards down the field. Let that sink in for two or three games. The results? First, they'll score 35 points a game and that's nice. Then defenses will adjust. THEN Brady can say, "Ok, NOW you can throw it long."

I always appreciate your expert, dispassionate posts. Here's a question: What do you think Brady should do to turn this thing around, given that he has to pretty much work with the same playbook--and given that the Bills are about to run the gauntlet of some of the best defenses in the league, starting with the Jets, who seem to have figured them out?

It's possible that Dorsey is the problem, it really is. Allen's interceptions and subsequent malaise might flow from poor play designs and calls that minimize rather than maximize success. Allen might be playing as well as he has despite Dorsey instead of because of him. If so, a coordinator who "gets" him might help make him the best QB in the league. Knox, Kincaid, Diggs, Shakir, and the running backs should be enough firepower to pull it off. (Davis I would bench, once and for all. The guy is net liability.) But it's also possible that the whole team has lost its way. They came out swinging after the 13 seconds game but were in a bad place by the end of the season. Maybe they would have rallied this year, but losing Milano, White, and Jones in quick succession could have created a sense they're cursed, snake-bit. If so, replacing Dorsey won't do the trick. They'd need to fire McDermott and start over again. They could instantly be a SB contender with the right leadership. Me, I think it's both Dorsey and McDermott. Perfect scenario: the fired Daboll comes back as OC, Frazier returns as DC, and Eric Bieniemy is named head coach. Perfect blend of continuity, familiarity, and new energy.

Fired his special-teams coordinator, too.

Fire the defensive coordinator! Accountability!

It's a mess, it really is. Difficult to pinpoint when the malaise set in, but the 13 second game may have been this team's Wide Right, messing with their psychology. Like that 1990 team, they bounced back, but their resiliency took a bit hit, so when adversity hit--and they hit like the Plagues of Egypt last year--they did not have the resources to recover. Same with this year. Like a player with a concussion, it has taken less and less trauma to knock them out. The Jets game was a blow, but they came back, off balance but on their feet. But the second blow, the Jags game, was too much. I agree with Greg Cosell and Chris Sims that the Bills offense is just average, after Allen and Diggs. But worse teams have won the Super Bowl--in fact, I think they WOULD have won the SB after the 2021 season. It's not talent. It's spirit. What to do? Fire McDermott and rebuild. By the time the new stadium is ready, the next iteration of the Bills, with Allen its leader, will be ready.

Time to bring back Frazier?

That pick looks 100% on Allen. But the truth is, the Bills offense is mediocre across the board, except for Allen and Diggs. A 7-10 club with an average QB. Kincaid and Torrence are the only glimmers of hope.

Where is the pass rush?!

Josh Allen is the only offensive player who has come to play. Too bad he can't catch and punt.

I think it's more likely that, without a superstar QB throwing to him, he'll be exposed as the bust he is.

A throw to Murray, who drops it. A QB run with no blocking. A Spencer Brown whiff leading to a rushed throw by Allen that misses. Glad they had that players-only meeting.

I still think they'll win, even with Gabe Davis on the team. They seem fired up on both sides of the ball. Bench Davis, bench Cook, go out and win.

Name a PLAYER in the league worse.

Ok, so what's with benching Cook but not the deeply incompetent Gabe Davis? He's another McKenzie, someone who's net contributions are negative.

Can we just cut Davis, for god's sake? How much evidence do they need to see?

I believe Fournette said the Bills playbook was the most complex one he's every seen. So, yeah, he needs time to catch up.

Fire on both sides of the ball. Fournette bowling people over, Oliver sacking Wilson twice in a row, Poyer and Douglas intercepting passes, Bernard punching the ball out, Allen jumping over a linebacker in a big F-U to the coaches, Dalton lighting up the secondary, Cook breaking a few 20-yard runs, some electric change-up plays, like a flea-flicker or jet sweep (remember those?). The team needs a catharsis. And so do we. Let out the inner Hulk!

The answer is staring us in the face: They're in "WTF?!" mode, in disbelief that after last year's series of traumas (Knox's brother, the Tops shooting, White's injury, the Hamlin incident, Allen's injury) they get hit AGAIN, even worse this time. It's like, "C'mon, man!" White getting injured again was just a cruel blow. Unbelievable that then Milano and Jones, their two best defensive players, go down in quick succession. Then Allen hurts his shoulder again, and still more players go down. How do you regain your swagger in the face of these body blows? You feel vulnerable, unfairly targeted, anxious, weak. They're really at a crossroads now. If they blow Denver out of the fricking water, they might regain their mojo, maybe. If it's another close game, even if they win, they will be roadkill for the rest of the season. They HAVE to win big.

Right. My hope on offense rests on these three. Shakir in the slot, Knox, freed from serving as Spencer Brown's babysitter, getting down the field, and Kincaid blowing past linebackers. Also, Fournette and Cook as the new Thunder and Lightning.

The time to trade Davis was after his four-touchdown performance in the 13 seconds game. This board and everyone else would have howled, and it would have been impossibly prescient, but it would have been a terrific move. Pick up a first-rounder in exchange for an injury-prone WR with below-average hands, speed, quickness, YAC, and route-running.