finn

Yeah, but I'll take them if the alternative is nothing at all. I for one want to know there might be resentment simmering among the staff and players. Speculation is fine, too, as long as it's made clear it's just speculation. For example, I think it's plain, albeit not a "fact," that the coaches blew that game. It wasn't the players, who played their hearts out, but the coaches. And it's likely there's a connection between that failure and Heath Farwell leaving for a parallel position. After that, it's pure speculation. Did Farwell not get the message to pooch kick? Did he get it and disobey? Did he get it and botch the communication to Bass? I noticed, by the way, that while McDermott didn't throw anyone under the bus specifically, he pushed the blame away from himself with his his "communication" comment, along with the "I'm ultimately responsible" line. So, speculating: I suspect McDermott was justifiably furious at Farwell for botching the kickoff and basically fired him. And he's justifiably furious at Frazier for his utter incompetence in the ensuing 13 seconds of play. And he's probably furious at himself for all sorts of reasons (not taking strategic timeouts, not overruling Frazier, etc.). Anger is a toxic emotion. He also has to deal with his players' anger, also justifiable. You come all this way and the coaches blow it? My worry is that he's ignoring the anger, clapping his way through it, so to speak. To be fair, it's a very difficult situation to handle. I would vote for complete candor: put it all out there and talk through it. I don't think that's McDermott's way. But that's just speculation.

Farewell, Farwell. I wonder now if it wasn't a miscommunication on the part of Farwell but rather an act of insubordination. A mere misunderstanding is hardly grounds to fire someone, if that is in fact what happened. Maybe Farwell changed the call.

I can see the team's loyalty triggered, as in, "Hey, we all have screwed up, we got his back," that's one thing. But if they think, "If he had just got out of the way and let us do our job, we'd in the Super Bowl," then they might not be happy this offseason. I suspect it will be the former. Wow, what a screw up. Rush four when Mahomes can't hold the ball, guard the sidelines despite KC having three timeouts, prevent the TD when they need only a FG... That performance must have raised eyebrows throughout the league.

I feel sorry for him. He'll live with "13 seconds" for the rest of his life. It's like Scott Norwood, only missing from the 28 yard line instead of the 48. I wonder if the team has lost confidence in him.

Just like I'm screaming how stupid McDermott was to go on 4th down in the Titans game? I said I admire that call, even though it lost the game. And I'm not hung up on one call. I've praised and criticized other calls in this thread. If you want to jump on my posts, you need to read them more closely. I have better things to do than teach remedial reading.

It's not the volume of calls, it's the judgment in the clutch I'm talking about. I'm not saying he should never punt, but he's got to make the right call in the critical situations. He did it in the Titans game and on the first drive in the KC playoff game. He didn't do last year in the playoffs against KC, and he didn't do it again in the 3rd quarter against KC this year. Both times he hurt his team, maybe even fatally. He's got to improve.

By all means continue your personal attacks, if your goal is to degrade this board to the level of Chiefs Planet. I think some head coaches do go for fourth and a foot in this situation, with one of the best short-yardage QBs in the game at their disposal and against a team they lost to the previous year in part because of too-conservative decisions. It's the kind of call that distinguishes the great coaches from the average ones. For example, Andy Reid was widely praised for a gutsy a fourth and 1 with a backup QB in the playoff game against Cleveland last year. McDermott is coming along--I was heartened by his fourth-down call against the Titans this year--but he still has a way to go.

I'm venting, forgive me. I'm still frustrated that McDermott chose to punt in the KC game on fourth and very short on the Bills 36-yard line (or whatever it was). I give him credit for going on fourth down twice on the first drive, but this was a game in which the Bills had to score on pretty much every opportunity. If he can back up his faith in the defense, that's one thing, but it didn't stop the Chiefs on that next drive, or, famously, when it counted the most.

I'm skeptical on that last point. With the job offer from Daboll in New York, Dorsey had all the leverage. He could easily have insisted on autonomy to run the offence with McDermott's interference. In fact, it would have been dumb not to since McDermott is so obviously hostile to a throw-first offense. He wants to punt, play defense, and win by three points.

And how about jamming the receivers for a change? At least so they're not running at full speed out of their cuts for gods sake. The Chiefs could not have had a more favorable defense if they had planned it themselves.

To say nothing about not seeing Wyatt Teller's potential or realizing that Williams might be a one-year wonder, or not developing anyone, including Brown, who had an erratic first year, or Ford, or anyone else for that matter.

I gotta say, I would rather have had the Bills lose to KC after that great game than win and have Allen choke against the Bengals afterwards like Mahomes. We would spent had the whole offseason reading about how Mahomes would have run the table, that he's the next GOAT, etc. Now, you can't say with a straight face that Mahomes is better, not after that choke job and after what Allen accomplished in his two playoff games. It's now officially cool to celebrate Allen, and that wouldn't be the case if he had choked like the Grim Reaper.

He would be our Deebo. Running backs hit the wall early, but he's a human Swiss Army knife.

And his coach hasn't matched his excellence. He's not comfortable with a superstar at QB. He would prefer Mac Jones so he can punt and play defense rather than go for it on fourth down from his own 36, which he can do with Allen. We have the right QB but the wrong head coach.

Yeah, but the throw just before by Mahomes was awful and should have been a pick six. He was just another QB today, unlike last week. But even last week, I would say it was more the Bills D playing awful than any brilliance by Mahomes, apart from the game-winning TD. Allen was the one who was brilliant.

Cordarelle Patterson alone may be enough. Suddenly you have speed on offensive and another weapon for Allen. Draft a corner and a guard, sign your own free agents, and you're good to go.

So... is there any lesson here for the Bills? Spend still more on their D-line?

As in draft Metcalf when he was right there, instead of Ford?

The best thing that has been said about him (besides "He's only 21! 22! 23!) is that he takes up space in the middle of the field with his length and speed. He's certainly not a big play linebacker, a guy who can take over the game. I wouldn't say he's mediocre, but he's certainly not a blue chip player. I'd much rather have Darius Leonard, who was picked after Edmunds. That's an impact player. (Drafting Nick Chubb in that spot wouldn't have been a bad idea, either...). Is he worth the salary they'll have to pay to keep him? No. Many times over no.

You have to wonder if that's McDermott's influence, again. His education is coming along too slowly, and he's holding back this team. Yes, he learned to go for it on fourth down past the 50-yard line. Baby is coming along. But he still doesn't get that you can't waste drives. He punts on his own 34 with one foot to go with the best short-yardage quarterback in the history of football, facing a team that WILL score if you punt. One calendar year to the day from his disgraceful punt- and field-go festival against KC, he still doesn't get it. The Education of Sean McDermott = "D'oh!"

I was wondering if the Jags would take our round one pick for Travis Etienne. Very fast, good size, coming off injury.

I suspect he might not address how KC drafted a pro bowl level center right after we picked Basham and later a starting-quality guard for I think a 6th round pick, in addition to upgrading both tackle spots. No need to point out how KC was one step ahead of him again.

A corollary is the almost-but-not-quite-there pass rush.

well, if you're thinking stats, their pass defense was first in the league.

How about Rocky and Bullwinkle? Or Elmer Fudd? Talk about feeling your age. What the hell is Rocketship?