finn

New Bills fan, eh?

That's sort of my point. No coaches want turnovers, obviously, but to McDermott and his type they're poison. To another coach, they're a setback but part of the deal for a dynamic, high-reward game. That's Allen's game; he'll give you a ratio of three touchdowns to one turnover. McDermott would prefer one touchdown and no turnovers so his defense can go to work. Just different philosophies. But it's McDermott who has to adapt, not Allen. I don't think he will. He keeps talking about "complementary football." That means ball control, again, not Allen's game.

That's my impression, too. McDermott must secretly despise Allen, or at least his style. He wants a Joe Burrow, not a Brent Favre, and a ball-possession, ground-first offense. 12-3 is the perfect victory score. Just not a good fit. I wonder how long it'll take for Pegula to pull the trigger. Mid-season next year? He'll have fired Joe Brady and the next OC by then.

What answers for man and quarters coverage could they try? I'd like to be able to watch a game intelligently for a change.

Was this copy and pasted from the 9-11 game thread about two minutes into the first half?

McDermott may end up being the Wicked Witch of the story. "After an initially successful tenure, McDermott was fired after the Bills fell to 5-12 in 2023. The following year, under the energetic leadership of Eric Bieniemy, the team roared back to its first AFC Championship game since 2022, dominating the Jacksonville Jaguars and going on to shock the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIV. Players credited the fun, upbeat atmosphere created by the new coach. 'It's been a breath of fresh air,' Super Bowl MVP Dalton Kincaid said. 'My first year, the team felt stifled, oppressed, as if a damp blanket was holding the team down. Coach Bieniemy helped us remember who we were.' Several attempts to reach Coach McDermott for comment were unsuccessful."

Hyde is slow, but Poyer is pretty much playing linebacker now, and while Rapp, Hamlin, Douglas, Jackson, and Bedford aren't fast, they're not slow, either. I still have hopes for Elam, too. Hopefully, the light goes on for Elam, and he starts next year next to Douglas, with Bedford and Rapp/draft pick at safety.

We're at the point in the story where the hero doubts himself and walks the dark rainy streets alone, brooding. Then something happens--the girl finally kisses him, he's allowed to be himself, the old mentor or rival talks to him, whatever. And--bam--the Bills fight their way all the way to the Super Bowl where, after some initial drama, they triumph by coming full circle to what made them great in the first place. It's the hero's journey. Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, WB Yeats, Spiritus Mundi. Hoosiers, Remember the Titans, Rocky I. We're in the middle of a fricking Disney movie!

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.