Week 17: Dolphins at Bills - Squish the Fish playoff hopes and dreams

[Logic]

7 minutes ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

If you guys believe we should rest our starters this week, we should have rested them last week also in order to avoid injury like the one that happened to one of our most critical offensive players.

I disagree.

Last week's win mattered in that it put us back into the number 2 seed. It also mattered because, in my opinion, this team needed to finally exorcise the Patriots demons by beating them thoroughly. Yes, we beat them earlier this season, but we BARELY did so, and it took a forced fumble and a lucky bounce to escape with a win. I think the psychological shadow of the Patriots hanging over this team for two decades needed to be extinguished with a resounding win. And getting back to the issue of obtaining the two seed -- we couldn't have known that the Steelers would rest their starters in week 17, meaning that if we wanted the 2 seed (which we absolutely should), then we needed to win last week. Besides, it may be reasonable/desirable to rest our starters for ONE week before the playoffs, but resting them for TWO weeks is really playing with fire, in my opinion. You're really risking losing momentum and getting out of sync at that point.

As for the injury to Beasley: At that point in the game, they had already pulled Allen, Diggs, and everyone that matters on defense. You can't rest EVERYONE in these types of situations. They still had a whole quarter of ball to play. If your argument is that Beasley should have left the game when Diggs and Allen did, then fine, you won't get much argument from me. But again...it's hard to pull EVERYONE. You only have so many players active.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Logic

[Doc Brown]

34 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

If Baltimore and Pittsburgh both lose, Baltimore is out. Unless the Colts somehow lose to the Jaguars in a must win game.

 

The Ravens are already up on the Bradon Allen led Bengals 28-0 somehow.

[billsbackto81]

Dolphins fans before Covid announcement: 

 

This is our year! We're better on defense than Buffalo and have a future MVP at QB. We are peaking and nobody wants to play us. Fins up!!

 

Dolphins fans after Covid announcement:

 

I wasn't expecting much this year. This team is still a year or 2 away. We're really not on Buffalo's level right now. We were playing with house money anyway. I'm so proud of this team. Fins up!!

 

 

[transplantbillsfan]

15 minutes ago, Logic said:

I disagree.

Last week's win mattered in that it put us back into the number 2 seed. It also mattered because, in my opinion, this team needed to finally exorcise the Patriots demons by beating them thoroughly. Yes, we beat them earlier this season, but we BARELY did so, and it took a forced fumble and a lucky bounce to escape with a win. I think the psychological shadow of the Patriots hanging over this team for two decades needed to be extinguished with a resounding win. And getting back to the issue of obtaining the two seed -- we couldn't have known that the Steelers would rest their starters in week 17, meaning that if we wanted the 2 seed (which we absolutely should), then we needed to win last week. Besides, it may be reasonable/desirable to rest our starters for ONE week before the playoffs, but resting them for TWO weeks is really playing with fire, in my opinion. You're really risking losing momentum and getting out of sync at that point.

As for the injury to Beasley: At that point in the game, they had already pulled Allen, Diggs, and everyone that matters on defense. You can't rest EVERYONE in these types of situations. They still had a whole quarter of ball to play. If your argument is that Beasley should have left the game when Diggs and Allen did, then fine, you won't get much argument from me. But again...it's hard to pull EVERYONE. You only have so many players active.

 

So last week mattered because it put us into the number 2 seed, but now the number 2 seed doesn't matter?

 

That doesn't make sense.

 

Now we're getting into these psychological statements in terms of "exorcising demons" when we're talking about pummelling the Pats last week when it was obvious the Bills were the better team going into the game.  So you care about that type of psychological statement combined with potentially losing the #2 seed that you thought was important last week, but not about the psychological statement of sweeping the AFC East for the first time in God knows how long, ending up 13-3, and assuring yourself of the #2 seed and 2 home playoff games?

 

And if you're saying we absolutely should want the #2 seed, then we absolutely should play our starters at the beginning of the game and scoreboard watch.  Even with Pittsburgh resting Big Ben, Cleveland is a Covid mess right now and they just lost to the Jets.  They could easily lose to Pittsburgh's backups and we could easily then lose the #2 seed that you said we should absolutely want.

 

Regarding the Beasley thing... no I don't really think he should have sat and I don't think we should have rested our starters against New England.  I was ecstatic watching that game and thought it was a big deal.  However, with all of the arguments everyone is having here about why we should rest our starters against the Dolphins in a "meaningless" game, that New England game was pretty much just as meaningless.

 

The logic doesn't make sense, Logic.

Edited December 31, 2020 by transplantbillsfan

[Big Blitz]

They're going to have the 3rd friggin pick in the draft....likely the best defensive player in the draft.  

 

Ridiculous.  

[freddyjj]

1 minute ago, Big Blitz said:

They're going to have the 3rd friggin pick in the draft....likely the best defensive player in the draft.  

 

Ridiculous.  

I believe that Tua may crap the bed in such a big way SUN at Bills Stadium that Miami maybe forced to look at QB again.  Hard fact, they may have spent a 2020 1st round pick on Tua and a 2019 2nd round pick on Josh Rosen and be no closer to having their QB of the future.  

[Figster]

35 minutes ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

I have a question then:

 

Why isn't everyone storming One Bills Drive with pitchforks right now?  We didn't rest our starters against the Patriots despite having the division locked up and a home game in the wildcard round locked up.

 

Basically, our scenarios last week in losing to the Patriots and then losing this week would have been virtually the same as us losing this week.  We would get a home game in the playoffs and then potentially have to go on the road in round 2.

 

And Cole Beasely--probably our 3rd most important offensive player--got injured and it looks like there's a chance he might miss some time... maybe even a playoff game.

 

So why isn't everyone running with pitchforks to One Bills Drive?

 

If you guys believe we should rest our starters this week, we should have rested them last week also in order to avoid injury like the one that happened to one of our most critical offensive players.

 

Again, what was gained last Monday by playing all of our starters in a next to meaningless game?

 The 2nd seed, and losing Beasley to injury in garbage time was the loss. Wich helps make my point. Do you think its fair the Browns make it into the playoffs because the Steelers are resting starters and the valiant effort by Fitzy gets wasted? I don't

 

Browns are a bad weather spoiler just waiting to happen. Fish, not so much. Strategically it makes sense to help eliminate Cleveland now IMO.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Figster

[billsbackto81]

2 minutes ago, freddyjj said:

I believe that Tua may crap the bed in such a big way SUN at Bills Stadium that Miami maybe forced to look at QB again.  Hard fact, they may have spent a 2020 1st round pick on Tua and a 2019 2nd round pick on Josh Rosen and be no closer to having their QB of the future.  

Thats funny stuff right there from a fan base that claims to have one of the best run organizations in the NFL.😆😆 

[RyanC883]

39 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

not liking the knee DNP for Beasley or “illness” for Feliciano. 

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

50 minutes ago, Big C said:

 

Yeldon may be kept separate from them as a COVID back similar to Jake Fromm with the QBs. Tua and Fitz are always around each other. But I don't know everything about the contact tracing so it's moot. 

Probably a certain amount of continuous contact from a close distance  without masks...I might be misremembering but I think Fitz had a mask on when he was on the sideline before coming in 

10 minutes ago, billsbackto81 said:

Thats funny stuff right there from a fan base that claims to have one of the best run organizations in the NFL.😆😆 

That is a pretty good point like everyone is talking about what a surprise they've been this year but honestly they had a ton of draft capital and cap space...theres no reason they shouldn't be competitive this year.  Im more impressed by what Flores did last year trading away all their talent and still fielding a competitive team

[Special K]

7 minutes ago, RyanC883 said:

 

not liking the knee DNP for Beasley or “illness” for Feliciano. 

 

You couldn’t have really thought Beasley would be practicing this week? 

 

Lets just get him healthy for the playoffs!!

Edited December 31, 2020 by Special K

[Warcodered]

 

[Rhode Island Red]

6 minutes ago, Generic_Bills_Fan said:

Probably a certain amount of continuous contact from a close distance  without masks...I might be misremembering but I think Fitz had a mask on when he was on the sideline before coming in 

I just watched the YouTube highlight of Fitzy’s throw. After the kick was made, Fitzy grabbed Gisecki by the helmet and screamed in his face for at least five seconds, from a distance of about five inches.  No mask on either one of them. That’s a video clinic of how not to interact with anyone in 2020...

[TheCockSportif]

1 hour ago, Chandler#81 said:

So, when we sign Fitz in the offseason, he’ll already be immune. Great news!

My god, I hope that this never happens (again).  I liked Fitz.  I did.  He was like smelling a fart in a room (Losman and Edwards) and spraying a deodorizer -- that made things better in the short term.  Still, let's not regress; this team is no longer desperate, even if you were kidding.  🙂

[Chandler#81]

Just now, Groin said:

My god, I hope that this never happens (again).  I liked Fitz.  I did.  He was like smelling a fart in a room (Losman and Edwards) and spraying a deodorizer -- that made things better in the short term.  Still, let's not regress; this team is no longer desperate, even if you were kidding.  🙂

Giving you the benefit of doubt that YOU’RE kidding, Fitz > Barkley > Fromm

[TheCockSportif]

Just now, Chandler#81 said:

Giving you the benefit of doubt that YOU’RE kidding, Fitz > Barkley > Fromm

In terms of what's here, yes, I agree that Fitz is better than Barkley and Fromm.  For sure.  Still, retreading Bills castoffs is not something that needs to happen at all anymore.

[SomeDudeAtHome]

1 hour ago, billsbackto81 said:

Dolphins fans before Covid announcement: 

 

This is our year! We're better on defense than Buffalo and have a future MVP at QB. We are peaking and nobody wants to play us. Fins up!!

 

Dolphins fans after Covid announcement:

 

I wasn't expecting much this year. This team is still a year or 2 away. We're really not on Buffalo's level right now. We were playing with house money anyway. I'm so proud of this team. Fins up!!

 

 

 

WTF does "fins up" even mean? I keep seeing this all over social media and it's the dumbest team slogan I have ever read. 

[Just Joshin']

4 minutes ago, SomeDudeAtHome said:

 

WTF does "fins up" even mean? I keep seeing this all over social media and it's the dumbest team slogan I have ever read. 

When fish die don't they float fins up?

[Bangarang]

1 hour ago, Big C said:

 

Yeldon may be kept separate from them as a COVID back similar to Jake Fromm with the QBs. Tua and Fitz are always around each other. But I don't know everything about the contact tracing so it's moot. 

Wouldn’t he have to be listed on the injury report like Fromm if that were the case?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

47 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said:

Giving you the benefit of doubt that YOU’RE kidding, Fitz > Barkley > Fromm

 

To be fair, Fromm is an unknown quantity at present.  But Fitz>>>>Barkley for sure.

 

That said, I don't want to restart the "Fitzpatrick Cycle" in B'lo.