The Athletic's #1 reason the Bills won't hoist Lombardi (note the final paragraph)

[transplantbillsfan]

3 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

It happens in places other than journalism but two, nine, or seventeen wrongs don’t make a right.  IMO the article is a pile of simplistic garbage.  You may have a different opinion. 

 

How is it simplistic?

 

There's a bunch of stuff in there I hadn't heard before or didn't know.

 

Did you know Allen’s gotten hit 219 times in games since entering the league?

 

Did you know Mahomes wasn't sacked in preseason?

 

Did you know the Bills blitzed the 8th most in the NFL last season and had the 23rd most hurries on the QB?

 

Did you know that Allen’s completion percentage was actually higher on the road than at home last year?

 

I think some of you just hate the idea that our low vaccination rate could legitimately hurt the team and so you resort to silly ad hominem attacks of an established and credible sports journalist.

[transplantbillsfan]

2 hours ago, Boatdrinks said:

Yawn, awful take but not surprising. The Bills biggest obstacle is the Chiefs, period end of story. Every team has to deal with the silly NFL protocols and those are the issue. I respect the Bills players and their personal medical decisions. Nothing could be more personal, and that comes before anything you do on a football field or other place of employment. 

 

As of this moment, teams that are 100% vaccinated (I know of the Falcons and Bucs at the moment) have eliminated all or most of the "silly NFL protocols" related to Covid for the upcoming season

[bigduke6]

if these unvaxxed players cost us games or a playoff spot this year,  they should be gone.  end of story.  dont care who it is outside of a handful of guys.   yes thats a double standard,  well,  much of life is.    these people have a choice to make,   protect the team,  or dont play.   u dont believe in the shots,   time to find another job.    the rest of the world has to put up with this crap all the time.   playin football is a privilege, not a right.    i respect your decision to not be vaxxed,  gl with your next job.

Edited September 4, 2021 by bigduke6

[Boatdrinks]

1 minute ago, bigduke6 said:

if these unvaxxed players cost us games or a playoff spot this year,  they should be gone.  end of story.  dont care who it is outside of a handful of guys.   yes thats a double standard,  well,  much of life is.    these people have a choice to make,   play,  or get the shots.   u dont believe in the shots,   time to find another job.    the rest of the world has to put up with this crap all the time.   playin football is a privilege, not a right.    i respect your decision to not be vaxxed,  gl with your next job.

It’s a lot harder to find great football players to replace them with than it is to replace other workers though. Privilege or not , fans don’t want to watch Joe Mediocre play football. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

7 hours ago, eball said:

Nailed it, @Richard Noggin.  I simply can’t believe players like Beasley, Davis, Milano, Klein, and Star — guys who see the best chance they’ve ever had to win a SB before them — letting their teammates and coaches (and fans) down out of sheer ignorance.

 

So first of all, reminder that players who are in the process of being vaccinated still have to quarantine, so we don't know for a fact that all these players are not in the process of getting vaccinated.

 

To be fair to Beasley, I think (one of) his point(s) would be he is making a private medical decision that is legitimately allowed by the NFL/NFLPA CBA, but that the current NFL protocols aren't sufficient to protect those who make that legitimately allowed decision

 

As far as "sheer ignorance", I'll let Riverboat Ron do the talking:

Quote

“Gen Z is relying on [their cell phones]," Rivera said. "And you got some, quite frankly, f------ a-------, that are putting a bunch of misinformation out there, leading people to die. That’s frustrating to me, that these people are allowed to have a platform. And then, one specific news agency, every time they have someone on, I’m not a doctor, but the vaccines don’t work. Or, I’m not an epidemiologist, but vaccines are going to give you a third nipple and make you sterile. Come on. That, to me? That should not be allowed."

 

Chris Simms and Peter King had a segment where they pointed out that the team provides information for an hour in the facility, but then players can go home to people they trust (spouse, or other family members, personal trainer or wellness coach) who say "here are all these reasons, it's a bad idea to get the vaccine, I don't want you to get it."  The reasons don't hold up when they're pressure-tested by legitimate experts in the field, but they look very legitimate to lay people who are "doing their own research".  The way Simms and King presented it, it seemed pretty clear that they had actually spoken to and had off-the-record knowledge of what was going on in the background of some of these decisions.

 

My point is it's probably far too simplistic in our current environment to cast these players' decisions as "sheer ignorance".

[4merper4mer]

1 hour ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

How is it simplistic?

 

There's a bunch of stuff in there I hadn't heard before or didn't know.

 

Did you know Allen’s gotten hit 219 times in games since entering the league?

 

Did you know Mahomes wasn't sacked in preseason?

 

Did you know the Bills blitzed the 8th most in the NFL last season and had the 23rd most hurries on the QB?

 

Did you know that Allen’s completion percentage was actually higher on the road than at home last year?

 

I think some of you just hate the idea that our low vaccination rate could legitimately hurt the team and so you resort to silly ad hominem attacks of an established and credible sports journalist.

This time last year a significant portion of the people on this board and the sports press at large were certain the season would eventually be canceled.  It’s panic porn.

1 hour ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

If Beasley or Gabe Davis or Star or Milano or any combination of them or other important players (I don't think it'll be Josh... I'd bet he got the shot at this point) misses the Super Bowl or a playoff game, I'll do someone else a favor and fall on the sword and take your title of "douche" and bump this thread

And in doing so you won’t be able to verify:

 

A.  Their actual vaccination status

B.  Whether they would have become sick even if vaccinated

C.  Whether their absence caused a loss

 

but by all means feel free to reach conclusions and declare them certainties.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, bigduke6 said:

if these unvaxxed players cost us games or a playoff spot this year,  they should be gone.  end of story.  dont care who it is outside of a handful of guys.   yes thats a double standard,  well,  much of life is.    these people have a choice to make,   protect the team,  or dont play.   u dont believe in the shots,   time to find another job.    the rest of the world has to put up with this crap all the time.   playin football is a privilege, not a right.    i respect your decision to not be vaxxed,  gl with your next job.

 

The thing is...back when my kid was playing CYC ball in 6th grade and stressing "if I'd hit that free throw (or 3 pointer, or blocked that shot, or not fouled the shooter)  we'd have won the game", they were (rightly) told they really couldn't make that conclusion because when one play is different, the whole game is different.

 

So I don't know how one reasonably concludes that a particular player or players cost us a game or a spot.  I think it could be a point that we could have won the AFCCG or at least made it a much far closer battle if we hadn't been playing with an injured WR corps, but even there....compare and contrast to the Bucs, if our D gives Mahomes time to stand in the pocket and manipulate our zone coverage with his eyes, he's going to pick us apart in between bites of the Jimmy Johns sammich he had time to dial up and order.

 

I mean, people were all "Josh Allen single handedly cost us the win in the Houston playoff game" and I thought that was clearly bunk - if our D hadn't folded like a cheap set of lawn chairs, if Knox and whoever that was hadn't whiffed their block, if Knox and Singletary and D-Dawk hadn't all failed to block Mercilus or even just get in his way for another second etc etc etc.

 

Personally, if we lose games or a playoff spot, I'm going right to the root cause ....I'm gonna blame Mr Miyagi

 

[Ralonzo]

15 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

McKenzie, at least, had an epiphany.

 

I had an epiphany once that I should contribute to some guy's personal charity after he pulled a gun on me in an alley.

 

Disregarding everything else, having #1 reason being they are one of the 31 teams above 80% and below 100% as the main cause for not winning? Seriously? This sounds like a reporter with an agenda. I expect better from The Athletic.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

24 minutes ago, 4merper4mer said:

This time last year a significant portion of the people on this board and the sports press at large were certain the season would eventually be canceled.  It’s panic porn.

 

@4merper4mer just curious - did you actually read the article?

[transplantbillsfan]

9 minutes ago, Ralonzo said:

 

I had an epiphany once that I should contribute to some guy's personal charity after he pulled a gun on me in an alley.

 

Disregarding everything else, having #1 reason being they are one of the 31 teams above 80% and below 100% as the main cause for not winning? Seriously? This sounds like a reporter with an agenda. I expect better from The Athletic.

 

I doubt Buffalo is still above 80% vaccinated after cutting the roster. We were around 80%, according to Beane, when we had 93 on the roster.

 

On a whole I'd put money on our rate dropping significantly after cutdowns since the fringe players might have viewed getting the shot as a potential reason for McBeane to keep them on the 53 man roster.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

4 hours ago, Motorin' said:

What, we won't be getting a doctorate in medieval dialectics after reaching our 100,000th post? What a rip off!

 

I will ready a sternly-written scroll to the Università di Bologna and and summon a trusted courier with a good mule to carry it hence

[Hapless Bills Fan]

4 minutes ago, transplantbillsfan said:

I doubt Buffalo is still above 80% vaccinated after cutting the roster. We were around 80%, according to Beane, when we had 93 on the roster.

 

On a whole I'd put money on our rate dropping significantly after cutdowns since the fringe players might have viewed getting the shot as a potential reason for McBeane to keep them on the 53 man roster.

 

You may be correct. 

 

Still, @Ralonzo hopefully has a point.  Many things can derail a season - injuries (avert!), getting "solved" by offensive or defensive coordinators and taking some games to come up with an effective counter, etc. 

 

Fixating on one set of NFL protocols that could eliminate a significant number of our core, starting players for one or more key games is probably a bit myopic.

 

On the other hand, "control what you can control" - eliminating possible impact of those protocols, as well as implementing extra team rules as precautions, seems to me like a sign that the Bucs are "All In" it to win it in a way that our beloved Buffalo Bills are not.

 

[Orlando Buffalo]

I understand not wanting the vaccine but I my job is so focused on one day- Super Bowl- I would be considering that after the PA agreed to the huge difference of treatment of players. 

[MJS]

1 hour ago, transplantbillsfan said:

As of this moment, teams that are 100% vaccinated (I know of the Falcons and Bucs at the moment) have eliminated all or most of the "silly NFL protocols" related to Covid for the upcoming season

I get the argument, I just don't agree that it will be a significantly greater risk than last season for the Bills. It's never possible to completely remove risk. The Bills could have some players deal with COVID-19 this year, in fact they probably will, but that's also going to happen to most teams, including the ones with high vaccination numbers. The difference between 80% vaccination and 90% vaccination is only about 6 guys. It's just not that different to make a claim that one team having a handful of guys not vaccinated is going to keep them from the Superbowl.

 

The Titans just had a big outbreak among fully vaccinated players because they went out for dinner. These things are going to happen.

 

The Bills followed the protocols pretty well last year and had minimal impact from COVID. I think they can do the same thing this year. They just need to follow the protocols. After their preseason scare I bet McDermott has a pretty short leash now on players not following the protocols.

 

We'll see.

24 minutes ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

I doubt Buffalo is still above 80% vaccinated after cutting the roster. We were around 80%, according to Beane, when we had 93 on the roster.

 

On a whole I'd put money on our rate dropping significantly after cutdowns since the fringe players might have viewed getting the shot as a potential reason for McBeane to keep them on the 53 man roster.

That was the assumption for the entire NFL, but the vaccination rates held steady after cut downs.

[bigduke6]

48 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

The thing is...back when my kid was playing CYC ball in 6th grade and stressing "if I'd hit that free throw (or 3 pointer, or blocked that shot, or not fouled the shooter)  we'd have won the game", they were (rightly) told they really couldn't make that conclusion because when one play is different, the whole game is different.

 

So I don't know how one reasonably concludes that a particular player or players cost us a game or a spot.  I think it could be a point that we could have won the AFCCG or at least made it a much far closer battle if we hadn't been playing with an injured WR corps, but even there....compare and contrast to the Bucs, if our D gives Mahomes time to stand in the pocket and manipulate our zone coverage with his eyes, he's going to pick us apart in between bites of the Jimmy Johns sammich he had time to dial up and order.

 

I mean, people were all "Josh Allen single handedly cost us the win in the Houston playoff game" and I thought that was clearly bunk - if our D hadn't folded like a cheap set of lawn chairs, if Knox and whoever that was hadn't whiffed their block, if Knox and Singletary and D-Dawk hadn't all failed to block Mercilus or even just get in his way for another second etc etc etc.

 

Personally, if we lose games or a playoff spot, I'm going right to the root cause ....I'm gonna blame Mr Miyagi

 

u do realize that this is different tho right?  this is off the field stuff that can affect the team.    if u drop a pass on the field,  least u were there competing.  if yer off the field due to being sick,   which could have been prevented, thats costing the team due to selfishness, u choose u over the team.   which is fine,  but u are no longer reliable and need to be replaced.

Edited September 4, 2021 by bigduke6

[letsgoteam]

Im calling my shot (no pun intended). Covid is going to cost the Bills 0 games (that is something that can be controlled by Buffalo. You good argue that Covid effected the Bills last year, but it was totally out of their control with all the rescheduling with TN & KC. The Bills did nothing wrong.

[hondo in seattle]

16 hours ago, Scott7975 said:

I completely respect peoples choice to get vaccinated or not but ffs follow the rules and stop making a mockery of it.  Unprofessional and selfish to do that IMO.

 

I personally don't respect people's right not to get vaccinated.  I know veterans - war heroes - who have died of COVID presumably because some unvaccinated person gave it to them.  I know innocent, beautiful children who have died of COVID because some unvaccinated person gave it to them.   No American has the right to kill other Americans.  

 

The scourge of smallpox was eliminated from the world because enough people got vaccinated. But good people are going to continue to die from COVID 19 because idiots like Beasley provide a breeding ground for new variants and spread the disease.  Beasley's uneducated selfishness just doesn't put the Bills championship hopes at risk, he puts lives at risk.  

[WhoTom]

2 hours ago, Boatdrinks said:

It’s a lot harder to find great football players to replace them with than it is to replace other workers though. Privilege or not , fans don’t want to watch Joe Mediocre play football. 

 

True, but we also don't want to watch Joe Backup play because Joe Starter was sidelined, especially if it's due to a non-football issue that Joe Starter could have prevented.

 

 

[Scott7975]

13 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

I personally don't respect people's right not to get vaccinated.  I know veterans - war heroes - who have died of COVID presumably because some unvaccinated person gave it to them.  I know innocent, beautiful children who have died of COVID because some unvaccinated person gave it to them.   No American has the right to kill other Americans.  

 

The scourge of smallpox was eliminated from the world because enough people got vaccinated. But good people are going to continue to die from COVID 19 because idiots like Beasley provide a breeding ground for new variants and spread the disease.  Beasley's uneducated selfishness just doesn't put the Bills championship hopes at risk, he puts lives at risk.  

 

I am personally vaccinated.  AFAIK, and I could be wrong, you can still get the virus if you are vaccinated.  You can still give someone else the virus if you are vaccinated.  The people that died from the virus likely were not vaccinated because AFAIK that is the main benefit from getting vaxed in the first place is that you are less likely to die.  

 

That is all I am going to say on the subject because I do not know if what I said broke the rules here or not.  If it did I am sorry.  A.so, I am sorry for your losses.  It is a terrible thing.

Edited September 4, 2021 by Scott7975

[H2o]

My question in all of this is how many games did Covid cost us last year, prior to the vaccine release? But we are to believe this year is the year it's going to cost us, because some of the guys didn't get the vaccine? 🤔 There are multiple reasons the Bills might not hoist a Lombardi this year and Covid is nowhere near #1 on that list.