Reasons for optimism, pessimism

[finn]

Reasons to be optimistic about the season:

--Many key players are in their prime, including Allen, Diggs, Davis, Dawkins, Harris, Knox, Oliver, Milano, and White.

--Oliver is in his contract year, so he may finally live up to his draft status. 

--Allen, Davis, Poyer, Hyde, and Brown are all healthy, and White is another year past his ACL injury.  

--Knox has had a year to recover from losing his brother, and the team has had the offseason to recover from Hamlin, Tops, etc. 

--Beane has done a good job upgrading the depth, adding Poona, Edwards, Sherfield, Harty, Murray, and Shell, as well as bringing back key veterans like Lawson and Martin.

--McDermott takes over DC duties. Conceivably, this could be a negative, but he won the head coach job because he was a very effective DC, so odds are he'll do great. 

--Dorsey, Kromer, Smiley, Babich, and Brady all have a year's worth of experience with their respective charges, which can only help. 

--Last year's rookies all look ready to contribute more than last year, especially Elam, Cook, Benford, and Shakir. 

--This year's rookies should make valuable contributions, and Kincaid, Torrence, and Williams may end up starting. 

--They are no longer the media darlings anymore, which might take some of the pressure off. 

 

Reasons for pessimism:

--Diggs' prima donna act may get worse and become a distraction.

--They now need to get past not just the Chiefs, but also the Bengals, Dolphins, Jets, and maybe Ravens. 

--They have no real backup for Dawkins. 

--Their pass rush will likely continue to be mediocre until Miller returns. 

--The offensive line may have two new starters and will take time to jell. 

--Kincaid, Harty, Shorter, and Sheffield might not add enough juice, even taken together. 

 

As you see, reasons for optimism outnumber reasons for pessimism. But it's only May!

[MikeSpeed]

I am pretty optimistic this year. When McDermott took over the play calling duties when the defense was struggling before they did improve! The pessimistic points seem very trivial. 

[Shaw66]

I've gotten beyond optimism and pessimism.   Winning a Super Bowl is difficult.  The Bills have enough on offense and defense to do it.  They either will do it, and people's optimism will be justified, or they won't, and people's pessimism will be justified.

 

I watched the Celtics lose last night, and kept thinking that they are a team that just doesn't have the toughness, including the winner's attitude, to win the championship.  As I watched, I worried that that could describe the Bills, too.    It would break McDermott's heart to admit that his team isn't tough enough to win, and it's up to him to prove that they are. 

[GunnerBill]

I'm optimistic. We still have a good roster. We conceivably may not have as many true difference makers as the teams we are competing against, but we are deep is most areas and the team showed last year that we can survive even when losing key men to injury. I also think too much is being read into the Bengals game. The Bills played a dreadful game all around. It was their worst performance of the season. Otherwise they lost 3 games by a combined 8 points. They laid an egg on a big stage, but that is being seen as a referendum on where they are as a team more than it should be. Oh and we still have Josh Allen. 

 

If Josh stays healthy we win the AFCE and it will come down to needing to peak at the right time and get a bounce or two in our favour in the playoffs. 

[GreggTX]

So much depends on Josh. He does things no one else can, but makes too many mistakes. Still, I remember a year when Joe Namath threw 6 interceptions against the Bills at War Memorial Stadium. It was the only game we won and the only one the Jets lost as they went on to defeat the heavily favored Colts in SB3. Josh just needs to find that level where he's doing enough, but not pressing.

I also think most people underestimate the value of a great OL. I hope Torrence and Brown can have great years. That will really help all parts of our offense.

And then we'll hopefully have Von back for the playoffs. That will help the pass rush as well as providing a spark to the whole team psychologically.

 

 

[Einstein]

I am optimistic because this is the best off-season Beane has had in some time (since the Allen draft, actually).

 

That being said, i'm not sure it was enough to bridge the gap between playoff Bills and playoff Cinci/KC.

 

Part of that is we have a coach who has repeatedly shown that he is not great in big moments.

 

The other part of that is, KC also got better. They signed Jawaan Taylor to play LT. They added LB Drue Tranquill. They also added Omenihu which could be an underrated signing at edge. 

 

Then there is the division, which will likely be the toughest it has been in a long time. Jets have a dominant defense and beat us last year with Zach Wilson at QB. They added Aaron Rodgers, who even if old, is an incredible upgrade over Zach. Dolphins not only beat us last year but also took us down to the wire, at home, in the playoffs, with a 3rd string QB. So they will be a hard out. And then there is NE, who is not nearly as talented as us, but Belichick game plans always have to be respected.

[GreggTX]

25 minutes ago, MikeSpeed said:

I am pretty optimistic this year. When McDermott took over the play calling duties when the defense was struggling before they did improve! The pessimistic points seem very trivial. 

 

 

I remember that San Diego game well. Our defense was getting obliterated in the 1st half. McDermott took over in the 2nd half and the D played lights out. I'm excited to see what he can do.

 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

46 minutes ago, finn said:

Reasons to be optimistic about the season:

--Many key players are in their prime, including Allen, Diggs, Davis, Dawkins, Harris, Knox, Oliver, Milano, and White.

--Oliver is in his contract year, so he may finally live up to his draft status. 

--Allen, Davis, Poyer, Hyde, and Brown are all healthy, and White is another year past his ACL injury.  

--Knox has had a year to recover from losing his brother, and the team has had the offseason to recover from Hamlin, Tops, etc. 

--Beane has done a good job upgrading the depth, adding Poona, Edwards, Sherfield, Harty, Murray, and Shell, as well as bringing back key veterans like Lawson and Martin.

--McDermott takes over DC duties. Conceivably, this could be a negative, but he won the head coach job because he was a very effective DC, so odds are he'll do great. 

--Dorsey, Kromer, Smiley, Babich, and Brady all have a year's worth of experience with their respective charges, which can only help. 

--Last year's rookies all look ready to contribute more than last year, especially Elam, Cook, Benford, and Shakir. 

--This year's rookies should make valuable contributions, and Kincaid, Torrence, and Williams may end up starting. 

--They are no longer the media darlings anymore, which might take some of the pressure off. 

 

Reasons for pessimism:

--Diggs' prima donna act may get worse and become a distraction.

--They now need to get past not just the Chiefs, but also the Bengals, Dolphins, Jets, and maybe Ravens. 

--They have no real backup for Dawkins. 

--Their pass rush will likely continue to be mediocre until Miller returns. 

--The offensive line may have two new starters and will take time to jell. 

--Kincaid, Harty, Shorter, and Sheffield might not add enough juice, even taken together. 

 

As you see, reasons for optimism outnumber reasons for pessimism. But it's only May!

Disagree with the Diggs pessimism. Fans and media are creating that.
 

The pessimism for OL is a yearly issue for every single NFL team.

 

Our offense was elite. It didn’t look pretty down the stretch but they still scored a lot and there were real excuses, like then QB had a torn UCL during that stretch.
 

I agree with pass rush. I’ve seen it without Miller, it’s not good enough.

[GunnerBill]

2 minutes ago, Einstein said:

I am optimistic because this is the best off-season Beane has had in some time (since the Allen draft, actually).

 

That being said, i'm not sure it was enough to bridge the gap between playoff Bills and playoff Cinci/KC.

 

Part of that is we have a coach who has repeatedly shown that he is not great in big moments.

 

The other part of that is, KC also got better. They signed Jawaan Taylor to play LT. They added LB Drue Tranquill. They also added Omenihu which could be an underrated signing at edge. 

 

Then there is the division, which will likely be the toughest it has been in a long time. Jets have a dominant defense and beat us last year with Zach Wilson at QB. They added Aaron Rodgers, who even if old, is an incredible upgrade over Zach. Dolphins not only beat us last year but also took us down to the wire, at home, in the playoffs, with a 3rd string QB. So they will be a hard out. And then there is NE, who is not nearly as talented as us, but Belichick game plans always have to be respected.

 

And you think that is a sign they got better? Signing a league average RT and asking him to play LT? If Jawaan Taylor starts at LT he is a significant downgrade. If he starts at RT he is an upgrade on Andrew Wylie, but then that means Donovan Smith is starting at LT and he also is a downgrade. They have questions at receiver as well. Will Skyy Moore step up? Can Kadarius Toney be a down in and down out starter? 

 

On the flip side they have the best defensive back 7 that they have had in Andy Reid's time there. Bolton, Gay and Tranquil at linebacker, with McDuffie, Snead and Watson at corner and Reid and Cook at safety... I think they could have a top 10 defense this year so long as they can muster a pass rush. 

[John from Riverside]

I don’t look at it as just additions and subtractions for our own team
 

Keep in mind that that’s not done in a vacuum the other teams in the league are getting better and worse

[Einstein]

2 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

And you think that is a sign they got better? Signing a league average RT and asking him to play LT? If Jawaan Taylor starts at LT he is a significant downgrade

 

I do.

 

Orlando Brown was not good for the Chiefs. Although I must concede I didn't watch all of his snaps and I am going based off of what Chiefs fans have told me for the last 2 years that they have suffered with Orlando Brown.

[KCNC]

I am optimistic about the offense but the opposite for the defense.  Hope I am presently surprised with McD at the helm of the D

[NewEra]

36 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

I've gotten beyond optimism and pessimism.   Winning a Super Bowl is difficult.  The Bills have enough on offense and defense to do it.  They either will do it, and people's optimism will be justified, or they won't, and people's pessimism will be justified.

 

I watched the Celtics lose last night, and kept thinking that they are a team that just doesn't have the toughness, including the winner's attitude, to win the championship.  As I watched, I worried that that could describe the Bills, too.    It would break McDermott's heart to admit that his team isn't tough enough to win, and it's up to him to prove that they are. 

I think they had the toughness.  Tatum rolling his ankle 5 minutes into the game was too much to overcome.  Jaylen Brown can’t dribble for s*** and he was forced to run the offense with Brogdon also hampered with injuries. 
 

Miami is one of the toughest teams in the league and may have the best coach in the league….. while Boston basically had an interim coach with zero experience. 
 

I really don’t think toughness is why Boston didn’t win.  They won the same game last season.  

[Shaw66]

1 minute ago, NewEra said:

I think they had the toughness.  Tatum rolling his ankle 5 minutes into the game was too much to overcome.  Jaylen Brown can’t dribble for s*** and he was forced to run the offense with Brogdon also hampered with injuries. 
 

Miami is one of the toughest teams in the league and may have the best coach in the league….. while Boston basically had an interim coach with zero experience. 
 

I really don’t think toughness is why Boston didn’t win.  They won the same game last season.  

That whiny look Tatum has on his face every time something doesn't go his way says something about his mental toughness.  He looks like a suburban kid whose parents didn't take him for ice cream after the game. 

 

And Brown just doesn't show up consistently.   Both of them, when the game is flowing their way, are spectacular.  When the game's on the line, they don't show up consistently.

 

Horford and Smart are dogs, but the two guys who are supposed to lead the team don't do it consistently.  

 

And it says something about the team that they can't win at home.   The crowd was nuts in the first half last night, and the team couldn't match the crowd's intensity. 

 

Coach?  You're right there.  Miami shut down the Celtics offense with their zone defense in multiple games, and by game seven they should have had an answer.  They didn't.  That's on the coach.  

 

Nice team, and I enjoy watching them, but they don't look like a team that wins alley fights.  

 

Back to the Bills.  I agree with whoever said Beane had a good off-season.   I think he collected players who should help.  Someone said a day or two ago that he has solid depth on the offensive line, and that probably will be important.  They have a good collection of receivers, good enough that if they don't land Hopkins, it's okay.  Hopkins is icing.  I think the defensive backfield is stellar, with only the cover capabilities of the middle linebacker a question mark.   D line is solid.  I was excited when they signed Harris, and doubly excited when they signed Murray.  I expect Murray will bringing smiles to a lot of faces in December.  

 

 

[The Avenger]

Good reasons for optimism.

 

On the pessimism side I'd add that we are going to have a new MLB which is the quarterback of the defense. Say what you will about Tremaine Edmunds but he's a loss until someone proves they can play in that spot as good or better.

 

Also, competition in the AFC east has gotten better. People have differing opinions about Tua, but I think he's a very good QB when healthy and Miami has the receiving corps - if he's healthy I expect Miami to be tougher this year than last. The Jets got a good QB and if he has anything left and can get something out of the receivers they'll be improved - they also get Hall back at RB. Even the Pats may be better tan last season if they are rid of the disfunction at the offensive coordinator position. Buffalo split with the Jets and Miami last season and the win over Miami was 3 points.

[GunnerBill]

18 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

I do.

 

Orlando Brown was not good for the Chiefs. Although I must concede I didn't watch all of his snaps and I am going based off of what Chiefs fans have told me for the last 2 years that they have suffered with Orlando Brown.

 

Orlando Brown was a dominant right tackle. He was an average left tackle (and is better than most Chiefs fans think... but hey, proves that every fanbase has whipping boys). Why would you presume an average right tackle is going to be a better than average left tackle?

 

 

[Mat68]

Optimism.  This is the best roster the Buffalo Bills have had since the 90’s Bills.  Pessimism this is the toughest conference since the NFC in the 80’s and 90’s.  

[Einstein]

3 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Orlando Brown was a dominant right tackle. He was an average left tackle (and is better than most Chiefs fans think... but hey, proves that every fanbase has whipping boys). Why would you presume an average right tackle is going to be a better than average left tackle?

 

Largely because I trust Andy Reid and Veach to make that call between Brown/Veach, though I do see the paradox in that and them acquiring Brown in the first place.

[PBF81]

This team has the potential to be the #1 Offense in the league.  Let's hope it pans out that way.  That will likely befall Dorsey.  

 

Defensively, not mentioned is the enormous question mark for the LB unit.  

 

Also only grazed upon, in our good seasons we've had relatively easy schedules in a relatively easy division.  The opposite is the case this season.  

 

If the D can finish in the top-10 this season I will be impressed.  

 

 

[Rc2catch]

I actually try very hard not to get too up or down so I can still act rational. I would like to thank some dramatic posters on this very site for inspiring me to learn these techniques. 
They have built a contender. No matter how you look at it or spin it they’ve built a team that should continuously contend and have Super Bowl aspirations. If that’s all because of josh or other reasons the end is still the same. They are in the hunt. As a fan who wasn’t a Bills fan for the Super Bowl era I’m happy the team is a contender. We all want the ring, and I think they need a little perfect storm scenario and they’ll get one similar to other teams that have endured the suffering for a long time