Buffalo Bills 2023 Thread

[Porous Five Hole]

The Bills are the 40th team since the 1970 Merger to have 500 yards, 10 third down conversions and a positive turnover margin in a game. 

They are the first team to lose in that scenario. Teams were 39-0 entering today, per @ESPNStatsInfo.

[GASabresIUFAN]

14 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Regardless of WRs, McDermott needs to be gone.  I've never seen a worse end-of-game manager.  It's so bad because it's so predictable.  When the Bills scored to go ahead late, none of the people at our table at the Bills Backers bar was particularly excited.  We knew what was coming.

So what end-of-game plays would you or any of your friends have called differently and with what assets on the Bills would you have accomplished that goal tonight?  McD can't make the guys execute.  

Take Poyer's play near the end of regulation.  He punched it out therefore stopping the clock for a 59 yard kick in the rain.  What if he just tackles the guy right there in bounds and Philly has to rush the kick? Do they still make it?  Regardless the Bills forced them to kick a near impossible field goal in the rain and they made it.  That was great execution on the kicker, but it was bad luck for the Bills because they played it well.   Did MCD make Bass miss two kicks? Was it McD's fault that Cook dropped a sure TD or that Davis didn't look back for the ball or the officials purposefully taking the Bills out of 2nd and goal at the 5 with impossibly terrible calls?

I get people are frustrated with both teams right now.  I'm more pissed at the Sabres than the Bills. I see a Bills team battling despite crippling injuries on defense and a terrible offensive scheme for much of the season.  Brady has fixed the offense and the defense is what it is until people get healthy or next season. 

Edited November 27, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[Porous Five Hole]

1 minute ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

So what end-of-game plays would you or any of your friends have called differently and with what assets on the Bills would you have accomplished that goal tonight?  McD can't make the guys execute.  

I think flubbing the time outs, especially trying to ice the kicker, was an unforced error. It was compounded by kneeling with :20 to go and one time out (should have been two).  
 

The fanbase had to deal with :13 seconds. Josh Allen is an alien and Diggs is elite. This was an opportunity to beat that back.  But McD was too afraid of a turnover (or something).  That’s why people are upset with him right now.  

[Buffalonill]

You boys got screwed on the that fumble. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

6 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

I think flubbing the time outs, especially trying to ice the kicker, was an unforced error. It was compounded by kneeling with :20 to go and one time out (should have been two).  
 

The fanbase had to deal with :13 seconds. Josh Allen is an alien and Diggs is elite. This was an opportunity to beat that back.  But McD was too afraid of a turnover (or something).  That’s why people are upset with him right now.  

Let's say the Bills go for it in the bad conditions at the end of the 1st half and someone fumbles or Josh forces a throw and it gets intercepted and run back.  What would everyone be saying then?  The Bills were up 10 heading into the half.  No reason to risk a F'up.  Had it been 40 or 50 seconds I might agree with you, but just 20 in those conditions would have been a mistake. 

[Porous Five Hole]

2 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Let's say the Bills go for it in the bad conditions at the end of the 1st half and someone fumbles or Josh forces a throw and it gets intercepted and run back.  What would everyone be saying then?  The Bills were up 10 heading into the half.  No reason to risk a F'up.  Had it been 40 or 50 seconds I might agree with you, but just 20 in those conditions would have been a mistake. 

We can agree to disagree on this point (and I strongly disagree), but I think it’s too passive of an approach. What if an eagles DB slips and the Bills break off a big play? The what if’s can go both ways.
 

At the end of the day, McD is the DC too.  His unit needs a stop in OT to win the game.  Just don’t give up a TD.

Yes the Eagles are at home and are great, but his unit gave up the overtime TD. Where else should the buck stop? 

[GASabresIUFAN]

11 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

We can agree to disagree on this point (and I strongly disagree), but I think it’s too passive of an approach. What if an eagles DB slips and the Bills break off a big play? The what if’s can go both ways.
 

At the end of the day, McD is the DC too.  His unit needs a stop in OT to win the game.  Just don’t give up a TD.

Yes the Eagles are at home and are great, but his unit gave up the overtime TD. Where else should the buck stop? 

How about with the players who failed to tackle or the GM who failed to build proper depth?  Lots of blame to go around.  

 

[Doohickie]

 

[Claude Balls]

Well, one thing is for sure. Both of Terry's teams will not make the playoffs this year. 

Joe Brady was the right decision, imo. But keeping McD is a huge mistake. Sean, Kevyn and Meatballs need to be axed. And it can't happen quick enough. 

The Sabres wasted Eichels time here, now the Bills are wasting Allen's years here. 

Whats the common denominator?? 

Terry fu**ing Pegula. 

[SabresBillsFan]

1 hour ago, Porous Five Hole said:

The Bills are the 40th team since the 1970 Merger to have 500 yards, 10 third down conversions and a positive turnover margin in a game. 

They are the first team to lose in that scenario. Teams were 39-0 entering today, per @ESPNStatsInfo.

The city is cursed. Come on you score 34 points on the road and still lose. Like I said in the past this team needs a stud linebacker like a Ray Lewis type that pushes every player on that defense. 

[SabresBillsFan]

2 minutes ago, Claude Balls said:

Well, one thing is for sure. Both of Terry's teams will not make the playoffs this year. 

Joe Brady was the right decision, imo. But keeping McD is a huge mistake. Sean, Kevyn and Meatballs need to be axed. And it can't happen quick enough. 

The Sabres wasted Eichels time here, now the Bills are wasting Allen's years here. 

Whats the common denominator?? 

Terry fu**ing Pegula. 

I get to see Eichel here in Vegas daily and I think his game change when Bruce Cassidy became coach. But I think Granato isn’t the right guy for the Sabres Job and the Bills need help on defense big time.

[Brawndo]

38 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Let's say the Bills go for it in the bad conditions at the end of the 1st half and someone fumbles or Josh forces a throw and it gets intercepted and run back.  What would everyone be saying then?  The Bills were up 10 heading into the half.  No reason to risk a F'up.  Had it been 40 or 50 seconds I might agree with you, but just 20 in those conditions would have been a mistake. 

McDermott’s conservative approach cost them with 13 seconds left against the Chiefs, overriding the ST Coordinator and telling Bass to kick it deep rather then squibbing it and taking time off the clock, then having the defense play prevent D way off the receivers and giving up the game tying FG. 
 

Allen had been moving the ball today and had close to 350 yards passing at the end of regulation. Taking the timeout to ice the kicker was idiotic, but kneeling down at the end of regulation with Allen playing in beast mode with 20 seconds left on the clock and a TO was unacceptable. 
 

Beane has legitimately built a Super Bowl Contender over the past four seasons. They have been to the AFC Championship Game once, lost in the divisional round, barely beat a 3rd string QB in Wild Card only to lose in the divisional round again and now in the fourth year are in serious jeopardy of missing the playoffs all together.  They are regressing as a team, not getting better. 

The Eagles have had two HCs since McDermott took over the Bills (Pederson was hired the year before McDermott) both have taken the Eagles to the Superbowl, with one victory, the Bills need to match to this standard 

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

The Eagles have had two HCs since McDermott took over the Bills (Pederson was hired the year before McDermott) both have taken the Eagles to the Superbowl, with one victory, the Bills need to match to this standard 

While that's great standard, the AFC has had much deeper competition over the last 3+ years.  There are 5 teams in the AFC that have won 30+ games in the last 3 full seasons lead by KC (42) and Buffalo (37).  In the NFC, only 3 teams have had 30+ lead by GB's 34.  3 AFC teams have had 3 straight winning seasons, while none of have accomplished it in the NFC.  

[LGR4GM]

8 hours ago, Porous Five Hole said:

The Bills are the 40th team since the 1970 Merger to have 500 yards, 10 third down conversions and a positive turnover margin in a game. 

They are the first team to lose in that scenario. Teams were 39-0 entering today, per @ESPNStatsInfo.

I'd fire McDermott right now. This isn't going to improve, he's simply going to demand Beane wastes more 1st round picks on his defense. Kincaid is the only 1st rounder Allen has had since Benjamin. 

[LGR4GM]

7 hours ago, SabresBillsFan said:

I get to see Eichel here in Vegas daily and I think his game change when Bruce Cassidy became coach. But I think Granato isn’t the right guy for the Sabres Job and the Bills need help on defense big time.

That's all the Bills do is draft defense. They throw away first round picks religiously for defense including picking a corner who does not and did not play their preferred soft zone. 

8 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Let's say the Bills go for it in the bad conditions at the end of the 1st half and someone fumbles or Josh forces a throw and it gets intercepted and run back.  What would everyone be saying then?  The Bills were up 10 heading into the half.  No reason to risk a F'up.  Had it been 40 or 50 seconds I might agree with you, but just 20 in those conditions would have been a mistake. 

This is exactly why I dislike McDermott. This line of thinking "what if we screw up,  better be super duper safe"

[LGR4GM]

9 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Like I said, I don't disagree but maybe Brady will help him become more aggressive if can get back to trusting Josh not to make stupid plays.

No, no Brady won't because mcnugget will still call his prevent defense and let teams easily move down the field on him and choke away winnable games. Dude literally cannot adjust in game what so ever. 

[LGR4GM]

9 hours ago, Brawndo said:

It’s not them moving on from Diggs, it would be Diggs moving on from them. 
 

He turns 30 in 3 days and I think He realizes He is not winning a Super Bowl with McDermott in charge. 
 

Maybe a change in HC prevents that, but there has been way to much chatter about Him being unhappy with certain aspects of the team cough Mc Dermott cough 

I would not hesitate to move on from McDermott for one second if that’s what is needed to keep Allen and Diggs happy

And they need another WR, going that direction In the first round would be a good move 

Stefan Diggs is the canary in the coal mine here. I thought it this summer and now I'm convinced.

[Believer]

11 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Fire McDermott. He's a choke artist

Ahh… So, that’s where Allen picked it up from maybe…

[PASabreFan]

I feel for Bills fans. Truly. These losses sting for me, and I moved on from a state of psychic surrender a long time ago.

It's just bizzare. I don't think it's any more complicated than they can't stop anyone when it counts. For decades.

Their pro sports brethren across town would have a similar epitaph on their gravestone. THEY COULD NEVER SCORE WHEN IT COUNTED.

If this is all a simulation, someone is having a real hoot with Buffalo sports.

[mjd1001]

Lots of mistakes, I don't want to ignore everything everyone has said but:

You lost, in overtime, on the road, against the team with the best record in the league and it was very close.

You out gained them, and for much of the game were dominating the game.

I hate, I despise when people complain about referees. But...In a game that close. That's something that you had to fight against.

Of all the things that happened, a guy had to make a 59 yard field goal on a wet turf in the rain in order for you to not win the game right there. That FG, the was-it-a-fumble-or-not...in most cases would go for the Bills and it would be game over with a Win. But they didn't.

In a typical game, you might call 15 bad plays and you might make 20 mistakes. If you win that game, you don't even notice those things or we gloss over them as fans. It's just when you lose it that we notice those things.

It sucks the Bills lost, and this close game might be the difference between them making the playoffs and not. But It's not the reason to make wholesale changes. The reason you make major changes, it's if you think you can be better. If you go 13 - 4 and make the playoffs but you think a coaching change will make you better you do it.

The single biggest thing I've taken away from the past few weeks of watching the bills.... Poyer and Hyde both are the Buffalo Bills version of Okposo. They don't need to just go next year... They shouldn't be here this year and the team would probably be better if they were replaced with younger/faster players. As good of leaders they are and as smart as they are, physically they just can't keep up with the play.

Just one other observation. Dalton Kincaid. It just seems like his role on the team is... Throw the ball to him on second and long and he will never get the first down, but he will always get you within one or two yards of it.

 

 

Edited November 27, 2023 by mjd1001

[Gatorman0519]

The pain has outweighed the entertainment value. It’s strange how many of us knew the .13 second game was the high water mark and it turned out to be. You have to change coach and philosophy because this regime will never get us to the sb. We also all know they probably won’t. Next year more of the same. And JA career is wasted. What a sports tragedy. 
 

 

[Eli Cash]

We are so lucky to be watching a player like Josh Allen.  Just a special talent.  However, between the absurd officiating and that oh-so-familiar collapse at the end, that might have been one of the biggest guts punches we witnessed.  Cannot waste another year of Allen.  McDermott has to go.

[Doohickie]

 

[Doohickie]

What gets me is that in so many games the defense is sterling for three quarters and turns into a sieve in the fourth (and OT).  Yesterday was a prime example.  0.31 points allowed per minute in the first three quarters, 1.05 points allowed per minute in fourth quarter and OT.

[MISabresFan]

11 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

So what end-of-game plays would you or any of your friends have called differently and with what assets on the Bills would you have accomplished that goal tonight?  McD can't make the guys execute.  

Take Poyer's play near the end of regulation.  He punched it out therefore stopping the clock for a 59 yard kick in the rain.  What if he just tackles the guy right there in bounds and Philly has to rush the kick? Do they still make it?  Regardless the Bills forced them to kick a near impossible field goal in the rain and they made it.  That was great execution on the kicker, but it was bad luck for the Bills because they played it well.   Did MCD make Bass miss two kicks? Was it McD's fault that Cook dropped a sure TD or that Davis didn't look back for the ball or the officials purposefully taking the Bills out of 2nd and goal at the 5 with impossibly terrible calls?

I get people are frustrated with both teams right now.  I'm more pissed at the Sabres than the Bills. I see a Bills team battling despite crippling injuries on defense and a terrible offensive scheme for much of the season.  Brady has fixed the offense and the defense is what it is until people get healthy or next season. 

Besides playing against two teams last night, it was a great game.  Too bad they lost.