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I'm speaking more in terms of injury risk to these players. Jackson being a dual-threat RPO running guy is one hard hit away from a major injury - same with a lot of the other running QBs. That's the risk you have with running QBs. You saw some of the brutal hits on Daniels & Allen in these playoffs. And how Mahomes hasn't sustained a major injury with some of the hits he's taken is beyond me.

Henry, at his age has already pushed the envelope for longevity of an NFL running back. Obviously, his massive size & strength is a big factor in his durability. But these big RBs aren't infallible, they blow out ACLs, Ankles, Achilles, etc., like the rest of them.

What's happens if Jackson or Henry go down next year - especially Jackson? Look at the catastrophe at SF when Christian Mac went down - season over before it ever began. Lol
The bigger, heavier players see to have more problems with ankle injuries especially. Trent Williams gets ankle injuries every season, this year worse than ever and missed a lot of time as well as played injured when he probably shouldn't have. RB's all get injured, as well as the usual problems they have all of the contact injuries as well re concussions and shoulder injuries. With the increase in games, teams are going to have to load up on RB's especially. This year's draft is supposed to be a good one for RB's and TE's.
 
I agree completely if you want to blame one person for this loss, blame Harbaugh. Blame Andrews for the drop. Lamar for the fumble and int. But as Bill Belicheck once said, coaches make more mistakes in almost every single game than the players. One could easily dissect this game and conclude there were many things Harbaugh could have done, beyond just 2-3 bad plays. Just like how Dan Quinn out coached Dan Campbell. In this game Sean McDermott out coached John Harbaugh. His team played mistake free, smart, and focused.
Yes, and the HC should be blamed & held accountable. Harbaugh is the 7th highest paid coach making $12m smackers a year - for what? Choking everytime in the playoffs? Lol. And same with McDermott going into KC. If he doesn't find a way to beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead then it's on him. He's got one of the best QBs to ever play the game, an offense that scored a first ever 30 passing TDs & 30 rushing TDs in a season, a solid defense, good kicker - and they beat them once already this year - what's going to be his excuse if they lose? (I guarantee you that if they lose, people will find excuses such as the refs favor Mahomes/Chiefs, the game was rigged, the commissioner wants the Chiefs to win, etc). McDermott the 9th highest paid coach making a nice $11m smackers a year. But he's not earning that pay failing every year to get a team of that caliber to the SB.

And this is the most entertaining part of the game I find is the clown show with NFL head coaches. Such high pay for such an easy job with all the heavy lifting done by the coordinators & position coaches. And unless they're also serving as the team's GM, it's the GM that's doing most of the player evaluation & acquisition (they're most stressful moment seems to be having to address the media. Lol). And even when these clowns get fired, they reap the benefits of amazing job security falling right into nice coordinator jobs for a few years before throwing their hat into the ring for available HC jobs. Many get hired again with most failing like they did the first time around. Lol.

The easy life of an NFL HC. Lol.
 
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But you could say that about almost any team? Any player? At least someone who isn't young, and never had an injury. No? We've written the last two seasons about all the QBs who have gone down. This year seemed slightly less than normal at least. But even young guys got hurt. Jordan Love got banged up this season. Was it inevitable that Anthony Richardson did last year? Justin Herbert is 26, not really a runner but still a big "stiff" and this is the first season I remember him making it all the way through. All three of the Raiders QBs suffered injuries that caused them to miss games. And O'Connell and Ridder are fairly young, and Minshew is like 28. Two years ago Lamar got hurt when he was basically tripped trying to escape the pocket. That's it. Even as big and tough as Josh Allen is - built like a tight end, he's one bad hit from missing who knows how many games.

Isn't that football, period? Not just Henry and Lamar.

Very few QBs today play like Brady and Manning did at the end of their careers, where they never run, almost always stay in the pocket, and if a defender gets close they either throw the ball into the dirt, or just drop to the ground. I predict within the next handful of years every QB coming out of college will be expected to be mobile, if not a true dual threat. QBs who move around well like CJ Stroud, don't run much, but will take off when needed, may be considered the minimum qualified. It's just a matter of the NCAA cultivating enough of them for the NFL to feed off of. Add in an 18, then 20 game season that the NFL wants, and it's like burning the candle at both ends of the wick.
Why a guy like Richardson is getting hurt is beyond me. He's built like freaking LB at 6-4 & 245 lbs with a 325 power clean & 500 lb squat. I can tell you from my competitive power lifting days back in the 80s, those are impressive numbers even for a guy that big. So, he shouldn't be getting hurt - he should be hurting other players. Lol. Same with Herbet, he's not exactly a small guy at "6-6, 237" - but, like Allen, built like a TE that can throw the snot out of the ball.

But we've seen mobile, running QBs as far back as the 70s; Roger "The Dodger" Staubach, Sir Francis Tarkington & Greg Landry all were fleet of feet & seemed to avoid major injuries.

Then came your big, strong, cannon arm QBs, like John Elway & Steve Young, that had speed & could effectively run the ball creating that dual-threat headache for defenses. And you're seeing the exact same attribute today with Allen - a pro-style QB that is a serious running threat. Remember that game last year when Miami played Buffalo & Vic Fanzio characteristized Allen's play as "Elway on steroids." Lol.

You're absolutely right that the new trend with QBs coming into the league will be excellent mobility & agility with the ability to effectively run the ball - even with the QBs that played in pro-style offenses. Why was Bo Nix so successful this year? His mobility to effectively run the ball. He doesn't have an elite arm like some of the big boys in the league & he ran pro-style O at Oregon. But he put up 430 yds rushing on a near 5 yd average this season with a lot of those runs going for 1st downs on 2nd/3rd & long when the pocket broke down with no one was open. So, instead of taking a sack or throwing the ball away, he takes off for 1st dn yardage.

And last night in the CFPCG, Will Howard significantly improved his draft stock by showing his mobility running for 57 yards on top of throwing for 231 & 2 scores. And he's a big guy at 235 lbs with a good arm.

 
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I've said all I need to about Hurts. I don't think he can throw deep with any consistency. I doubt he can beat teams with his arm, period, or lead a team from behind against a decent team. If the Eagles win, it will be Barkley, and their OL, which have been almost unstoppable. With Hurts helping, not hurting their offense. But I also have to like the Commanders chances. They are playing extremely well, at the exact right time. Daniels is the obvious rookie of the year, and Dan Quinn has to be coach of the year.

Pretty much agree on McDermott. He won't be fired if they lose to KC, again. But at this point he would really have no excuse if they do. Even with the game on the road. The Bills may not be favored, but that doesn't matter. He has to know this is their chance, maybe better than 2022.

Agree on Howard. What a time to have the best game of your career, after having an excellent playoff! He's playing behind an elite OL, and had great targets, but he's also showed real poise, and leadership. He will be one to watch at the Combine, and Pro Day for sure. To me, in this coming draft Sanders and Ward will be gone in the top 3 picks. But where the next cluster of QBs are taken, and by whom (Howard, Ewers, Milroe, Dart, Gabriel, McCord) will be interesting.
 
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I don't think McDermott would be fired even if they got blown away. He's made the postseason & at least has won a playoff game in every season - no "one & dones." Owners seem to be really content these days if their team makes & at least wins one playoff game every year.

But I think his legacy is on the line here with probably the best team he's had as the Bills coach. It will be a difficult task winning at Arrowhead - the Bills are 0-3 against KC & Mahomes in postseason under the Allen/McDermott era.

I agree - Quinn absolutely has to be coach of the year. FFS, taking a 4-13 team to 12-5 winners & playing in the NFCCG! Talk about a miracle worker - that's getting it done!

The Bills have two defensive starters injured from last week; Rapp, day to day with a hip injury & Benford in the concussion protocol. They really need these guys to play: Rapp picked off Jackson in his only INT & Benford is an above-average corner playing in every defensive snap last week.

 
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Last year in the AFCC the Bills had players who were out, Terrell Bernard, I think either Johnson or Rapp were also out, plus Milano also missed most of the season, and that hurt them.

JMD was a horrible HC, and hopefully will never have that job ever again. But as an OC, that's his ceiling, and he was quite good, even without Brady he showed he could do the job. He made Mac Jones look good, and an aging Cam Newton as well. The stable, stoic leadership of Vrabel, with JMC as OC, in that org, could be good. Pats also have massive amounts of cash available in FA (thanks Bill!).

Speaking of Zach Wilson, good article in The Athletic about him. I'd personally like to see the Raiders hire Pete Carroll as HC, and grab Zach. I would absolutely take him over all those day 2-3 college QBs coming up in the draft.
there was a time each week that Wilson still starred, albeit in front of a small audience of onlookers. His latest performance came on Jan. 9, in Buffalo, more than three hours before the Broncos’ playoff game against the Bills, when he took a snap from a member of the team’s equipment staff, drifted to his left and flicked his wrist to deliver a ball 50 yards down the right sideline. Later in the pregame workout, he sprinted to his right and delivered a dart to a receiver in the back of the end zone. And on it went with Wilson altering arm angles, changing speeds and generally showing off an ability with his right arm few possess.
“It’s insane,” said Broncos wide receiver David Sills, who spent much of the season working with Wilson on the scout team and serving as a target during the quarterback’s pregame routine. “He’s got all the attributes you want in a quarterback. I think you see that’s just getting in the right situation. I think he’s going to be a great player for a long time in this league.”
 
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Last year in the AFCC the Bills had players who were out, Terrell Bernard, I think either Johnson or Rapp were also out, plus Milano also missed most of the season, and that hurt them.
Bills had a third string at best defense against the Chiefs last year. This year the Chiefs offense is more talented, they’ve just struggled to show it bar one game. If the Bills get to 30 again, Chiefs aren’t winning. Most likely Mahomes will get a borderline game sealing penalty while something worse to Allen doesn’t get called. If Bills want to win they need to dominate the Chiefs, issue is Chiefs very rarely get their crap pushed in.
 
Bills had a third string at best defense against the Chiefs last year. This year the Chiefs offense is more talented, they’ve just struggled to show it bar one game. If the Bills get to 30 again, Chiefs aren’t winning. Most likely Mahomes will get a borderline game sealing penalty while something worse to Allen doesn’t get called. If Bills want to win they need to dominate the Chiefs, issue is Chiefs very rarely get their crap pushed in.
Will the injured starters in the Bills secondary be back or fully healthy for this game. I think we tend to underestimate how often it is the relatively healthiest team that goes the farthest.
 
I agree the Bills are going to have to play aggressive, play to punch the Chiefs lights out. Get ahead, and stay ahead. Not get into this "team with the ball last wins" scenario, which bit them in the rear the last 3-4 seasons. They need to basically what they did when they beat them early this season. But expecting a repeat of that game might be a mistake.

I think all the Commanders need to do, is what they have been doing. They beat the Eagles late, they are healthy, and they played very loose against the Lions. Let Daniels do his thing with Kliff's play calling, and on D stuff the box and force Hurts to beat you with throws past 5-10 yards.
 
Bills had a third string at best defense against the Chiefs last year. This year the Chiefs offense is more talented, they’ve just struggled to show it bar one game. If the Bills get to 30 again, Chiefs aren’t winning. Most likely Mahomes will get a borderline game sealing penalty while something worse to Allen doesn’t get called. If Bills want to win they need to dominate the Chiefs, issue is Chiefs very rarely get their crap pushed in.
They're going to have to stop Kelce - he can't be going wild like he did against Houston. In the regular season game this year, the Bills neutralized Kelce limiting him to just 2 catches (Gray caught 4 passes - 2 of them for scores). Worthy caught 4 - one for a score & that was about as good as it got for KC's passing game. And they also contained the running game limiting Hunt to just 60.

Overall, the Bills beat KC in every team category winning the turnover battle 1-2 & sacking Mahomes twice vs no sacks given up by the Bills. Offensively, it was all Allen - he was the game's leading passer & his team's leading rusher. The defense & Allen will have to duplicate this kind of performance to beat the Chiefs, IMO.

 
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Shahid Khan really means business - first Pederson now Baalke. After all, he said this was the "best assembled" Jaguars team & a legit SB contender. Lol.
Baalke should have been gone long ago, 49ers fans had more than enough of him, his drafts were usually awful and so was his management. Jed York made the right call canning Chip Kelly and Baalke and then hiring Shanahan and Lynch. The only thing missing is the SB trophy !
 
And had it not been for a few dumb calls by Shanahan, they may have beaten KC last year . o_O

The only thing surprising about Baalke is he lasted as long as he did. One guess here is that the Jags were pushing hard to get Liam Coen, OC of Tampa, or Aaron Glenn. But Coen is young, and decided to stay on at Tampa. Then Glenn signed with the Jets of of all teams. This must have really curled Shad "Iron Sheik" Khan's moustache. :cool:

Rumors about Glenn going to the Saints turned out to be false. One can only wonder what about the Jets appealed to him. The money maybe? They still don't have a GM. Will he be part of the interview process?

Raiders hired John Spytek as their GM. He was assistant GM in Tampa, and friends with Brady. Spytek has been viewed as a wunderkind superscout for a couple years. He has some connection to Baltimore OC Todd Monken, which makes one wonder if that's who the Raiders will hire as HC. Monken has coached in both the NFL and college for years. Lamar has had high praise for him. Monken was OC in Georgia two years ago when Brock Bowers was their TE.
 
If the Jets are tanking for Arch Manning, they may want to re-think. Most people now expect him to start for 2 years at Texas, even if he wins the Heisman and National Championship. The 2026 season is the year to tank for Arch. Maybe Glenn can convince Rodgers to play through 2026? That way they can maybe go 0-17.

WTF is that with the Giants? Going all on on Darnold? If the Viks give him up? What happened to them being all-in on Shedeur Sanders? The Titans take Cam Ward (or Hunter), the Browns take Hunter (or Ward, or Carter), and Shedeur falls in their lap - a team he wants to play for even. Unless the Titans take Shedeur, and Browns take Ward? Is that what they fear? Zero chance Deion lets the Browns take Shedeur. None. I imagine he's already called Andrew Barry and Kevin Stefanski flat out said forget it. Shedeur just seems destined to go to the Giants. I'm iffy on Shedeur, but in the Giants situation, he seems worth the risk to at least try.

No question that Jones, Lock, Devito and Boyle are all failed starters. Now career back-ups. Devito and Boyle seem to realize this at least.

I'm still hoping the Raiders give Zach Wilson a shot. Two other wildcard, roll the dice, QBs on teams now I'd like to see maybe get a shot are Hendon Hooker, and Tyson Bagent. Hooker was extremely talented in college. And Bagent was a Div II sensation who threw for crazy yards and completion %, he reminds me of Brock Purdy.
 
If the Jets are tanking for Arch Manning, they may want to re-think. Most people now expect him to start for 2 years at Texas, even if he wins the Heisman and National Championship. The 2026 season is the year to tank for Arch. Maybe Glenn can convince Rodgers to play through 2026? That way they can maybe go 0-17.

WTF is that with the Giants? Going all on on Darnold? If the Viks give him up? What happened to them being all-in on Shedeur Sanders? The Titans take Cam Ward (or Hunter), the Browns take Hunter (or Ward, or Carter), and Shedeur falls in their lap - a team he wants to play for even. Unless the Titans take Shedeur, and Browns take Ward? Is that what they fear? Zero chance Deion lets the Browns take Shedeur. None. I imagine he's already called Andrew Barry and Kevin Stefanski flat out said forget it. Shedeur just seems destined to go to the Giants. I'm iffy on Shedeur, but in the Giants situation, he seems worth the risk to at least try.

No question that Jones, Lock, Devito and Boyle are all failed starters. Now career back-ups. Devito and Boyle seem to realize this at least.

I'm still hoping the Raiders give Zach Wilson a shot. Two other wildcard, roll the dice, QBs on teams now I'd like to see maybe get a shot are Hendon Hooker, and Tyson Bagent. Hooker was extremely talented in college. And Bagent was a Div II sensation who threw for crazy yards and completion %, he reminds me of Brock Purdy.
One of Dan Pat's sidekicks said something about Fields going to LV.
 
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