KOPYA NG SALIN 🔗
00:00:05
Speaker 1: He is a beast with a capital B. The cook is in the kitchen.
00:00:15
Speaker 2: Fires on a post to Coleman in the end zone for the touchdown.
00:00:19
Speaker 3: Pressure coming. He's sacked and he fumbled. The Bills have the football.
00:00:30
Speaker 4: This is One Bills Live.
00:00:33
Speaker 2: We made it to Friday. Who would have thunk it? Man, this week went by in a blip. Chris Brown, Steve Tasker with you here on One Bills Live. And I got to tell you, Steve, when we have a Monday night game on the road.
00:00:46
Speaker 4: I'm telling you.
00:00:46
Speaker 2: You get back and it is catch up the rest of the week. I woke up today. I was like, holy crap, it's Friday.
00:00:53
Speaker 4: I went in yesterday. I was standing in the kitchen. I look and I go. I've got this look on my face like, oh my gosh, the games for this weekend start tonight.
00:01:02
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:01:03
Speaker 4: Like we're already in the week.
00:01:04
Speaker 2: We're going to be on a plane tomorrow. Yeah.
00:01:06
Speaker 6: Well, you are. I'm not.
00:01:07
Speaker 4: But yeah.
00:01:08
Speaker 7: Yeah.
00:01:09
Speaker 4: I mean, it's, I'm like, dude, it's week 10.
00:01:12
Speaker 7: Yeah.
00:01:13
Speaker 4: We just like, I haven't even, like.
00:01:16
Speaker 2: And in that vein of trying.
00:01:18
Speaker 4: I barely got unpacked from Monday night football.
00:01:20
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I didn't even put my suitcase away. I just left it at the bottom of the stairs in the basement.
00:01:24
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:01:26
Speaker 2: And in that vein, and, trying to stay alert and on top of things when you're trying to just have a semblance of an idea as to what day it is and catch back up on your sleep. I go upstairs to grab a coffee in the cafeteria, and we are the fortunate frequenters of an out-of-this-world coffee machine.
00:01:54
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:01:55
Speaker 4: It's a nice one.
00:01:55
Speaker 2: Let's just say... There is a high-end coffee machine in the Bills cafeteria. It is touchscreen. Name the coffee drink you drink. It's on the menu.
00:02:09
Speaker 7: Right.
00:02:09
Speaker 2: All of anything under the sun that your coffee mind can dream of, it is available for selection on this coffee machine. It is a boon to coffee lovers, okay? And there is frequently... A line of people ready to sample their favorite beverage every morning. And the machine is amazing. Like, I wouldn't be shocked if AI is involved in any event.
00:02:36
Speaker 4: It takes like seconds.
00:02:38
Speaker 9: Yeah.
00:02:39
Speaker 7: Yeah.
00:02:39
Speaker 2: In any event, I go up there trying to get a beverage before, you know, the show starts. So I race up there and there's nobody there. I'm stunned. Not a single person waiting in line to make their beverage of choice. I get there, and the sign is on the front of the machine that says, out of order.
00:03:01
Speaker 4: Wow.
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Speaker 2: I said.
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Speaker 4: Wompity womp.
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Speaker 2: I
Load full transcript
said, oh, no. So I look at one of the cafeteria employees that we know, Madison, and I say, this isn't good. She goes, oh, no, it's not. I said, this is going to be received about as well as yesterday's Microsoft outage.
00:03:22
Speaker 5: Right.
00:03:24
Speaker 4: That's right.
00:03:25
Speaker 2: So sure enough, as I'm just getting, because they still were making regular coffee in the urns.
00:03:30
Speaker 4: Right. Fine.
00:03:31
Speaker 2: Like, let me fill up my cup and get out of here. But four people stroll in, they see the sign and they go, oh dear. Oh, oh boy. And like looks of stunned shock.
00:03:46
Speaker 4: I would be. Get a cup of coffee and just sit down and watch people come up.
00:03:50
Speaker 2: I'll just venture to say this. In the office today, here at One Bill's Drive, that will be more unsettling than the Microsoft outage was yesterday.
00:03:59
Speaker 4: Absolutely.
00:03:59
Speaker 2: Because I'll just tell you, candidly, there were some people, not in this office necessarily, but people that I know in the Western New York workforce that were like, there's a Microsoft outage? Can't access email? Can't access Microsoft Teams? I'm getting my coat.
00:04:19
Speaker 4: See you tomorrow. People were bolting. Yeah. Can't work.
00:04:25
Speaker 2: It couldn't do anything.
00:04:26
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:04:27
Speaker 2: And people took it as a Thursday holiday, shall we say. It was just, I'm out. Can't do anything. I'll see you tomorrow.
00:04:35
Speaker 9: Yeah.
00:04:36
Speaker 4: Well, there you go.
00:04:38
Speaker 2: That's where a lot of people were yesterday. I guess, at least for us, we're back online here.
00:04:43
Speaker 4: I guess.
00:04:44
Speaker 2: My emo was working this morning.
00:04:46
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:04:47
Speaker 2: So, I don't know if that's the case for everybody, but hopefully for you out there, if you have to get stuff done before the end of the week, hopefully your email is working. I know my wife had to, she sent out some things yesterday and she saw that they were sitting in her outbox and she's like, oh crap, like these might not go through. Let me grab them and I'll sit them in my drafts so that she doesn't have to go through the rigmarole of doing them all over again with like seven attachments and all of that other stuff.
00:05:18
Speaker 9: Right.
00:05:19
Speaker 2: She tried to put them in her drafts. Couldn't get them. But she has to start over today.
00:05:25
Speaker 4: Oh, there you go.
00:05:27
Speaker 2: And she's probably not alone.
00:05:29
Speaker 4: No, that's rough.
00:05:31
Speaker 2: That sucks.
00:05:32
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:05:32
Speaker 2: When you got to do work over again because email can't get it right.
00:05:37
Speaker 4: That's a tough one.
00:05:40
Speaker 2: But hopefully you're back up and running. And you can finish your week properly and, you know, when the 5 o'clock whistle hits, you can go home and not have to work late to make up for some of the work that didn't
get through yesterday. We are here on Friday, as we always are, to bring you the OBL Friday Fan Mailbag. Answering any and all of your most pressing bills and NFL questions, you fire them off to us on the phone lines at 716-427-0989 or.
00:06:10
Speaker 2: On our social media platforms, chiefly on X at one bills live. And we're happy to answer them to the best of our ability. Um, but we have to begin as always with bills, practice updates, which are presented by Labatt and official beer of the Buffalo bills. So on the injury report Thursday, Spencer Brown went from a limited participant Wednesday to a non participant Thursday. So today, uh, will tell a lot about whether Brown will play in Sunday's game against the Jets. For those that don't remember, he missed the Baltimore game due to a back injury, but returned last week and played the whole game at Minnesota. I guess the good news here is I don't believe it was listed as his back injury that he had been dealing with. I think it's an ankle. Because he rolled his ankle in the second series of the– Yeah, it's listed as an ankle injury. So at least it's not his back.
00:07:11
Speaker 4: Right.
00:07:13
Speaker 2: Which had been the persistent problem since week five when it first cropped up in the Rams game. So it's good that it is not that, but obviously an ankle can take somebody out of a game just as easily. So we'll have to wait and see what comes of it. Elsewhere, there was good news because Deion Dawkins and Alec Anderson both practiced for a second straight day, albeit on a limited basis. Christian Benford, Dalton Kincaid, and Connor McGovern, also all practicing but on a limited basis with wrist, ankle, and neck injuries, respectively. Special teamer Sam Franklin added to the injury report as a limited participant Thursday with a shoulder injury. So we'll see what head coach Joe Brady says after practice today on the status of any and all of the players involved. on the injury report in advance of the Week 10 game against the Jets. Around the NFL, no real major update on the Jets' player availability on their injury report. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who's probably the most notable name on there, limited in practice for his second straight day as he tries to return to play out of concussion protocol. He missed their Week 9 game at Kansas City last week. Beyond him, Harrison Phillips, Still not practicing, so his availability certainly up in the air for Sunday's game. But aside from that, no real major players besides Garrett Wilson on the Jets' injury report. Thursday night football, Steve.
00:08:48
Speaker 9: Saw it.
00:08:49
Speaker 2: Saw the Washington Commanders tighten the NFC East race of mediocrity. Jaden Daniels, 32-yard touchdown pass with 49 seconds remaining, gave the Commanders... the victory 24-21 over the Giants on Thursday night football. Washington now 3-5-1, two games behind the Giants at 5-3-1 in the NFC East. Washington had struggled in late-game situations with three of its past four games coming down to the final minute, and the Commanders had been 0-2-1 in those contests. They pull this one out against John Harbaugh, who was famously known in Baltimore for blowing second-half leads. And losing games in the waning minutes, he now does it here with the Giants.
00:09:36
Speaker 4: And before you hear it from somebody else, so Steph Diggs and Rasul Douglas win the game for the Commanders last night. Rasul with his last touchdown, or this last interception right here.
00:09:48
Speaker 2: Diggs with the winning touchdown.
00:09:49
Speaker 4: And Diggs with the winning touchdown just before this.
00:09:51
Speaker 2: The two former Bills.
00:09:52
Speaker 7: Yeah.
00:09:53
Speaker 2: Help the Commanders beat the Giants.
00:09:55
Speaker 9: Yeah.
00:09:55
Speaker 2: There you go.
00:09:57
Speaker 4: But it was a nice game. It was a tight, tense game, but it was a pillow fight.
00:10:04
Speaker 2: Well, that's what the NFC East looks like these days.
00:10:07
Speaker 4: You look at.
00:10:08
Speaker 2: The AFC North and the NFC North where these teams beat the living tar out of each other.
00:10:14
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:10:16
Speaker 2: Then you go to the NFC East and it's laughable.
00:10:19
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:10:19
Speaker 2: In terms of the level of competitive nature.
00:10:23
Speaker 4: It's so bad.
00:10:24
Speaker 2: It's, it's a division of teams that I don't know. They're competing, but it just seems like they're playing a different sport than the NFC North by comparison. Wouldn't you say the NFC North is fierce. Do you know the NFC North is 20 and four against the rest of the league? Two of those losses to the bills, by the way.
00:10:46
Speaker 9: Yes.
00:10:46
Speaker 5: They're, 2-2.
00:10:47
Speaker 4: They're 0-2 against the Bills.
00:10:49
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:10:50
Speaker 4: So, yeah, I did know that. But, yeah, it's just a bad year.
00:10:56
Speaker 2: They're playing a different sport.
00:10:57
Speaker 4: It's a bad year.
00:10:59
Speaker 2: For that division, yeah.
00:11:00
Speaker 7: Yeah.
00:11:01
Speaker 2: Ravens head coach Jesse Minter has just revealed that Lamar Jackson had thumb surgery and his timetable for a return is 6-10 weeks. Jackson had a broken and dislocated thumb on his throwing hand, suffered in the Week 8 game against the Bills. The recovery timetable, Steve, puts a possible return for Jackson anywhere between week 17 and the divisional round of the playoffs. Baltimore currently 4-5 on the season and in last place in the AFC North. They get the Chargers this week with Kobe Brissett jamming and cramming to execute an offensive game plan. I mean, it's a favorable schedule the next three weeks. Chargers, Panthers, Texans, bye. And then Bucs. I mean, the Steelers and Bengals are the hardest games they have left. They've got to play the Steelers twice in the final month of the season.
00:11:58
Speaker 4: Yeah, but they're not getting past the Browns or the Bengals late in the
year, or the Steelers. They've got four division games at the end of the season. Even that is not going to be enough. They sweep those guys, and they're not going to.
00:12:16
Speaker 2: So I think it's now, I believe it is three of the last five years, the Ravens have missed the playoffs, and it was due primarily to a Lamar Jackson injury. That offseason down there is going to be fascinating.
00:12:39
Speaker 4: It's easy to pile on, I get it, but.
00:12:41
Speaker 2: I'm just stating facts.
00:12:43
Speaker 4: Every team is like that. You lose an elite quarterback, you're done.
00:12:46
Speaker 2: I know, but this is a persistent issue.
00:12:48
Speaker 4: He gets hurt a lot. It's an availability issue. Yes, you're right. I'll give you that.
00:12:53
Speaker 2: That's the point I'm trying to make here.
00:12:54
Speaker 4: That's the point.
00:12:56
Speaker 2: And for those that didn't see it, in recent weeks with the injury, people have speculated, as Lamar played his last game in a Ravens uniform, and I guess Lamar had come out and said prior to his surgery– I never said anything about not wanting to play in Baltimore. So he sees that narrative being floated out there that he's going to play hardball.
00:13:15
Speaker 4: Well, that wasn't the question, whether he wanted to play or not. The question was, are they going to kick him to the curb?
00:13:22
Speaker 2: Right.
00:13:24
Speaker 4: He's got a no-trade contract, though.
00:13:26
Speaker 2: Yes. It's very complicated.
00:13:29
Speaker 4: And it's not just that it's availability, but it's all the stuff.
00:13:36
Speaker 2: They cater to him.
00:13:37
Speaker 4: It's all the stuff around his unavailability. Is he ready? Is he practicing? Does he feel like practicing today? He just doesn't seem to come across as a guy who's just begging, striving, working hard to get back on the field. He's like, when I feel right, I'll come out. I mean, it's been said he set the schedule for practice, what time of day it is, because he doesn't want to get up early. All this kind of stuff that's coming out of Baltimore is like, He is a player, first and foremost. He's not a coach. He's not a GM. He's none of that stuff.
00:14:12
Speaker 2: But he seems to have the authority of a GM.
00:14:14
Speaker 4: But he seems to call the shots. And that's an unfortunate place to be as an organization.
00:14:22
Speaker 2: That's a first-year new head coach.
00:14:24
Speaker 4: And a first-year new head coach.
00:14:25
Speaker 2: Jesse Minner. Have fun with that.
00:14:27
Speaker 4: I just think it's a– it just looks strange, and it's not getting better.
00:14:37
Speaker 2: From one interesting story to another, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh on Thursday expressed frustration with the Denver Broncos and their next trade this week involving linebacker Deion Henley. Quote, the Broncos based a pass fail on a medical grade based on whether we would take less compensation in the trade and we wouldn't and we didn't, said Harbaugh. He goes on to say, and in my opinion, it's one of those loopholes that that the league should really look into because it sets a bad precedent and continues to set a bad precedent. Ahead of the NFL trade deadline, the Chargers agreed to send Henley to the division rival Broncos for a 2027 fourth round pick and a 2028 fifth round pick. When they initially announced the trade Tuesday, the Broncos included that the deal was pending a physical. Late Wednesday night, Broncos announced on social media the trade would not be finalized. Neither team disclosed official reasons. But sources told ESPN that the Broncos discovered an issue with one of Henley's knees when the linebacker had his physical Wednesday. Chargers GM Joe Hortiz said Thursday, quote, we came to terms on it, made the agreement. They called us up and were asking to amend the trade based on the physical. And in our minds, the physical is a binary thing. It's pass or fail. And they wanted the player Still, they wanted to change the terms. So they were basically using the pass-fail ability of the physical to get the terms enhanced.
00:16:18
Speaker 4: Very simply, they said.
00:16:19
Speaker 2: So they would give up less compensation for Henley.
00:16:22
Speaker 4: Very simply, they said, instead of a 4-5, we'll pass him on the physical if you take a 6 and a 7. Or something of that nature.
00:16:28
Speaker 2: Something to that effect.
00:16:29
Speaker 4: We'll give you less, but we'll still take the player. And that's... Yeah.
00:16:35
Speaker 2: And the Chargers said, go take a long walk on a short pier.
00:16:38
Speaker 4: That's right. Are you kidding me? That's... That's dirty. That is.
00:16:44
Speaker 9: Yeah.
00:16:46
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:16:48
Speaker 4: I get it. They could just say, yeah, we'll take the guy, but I don't know. He's not going to do that and all that. And they say, well, let's ask them if they'll take less for him and see.
00:16:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, but you do that before the trade terms are agreed upon.
00:17:00
Speaker 4: That's right.
00:17:01
Speaker 2: Not after. That's really... That's unsavory business practice.
00:17:05
Speaker 4: Yeah, but you don't know what the physical is going to tell you until you get there. Now, they could be making the whole thing up.
00:17:11
Speaker 2: Oh, I think they are.
00:17:12
Speaker 4: The physical could be just an excuse.
00:17:15
Speaker 2: I think it is.
00:17:16
Speaker 4: Well, there you go.
00:17:18
Speaker 2: And clearly the Chargers think it is, too.
00:17:20
Speaker 4: If Henley's got... Yes, that's right. If Henley does have an issue with his knee, okay, that's one thing that we didn't know about. But then you've got to nix the trade and start over.
00:17:30
Speaker 2: But the Chargers said up front that They told the Broncos that he's got this little knee issue thing, just so you know, and then still hashed out terms telling them, hey, there's going to be a little thing that you're going to find in his
knee. As long as you're okay with it, here are the terms. Okay, we'll do the terms. And then they're like, yeah, we want to give you less for that. And it was after the fact. That's not how business is done.
00:17:59
Speaker 4: That's not how business is done. Yeah, you're right.
00:18:01
Speaker 2: That's pretty unsavory.
00:18:02
Speaker 4: And the league should make a rule. Say, listen, if it gets to the point where the player's got to take a physical, it's either pass-fail. You can't go back and redo the deal. And now back in the– this is probably a holdover from way back in the day when there wasn't money to travel these guys back and forth and it was like a bigger deal, which is why it never happened. It may be a holdover from those days, but you've got to change that up, man.
00:18:30
Speaker 2: I don't know what you do, though. I don't know what changes you can make that would remove the physical as a pawn in trying to solicit better or lesser compensation.
00:18:45
Speaker 4: I'll just say this. Once you remove that, once it goes down to a physical, you've got to start from scratch with the trade. You can't amend the deal.
00:18:52
Speaker 2: The physical is first.
00:18:54
Speaker 6: Right. No, no, no.
00:18:55
Speaker 4: Physical is last, but that's it. Once the physical is done, that's it.
00:19:00
Speaker 2: Yeah, but that still gives the team an option to back out and use it as a pawn to get out of the deal.
00:19:06
Speaker 4: Well, you should be able to.
00:19:08
Speaker 2: That's why I'm saying what they can do.
00:19:10
Speaker 4: You can't send your player, like Chargers can't send their player to Denver and have their doctors all over them and then send them back and say, you know, no thanks.
00:19:19
Speaker 2: That's why I think it's, I don't know how you fix that. I don't know how you do it.
00:19:22
Speaker 4: You just got to say you can't do it. You can't change the deal.
00:19:26
Speaker 2: Well, that's kind of a given, though, isn't it?
00:19:28
Speaker 4: Once you pass, fail the guy. If you fail the guy, that guy's off limits for that team that you're going to say. You can't trade him to that team.
00:19:35
Speaker 2: I just think that's going to be a very difficult thing to improve.
00:19:38
Speaker 4: I think that's all you've got to do. The deal is Nick's no matter what. If he doesn't pass the physical, you're not allowed to make that trade now under any circumstances. Yeah. That's, you know.
00:19:50
Speaker 2: sticky.
00:19:50
Speaker 4: A little bit, but it stinks too, the tactics.
00:19:55
Speaker 2: That whole deal smells like three-day-old fish. The Rams put wide receiver Puka Nakua on injured reserve after all. Nakua injured the MCL in his right knee and a toe in Sunday's win over Washington and is expected to sit out what coach Sean McVay called an extended period of time. On Wednesday, McVay had said that because of roster mechanics, the Rams would keep Nakua on the active roster, but then pivoted on Thursday so they could sign receiver Brennan Presley to the active roster and Tyler Scott to the practice squad. Nakua is going to sit out at least four games while on IR, so he's going to miss the Cardinals game, the home game against the Packers, and the Chiefs, and the San Francisco 49ers game. That is a stretch to not have your best offensive weapon.
00:20:36
Speaker 4: They may go down. At best, they go 2-2 in there.
00:20:39
Speaker 2: They might be belly up by the time they come out of that.
00:20:42
Speaker 8: 2-2.
00:20:43
Speaker 4: The Rams, let's see.
00:20:44
Speaker 2: They might be belly up by then.
00:20:46
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:20:48
Speaker 2: An interesting story out of Cleveland, Steve, where edge rusher Jared Verst said that he recently met with the team's psychiatrist to try to get past his slump of not registering sacks. Verst, the 2024 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, two-time Pro Bowler, obviously traded to the Browns in the deal that sent Miles Garrett back to the Rams. In his first nine games in Cleveland, Verse has not registered a sack. According to NextGenStats, he is one of three players in the NFL who have at least 200 pass rush snaps this season, but have not recorded a sack. Verse claims his on-field issues are mental, not physical. Quote, I think it was definitely a mental block. I train my body every day to push myself to the limits of what I'm physically capable of doing. So I don't think it was any issue with my body, but I think I've taken the steps to figure out what it was after meeting with a couple of people and everything like that.
00:21:45
Speaker 4: It's interesting. Cleveland's killing people down there. They are just ruining people mentally.
00:21:53
Speaker 2: I was just going to say, Jared, it's not you.
00:21:56
Speaker 4: It's not you.
00:21:56
Speaker 2: It's not you, Jared. It's Cleveland. Sorry, Cleveland.
00:22:00
Speaker 6: It is. Ah.
00:22:02
Speaker 4: I don't know what to make of that. And I feel for the guy, no question.
00:22:04
Speaker 2: I mean, all of a sudden he can't play?
00:22:06
Speaker 4: And kudos to him. Kudos to him for recognizing it for what it is and going to get help.
00:22:13
Speaker 2: Well, you've got to try everything.
00:22:14
Speaker 4: You've got to try everything, yeah.
00:22:15
Speaker 2: He's turning over every stone.
00:22:17
Speaker 4: There is no doubt, and I'm myself an example of it, that your mindset changes everything about what you do and how well you do it. Changes everything. How, you know... just where your point of view is at any given moment about your job, about your family, about your health, about your future, about your past, the whole thing. Yeah. It really changes everything. And your outlook is affected by where you're sitting mentally. I mean, we all know that.
00:22:49
Speaker 2: Yes. And he's probably like, look, I feel great physically. What's going on here?
00:22:54
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:22:56
Speaker 2: What's going on is he's getting a
lot of attention from opposing teams. He's probably getting a lot of double teams.
00:23:01
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:23:03
Speaker 2: Good luck to him. I hope he pulls out.
00:23:04
Speaker 4: Yeah, he's good on him. He's a good player. And, you know, think about it. Going from L.A. and all that stuff was in L.A. to come to Cleveland on the other side of the coin, yeah, that's got to be an adjustment that's really difficult.
00:23:23
Speaker 7: Yeah.
00:23:23
Speaker 4: Not only for him, for his support staff, whatever wife and family he has. I don't even know if the guy's married, but you know what I mean? I mean, you've got to get your life set up.
00:23:33
Speaker 2: It's an adjustment.
00:23:35
Speaker 4: And then to have the team. Well, the team's actually not, you know.
00:23:39
Speaker 2: They're hanging in there.
00:23:39
Speaker 4: Yeah, they are.
00:23:41
Speaker 2: They're middle of the pack in the division there because the Ravens are in last place.
00:23:45
Speaker 4: They're two games back of the two teams that are leading. It's Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Yeah, they're all right.
00:23:50
Speaker 2: Yeah. He's got to catch fire, though. Help them win some more games.
00:23:53
Speaker 4: He needs to help.
00:23:55
Speaker 2: Let's go to the phones, though. It's 716-427-0989. The OBL Fan Friday mailbag is open for any and all of your most pressing bills and NFL questions. And we lead off today with Kevin in Hamburg. What do you got for us, Kevin?
00:24:09
Speaker 9: Hey, guys.
00:24:09
Speaker 8: How you doing? Thanks for taking my call. I hope that the bill isn't the only thing I'm worried about. And I don't want to bring up the dreaded word everyone hates to hear. The letter T starts with the letter T. You know what that means?
00:24:23
Speaker 2: Yep.
00:24:24
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:24:25
Speaker 8: But I hope they concentrate on that the Jets can be feisty. And you said Geno Schmidt even mentioned he can be feisty sometimes. And he can be like, you know, one week he looks terrible, the next he looks like his own version of Dan Marino. And I hope they concentrate on that and don't, you know, because we've never been good. Even back, I remember back to Steve when he played with Jim and Thurman, we've never been wonderful in Jersey. Even back to, the day that you played Steve, I remember a couple of times you beat him up here, like 30 to 12 and down there, you barely survived like 23 to 21 or something. So I hope they don't, you know, I hope they concentrate on the jets and go keep playing, pretend it's a real tough game like the Vikings were.
00:25:12
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:25:12
Speaker 2: All right, Kevin, that's a fair, that's a fair concern to have because there have been some tight games down there over the years.
00:25:19
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:25:20
Speaker 2: Tighter than anticipated.
00:25:20
Speaker 4: There's always road games that are tough and, and, MetLife is a nice home stadium for the Jets. They have a good crowd there. And, you know, we tease them about, you know, they're happiest when they're booing their own team. But, yeah, they are passionate down there. And it is harder to play on the road. It always is. But this, I do not think, falls into the category of a trap game. There's too much history with these teams. The division games, they don't trap you. They're important games. So that gives them an element of importance that flows through into your preparation, your thought process, everything. So yeah, it's hard to get a division game that's a trap game, really.
00:26:01
Speaker 7: Right.
00:26:04
Speaker 2: But we were talking about this. You've got to hold serve here if your ultimate prize is the one seed. These are winnable games that you should win. So do not play down to the level of your opponent. And we also talked about Buffalo's biggest opponent the rest of the way here is themselves.
00:26:26
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:26:28
Speaker 2: Stay, get out of your own way, play efficient, sound football with a minimal number of unforced errors, pre-snap penalties most among them, and you should win this game. So we'll have to see what happens come Sunday. 716-427-0989, the number to jump on board with us. Any and all of your most pressing bills and NFL questions, Steve and I are here to answer those. And maybe you've got a question about Imani Hooker and how much you think he might play on Sunday. We're happy to talk to you about that or anything else Under the Sun NFL related. We've got to step aside here and take a break. Your phone calls and questions on the social sheets next here on One Bills Live. All right. Back here on one bills live, Chris Brown, Steve Tasker with you. It's an OBL Friday fan mailbag. So any and all questions under the sun on the bills, the NFL, the playoff race, whatever you have in mind, fire away at 7 1 6 4 2 7 0 9 8 9. Got open lines for you there right now. Don't have time to give us a phone call. Not a problem. You can hit us up on the tweet sheet at one bills live on X and, uh.
00:27:51
Speaker 9: I don't know.
00:27:52
Speaker 2: I feel like there's not a lot of buzz about this game. You feel that way? Cause I just, it's a division game. I just don't feel like the jets are registering on the sizzle meter for bills.
00:28:08
Speaker 4: What do you think?
00:28:09
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:28:09
Speaker 4: Gino Smith. I get it. It's still the jets and it's a division opponents. It's a very, it's an important game in some ways more important than last week's game. Um, But, yeah, I get it. Particularly, we're not alone because the thing's being played at 1 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon. I mean, this is as low under the radar as this team's flown with Josh.
00:28:35
Speaker 9: Yeah.
00:28:36
Speaker 4: Going to New York and still getting a 1 o'clock game.
00:28:39
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:28:42
Speaker 4: That's more about the Jets than it is the Bills.
00:28:45
Speaker 2: Let's check in with Bills Mafia via our social media platforms presented by Utica
National Insurance Group, an official home auto and business insurance partner of the Buffalo Bills. And first up there is Merlin, who asks, why are the Cowboys always considered America's team when the Bills are more likable and we have the red, white, and blue colors? Have a good weekend. Thanks for all you do. Well, Merlin, I got to say, that's probably a question a lot of Bills fans have asked. probably because of their natural disdain for the Cowboys as an entire organization to begin with. And the fact that they've been relatively irrelevant for the last several years, but I say irrelevant in terms of the playoff races, the Dallas Cowboys as an entity in the NFL will never be irrelevant because they draw gigantic numbers on television. They'll always be part of the primetime schedule, whether they are good or bad. And again, I think a tertiary thing is the Cowboys are popular, whether they're very good because their own fan base is so large or whether they are very bad because everybody that hates them loves to revel in their failures. So they're popular on both sides of the coin, and that's why they will always dominate.
00:30:02
Speaker 4: Like, what were they?
00:30:03
Speaker 2: Did they make the playoffs last year? I can't even remember. And they have like four or five primetime games this year. They're in the Rio game with the Ravens. Like, they're always going to be on national television because they draw giant numbers, ratings-wise.
00:30:17
Speaker 4: Yeah, you're right. They're both sides of the coin. People love them, people hate them, and people love to watch them when they stink. The rest of the league.
00:30:26
Speaker 2: Yes, they revel in it.
00:30:27
Speaker 4: And their owner has something to do with it. Jerry's a very polarizing guy and people love to see him because he, he's on camera. He is not shy about having to put him on camera. You get to see in real time, the disdain, you know, and so there's all of that going on. And let's not forget, we've, we've enjoyed, you know, nine years of a different era in Buffalo Bills football. Before that was a long era of irrelevance. Yep. And that, you know, that tends to shade your national profile for an entire generation. So as good as it's been with Josh and McDermott and now Joe and all the primetime games, stand-alone games, holiday games, goodness gracious. So it's a different world now that we're living in. It hasn't always been like this.
00:31:20
Speaker 10: Correct.
00:31:22
Speaker 2: Next up on the tweet sheet is Charles. who asks, knowing Sean McDermott wants to coach next year, what are some possible landing places for him? Well, I wrote it on my whiteboard. We put it on the whiteboard.
00:31:34
Speaker 4: What was the date?
00:31:35
Speaker 2: It was like February 11th. I said, Sean McDermott will be the next head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. They are an organization in desperate need of a culture change. They're going the wrong way fast. They are loaded with draft capital after some of the trades they made this past week or so. And you could argue this, but they would appear, provided that his blood clot problems can be taken care of, to already have a franchise quarterback who's won a Super Bowl. And Sean McDermott is a Philadelphia native who began his coaching career in Philadelphia as an assistant under Andy Reid. I mean, if that's not enough of the stars aligning, I don't know what is. So, I mean, to me, it makes too much sense. And I think Sirianni's tenure there has kind of gotten a little stale. So I just, it seems like a natural fit for him. I suppose you can make an argument for Indianapolis, but the quarterback situation isn't as good there. Do the Chargers pull the ripcord on Harbaugh? That could be an attractive place.
00:32:49
Speaker 4: Yeah, and there will also be Other guys in the mix. Mike Tomlin has not given it much thought, he says, about being a coach again. There will be other opportunities. So that's an interesting question. But I don't think there's any doubt that McDermott would be asked to interview for every single vacancy there's going to be. And there's usually an average of about six. Last year was a big year in eight.
00:33:19
Speaker 2: And there were ten new head coaches?
00:33:21
Speaker 9: Ten.
00:33:22
Speaker 4: I'm sorry, ten. Usually there's six.
00:33:26
Speaker 2: The list will probably be shorter this year if the team's looking for head coaches.
00:33:29
Speaker 4: Right.
00:33:30
Speaker 2: Ten is a fat number.
00:33:31
Speaker 4: But he'll be asked to interview for every single opening.
00:33:36
Speaker 2: Yeah. What about this one, Steve? Dallas.
00:33:44
Speaker 4: Dallas? Oh, gosh. I don't know.
00:33:48
Speaker 2: The reason I don't believe so... Is because outside of Wade Phillips, I don't believe Jerry has hired a defensive mind for his head coach. I think it's been all offensive backgrounds with the exception of Wade Phillips in the last 15 years.
00:34:06
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's been Chan, Mike McCarthy.
00:34:12
Speaker 7: Yeah.
00:34:12
Speaker 2: Jason Garrett.
00:34:13
Speaker 4: Jason Garrett.
00:34:15
Speaker 2: Kurt Schottenheimer.
00:34:17
Speaker 4: Yeah, I don't see that happening because I don't. One of the reasons that the Dallas head coaching position doesn't hire an established, strong head coach, now Mike McCarthy being the exception, but let's face it, he didn't last, with the best offense. I mean, he was winning 10 and 12 games. Right. That dude was winning games. But you can't live like that.
00:34:42
Speaker 2: Was Dan Quinn the head coach there? No, he was a coordinator.
00:34:46
Speaker 4: He was a coordinator. Jerry... casts too big a shadow in that organization for a strong head coach to say yes. I think more so than we know, there are head coaching candidates in the NFL, even though there's only 32 of these jobs and they pay eight digits a year to do it, I think there's still a large, larger than we would suspect, percentage
of candidates who say no to certain jobs. Dallas has probably gotten that has probably had guys politely refuse.
00:35:24
Speaker 2: Let's go back to the phones at 716-427-0989. Open lines for you there, but we go to Steve down in Alabama. What's up, Steve?
00:35:34
Speaker 5: Hey, guys.
00:35:35
Speaker 6: First of all, I love the trade. I think it's a plug-and-play player, smart guy, experienced player. And I think the value our two and their, you know, I'm sorry, our two and their five is almost more like a three and four. Now, moving forward, the importance of getting the number one seed. And the gentleman mentioned earlier the trap game. It's almost like we have a trap two games because I'm even thinking nine and one. We got to get to nine to one. But that is very doable, and I think if the team can stay focused and use this as an opportunity, division games are so important. Us getting to 9-1, going to Thanksgiving, and looking at that number one seed, I'm feeling so much better about taking the plane ride from Dothan, Alabama, to the Super Bowl play. Not getting ahead of myself, but let's go.
00:36:41
Speaker 2: All right.
00:36:42
Speaker 5: Thank you so much.
00:36:43
Speaker 2: Sure thing, Steve. Thanks for the phone call.
00:36:45
Speaker 4: Steve's going to the Super Bowl, but he doesn't want to get ahead of himself.
00:36:47
Speaker 2: He doesn't want to get ahead of himself.
00:36:47
Speaker 6: I love it.
00:36:48
Speaker 4: Steve, love you, man.
00:36:49
Speaker 2: You're only talking out of both sides of the room out there, but we accept it.
00:36:53
Speaker 4: It's easy to stamp the Jets and the Dolphins as win-win. I get it. And certainly the Bills are going to be favored in both those games and all that stuff. Yeah. But you've got to win the game this week. You can't think about all that other stuff. You've got to win the game. And that's one of the reasons I think some teams get derailed in their ability to win a game here and there during the regular season because they start thinking big picture, start taking their foot off the gas, and start thinking about a different game other than the one that you're preparing for this week and today. You can't do that. It's a season-long commitment to winning every single game. You've got to win it. It doesn't matter if you're playing– Sisters of the Poor or the Dallas Cowboys or the New York Giants or, in this case, the New York Jets, you've got to strap it on and you've got to win that game and then forget about it and get to the next one. This big picture stuff is fine for us out here, outside the walls of the building, but it's not for the players, not for the coaches. They're tightening the screws. So if you're talking one seed, it means you don't get to take a week off. You don't get to count a win before you play the game. That's the seriousness of, you know, and that's the mindset you have to have. Every game's got it. You got to win every game. And that's your mind. You got to
win every game.
00:38:29
Speaker 2: And I think Joe Brady has tried to take the focus on the one in front of you approach with, you know, go one and oh. to try to drive it into his players' heads. But I think secondarily, like, you know, Steve's talking about how, Steve the phone caller is talking about how, you know, these are division games and they're important games and all that. They're also conference games. So you have a chance to rack up a pair of conference wins and improve your conference record, which, in case you didn't know, is the first tiebreaker with other AFC clubs that are not in your division. at the end of the season. So if this race suddenly becomes, well, it is tight. I mean, there's a slew of teams right behind the bills with only two losses. There's like four or five teams. So, you know, Denver, a couple others. So if this race is tight at the end and you need those conference victories, you don't want to be looking back at week 10 and week 11 and saying, oh man, I wish we just swept the Jets and the Dolphins in those two games and we wouldn't be talking about this problem right now. So just take care of business this week and then take care of business next week because after that, the stretch gets considerably more difficult.
00:39:42
Speaker 4: The Bills have not won a division game this year yet.
00:39:45
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're 0-1.
00:39:45
Speaker 5: So.
00:39:49
Speaker 2: Hopefully that serves as even more impetus to just take care of what you're supposed to take care of, get the win this week, get ready for next week's game at home, win that game, and then you're 9-1 looking at what will be a challenging stretch run. Because you have Kansas City in there, you have Denver in there, Chicago. I mean, there are some tough games coming up after these two. So get your two victories these next two weeks, and then, you know, Worry about the rest of it. So hopefully that's the approach that they're taking. We've got to step aside, take a break here, but more of your questions in the OBL Friday Fan Mailbag coming your way at OneBillsLive on X is where you can ask those or on the phone line, 716-427-0989. More of your questions next here on OneBillsLive. All right, back here on One Bills Live, Chris Brown, Steve Tasker with you. 716-427-0989. The number to call is the OBL Friday fan mailbag is open. Any question you got under the sun on the bills or the NFL at large, fire away there or on the tweet sheet on X at One Bills Live. We go back to the phones and to Mark in West Seneca. What do you got for us, Mark?
00:41:06
Speaker 11: Hi, guys. We're talking about these next, obviously, next two games, but more importantly, the Jets this week. Which brings up the conversation for me, which I always think is probably the most important job of a head coach, which is does he have the ability to stand in front of a room of over 60 alpha males, tell them all to sit down, shut up, and then talk to them and get them to pay attention and most importantly buy into what he's selling because that's his number one job. And if he can't get these guys focused, and ready to play, and forget about all that extraneous stuff. Steve, you know this, being an ex-player. All the guys know this stuff, a division opponent. They know an AFC opponent. They know where they are in the standings. They know how important it is to win, win, win in order to try and get to the number one seat. That's not the task.
00:42:06
Speaker 7: I mean.
00:42:09
Speaker 11: They know all of that stuff.
00:42:11
Speaker 8: So for them to.
00:42:12
Speaker 11: Just get in front of the team and say, focus on this opponent, this game, and forget about everything else. Everything else will take care of itself if you just show up ready to play and win the game. And being a new head coach, I think that's probably one of the toughest things that Joe has to prove he can do. Nothing against him, but it's a learning experience for him. as well as anybody. So I wish him the best of luck, but we'll see if it happens, but that's all I wanted to bring up.
00:42:45
Speaker 6: All right.
00:42:46
Speaker 4: I get it, Mark. Um, I would just remind you, they started the season on the road in Houston against the number one defense from the year before and hung 36 points on them. Then they had the most difficult offense to face. They had the number one defense from a year ago to face. Then they faced maybe the top offense in the league. Um, Then they went out to L.A. They beat the Raiders. I mean, if Joe couldn't get them right, they wouldn't be in the position they are now at 7-1 at the top of the conference. So Joe's doing it right. You can say there may be some unforeseen challenges like coming up on a couple of the division games against teams that are struggling. It's a different challenge than getting them ready for week one and week two or the home opener in a brand-new stadium and all the hype. in the standalone game on a Thursday night, all that stuff. Yeah, it's a different animal, but it seems he has been up to the task so far. You're right. It is one of the most important things a head coach can do. And when you get to the level from a coordinator to a head coach, head coach, you almost become, in my opinion, you become an executive coach. It's Joe's job to coach the coordinators and the coaches, and the coaches and the coordinators get the team ready on the field with the X's and O's and the assignments and all of that stuff. But the head coach sets the mindset. The head coach sets the culture. He sets the priority list. A, B, C, D, these are the things that are really important. These are our core values. Act like it, live like it, and play like it. That's the head coach's job. And he has done an outstanding job. Now he's got an extra thing on his plate because he's a play caller offensively and all that stuff that goes into it. But to this point, it's hard to argue with how well they're doing. We can say, yeah, the
offense doesn't look like it's played its best football yet. Still like they're, you know, still missing some gears or whatever, whatever. They're winning games. This just in, they just beat a team by 20, by 17 points. They beat the team before that by 26 points. So, yeah, they've been in some tight games, but they're also ringing some people up. So even though they haven't played their best football, which you need to be playing when you need to win to keep your season alive, but there's still a high ceiling for this team. They see it. They feel it. And I think that's one of the talking points Joe uses for them We haven't played our best football yet. Let's try and get there. So, yeah, what you said about him setting the culture and setting the tone and getting the mind right and getting him ready to play and not overlooking a weaker opponent is true, but it's hard to see any evidence that he hasn't done that to this point.
00:45:51
Speaker 9: Yeah.
00:45:52
Speaker 2: And there's a small part of me that's actually, I don't want to say happy, encouraged by the fact that the Bills have not truly peaked yet in terms of their play. We know that the defense is a work in progress and that they're building. And I think people notice that there is at the very least incremental improvement. And I think that will continue on the defensive side of the ball because that's kind of been the trend since I would say week six against the Raiders. They've gotten incrementally better each passing week. And then offensively, They haven't had a game where they really haven't gotten in their own way and stubbed their toe a few times. Last week's the most recent example because they took nine points off the board. Pre-snap penalties and other stuff, just going backwards with poor execution on the first possession. So in a weird way, and it's presumably because it hasn't cost them a game yet, I'm encouraged by the fact that they haven't even played their best football and peaked because they in an ideal world, you want them peaking in week 17, 18 into the playoffs, which is what they did back in 2021. So I'm kind of hoping for that in terms of how the rest of the season unfolds. We got to take a break here because we're up against the clock, but when we come back, more of your phone calls in hour number two. We'll lead off with Paul in Colden and Craig in Rochester when we return here on an OBL Friday fan mailbag edition of One Bills Live.
00:47:39
Speaker 1: He is a beast with a capital B. The cook is in the kitchen.
00:47:49
Speaker 2: Fires on a post to Coleman in the end zone.
00:47:51
Speaker 3: For the touchdown. Pressure coming. He's sacked and he fumbled. The Bills have the football.
00:48:04
Speaker 2: This is One Pills Live. All right, rocking and rolling here on a Friday. Chris Brown, Steve Tasker with you. Hour number two of the show. We'll have a Jets preview in just a little bit as we check in with their resident boots on the ground senior vice president
reporter Eric Allen. We'll do that at about 1130. But for now, we're taking your phone calls as the OBL Friday fan mailbag is open. Any question you've got on the Bills, the NFL... the AFC conference race, fire away 716-427-0989, the phone number to call, or on the tweet sheet at OneBillsLive. As promised, we lead off this segment with Paul Outen. Colton, what's up, Paul?
00:48:47
Speaker 9: Hey, thanks for taking my call this morning. I'm a long, long time follower of the Bills. I go back to when I think Mike Stratton Knocked out Keith Lincoln for the championship. But my question today is the concept. Can you tell me the concept of the three tight ends out on the field at the same time? Is that more a blocking scheme or is that flooding....
00:49:20
Speaker 8: The field with receivers?
00:49:23
Speaker 9: And the one receiver I certainly miss is Beasley. When Beasley did that, you know, two or three yards down and cut across, he made the game. He got... Josh, I have a lot of problems there, but could you explain a little bit more on the three tight ends?
00:49:48
Speaker 2: Sure.
00:49:49
Speaker 9: Thanks for my call.
00:49:50
Speaker 4: No problem, Paul. Paul, think about it. I mean, the way you're asking that, is that going to be a blocking? Is it a blocking thing or is it a wide receiver thing? That's exactly the question that they're asking the defense. How do they feel about it? When you put three tight ends out there, you certainly feel like you've got better blockers on, bigger, stronger guys, and it forces the defense to make decisions. And you call your plays based on the defensive personnel they put out to combat those three tight ends. But if you can go out and put three tight ends out there and the defense goes heavy personnel to combat those big dudes out there, thinking you're going to run the ball down their throat, those tight ends, theoretically, You can spread them out like wide receivers, and all of a sudden they run routes like wide receivers, and the defense has big fat guys trying to guard them, so to speak.
00:50:41
Speaker 2: So it's a mismatch.
00:50:41
Speaker 4: So it's a mismatch. So going heavy, we call it heavy when you put tight ends out there for obvious reasons. Instead of receivers. Instead of receivers. So the question you're asking is exactly why teams do it. You don't know what they're going to do. Are they going to run it or are they going to pass it? Are they going to pack it in tight and just push, push, push and run it? Or do they have tight ends that are athletic enough to break the formation, spread out wide, and run routes and beat your defenders as though they were wide receivers? That question you asked is exactly the reason they use three tight ends or zero tight ends.
00:51:16
Speaker 2: Yeah. Especially if you have pass-catching tight ends like the Bills do. You know, Dalton Kincaid, who's a premier pass catching tight end collecting a lot to skill set fits into that. He hasn't really emerged as
that yet, but it's in there if they need to tap into it. So they have guys that can block in the run game, but are just as capable running routes. And if you have Dalton Kincaid on a linebacker, that's a mismatch that you're going to go to every single time because he's going to win.
00:51:48
Speaker 4: Here's, here's the thing. Uh, it, at the level of the NFL is right now, you, and you see different exceptions to it because of injury and like, you know, Amani Hooker coming over from the Titans is a little bit different, but you take for granted on your football team that your guys know what they're doing. Now, you can't do that with the Bills defense because it's new and they're new, all that, but you feel like you've got to handle what you can do and what you can't do offensively and defensively with your people and your schemes and all of that. What you don't know is what the other team thinks about you and how they're going to attack you or defend you. And by switching personnel on and off the field, you get an idea of their opinion about your personnel anyway. So you know if you put Kincaid out there with four receivers and they go with Dime, you know they think of Kincaid as a wide receiver, that kind of thing. And if you put three tight ends out there and they stay in base personnel, They think they can defend the run as well as the pass. So they think you're more dangerous to throw the football, even with three tight ends on the field. So they don't match with big heavy dudes. They match with DBs because they want to cover it. They're more worried about you getting loose in the passing game than they are about you firing off the ball and running it against them with three tight ends.
00:53:12
Speaker 2: Or they have a lot of faith in their safeties to run defense.
00:53:15
Speaker 7: Right.
00:53:15
Speaker 4: The whole idea is to find out what they think about you. And when you know what they think about you, that gives you a handle on where they're afraid you're going to attack them.
00:53:27
Speaker 2: And more importantly, what you should do next in terms of your offensive plan.
00:53:31
Speaker 4: So that's why the three tight ends, because it's an extreme, you can call it extreme, it's a big, heavy, unless you're putting extra offensive linemen on the field, it's your biggest personnel grouping that you can still threaten them a little bit with a pass.
00:53:46
Speaker 2: Yep. Let's go to Craig in Rochester on the phone lines at 716-427-0989. What do you got for us, Craig?
00:53:55
Speaker 5: Good morning, gentlemen. Good day to you, and thanks for taking my call today. I've got two questions, which I hope you both can address. The first one is, Buffalo seems to have their issues playing Kansas City in the playoffs, going way back to the very first opportunity in Super Bowl I, through the time that they've been playing. And, of course, during the era that the Bills went to the Super Bowls, they beat Kansas City. But since then, it seems like that's the team they have trouble against. My second question is definitely for Steve. What he picks off sides. Many games, it appears that the teams are helmet to helmet. And when they're out between the two 20-yard lines, there appears to be more room between the offense and the defense. Yet at times, a player is called offsides. What are the specific requirements to be called offsides? Thank you for taking my call, and I look forward to hearing your response.
00:54:57
Speaker 7: All right.
00:54:58
Speaker 2: Thanks, Greg. Appreciate it. You want to do the offsides thing first?
00:55:01
Speaker 4: I don't know what to tell you. You can't line up on the other side of the ball. but there's some gray area because when the center comes up and grabs it, you'll notice one or once in a while, or most of the time they'll move it a little bit just to get a grip on and get the laces where they want it. So they can, when they put it up to the quarterback's hands, the laces are perfect for the quarterback. Um, you can't line up over the top of the ball on offense or defense. The ball is a neutral zone and it's, it's supposed to be as long as the football is, but when they stand the football on end, it becomes narrow and the effect. And, You're right. In some games, in some scenarios, in some down and distances, there seems to be a gray area or no area of offsides. There is still– the rule says you cannot line up on your opponent's side of the football. And I get why you're questioning it because they do give it some leeway, particularly on short yardage plays. But the rule's still in effect. What can I say? You can't line up across the ball on your opponent's side.
00:56:10
Speaker 2: And just to be truthful about it, there are times where I've watched games and it looks like a player on the opposing defense is lined up off sides prior to the snap and the refs don't catch it. They don't catch it every time. I'll give you an example. AFC championship game, Bill's Chiefs, Chris Jones routinely lined up in the neutral zone in an effort to thwart the Bills' sneak play. They just said, we're going to line up in the neutral zone as a group and see if they call it. And they never called it. And the Chiefs stopped them four out of seven times when they ran seven sneaks in that AFC title game in 2024. And I was heated. I even remember saying it on the broadcast, how annoyed I was that they weren't flagging it. So that was frustrating. let alone the spots of the football, but that's another story for another day. The second part of your question, which was why do the Chiefs keep getting in the Bills' way? Well, because A, more often than not, they've had a better record than the Bills in the AFC Conference, had a higher seed, and they've won three Super Bowls due in large part to the fact that they've had buys in the wildcard round and are playing one less playoff game than the Bills every postseason. That's number one. Number two? They've executed in
crunch time better than the Bills. Plain and simple.
00:57:35
Speaker 4: Particularly on their offensive side, the Bills' defensive side.
00:57:38
Speaker 2: They have executed in a superior fashion to the Bills at the most important times of the games, which is usually at the end, and it's usually been their offense and Patrick Mahomes.
00:57:50
Speaker 7: Usually.
00:57:51
Speaker 2: And it's not just been the Bills. They're the thorn in everybody's side. The only one that's gotten over on them in the AFC are the Bengals. They didn't make the playoffs last year, so nobody really got over on them last year. But the six years prior to that, the only team that got over on them were the Bengals. So they're everybody's problem in the AFC until otherwise. So that's just kind of the way it is. He was saying back in the Super Bowl years, nobody got the better of us. You guys were getting the better of everybody.
00:58:22
Speaker 4: Yeah. We beat Joe Montana and the Chiefs. in a championship game here in Buffalo, but that, you know, it's here, here in Buffalo, it's a different animal. And in the old stadium, how, you know, so yeah, I, I get it. And it, it is something that happens. It happened to me during my career and it happens to guys during your career. What happens is you get an era in every team's history where they get their got their court, like the bills got Josh Baltimore got Lamar. Cincinnati got Joe Burrow. The Chiefs got Pat Mahomes. All of these guys show up in the league and their teams build around them. They get good. They get a core group of guys that can really go. And their head coach and their coordinators are on it and they're good. And they stay good like the Bills have for seven, eight, nine years. So when you're good for that stretch of years, guess what? That other team over there has got that same quarterback and they stay good for that same stretch of years and you see them all the time. Now, having said that, you meet these guys all the time. Every year and every game is a different animal. Sometimes they look similar. The endings are similar. The games are close. They always have these guys who show up and guys who don't show up and guys who make the great play. But every game is unique and different. And just because you get a trend, it's because one team's just not good enough on a more consistent basis. It's that simple. It's hard to hear, but it's just not good enough. Your offense can't score enough points. Your defense can't get a stop when they need it. Whatever the reason is, it's a different reason every game and every year. But that's just the basis of it. You're just not quite good enough to beat that other team when it really matters. Or you get lucky, and that happens too. But when you say the Bills have always been– The Raiders were a big rivalry of the 90s teams, as were the Chiefs. I'm trying to think of some other playoff teams. The Oilers were big.
01:00:43
Speaker 6: Raiders.
01:00:44
Speaker 4: The Raiders, Oilers. All of those teams were a part of the fabric of that 90s team. And Marino and Kelly. Those teams were right at it all the time.
01:00:55
Speaker 2: I mean, if you asked Dolphins fans... that were fans in the 90s, they would probably point to the Bills as their version of the Chiefs. That's right. The Dolphins could not get past the Bills in the playoffs. Could not do it. And there were multiple meetings.
01:01:08
Speaker 4: That's right.
01:01:10
Speaker 2: Including the 92 AFC title game. Could not get past the Bills.
01:01:14
Speaker 4: And I remember thinking, I know that the Dolphins were very keen on home field. And when they finally got home field in the 92 championship game, there was a sense in our locker room that like, they thought, man, they've already won because that was the whole thing. They couldn't beat Buffalo in Buffalo in January, but by golly, they were going to beat us in Miami. And once they got the home field, they said, it's done, we got them. Well, you still got to play. And, you know, we lumped them up, actually lumped them up pretty good. So it's not the be-all, end-all home field advantage, but it does help. Particularly, in my opinion, it's not so much about the game that it helps you in, whether it's home or on the road, but you get a bye week. That's huge.
01:02:02
Speaker 2: Yeah, the bye week is the biggest factor. And back then.
01:02:05
Speaker 4: Two teams got a bye.
01:02:06
Speaker 2: It's one less game for things to go wrong, for you to have a bad day, or for you to sustain injuries. All of that.
01:02:14
Speaker 4: Is off the table. And it's a week long to heal up and start to feel good again and fresh. And, oh, my gosh, it's a world of difference.
01:02:22
Speaker 5: Yeah.
01:02:23
Speaker 4: And back then, like I said, two teams got the bye back then. Now it's just one.
01:02:27
Speaker 2: And, man, oh, man, what a– I think it makes an even bigger difference.
01:02:30
Speaker 4: It's a bigger difference because you can't meet another team in the championship game that's had a bye week, too.
01:02:35
Speaker 7: Yep.
01:02:35
Speaker 2: You're the only one. Let's go back to the tweet sheet where David asks, not looking forward to the sloppy flag fest that usually happens at MetLife Stadium. because the jets are the filthiest team in football over the last 50 years, probably as a result of being the NFL's worst team during that timeframe. All right, David, I think that's a little strong. I would argue that the Patriots are a dirtier team than the jets. I mean, you need to look no further than, you know, the game earlier this season in Buffalo where Reggie Gilliam takes Ed Oliver's knee out at the end of a play that already was out of bounds. And there are other examples, but that's, a conversation for another day. The head referee for Sunday's game is Ron Torbert, who I believe the Bills have had once before already, and his crew is middle of the pack in terms of total penalties assessed. If
you want to avoid a flag fest, the guy you do not want is Scott Novak and his crew. He is far and away the league leader in flags today. They have 164 assessed penalties. Scott Novak's crew, Steve, the next closest crew is 28 penalties behind them.
01:03:52
Speaker 4: 28. Yeah.
01:03:56
Speaker 2: Now in fairness, Novak has Novak's crew has called one more game than almost every other crew in the league.
01:04:03
Speaker 4: Um, but that's still, that's like two games.
01:04:05
Speaker 2: It's like two games ahead, two games ahead. It's, it's a big gap. Um, They average over 18 penalties assessed per game. They average 20.5 total flags a game. Right. Like, the Bills had Scott Novak in Week 5 against the Rams, and we saw how that thing got mucked up.
01:04:27
Speaker 10: Mm-hmm.
01:04:27
Speaker 2: So that's the guy you do not want. But usually you get a crew twice a year. So there's probably another Scott Novak game coming down the pike, and I pray to God it's not the Chiefs game.
01:04:40
Speaker 6: Yeah.
01:04:41
Speaker 2: Because Bills fans will lose their ever-loving minds.
01:04:44
Speaker 7: Yeah.
01:04:44
Speaker 2: On Thanksgiving of all years.
01:04:49
Speaker 4: It's just inevitable that you get games like that where the officials are forced to insert themselves into the action late to make a call or an egregious non-call. Because the league is set up for close games.
01:05:10
Speaker 9: Mm-hmm.
01:05:11
Speaker 4: You know, the games are one-score games. I mean, I mentioned just, like, the Bills are rolling, and they've got two games by double-digit wins, right? They've only got two games they've won by double digits.
01:05:22
Speaker 2: Lions game.
01:05:22
Speaker 4: The Lions game and the Baltimore game. There's three. Baltimore with a third-string quarterback on the spur of the moment, and then the Vikings. So they've got three out of their eight games that are won by double digits, and they lost by three.
01:05:38
Speaker 8: Uh-huh.
01:05:39
Speaker 4: That's the way it is for a lot of teams. So when you get these close games, the officials got to do their job. So you get late in the game in a close game, you got to make a call if it's a call. We've all seen non-calls where the officials kind of go away. The hockey's notorious for that in overtime. The Sabres lost a game on an egregious non-call last night. I mean, it's ridiculous. The officials don't want to do their job because they don't want to be the guy that made the call that cost them a game. Even though it's a call that's like grade school one. I mean, come on. It's inevitable, is my point, that you're going to get times like that. And the Bills have had more than their share, without question.
01:06:26
Speaker 6: Oh, yeah.
01:06:28
Speaker 4: Particularly in this Josh Allen era where they don't lose by more than a touchdown. So every game, if they're fighting to win, even if they lose, it's going to come down to something like that.
01:06:37
Speaker 2: And that's what sparks the ire of people like David.
01:06:40
Speaker 4: Think about the game in Kansas City where Andrew Toney, is that right, Andrew Toney, lined up off sides on the Travis Kelt. It wasn't Toney.
01:06:51
Speaker 2: No, it wasn't Andrew Toney.
01:06:52
Speaker 4: Andrew Toney's like 90 years old.
01:06:54
Speaker 2: And he was a point guard or a guard for the Philadelphia 76ers.
01:06:58
Speaker 4: I'm in the ballpark, though.
01:06:59
Speaker 2: That's the other problem.
01:07:00
Speaker 4: You know who I'm talking about, though.
01:07:01
Speaker 2: I know Andrew Toney.
01:07:03
Speaker 4: The guy who lined up off sides when Travis Kelsey did the lateral touchdown. No, it's coming back. Yes, the guy was lined up off sides. And Mahomes lost his mind.
01:07:12
Speaker 6: Yeah.
01:07:14
Speaker 2: It's inevitable. It's inevitable.
01:07:18
Speaker 5: Yeah.
01:07:20
Speaker 4: We'll find out who that guy was that lined up off sides. Somebody's got to.
01:07:24
Speaker 2: Somebody was trying to tell us in our ear, but I couldn't hear.
01:07:27
Speaker 4: Oh, what is it? Kadarius Tony.
01:07:29
Speaker 2: Oh, so Kadarius Tony. You had the right last name.
01:07:32
Speaker 4: I was ballpark. So, yeah, that's just the way it is. It's inevitable. So, yeah, these officials, the flag fests, and all the stuff you complain about, let's be honest. I know it hurts to lose a game like that. All of us do in Buffalo. Oh, my gosh. We've lost like six in a row like that in the playoffs. But think about it. Back in the day, no video review, no challenge flags, no instant replay. None of it was there, and you just kind of had to live with it. You go back and look at the Pittsburgh Steelers run to four out of six Super Bowls. At least one of them probably shouldn't have happened.
01:08:18
Speaker 2: Immaculate reception against the Raiders?
01:08:21
Speaker 5: Maybe.
01:08:21
Speaker 6: Maybe.
01:08:23
Speaker 4: The touchdown that wasn't given as a touchdown to the Oilers in Pittsburgh where the guy catches it, gets two feet down, slides out, and it's like, nah, he was out of bounds. I mean, I think it was Steve. I can't remember the name of the receiver. It was absolutely a touchdown under any circumstances, and it was right in front of the official, and he waved him out of bounds. No touchdown, lose the game, thanks for coming. It's a squasher, but that's the way it used to be.
01:08:51
Speaker 2: Think about how you got the Ram saints.
01:08:53
Speaker 4: Think about how much it hurts and how much better it is now than it used to be.
01:08:59
Speaker 6: Yeah.
01:09:00
Speaker 2: I mean, it wasn't too long ago you had the Ram Saints NFC title game.
01:09:04
Speaker 4: Well, even that, you still can't fix that. You still can't fix that. There's no way to fix an egregious missed call. An egregious missed call. You can't fix it. You've got to do your job if you're an official.
01:09:21
Speaker 2: We are going to step aside, take a break here, but we'll get to more
of your questions in the OBL Friday Fan Mailbag. Open lines for you, 716-427-0989, or hit us up on X on the tweet sheet at OneBillsLive. When we come back, though, we've got to take an opponent preview, as we have Jets Vice President of Content, Eric Allen, joining us when we return here on OneBillsLive. All right, back here on One Bills Live, Chris Brown, Steve Tasker with you. Time now for this week's opponent preview, presented by McDonald's, a proud partner of the Buffalo Bills, and here to help us do that, Jets Vice President of Content and News Strategy. It's one Eric Allen, who's embedded with the Jets, much like we're embedded with the Bills, so who better to talk to? EA, how we doing?
01:10:25
Speaker 7: Good.
01:10:28
Speaker 2: All right, we're having some technical difficulties. All right, we'll check in with Eric in just a second. The thing I want to find out from him is, you know, you look up and down this roster, like the first and second round picks, like there's first and second round picks everywhere.
01:10:45
Speaker 4: Yeah, they have physical abilities. I'm with you. They've got some dudes.
01:10:49
Speaker 2: So I want to know how it's gelling. That's the thing that I want to know, because the talent is readily apparent, like You've got guys that can make unbelievable plays at any moment in any game, but how are they playing as a collective unit is the question here, I think.
01:11:02
Speaker 4: Yeah, we'll get him on. It'll be interesting to see how the vibe is. Is it changing? Because I know that patience is always in short supply with the Jets organization and the NFL too, but what the vibe is surrounding this team, what do the fans think about this team and where it's headed? and what are the chances and the prospects. They've got an incredible amount of draft capital coming up.
01:11:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, they've got three first-round picks, all in the top 15 as it stands right now.
01:11:35
Speaker 4: Yeah, because you would think they're going to have their pick of the prospect coming out that they want, presumably a quarterback.
01:11:48
Speaker 2: Right, and– they clearly with three picks in the top 15 have the ammo to go all the way to the top of the board. If they feel it's necessary.
01:11:54
Speaker 4: I would think they could, depending on who's there. Now, if Miami's up there, Miami might not want to trade.
01:11:58
Speaker 2: That's a good point.
01:11:59
Speaker 4: Miami might not want to trade that pick.
01:12:02
Speaker 11: Yeah.
01:12:02
Speaker 2: So, all right, well, let's check in with, uh, Eric now. So how are we doing EA?
01:12:07
Speaker 11: Gentlemen.
01:12:08
Speaker 7: Good morning.
01:12:09
Speaker 2: Yeah. We were just talking about this while we were trying to fix your audio issue there. So you could hear us. Um, You look at this roster, up and down the freaking board is like first and second round picks littered everywhere. So you know going into a game like this that players of that ilk and that talent level can make a play on you at any given point in time. My question to you is, how has all of that talent gelled and coalesced so far this season?
01:12:39
Speaker 7: Well, the Jets are certainly not where they want to be right now, 2-7 overall. five one-possession losses, but what you've seen the last couple weeks is the offenses really started to take off, season-high points against the Miami Dolphins and then the Raiders last week against Kansas City. I thought the Jets had a lot of opportunities to take control of that game in the first half. They had five trips inside plus territory. Unfortunately, they were settling for field goals. You've seen a lot of explosive elements offensively. Brownie and Steve, you're talking about Six players who've had 100-yard games for the New York Jets. Brees Hall, 100 yards rushing. Braylon Allen in that category as well. The rookie tight end, Kenyon Sadiq. And then receivers, Garrett Wilson, Omar Cooper, of course, who's an impressive rookie himself, and Adonai Mitchell.
01:13:32
Speaker 4: Give us an idea about where they hang their hat on offensively. Certainly, Brees Hall's absence kind of hampered their ability to get the outside, but they still seem committed to the run.
01:13:42
Speaker 2: Oh, definitely.
01:13:43
Speaker 7: Listen, Brees Hall missed five games, and during that time, I think a lot of people were questioning where the Jets were going to go as far as running the football was concerned. Braylon Allen just really took off when he was the bell call in the backfield. In fact, when he was starting, he was second in the National Football League in terms of yards. Then you bring Brees Hall back into the lineup last week against the Chiefs, he looks spry as well. What Frank Reich wants to do, and you guys know him so well, Steve, is that he wants to run the football. He wants balance, and offensively, the Jets want to set up Geno Smith as far as play action, his play action game down the field. The Jets have been very successful moving the football and with explosives, but it all starts with winning at the line of scrimmage, running the football, setting Geno Smith up, and Geno has been very good, accurate with the football, and he can threaten you at all three levels.
01:14:42
Speaker 2: Yeah. We noted this already on the show this week, EA, because it was eye-popping to me when I found it. But, I mean, 13 forced fumbles already by the Jets' defense. Nine of those have been takeaways. That leads the league. We know that James Cook comes in with a reputation of, Getting a little loose with the football sometimes. He was A-plus last week against a Vikings team that was trying to punch it out every chance they had. But what has been the main impetus for that? Is it basically David Bailey with the strip sacks, or are they punching balls out as well?
01:15:22
Speaker 7: That's definitely an emphasis, punching the ball out, like you mentioned. But David Bailey, he's been... everything
and then some. You're talking about a kid who has seven and a half sacks, is tied for fourth in the National Football League, and he's missed a game. But he leads the team with the 5-4 fumbles. And the Jets, they're not publicly talking about it this week, but you know that's one thing that they're talking about in the meeting rooms is getting the ball away from Josh Allen if you have an opportunity to get after him in the pocket, but punching the ball out from James Cook The Jets have a tremendous amount of respect for Cook. He's one of the best backs in the league. You guys know that. But he has had fumbling problems in the past, and you know the Jets are going to emphasize that because they know to win this game, they're going to have to turn the bills over, and they have to play better in the red.
01:16:13
Speaker 2: Zone, guys.
01:16:14
Speaker 4: Give us an idea of the Jets' struggles on third down. They were only 2 of 12 last week, and their red zone offense has struggled to punch it in. You mentioned they had four field goals last week. where their struggles begin and end?
01:16:29
Speaker 7: They're getting behind the sticks. I mean, when the Jets offensively are having negative plays, then that's putting them in situations where they're not able to overcome those, whether that's a sack sometimes, but penalties as well. The Jets got to be cleaner in those categories. But when they are on schedule, they're as good as anybody in the league moving the ball inside the 20s. Now, when you're talking about Inside the red zone, yes, the Jets have to improve there. I think there's a learning process between Frank Reich and all these skill position guys that the Jets have offensively. I think they have to find a go-to inside the red zone. And Reich said teams typically don't change their coverages until you get to the plus 15.
01:17:17
Speaker 6: No.
01:17:19
Speaker 7: For the Jets to win this week, they know they've got to get sevens. I mean, that's the bottom line. Last week against the Chiefs, they had a first and goal at the four-yard line, and that opening possession, they came away with three points. You're going to feel angst from the crowd, Steve, if they're not able to convert those opportunities with touchdowns. I mean, against the Raiders, they scored 33 points. They probably should have scored 45 points. And then you go back to the Miami Dolphins game. The Jets had a first and goal at the one touchdown. And then you look back at these one possession losses, you can pinpoint these opportunities and say, Hey, if the Jets convert there, maybe they win.
01:17:58
Speaker 4: Yeah.
01:17:59
Speaker 7: Right.
01:18:00
Speaker 2: Listening to veteran linebacker DeMario Davis the other day, this week, you know, he was talking about, look, we have long stretches of quality play, but for whatever reason, we're not sustaining that for 60 minutes. So again, What do you feel has been the disconnect there? Is it just guys? What has made it so difficult for them to kind of sustain it for a 60-minute effort and close a game out?
01:18:26
Speaker 7: No, it's a fair question. I think for the Jets, they're further along offensively than defensively. And then you talk about a couple of injuries that have happened of late. Devondre Sweat, a run stopper in the middle, he's on injury reserve right now. So that's impacting their defensive interior. Harrison Phillips, the former Buffalo Bills, as you guys know very well, he's been hobbled out there. So he's trying to gut it out and be out there on the field. So on the interior, you're seeing the Jets have guys, including Daryl Jackson, who I think has been very impressive as a rookie, but his snap count has increased. And then on the outside, I talked about Bailey being out one game. You've had injuries to Joseph Osai, but the good news for the Jets this weekend is that Aaron Glenn just pointed that out at his Friday news conference, is that you're going to have four edges out there. And for the Jets, they haven't had that full complement. So yes, you're going to see a ton of Bailey. Will McDonald's out there as well. He brings that speed and explosive off the edge, but Kingsley Anikbare and Joseph Osai have to give you good snaps as well. And defensively, Again, you're seeing the Jets not have 60-minute performances, where against Miami, they give up three touchdowns in the first half, and then they're lights out in the second half. Against the Raiders, you see them tighten up for a half. For the Jets, it's just, hey, get better on third down, get off the field. But I think injuries are impacting what they're doing right now in the front seven. This defense is predicated on not giving up the explosive play.
01:20:06
Speaker 4: How has Aaron Glenn handled the adversity? Certainly, at 2-7, not what they had hoped. What's his message coming out, and how do his players receive it?
01:20:17
Speaker 7: I think his message right now inside the room, Steve, is that we're close. We're on the cusp. We've got to keep on pushing. Again, he has this experience from coming over from Detroit under Dan Campbell, where the Lions didn't have that immediate success either. So, For the Jets, they've been coming out. They've been playing hard each and every week. In fact, you look at them offensively, the last five games they've scored in their opening possession each week. That's the longest streak in the National Football League. You're seeing intensity from the guys. You're seeing effort from the guys. I actually was down in the locker room the last couple days. I think it's a loose group. I still think they have that confidence, but they've got to have that breakthrough win.
01:21:02
Speaker 2: Is it this weekend?
01:21:04
Speaker 7: Against the Bills, because next week you're going to L.A., you're facing a winless Chargers team, and then that is followed up by a trip to Miami before the bye. The Jets right now, that's a long stretch before your first bye. I
know the Bills had their bye quite early. The Jets are playing 12 games before they get their first rest.
01:21:26
Speaker 2: And then Gary Wilson is, you know, working his way back on the practice field. Obviously the hope is he gets out of concussion protocol and he's good to go on Sunday. How different do they look offensively with him in, as opposed to out of the lineup? Because I mean, again, going back to my first question here, EA, I mean, the talent is just dripping off the roster at the skill positions. You know, Kenyon Sadiq, I think can outrun almost any safety in the league at the tight end position. And then outside, you already mentioned Adonai Mitchell, the rookie Omar Cooper is coming along. So how has it looked different when Garrett's in as opposed to out of the lineup?
01:22:05
Speaker 7: Well, I only missed the one game. And like you said, the Jets do have a bounty of skill position talent. So it could be any guy each week. But the Jets have made clear about it that Listen, the offense runs through Garrett Wilson and Brees Hall, and they're both back in the lineup. And this will be the first time, if you include the offensive line, that everybody's been on the field together when you're talking about Garrett Wilson, Omar Cooper, Adonai Mitchell, who missed a number of games with a finger injury. Then up front, Dylan Parham is back at the left guard position. That's going to help them on the interior. They have to hold up on the interior this week for Geno Smith because it's not like He's a Josh Allen who's taken off all the time, and you have to worry about him too much as far as the perimeter is concerned. The Jets have to control that. Bill's very impressive interior. But you're talking about the skill, position, talent. The bottom line is the Jets are going to get Garrett Wilson to football. Last week, it was Omar Cooper who had double-digit targets. You mentioned Kenya Tzadik as well. The Jets, up and down the line as far as skill, position, talent. They're as good as anybody in the league. At wide receiver, tight end, and running back, they can match up with anybody in the league. And I know they're 2-7, but they're confident there. Where they have to get better is, okay, inside the 20s, you guys are doing good. Explosive plays. You're putting that on tape as well. Now it's finishing with the points inside the red zone, inside plus territory. But this offense runs through Garrett Wilson and Brees Hall. Yeah.
01:23:43
Speaker 2: EA, thanks for the time, as always. We appreciate it. We'll see you down there on Sunday.
01:23:47
Speaker 7: Thanks, guys. Looking forward to it.
01:23:49
Speaker 2: All right, that's Eric Allen, Jets Vice President of Content and News Strategy, joining us, giving us kind of the lowdown on them. And, yes, it's red zone issues on both sides of the ball. I mean, they're 31st in the league in red zone touchdown efficiency on offense. I think defensively they're 22nd in the league. They've given up the third most touchdowns defensively in the red zone this season. And when you're not pulling out those one-score games, there's your difference.
01:24:12
Speaker 6: Yeah.
01:24:13
Speaker 4: That's right. The margins are small, and even though you're 2-7, you're not that far away. I mean, that's just it. That's why it's so frustrating for coaching staff, players.
01:24:25
Speaker 2: And fans.
01:24:26
Speaker 4: And fans.
01:24:28
Speaker 2: That's just how it's kind of gone for them. But, man, you look at their receiver position. If you pay attention to the draft, even casually, there are recognizable names up and down the depth chart for them. and all, like, young guys. I mean, even Garrett Wilson's only in his fifth season. I mean, he's their quintessential number one receiver, and it looks like he's going to be back in the lineup this week after missing last week's game due to a concussion. Got to take a break here, but we're back to your questions in the OBL Friday Fan Mailbag when we return here on One Bills Live. Back here, one last segment on One Bills Live here on a Friday. OBL Friday fan mailbag remains open for a couple more minutes. We go back to the phones and to Greg in East Aurora. What's up, Greg?
01:25:32
Speaker 6: Hey, guys.
01:25:33
Speaker 10: Love your show, although I confess my wife doesn't understand how I spend two hours watching it every day. I wonder about our offensive line health. We're getting kind of nicked up. And how deep is the coverage? I'll take my answer.
01:25:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, appreciate that, Greg. You know by now, just by virtue of the fact that he's played in each of the last two games, that Tylan Grable, third-year man out of Central Florida, is their swing tackle. Started at right tackle in Week 8 against the Ravens, then started at left tackle in Week 9 against the Vikings, and we'll see if he has to make another start, either for Dawkins or Brown. Spencer missed practice yesterday. Deion's still working his way back from a rib injury. At guard, you know that the first guy in is Austin Corbett, the nine-year vet. Behind those two guys are what amounts to rookies. It's basically Armagé Reed-Adams as your rookie guard. He's a seventh-round pick. And then Jude Bowery, the fourth-round pick, is your fourth offensive tackle. And then your backup center is Lloyd Cushenberry, the 10-year veteran behind Connor McGovern.
01:26:45
Speaker 4: You could make a case for Cushenberry sliding the guard in emergency to finish a game or whatever, but that's... He's largely a center. He's a center. So, yeah, you're right. And that's a problem not just for the Bills. We talk about it every year. I mean, the Chiefs seem to go into the playoffs every year with no tackles, right? And they somehow end up winning. So, it's... Grable, I think, has acquitted himself extremely well. Austin Corbett has some limitations, like, You don't want to leave him on an island at guard very much, but he's in the run game and all that. He's a savvy guy, so he can help. And they played very well against a really good defense in Minnesota. So we'll see. But you're right. This is the first time in a handful of years that we've had kind of a chronic depth need for the offensive line because those five guys up front have virtually never missed.
01:27:41
Speaker 2: And then on the practice squad, you've got Chase Lunt, who's a second year kid out of UConn. He's kind of your fifth tackle. And they just signed Nick broker. Who's a former draft pick of the bills handful of years ago. Uh, he's kind of your guard slash center depth, um, back on the practice squad. So that's who you have there for all intents and purposes. Um, That's the long and short of it. So very hard in this day and age to have deep offensive lines in the National Football League. But the Bills have one of the better ones, obviously, amongst the starters, and they're trying to groom and grow their depth. After some veterans were, you know, they moved on from some veterans that didn't re-sign Ryan Vandermark, who's in Minnesota. So that's kind of where it sits, you know, for lack of a better thing. We've got to quickly set the table for a Bills win, Steve, presented by Pepsi, the official soft drink of the Buffalo Bills. Bills fans deserve Pepsi. I think it's just stay out of the turnover margin area. We know the Jets are good at forcing turnovers. They've got to be at least even. If you start going minus two, now you're letting the Jets back in the football game.
01:28:53
Speaker 4: That's right. Turnovers, it starts there. You don't have to play tight or conservative to But you've got to have ball security, and that's where it starts and ends.
01:29:03
Speaker 2: And I would presume that the Bills try to run the football here early. You heard Eric Allen mention how some of their starters are out on the defensive interior. That lends itself to the Bills trying to run between the tackles.
01:29:14
Speaker 4: I think one of the things you do, too, is run right at David Bailey. Get some shots in on him early.
01:29:19
Speaker 2: So he doesn't have a chance to rush the passer as much. That's it for us today. Enjoy the game on Sunday. Steve and I are back tomorrow on Monday to recap everything between Bills-Jets. We'll see you then.