richard pallo

Frank Reich

The weekend isn’t over yet and it appears a coach or two could be gone if they lose their game.

Correct. Oh well.

Read an interesting evaluation of Calvin Ridley on pff. He is a FA on the Jags. According to his contract if he signs an extension with them the draft pick awarded to the Falcons escalates to a 2nd from a 3rd as part of the trade conditions. They only have around 13m in cap space. They could tag him for around 21m. Not sure if that would prevent the draft pick escalation though. They also need to decide on whether to pick up Lawrence ‘s 5th year option or even extend him this offseason. They have some serious decisions to make. If Ridley somehow makes it to FA I would think Ballard would be interested.

Mr Reich I would think.

Hard not to root for Love. He had to wait something like 4 years behind that wacky Rodgers.

Yeah. Case in point free safety Malik Hooker. Our 15th pick in the first round when he was drafted. Struggled with injuries and we let him go. Cowboys signed him to a three year extension this year. Playing extremely well. Only 27 years old. I’m sure they thought it was the right decision at the time but he did show flashes. We have a similar decision to make with Blackmon. I hope we resign him even though he also has had injury issues. We will see.

I agree changing coaches doesn’t guarantee anything. Jim Schwartz, who many wanted to be our DC when Eberflus left just had his zone defense fall victim to Stroud yesterday as well. He’s being criticized for not changing anything for Stroud. His explanation was you play with what got you there and execute. Both Gus and Jim are 57 and successful. I agree if Steichen and Ballard are happy with him then you help him by improving the roster. That’s Ballard’s job. I’m feeling confident that with a few additions to the starting eleven coupled with the experience gained from the young guys we will see an improved defense next year. I think that’s a realistic expectation.

And he still could be right. No one knows.

Gus’s defense is not as bad as some think either,

Just read Dodds is now going to interview with the Panthers. He seems like he’s ready to move on this year.

Dodds now interviewing with the Chargers as is Harbaugh. Coincidence maybe maybe not.

Agree he could be in trouble if exits early and I’ve said it before so could McDermott of the Bills. A lot expected from both teams. I will say I think the delay in Buffalo helps the Bills. The better the elements are the better for them and their offense.

I was there and it was fun. And believe it or not the Bills don’t play in many snow games. Luck of the schedule maybe. But since 2017 the blizzards have become worse with more heavy winds. And last year’s high death toll makes everyone extra cautious. Still can’t believe they’re not putting a dome on the new stadium.

Not unexpected really. After so much loss of life last year it was the prudent call. The safety of everyone should come first.

You’re good at beating a dead horse. Lol

Quiet right now but the action is supposed to start tomorrow around noon. High wind gusts and snow. Gov. Hochul is asking fans to stay home and watch on tv. It will be dangerous traveling on the thruway no doubt. .

Seems like a waste of time to keep complaining about Gus. They didn’t replace him he’s our coach and hopefully Ballard can get him a few more playmakers. On to 2024.

I was thinking the same thing. He’s done pretty well. Some team will probably give him an opportunity.

Any chance you could check out AJ Espensa the DE on the Bills. He’s a FA. Thanks.

I don’t think our defense is as bad as some think. What the defense needs is more experience in the secondary and a few meaningful additions. The scheme works. If you have experienced and good players it doesn’t really matter if the other team knows how you are going to play them. They have to have better players who will outperform yours. Gus’s system worked in Seattle because he had the players who could execute it. Ballard has to get him the players. For me teams who play man give the advantage to the offense. The rules are designed to give the advantage to the offense. So that’s why most teams play zone. There are only a handful of good to elite shutdown corners but the league is loaded with good to excellent receivers. Zone works but you need the experienced players who can execute and players who can apply pressure which leads to sacks and turnovers. If you have a good front four rotation you shouldn’t have to blitz often imo. They will get the job done.

Ballard signaled he is going to be much more aggressive this offseason in acquiring talent. He knows he has the financial wherewithal to do so. People are way overestimating the strength of our schedule. Let’s see what these teams look like after the offseason. We are going to be adding talent not losing talent like many of our opponents. I think 10 is the floor actually.

Coaches get fired all the time even after making the playoffs. The expectation in Buffalo and around the league is that this was their year to win the Super Bowl. At least go the AFC championship. He’s taken the team to the playoffs multiple years in a row. This year he barely achieved 10 wins and was very lucky he made it. So far he has not won a Super Bowl. I think he’s fired if he loses Sunday. We shall see.

I listened to Ballard yesterday and he said He decided to go young in the secondary last year. He owned up to that. He said he saw progress on the DL as well. I think it’s the right decision to let him finish his contract. We know there will be some changes to the defense and the younger guys should improve. So I can see Steichen and Ballard wanting him back. I think it’s safe to say they will be expecting another step up for the defense and if it’s not there Gus will be replaced.

Also if I remember correctly Harbaugh likes Dodds. There is a prior connection I believe.