That Aud Smell

Normally, yeah. But under these circumstances, it’s noteworthy.

RIP to an O.G. bad-ass. (And I've never really been a big fan of his music -- but, I know enough to know that he was the man.)

Bills release Walt Powell.

Good effin' question, though. Sharp eye.

My original thought wasn't really contingent on whether it was organized or just a pick-up game. I was thinking of the distinction between something that happens within play, within the norms of the game, and something that arguably happens outside the bounds of normal play. The case that the OP linked to actually seemed have more to do with abstention, though, than assumption of the risk. (One quick aside: As a parent of post-Millenial children, I will say that, from what I can tell, pick-up games are mostly a thing of the past. It's a damn shame.)

Yes, please. Not too much more, if even that. Yep. Fair points. I'm not sure whether getting a fill-in WR is the way to go here, but I know I would be all for it if a fit were found. I am sure Beane and his staff are working that angle now. The Bills are 3-1, man!

Hear, hear.

It is a relief to me that the Sabres are sufficiently improved that D-Lo is not on the NHL roster.

I'm sorry to hear of this struggle and difficulty, Flagg. As with most things in life, I find that being attentive to an issue and identifying a solution or solution(s), and then being persistent and consistent with implementation, are the keys to addressing any issue or problem. Word. I didn't work out this morning. Now my back hurts.

Agreed. The what? He really is a bit much. A very smart guy - very smart. But he seems to lack the sort of self-awareness that would make him far less annoying about a lot of things. "Like this" was key to d4rk's take, which I also found strange. Well now we know why the take sounded so wrong.

Fair points. But there might be a guy out there who fits the bill(s), and could help us get to 10 or 11 wins. On balance, though, I think there are too many obstacles to making this a good solution. There's time involved in getting that player up to speed, establishing a rapport with Taylor. My bet is that they (the Bills) will dance with who brung 'em.

Hmmm. I'm not so sure about this. Yes - that is true about Mathews. No thank you, no thank you to Brandon Marshall. He's done. This is the sort of thinking I can get on board with. How things have played out is a perfect illustration of why that brand of arrogance is so fundamentally stupid. But, wait ... Boom! Seriously. A 2nd round pick is serious coin in the realm of NFL trades. Doooo eeeet. OTOH, by the time an acquired WR were up to speed with the playbook and on the same page as Tyrod, Mathews would be ready to come back. Dennison (sp?) is gonna hafta get creative to manufacture yards and points. You're a bad man. Word to Big Bird. He's been a great fit in McDermott's scheme. Credit to the FO for identifying a talent that they could work with, and shipping off another they believed they could not.

Absolutely. Very true. That hurts. How much can Walt Powell help? He's back from suspension. My hat is off to McDermott. Through 1/4 of the season (I know - long way to go), he's the early leading candidate for coach of the year. I was skeptical, deeply skeptical, of the guy. Through four games, it looks like I could not have been more wrong. And I'm delighted to acknowledge as much.

Tried to gloss through it - not happening. Dense! It's also not a straightforward assumption of risk type case, it appears - there's talk about abstention, maybe?

I think that fact pattern was on a bar exam of the last 20 years or so. Injured by reasonably foreseeable conduct in an unforeseeable way?

Nearest cross street was ... Allston, maybe? Or maybe it was more back toward the Brighton area.

ftfy Just spit-balling: What if the hit came 3 or 4 seconds after the whistle and was clearly an egregious personal foul?

I witnessed May Day in a packed bar on Comm Ave in Boston (Brighton?), Mass. That was amazing, of course. But there was something about 2006 that made the whole proposition seem like it was leading somewhere. The sweep of the Bruins, to me, almost immediately felt like a stand-alone accomplishment.

And yet that view of “bend don’t break” isn’t quite consistent with how the Bills have limited their opponents’ yardage.

As it should.

After sleeping on it, I will say: If Reinhart were to make a career of being a Peak Pominville Plus Player, I would be more than happy. That's a PPPP, for those scoring at home.

^ My favourite moment in franchise history. I'd bet it's the same for many.

Thanks - although I'm just processing information as I hear it, really. I have no real independent football acumen, I don't think. I think Sal on WGR works awfully hard at his job and I find him knowledgeable. He was explaining how Buffalo schemes, how McDermott schemes, and I started to get a picture of how that defense looks like a "bend don't break" unit. There was talk about getting high and even a bit wide over top with your DBs, funneling things into the middle of the field toward your LBs' territory, and then getting to work once a ball is caught. It made sense.

I think there may be a definitional disconnect on what that approach means. There certainly was for me, as an initial matter. I think "bend don't break" implies to most people that the team is basically willing to give up huge chunks of yards with the plan of buckling down when the opponent gets inside their 35. I certainly inferred as much from Eleven's original post on the topic, which observed that Carolina had been inside the Bills' 20 X number of times or whatever, but never scored a TD. But I don't think that's what the approach means to foobaw people. Based on the breakdown I heard this morning, the approach of "bend don't break" places a huge premium on getting pressure on the QB with 4 linemen rushing (a la the Giants when they succeeded against the Patriots). It also sounds like it's dependent on fast quick to the ball, sound tackling as soon as an opposing player catches the ball. Hence the emphasis we were hearing about how McDermott needs DBs who can tackle. I don't think the philosophy is intended or designed to concede yardage. I think it's an approach that intends to limit the damage that an opponent can do to you, and to capitalize on mistakes when they are made.

Hat tip to Eleven: I heard Sal C on WGR saying the Bills’ approach on D has been “bend don’t break.”