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NFL Musings and Observations (A Win for All of Us)

There are moments in life where things need to happen. Whether it is fate or whatever force you wish to call it there are always things that need to occur. We know these things, explaining that Deep Dish Pizza is just Pasta Bake on a crust, the first time you have a paycheck as a teenager and learn about taxes, that awkward first dance most likely freshman year and you have no idea what to put your hands. Things need to occur in life and on Sunday the players, Bills, Fans and the city of Buffalo needed the win!

What happened on Monday night was scary and it hurt Western New York. Suddenly the whole nation came together which it NEVER does for Damar Hamlin. The Bills didn't have a choice, they needed to win on Sunday. It just had to occur because the return to the football field and the win was bigger than football. I am not saying it was the same magnitude of September 11th but this had me feeling the same thing. Things needed to kind of feel like we could exhale and return to some sort of normal feeling. After 9/11 it was really Football Sunday that followed that made the nation exhale. The Bills winning and knocking the Patriots out of the playoffs kind of gave Western NY the opportunity to exhale.

Bills Observations:

1.) The Bills took the best punch the Patriots could muster. The Bills I know and fully understand why they did not have a good week of practice or game prep. The Bills played a choppy game and kind of sloppy and they beat the Patriots. They had more than enough excuses to mail this game in but they didn't. All Bills fans know the word "Process" as it has become ingrained into the Bills culture. It affects the way the Bills draft, handle free agency, pre-season, training camp to the week of practice. Everything is based on this idea of handling business the right way. Knowing this approach is so fundamental to the Bills organization is the reason for the Bills to not mail it in against the Patriots.

2.) Sean McDermott is the NFL Coach of the year. Will he win? No, I think he is kind of too boring for the media who end up doing the voting. But Lets look at the waters McD has had to steer the franchise through this year.

1.) Buffalo Massacre: A coward and a monster entered a Tops grocery and killed many beautiful people. Coach McD and the Bills were front and center in the healing process.

2.) Punt God Controversy: I won't rehash this one due to the strong emotions involved. McD handled it with class as an organization.

3.) Injuries: The Bills were hit heavy and hard with a magnitude of injuries. Micah Hyde, Von Miller, Tre White out of the first part of the year. Josh Allen hurt and not JA17 and it was obvious he was truly hurt.

4.) Weather: He had a ton of struggles with weather where the team didn't have a chance to have a normal work week. Think of it this way, the Bills had two storms of the decades in one season.

5.) 3 road games in 12 days: This was amazing to see the Bills win three road games in such a short amount of time.

6.) Damar Hamlin: Coach McD handled this situation with so much class he became a national figure of what a coach and a leader should be and that can't be minimized.

I don't want to hear about a team with a better record having coach of the year. Don't talk to me about when times are easy but talk to me about when times are hard. That is the mark of a leader. What organization has overcome more than the Bills this year? The answer is no one and for the Bills to have just three losses by a combined 8 points is just absurd.

3.) Anyone else still smiling for the Hines for Moss trade? That was pretty much the trade and the Bills have THE MOST DANGEROUS RETURN MAN IN THE LEAGUE. Do you believe in fate? To come out and run back not once but twice is just going to completely change how special teams are handled in the playoffs against the Bills. But this is what in season trades should be all about. I don't like huge swings in season because it is so hard for big names to gel without an off-season and training camp. Hines came in and fully took over the returner spot and he offers running back relief as well. Great trade!

4.) Bills at Wide Receiver is interesting because the additions they have added are an indictment of Davis and specifically McKenzie. Going into the playoffs I fully see the Bills having both John "Smoke" Brown and Cole Beasley on the active roster and I wouldn't be shocked if McKenzie is a healthy scratch. To really show the difference is McKenzie had a bad drop and the following play or a couple plays later Shakir had a huge catch and run. Gabe Davis had another drop during the game. It was a difficult pass but it hit his hands in the end zone. The Bills I believe will be having a hard conversation about who will be active against the Dolphins.

5.) James Cook I believe has surpassed Devin Motor Singletary as RB1. Now, this does not mean Cook starts but when the Bills have to have a RB in the game they trust they will be going with Cook. He is seeing the field slow down, he waits for his blockers more which he didn't earlier in the game. His fifth gear is something the Bills have not had at a running back position in a while. The Bills problem with running the ball is in my mind a lack of discipline. Ken Dorsey needs to be more committed to running the ball! Big runs will happen when you're committed to the run.

6.) The pass rush was something to be desired but I believe this was very much a Patriot game design. The Patriots ran heavy protections and rarely pushed the ball down the field. The Bills are incredibly happy with this because they have to be looking at Mac Jones and back at Josh Allen. Mac Jones is the Geo Metro of QBs. I mean, it is technically a car but if you're asking for a really fast paced and fun car to drive that is not the Geo Metro or Mac Jones. Josh Allen is a 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350. If it gets into a drag race it isn't even a question who wins. So the Bills let Mac Jones do his thing and dump it off and force them to drive.

7.) The two throws by Josh Allen to Diggs and Brown can only be completed by possibly Patrick Mahomes. On the Brown TD he is running to the right (His sweet spot) and with a flick of the wrist he launches a ball close to 50 yards in stride and it is amazing. On the Diggs throw he probably throws it 70-75 yards total as he throws it from the opposite hash and it completely drops into the bucket, in stride. Why is this important? Josh Allen looks to be very comfortable with his arm and if he continues to be able to hit the deep ball the Bills will be a tough out.

NFL Observations:

1.) Cowboys need a playoff run or they need to really look hard at themselves and how they're constructed. This is a very talented team and they can't be bounced in the first round. If they're bounced in the first round Mike McCarthy needs to be fired as head coach. But the bigger question is Dak Prescott. He leads the league in interceptions. He also missed significant time due to injury so by that logic he should have even more picks. So if Dak can't make a run now, when? The NFC is down, there are no elite QBs in the NFC. If he can't now, then when?

2.) How are the Texans even a team? They lost the tank by winning against the Colts with a hail mary. They now don't have the #1 Overall as it goes to Chicago. This is of course the funniest thing because they have fired Lovie Smith, they don't have talent, lack a vision and will probably butcher the #2 overall pick. The Texans are now becoming laughable as a franchise.

3.) Chicago has three questions to ask:

1.) Is Justin Fields the right QB for the team? I believe the answer is yes as he is becoming the heart and soul of the team. Showed tremendous toughness and of course some amazing throws.

2.) If Justin Fields is the guy, do we have a coaching staff to bring him along right? This is where I'm very concerned. Justin Fields talent bailed out the team way too much on way too many reps. When I did watch the Bears it seemed like Fields struggled for routine throws. To me that is completely on the coaching staff. Easy throws to bring confidence and competence to the Bears.

3.) If Justin Fields is the guy, do we have the scouting department and GM to surround him with talent? Now, I believe the Bears are FINALLY trying to enter the modern football league. They traded for Chase Claypool to help Fields. They traded Roquan Smith to gain a high pick in the draft. Roquan Smith is an amazing Linebacker but Linebacker is one position you can sacrifice. If the GM and the scouting department can support Fields the owners need to fire them. Here is what the Bears should do if they believe in the parts they have?

The Bears need to trade the first overall pick and be aggressive in free agency. The perfect trading partner is the Colts who are the fourth overall pick. The Colts need to stop the old vet merry go round. They need to go young and get in my mind CJ Stroud. They offer the Bears the 4th overall, their second round pick in 2023 and a third in 2023 to prevent any other team from trading with the Bears. The Bears with the 4th overall pick from the Colts get the BEST TACKLE in the draft. Now, what do they also do? How about trading the Colts 2nd round pick and sending it to the Bengals and grab Tee Higgins. The Bengals understand they can't afford Chase, Burrow and Higgins so they send it to the Bears and get a high second round pick. How about this, offer the Jets a 6th round pick for Denzel Mims? Low risk high reward situation. Either way the Bears need to be aggressive.

4.) For most teams they need to look at themselves in the mirror and ask serious questions. For Robert Kraft he needs to answer the Belicheck question. Is Belicheck the future or a tradition? Coach Belicheck is the Patriots and watching them play the Bills we saw two different teams. The Bills have more talent and they looked to be better coached. This statement doesn't take away from what Coach Belicheck has done but it does talk about what the future holds. Belicheck has already put out a statement saying he plans on returning in 2023. I'm curious as to why he felt the need to say that so soon after the season. I believe he is going to force Robert Kraft, the owner, to call his bluff. Here is what the Patriots need to do to bring the franchise around because this team is sliding backwards.

1.) Bring in a real General Manager: Rumor has it that Belicheck only wants his "Guys" and normally I would ok with this if the team is winning. The team isn't winning. They need to have another person who will bring in players and not just players Belicheck wants to coach.

2.) End nepotism and favoritism: The Patriots are experiencing an epic echo chamber. Matt Patricia and Joe Judge leading an offense? I don't think so. Mac Jones who was already limited as a QB based upon physical talent can't afford a play caller who is not capable of being a competent play caller. The offense looked mundane at best for the most part. Now add in the sons of Belicheck. Just because Belicheck is a genius doesn't mean his kids are. Bring in new people.

3.) Set up real expectations: If Coach Belicheck is unwilling to make reasonable changes to the player personnel section and the coaching staff the real expectation is to move on. But right now the Patritos are being held hostage by tradition.

5.) If you have not watched the National anthem as done in Jacksonville Florida you're missing out! That is the picture of what a Florida man looks like!

Have a great week!

Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.