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Week 8 Preview: Bills at Panthers · The 3Ts: Tables, Tailgates, and Toploaders

• WEBVTT 00:00:11.320 --> 00:00:13.660 What's up, friends? Welcome into another episode 00:00:13.660 --> 00:00:16.539 of the 3Ts podcast and this week eight 00:00:16.539 --> 00:00:20.219 preview of Bills at Panthers. So happy to have 00:00:20.219 --> 00:00:22.660 you aboard for this game preview. I'm your host, 00:00:22.699 --> 00:00:24.980 TB. Thank you all very much for stopping in and 00:00:24.980 --> 00:00:27.539 checking out the podcast. So much to get to, 00:00:27.579 --> 00:00:30.460 so much to cover in this week eight game preview. 00:00:30.620 --> 00:00:33.399 So let's not waste any time. Let's dive right 00:00:33.399 --> 00:00:36.119 in. What are we previewing? We are previewing 00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:39.299 Bills at Panthers this Sunday, October 26th. 00:00:39.710 --> 00:00:42.689 Coming at you live at 1 p .m. in Charlotte, North 00:00:42.689 --> 00:00:45.710 Carolina. So a few news and notes from the week. 00:00:45.850 --> 00:00:48.350 Let's look at those pesky power rankings, shall 00:00:48.350 --> 00:00:50.929 we? They're out after seven weeks of football 00:00:50.929 --> 00:00:55.310 in the NFL. And Bills, well, how are they looking 00:00:55.310 --> 00:00:57.770 in the power rankings? Not too great after losing 00:00:57.770 --> 00:01:00.329 two straight games to the Patriots and then the 00:01:00.329 --> 00:01:02.770 Falcons. The Bills have fallen down the rankings. 00:01:03.170 --> 00:01:05.170 For the first four weeks, we were sitting right 00:01:05.170 --> 00:01:08.060 around number two. You know, consensus had us 00:01:08.060 --> 00:01:10.260 usually falling in right behind the Philadelphia 00:01:10.260 --> 00:01:12.640 Eagles. And now if you take a look at the same 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:15.079 publications, we are ranked anywhere from fifth 00:01:15.079 --> 00:01:17.859 all the way down to ninth. I've seen us at seven, 00:01:17.980 --> 00:01:20.739 eight, nine, and five. So losing two games in 00:01:20.739 --> 00:01:23.079 a row, yeah, it tends to cause a little chaos, 00:01:23.099 --> 00:01:25.340 not only from the fan base, but throughout the 00:01:25.340 --> 00:01:28.579 whole NFL. So the issue I see with these rankings, 00:01:28.700 --> 00:01:30.879 not that they mean anything, but the way I'm 00:01:30.879 --> 00:01:33.780 looking at this is even if we come out and just 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:37.180 crush the Panthers, unless it's like 50 to nothing, 00:01:37.260 --> 00:01:40.859 I don't really see the bills skyrocketing right 00:01:40.859 --> 00:01:44.040 back up. to the top of the charts until after 00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:46.920 the Chiefs game. And that's only, in my opinion, 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:50.159 if they win it. So look, it's a fun exercise. 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:53.200 I just like to see what people nationally think 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:55.560 of the Bills, what all these publications think 00:01:55.560 --> 00:01:58.719 of us. And right now, like I said, we are plummeting 00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:01.180 down the ranking. So hopefully we can hold steady 00:02:01.180 --> 00:02:04.519 and come back and beat this Panthers team. So 00:02:04.519 --> 00:02:06.670 what else? As of the recording of this episode, 00:02:06.829 --> 00:02:10.090 so it is now, what, Wednesday at 4 .30 in the 00:02:10.090 --> 00:02:12.050 afternoon, the Bills have yet to make a trade 00:02:12.050 --> 00:02:15.430 to help improve their roster. And it's been a 00:02:15.430 --> 00:02:18.169 crazy bye week. Obviously, now's the time as 00:02:18.169 --> 00:02:20.370 we're approaching the trade deadline that the 00:02:20.370 --> 00:02:22.849 rumors start flying. The Bills have been rumored 00:02:22.849 --> 00:02:25.909 to be linked to so many players over the last 00:02:25.909 --> 00:02:28.590 week. And as always, most of it's kind of nonsense, 00:02:28.710 --> 00:02:31.389 but it's always fun. I like to dive in and see, 00:02:31.469 --> 00:02:33.830 hey, who recently have the Bills been linked 00:02:33.830 --> 00:02:35.909 to? Historically, it's always been a running 00:02:35.909 --> 00:02:38.530 back, which is kind of crazy. But some of the 00:02:38.530 --> 00:02:40.729 names I've heard floated in the last week, week 00:02:40.729 --> 00:02:43.270 and a half. Tyree Kill, which is insane to me. 00:02:43.830 --> 00:02:46.729 Don't want that. Jalen Waddell, Jacoby Myers, 00:02:47.069 --> 00:02:50.909 reunion with good old Rasul Douglas. Buda Baker 00:02:50.909 --> 00:02:53.750 is one of the latest ones I've seen. Chris Olave 00:02:53.750 --> 00:02:57.539 and Rashid Shahid, the two. New Orleans wide 00:02:57.539 --> 00:03:01.520 receivers, Cam Britt Taylor, Rick Wolin. And 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:03.599 the newest name that I just saw today for the 00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:06.419 first time was none other than Calvin Ridley. 00:03:06.460 --> 00:03:09.919 So for me on the offensive side, I would. Tried 00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:12.800 to narrow this down to Olave and Waddle and possibly 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:15.300 Shahid, but only because Shahid would kind of 00:03:15.300 --> 00:03:18.560 serve as a dual purpose for us. And he would 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:20.800 kind of double as our kick return, punt return, 00:03:20.979 --> 00:03:24.300 because I think we are in kind of a desperate 00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:27.340 situation. Brandon Codrington has just not been 00:03:27.340 --> 00:03:30.800 good this year in that role. So if we do go after 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:32.800 a wide receiver, obviously I would love to have 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:35.020 Chris Olave. If you've been listening to the 00:03:35.020 --> 00:03:36.620 podcast, you know I've been talking about him 00:03:36.620 --> 00:03:39.960 for weeks now. And Jalen. waddle would be fantastic 00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:42.819 but i don't see that happening shaheed if we 00:03:42.819 --> 00:03:45.680 have to take you know go down a notch he's got 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:48.659 speed and he doubles as a kicker turner punter 00:03:48.659 --> 00:03:52.530 turner so I see it as being a win -win. Defensively, 00:03:52.530 --> 00:03:54.270 if we're looking to make a splash, looking to 00:03:54.270 --> 00:03:56.949 make a big trade, if it's an option and we can 00:03:56.949 --> 00:04:00.590 get Buda Baker from Arizona, that would be insane. 00:04:00.710 --> 00:04:03.210 But I just don't see that happening at all. What 00:04:03.210 --> 00:04:04.689 else do we want to talk about? Well, it's shaping 00:04:04.689 --> 00:04:07.990 up to be a two -horse race in the AFC East with 00:04:07.990 --> 00:04:09.909 the Patriots currently out in front of the Bills 00:04:09.909 --> 00:04:14.490 in the AFC East standings. And Bills Mafia. Along 00:04:14.490 --> 00:04:17.209 with the media members nationwide, everyone seems 00:04:17.209 --> 00:04:20.509 to be going into freaking total meltdown mode, 00:04:20.569 --> 00:04:23.470 thinking the world is imploding. I don't know. 00:04:23.529 --> 00:04:26.709 It's crazy, Mafia. Can we try to relax people? 00:04:26.870 --> 00:04:30.129 Because, look. The Jets and Dolphins, to put 00:04:30.129 --> 00:04:32.029 them out of the equation, they are vying and 00:04:32.029 --> 00:04:34.730 duking it out and vying to be probably one of 00:04:34.730 --> 00:04:36.790 the worst, two of the worst teams in the entire 00:04:36.790 --> 00:04:39.509 league. But it's week eight. It's week eight. 00:04:39.529 --> 00:04:41.850 We are four and two. I understand Drake may as 00:04:41.850 --> 00:04:44.329 good. And yeah, he may have arrived on scene 00:04:44.329 --> 00:04:46.910 a bit quicker than Bills fans would have hoped 00:04:46.910 --> 00:04:49.170 for. But let's relax a little. Let's see how 00:04:49.170 --> 00:04:51.980 this plays out over the next two months. Maybe, 00:04:51.980 --> 00:04:53.740 just maybe, this is kind of the way I'm looking 00:04:53.740 --> 00:04:55.860 at this, trying to be positive. Maybe, just maybe, 00:04:55.939 --> 00:04:58.759 it's good for the Bills to have a little competition 00:04:58.759 --> 00:05:02.079 in the division and kind of keep them in check, 00:05:02.220 --> 00:05:04.120 kind of keep them focused, kind of keep them 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:06.980 with their eyes on the prize because what? What's 00:05:06.980 --> 00:05:10.459 happened in the last... Last year, we had clinched 00:05:10.459 --> 00:05:13.220 the division by week 11, and it was just crazy. 00:05:13.379 --> 00:05:15.740 The teams were one dumpster fire after another. 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:18.500 So we're not going to clinch by week 10, week 00:05:18.500 --> 00:05:21.120 11, week 12 anymore, and that's okay. Competition 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:24.319 is sometimes a good thing, and I think competition 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:26.980 should help push this team forward a little bit. 00:05:27.100 --> 00:05:29.540 So let's move on to injuries, what to look for 00:05:29.540 --> 00:05:33.009 from the Bills injury front. Josh Palmer, well, 00:05:33.149 --> 00:05:36.009 he came out firing at the beginning of that Falcons 00:05:36.009 --> 00:05:38.769 game. He caught, what, two passes for 60 -some 00:05:38.769 --> 00:05:40.730 yards, and then he goes and hurts his ankle, 00:05:40.810 --> 00:05:42.750 and he's out the rest of the game, and the game 00:05:42.750 --> 00:05:45.129 just, we go into total meltdown mode, and we 00:05:45.129 --> 00:05:48.389 have no backup plan, and you all know what happens 00:05:48.389 --> 00:05:50.730 after that. But he hurt his ankle, so he's still 00:05:50.730 --> 00:05:53.129 considered week -to -week, which whenever a player 00:05:53.129 --> 00:05:55.170 gets a week -to -week designation, it usually 00:05:55.170 --> 00:05:57.410 isn't looking too promising for the upcoming 00:05:57.410 --> 00:06:00.629 game. I am thinking that this is probably not 00:06:00.629 --> 00:06:02.970 looking too good. for Josh Palmer, but we shall 00:06:02.970 --> 00:06:05.209 see. Dalton Kincaid, he was obviously another 00:06:05.209 --> 00:06:08.410 huge missing key, missing factor to that game. 00:06:08.509 --> 00:06:10.930 He hurt his oblique a couple weeks back. He missed 00:06:10.930 --> 00:06:13.490 the Falcons game, and signs are pointing in the 00:06:13.490 --> 00:06:15.829 right direction. He seems to be closer to returning. 00:06:15.930 --> 00:06:18.649 He's listed as questionable so far, and I guess 00:06:18.649 --> 00:06:21.069 if I had to bet, I would guess he's back out 00:06:21.069 --> 00:06:23.750 there this Sunday. Curtis Samuel, stop me if 00:06:23.750 --> 00:06:25.769 you have heard this one before. Curtis Samuel 00:06:25.769 --> 00:06:29.879 is on the... injured list yeah so i don't want 00:06:29.879 --> 00:06:31.740 to talk about it let's just let's just keep going 00:06:31.740 --> 00:06:34.560 move on curtis samuel i i just can't anymore 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:37.620 daquan jones he's also listed week to week we 00:06:37.620 --> 00:06:40.360 all know he got hurt in the pre -game warm -up 00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:43.120 uh against the falcons and he allegedly popped 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:45.120 his calf most likely he's probably not going 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:47.240 to play either matt milano we've been talking 00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:49.480 about this for weeks he can never stay healthy 00:06:49.480 --> 00:06:52.360 he's still dealing with his oblique he re -aggravated 00:06:52.360 --> 00:06:55.339 it I believe what was the Patriots game in the 00:06:55.339 --> 00:06:57.740 first half. So who knows at this point? I don't 00:06:57.740 --> 00:07:00.060 even know what to say about Milano. I would be 00:07:00.060 --> 00:07:01.980 shocked if he suited up for this game, but hey, 00:07:02.120 --> 00:07:04.139 stranger things have happened. Good news, good 00:07:04.139 --> 00:07:06.220 news, depending on, I guess, how you all want 00:07:06.220 --> 00:07:08.779 to look at it. The Bills did open up their 21 00:07:08.779 --> 00:07:11.420 -day practice window for first -round pick cornerback 00:07:11.420 --> 00:07:14.160 Maxwell Harrison, which means he is probably 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:16.079 going to be activated within the next three weeks. 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:19.420 Not crossing my fingers, but... please be ready 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:22.980 to go next weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs. 00:07:22.980 --> 00:07:25.160 That would be awesome. So, yeah, come on, Max. 00:07:25.259 --> 00:07:28.500 Get yourself back out on that field. We need 00:07:28.500 --> 00:07:31.480 some speed in that secondary. Injuries on the 00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:34.019 Panthers. This is the main storyline coming into 00:07:34.019 --> 00:07:36.139 this game. Quarterback Bryce Young suffered an 00:07:36.139 --> 00:07:38.459 ankle injury against the Jets last week, and 00:07:38.459 --> 00:07:40.899 it's looking like he is at least going to miss 00:07:40.899 --> 00:07:43.660 this game probably another week or two. And the 00:07:43.660 --> 00:07:45.779 keys are going to be handed over to none other 00:07:45.779 --> 00:07:50.240 than 15 -year veteran Andy Dalton now Andy Dalton 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:52.920 has a lot of ties to Buffalo and to Bill's Mafia 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:55.939 specifically in 2017 if you remember this he 00:07:55.939 --> 00:07:58.439 was the quarterback on the Bengals that helped 00:07:58.439 --> 00:08:02.720 propel the Mafia and the Bills into the playoffs 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:05.939 after the 17 -year drought so he helped beat 00:08:05.939 --> 00:08:10.000 the Ravens and thus securing the Bills' playoff 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:13.740 spot. So he's kind of well -liked as far as Bills' 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:15.879 history is concerned, but he's not going to be 00:08:15.879 --> 00:08:18.600 well -liked this Sunday because we need a big 00:08:18.600 --> 00:08:21.519 dub. Damian Lewis, he's a guard for the Panthers. 00:08:21.579 --> 00:08:23.519 He's dealing with a shoulder injury. He missed 00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:26.819 Week 7. We shall see what happens as we get closer 00:08:26.819 --> 00:08:29.019 to kickoff. Not sure about his availability. 00:08:29.620 --> 00:08:32.350 Chuba Hubbard, the running back. I think he's 00:08:32.350 --> 00:08:34.529 going to play. He played in week seven. Obviously, 00:08:34.529 --> 00:08:36.929 he's been dealing with a calf injury, but he 00:08:36.929 --> 00:08:38.990 was back last week, and I don't think this is 00:08:38.990 --> 00:08:41.669 going to be an issue at all. I'm sure more names 00:08:41.669 --> 00:08:44.629 will pop up on the Panthers injury list, but 00:08:44.629 --> 00:08:48.649 that's all I have for you right now on that front. 00:08:48.870 --> 00:08:51.649 So what are some themes? What are some storylines 00:08:51.649 --> 00:08:54.350 heading into this game against the Panthers? 00:08:54.409 --> 00:08:56.529 Well, first and foremost, Michael Hoyt, Larry 00:08:56.529 --> 00:08:59.409 Okunjobe, they are back, folks. I am super excited 00:08:59.409 --> 00:09:01.820 about this. Two of the big offseason. and signings 00:09:01.820 --> 00:09:05.899 two of the big defensive additions to this team 00:09:05.899 --> 00:09:08.240 are finally done serving their six game suspensions 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:10.080 they should be fresh they should be ready to 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:14.100 go and if i'm you know a betting man I would 00:09:14.100 --> 00:09:16.860 think they got a lot of aggression to start taking 00:09:16.860 --> 00:09:20.600 out. So in my opinion, this is a huge addition 00:09:20.600 --> 00:09:22.679 to the squad, specifically the defensive side 00:09:22.679 --> 00:09:24.580 of the ball. Let's just think about it for a 00:09:24.580 --> 00:09:26.580 second. Like, what does this actually mean? So 00:09:26.580 --> 00:09:30.320 for a good chunk of the snaps on the defensive 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:32.720 side, you were having practice squad players. 00:09:32.840 --> 00:09:36.179 You were having rookies account for so many snaps 00:09:36.179 --> 00:09:38.299 so far in the year, so many snaps during the 00:09:38.299 --> 00:09:40.480 first six weeks. So we add two fresh bodies. 00:09:41.129 --> 00:09:43.009 These guys are clear starters in the league. 00:09:43.110 --> 00:09:45.970 They have a good history behind them. These allow 00:09:45.970 --> 00:09:50.169 the depth chart to kind of reset, pushes the 00:09:50.169 --> 00:09:52.129 young guys who probably weren't ready to go, 00:09:52.230 --> 00:09:54.210 the practice squad guys, pushes them back down 00:09:54.210 --> 00:09:57.269 the list. Plus, it adds fresher guys into the 00:09:57.269 --> 00:09:59.870 rotation. You should keep everybody on almost 00:09:59.870 --> 00:10:01.690 like a lower snap count now that you're adding 00:10:01.690 --> 00:10:04.870 more people to the group. Obviously, we know 00:10:04.870 --> 00:10:08.149 about Daquan, but I just see this as a win -win. 00:10:08.269 --> 00:10:10.250 I think ultimately this is going to impact the 00:10:10.250 --> 00:10:12.590 whole defensive side of the ball. I'm super, 00:10:12.649 --> 00:10:15.509 super excited to get these guys back. The preseason, 00:10:15.570 --> 00:10:17.169 they were looking pretty good, pretty sharp. 00:10:17.269 --> 00:10:19.690 So big expectations for these guys. Can't wait 00:10:19.690 --> 00:10:21.629 to see what we have, what they bring to the table. 00:10:22.029 --> 00:10:25.110 What else? In the Sean McDermott era, Coming 00:10:25.110 --> 00:10:27.909 off a bye, the Bills are perfect. They are 8 00:10:27.909 --> 00:10:30.909 -0 during his coaching tenure. That's right. 00:10:30.970 --> 00:10:33.669 So they have never lost a game coming out of 00:10:33.669 --> 00:10:36.409 the bye week. And I think that the bye week this 00:10:36.409 --> 00:10:39.230 year has come at an absolute perfect time during 00:10:39.230 --> 00:10:41.269 the season. I know some people say, well, maybe 00:10:41.269 --> 00:10:43.350 it's a little early. No, no, no, no, no. We're 00:10:43.350 --> 00:10:45.009 going through a little slide. We were dealing 00:10:45.009 --> 00:10:47.399 with some injuries. Everything was starting to 00:10:47.399 --> 00:10:49.259 look a little out of whack, a little disjointed. 00:10:49.399 --> 00:10:51.460 Nothing seemed to be easy. There was no flow, 00:10:51.679 --> 00:10:53.659 yada, yada. You get it. I think it was a perfect 00:10:53.659 --> 00:10:56.059 time to hit the reset button. Hopefully that's 00:10:56.059 --> 00:10:57.460 what happened over the course of the last two 00:10:57.460 --> 00:10:59.039 weeks. If they were smart, if the Bills were 00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:01.419 smart, they did some deep dives into what's worked, 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:03.799 what hasn't worked. They got refocused. They 00:11:03.799 --> 00:11:06.940 maybe did a complete game redesign. They looked 00:11:06.940 --> 00:11:09.480 at the game plan moving forward. What's working, 00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:12.639 what's not? How do we get everybody on the same 00:11:12.639 --> 00:11:16.309 page, all the coaches? McDermott, Bobby Babich, 00:11:16.370 --> 00:11:18.850 Joe Brady, get them all on the same page and 00:11:18.850 --> 00:11:21.690 let's move forward together. What else? We already 00:11:21.690 --> 00:11:23.830 kind of talked about this, but the national narrative 00:11:23.830 --> 00:11:26.669 on the Bills has them in complete free fall mode. 00:11:26.769 --> 00:11:30.929 It's been absolute craziness watching publications 00:11:30.929 --> 00:11:34.559 and media. both nationally and locally. Some 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:36.360 are saying this team is done and they're giving 00:11:36.360 --> 00:11:37.759 up the East and they're not going to make the 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:39.799 playoffs. It's like, come on, we have gone way 00:11:39.799 --> 00:11:43.059 too far over a two -game slide. And if you ask 00:11:43.059 --> 00:11:46.279 me, it's like we're pure panic mode. So we need 00:11:46.279 --> 00:11:48.399 to come out of the bye week and just right the 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:51.019 ship. Now, if we come out on Sunday against the 00:11:51.019 --> 00:11:53.500 Panthers and we look exactly the same as we did 00:11:53.500 --> 00:11:55.379 against the Patriots and the Falcons, okay, then 00:11:55.379 --> 00:11:57.460 we can start to maybe throw up some red flags. 00:11:57.799 --> 00:12:00.299 But I don't see that happening. I expect a completely 00:12:00.299 --> 00:12:03.570 different outcome this Sunday. What else? If 00:12:03.570 --> 00:12:06.990 we're talking about the AFC and the whole grand 00:12:06.990 --> 00:12:09.769 scheme of things, the whole big picture, in my 00:12:09.769 --> 00:12:11.370 opinion, there are a lot more teams in the mix 00:12:11.370 --> 00:12:13.950 now for that top spot. Obviously, the Chiefs 00:12:13.950 --> 00:12:16.429 are looking completely different from the first 00:12:16.429 --> 00:12:18.850 three weeks. Everybody was writing off the Chiefs, 00:12:18.850 --> 00:12:21.279 and I'm like, you better not do that. Because 00:12:21.279 --> 00:12:24.559 we've seen this nonsense before. They look completely 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:27.179 different. They're in full throttle mode. The 00:12:27.179 --> 00:12:29.480 Colts look great. Daniel Jones, Jonathan Taylor. 00:12:29.639 --> 00:12:31.840 Who would have thought Daniel Jones would be 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:35.159 leading the Colts? But Jonathan Taylor is literally 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:37.340 running over everybody. And the Patriots, while 00:12:37.340 --> 00:12:40.840 I'm not ready to hand them the AFC East crown, 00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:43.279 they do look like they're going to be sticking 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:46.100 around as a definite playoff contender all season. 00:12:46.379 --> 00:12:50.500 And that can be tied directly to the... early 00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:53.120 arrival of Drake May he looks good I mean you 00:12:53.120 --> 00:12:55.279 can't argue he looks good but let's just pump 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:57.419 the brakes on handing them the division crown 00:12:57.419 --> 00:12:59.940 okay the Chargers everybody was talking up the 00:12:59.940 --> 00:13:02.240 Chargers early in the season oh there's a these 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:04.240 guys are a threat to the one seed well how do 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:07.620 we feel now that week seven is over because here 00:13:07.620 --> 00:13:10.059 we go we're seeing the Chargers show their true 00:13:10.059 --> 00:13:13.000 colors and it's the same thing every year People 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:15.919 want to talk about them as the one seed, and 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:18.139 it's the same old, same old crap, same old stuff 00:13:18.139 --> 00:13:20.580 from the Chargers that we see every year. They're 00:13:20.580 --> 00:13:23.570 just going to keep being themselves. And then 00:13:23.570 --> 00:13:25.509 the Panthers, they come into this matchup sitting 00:13:25.509 --> 00:13:28.330 in second place in the NFC South Division. They 00:13:28.330 --> 00:13:31.789 are 4 -3, and they are riding a crazy three -game 00:13:31.789 --> 00:13:35.029 win streak after beating the Jets 13 -6 in an 00:13:35.029 --> 00:13:38.110 absolute snooze fest. So I don't want to hear 00:13:38.110 --> 00:13:40.690 about how great they are. This is a team. Now, 00:13:40.730 --> 00:13:43.110 however, they did beat the Falcons by 30 points, 00:13:43.149 --> 00:13:47.639 and we got trucked by the Falcons. you know this 00:13:47.639 --> 00:13:49.639 team is kind of all over the map if you look 00:13:49.639 --> 00:13:52.059 through their schedule their game so far they're 00:13:52.059 --> 00:13:54.039 extremely inconsistent they're kind of all over 00:13:54.039 --> 00:13:56.480 the place which is kind of sort of to be expected 00:13:56.480 --> 00:13:59.500 for a team that's on the way up you know they're 00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:01.600 kind of you know on the rebound they have some 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:04.440 good pieces but they got a lot to do to get back 00:14:04.440 --> 00:14:06.899 to the top but having said that having said that 00:14:06.899 --> 00:14:09.360 they this team does play pretty well at home 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:12.169 but and this is huge i really think that the 00:14:12.169 --> 00:14:14.610 stadium. They're going to be a ton of Bills fans, 00:14:14.809 --> 00:14:17.129 not only in Charlotte, but in the stadium itself. 00:14:17.269 --> 00:14:19.970 And I think at worst, at worst, if I were a betting 00:14:19.970 --> 00:14:22.240 man. that you're going to see half the stadium 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:24.840 filled with Bills fans on Sunday. So while they 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:26.820 do play well at home, I think it's not going 00:14:26.820 --> 00:14:29.139 to be too great of a home field advantage for 00:14:29.139 --> 00:14:31.340 them, and it would not shock me to see 70 % to 00:14:31.340 --> 00:14:33.639 80 % of the stands filled with Mafia members. 00:14:34.220 --> 00:14:36.519 So there you go. All right, let's go on and talk 00:14:36.519 --> 00:14:39.659 about X factors to the game, X factors. So let's 00:14:39.659 --> 00:14:41.899 start with the offensive side of the ball. Time, 00:14:42.019 --> 00:14:45.000 in my opinion, time to get back to what has worked. 00:14:45.179 --> 00:14:47.830 First four weeks, we came out. established a 00:14:47.830 --> 00:14:50.889 monster run game, and our passing game fed off 00:14:50.889 --> 00:14:53.730 of that. We ran two, three tight end sets sometimes. 00:14:53.909 --> 00:14:56.509 We were able to still throw out of this set, 00:14:56.610 --> 00:14:59.250 move the ball. We took what was given. We were 00:14:59.250 --> 00:15:02.029 patient. And guess what? No turnovers, no nonsense, 00:15:02.350 --> 00:15:05.970 no ridiculous penalties. So the first four weeks, 00:15:06.049 --> 00:15:09.769 what do we see? As a byproduct of playing to 00:15:09.769 --> 00:15:12.450 our strengths, 30 points a game. The last two 00:15:12.450 --> 00:15:15.090 weeks, undisciplined, sloppy mess. If you've 00:15:15.090 --> 00:15:17.350 heard me, that's what I've said over and over 00:15:17.350 --> 00:15:21.070 and over again. Undisciplined, sloppy mess. Penalties, 00:15:21.090 --> 00:15:24.409 turnovers, we've abandoned the run game and it's 00:15:24.409 --> 00:15:26.450 led to what? How do we do the last two weeks? 00:15:26.509 --> 00:15:29.450 20 points and 14 points. So that should never 00:15:29.450 --> 00:15:31.929 happen with a team led by Josh Allen. It just 00:15:31.929 --> 00:15:34.159 shouldn't. So that's the first point. Joe Brady, 00:15:34.379 --> 00:15:36.639 guess what? You're back up on the X Factor list. 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:39.700 I feel like I talk about him each and every time 00:15:39.700 --> 00:15:43.460 I'm doing this. I really hope the message has 00:15:43.460 --> 00:15:45.879 kind of sunk in to Joe Brady over the last two 00:15:45.879 --> 00:15:49.679 weeks. You can't go into these games with no 00:15:49.679 --> 00:15:52.299 flexibility. I feel like he has this game plan 00:15:52.299 --> 00:15:55.179 and that's it. There's no paying attention to 00:15:55.179 --> 00:15:57.919 what the defense is doing. He doesn't make adjustments. 00:15:58.179 --> 00:15:59.539 He's just like, nope, this is what we're going 00:15:59.539 --> 00:16:02.850 to run and who cares? what's happening in the 00:16:02.850 --> 00:16:05.929 actual game. So I don't know. He's got to make 00:16:05.929 --> 00:16:09.370 some corrections, have some long walks on the 00:16:09.370 --> 00:16:11.529 beach. I don't know whatever it takes, but he's 00:16:11.529 --> 00:16:14.690 got to get his head in the right place. If the 00:16:14.690 --> 00:16:16.830 defense has given you portions of the field, 00:16:16.929 --> 00:16:19.529 take it. Stop trying to force the ball to players, 00:16:19.690 --> 00:16:22.250 particularly Keyon Coleman, just because you 00:16:22.250 --> 00:16:24.629 think you need to get him touches during the 00:16:24.629 --> 00:16:27.309 game. Stop being cute and go back to leaning 00:16:27.309 --> 00:16:30.279 into the strengths of this team. re -establish 00:16:30.279 --> 00:16:32.879 the line of scrimmage, and then attack from there. 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:36.419 I get it. We spent a high draft pick on Keon, 00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:40.039 but it's not working force -feeding him the ball 00:16:40.039 --> 00:16:42.919 over and over and over again. It's just I think 00:16:42.919 --> 00:16:45.700 we are misusing him. I really do. I think that 00:16:45.700 --> 00:16:49.320 needs to be looked at, whether it's over the 00:16:49.320 --> 00:16:51.820 bye week, whether they did, or whether they are 00:16:51.820 --> 00:16:54.509 going to be doing that. In the offseason, I'm 00:16:54.509 --> 00:16:57.330 not saying he is not good. I think he can be 00:16:57.330 --> 00:16:59.970 good. I just think he's being misused, and there's 00:16:59.970 --> 00:17:02.970 a huge difference. So let's stop chucking it 00:17:02.970 --> 00:17:06.230 to Keon every time and hoping he jumps up on 00:17:06.230 --> 00:17:08.349 these 50 -50 balls and comes down with it because 00:17:08.349 --> 00:17:11.609 it's not working. What else? Get James Cook involved 00:17:11.609 --> 00:17:15.190 in the passing game. There's no reason at all, 00:17:15.250 --> 00:17:17.829 no reason whatsoever to have your most explosive 00:17:17.829 --> 00:17:20.869 offensive weapon be sitting on the sidelines. 00:17:20.930 --> 00:17:23.910 It seems like every other series and specifically 00:17:23.910 --> 00:17:27.410 on third downs, I am so tired of this idea that 00:17:27.410 --> 00:17:29.589 he can't catch the ball, that he can't pass block. 00:17:29.910 --> 00:17:33.430 It's just ridiculous to me. And the fact that 00:17:33.430 --> 00:17:36.150 I'm hearing that he's not that good of a back 00:17:36.150 --> 00:17:40.009 from certain Buffalo radio stations. from certain... 00:17:40.009 --> 00:17:44.410 It's so mind -numbingly frustrating to hear some 00:17:44.410 --> 00:17:47.450 of the talk on James Cook. And I'm like, do you 00:17:47.450 --> 00:17:51.509 all watch the games? People are still mad that 00:17:51.509 --> 00:17:53.210 he got a contract extension. That's all I can 00:17:53.210 --> 00:17:54.990 think of, that they wish we would have spent 00:17:54.990 --> 00:17:56.990 the money somewhere else. Well, guess what? It's 00:17:56.990 --> 00:17:58.769 not your money, number one. Number two, it's 00:17:58.769 --> 00:18:00.849 over and done with. And number three, he's one 00:18:00.849 --> 00:18:02.829 of our best players. So get him the freaking 00:18:02.829 --> 00:18:05.900 ball. If you get him the ball in space, good 00:18:05.900 --> 00:18:08.880 things happen every single time. He makes people 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:12.740 miss. He's elusive. He's great. So do it. That's 00:18:12.740 --> 00:18:16.319 it. So frustrating, this James Cook nonsense. 00:18:16.740 --> 00:18:20.440 I just don't know what the problem is. Josh Allen, 00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:23.240 let's revert back to the way we played last season, 00:18:23.339 --> 00:18:25.460 shall we? I mean, you can play with patience 00:18:25.460 --> 00:18:27.859 and you can still make things happen. We can't 00:18:27.859 --> 00:18:31.470 win the game with one throw. We've seen him do 00:18:31.470 --> 00:18:35.609 this in earlier years when he was still coming 00:18:35.609 --> 00:18:38.009 into his own. We need Josh to get back into a 00:18:38.009 --> 00:18:40.470 good headspace, work through his progressions, 00:18:40.470 --> 00:18:42.930 and first and foremost, just take what the defense 00:18:42.930 --> 00:18:46.029 is giving you. Go through your progressions and 00:18:46.029 --> 00:18:51.490 find the open guy. Anyway, let's move on. Defense, 00:18:51.730 --> 00:18:53.730 this is key. The Panthers, they are a pretty, 00:18:53.769 --> 00:18:57.329 pretty good run team. Rico Dowdle is a freaking 00:18:57.329 --> 00:19:01.009 beast. He came in when Hubbard got hurt. He came 00:19:01.009 --> 00:19:03.470 in for two weeks and he destroyed it. He put 00:19:03.470 --> 00:19:05.930 up monster freaking numbers. Him by himself, 00:19:06.069 --> 00:19:08.690 he had like 400 yards of total offense. It's 00:19:08.690 --> 00:19:11.750 ridiculous. And then Hubbard came back and they 00:19:11.750 --> 00:19:14.170 kind of went with this two -headed running back 00:19:14.170 --> 00:19:18.150 monster approach. You know, they still, he still 00:19:18.150 --> 00:19:21.769 performed. He still had like 70, 74 yards rushing. 00:19:21.890 --> 00:19:24.589 So he's a good player. Hubbard's a good player. 00:19:25.009 --> 00:19:28.190 This team can run the ball. They are no joke. 00:19:28.349 --> 00:19:31.660 And so I think it. It also helps that this is 00:19:31.660 --> 00:19:33.500 the perfect time we are getting defensive line 00:19:33.500 --> 00:19:36.859 reinforcements with Okunjobe and Hoyt coming 00:19:36.859 --> 00:19:40.440 back because it's a perfect time to try to use 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:43.259 them to slow down this attack. Who else do the 00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:45.579 Panthers have? Ted McMillan. Outside of the running 00:19:45.579 --> 00:19:48.319 game, McMillan, this is probably the only other 00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:51.599 weapon the Panthers have that really is a threat 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:54.680 to us at all. And he's good. He is good. We shall 00:19:54.680 --> 00:19:57.019 see how his connection goes with Andy Dalton 00:19:57.019 --> 00:19:59.420 behind center. Obviously, he's having Pretty 00:19:59.420 --> 00:20:02.160 good rookie season so far with Bryce Young. But 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:05.000 now what's going to happen with Andy Dalton behind 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:08.579 center? I'm assuming Benford will try to float 00:20:08.579 --> 00:20:11.200 maybe. But who knows? Bills love to play zone 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:13.200 even though it's gotten them torched this year. 00:20:13.319 --> 00:20:15.240 When they switch to man, things seem to lock 00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:16.859 up a little bit. I don't know whether they're 00:20:16.859 --> 00:20:18.980 going to play zone or man. But if they do, if 00:20:18.980 --> 00:20:21.279 they are in man, I'm assuming Benford will be 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:23.779 locked up on tat for the whole game. So stress 00:20:23.779 --> 00:20:26.690 meter. It's been a tough three weeks. It's been 00:20:26.690 --> 00:20:29.349 a tough three weeks. I will be honest with you. 00:20:29.390 --> 00:20:31.670 So dealing with back -to -back losses, you're 00:20:31.670 --> 00:20:33.329 hearing things about how we're getting trashed 00:20:33.329 --> 00:20:36.490 in the media. I'm reading crazy nonsense on social 00:20:36.490 --> 00:20:39.769 media through. you know, fellow mafia members. 00:20:39.869 --> 00:20:42.390 And there's frustration everywhere. It would 00:20:42.390 --> 00:20:44.769 be super easy to have this stress meter riding 00:20:44.769 --> 00:20:47.849 really high for this game. But I got to be honest, 00:20:47.970 --> 00:20:50.650 folks, I'm not stressed about this game at all. 00:20:50.710 --> 00:20:52.769 I have faith in this team. I think we can find 00:20:52.769 --> 00:20:54.589 the answers. I think we can write the ship. I 00:20:54.589 --> 00:20:56.930 think we can get right back into it. So for me, 00:20:57.009 --> 00:20:59.490 this stress meter this week, it's sitting at 00:20:59.490 --> 00:21:02.289 a three heading into Charlotte. So prediction 00:21:02.289 --> 00:21:04.029 time. Here we go. This is what it's all about. 00:21:04.190 --> 00:21:06.710 The Bills are on the road favored by seven and 00:21:06.710 --> 00:21:08.700 a half points in Charlotte. North Carolina for 00:21:08.700 --> 00:21:11.700 a 1 o 'clock kickoff this Sunday afternoon. They 00:21:11.700 --> 00:21:13.759 will be rocking white jerseys up top, blue pants 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:16.740 down below, and a white helmet. As I stated before, 00:21:16.900 --> 00:21:19.339 I think the Bank of America Stadium where the 00:21:19.339 --> 00:21:21.200 Panthers play, I think it's going to be filled 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:25.319 with Bills Mafia. If you ever remember the Titans 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:27.960 games, Bills, Mafia travels extremely well to 00:21:27.960 --> 00:21:29.920 Nashville. I think this is going to be a similar 00:21:29.920 --> 00:21:32.200 situation. I think they arrive. I think we take 00:21:32.200 --> 00:21:34.680 over. And I think we shut down this three -game 00:21:34.680 --> 00:21:36.640 win streak. The Panthers are coming in, riding. 00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:39.099 I think the Bills use this as a get -right game. 00:21:39.299 --> 00:21:42.359 I think we come in with a huge attitude. I want 00:21:42.359 --> 00:21:44.079 to see a chip on their shoulder. I want to see 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:46.079 some aggression. I want to see some attitude. 00:21:46.500 --> 00:21:48.859 I want to take the points, and I think the Bills 00:21:48.859 --> 00:21:51.799 are going to win big this Sunday. The Bills breaking 00:21:51.799 --> 00:21:54.400 through this little two -game slide. I think 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:57.619 they win 33 -13. I think it brings us to 5 -2 00:21:57.619 --> 00:22:00.039 on the year. Then it's back home on Sunday night 00:22:00.039 --> 00:22:03.640 to rest up and prepare for the... freaking Chiefs 00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:06.099 to come to town to good old Orchard Park next 00:22:06.099 --> 00:22:09.460 Sunday at 425. So there you have it. That's my 00:22:09.460 --> 00:22:11.920 game preview. I appreciate everybody stopping 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:15.460 in and checking out the 3Ts podcast. If you would, 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:17.299 help your boy out. Give me a like, give me a 00:22:17.299 --> 00:22:19.700 subscribe, give me a follow, whatever it takes. 00:22:19.880 --> 00:22:22.839 Pass this on to another Mafia member. I appreciate 00:22:22.839 --> 00:22:29.259 you all very, very much. So until next time. 00:22:29.660 --> 00:22:31.700 Whether it's ripping packs, breaking tables, 00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:34.400 or dropping elbows, keep doing what you love. 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:36.519 And as always, Go Bills!