Snow continues to hammer Western New York, but the Buffalo Bills get to escape for the next couple games.
Next, they’ll visit the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Then the Bills head for the comfy confines of Ford Field to play the Detroit Lions in a potential Super Bowl preview.
The Satchel doesn’t care where you are or what conditions await outside. It’s here. It’s there. It’s weatherproof.
How is Cleveland getting a new dome stadium for $2.4 billion, 50 percent of which will be covered by the Haslams, while Buffalo has an open-air stadium for the same price and has to be funded by tax-payer dollars? Second question: What are the real plans for snow removal in the new stadium other than extorting fans to perform back-breaking work for little payment? — John O.
Someone’s a fussy britches!
I understand folks still are upset about decisions made on the Bills’ new stadium — that it wasn’t put downtown, that it won’t have a dome and that public money is being allocated to build it. All the snow that has bombarded Western New York lately resurfaced the debate. But the aggravation in your query is based on misconceptions and errant assumptions.
For the record, as I feel compelled to reiterate every couple months, my personal preference was for a downtown stadium (didn’t particularly care about a dome) to be fully paid for by the Bills. NFL owners can afford the entire tab, regardless of market size.
That said, NFL owners hold significant leverage. You can rationalize that the smaller the market, the more leverage owners have because they can threaten to move their teams elsewhere — and have. So the harsh business reality is that NFL owners will do whatever they must to get whatever handouts they can.
As I’ve written, previous New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was willing to play chicken with the Pegulas in the earliest stadium discussions. Sources informed me that Cuomo’s intention was to make the Pegulas go on record with a threat to relocate the Bills. The political and public relations purposes for Cuomo would be forcing the Pegulas to reveal themselves as “the bad guys.” Then Cuomo could respond in whatever way afforded the most points with downstate lawmakers/constituents and eventually sell the final deal as necessary to keep the team in New York. When sexual harassment allegations forced Cuomo to resign in August 2021 and Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul took over, such posturing was unnecessary. As a Western New York native, Hochul was proactive in getting the stadium deal done.
Hochul and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz were criticized for rolling over on the initial $1.4 billion deal, with $600 million coming from the state, $250 million from the county and all the rest, including overages, paid by the Pegulas. Hochul and Poloncarz look better now.
The Bills now estimate their stadium will cost $2.1 billion, putting the Pegulas’ share at 60 percent, and you can almost guarantee that figure will climb by the time construction is completed.
The Cleveland Browns’ new stadium is merely a proposal at the moment, a proposal that Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne has called “a fantasy.” The $2.4 billion figure is abstract and, as with the Bills’ initial price tag, will skyrocket before it’s all said and done. Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam declared they’ll pay for half, but nobody knows where the other $1.2 billion would come from. We aren’t even sure where this hypothetical stadium will be built, with the Haslams preferring suburban Brook Park and politicians fighting to keep the team in Cleveland. Lawsuits have been filed and counter-filed.
As for needing to hire shovelers to excavate Highmark Stadium whenever there’s heavy snow, people need to remember it’s not from lacking a dome, but because the old ballpark was constructed in the early 1970s.
The Bills must hire shovelers for a multitude of reasons that won’t exist when the new stadium opens across Abbott Road in 2026. The uncovered upper deck lets snow accumulate in every seating area. Concourses are too narrow for trucks and snow-clearing equipment to traverse. So shovelers work the upper decks with a sluice that sends the snow to field level to be cleared by dump trucks. Probably the worst part of the snow-removal process is that Highmark Stadium has one tunnel to get in and out.
The new stadium will feature canopies to shield most of the upper deck, four to six field-level tunnels that can accommodate heavy equipment, radiant heating in some seating areas and a heated field.
To answer an unasked question that many readers are thinking right now, relocating those games to Detroit in 2014 and 2022 still would have been necessary if the Bills had a dome. The games were moved not over stadium inferiority, but because Western New York was in a state of emergency and under travel bans.
It would have been too dangerous (and illegal) for players, coaches, staff, stadium employees and fans to drive to Highmark Stadium then. Thus, the relocation mandates. NBA and NHL games get postponed because of inclement weather every year, and those take place indoors.
Looking forward to the playoffs, it seems a major vulnerability is run defense. The Bills could really struggle against a team with a strong running game such as the Ravens or Eagles. Realizing that major roster changes are unlikely, what can the Bills do to mitigate this threat? — John S.
The most common question in this Satchel dealt with concerns the Bills might face a quality ground attack in the postseason. Stands to reason that fans are reviewing the Bills at their worst to see where they might be susceptible, and images of Derrick Henry sprinting 87 yards for a touchdown remain vivid. The Ravens rushed for 271 yards in that Week 4 curb-stomping.
Health is the biggest improvement, although you can’t count on everyone avoiding the injury report the rest of the way. Buffalo in Week 4 was minus linebackers Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano and nickelback Taron Johnson, all of whom are back. None is a prototypical run-stopper, but that’s a lot of talent Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken didn’t have to worry about.
They’re also among the most significant defenders who sustain Buffalo’s bend-don’t-break philosophy. In the Bills’ nickel base defense, opponents will gain yards on the ground. The point is to prevent explosive pass plays, force teams to convert more third downs and wait for them to make a mistake on their long trip down the field. Turnovers, punts, field goals.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane is limited in adding defensive tackle depth now. Run stuffers aren’t hanging out at the Big Tree Inn. The best he could do to shore up the interior run defense was signing old friend Quinton Jefferson last month after the Browns cut him. Rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter is close to returning from a wrist injury that has sidelined him since Week 7.
Why isn’t Sean McDermott getting more of a sniff for Coach of the Year? All kinds of talk about roster turnover, losing core leadership, etc. Here he is at 10-2 and showing massive improvement in game management/strategy, especially on display with the game plan against the Chiefs. — Brad K.
Another popular Satchel question, this one comes down to how the award usually is decided. I agree that McDermott should garner more Coach of the Year discussion, but there’s a reason he’s a betting long shot to win it.
The honor tends to go to the coach who either a) turns around a losing organization, b) does the best without an elite quarterback, or c) wins with a team that was supposed to barf down its uniform. McDermott has been a quality coach for too long for the Bills’ success to be a surprise, winning a fifth straight AFC East title with Josh Allen as the MVP frontrunner.
Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry and Bill Walsh each have only one. Kevin Stefanski was chosen twice.
BetMGM’s favorites are Dan Campbell, Kevin O’Connell, Mike Tomlin, Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton, with a huge drop to Dan Quinn and then McDermott seventh.
Did we peak too early? I feel like we can take the defense to another level with our returning players. — Matt K.
A fascinating question, Matt. I also believe there’s still room for improvement, which is a scary notion for opponents. But my main curiosity about winning the division title with five games to spare is how the Bills will maintain their competitive edge over the next month.
Yes, they still have the AFC’s top seed to shoot for. The Kansas City Chiefs, apparently on the brink of defeat virtually every week, are just one game ahead, while the Bills will be comfortable favorites in four of their remaining games. The Bills finish with two games against the New England Patriots sandwiching another versus the New York Jets.
The Bills, however, want to enter the postseason as healthy as possible. Does that get inside the players’ or coaches’ heads? Every year, we roll out the dusty debate over whether a team should rest starters in its regular-season finale over concerns about remaining sharp. Thankfully, the NFL doesn’t have a junior varsity squad. The starters will have to play, and they must maintain that edge over a month of games that never have been less significant to them.
Since the Bills began their playoff streak, this is where they were relative to the AFC East lead, entering Week 14: one game behind the Patriots in 2019; one game ahead of the Dolphins in 2020; a game and a half behind the Patriots in 2021; one game ahead of the Patriots and two ahead of the Jets in 2022; three games behind the Dolphins in 2023.
Josh’s left hand. I get the feeling our season depends on Josh’s left hand. So tell me Josh’s hand is OK. His left hand. — Joseph W.
Allen’s left hand has been a topic since the season opener, when he injured it against the Arizona Cardinals. We wondered how he would manage direct snaps, handoffs to the right, tucking the ball when he ran to his left and whether he could refrain from using it to stiff-arm tacklers.
His performances have been MVP-worthy and, aside from briefly utilizing a weird, reverse handoff style to protect that tender paw, he hasn’t appeared limited while throwing or running. Every couple weeks, Allen appears to aggravate his left hand or wrist again, but continues to laugh off any questions about it. He said the latest issue Sunday night was from being hit in his “unfunny bone” and not hand-related at all.
So, barring further calamity, I think Allen’s left hand will be just fine.
Don’t understand why Kaiir Elam is a healthy scratch each week. Should either of the starting corners get hurt during the game next up is Ingram or Lewis? — Richard G.
Because of their versatility, Cam Lewis is the backup nickelback on game days, while Ja’Marcus Ingram is the top backup cornerback. Lewis also is among Buffalo’s top four safeties — until it promotes the newly re-signed Micah Hyde from the practice squad.
Elam is the better cornerback, but he isn’t as useful on special teams. Ingram has been used on 65 percent of Buffalo’s special teams’ plays, while Lewis has been on 60 percent. In games Elam dressed, he has gotten only 16 percent of available special-teams plays.
Been a fan for a while, always enjoy what you put out here and also on X, love your wit. Also a huge Joe B. fan. I joined The Athletic because you both are here. Can you tell Joe I think he’s awesome and super talented? Best Bills beat writer ever. Appreciate you both. Thanks for being awesome and for your time and effort. Cheers! — Mark T.
Listen, hammerhead, ask a question or move along. Geez …
(Thank you for the kind note. I’ll send your regards to Mr. Buscaglia because I know he doesn’t have time to bother reading what I write.)
Is Khalil Shakir the Bills’ Jenga piece? — John G.
Allen is the correct answer, but that’s so boringly obvious. We need to attach a “besides the quarterback” caveat to keep these questions fun, and I liked this one a lot.
Aside from Allen, I agree that Shakir is the piece that keeps the offense from collapsing.
It’s not purely coincidental the Bills’ two defeats happened when Shakir was hurt. He injured his ankle in Baltimore, and although he’s not the reason Buffalo lost, his comforting presence might’ve prevented offensive coordinator Joe Brady from calling that fateful, silly trick play that pulverized comeback hopes. In the third quarter, the Bills were in Ravens’ territory and moving toward a one-score deficit, when wideout Curtis Samuel took a direct snap and pitched to Allen for a downfield pass, but Kyle Van Noy forced a fumble.
Anecdotal, I know, but that’s what happens when the Bills’ offensive binky is removed. They just might panic.
Shakir is about as automatic as receivers come. Drops are unofficial stats and subjective at that, but Shakir has either one or none, depending on the analytics site. TruMedia, which uses Pro Football Focus data, has him down for one drop all season, in Week 9 against the Dolphins, but the play was wiped out by a Dion Dawkins holding penalty. Pro Football Reference docked Shakir for a drop in the snow last Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers and that’s it.
Another intriguing stat I found about Shakir: Among non-running backs, he ranks second to Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins with 480 yards after catch, but Shakir’s 149 yards before the catch rank 81st. Allen’s passes to Shakir average 2.5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, ranking 170th.
Essentially, Shakir takes long forward handoffs and gets to work zipping through defenders. Work is good.
Tim, I’m adding to my jersey collection and was wondering which player I should add: Taron Johnson, Bernard or Groot. Suggestions? — David S.
Because I don’t know what other jerseys are in your closet, I’ll stick with the names you mentioned. All three are entertaining players.
Groot, aka Gregory Rousseau, has been gaining momentum for the home stretch. In his past six games, he has recorded 24 tackles, 3.5 sacks, six other tackles for losses, 12 quarterback hits, a forced fumble, a recovery and two pass breakups.
But the other two you named are more integral to Buffalo’s down-to-down success. Johnson should receive All-Pro attention again after finishing second to Kansas City slot corner Trent McDuffie for last year’s prize. Bernard missed three games with injuries this year, and his splash plays are down from his breakout 2023 season. His importance is unmistakable, the reason he is Buffalo’s lone defensive captain.
My choice would be Bernard for two reasons. The “C” stands out a little more on the front, and at 25 years old you’ll have the opportunity to wear it longer while he’s active.
That’s splitting hairs, but people come to me with the tough questions for a reason.
(Top photo of Josh Allen: Mark Konezny / Imagn Images)
