DrPJax

D missed multiple tackles at crucial times , at one point I think 5-6 guys hit and failed to wrap up a wide receiver on a critical third and long ( pretty sure Talley and Bennett and a couple of corners / a safety also whiffed on that play ) and it led to a go ahead td. Bruce failing to get a safety / or fumble early in the game allowing Hostetler to escape ( Bruce admitted this several times, plus we allowed a back up qb to beat us along with being unable to stop Anderson ) is another of the things that should have happened and were usually/ probably statistically easier than a relatively long ( at that time , ‘91, ) fg with the clock expiring and Super Bowl title at stake. Plus during that last drive they ( Bills ) mismanaged the clock some and I believe Thurman has talked about that and stated they should have run one more play ( or he went down earlier than he could have , sorry my memory is fading as I turn 65 on 7/30!) and they could / should have gotten a few yards closer. Norwood had been struggling during the last few games ( hence Christy coming in the next year, ending Norwoods career) as well, so those few extra yards were important, and the time management issue was either on the O or coaching staff. Yes, Norwoood was to blame ultimately for missing the kick , but it was a team underperforming ( after dropping 51 on the Raiders 2 weeks earlier ) that caused them to be in that position in the first place. They were out coached , and the guys like Bennett, Kelly , etc also admitted to being out enjoying the Tampa nightlife the night before as well. You know all this , so imho it’s hard to blame Norwood as the “ main” reason for that loss. Bills were the better team , having beaten the Giants earlier in the regular season as well, so it was a culmination of crap, not just that missed kick that cost them the win. If he had made the FG, would you say then he was the main reason for winning? I would bet against people saying that. Just like 13 seconds, hard to blame on one person ( as Wallace has been scapegoated quite a bit, or the special teams coach) when things fall apart and turn an almost certain W to an L ! 😉🥲. Lol ! Probably the two worst memories ( music city miracle is right there too ) in Bills history. Have a good 4 th tho ! 🍸🍸

Thx for the documentation with those pics. Hey I’m all for looking your best and feeling good psychologically because of that , and hair treatment is so vast and easy now it’s almost a shame to let young men experience hair loss as it can be prevented. But doing all the other plastic things like the cheek implants ( wow , are those evident in that top left pic or what? ) , lifts , and fillers can come with risks , and in his case it actually has detracted from his natural handsome appearance. That facial structure on the left reminds me of the Joker’s smile from Batman! Hey if that’s what it takes for the goat to feel confident , then it is what it is ! I just don’t get fighting time tho when you have had an amazing career, beautiful wife and family , and guaranteed to transition from one career to another safely without having to fight your way up from the bottom again. For someone who is almost worshipped by so many , it just means he is as human and insecure as the rest of us; hopefully the plastic surgeons he sees remain ethical because obviously there are those out there that only money and doing things on celebs is how they seek their own rep and success and they could use their vast talents for so many other better causes. He is not old at all ( except in pro football years) and it’s kind of sad seeing him subject himself to that.

Josh might look “ chunky” compared to Brady but while sitting at the post match interview, you see his pecs and overall frame are just much larger than the other the qbs , and I’m pretty sure after seeing Dawkins comments about Josh hitting the off-season weight training, that’s prob just more muscle mass there ! That’s how he runs thru LBs and cbs, and is something Brady has no idea about because he has never trucked anyone in his career; same thing with Rodgers as he avoids contact and whines for flags if a LB “ breeze”knocks him over like JJ Watt was talking about ! ( Watt was a good commentator and would be better than Brady I bet ,,,also they should get Barkley on one of the week play game crews; he may not know football but he is a pro athlete and he is funny as hell ! Now that would help ratings ! The NFL needs someone who is irreverent like Chuck on a crew !) The post interview was pretty good tv. Earnie is a class guy, great interviewer! Well , hopefully this added loss will fuel Josh to be better than all of them when / if they meet this coming year. Would rather he have the last say on the football field than get “ The Match “ bracelet ! He def wasn’t on his golf game but hey, he has just arrived from OTA’s , so that’s not too surprising. So hopefully he will be fired up when he is back in his element where he can actually dominate, and pay these guys back for today as Josh was very humble throughout the whole day. ( Josh is very respectful , burns no bridges off the field! I would have given Brady some crap,,,he looks like he has had cheek implants to combat the aging effects where that area of our face sags with time. His lateral cheek bones were really prominent and I bet he has started with an early lift as well because his eye folds look narrowed or lifted toward the temples. Would love to see a plastic surgeon compare his face over time as it looked like a very obvious change to me ; check out cheek implants on YouTube with a plastic surgeon and see what you think. I think with his wife being a model, the new TV contract looming , he is getting ready for Hollywood! That culture is crazy and the antithesis of “ football” culture, and Tommy may be gradually being headed that way 😉😀. Have to admit I loved Rodgers comment asking Brady , “ Have you ever gotten paid so much for giving back !? Lol! Classic line! ). Josh is physically on a different level than these guys and I hope it finally pays off for him.

He’s playing with custom clubs. No one at this level plays with clubs that aren’t custom fitted clubs. 👍😊

Think of walking away from what you love , what is your life’s passion and has been the sole driving force for most of your life since childhood perhaps. Then throw in a lifestyle very few ever get to experience as you are treated like royalty by fans. , and all the travel and things you get to do for free and all while getting special treatment. Finally throw in the millions of dollars you get accustomed to earning and all the other earning opportunities thrown in along the way that all helps set up your family for generations. How do you give that up if you are still healthy enough to play , knowing many guys still are not even as good as you are at even 85% of what you might have been in your twenties ? Plus these guys are not old , and their bodies are not broken like players from the earlier decades. They get a short break from being sore or in pain ( pain is a great equalizer , you may be a tough person but pain can reach levels that when it’s there daily it clouds thinking and it’s hard to imagine being able to just move normally and it just wears you down. Take that away and you are back to being you , back to seeing hope! You get back to experiencing the joy of looking ahead to each day again!) and now they remember how high the highs are competing at the best , most popular sport in the world ! Do I want to quit that to face uncertainty, going to a regular mundane career , or career just talking about how great that sport is that I know I could still do? Look at your own life ; if you were lucky enough to live your dream , do your career with joy at a high level , would you give it up in your late 30’s , knowing once you quit it will never be available to you again? It’s different if it’s taken from you because of injury , disability, or illness. Then you have no choice and it’s a different mindset. But walk away by choice after a lifetime of hoping and dreaming and then succeeding and if you still say that would be easy , I wouldn’t believe you. I would think you were naive because you had never experienced giving all that up in real life, by choice, just walking away! I would want to talk to you a year later and see how you felt then. Remember , no injury , no illness , you just walk away from your passion, not some job you settled for but one you spent your life fighting to be in and loved and it paid Better than almost any other profession ( plus no pressure like being a pilot, a surgeon, in the military or police where others lives or your own were at risk daily etc,,,,,playing a sport for entertainment) and just knowing human nature concerning driven , successful people, I would bet you would be second guessing your decision. That’s all these guys are doing and why would you be critical of them because it ‘“ exhausts “ you !? Haha! If that exhausts you, you are too caught up in others lives and still have some growing to do ,,,,as we all do ! 😉😊

I respectfully disagree only because he has been ingrained to be PC during his entire career , especially under Belicheck.. He has this squeaky clean image ( in his eyes) and I can’t see him delivering actual criticism or being truthful when players or coaches are performing poorly. He is so used to just spouting the company line as the QB , I think he will have a difficult time ever really delivering critical or an honest assessment of situations where teams are performing less than they capable of or expected to given their talent levels. Can you honestly say you expect him to be critical of his fellow QBs that he has spent 20 years being a contemporary of ? I think he is so conscious of his reputation and how people look at him that all I expect is a very vanilla , always providing “ positive” analysis or spouting cliches about how difficult it is to make certain reads etc, and I would be shocked if he can be openly critical of coaching decisions because he is about relationships as he continues to promote his TB 12 brand , and I think he will be timid as he will never want to burn any bridges as he may have a long time goal of partial ownership. He may be good at analyzing certain strategies , I just think it might quickly get old as he doesn’t strike me as someone willing to be critical of the “ Shield “ , and I don’t think he has ever come across as witty or someone to show a willingness to ever say anything negative in a manner like Romo has for example. I just think Brady is an example of having financial and other conflicting interests involving the NFL that I think his performance is almost predictable. It’s a classic case of just because he was a great player , he was hired with NO EXPERIENCE as an analyst which would never happen in other professions ( it’s like hey , you were a great patient managing your diabetes , so let’s hire you now to run our regional diabetes treatment center ,,,,,,,just because you have experience with YOUR situation doesn’t confer expertise across the board as an extreme example !😊). It would be a nice surprise if he actually is honest and not afraid to be critical when the situation calls for that , but I am skeptical he can overcome his “ indoctrination “ of decades of never being critical of the NFL or guys he has been friends and colleagues with. Think of yoir own profession , it’s not easy being openly critical of people you have had relationships with. Will he be willing to take chances that he might offend someone like an owner when he has made it public ( regarding the interest in owing a part of the dolphins ) he has future ideas of possibly being a member of that exclusive club ? I think he has the potential to be good having been so good on the field , but if he is only willing to heap praise and always stay away from any potential criticism or controversy, It’s very likely he will be just another boring ex player given a position he never actually earned by working his way up through the ranks. I don’t see him being as entertaining as someone like Manning for example, who like Romo , has proven to be an exception to how former athletes have performed when shoved in to analyst positions. Time will tell.

Maybe not as important as we like to believe , but great to watch. Pollacks article about Beanes draft success is really not that impressive outside the Allen pick. Only 7 starters from Beanes picks now, compare3 to 9 from FA suggests this is a lot of hype without merit. Have lost many picks to other teams of ps or bad trades like Teller. Fromm was a great pick , right, so Beane is not so infallible. Fun to watch , but in reality his roster management / FA acquisitions are really his strength and key to our success. 31 picks so far and only 7 starters still is kind of a reality check and so while fun to watch , it shows the importance of the draft outside of the franchise QB is probably overrated for this regime. Probably good for depth , and maybe they get one playmaker who helps this year. I personally hope its a quality rb as that is easier to contribute now, is an area we need better talent. , and could actually help protect Josh and add dimension to our offense in one possession games or to close out games we lead in. Fun to watch, yet not all that impactful in team building. 🍸😉

True , but no muscle mass protects from hits to a knee with a planted foot, or lis franc foot injuries, or ankle / fibula fractures. Some injuries , like head injuries , are not preventable regardless of muscle mass , so yeah, I would limit exposure like called runs ( can’t take away his talent scrambling ) as size doesn’t always matter. Season revolves around him so while his size does limit risk , it doesn’t ever negate it totally ! To get a Lombardi he has to be playing., so they need to protect him with a good line cuz no muscle mass protects from blindside hits and concussions. Just medical facts. 😉

Beane said top ten is out of reach on podcast w tasker Brown and he has a set limit to how high he would consider moving, which I think was upper teens. Listening , he said the best values were in 2-4/5 th rounds and I came away with the impression he was much more likely value wise to trade down. He did say there are more than two holes that need filled on this roster and will hopefully have guys contribute this year , so those thinking he would trade away later picks because they couldn’t make the roster are incorrect. He stated this included depth positions , just not starters. Really did expect first round talent from THEIR BOARD to be there at 25 ( as all teams have their own first round evaluations and they are not exactly same as Bills board) , but if not there he seems to be leaning that the sweet spot for value is in second / middle rounds. More than prior drafts , I am thinking if their first round evals are off , he won’t hesitate to drop back and felt like moving up seemed very unlikely, and this is in part because qb class is poor and not likely to drive guys down the board like prior drafts. Could change if teams reach for Qbs tho. But bills at 25 are in prime area for teams to want to move into the first to perhaps reach for qb with 5th year option.

Was just quoting him directly. Check out his interview w tasker / brown. I think it’s his risk evaluation perhaps concerning guys with medical issues whom he feels if you take them and have to sit them while seeing if they return to form CAN set them up for failure. Was his analysis and related to if he was faced with two guys rated equally on his board. He said he would then go for higher floor guy over POSSIBLE higher ceiling as it’s a safer risk , and fairer for expectations to the players. Intersting ideas. Check out the podcast and see if you get the same takeaway. It’s always possible I misunderstood, but it was about players with Med issues on their board, not necessarily his entire approach to every player / pick. At high picks he didn’t feel it was fair to take a guy that high with Med issues and then have him sitting out with that pressure to get to his full ceiling. Could be just smoke ,, but he seemed sincere. 😊

Still not relevant to any on field football activity is it? How does a chiefs coaches son carry any weight or interest here? Yet it’s ok if guys call Beasley a piece of crap just based on personal decisions and he was a good player for us. Reid means nothing as it’s the legal process and you are telling me that’s common to discuss in the football forum? How does that have any relevance to football? It’s a court decision: you can like it or not but it’s not related to x’s / o’s and has no impact on the field. How is it bs? What FACT are you basing that on , what precedent , what articles support that “ opinion” ? You are making an opinionated legal judgement. It’s our system , and that’s not a football topic. A little double standard , as you flag other opinions! Power is a dangerous thing with subjectivity. Lol! Yes, other teams are talked about , relative to football , production or players values. But just saying a legal decision is “ BS “ as an opinionated topic has usually been things not tolerated , unless you happen to be a mod ! There are actually topics great topics chiefs related to roster etc ; a court decision about a non player , an insignificant coach with family ties is hardly topic worthy. How does it matter other than someone thinking it would not happen without influence. Welcome to the real world, ; that’s not news as sept is still before the main part of the season and for all you know he will be in jail. Enlighten me how that impacts football. Best wishes. 😊😉

Yep , my error! I was up all night as some one hacked my email and also was in my Amazon account which got shut down! Pretty stressful. A hacker was literally buying things while I was on the phone with Amazon reps ! They couldn’t stop it and froze my account until I got my email secured at 7 am today! So I admit , I forgot about edmunds 5 th year! I apologize. I was thinking more about contract extensions, thanks for correcting me! I do believe tho edmunds is overrated and time will tell this year. I do think there is a difference tho as I think Oliver was a certain to be picked up but delayed until they had cap space. Not sure edumunds situation is more than one more hedge to evaluate long term viability and I think Oliver , who is more impactful will get a second contract. Not sure edmunds will. Imo, easier to replace a LB , than a DT who can rush. I was just thinking if Edmunds was living up to expectations , it might have made more sense to extend ( like Josh , if he is the def “qb”)rather than ride the fence , as his price might only go up if he somehow finally evolves to be that guy. They have drafted well, and they can’t pay everyone. I think another similar year and they could easily replace him as his ceiling may have been reached and a guy with a high floor might be just as good rather than continuing to wait to see if he can raise his ceiling. Thanks for the kind correction , I was def in error. My main thought was its a prove year for edmunds ; Beane stated they always intended to do Oliver which seemed more definitive he will be here long term. Not so sure about Tremain unless it reallY comes together this year. Best wishes! Sorry for the error.

Great ideas! Appreciate your thoughts. I like walker better than hall but either would be a great pick to control for 5 years plus tags and then move on as they age. Beane with brown/tasker today said more likely to move down as most value is 2-5 th rounds. Limit on how high they would ever go up. Also they are unlikely to take medical issues In first as risk is too high and sets “ guy up to fail” ! He goes for higher floor guys Over higher ceiling as again there is less risk with higher floor players ! Sees possibility for trading players , not picks as much in this draft and sees chance for very few qbs to go in the first. Wr class is very deep and suggested impact guys in later rounds who can impact now will be there. They do expect a first round graded player to be there at 25 as all teams have different boards. Yet he really seems ready to trade down because same grades on many players in the 30’s -40’s range. He did say more than two holes exist on this roster , including depth need so those saying trade all the picks as late rounders have no chance are incorrect. Interesting stuff on the bills podcast with brown / tasker interviewing Beane ! Don’t duck, your thoughts are just as valid as anyones ! Best wishes !

Why does it matter to you , how is it Bills football related ? It’s the legal system and should have no relevance here and truly a “ subjective opinion “ means nothing and seems like a topic for a political board. Too bad some opinions are just permitted. Agan. No relevance to a Bills board unless now the legal system is a topic for here. No diff than medical issues unless it’s ok to be hypocritical. Lol , have a sense of humor! We’ll see ! Best wishes. 😊🍸why is it BS? Decided by judges unless you are a legal expert as well !? Please don’t attack me again just for “ my opinion” , no diff than you creating a topic like this. I like your posts , but clear double standard here Enjoy the draft ,,,perhaps a more relevant topic!

Truly a good move. That “ avatar”. insults everyone , always is a name caller on game days in the shoutbox degrading , belittling others and is an example of how this great forum has changed. Nothing is ever done about the attacks., so passively it’s enabled. You are spot on and not alone, having been the victim of attacks because I had my own analysis , Heaven forbid. Bit my tongue, but no good info ever followed , just histrionics and name calling ! There are many good people to follow, yet some toxic ones who are still allowed to thrive on here. I’ll prob get nailed just for supporting you , but wanted to assure you , keep the faith and you are in good company. 🍸😉😉👍Besr wishes , go Bills , enjoy the draft ! Should be interesting. I would be great with cb, rb ( hey control them for 5 years plus two tags and it’s great value and move on as they age! , ) or best wr. What are your thought? I listened to Beane with brown / tasker today , between the lines it seems he is like to trade down more than move up and they are not likely to take any guys with Med issues in that first round as it’s a great risk. He is willing to take guys with higher floors , than potential higher ceilings as the risk is lower with low floor guys! Interesting! If they should attempt to move up , they have a system limit on how high, and it didn’t seem too likely. Just my opinion reading “ Beanes language”. He wants a “ playmaker “;, so even rb is not off the board in the first. 😊Best wishes!

I apologize to you and didn’t mean to single you out! I appreciate your points ! I was just triggered that this board will allow stupid topics about something like her salary yet they have mods who wirh no legitimate credentials now censor things that’ are fact based reply’s to obviously biased opinions, like attacking Beas for his right to chose his own medical control over his body and Called ,him profane names in doing so. I have been on the Board since the 90s, made so many great friends on here and now it is getting filled with topics that are literally petty , add little to football ( like Kay’s salary adds any football knowledge ?), and now it’s becoming a place where censorship is prevalent with one sided decision making according to whims of certain individuals It sad for me to see the change. i really sincerely apologize to you as it Was just meant about the topic. I hope you accept my sincere apology. Just wish it was like it used to be with so many posters who had great football knowledge on here, and people who were caring and friendly. I had so many reach out to me when my father passed in 2002 from here as friends I met discussing football and after going personally to SB 27 &28. I learned a lot on here and discussing salaries about celebrities is a waste as no input from here has any relevance to anything in her life, or any posters life. Yet a discussion about how our team might miss Beas is flagged if a word related to something like a poke is mentioned in a reply never meant to take over a thread ( watch me be censored for that just because I mentioned it as a doc, yet note , I mentioned no opinion or am try to judge anything. I just think Calling a player who helped us a pos was terrible ). I love the football knowledge on here , but salary talk is just subjective , adds nothing , no post about it influences anything. Just thoughts not directed at you , just a topic that actually does waste space on here. Does that make sense ? Some topics on here about some things are allowed that are so petty and click bait and I can tell you the Board never used to be that way. You have a great day and hope you enjoy the draft; in the end tho it’s just entertainment and all the mock drafts,, salary cap stuff is time wasted as only the staff of the bills opinions and actions matter !🍸😊👍 go bills ! Hopefully I will not be punished just for an opinion , isn’t this an opinion forum? Lol!

Pretty telling they picked up Oliver’s 5 th year tenure but not Edmunds yet. It’s this year or he’s gone of maybe they control him with tags. But his is not an obvious. priority as his talent doesn’t meet the eye test. Guys like podcaster Miller and Spence king who are quite arrogant if you critique Edmunds as they verbally belittle those who disagree with them that he is a legit star need to begin to get a ltiioe crow ready to eat. If he was the star / playmaker they espouse, why has his option not been exercised while every else but poyer has been extended? I am neutral , ok if he sticks , but I truly believe he could be replaced easily with little drop off and we could probably do better. They hold on because of the draft capital they spent. Poyer in much more impactful , only question is age but his play has only improved, and that’s why we did ok with the last year and had a 7; th round cb pick starting on a #1 D. Let me know the next time edmunds makes more then 2-3 impactful plays in a Game or even the season. It’s obvious the staff is giving him this year to prove things. Oir d runs well based on saftey play and Frazier has said as much. We have a good lb with Milano and edmunds is replaceable.

Who cares what she makes ? Is Relevant to your own life or well being? She is a commentator is a very stress free ( she could be digging ditches or some really physical Labor in life or do something like military or be a first line responder who also makes less , so spare me the pity about pampered celebrities who live in a different world , where things are based on looks and some modicum of talent. It’s like guys who obsess over the cap or salaries to be paid, eg I want it plays if he meets my payroll parameters. How does ti affect you in reality? Are you paying the salaries or are you a billionaire owner? It’s sport and entertainment. People need to take it as that and I am a passionate Bills fan but that doesn’t mean squat compared to my health and own family life that I have control of and are my reality. She prob makes more than most on these boards regardless of what she is making, and she appears healthy and happy. That’s all that matters . Some of you really need to grow up and understand to make your own life as important before worrying about trivia that will NEVER impact you. It’s not even an interesting topic and I clicked only to see about Amazon. Flame away but try to deny the truths in what I am saying. Focus on staying healthy , enjoy life when young. It’s what will pay you more than any money and you will be a better person. Why worry about a person you will never meet or be close to and I promise never thinks once about you unless you are a direct family member. You are wasting time when you should be dwelling on how you can maximize your potential and income and most importantly, you happiness and goals in life. How much is it worth to be on a tv show and just read things written for you , no threat to your well being or health.? Is that worth what police, nurses, firemen , solders ,EMT’s, etc are worth. Football is a great passionate relief but worrying about pay for those with no impact in your life is futile and frankly , you need to really evaluate importance of priorities in life. No offense , just some advice from an older adult Bills fan who know how much I mean to the Bills ,,,,pretty much nothing despit years of following them. It’s just the reality ; hope they win a SB , but even that won’t change the reality in my life as only imam responsible for that,,,,not Kay! 🍸😉

Great points! In another thread on here I saw stats posted showing he had one of the highest drop rates , like 12% or so , among this current crop of receivers. That’s enough of a warning to drop him out of first round consideration given all the talent available. Might be a great second round pick depending on how the board falls and how pressed we are to fill the corner need etc, at least from a depth perspective. Other drop rates were about half that much for the wrs considered 1 st round talent. It’s pretty basic, your #1 trait for a wr has to be you can catch the ball first above all else , and that drop rate was against lower talent as well. So with our wr corp already in place , I’m not using a 1 st to then have questions about reliability; more willing to accept that risk with later picks. One interesting fact that Chris Brown pointed out was that since 2017 , 43% of the Bills draft choices played in the senior bowl ! So having a good week / game there has obviously carried weight with this staff. Tasker felt it was the icing on the cake so to speak , sorting out last questions and issues with close candidates. It’s a whole week around NFL coaching and they scrutinize all behavior. For example , one gm told Tasker he watched a guy miss the trash can throwing away a cup , AND he watched to see if the guy went over from the bench to pick it up or not ! It’s that level of scrutiny and shows how even little things can make a difference on considering if a guy is coachable. So if he had a good week at the senior bowl , he probably is certainly on the Bills radar, but I would suspect that drop rate is also on their radar. Beane does like his high RAS guys , but I’m not sure this wr is going to fall in the right area value wise , and if he should go in the first/ early second , I would bet it will be to a different team. I would be happy if he ended up with us in the second , but I wouldn’t trade up because of that drop rate, unless I was convinced poor QB play was a factor for it being so high. It might take a year on the ps for him to blossom and I would lean more toward getting production this year for those first two picks , but if he is standing out on their board given their senior bowl bias , he could be a great bargain in the second round.

I agree. This is your all in year. Poyer has been a role model. You can’t overestimate how the chemistry between hyde and poyer allows Frazier ti run his schemes. We are not getting that production THIS YEAR from a rookie safety. Paying all the other guys and brining in Miller on a huge contract would look insulting to a guy who Mcd picked to bring in and got us to this point. Plus he just VZ e off a pro bowl season so it’s not like his production is falling or shows signs of it Give him a chance to win the SB and hope he understands that may give him something money can’t buy. Hope he sees that and is willing to accept an offer to extend him a year or two and he realizes all that struggle could be for naught to leave now on the cusp of forever being a SB champion. Wildcard is the wife and agent in his ear who have no sense of teammates and what forever being a SB champion means. Ask the 90’s guys; have Kelly / Tt talk to him cuz I’m sure they would give any contract / money up for a year to have just won one. Hopefully they reach common ground and he doesn’t let “ bad” type thinking ( not a critique, just stating something he knows well, about how bad thinking associated with the disease is always around the corner , even in recovery) influence something that could deny all he has worked for, and help resolve the pain associated with “13” Seconds. He can always get money, if not this contract year , in other ways as a SB champion. I respect him and his story and play so much. I hope he doesn’t let outside forces ( wife , agent , others contracts ) overtake his lifetime goal when so close. If he leaves for $ , and Bills win a SB, he will harbor resentment that can threaten sobriety. Hope his higher power is with him and in the end , he is at peace with his actions and as a fan, I hope he stays for this last run and is a part of Bills history bringing the Lombardi finally to Buffalo. He has been “ the process” , and he deserves to see it through.

Would NEVER happen. First Beane gave up a 1st for Diggs and was miserable on draft day not having a first round pick and stated he was unlikely to do that again and second, Mcd has never ( including his Carolina days) used valuable picks / assets to fill the 2nd cb roster spot. He is confident on developing late round picks / ufas for that spot. This roster will need labor on rookie contracts moving forward as well and the price to get up above cb needy rivals who have multiple picks and can afford to take Gardner in the top 5-10 is too steep. Many have the jets taking him at 4 I believe and we are not going to make a move from 25 to get anywhere close to that high. We made our huge moves with Von , Diggs, Bates’ etc and this team does need depth to offset injuries we see happen every year to every NFL team and we need o line , cb , wr , legit rb talent , a legit one technique DT ( settles is still a mild ? mark and needs development still ). Gardner is good yet there are very good scheme fit cbs for the NUMBER 2 CB who will be there thru th 3 rd round in all likelihood. Beane did his all in move with Miller and that’s how Mcd plays pass d, he values d line pressure to Help his cbs hold up.and if he valued cb 2 that much , he could have replaced Wallace several seasons going and last year they didn’t even devote a single pick to a cb ! Now you expect them to throw multiple high round picks for a position they have demonstrated they will fill with FA’s / udfa’s ? Pl We don’t draft in a vacuum and other teams value Gardner so he is an early target. You only give up that much draft value going after a franchise QB , not your cb 2. who doesn’t even cover other teams #1 wr. Mcd uses scheme to effect his philosophy on pass d and year after year he / Beane have proven they value d line pressure to achieve that They finally invested in the piece ( Miller ) to be sure they get the sacks / pressures they value. This isn’t madden ; the Bills Need depth and rookie contracts moving forward and they will also need guys developing to fill roster spots of guys here on one year deals like Safford should he chose to retire next year etc. The only position you throw that much draft capital at is a franchise Qb and we were lucky to get to 7 to get Josh; no way possible to get that high from 25 or to get above the Jets at 4 realistically. If something weird happened and Gardner dropped out of the top 10 , maybe they inquire, but that seems very implausible. My strongest argument tho is you don’t go several years ( or in mcds case , his career); fielding low picks / udfa’s at your cb 2 spot , throw millions at the d line year after year , to now suddenly act counter to that by throwing so much at the cb2 and then be vulnerable at other valued positions for several subsequent years. Mcd has shown he can make his d work with cb talent taken with later picks and I can’t see he or Beane varying from that now , esp given all the asset allocation to the d line where they obviously ARE willing to throw multiple picks at and spend huge FA money on. Franchise qbs have that much impact on winning , cb2’s do not and that’s been proven throughout the league. Even if White doesn’t return to form , he’s proof you can get adequate talent at 25 and don’t need to mortgage multiple assets trying to find. They also obviously value Jackson , and will either add a vet later or add another later pick at cb to compete with him. Tasker / Brown/ Greg Cosell have all said the same as well ; there will be good cb fits for the Bills even in rounds 2-3 who can compete for cb 2 in mcds scheme.

I think the high slow start pics is related to the last three all being d line with the guys sitting behind FA vets or established starters , and throw in the heavy rotational play and it’s a recipe for a slow start/ slow development scenario. I do think Epenesa is at high risk of being nothing more than a back up / low rotation guy unless he makes some dramatic third year progress. He will always be a sore point for me as we passed on Dobbins for him and we still are looking for consistent RB production. Moss looks like his skills didn’t translate well in the NFL and Mcd s evolution of the o needs are a result of very avg rb play and using Josh too much in the run game because he is the only consistent runner. Had we taken Dobbins ( despite his lost year with the injury, and who knows if he sustains that under the bills training ) in place of Epenesa , we would be just as productive on the d line and this year our RB situation would be much further along supporting Josh. I bet Dobbins has a very good year and I think it’s a huge stretch to expect that from Epenesa, esp with all the d line additions. One of the biggest misses imo by Beane in the early , first two rounds.

Good point , yet along the same lines , we don’t know it was “ overpaying” Bates. Obviously another team didn’t feel like he was asking too much. There is something to be said for keeping continuity with the o line. Ask any former o lineman like Fina , who is readily available on twitter and his podcast on YouTube. Guys get better as they play more together. It’s not always about just plugging someone in. We tried that several games last year and the results were bad. Why create another period of adjustment when we already have a brand new OC which even Mcd said “ we can expect growing pains with “! Bates’ did a good job , he should have been a priority , yet we keep making mistakes with FA’s along the d line and because of that we have to keep chasing our tail there and then we don’t have Money to pay our starting guard, who I have yet read or heard anyone say he didn’t play well. Let’s see what the bears think he’s worth and then Maybe have an idea relative to “overpaying”. If we can keep finding money for the d line every offseason tho, I have a hard time believing we couldn’t have reached a reasonable deal with a guy who filled in very well and we also will lose out on all the extra time we spent developing him Over the years he was here. That is worth money in itself. As for plugging in a rookie , well Mcd has tendency of leaning more toward playing vets. So you let a vet go , and plug in a new guy to the NFL and while it may work out in time , I just don’t see value in trying that on a team expected to compete for the SB. It’s not like you are drafting in the top 10 and you are getting some stud. Even in a deep cb draft, Kiper said there is no first round cb talent for the Bills at 25, as he has only 3 cbs of first round value and all are off by pick 15. Along that thought process, I have not heard this is a great draft for guards or o linemen , and it’s one of the harder positions for rookies to come into and start. My point is not just about Bates’ , it’s about this regime continuing to focus on the d early in the draft and then hoping they hit for the offense in late rounds , other than when they drafted Allen as they were forced to address the most critical position related to getting to the SB. Allen is how you are going to win, so why not for a change focus on getting him some young , cheap , premier talent to support him early in the draft ? Seemed to work well for the Bengals who already made it further than this regime has! Can’t deny that ! Just as importantly , we have seen you can’t just plug in guys along the o line continuously as it hurts chemistry and imo , if they keep doing that you can expect games like losing to the Steelers in a home opener as the line was terrible early in the year. Lines take time to gel and the less “ moving “ pieces , the better it is for early chemistry and protecting your half billion dollar investment in Josh. Hey , like I said , they could match the Bears , and go o early In the draft! If they do then it proves my point and they do see the need to protect Josh and keep adding firepower so he can keep improving as he is the ticket to winning a SB. You need to protect him with continuity on the line but also by getting the ball in other playmakers hands so he doesn’t have to keep being our leading Rb for example, as he will get injured and it will shorten his career if you don’t keep infusing the o with talent. Plus after seeing what wrs have gotten paid in FA , they need to get some guys in case we can’t afford Diggs ( who was in reality a first round talent for us) after Josh’s contract kicks in. We could end up rich along the d , and surrounding Josh with bargain or average talent all the time , and that would be a sad use of a generational talent at QB. I hope that doesn’t happen. 🙂

I understand your great point; however it’s not like he was just on the roster for a few games or just one season. They have had plenty of time to evaluate him, and after he performed well, it looks like they underestimated his talent and continually over valued Ford ( Fina , who Rarely is critical of guys on the roster , said Ford has heavy feet and has not lived up to what you expect at this point) and they may have under valued Bates again with the lower tender. So they got rid of Williams, Feliciano , and now will probably lose Bates’ and so far just brought in a guy for a year in Safford. What happened to all the talk by Beane of protecting Josh, as you stated? This looks like a mess to me. Hard to believe they plan on drafting a rookie at guard to plug and play ; just look at Brown as it took several games of horrible line play before they stuck with him , mostly forced to because of injuries. So do you think Beane meant we needed to protect Josh and he was depending on grabbing a starting guard in the draft ; just seems unlikely to me, and depth is still a major concern as we witnessed many injuries on the O line in the reg season last year. I think Beane made an error, as Bates’ stabilized the line going into the playoffs and the line play unquestionably got better after he was inserted. With the low tender and losing Bates’ , you essentially lose three starters and gained one guard. So at a minimum we are really questionable with depth now and it’s looking like because of the cap , they may go back to Ford at RG, and imo that’s a disaster waiting to happen. I hate to see them going thru what they did last year with all the numerous changes in the line , when all this could have been ( and maybe still could be ) avoided by sticking with Bates’. Yes, it was a limited STARTING sample, yet he gave them nothing to really be critical of or to base speculation that if paid he suddenly would get worse. He is definitely safer than trying one more time with Ford. If they lose him , I think it was an avoidable mistake on Beanes part and we are back to always working on the D line , but never doing enough with the o line to have a consistent starting group heading into the season opener. I don’t know enough about the FA from the dolphins but just judging their line play , I find it hard to believe they let some great talent walk , and I thought he was to take Bates’ place for depth purposes. So it would seem like going in circles with the O line and it is forcing a need that Beane can’t ignore in the draft and goes against his preaching of taking BPA. I agree with you that they now can’t avoid addressing guard in the draft , and they are also almost forced into addressing CB as well. That may take away from their ability to get an offensive playmaker to keep giving Josh , who you live and die with, some Stability at wr / rb who he he could develop chemistry with for years to come. So far he has benefitted with Gabe and Knox ( took awhile to have that happen as they were projects in later rounds), but everything else has been by grabbing Free agents and who knows how that will go. We hit with Smoke ( for a year of production only really) Beasley ( couple of good years ) , Sanders imo was a disappointment, tight ends have been disappointing ( let’s see If Howard bucks that trend ), Running backs have been very average so far ( this year again going with our second choice of FA rb who had productive years at least a couple of years back, so that’s another ?) , and our one big hit has been Diggs. Crowder could be good , but has developed injury issues and chemistry with Josh has to be developed again , which gives me ptsd after Sanders. My point is you have your franchise qb after 20 years of crap , and he is here 5 years now , and we have drafted 1 starting caliber WR, 1 starting caliber TE, 1 possible starting Rb ( and I think we could do much better than motor ) 2 starting O linemen ( Dawkins / Brown) as guys that can grow with Josh. We have thrown a ton of FA money at the d line and used multiple high picks there and spent more money on special teams / Punter, various Cbs , various LBs without hesitation, yet we are losing a starting guard because of a lack of foresight EVEN AFTER BEANE SAID IT WAS SUCH A PRIORITY! When will they get serious about providing Josh with tools that will be here for more than a season , and use the draft to help with the cap and stop only helping the O by throwing new FA’s as stop gaps that require adjustment year after year. Josh is how you win the SB ; look at how Burrows thrived with the right WR who has speed! We don’t have that and now we may be forced to go CB , possibly guard o-line , early as we have no depth there. You have a superstar qb , and the best you can do is keep throwing FA’s at the O ( wr , o line , rb) and I think you could argue they are placing him at risk of injury, and not fully helping him become even better than he is now because they only look at tools for him AFTER filling holes on the d and now they potentially have lost a starting guard unnecessarily. Maybe I will be wrong , and they match Bates’ offer and draft a talented Wr/ or Rb ( only the one rb is worth a 1 st imo) and go cb in the 4 th or later ( they have a track record of successfully developing cbs in later rounds , more so than success at developing wrs / rbs with later picks as for every Gabe there is hodgins ,foster, Zay jones, sweeny , Stevenson so far , moss, etc) and plan for the future by maximizing talent around Josh ! I hope so because we have done a ton for the defense ( whose limiting factor MAY be Frazier ), while every year Josh has been required to deal with a lot of variables , including a ROOKIE OC this year and now again new o line men and a new slot receiver. Focusing so much on the d got us a “#1” D , but we see where that facade has gotten us In the playoffs so far , early trips home ( but adding Miller is finally a great move defensively and no one could argue against that as a legit addition). However, Beane , I hope does what he promised , protect and give Josh all the support he deserves and that’s our road to a Lombardi. The Bates’ issue and draft time will tell if it’s same old thing , or will we finally give Josh weapons to keep growing with !? 🙂

This is obviously a year Beane is going all in as evidenced by bringing back Guys like phillips, Lawson, Barkley and spending on someone like Miller. It is not a time to take on projects based on potential. We are not THAT deep that we can afford to take on two medical rehab projects who may not , probably won’t touch the field this year. What good is talent that is not available ? You are also wasting cheap years as you would be paying for rehab , not filling in depth this year. Injuries happen and no team is deep enough to waste TWO cost effective draft picks on guys who “ might “ get back as you are just paying for added risk as 50% of draft picks when healthy don’t hit to begin with. You are not Setting anything up for “ 4-5 years” when you are wasting a year right off the top. Most rookies improve greatly In their second year and ALREADY INJURED PLAYERS just have their experience gained a year further down the road. Why do this at this point , are these guys superstars NOW who have shown they can produce at THIS level yet ? No, they are gifted college players who are now unfortunately carrying an extra risk as one may get back this year ( albeit in a difficult to learn wr position where we have already seen a guy like Hodges has two wasted years on medical Ir or at least never touched the field at this point ), while the other is definitely out the whole year with the Achilles tear. If I’m an owner , I’m not using HIGH ( first three rounds ) draft picks to pay for their rehab , especially as there may be close to the same talent present in other players, without the added risk who can play roles now in a year when we are right up against the cap and can’t afford more FA’s as injuries begin to occur which we know do every year. You expect your top 2-3 picks to be productive right away, and in this scenario you need them for depth at a minimum as you are ready to compete for a SB NOW ! Who can afford to worry about having guys for the following year as luxury picks that are 100% never going to be anything you can depend or count on definitively this year? It’s different if you are a team niot expected to compete this year for the SB and you are in rebuild mode and can be patient. You don’t do this as a team bringing in a guy for 120 mil as you try to find the last pieces to get you over the hump for a title! The NFL IS CURRENTLY a year to year league as we have seen the past two SB winners load up the year they won with Tampa bringing in Brady et Al , and LA bringing in Stafford, Miller, OBJ, etc. Did you see them stockpiling drafted guys ; no , they brought in known production. Drafting injured guys means you are getting nothing , zero production NOW. We still have holes and the top few picks need to be on the field in some capacity this year imo. It’s different if you are talking about getting injured guys in later rounds , like maybe taking s flier on ONE guy in later rounds after your major depth is taken care of. But it’s foolish to throw earlier , valuable picks at rehabbing potential for the future when your ownership is spending and going all out for a SB this year. Heck , if the Bills get bounced early again , who is to say Mcd is around to even see when those guys hit the field. ( unlikely but who knows in todays NFL?) It’s that old saying , drafting for potential is drafting for the next coach. Maybe they take a flier on one of them , but if so I would bet it’s the guy who at least their medical staff has assured them can compete at some point THIS year, but I would be shocked if they used a first round pick in a year with needs as they are feeling the pressure to make it to the SB after falling short the past two years. Beane already said it , they have to hit in the draft this year as they don’t have any further money to spend , and picking a guy to just stockpile for a year for a franchise who has never won a title seems like an unnecessary, luxury risk.