thebandit27

Hey, we have Shady...don't tell me you forgot about Dray

I remember when Lee Smith tripped over the 2-yard line against Baltimore and cost EJ a TD pass...

He didn't have Cooper/Crabtree/Cook, but he did have Watkins/Woods/Clay. I like EJ a lot; good kid that worked hard. He's simply not a good enough passer to be an NFL starter.

I feel like there was a poster on this board that had the top 3 players from that draft as being Miller--Watt--Julio...wish I could remember who... https://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/127671-when-the-bills-were-on-the-clock-who-did-you-want-the-last-few-years/page-2?do=findComment&comment=2136589

I don't know...he looked like he was playing hard on Sunday for sure.

If so, it would make the most sense for it to be either a release designated as post-6/1 (which saves ~$2.5M on the cap in 2018) or a post-6/1 trade (which saves ~$10M on the 2018 cap).

They're pretty darn good. They held Green Bay's offense to 5.3 yards/play, and did it on the road. They have a very solid group of corners that is extremely deep. Jones/Kirkpatrick are solid starters, and they're backed up by former 1st round picks Darqueze Dennard and William Jackson III. Their LBs are thumpers that tackle well. They've been getting after QBs pretty reliably this year as well. They're susceptible to big plays in the passing game, however, as they've allowed 4 pass plays of over 40 yards already this year--tied for 3rd-most in the league. Interestingly enough, Buffalo has allowed zero pass plays of over 40 yards thus far.

Jerel Worthy...that is all.

Average annual value

I guess I wouldn't really call it a letdown game...I would call it just another tough opponent on the road. Have to get it done.

Yeah, I wasn't really speaking to your argument with Turbos.

Looks to me like Clay had a slight step, but that for some reason he stopped and dove instead of running through the reception

One of the Lee's will be cut--either Khari or Erik. In fact, I'd cut them both and promote Mabin for corner depth.

No, that's how someone with an agenda would read what I wrote. What I said is that he played very well while he was here, but he is not playing well in NE. I'm sure scheme has something to do with it, but folks throw out the idea that he's not a zone corner as though it's true. It's not. Jim Schwartz's scheme was a zone scheme, though he did mix in some Cover 1 and 0 on the relatively rare occasions that they sent pressure. http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/article-1/Eagle-Eye-Jim-Schwartzs-Attack-Defense/72122296-c9e4-47e6-8eb5-cf5b0f65c1eb In fact, in Gilmore's 2 best games as a pro (IMO)--Denver and Green Bay in 2014, the teams played almost exclusively in Cover-3 looks. Remember, if we want to talk opinions, I'm happy to give you mine, but if we're debating facts, we don't get to decide which ones to ignore. For example: Gilmore finished 3rd in the NFL in pass breakups in 2015, and 10th in passer rating allowed. He cannot by definition be a one-year wonder in 2014 if his performance was even better in 2015. Statements like that are why it's so very difficult to take some people's opinions seriously--it's not grounded in reality. Now, people can get upset that he had horrific games against the Jets and Patriots in 2016, and that's justified. What we can't do--provided we want to be taken seriously--is ignore the fact that the guy allowed 2 TDs all season, and surrendered a passer rating below 70 (which was better than Patrick Peterson and nearly identical to Richard Sherman). Let's remember that the guy made the pro bowl in 2016. Yes, he played very well when he was here. No, he is not playing anywhere near good football right now, and I am quite pleased with that. Where you are getting confused is that we've seen his limitations at times in Buffalo, and now they are presenting themselves on a much larger scale. Does that mean he didn't play well here? No. What it means is that he has specific limitations, and that other teams are now finding ways to take advantage of them. Is that because his new coach is still finding ways to minimize what he doesn't do well and maximize what he does? Maybe. Is it because he's playing in a different scheme? Sure, that's probably part of it. Is it because he got his payday and is slacking now? Who knows? (I sure hope so...that'd be pleasantly ironic for NE to get a guy that loafs after a big contract). What I'm not going to do is ignore what happened on the field for 5 years. Many players perform better or worse with a change in venue...Gilmore is not some new case study in what happens when guys move via FA--remember Nnamdi Asomugha? Best corner in football when he was with Oakland. Moved to Philly and promptly washed out of the league. Darrelle Revis had an island in NJ, but he went to Tampa and couldn't cover worth a dime. I think I've said my piece on this well enough; parse away if you so choose.

As always, Bill, I hope you are doing well, but I'll ask that you drop the straw man argument. I believe Gilmore is a very good corner (or at least was a very good corner during his time here), but what I (and many others) said over and over and over and over and over and over (etc.) is that "shut down corners" don't exist in the NFL. I appreciate that you don't like the guy because he was a 1st round pick at a position other than OL , but you are too good to continue to build a case against a position that nobody ever took. Yes, it said an awful lot about Gilmore's play that Belichick decided to spend big $$ on him in FA. We're all hoping that it turns out to be the biggest FA flop ever committed; what's bad for them is good for us. I hope he continues to get spun like a top week in and week out...that won't change a thing about the quality of his play during his career in Buffalo, which was very good.

If I were him, and that was my likely contract, I'd be shooting for a place that throws the ball like crazy and has a solid QB Maybe Washington or Indy would make sense? Chicago could certainly use a WR1 if Trubisky looks the part this year, though they don't really chuck it around much.

I expect a very close game. Cinci's OL isn't getting the job done, but they have a potent stable of backs and WRs, so when Dalton is right, they can put up points. Their front 7 is up and down; having Burfict back gives them a shot in the arm though. Buffalo's LBs will need to be on their game if they want to limit the receptions out of the backfield, and the pass rush will need to force Dalton into mistakes. Offensively, we know the model: grind clock and cash in on opportunities in opponent's territory. Tough game methinks.

Probably true...Jeffery was coming off of back-to-back 800 yard, 2 TD seasons.

He caught two passes yesterday

It's probably an Alshon Jeffrey-type deal if he ends up with < 1,000 yards

Correct--he was 4th in the NFL in total targets during his scorched-earth run in 2015.

I actually felt like it said more about Belichick being close to the end than Tommy Boy. I thought I read somewhere that Belichick said that--at this point in his career--he's more interested in coaching established vets that love the game than he is at trying to develop young guys. I'll have to see if I can find that on the Internets... EDIT: found what I was remembering, but it wasn't quite as I remembered reading it... http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-belichick-explained-patriots-roster-philosophy-urban-meyer-2017-4

It was definitely a surprise signing, and one that I'm sure they're second-guessing at this point. As for the bold; we can only hope. I never close the book on Belichick's teams; they typically get their poop in a group at some point.

Wait, are you really asking why he got benched? Anyone can answer that quite easily: because he had an awful game. The two catches that he allowed were killers, and his two penalties were both unnecessary and poorly-timed. Can't show those kinds of lapses and expect to float on a Belichick-coached team. You can keep making the Gilmore discussion about "stats" (which only you seem to be arguing), but you're missing the forest for the trees. There's absolutely no fact-based argument that Gilmore "has always sucked"...it's purely emotional. The communication issues that plagued Rex's Bills didn't have much of an impact on Gilmore (or Darby) in 2015, when they both played very good football. Both regressed a bit in 2016, though Gilmore made the pro bowl. And again, it's not about defending Gilmore, though you (and a few others) seem to always want to make it about that. I call it like I see it; when a guy plays well, I'm going to say so...when a guy plays poorly, I'm going to say so. I do not have an agenda, unlike folks that want to claim that Gilmore "has always sucked"--that's an agenda-driven argument. Now, on the play above--which is what you most-recently responded to--it's very clear that 3 guys (Gilmore, McCourty, Van Noy) are all doing something different. Are you really trying to tell me that it's Gilmore's fault that 3 guys at different positions are all playing a different coverage? There's no way you think that; that, good sir, is a coaching issue.

I think some folks consider the label of "Jauron ball" to be a slight; maybe I'm misreading you, but I don't see it that way. Jauron ball is literally the only way this team is going to win games this year--they aren't talented enough to win any other way. Philosophical question that I was asking my group right before the play: if they got the 1st down, would you call a timeout and let them score on the next play?