thurst44

I get to a degree the point you are trying to make, but whatever his stats were in the game, his catches in the Colts game were clutch toe tappers that kept the key drive alive. He had 4 catches for 85 yards and was a big reason why they won that game, their first playoff win since 1995. So maybe it's two outlier games, but diminishing his Colts game is not the way.

Given they went 13-4 in a season that seemed like at least a reset, and it's hard not to believe they quietly had a season of improvement, I'm optimistic... Optimism: - Coleman and Kincaid more likely to improve than regress and Kincaid's second season was just weird - One of the best O-lines in football (and perfectly paired with Allen) and they quietly have a lot of great depth - Thoughtfully paired WR room: Shakir (high YAC, catches everything), Coleman (Contested catch dude), Palmer (separation), Moore/Samuel (speed), Shavers (big, reliable target) - D-line very promising: Sanders and Walker look great, Jackson might be slower to start, Bosa looked like dominant self in small flashes, additions should push Rousseau and Oliver to another level, Solomon could be a secret stud (or could be gone week 7), Hoecht has looked amazing and his swiss army knife-ness could change the whole defensive dynamic - On that note, Rousseau is poised for a breakout - Sneakily strong and deep LB room: we've never seen Milano/Bernard together for long stretch and Milano looked great in pre-season, Williams could be a future solid starter, Thompson is a former solid starter and Andreessen plays with fire in games making for some impressive depth. And Jenkins and Ciarlo on PS even looked great. - Christian Benford just keeps getting better and better and may jump to all-pro level (if not already there... a lot of his metrics were off the charts) - Jackson Hawes could add to both the run and pass game with his blocking ability - ST coverage plus Codrington on returns led by well-respected new ST coach could be huge, especially with this year's changes. - Babich's plans could take flight in year 2 - Oh, right, that guy wearing 17 is likely to still be pretty damn good Pessimism: - Secondary Beyond Benford: I feel confident about Tre's return, but he is 30 coming off multiple injuries, we don't know Hairston's NFL career and even if he comes back it could be a lost season, Taron had a relatively down year so is it just an anomaly, Rapp is a great tackler, but can he stay healthy, Bishop's a question mark, Hamlin is overly maligned here, but would prefer he not have to start... - Babich could just be a bad defensive coach - Kicking game is a question mark: Bass looks like he's out of his yipsy phase, but still has too many bad moments. Robbins was the worst punter in his one healthy season - Maybe Allen and Kincaid just have zero on-field chemistry - Can O-line stay incredibly healthy for THREE seasons and depth, while promising, has very little experience - Injuries can happen at any time and if we're talking Super Bowl, as much as we want to say "Super Bowl or Bust," Dion is right... 31/32 teams go home sad. You can have an amazing team and one bad day or just bad luck (i.e. a delayed wild card game meaning two days fewer rest combined with the entire middle of defense hurt against the best QB/TE combo in the game)... or as great as your team is, one other team could just be better

So, we're saying pretty close to the same thing here. Although "complete lack of athleticism" feels a bit over the top. And, yes, I do get that you caveat'ed this with "considerably slower" so that may be your counter to this assessment from when he was drafted.

Well, I disagree that he's "just not good", and many Bills media who analyze the film also disagree. Even PFF (who I don't love) rates him as... fine (above average against run, below against the pass). And again, while I can't say 144 when targeted isn't terrible, he was so bad in 2022 that they had one of the best defenses in football. As another poster mentioned, when a player is surrounded by great players, they tend to get targeted. He had 103 last year, which is also pretty bad, but it wasn't even close to worst on the defense. And coverage isn't 100% of a safety's job. I'm not arguing that Hamlin is an above average (or even good) starter, just that he's not a liability on the roster. To an extent, I agree, the less he plays, the better the defense will be... if that means Cole Bishop is playing well. I do agree we should have a better starter than Damar Hamlin. But we could also do worse if our starters go down. Many of us are just pushing back against the notion he wouldn't be on any other roster.

Did I say he's a starter? I guess I should have been more precise with my language--he's an adequate spot starter. While I don't really buy the logic you proposed, I said he's a quality backup who is an adequate starter when need be, so 63rd best safety in the league would mathematically translate to an above average back-up. People are saying he doesn't belong in the league. That's silly.

In 2022, they had the number 2 defense and he started 13 games. As most people who study the film will attest, Hamlin's a quality backup who can play adequately if need be. He's not there b/c of "charity" or "character," but because he is a solid backup who is a veteran in the system and this idea that he wouldn't be on any other roster is downright silly.

I'm there too on refreshing. Beyond thinking he was ready for a revival and the need for the team, I'm just tired of Tre's story being defined by misfortune. (and happy birthday, shrug) Personally, I still feel superstitiously responsible. Nothing good ever happens to players I get merch for. Bought a Tre White Hockey Academy Jersey, loved it, but only got to wear it three times and we were 1-2. The one win: you guessed it! The Thanksgiving game where he got hurt.

Exactly! Also, the pass rush and secondary are deeply connected. If you have an effective pass rush and are menacing the QB most downs, it aids the secondary measurably.

Beane: We've got this punter, Brad Robbins... NewEra: Brandon, that's the worst name I've ever heard Brad Robbins {runs out of the room}: ooooh, goooood noooooo McDermott: goodbye, Braddy Jo Jo....

Agreed. I liked McConkey and was not a fan of Coleman going into the draft, but I also think the latter played better than people give him credit for and showed promise of what he could be and why Allen apparently wanted him. Before his injury, he was on pace for around 750 yards which is not too bad a rookie season for a project WR. Even after the injury, he had a few flashes that give hope for the future. His ***** TD in the Jets game showed his potential to be a match-up nightmare and he had a couple moments where he drew penalties in key moments. He was mostly dormant and even Beane and McDermott called him out for his post-injury play, but even then there were moments of hope.

I'm on your side wrt the comparison, but I think we're all missing the most critical difference between the two wrt this list. While both of them were born in 2000, currently Rousseau is 25, Verse is 24 and turns 25 mid-season. As someone else has mentioned, PFF likes Rousseau quite a bit.

Thanks for posting this (it brought me back in although I've mostly lurked most of my time here which I think goes back to the '90s when I lived in Buffalo). Weirdly, it was the 2-14 years that made me a die hard fan. I grew up in NYC, but my family was from Lockport. By age 7 in 1980, I was already a definite fan as I remember my aunt telling me in a car that the Bills were in the playoffs and being happy about it, but it was in the bad years that I started following them more closely. I still remember sharply my uncle shaking his head ruefully about the signing of Vince Ferragamo. It certainly affixed my perspective and made me tend to be thankful for the good seasons (and even the positives in the bad seasons) and maybe made me TOO positive of a fan, nearly toxically so. The four Super Bowls were my college years at UB. While it would have been nice to win one, it was fun having a chance years round. And after 17 years in the absolute wilderness, it's great to be a contender every season. I've been moonlighting as a DoorDash driver in North Jersey, wearing an old-time Bills cap and almost every day lately, I've got a "Go Bills!" or at least a positive comment from people in other fanbases (one customer from Orchard Park gave me the "just one before I die." They're an easy team for whom to root. While I don't agree with all the choices, I do love the teambuilding philosophy and the whole "come to Buffalo and be your best self." It shouldn't matter, but it's been amazing to watch the unique nature of the Bills fanbase get a national (and mostly beloved) presence. If you told me years ago that the Bills would be one of the top TV draws, I'd say you're crazy. In any case, this year feels oddly different. It could all blow up... it often does, but the schedule, the spirit, and the thoughtfulness around what they are doing makes me feel like this could be that "just one"! Go Bills!

OTC surprisingly seems to have us right up against the cap on its 2025 page today (412k under)... not sure what changed, b/c I saw 14m with them using the same ceiling after the Rousseau signing. That said, they are using a 2025 cap that is bizarrely, unrealistically low (an increase of a few million from 2024 when it's expected to go up 20-25m), so it's likely they have a bit more than that 14m in reality.

Our QB is hardly a slouch and I'm not going to predict Kelce levels for Kincaid, but he's promising as a top 5 TE and possible first option and we have a better TE2 and better pass-catching RBs. We also don't know how the WRs will play this year. Diggs and Davis were doing very little during the drive to the AFC East lead. Yes, Diggs was drawing coverage, but even there, one of the Cover 1 creators cited a stat where the team had a better EPA when Diggs was not on the field. The WR room may not be bad, just different. There seems to be a plan to me: add some upside tall receivers, a speedy WR who was one of the top with separation. Both FA period WR signings had their best season under Brady. It portends to be a very different and interesting offense. Or you could be right. But dismissing it out of hand is not painting the whole picture.

Ed Oliver is also 13th among all eligible defensive linemen (over 200 of them) for pass rush efficiency. He's off to a torrid start.