thurst44

Chiefs, Broncos, Steelers didn't trade for anyone either. Colts got a guy in our division that the Jets weren't trading to us. Patriots traded AWAY two players. Chargers got an O-lineman who is... fine. Quiet AFC contender dance I guess. This is hardly a Buddy Nix situation.

Seriously, we're doing this after a game where there's an argument (I've heard many creators and national people I respect make) that McD may have outcoached one of the GOATS (and GOAT staffs). McD certainly has some gameday question marks, sure, but this Sunday was not one of them.

I'm genuinely surprised many people are saying this about a list including Raekwon Davis. He was a 2nd round pick for the Dolphins and was a chattered-about prospect and played in 80 NFL games, starting 48.

Hey, I'm known among my Bills fan friends as insanely positive and even I was bitching about him during the game and between PFF, Joe Marino, and Brandon Thorn, I'm willing to admit that I was probably wrong. Having first heard of him when meeting his parents at an NJ Bills bar (and he was on the PS), I'm glad to be wrong.

He had 6 catches for 61 yards in this game we're talking about right now.

What always bugs me about this logic of going after the front office for not bringing in any players like this is both Peppers and Wilkens were released by meh teams for a reason. Honestly, I'd rather bring in a guy that knows our system than a player with a "name" who has flamed out in other environments. And Wilkens... do we really want whatever the heck is going on there in our organization? Dude's a train wreck. And we have drafted two promising players at his position who... don't have a weird groping and kissing fetish as far as we know. To be fair, I wouldn't be against Peppers and he didn't particularly flame out (there were some DV questions of which he was cleared, but don't think that had anything to do with his release). He's had a spotty career in relation to his draft stock, but he's been effective at some stops. That said, I don't think there's any certainty he would help our team, so I'm not particularly pointing fingers at the front office for not signing these players.

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....