billsfan89

I don't doubt it is possible that Gabe can make an impact, but I also think the only way he is going to make an impact is if he is as healthy as possible. There's no need to rush him back in November if you can wait a month and get him back healthier. I do think it is unlikely Gabe will change the complexion of the offense but he could be a positive contributor.

I think resigning both is unlikely. Just cap wise and how well both guys are playing I don't see them being able to keep both. But I would strongly hope they could at least keep one. Keeping one means you keep 80% of a very strong O-line in place and you could probably replace one with SVPG or Andersen and draft some depth and competition.

I don't really see any reason to rush Gabe. It's not like Gabe is going to be any sort of revelation at WR and if he could be a positive contributor it is only going to be if he is 100% healthy. Probably best to try to get him going in December so that he can slowly ramp up and if he has anything maybe he can be "Big Game Gabe" just once more?

PFF has been in love with what the Bills have been doing since the off-season. They really loved all the defensive acquisitions and draft picks and then they thought that running it back on offense was smart but adding in Hawes to take Anderson's place added a nice wrinkle to the offense and Palmer over Cooper was a smart value add. I don't particularly care for PFF but it is interesting to see how they like the Bills roster.

Only thing I can say about Dorian is that he's been in the system for 3 years. He's also played a good chunk of snaps given Milano's health. So he's at the very least got experience within the system and at the NFL level. The thing with Dorian is that he's not going to be able to line up in all of the same places as Hoecht. What made Hoecht such a good Lorax type was that he could line up anywhere along the D-line or as a blitzing OLB. Dorian can only really line up at LB or as a stand up DE. So McD is going to have to make other adjustments and utilize other players like Williams and Solomon to get some of that flexibility. I also wonder if they have been trying to get Landon Jackson into some sort of a role as he's bigger like Hoecht but maybe just too raw to contribute this year?

I am feeling pretty confident in this game. But away game against a divisional opponent is not always easy. I am hoping that this team can open up a 2 (hopefully 3) score lead at the half and then jam it into a commanding 3-4 possession lead into Q4 and take the game into garbage time early.

Bills really need to pile up wins. The Pats aren't a juggernaut but their schedule is very very soft. I think in order to win the division the Bills will have to get at a minimum 12 wins. And with 2 losses already the Bills can't afford to lose softer in division games. Get an away division win and keep it moving. The Bills simply can't afford a let down. The gotta win the games they are "supposed to win" because they simply don't have much margin for error.

Buffalo is a special place for football. I have been to games for 6 teams in about 4 different arenas outside of Buffalo (NJ/LA/Arizona/Philly) and while I can say that every teams fans have passion and every teams fans having finally gone to Buffalo this season to see a game I can say that the energy in Buffalo is unmatched. I am not even just saying that about the energy in the stadium either. The energy in the town about the Bills is so amazing. Go anywhere the night before game day and its Bills gear everywhere. I live in NJ about 4 miles away or less from where the Giants/Jets play. Even 15 years ago when the Jets were making the AFCCG back to back and the Giants had those two Super Bowl runs the energy was not the same as it is for a Bills regular season. Of course gameday the energy for the team at and around the stadium is electric and during the game the non-stop energy and yelling is unrivaled. I just haven't seen anything like it.

I think they needed a more consistent boundary WR. But if they can get Palmer going more when he’s matched up 1 v 1 on the outside it would help.

Probably could combo that role with Dorian and Solomon won’t be the same but maybe they could offer some of that flexibility

Many fans still feel that way. They think RB's are just a product of offensive lines and passing attacks. Not realizing that while much like every position they are dependent on surrounding production they are massive pieces of offenses.

No, they would eat 9.2 million in dead cap if they cut him and his cap hit is 7.5 million. The final year of his deal in 2027 is a fairly small dead cap hit. I would likely say they are stuck with him for 2026. I think most likely they would keep him out until next December really try to have him be a piece for the late season and playoffs. I think the leagues program is administered by a third party. That being said the parameters for testing are known and probably something most guys know how to get around. It isn't like you could just do anything you want like the old days but I would largely say if you want to get an edge if you are smart about it you can get away with it. Hoecht was probably just careless or got advice from someone who didn't know the protocol. Just unfortunate he suffered such a massive injury because he was looking like such an X-Factor. Maybe they can just IR him until next December and see if he can do anything for a stretch run next season.

As good as Jefferson is. He also benefitted from learning from Adam Thielen his rookie year. What made Thielen a perfect mentor for Jefferson out the gate was that the two knocks on Jefferson as a prospect were he was a good but not elite athlete and he had some issues with a particular type of route running that Adam Theilen was one of the best in. I'm not sure if Jefferson is here in 2020 with Cole and Brown that he gets to the level he did as quickly as he did. I'm sure Jefferson does get there but he's not as impactful out of the gate without Thielen. The Bills also needed a WR that could help Josh Learn as well. Diggs was the right player at the right time for this team. Jefferson would have been the better longer term move but the Bills had the luxury of trying to add a prime level vet to a young up and coming roster.

The Hoecht replacement is going to be Solomon who won’t be as good obviously but maybe could replicate 6-70% of what Hoecht could do?. I would be interested to see Jackson get some snaps but I think he is just too raw at this point to really be counted on for such a big role

The Bills missed out on the top WR's in that years draft. The Bills were drafting 27th and were able to trade up to 25. From picks 20-23 all the better WR's were taken. JSN/Q Johnston/Flowers/Addison were all taken back to back to back to back. The Bills biggest need going into the 2023 draft was finding a second pass catcher opposite Diggs. They were drafting 27th so by the time they got to a place where they could trade up a slot or two all those WR's were gone. The next WR taken was Mingo by Carolina at pick 39 firmly in the 2nd round. Kincaid was considered the top TE in the draft. The Bills basically took the best pass catcher they could find at pick 25 and it was the wise choice in my opinion. Kincaid had a really nice rookie year adding another reliable receiving option to the core. Better to get a very good TE than reach for a WR. I also think holding onto the 56th pick to take Torrence as opposed to trading up made sense although JSN probably would have been worth it but hard to project that at the time.

The old Manning vs. Brady AFC Regular season matchups were also very highly viewed. I think in addition to these being two powerhouse QB's with good teams there's also a familiarity fans have. These teams all but once since 2020 have faced off twice a season in mostly close matchups (2020 AFCCG and 2020 Regular season being the only ones where I can think of that weren't close games) so fans have come to not only be familiar with the rivalry but expect it.

When did this injury occur or was this some sort of condition that just reared its ugly head? I'm hoping that he's able to give it another go at the NFL level but if this is his career that's very unfortunate. Yeah its nice to be in your early 20's with a 6 figure amount in the bank and no student debt but unless this guy has a clear "Plan B" line of work he went to college for that it going to put this young man at quite the cross roads. Hopefully he has some sort of fallback options if this is a career ender.

The thing is I don't see the Colts being a very good corner away from contending. When the Rams made the trade for Von Miller in season people really thought the Rams just needed a second pass rusher to help Donald and get over the hump. I think you make these splashy in season trades when you are really just a piece away. I'm admittedly not as keen on the Colts roster but I think from most fans are saying they aren't really just a corner away from contending. A very good corner like Sauce will help certainly. But I don't get the sense that this was the last big final piece they needed either. McBeane I think should have added a WR and possibly a back end D-line piece. D-line I can forgive because they only lost two guys longer term there and one in Oliver has a chance to come back. They built depth there and they like what they have. But at WR I can see that being an issue against better defenses and I think they could have likely found a team willing to swap a 3rd for a 5th or 6th for a WR that would help make an impact. But I am also not going to act like the season is over because they didn't do those moves either.

Winners: Jets (They got a haul of picks for very good but not great players on big contracts) Eagles (Phillips is a possible difference maker for a defense that needed some pop and all it cost was a 3rd) Bengals (Flacco Deal looms large for them and it was such a relatively cheap deal, their season may not work out but Flacco's giving them a chance) NOLA and Seattle (such a sensible trade between both teams) Losers: Colts and Cowboys (Overpaid for very good but not great players on big contracts) Titans and other rebuilding teams that didn't make trades (I think you lose a big opportunity to get better value for players in season)

I would have swapped a 3rd for a 5th maybe a 6th which is equal to about a 4th or late 3rd rounder. But I think what NOLA was clearly looking for in a trade was volume of picks. NOLA is going to be in a really bad cap situation next season. They need to hit on a lot of draft picks in short order. Getting 2 more picks in the mid-rounds helps them a lot more than swapping up a later pick into the back of the 3rd round. I think the Bills were more interested in swapping a pick to keep their pick volume the same but lower the quality of the picks. Whereas NOLA probably wanted more pick volume. Seattle clearly wants to give Darnold the tools he needs and got him a weapon. The Bills just didn't get it done for a WR at the deadline. I think that could prove costly but also means they like what they have enough to not overpay for a WR. I think D-line they could have added a back end rotational piece but they only lost two D-line longer term and one in Oliver is coming back possibly end of December to mid-January range and they were already very deep along the D-line. I doubt the teams fortunes are won and lost by not adding a Harrison Phillips to the D-line to eat some snaps on the back end of the rotation. But WR to me was a big need, we will see if that happens to hurt them in bigger spots.

I love Lamp

I think KC splits those games somehow. But if they go 0-2 that’s gonna put them at 5-6 and likely out on their division most likely. And if they go 5-6 that’s gonna put them in danger of missing out on a wildcard. But they still have some “softies” on their schedule with games against the Cowboys, Raiders, Titans, and Texans. Win those games and 1 other game and you hit on 10-7 at worst

Wilson after a really bad rookie year turned into at least a decent rotational player. He's just not at all living up to being the 7th overall pick. But he's not a bad player. Given that he's very versatile and is decent if the Bills wanted to "kick the tire" on a guy that can soak up some snaps and provide versatility I wouldn't hate it. Olave or Shaeed would help the offense against better defenses.

Could they do it cap wise with Garrett’s new deal?

Bills gotta "get fat" on the Dolphins this week. Fins off a mini-bye away won't be easy most likely. Getting to 7-2 taking off an away divisional game is critical if the Bills want to win the division. Gotta just handle things one week at a time. Hopefully the trade deadline brings a piece or two and the Fins sell off some more pieces. But it should still not be an easy game.