billsfan89

The Bills schedule is not that impressive. The Titans are tough mid-level team the Bills beat on the road but they are about a 7-8 win team at the end of the day. The Bills played the Pats extremely tough but they still lost. The Giants are likely a 5-6 win team at the end of the day and the Bengals and Jets are bottom 5-6 teams in the league as well. So right now the Bills resume isn't too impressive. I think in the next 2 weeks after the bye we will know a lot about this team. For one can the Bills really take care of the Fish after the bye? Can this team truly put away an awful team with a 3 possession lead late (If the Fins score a garbage time TD late to cut a 21 point lead to a 14 point lead with less than 5 minutes left I will not split hairs) to get fat without any drama? Then you have the Eagles a more than respectable team at home to worry about. By that point the Eagles will be the 2nd best team the Bills face and that will be a measuring stick. If this team can get to 6-1 entering into a favorable Redskins game that gives them a legit opportunity to get to 7-1 and really fatten themselves up going into a winnable Browns game.

There has to be some digression with a call like that. At that point you are just rewarding a QB for an unavoidable play happening. Those types of penalties are just too favorable to the offense.

I think the Browns are victims of a brutal schedule. In the end I think they finish 8-8 or 9-7 with an outside shot at 10-6. They have a lot of talent but they have a new coach with a lot of parts to integrate so a slow start might have been possible even against a easier schedule. So toss in a very tough schedule early and I think their stock is down but they are a more dangerous team once they hit the back half of their schedule which is insanely easy (They play the Bengals 2 times, the Fins, the Cardinals, and the Steelers twice, the only above .500 team they play is the Ravens in their last 7 games.) The Browns still have a skill position core that is as good as any in the league, their defense is solid, Mayfield in my opinion is a pretty capable QB, and their O-line while it is struggling has talent and could play better against weaker fronts. However the Browns issue might be that they might be 3-6 by the time they hit that softer patch of their schedule. They sit at 2-3 and in their next 4 games they play The Pats, Broncos (the lone game they will likely be favored in), The Bills, and Seahawks. So if they sit at 3-6 they could go 6-1 in that back half and go 9-7 which might not be enough. Odds are the Browns are going to have to take the Broncos game and then take a game against the Seahawks, Bills, and Pats not an easy task. But if they can take care of the Broncos and snake an upset in those games they would be 4-5 entering into that sweet back half of their schedule where 6-1 takes you to 10 wins.

Away against Dallas and home for the Ravens. I think the Ravens are a legit team who will finish the season strong I grant you that this is based off of a projection. Dallas to me is a very good team at home (they are coming off 2 losses to some of the best teams in the league.) I also see the Eagles and Browns games as a toss up type games as I think the Browns will get more rolling once they hit the later part of their schedule. I think this team will be favored by 3 against the Eagles but considering home field they get some points. I think this team could go as high as 12 wins but I think 10-11 is more reasonable. I think they win 5 out of 6 against the Fins (x2), Redskins, Broncos, Steelers, and Jets (It is the NFL, a fluky type thing is bound to happen in one of those games), I think they split the Browns and Eagles games, and I think it is possible they take 1 out of 3 against the Ravens, Pats, and Cowboys. So in my mind the Bills barring injury get to 10 or 11 depending on if they can pull an upset in one of those other 3 games.

I don't see the Bills trading for Gordon. Gordon is a good top 10 back but I do not see him as a significant game changer for the offense. The Bills current platoon of Gore between the tackles, Yeldon as a receiver, and Singletary as an uber third down back is solid and while Gordon would represent an upgrade it isn't massive. I think if the team makes an acquisition I think they add a capable veteran WR, TE, or Pass rusher. The offense won't be able to add a true WR1 (Sorry but AJ Green is out 5-7 weeks and I don't think any team trades for a player that likely won't have played a snap by the trade deadline) but there could exist a solid vet WR like Emmanual Sanders who could be available at the deadline. I put the odds of a Bills trade at the deadline at 60%. I am not sure if it will be a significant add but I think that they do add a piece to this team to help the depth or upgrade a weaker point of the roster. I don't think there is a major trade like Amari Cooper last year but I think they could trade as high as a third round pick for a rental if a good WR or Pass Rusher hits the market. This season presents too good an opportunity to not be on the market for a trade that can improve the roster.

I definitely feel more confident about this team than the 2017 team. Better depth, better defense, and a QB that is much more dynamic (although much more turnover prone than Tyrod.) I think the team is just very well built and I do think that this team will not be afraid to add a weapon on offense or a pass rusher at a reasonable cost. The schedule is also shaking out very favorably with 6 games the team should be favored in and another 2 I would qualify as toss ups. I think 11 games isn't out of the question although I think 10 is more realistic. But at 11-5 they could land the 3rd best record in the conference.

Solid cut your losses type trade. For a 5th round pick Zay is a decent reclamation gamble to take on. The Bills stock another mid-round pick they could turn around in another trade or pocket it for the 2020 draft. Shocked they got a 5th but it isn't an unreasonable price.

If Allen plays in a similar style to how he played in Tennessee then Josh will be able to win 10-11 games this season. Josh obviously has to cut down on the INT's but I think as he gets more comfortable and more experience he will play just conservative enough to avoid key turnovers. The more I think about Josh's game yesterday the more I am impressed on it. The Titans Defense could finish in the top 5 and certainly barring catastrophic injury they should be a top 10 defense. Josh threw 70% with 2 TD's to 1 INT against a top 10 defense on the road. With multiple in game injuries to his O-line with virtually no running game until the 4th quarter. That's pretty good for any QB let alone a young QB. Even the one INT he threw was in part on Yeldon for stopping his route (although it was not a necessary risk for Josh to take.) I think this sub is just bi-polar when it comes to Josh. One week he is the best thing since sliced bread the next week he is a bum.

The early to mid 2000's Steelers were experts at taking Bettis and running him behind Faneca and that O-line when they had a late lead and killing 5-6 minutes of the clock to end a game. That type of 4 minute offense is exactly what you need for a team with a great defense. Josh is slowly learning to just take what the opposing defense gives you.

I would give Josh a B. Really good game with one nearly tragic turnover. I think being on the road against a very good defense puts this up from the C+/B- range as the context and conditions of play make it a better performance. The run game wasn't much support either until it came time to grind the clock out. Josh made better decisions this game only once making a costly decision. I suspect this is the type of play we see from him on a regular basis.

The most impactful thing they can do easily is change punters. It is a fairly easy change that can make the difference in a game. That should be priority one. Short term they have to asses the injuries and see if they need to make shifts to their depth. Perfect timing for a bye as they got banged up in Smashville. Long term they should scour the WR and DE/DT markets if a trade there makes sense. Those remain the team's biggest weaknesses (although the tackle position and Oline depth concerns me.) It has to be the right deal. I agree that a big time trade is unlikely but to augment a need with a 5th round pick isn't a waste of draft capital in my opinion.

The Bills goal is likely to win 10 games in order to secure a playoff spot. They have 4 in the bag. Looking at the schedule they should be favored to beat the Fins twice, the Broncos, The Redskins, The Steelers and the Jets. Take care of those 6 games and you get to 10 wins. But being the NFL you are likely to have a fluke loss in there. So that means the team is going to have to win one of two "toss up" games against the Eagles and Browns or take an underdog game from the Pats, Cowboys, and Ravens. Either way I think the Bills just need to focus on licking their wounds during the bye and take care of the Fins at home to get half way to 10 wins.

Two of those kicks were from 50+. It also is played differently if you are the Bill's if he made any one of those. I feel bad this guys career is over essentially but the Bill's did benefit from this disaster.

But you also want players to have long careers and stay on the field long term. There is no perfect solution but I think a mandatory sit out is a basic safety procedure that seems like a good idea to provide a basic level of safety. I don't see a one week sit out period hurting anyone. It is at best a safety procedure that will help some players avoid doing worse damage and at worse some players miss some games. I think when it comes to head injuries giving people some extra time to heal can't hurt.

The protocol is based on science I get that, but I just think that if player safety is the goal then there should be a mandatory sit out period as an extra level of caution. Is it necessary? Probably not, but when it comes to the brain better safe than sorry.

I get that there is a process in place and that it is based off of independent doctors. But when it comes to head injuries (and the nature that brain damage is almost always irreversible to some extent) I think there should be an extra level of caution via mandating not playing in short order after a confirmed concussion. It is just my personal unscientific opinion.

My view is that no one should play 7 days after suffering a concussion. I know that there are people much more qualified than me in regards to assessing a players health but from what I know about concussions time is the best method of treatment and I think it should be mandatory to be pulled from your next game (unless your team has a bye week after you get hurt.) It seems like a very basic safety procedure.

The NFL is a dangerous game and while I think there could be more done about player safety (I think a player with a concussion should be forced to be benched for the next game unless there is a bye week) the players know the risk associated with the game. The reason the NFL had past issues with concussion liability was that they were suppressing research and not taking proper safety measures once they had the proper information. But going forward the risks are well known and the league is at the very least making an effort to try and make the game less risky. Could there be more done? Yes, but it is not bordering on negligence at this point.

Josh is going to have to walk that delicate balance between taking what a defense gives you and being too conservative. I am still high on Josh but this board is so bipolar that one bad game and sudden Josh is trash. When in reality Josh is a young QB with good skills and bad habits. He isn't a finished product and is going to need some time to work on his decision making abilities. You can't go from a franchise QB to a bum in just a week.

The same people on this board that were calling Trent Captain Check Down, EJ Captain Checkdown 2.0, and said Tyrod would never win because he is too conservative are now saying that Josh is too reckless and needs to be more conservative. That's me being hyperbolic but in all honesty people want a QB that is for lack of a better term "good." You want a QB that can move the ball downfield but also not turn the ball over. Those two things tend to be at odds with one another as the more you go downfield the more you risk turnovers. The less you go downfield the less likely you are to turn the ball over but the harder it is to move the ball against better defenses. A QB that can do both is rare. That's why finding a QB in the NFL is hard. Coming out of college I viewed Josh as a bad fit for this team because I thought he was a developmental QB. A player that would have been best served 1-2 years on the bench to work on his footwork and learn an offense. So that once when he got thrown into action he would be as best prepared. But Josh has honestly surprised me with how much his footwork has improved. But he has some bad habits and decision making tendencies that are hurting him. In the end I would rather see Josh start any game he is healthy enough to start and get a full evaluation of him going into 2020. I don't think his habits can be significantly improved in a practice so I think his improvement is going to come simply with experience. I also don't buy this idea that Barkley offers this team a better chance of winning than Josh. I think as a mental and physical reset you play Barkley for the Titans game and then get Josh back out there after the bye.

Maybe he was talking about the TV show?

Beane has been pretty good at drafting in general at least on early returns. But even a GM that is "Good" at drafting is lucky to consistently produce 2-3 starters and 1 or 2 role players per-draft. Which means that you are still likely to bust on 3-5 picks per draft. I wouldn't be opposed to a Diggs trade if the price was right. I would give up a 2nd and 4th plus Zay or whatever other throw in player they want. But a 1st is just a bit too rich. I don't think Minny who wants to win now however is trading him.

I don't blame them on this one. They still take an extra cap hit on Gostowski's contract this year and whatever kicker they replace him with so it isn't something without risk either.

Sadly I think Zay is likely a JAG type player. Certainly capable of being a depth WR 4-5. If he develops into a capable special teams player he will certainly have a fairly long NFL career. I think he still has a chance to prove people wrong but as each game goes and he fails to stand out much my personal hope for him is diminished. I would look to package Zay with a 5th or 4th round pick to try and get Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders is on the smaller side and more of a high end WR2. But he would represent a significant upgrade at WR and be a good veteran presence for Josh. He is still very productive and a quality player. I think Denver netting a decent mid-round pick and getting a chance to kick the tires on Zay for the rest of 2019 and bring him into camp in 2020 is a fair return for a vet WR on the last year of his deal. Although Denver might not be willing to part with him for anything less than a 3rd if they feel he would net a 3rd round comp pick. I wouldn't trade a 3rd rounder for a Sanders rental as I think it wouldn't be worth it. But as far as Zay goes I think it would be worth throwing him in a trade for a WR or trading him for a late rounder to a team that might want him.

A 5th for Sanders sounds good to me, in addition to the boost at WR he would provide he is a solid vet, definitely fits the process.