billsfan89

I live in the NYC market and I can tell you that there really isn't much anonymity playing for big teams in those markets. Yes it is less of a hive-mind but it is also a type of market that can magnify everything you do on a much bigger scale. It's a different kind of challenge. When players in New York (Particularly the Yankees, Giants, Knicks, and Rangers although the Jets and Mets get good coverage) do something it become much likely to be national news because of the interest in the market. Then there is the hyper local NYC media which is its own hyper focused hive-mind. I think the best markets to play in are second tier big city markets. Playing in Anaheim or New Jersey is probably the most chill places you can play. You are in big markets where other teams command attention (while there are other things going on) and you don't have a hyper local focus on you.

Allen looks like an overmatched rookie playing with sub par talent around him. He makes some electrifying plays and flashes his potential but he is raw and doesn't have a whole lot of help. Hopefully the game starts to slow down for him. He is by all accounts Allen is a bright kid and an extremely hard worker by all accounts. So I think he will continue to progress. It probably will continue to look bad in the coming weeks but hopefully as he gets into the second half of the season you really start to see some progression.

In the Texans game I saw 1 or 2 solid deep balls but he doesn't clock it back often this season. I don't know if he doesn't trust his shoulder or arm or if he is still feeling out his arm and playing it conservative. Either way something looks off with him.

15 and hour as a national minimum wage is way too high. That's not to say that in certain areas of the country like NYC and LA that 15 isn't a fair minimum wage. But once you get into lower cost of living areas 15 an hour isn't just a living wage it is a lower middle class or better wage at an individual level. I think a lot of people who advocate for a 15 dollar an hour federal minimum wage do not understand the lower cost of living in a lot of other areas of the country. Although I do tend to agree that the federal minimum wage is due for an increase. If you adjusted the federal minimum wage for inflation it would be 8.75 an hour. Right now I think we could probably raise the federal minimum wage to somewhere between 9.50 and 10 dollars an hour phasing it in over 3-4 years. All reputable economic studies show that lower to modest increases to the minimum wage help job growth. It's when you do insanely high increases in too short a span that it hurts job growth. Another point to make is that you can't use automation as an excuse to keep wages low. Unless you want no minimum wage (Which would have a horribly depressing effect on wages) then robots are always going to be able to outperform humans cheaper. Robots have a 3 dollar an hour cost, so why would keeping the minimum wage at 7.25 prevent robots from taking that job if they do it for 4.25 an hour cheaper?

5 games in and Luck shows he can take a hit, run well, and throw short passes. But the long ball and even intermediate ball are still missing (At least consistently.) I hope as the season goes along Luck shows greater progression.

I think you need at least 1 quality WR and 1 decent WR in free agency, yes you are going to probably have to spend 2 high draft picks at receiver but if the Bills are drafting really high up like picks 1 or 2 and there is no trade down than the best players will be pass rushers. Which means the Bills are likely going to take Bosa or Oliver. Which means early rounds 2 and 3 will be WR picks and those playes won't have as high an impact. Which in my mind makes grabbing 2 veteran WR's a priority. You don't need 2 high priced guys, I think one higher end receiver like Tate and another decent one should do. I think you are better off loading up on the interior O-line money since the free agent class is much stronger there. But the cover is so bare at WR That they will need at least 2 veteran players there. Defensively the only need I can see is pass rush and slot corner. There are a lot of good vet pass rushers out there that can be had on short term deals. Although I think if any player that could possibly reach the market is worth a 20 million dollar contract it could be Clowney. Even with 90 or more million in cap space I think it might be hard to go out and get both Tate and Enunwa plus a higher priced tight end like James (Trey Burton level money for him) while still spending on the O-line. I would love to see it happen but I just think the choice will be to go higher on O-line and add 2 skill position players.

Is Enunewa a free agent? If he is he wouldn't be a bad pickup. There are two elite centers hitting the market in Marpet and the center from Denver. Either one would be a great addition while there are a good amount of guards hitting the market and adding an elite center plus a good guard would greatly help the O-line.

24-10 Titans. I think the defense will keep the Bills in the game but the offense just won't be able to do much with Allen under pressure and WR's unable to make any plays.

The WR's available in free agency aren't that great. Golden Tate and John Brown (who the Bills tried to sign this past off-season) are probably the best targets the Bills can get. The Bills will probably have to spend 2 out of their first 3 draft choices on the WR position. The good news is there is a lot of options available along the interior O-line. The Bills can and should be able to nab a great center and a good guard and have plenty of cash to grab Tate and or Brown. They can even do all that and add a pass rusher if they still want one.

I honestly wouldn't mind it. Anything that gets KD out of Golden State is good for the league. The Warriors passe dominance of the league is bad for the NBA in my opinion. I know the ratings went down the first year Durant went to the Warriors but they went up last year so I don't think that ratings wise or business wise it makes much of a difference but I think personally having one team be so above and beyond better than the rest just makes the whole thing an exercise in futility. Give the Warriors their 4th and Durant their 3rd rings this year. Then lets see if Durant can go to the Lakers and win some and lets see if the Warriors original big 3 can win another one on their own. I still think Golden State would be title contenders without Durant and Boogie but they would be a normal beatable contender. I really have not enjoyed watching the NBA the past 2 years because I knew the Warriors would win if they didn't sustain injuries. It was just all too predictable. Even in the Rockets series when they got down I knew the Warriors would pull it out.

You can roll over cap space in the league now but that does come with some limitations here and there. I do think that the Bills will try and roll over some cap space to save for the extensions of the 2017 draft class. But they have to spend money on some needs. There are 2 stud centers that will be free agents and a good crop of guards available. I hope that the Bills at least sign 2 high end interior O-line players. I also would love to see at least 2 veteran WR's. I think they need one higher end player like Tate and a second tier player too (I would like to see John Brown come in if his price isn't too crazy.) Overall I think the Bills need to in free agency try and target 2 starters along the O-line, 2 WR's, and a pass rusher in free agency (I would also possibly add in a slot CB given the need could be affordable to fix.) Considering the Bills could range from 90-110 million in cap space I think that's not an unreasonable list to accommodate those needs and still be able to roll over a good chunk of cap space.

I hope you are right, I think Star is productive and maybe there is more to his game than meets the eye but I just don't see the Bills rushing defense as being dominant nor do I see Star being the center of gravity to the defense like a guy like Snacks is. But I do think he is productive and I think people calling Star a complete waste are way off. I think our assessment of his value is just different.

I think they will sign Clowney and restructure Watt's contract. The Texans are still a few years away from paying their QB (IF Watson can ever retain his rookie year form) so they can afford to pay a pair of dominant pass rushers.

The only issue with Dareus that is a X-factor is was he an issue with the coaches and in the locker room? Now that doesn't excuse the massive overpay for Star to do the same role but the off-field issues with Dareus make the trade a bit more reasonable as it dumped a lot of salary in 2019 and it got rid of a malcontent. But I feel like the production Star is providing while not useless is something that could have been attained for much cheaper.

Clowney is a pipe dream (I don't think he will hit free agency), honestly I don't expect this team to spend big on a pass rusher as I think if they are drafting top 2 they likely will spend that pick on a pass rusher. But I do expect that they will sign some significant offensive players. I think they can't ignore the WR position or the interior O-line. I especially think that the interior O-line will be a big priority since there will be a good market for guards and centers and it is one of the biggest needs on the team. There aren't any players that will need big contracts in 2019 (White, Dawkins, and Milano all will have 2 years remaining on their rookie deals no one else is really coming up on an extension) so there will not be a need to save money in the short term to save money in the long term. So there aren't many big contracts they need to preserve cap space for. Even then in 2020 more contracts and dead money can come off the books to preserve the need for future cap flexibility. I don't expect a huge spree but I do think there will be 3-4 pretty significant signings on offense maybe one on defense. There are simply too many holes around a young QB for the Bills to not spend something significant around the offense.

The thing is I don't see Star as being an elite run stuffer. He is good in that role but not elite like Snacks. At least from what I saw/see and what the word on him was in Carolina. I think Star at 7-8 million AAV is an overpay you could live with but his cap number next year is 11.5 million, which is horrendous (His number this season is 6.5 which explains the bump despite AAV.) Johnathan Hankins comes to mind as a player the team could have signed for sub 3 million and probably would have done a job not too far off from what Star has produced. They then would have had even more cap space next year and maybe could have paid some more to get a WR.

Sammy isn't worth 16 million even in the context of the market of free agency. I would rather pay Golden Tate 10 million a year (Which I am not sure he would cost that much but I am rounding up) to get better production and a better player in the locker room and save 6 million and be able to get out the deal at about the same time despite signing a player a year later. I would rather draft a WR early and fill other needs like the pass rush with the cap space than have Sammy's injured prone and not even worth it when healthy play on the team at 16 million a year. I also would rather pay Golden Tate 10 million and have pick 56 and a year of EJ Gaines, it's not like the Bills just let Sammy walk for money. Your argument would be better if this was just a is Sammy worth the dollars argument. The Bills got a pretty good return for him on the last year of his deal. In a capped league you have to spend your dollars wisely and draft picks are gold. The Bills not only avoided overpaying Sammy but they got a good draft pick and a solid defensive player in return. Sammy hasn't even done jack **** since he left. His numbers on the Rams offense where he could have easily commanded lots of targets were rather pedestrian. 25% of the way into the season his pace for the Chiefs are 56 receptions, 4 TD's, and 740 yards. If the Bills were paying Sammy 16 million for that kind of production and they found out they could have traded him for a 2nd round pick and a solid corner people would be calling for firings.

I think the idea that people thought Coopers value was Shaq Lawson (A player who would be a throw in) and a 4th round pick must make people think Cooper is having a bad year (he isn't) or that Cooper is an over hyped player. Sammy commanded a 2nd and a defensive player of modest value and I would say Cooper 3 years in had more success and less concerns. Yes Cooper does have his flaws esp when it comes to drops but he still is a high caliber receiver who is in his prime. I think Cooper is going to want at least Sammy/Allen Robinson type money out on the open market. That's why I would be hesitant to trade for him as I don't think he has proven to be worth anywhere near the 16 million he likely will command. I do actually think Cooper is better than Sammy and Allen Robinson but those deals throw the market out of whack because there haven't been many legit WR's to hit the market and WR drafts haven't been strong recently. Once again you can say hey this is what I would be willing to offer (Shaq plus a mid round pick) but that's far from what his value actually would be in a trade. It's not like Amari Cooper is in Gruden's dog house or has requested a trade and he is having a productive season. The Raiders aren't shopping him and they likely value him because he is their most productive receiver and he is locked in for one more year at a price that is close to what he is worth.

In the 2019 Off-season the Bills will have enough to sign a top edge rusher and sign 3-4 high caliber starting players on offense if not more. If the Bills were paying Sammy 16 million to be a upper mid level WR that becomes that much harder to do. The Bills also wouldn't have had a quality year from Gaines and one of the picks used to trade up for Allen if they held onto Sammy. As much as Sammy would be by far better than any WR on the roster he doesn't come close to justifying his salary even in the context of free agents always getting overpaid as a force of the market. The Bills in 2019 will be in a position to do a massive spending spree around Allen mainly because they won't have big contracts like Sammy's clogging up the books.

You are missing the argument here. No one is disputing that Sammy, Cordy, and Dareus aren't talented players and that they would help the Bills out currently. The argument is that Cordy was coming off of 2 straight injury riddled seasons and on a massive contract the Bills got a bump up in draft positioning equal to a mid second round pick. They got value and cleared salary cap space for a player who they were uncertain would play often the same thing can be said for Sammy. Dareus wasn't producing to the level of his massive contract and was causing locker room issues the Bills dumped him and took the hit getting rid of a massive deal to free up future cap space. But once again and here is the big kicker what is the Bills record if they are paying those players 40 million dollar of 2018 and 2019 cap? Are you really thinking it was a bad idea to get draft picks and free up space because the Bills might lose 2-3 more games in a season where they were never going to win more than 7 or 8 games anyway? What's the goal to have the cap space and assets to acquire to build around a young QB on a rookie contract or to win 2-3 more games in the short term? Now just because McBeane has the right philsophy doesn't mean they will execute. They already flubbed the Star signing for example but you don't get into the position to spend around a cheap QB if you hold onto players with big injury histories and contracts that will only look worse as time goes on.

It's been an ugly season so far. But its not like the Bills don't have a long term plan in place for success. The current regime hasn't "shot their shot" yet. So far their drafts have been strong and their free agency periods have had mixed results (2017 with McD and Whaley they did a good job finding some players with limited cap space but in 2018 McBeane's two big free agent acquisitions have been underwhelming at best.) But the current regime has the cap space to build the roster that can have a talent level needed to compete. 2019 will be make or break. 2018 was always a rebuilding year in my mind. They changed from a veteran QB and moved on from some older players. They also had to eat a lot of dead cap to get out from under certain salary cap constraints. But if they have the cap space in 2019 and can't progress this team they deserved to be **** canned.

People act like rebuilds aren't done this way. Yes the Bills took it to a more extreme level but the Dead cap is also some bad luck with the InCog and Wood retirements. I also love the fans that act like this team would be a Super Bowl contender with Glenn, Dareus, Sammy, Tyrod, and Darby. This team is bad and some of the talent moves like Star and KB have been questionable but they didn't gut a team that would have been anything better than 8-8.

That is such bull ****. Sammy is on pace to put up 704 yards, 4 TD's, and 56 receptions, if the Bills were paying Sammy 16 million to put up those numbers you would be crushing the Bills for overpaying for a guy who was hyped in college but didn't do that much to justify 6 million dollars less than Mack. Your logic is absurd, our guys suck so we should have overpaid for Watkins? Come on you have to do better than that. The Bills WR core is trash so Sammy being better than trash is hardly justification for why we should have overpaid for him. I would rather have the pick, a year of good corner back play, and massive amounts of cap space to work with than a guy whose only justification for his salary you have given is that he is better than the trash on the team now. Honestly what would the Bills record be if they had Sammy instead of KB, Darby, Glenn, Tyrod, and Dareus instead of Star and Edumonds (I think that without the extra picks and draft spots they don't have enough to trade up for Allen and Edumonds, they probably have to give up picks 21, 22, and 53 to trade up for Allen?) At best they are 2-2, but in all likelihood they could still currently be 1-3. What is the difference with those players on the roster? Right now we win 3-5 games maybe with those players we go 7-9? You are acting like the Bills got nothing for these players and they are the difference between the Bills being in the Superbowl and where they are now. Yes they are better but being modestly better in 2018 doesn't help this team that much to build to a contender long term. I don't know if McBeane will use the cap space wisely but I think the philsophy of clear the space while getting the rookie QB is one that has been proven to be successful.

NO ONE IS DISPUTING SAMMY WATKINS IS A BETTER PLAYER THAN KB. What I am saying is Sammy is vastly overpaid and we got a 2nd round pick plus a good corner for him. Do you think the missing piece to a Bills championship are Sammy Watkins at 16 million per-season and Cordy Glenn and Dareus around 13 million per? I think they could have gotten a similar player like Lotulelei for much cheaper. Dude is going to be a huge cap hit next year and I honestly think there were players out on the market that could have done what he does for 5-6 million less annual average. Murphy is at least an easy contract to get out of. The Bills are likely unable to get out of Star's deal until 2020 and more realistically 2021.

Sammy signed for a deal that pays him 16 million per year and is almost fully guaranteed. He isn't anywhere near worth that kind of money. I would rather have the 2nd round pick and a solid corner like Gaines even if Gaines turned out just to be a rental. I would rather toss that 16 million or a dash more to go after a prime time edge rusher than have Sammy a second tier WR at best on the roster.