billsfan89

The offense in the playoffs wasn't an issue in 2021 when the team was blazing. So taking a look at 2020 and 2022 is probably the fairest comparison if you want to analyze playoff offenses sputtering. 2020 the offense was solid in the wild card game against the Colts, a bit inconsistent but the Colts had a good defense. The divisional round game was an odd game due to the weather but the offense largely did not do much in bad weather other than not make critical mistakes. Odd game against one of the top 3 defenses in the league. The AFCCG against KC was where the offense really "failed". But that game was also really really weird circumstance-wise. The WR corps was entering the game banged up. Every WR on the roster except Mac and Diggs was suffering from a nagging injury. Beasley was playing on a broken leg suffered towards the end of the season, Brown reaggravated an ankle injury and from what I remember Gabe got hurt against the Ravens. Then early on in the game against KC Diggs got banged up. KC was able to fully blanket an injured WR corps and that was a wrap on the game. 2022 the offense beat up on the Fins even if they played sloppy and allowed them to hang in the game with turnovers. But then the offense completely flattened out against the Bengals. The O-line which was a mess all season completely derailed the offense and the lack of a consistent WR2/3 was also very very apparent (although I think the O-line was a worse issue). The Bills also were mentally gassed from a hellish season so a "flat" game was not completely unexpected but still frustrating. So really since 2020 in three seasons, you are looking at two playoff offense failures. One attributed to a WR corps that was almost entirely injured and another attributed to the bizarre circumstances of 2022's season. I would like to see if the success of the 2021 playoff offense can be replicated given the improved offensive line and throwing targets for Josh. It is no coincidence that the best stretch of O-line play the Bills have had in the 2020-2022 stretch coincided with the Bills offense performing at an all world level. In 2021 the Bills kicked D.Williams inside to right guard and he was really good while a rookie Spencer Brown was solid at RT, they then kicked Bates into guard full time and he was solid at the other guard spot while Mitch and Dawkins were their usual solid selves. That Oline was really good. Hopefully Torrence is an impact rookie, McGovern a solid guard, Mitch and Dawkins have a good season again and Brown returns to form. That could be a big difference come playoff time.

Athens is an underrated party city

These pundits are paying for ESPN’s bad business decisions. Yes some of these pundits were on bloated contracts and every few years some people get let go or not resigned to deals. But ESPN has to do massive cuts because they failed to develop anyone or any programming meaningfully.

I don't think it will be an issue. Seems like Diggs wanted to be heard in June and voice his opinion to the coaches as opposed to things blowing up in camp or worse yet in season. I don't like all this diva stuff but I would rather someone take care of this well before camp starts. The Bills have given Diggs nearly everything he wants a new contract and now his voice heard along with more investment in the offense. Hopefully McGovern, Kincaid, Torrence and the other additions are enough with or without adding D-hop.

Probably is insinuating that there was more love for Fitz due to the fact his is white. Which I honestly think could be true on some subconscious level. Not because fans are raging racists but rather the way Fitz was portrayed by the media was different than Tyrod possibly due to race. Fitz was a white QB who played for the Ivy League and was an underdog story. Tyrod had the same underdog story but was not portrayed as the same loveable hard-nosed player. But I think in addition to a different media portrayal due to who Fitz was (white QB from the Ivy League that played with his wedding ring on), Fitz also showed a love for the community that Tyrod didn't. Tyrod by almost any measure was a better QB for the Bills yet fans seem to remember Fitz more fondly. I hope that fans do show Tyrod some love down the line and I hope Tyrod shows some love back. But I think the disparity in fans perception is multi-faceted and race could be a part of that. Comparing Fitz 2010 to 2012 season to Tyrod's 2015-2017 seasons basically the three seasons both were the starting QB. Fitz threw and rushed for about 242 yards per game. Tyrod threw and rushed for about 243 yards per game a wash in terms of yards per game produced Fitz compiled 72 total TD's rushing and throwing in 45 games. Tyrod compiled 65 total TD's in 44 games. A slight edge to Fitz. Fitz however was a massive turnover machine 54 INT's in three seasons compared to just 16 for Tyrod in three seasons The Bills were pretty awful with Fitz in terms of wins and losses. Fitz had a 16-29 in those seasons and a 20-33 record overall in the four seasons Fitz was a starter. The Bills had a 22-20 record with Tyrod the first Bills QB with a winning record since Flutie. Now I am not going to put the losing record completely on Fitz, the team was not very good in those years and although the team may have won a few more games had Fitz not had so many turnovers the team was flawed beyond the QB position. But Tyrod allowed the Bills to win games by not making mistakes and making some plays with his legs. He broke the drought and helped to establish McD's culture by helping the Bills overachieve in 2017.

I have a lot of love for Tyrod, more love for Tyrod than Fitz (love Fitz's personality but the team won nothing with him, Tyrod's worst starting season from 2015-2017 is still a win better than Fitz's best season). Tyrod was not the answer at QB long term, but he brought the Bills back to a sense of respectability with competent QB play. Tyrod was never a top 16 QB but he made plays with his legs and didn't turn the ball over both of which led to the team winning games behind a strong running game and in 2017 an overachieving solid defense. Tyrod helped the Bills turnaround as an organization. The Bills in the Rex era were not good but they won more in those two seasons than they had in any two year stretch in a long time sadly, then Tyrod helps usher in McD's era. Tyrod helping McD make the playoffs and establishing his culture before getting trading for a fairly high draft pick. The hate some have for Tyrod is just crazy.

Regress in terms of the talent level around the QB not being reached because the QB can't get it done consistently. Obviously not compared to what they did last year. I think the Pats offense will be based on running the ball and not turning the ball over. Maybe they can make the playoffs on the strength of their defense and an offense not turning the ball over, but is a 9-8 seventh seed really all that impressive?

Given the volatility of injuries in the NFL I would rather not have 1-star player and very little depth behind them generally speaking.

I would say the TE projection is optimistic but not "wildly" optimistic. I think Knox is just outside the top 10 at TE (look at most lists and he is usually ranked at around 11-13 and rarely cracks the top 10) and Kincaid was the best tight end in the draft. Adding them together and it could easily be a top TE duo. There aren't many teams that pack a combo at TE so having a solid player in Knox and a great draft prospect in Kincaid and it is clear that the potential is there for that duo to be among the leagues best.

I just don't see the talent level with the Pats on offense. At best with D-Hop they maybe have an above-average level of talent on offense. Factoring out Mac Jones (who I am not personally high on) the Pats O-line last season was a fairly average unit, not bad but not the elite unit it has been in the past and not much was added to it. The Pats at RB have Stevenson who is a good RB but not much depth. Then at WR/TE even if they added D-Hop I just don't see that unit really overwhelming anyone consistently unless D-Hop returns to his 2020 form which is unlikely given that he is 2 years older and coming off some injuries. At TE the Pats have Henry and Gesicki a solid combo but neither are dynamic TE's and at WR Bourn/Ju Ju/Parker/D-Hop is nice but there really isn't a consistent WR1 there and without that dynamic playmaker it becomes harder for a bunch of WR 2/3's to really have room to operate. Then there is Mac Jones who I just don't see being anything more than a game manager. And that's not to say you can't win with a game manager but rather that having a game manager at QB depresses the abilities of the talent around you. So even if the Pats are better at WR/TE/RB/O-line than I think having Mac Jones there means that the talent level won't be achieved and the offense will likely regress to being average.

Top to bottom the Bills roster is among the top 4-5 in the league and arguably top 3. The Bills boast a defensive unit with only one glaring hole (MLB) and 10 other starters of high quality, a D-line that is very deep, a great LB in Milano, a CB group that is deep and talented and a good safety combo that while older has better depth behind it. The ST unit top to bottom is very good, Bass is one of the best kickers in the league, Martin a top 10 punter, Hines/Harty a great returner duo and a solid cast of specialists. The offensive talent is also very good. Josh is one of the best QB's in the league, Knox/Kincaid are a top 5 TE duo, the RB core while not having a superstar RB is a solid group of 4, the O-line is massively improved with the additions of Cyrus and McGovern at guard and at WR Diggs is a stud and Davis and the rest of the WR group aren't bad. Yes on defense I would like to see the team have a better MLB and yes on offense I would like a better WR2 and a true backup swing LT/RT but to look up and down a roster and see only 2 major holes and one glaring depth hole is pretty solid. Esp given the fact that the Bills outside of about three areas actually have quality depth on top of a good front-line talent in most areas. Hopefully the Bills can add D-Hop and a true backup for Dawkins before camp starts and maybe in season if MLB is a glaring need make a trade to sure that up.

No idea why they would invest a moderately sizable contract into a 30 year old WR who has had back to back down seasons. Parker only had one good season (2019) and a couple of other decent seasons (2020 and 2016) so it isn't like there was a big peak for him to return to. Also apparently this doesn't impact the Pats cap-wise much at all, so I don't know if this at all related to Dhop or not. Either way Pats throwing money at a WR who is unlikely to meet the expectations is a good thing. https://sports.yahoo.com/devante-parker-deal-means-patriots-233503508.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

The only combos I can think of are KC, Cincy and Philly. That’s only 3. Maybe you can argue one other one like Lamar/Harbaugh but who the ***** else are you really saying is better let alone 3 other ones on top of what was mentioned

Not to mention the offensive line depth is a lot better, last season the only decent backup was Queese, this year they added Torrence which moved Bates back to a super backup and they added Edwards a solid guard who started on a Super Bowl winner in addition to having Queese back and kicking the tires on Snell. The Oline is much better equipped to absorb an injury or two which happens as usually one or two linemen will miss some time

The Bills grabbing the best guard and tight end in the draft along with signing McGovern one of the better guards in free agency was a good start to helping Josh succeed by having him be “Superman” less. The smaller additions like retaining Hines, signing Edwards as oline depth, adding Sheffield and Hardy to the WR corps and signing a pair of power backs in Harris and Murray all add up as well. The best thing for Josh and his development will be to make sure he is not having to be the playmaker all the time. Better protection, a better conventional run game and better overall playmakers will go a long way for Josh.

That offer sounds about right but I am not so sure Dhop wants to skip all of camp with a new team, i think he would want at least part of a pre season to get ready for the season and get a grip on a new system.

Almost every single NFL teams offense will take a massive step back losing their QB or WR1. The Bills still need to explore options to get another consistent playmaker but it sis rather obvious that your top playmakers are what drives your offense

Hines should both be a gadget player and a third-down back on third and long/medium situations. He is by far the best pass catching back on the roster so it would be a tragic misuse of him to not have him in the backfield on obvious passing situations.

I expect Cook to be a thousand-yard rusher by a wide margin. I think getting a year under his belt plus the revamped interior O-line will only help him. Given that Hines is likely a third-down back and Harris/Murray are likely situational power backs I see plenty of carries and snaps for Cook to achieve these lofty expectations.

Most team's skill position players are rarely consistent after their top 1-2 players, it is very rare that a team has 3 consistent skill position players. The Bills do need someone after Diggs that can be a consistent threat but to act like the Pats have that many if any consistent skill positions players is lunacy.

This narrative that the Bills have zero or very little offensive talent outside of Allen or Diggs is ridiculous. The Pats offense isn't that great. Are Stevenson and a bunch of mediocre RB's that much better than Cook/Hines/Harris? I would argue comparing apples to apples at RB I would take the Bills but even a pessimistic look at the Bills probably yields you to put RB as a push. TE is probably a push between the two units as well and you could with the addition of Kincaid and the regression of Henry argue the Bills are better. Hunter Henry has not been great for the Pats but he is solid and they added Gesicki. That's pretty comparable to Knox and Kincaid the best TE coming out of the draft. With the Bills revamp of the interior O-line I think both O-lines are pretty comparable. The Pats had an average O-line in 2022 certainly better than the Bills. But the Pats didn't add much to their O-line this past off-season. The Bills added one of the better free agent guards and the best guard in the draft along with some depth additions. WR is also pretty comparable. The Pats WR room isn't exactly a bunch of world-beaters. Bourne is a nice WR3, Parker a bit past his prime is more of a complementary player than a stud WR2, Ju Ju is a nice player but not a world-beater and the rest of the Pats WR room are mostly JAGS. Is Parker/Bourne/Ju Ju really all that much better than Diggs/Davis/Hardy or Shakir? Even if the Pats added Hopkins I don't see their WR room despite having a bit more proven depth being all that much better than the Bills. Generally speaking, I would take what the Bills have at RB/TE and push at the offensive line positions to be generous. At WR without D-Hop on the Pats I would take the Bills easily, if the Pats added D-Hop I would then take the Pats WR room in totality but not by a wide margin. I just think you are massively overrating the Pats talent level and underrating the Bills talent level outside Diggs/Allen.

13 seconds is the only catastrophic failure in my opinion. 2020 the Bills were simply banged up at WR and not used to the playoffs. I can write that off. The Bengals were simply better and the Bills who had the season from hell were exhausted so I don't count that as catastrophic given the circumstances. McD will get put on the hot seat if playoff failures mount but just not yet in my opinion. Luckily there are no salary caps for coaches. So much like the Rex deal Pegula can just eat the deals and move on. Better to have a good coach and GM locked in and have to eat money than risk losing them on expiring deals.

I hope Beane realized the over-investment on defense was an issue the past two off-seasons in 2021 and 2022. This off-season while the resources were more limited they did manage to add a quality starting guard as their largest free agent acquisition and draft the best tight end and guard in the draft along with several smaller acquisitions. This past off-season at least showed some reason for optimism about more draft/free agency investment around Josh.

I genuinely thought that too, I figured 3 out of the 4 would have quality seasons. Turns out KC was great, LA was solid but unspectacular, the Raiders were mediocre and the Broncos were ass. I expect KC to be strong again and the Chargers to be a fringe playoff team, Broncos could go either way and Raiders should be mediocre again. Also everyone was so sure the NFC East was trash. Philly and Dallas ended up being strong teams and the Giants were overachievers and even the Commanders finished .500. It ended up being the strongest top to bottom division in football by record.

It makes sense to keep them under contract, McD is not going anywhere for the next 2 seasons and likely next 3. Unless the failures in the playoffs are completely catastrophic he is the coach for the next three seasons and at least the next two. Pegula is not shy about spending money so if he has to eat 2-3 years on those deals he likely will.