billsfan89

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.

I just don’t see this as anything more than offseason filler talks based on nothing

Ideally you have an epic three phase team that crushes everyone. But with the cap and the general decisions making that means you likely have to make some cuts on areas of the roster. The best way to build a consistent contender is likely to once you find the stud QB build out an epic offense and good ST unit and then just try to have an average defense. Making some cuts on defense so your stud QB can have good weapons and protection is likely the best thing you can do.

Diggs wants to win and one of the things that impacted him most in 2022 was the lack of a consistent second-receiving threat. D-Hop is the best WR out on the market and even if he is just 75% of what he was at his peak he still would provide some solid relief for Diggs. I can't blame Diggs for being a little antsy with this situation if you feel DHop would be the last piece the offense needs. That being said while I wish Diggs wouldn't take the to media (kills the Bills leverage a small amount) I think he is at least coming from the right place.

I was a “wrong Josh” guy but within a couple of hours of the pick turned myself around on It. Easily my worst Bills take.

JJ Watt took the bag from a middle-of-the-pack Cardinals team and spent the last two years of his career wasting away in AZ but making good money doing so. Some players don't always value a title and they just want the money.

Dhop, JuJu and Henry would have been super scary in 2020 but several years later and while they may have some gas in the tank that wouldn’t be some super elite group of pass catchers esp with Mac Jones being the one to throw to them. Not that It wouldn’t be a nice add for the Pats but It doesn’t move the needle all that much for them