maddenboy

are we buyers or are we sellers? I mean, we will probably do both. But which one is big enuf 'news' to get on the radio about. Since its breathlessly reported / rumored, i'd assume its a name we all know. Not like trading somebody we were gonna cut, or trading for somebody at the bottom of another team's depth chart (with the exception of QB). So its probably Boogie or AJE. They decided they are keeping one, and the other has value. Do it before the trade partner has time to be surprised that 'whats available tomorrow (after cuts) in the dumpster is better than he expected.

if it actually works like we speculate: our 4th, assuming we pick in the late 20s at best, and a pick after the end of round 3, might (depending on the total number of compensatory 3rds to be used) be one full round of difference. So then it becomes how much money it would be worth (paying keenum) to upgrade my 4th by one entire round (around 30 picks upgrade, not just 12 or 15). And a function of what my scouts think might be available in those ranges next year. also, if it works like we speculate, the Texans should be blowin up Beane's phone. To get a free 4th for somebody i was gonna cut anyway. And we dont care if the Bills get a 3rd round comp since we arent in the AFCE.

i wonder if this is why woody johnson signed brett favre, aka Aaron rodgers. dude. you are in the top market. you are underperforming. for years on top of years. Make that market pay, or we will find someone who will

the takeaway is that you HAVE TO make 3rd stringers look like third stringers. because if you cant even do that, why would we ever need you? with this run he kept his name from being erased from the board. for a little while. it woulda been an automatic Fail, otherwise. (not saying he will or wont make the team. I dont have enough skill or evidence for me to have an opinion) --- (for fun, go back and watch it a few times. each time, focus on one defender. Its like a pickup game where nobody wants to get hurt. Since they gotta be back at work at Amazon monday morning. Then, imagine if he had allowed any single tackle attempt to actually work.)

WR Shorter cut. (i called this on this board, back in April) DT Poona Ford QB Matt Barkley. (being josh's buddy and a locker room guy isnt enough anymore. We cannot ever actually allow you to take the field because you really are that bad, so . . .)

this is the workplace version of telling your child to "please wash the dishes." Its not really a request and we both know it. the adult version just rubs your nose in the fact that its not a request. but the rubbing is the fact that i can rub it right in your face, without pretending to be polite about it, and you will still do it. The adult version also kinda implies that the listener was being childish, forcing me to treat you as such. Because here, it means "i dont have time to debate it with you. especially since i dont have to."

conversational time-outs. Stalling. "if you ask me . . . " "in my opinion . . . " "personally . . . " "good question" "for what its worth . . . " ------------ "sooner than later" who removed "rather than?" Because this statement is tautological. And/or nonsensical (though i'm willing to admit this is probably pedantry. Since I do, in fact, know what you mean)

funny. (when gabe dropped that first pass in a preseason game that hit him correctly) I think each and every one of us looked instantly at Josh to see his reaction. because . . . dood. wtf? a part of me, when the camera panned to Josh, hoped josh would flash a glare at McD, not just at Gabe.

this is classic Edmunds Cant decide, so panics. (you can almost hear him think "shtt. what am i supposed to do now") Cant decide because he still doesnt know that opponents are gonna take advantage of his indecision. not just his wrong decisions. Its like he doesnt study enough, or correctly. what you're 'supposed' to do is anticipate that presnap. and maybe adjust a coverage call. And trust that everybody knows that you will do exactly what youre supposed to. which is your designed 1/11. At full speed, decisively.

i think the problem goes all the way back to here. For players like Benford we are patient and then pleasantly surprised. But to actually win the superbowl during your window, you cant draft 1st round projects (except QB, where there is an army dedicated to getting him ready asap). Because 'upside' is a tiebreaker between 2 guys who can already help you Now. Not to be used for a 1st rounder who doesnt start during the first snap of the first game. Because the issue is not "is he a good player," or "is he gonna become one?" And the issue is not whether we should trade him. We shouldnt. the issue is: did McBeane make a mistake drafting Elam in the first round. No matter what the cause or excuse. yes. [edited to add "during your window." Since we should not be in team-building mode right now]

lemme see what i can do

on re-read, i think i see where my answer was vague in response to your post. I mean to say there is no void to be filled. They will have come up with a different scheme that has no voids. The idea of using what you have in the best way. not putting square pegs in round holes.

i suspect the NFL knows you arent which is why they will 'reward' us with 'relief' when they move to 18 disagree sometimes i watch CNN. sometimes FOX. sometimes MSNBC. Sometimes BBC I know what i'm getting before i choose it. Sometimes i'm in the mood for a contrary opinion. Also, maybe its immaturity, but i do love to watch a fight.

to paraphrase a poster from yesterday ( @FireChans i believe, in the breakdown of draft hits / misses) I think the days of having a Scarecrow on our defense are over. We appear to have moved on to a different philosophy.

which part? -changing the scheme? -devoting more to offense -that its a bad plan? -that its a good plan, being implemented by people not up to the task? -or the overarching: Maybe there is no plan, after all

The hope around here is that 1) they did not neglect to fill the mlb spot 2) since they arent inept, they must have a plan. And since there's no mlb on the roster, 2 weeks before the season starts, 3) The plan all along is that they are going to scheme around it. And devote more resources to offense. I mean, its not Madden, so they cant just trade for a top mlb. IRL they have to work with what they got

i dont know. they have the fewest stars. One (Judon) they have the fewest elite players. zero (unless you count Special Teams, i think. Belihick thinks Slater is HOF) their key will be protecting their QB better than the other 3 teams in the division. He is not a bad QB. Like Burrow without the full physical toolset. run the ball. move the chains. Even a field goal is a win. Grind every week with a protected QB. I dont know how good their OL talent is.

in that era, running back value was higher than it is today. OJ was a better running back than Allen is a quarterback. OJ is first-ballot "hall within the hall" of fame. --- this is not an "uphill, in the snow, both ways" post. Just trying to temper the recency bias. many of us remember where we were at 2003, and needing to see it live versus on channel 7 later that night. Hell, i was like 5 years old. but i knew it was important to the entire nation. i wanted to make sure i never forgot it. OJ was gigantic --- (just saw your point about Bruce. He's a close one. the only other 'hall within the hall' player we've ever had.

yeah. when i read that portion of the (much appreciated) OP, i didnt wanna nitpick but i instantly thought of OJ. He put the Bills on the map. He was the first player on the bills (super bowl era is all i can speak for) that fans of other teams would happily pay their money to watch. dont think we had that again until Bruce.

there's a Dion Sanders joke in here, somewhere

i've always thought that this is not leadership. Leadership is a skill (not a trait you are 'born with'). Leading is a verb. "watch me" is not leadership. At best it is a template. "hey guys, this is what it looks like to be good. so take a picture and get to work on building one of your own" It seems like coach-speak. Coach says to the players "i know he is not actively teaching you guys. so just watch him and try to pick up whatever you can" Also, its not what a leader actually says. Because leaders approach it as a skill to be learned, practiced, and part of the job of winning. Of doing everything possible to win and improve others. Who says "i lead by example?" It is usually said by somebody else, as in "dont worry: he leads by example."

which bears watching if you dont hear a peep about Miami being interested, that speaks volumes.

i kinda disagree. They already have a back that makes linebackers stay home. His name is Justin Fields. They need somebody to open running lanes (for Fields or whatever runningback they already have) by taking linebackers away from the action. Or forcing fewer linebackers on the field, in favor of more DBs. put another way, the Bears already face 10 in the box (figuratively). Adding Taylor makes that worse, not better.

totally opposite. I am firmly against bringing in Taylor. That is the entire point of my post. A team like Miami needs him. we do not. the point of a great RB like Taylor is to put LBs in impossible situations. But with JA17 we need to put safeties and nickel CBs in impossible situations.

i think Taylor would do a different job. you bring in Taylor to benefit Kincaid. Because Taylor's function would be to force the linebackers to come up and/or hesitate. To drop it over their heads. Not to drop it 70 yards downfield. So, i think you do this if you have a mediocre QB. Somebody like Tua who doesnt command the entire field. Because a Taylor-type opens up the portion of the field Tua needs to throw to. But we dont have that type of offense or quarterback. We need deeper parts of the field to open up, and linebackers arent in those areas much, anyway. So yeah, for the job the 2023 Bills need filled by a RB, i agree we are covered.