TH3
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22 hours ago, oldmanfan said:
We’ve witnessed the usual stuff post-draft. The second guessing of everything Beane did vs. those praising him to the heavens. Constant arguments about 40 times and gauntlet drills and on and on and on ad nauseum. How we needed to draft a speed guy even though there are several on the roster. On and on and on.
But the most important thing that will determine the success of guys like Coleman, what will determine the team’s success, is Joe Brady. He is charged with putting the guys he has in a position to get open, whether that be short throws or long. People are talking about how teams will clog the middle because we don’t have sideline receivers or guys that can go deep. While I would argue that, it’s on Brady to make sure we do by the packages and route trees he designs. He is also charged with getting Josh on board with finding open guys and getting them the ball.
To me we have plenty of offensive talent, led by the most dynamic QB and dynamic player in the league. I am encouraged by what I saw from Brady last year, but he must continue to improve. He must continue to alter things week by week so opposing defenses can’t predict what’s going on, which is what ultimately cost Dorsey his job. He must maximize Josh. I think he can, but time will tell. Let’s hope he’s up to the task.
Bills will score plenty of points. In the last bit it’s been a not ready and young team, bad defense, a cursed season that ran out of gas, and a decimated D and a bad kicker…..
Bills will contend….The Chiefs can overcome curve balls…..The other contenders have to stay away from bad luck and maybe get some good luck.
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1 hour ago, Shaw66 said:
Sorry, I am not Billy Shaw. I picked the name to honor Robert Shaw and the movie he made in 1966, A Man for All Seasons.
Haha ….You should have said “Yes …..I remember!”
Not sure Billy Shaw still alive….but he did rent our house for that season….I think they were awful that year…
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21 hours ago, Shaw66 said:
I often find that it’s useful to forget the money and the hype and the stars and instead to think about the game of football at its most basic. I think about what it’s like to have a career as a high school football coach trying to win a championship.
In high school, the raw material for building a roster is left mostly to chance (putting aside the little bit of recruiting that goes on in some places). The head coach has very little control over the quality of players who show up on the first day of tryouts; the physical capabilities of most of those players was largely determined in random bedrooms 16 or 18 years earlier, and now here they are. The coach’s job is to choose a roster from among the guys trying out, and then to train and mold them into a team that wins football games.
The programs with the best coaches have up years and down years like everyone else, but they tend to have more up years. Why? Because their brand of leadership, their teaching ability, and their strategic and tactical approach to the game is better than most other coaches. So, even in years when the gene pool has left the coach a little short-handed compared to some other schools, their seasons often are quite successful.
(I have had the opportunity to observe this phenomenon up close twice in my life. I played high school basketball for Bob Hettler, one of the greatest high school coaches in New York State history, and I was on the faculty with Morgan Wootten, one of the greatest high school coaches in U.S. history. The players changed year after year, but the winning more or less never stopped. (Wootten did have the advantage of being able to recruit, at least a bit.) Only occasionally did the talent fall together in just the right way to have a true championship caliber team, but even in down years, their teams stood out.)
Coaches know when the talent they have is outstanding and when it’s just okay. Good coaches adapt to the challenge each season and look for the ways that this group of players can succeed, whether this group offers raw physical talent that is better or worse than last year’s group. That’s the coach’s job, and good coaches find ways to win.
Coaching is coaching, at any level. Pro football coaches face the same annual roster turnover that high school coaches deal with. There are differences, of course: The high school coaches have bigger problem, because their roster will be a collection 16-18 year-old kids with their own issues. The pro coach, on the other hand, can expect at least semi-adult behavior from most of their players.
The big difference, however, is the pro coach gets raw material selected from the very best players in the country. The pro coach, year after year, is going to start the season with a training camp roster of 90 of the biggest, fastest, smartest, and toughest football players in the world. And that means that the differences in team success based on physical talent become smaller: the guy being tackled and the guy tackling both excel at their jobs. For sure, if your team has more of the best guys, your team has an advantage, but in the NFL it’s very difficult to collect and hold onto talent that is physically dominant at several important positions. In the current era, it isn’t possible to collect and keep stars like the Kelly-era Bills did.
I’m not saying that getting the best talent doesn’t matter. Of course, it matters. What I’m saying is that not having the best talent doesn’t mean that you can’t compete. With coaching, talent that is excellent but not the best can play a team-game that neutralizes the talent advantage any particular team might have. Of course, if I have the best talent AND the best coaching, then the talent will be the difference.
People can argue endlessly about the talent on this roster and that roster, but at the end of the day success in the NFL is going to come down to how well coached your team is. Does your coach get your team into the strategically and tactically correct offenses and defenses year-in, year out and game-in, game-out. Does your coach get your team physically and mentally prepared to execute those offenses and defenses?
In that context, consider for a moment what has happened to the Bills roster in the past three months that has the fan-base and the media all in a tizzy: The Bills lost six big names from their roster: White, Morse, Davis, Diggs, Hyde, and Poyer. When each of those six came into the league, the draft market place valued them, by draft round, this way: 1, 2, 4, 5, 5, 7. Add ‘em up: 24.
And now consider the Bills’ top-six acquisitions over the past three months. Samuel, Coleman, Bishop, Carter, Davis, Van Pran-Granger. 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5. Total: 18.
I’m not arguing for a second that there’s anything but the least-sophisticated logic to that analysis. You can’t really just add up draft value and determine which college is better. But those numbers aren't meaningless.
Those numbers are some evidence of the fact that the talent every team starts with, at least in terms of what the league thought of them when they came in. Going into most drafts, most GMs would take 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5 over 1, 2, 4, 5, 5, 7.
In terms of the quality of talent that will take the field in September compared to what the Bills had three months ago, I think I’ll take exactly where the Bills are today. Think about the departures: White, may still be a player, but at the very best he’s about to wind down, Morse, never the greatest physically, and his days were ending, Davis, the guy everyone loves to hate, Hyde slowing down and needs to go for his own health, Poyer, some years left, perhaps, but not his best. Diggs, may still be good, but not so good that he's worth the headache.
Start looking at them player by player, or at least paired: Would you rather have Diggs and Davis or Coleman and Samuel? Would you rather have Morse or Van Pran-Granger? Bishop or (pick one) Hyde or Poyer? White or Carter? Collectively, I'd rather have the youngsters than kept or extended all of those guys.
Now, for sure, not all of the rookies necessarily will pan out, and it may take them a year to begin to play at the level that’s needed for them to succeed in the league, but looking at the Bills three months ago and now, I will definitely take the uncertainty of these young talented players over the uncertainty of old, injured, troublesome talented players.
Would the Bills be in an even better position if Beane had managed the draft in another way? I don’t think so. The extra talent one of the top three receivers in the draft would have brought to the team couldn’t offset the loss of the rest of the players the Bills drafted. Said another way: six guys are gone, and I like my chances better if I get six new guys instead of two (the new receiver and Curtis Samuel).
In terms of how Beane and McDermott have done in their jobs, well, it depends if I’m a glass-half-empty or glass-half-full guy. I like that they’ve improved the team, but I also have to ask why a group of unproven guys actually is better than the gang that just left? How did the Bills get in the position they were in, with a group of guys who no longer were quite good enough to win, and with no backups in sight?
However they got to that position, I think if you asked McDermott if he likes the talent he has today, he’d say, “Absolutely!” Can you win a Super Bowl with this talent? “Absolutely!” And that’s not just power-of-positive-thinking Sean speaking. I mean, he and we thought he could win it with the talent he had last year, and if this is actually a better group, then why shouldn’t he think he should win this year?
Translate this back to high school football. It’s as though McDermott is coaching high school and has a five-star recruit at QB, several locks at D-1 scholarships (Milano, Oliver, Cook, Coleman, Torrence) and several guys who very well also might go D-1. Considering D-2 and D-3, he has maybe 20 kids who are going to play in college. Maybe one other high school in the state has a 5-star QB. Some other schools might have two five-star players, but unless they have a five-star at QB, they can’t be as good together as the five-star QB he has. Some other schools may end up with a few more D-1 guys than he has, but the reality is that doesn’t make all that much difference.
Ask McDermott the high school coach if he likes were he is right now, and I’m sure he’ll say, “Absolutely.” Ask him, the pro coach, and he'll say, "Absolutely."
I like what Beane has done since the end of the last season, and I’m looking forward to the 2024. The Bills will be in the middle of the contest for the Lombardi.
GO BILLS!!!The Rockpile Review is written to share the passion we have for the Buffalo Bills. That passion was born in the Rockpile; its parents were everyday people of western New York who translated their dedication to a full day’s hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.
Hey Billy Shaw - Do you remember renting our families house in Clarence for the 1968 season? My father took a sabbatical that fall - I was 4 - but I remember you as the largest man I ever saw;)!!
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54 minutes ago, May Day 10 said:
It is not.
The expectation is to take a step back. Hopefully contend for the division or the wild card.
Everything is setting up for another 4-5 year window starting in 2025.
They needed to purge salary and age a bit. This past build failed to get a superbowl. I blame a few bad contracts, mainly Von Miller, as well as the inability to get a WR 1B or WR 2 for the past 2 seasons. Diggs' act also hurt.
Defensive injuries
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21 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said:
They are already laying the groundwork for the "it's a rebuilding year" excuse. They will likely get another shot next year and then by then Josh will be in his 30's already and nothing to show for it
JA is 27
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22 minutes ago, Buffalo4Life01 said:
Troll much?
If trolling is pointing out reality…then yes
3 minutes ago, KentuckyBillsFan said:I don't trust Pegula to do what needs to be done. This season will end the same way they all have under McDermott. He isn't an upper echelon head coach and I'm not convinced Brandon Beane is a truly elite GM either. Barring an unforseen run this season I think this franchise needs a front office and coach that is hellbent on aggressively building around Josh Allen for once.
Dreams are free
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12 minutes ago, H2o said:
We have all seen how things unfolded the last few years. A dismantling in the AFC Championship game by KC, 13 Seconds, the flop against Cincy, and then the recreation of Wide Right. McDermott has had friction with multiple coaches because he can't stop meddling. We've had 3 OC's the last 3 years. Frazier was sent packing, McDermott officially took over the defense, and now Babich is going to be "running" things. We've had some questionable draft choices when there seemed to be better options at the time, usually involving selecting defensive players. Now, because of the way they tried to build this squad, and the unnecessary drama, we are in what Beane calls a "transition" phase.
People love to talk about 2017, how we handed KC Mahomes. Beane wasn't here for that though. It was strictly a McDermott draft based off of the work Whaley and his scouts had done. That draft brought us White, Dawkins, and Milano. If not for the injuries that have derailed White's career, we could talk about the entire situation in a different manner. You can't deny that, right now, Mahomes is on his way to staking a claim at GOAT status. It is what it is. Now fast forward to 2024. Knowing what Allen needed, what this team needed, they traded with KC. With the situation that has unfolded with Rashee Rice, you have to believe KC was looking at WR. They take the WR with the fastest recorded 40 of all time. Me, personally, Worthy doesn't scare me. Yes, he's fast. But he has had some drops and the guy is lighter than my 16 year old at 165lbs. Let him get out there to get squared up by some of these LB's and S's who outweigh him by 30lbs-70lbs. I just don't think he's built to last in this league. I don't see him as Tyreek Hill 2.0 at all. Tyreek is 25lbs heavier than him and is a 4.2 guy in pads, as well as on the track. Still, if I am wrong, the Bills FO just handed KC a guy who will give us fits for years to come. It will be another black eye on this organization from something McDermott, and this time Beane, had hands in.
The "run it back" mentality has bit them this time. Because we were so close in the 13 seconds game, they developed this "run it back" type of mentality. Sure, we changed a player here or there, but many of the pieces have been the same squad since then. The weight is always, squarely, on Josh's shoulders. People try to use KC as a comparison and say look at what they were able to achieve without big name WR's, or whatever else. Well, KC has Mahomes, Andy Reid scheming the offense for Mahomes (probably THE largest difference), one of the greatest TE's ever to play the game, has typically had a top tier OL, a REALLY good defense littered with talent across the board, and a DC in Spagnuolo who has been a part of 4 SB winning defenses. Gabe never developed, Edmunds never developed, Von's knee, Poyer got old, Hyde's neck injury, White constantly on IR, constantly cycling out JAG's to fill holes, constantly rolling with meh WR's (outside of Diggs, who became more trouble than he was worth), keeping together a middling OL because Josh makes them look better than they actually are, defensive instability, and have changed the guy calling the offense out 3 times in 3 years. Now, on top of that, we find ourselves in Cap purgatory and still no closer to the goal we wish to achieve.
Going into the 2024 draft, a blind man could see Josh needed weapons on the outside. We had big shoes to fill in Diggs and we needed an upgrade on what Gabe Davis was in this offense. Shakir has shown promise, but he's primarily been used in the Slot. We signed Curtis Samuel, who has primarily been a Slot guy as well. After that we were left with a bunch of JAG's we already had. In the best WR class in at least 10 years, we come away with one WR. I'm not counting the camp fodder UDFA's. We drafted ONE guy. Opinions vary on that one guy. He is truly a boundary WR though. Still, you would have thought this team would have doubled up on boundary guys for the sake of giving their generational talent QB more to work with. Instead they throw all their eggs in one basket by going Safety, DT, and RB with their next 3 selections. Kirby mentioned it in another thread, and I have to concur, that this team looks to have a bottom 5 WR group right now. Until proven otherwise on the field, it is what it is. I think it is a failure, as well as a disservice to JA17, to only have come away with one WR out of this class. This doesn't mean I hate our draft, or grade it an F. I just think it's par for the course we've already seen from this regime, a course that has always seen us come up short.
In the end, I think this year will be the make or break for both Beane and McDermott. To continue to do things the same way and expect different results is madness. If the players they drafted become a foundational youth movement, if you can see the results on the field as to what they were drafted for, if Samuel, Shakir, and Coleman make for a dangerous group, if we can transition on the fly like KC did a couple years ago, and if we didn't just make the KC offense unstoppable again, then they'll be around for a while. But there are A LOT of "if's" in that statement. At some point you have to pull the plug if it's not getting you any closer to what should be the goal of every franchise in professional sports, a championship. We shall see.
Nah…They are in contention for a SB every year as long as 17 BB and Mcd are around. A lot of words though
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6 minutes ago, Pine Barrens Mafia said:
You have a QB that's a Maserati. He's built for bombs away. But instead of building your offense for that, you build it for plodding, 10 yards at a time max, 10 minute drive offense. So I ask, what is the point?
What's the point of having a guy who's designed by nature to bomb the football deep and whose weakness is dink and dunk stuck in an offensive scheme that is built to do just that?
Why not offload him for someone who's better suited for that kind of thing if you refuse to play to his strengths? That's what I can't wrap my head around. It makes no sense.
Go back to sleep
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3 hours ago, ShakAttack said:
Sorry if this was already posted, but here is a good video. While it does confirm that Coleman struggles with separation on deep routes, you can see him doing very well in creating separation on other routes.
The film of his struggles to separate vertically starts around 6:20.
After that, you will see some impressive route running in which Coleman is successful in separating from DBs.
Enjoy.
He was nfl open all day. He is gonna have to get used to turning and seeing the ball about 10 feet from his face
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18 hours ago, Logic said:
I'll start by saying that this was far from my favorite Bills draft.
I'm usually Mr Optimistic when it comes to draft classes, but I thought this year's class was just...fine. It was like if you fed Brandon Beane's draft tendencies and the Bills' needs into ChatGPT and asked it to spit out the 2024 Bills draft class. It was completely on brand, it filled the needs we all knew the team had, and it'll probably end up producing a few average players and a couple good ones.
Ho-hum. Nobody in this class makes me stand up and say "that guy's really gonna help the Bills get over the hump and win a title".
Onto the picks:
1. Keon Coleman - I was not a fan of this pick. For a team whose WR corps needed more speed and separation, this guy made the LEAST sense to me of all the 1st/2nd round WR prospects. Josh Allen has historically thrived with fast, shifty WRs who separate well, and has not clicked with big-bodied guys who struggle with separation. So adding Keon Coleman? It feels like "Square peg, meet round hole". He does have great athleticism and RAC ability for a man his size. He's also young to the position, having played football full time for only two seasons and being only 20 years old. I have concerns about his ability to play X in the NFL, and I'll believe that he's a better fit as a big slot until proven otherwise. Here's hoping I'm wrong about Coleman. The absolute ceiling I see for him is "Solid WR2". Not what I was hoping for in a star studded WR class and with a crying need at the position.
2. Cole Bishop - Looks like he should be just what the doctor ordered at safety for the Bills. He seems to be more Poyer than Hyde, in that he's at his best in the box and playing the run, and he packs a wallop when he tackles. He appears to have untapped man coverage potential, with Dalton Kincaid saying Bishop usually got the better of him 1-on-1 at Utah. He also has freaky speed for the position and a great mental disposition. Should be an easy fit in the Bills' scheme. At the VERY least, I expect him to contribute from day 1 as a dime 'backer, but I'll ultimately be surprised if he doesn't wind up starting at one of the two safety spots by midseason.
3. Dewayne Carter - Good bull rusher, great motor, tons of experience, impeccable character. Seems like a 1T/3T 'tweener. Quickly apparent from his interviews that he's one of the smartest, most likable, easy to root for guys you'll ever see in the NFL. Should be a quality rotational tackle for the Bills and seems like, in time, he will provide quality leadership and a steadying presence on the D-line. May never be a big play guy, but may at least be a "dirty work" guy who allows others around him to thrive.
4. Ray Davis - Hard running inside guy with great vision, ability to get skinny, contact balance, and underrated breakaway ability. Had the most receiving TDs in 2023 of any SEC running back in 25 years. Should provide a nice change of pace to James Cook without the Bills necessarily losing anything in the pass game when he comes on the field. An older prospect, but I don't care, because he's a running back, and he won't be here past his first contract anyway. Another "likability" and leadership All-Star. Davis should provide steadiness and depth, but doesn't do anything that wows you, and I'm not sure he moves the needle much on offense.
5. Sedrick Van Pran - Tons of starting experience at Georgia. Has some traits reminiscent of Mitch Morse in terms of quickness, twitch, and ability on the move. Stop me if you've heard this one before -- lauded for his leadership. Should provide a good backup plan to Connor McGovern at center and/or provide competition at that position. It will not shock me if this guy is starting by year two. Seems like a great value at this point in the draft. One of my favorite picks.
5. Edufuan Ulofoshio - What do you want me to say? You didn't think the Bills would let a draft pass them by without selecting a late round special teams linebacker, did you? The room is starting to get a bit crowded with Milano, Bernard, Williams, Morrow, Spector, and Ulofoshio. However...the Bills lost ST stalwarts Dodsen, Matakevitch, and Neal, and needed some reinforcements there. That's what Ulo seems to be. I'll be surprised if he ever amounts to more than that, but at this point in the draft, that's what you're getting.
5. Javon Soloman - Undersized speed rusher (though he does have a great wingspan for the position) who had absolutely eye-popping production at Troy, where he out-produced Demarcus Ware and Osi Umenyoira. He can be a designated pass rusher and special teams guy and can learn from his idol Von Miller, after whom he says he models his game. Very much a boom/bust prospect, with seemingly equal potential to be the steal of the draft or an outright bust. I liked this pick a lot, and I'm betting on the former over the latter.
6. Tylan Grable - What do you want me to say? Did you think the Bills were gonna let a draft go by without taking a project offensive tackle late? I don't have much to say about this guy. He's just like Tommy Doyle or Luke Tenuta before him: a developmental tackle prospect who's a long shot to make the 53-man roster. With VanDemark and Collins already in place as backup OTs, it's hard to see this guy making the roster.
6. Daequan Hardy - Special teams guy. Standout punt returner and gunner. I usually look to Bills' late round corners with excitement, because they're usually big-bodied guys with zone eyes who only dropped due to underwhelming athleticism. Hardy does not appear to fit that mold. He appears instead to be a punt return candidate and, beyond that, I'm not sure where he'd fit in. His only hope is as a nickel, but the Bills are obviously set there with Taron Johnson.
7. Travis Clayton - At least this one's fun. A guy from the International Pathways program who has never played a down of football in his life. But he's 6'7", 301 lbs and runs a 4.79. The hope is that he turns into the next Jordan Mailata. A fun story and will be fun to track, but obviously a longshot and likely a practice squad guy at best.
Overall, it was clear that leadership, maturity, and experience were high priorities for the Bills this year. Again and again, they picked guys who were team captains and lauded for their leadership abilities. Given all the leadership that walked out the door this offseason, that certainly makes sense. Again and again, they picked guys with lots of starting experience, guys who shined at the Senior Bowl, and guys who have their heads screwed on straight. Given that they will be counting on some of these guys to contribute from day one, and given that they seem to be doing a bit of a locker room reset, this also makes sense.
The reason that I am ultimately unexcited by this year's draft class is this: I wanted the Bills to prioritize building around Josh Allen. I wanted them to either take a swing for the fences by trading up for a star receiver, or -- failing that -- to go the Packers route and draft a handful of skill position players to surround him with. If they were unable to acquire great quality, then I hoped they would at least acquire quantity. I fear that in choosing Keon Coleman, they may have failed to achieve the "quality" goal, and in refusing to draft any other receivers, they also failed to achieve the "quantity" goal. And Ray Davis is the definition of "uninspiring" at running back. He'll be a fine depth player and grind out tough yards, I'm sure, but he doesn't move the needle much on offense. Neither Coleman nor Davis seem like they upgrade the offense. Just...status quo at best.
In a year where I felt the very TOP priority was to improve on offense, I feel the Bills failed to meaningfully do so. In an offseason where I hoped they'd make a bold move or two to try to find an elite player for this offense, they failed to try. After hearing "Josh needs more weapons" for a couple years running, he now seems to have less. The WR corps seems to have regressed, and seems to lack any true downfield explosiveness or viable deep threat.
This draft class was not a disaster, by any means. it seems FINE. Just fine. Keon Coleman doesn't scream "Alpha WR1" to me. Ray Davis seems like an average NFL backup. Cole Bishop and Javon Soloman seem to perhaps have playmaking potential on defense. Beyond that -- meh.
When the Bills decided to go young and start a roster reset, I had hope that Beane was gonna try to do things differently, since the old way he was doing things didn't get the Bills over the hump. They've been hitting too man singles and doubles over the years and not enough home runs. Instead, he appears to be doing things exactly the same way this time around. He seems to be content to collect character/culture guys, whose ceiling is "good, solid NFL player", rather than taking any risks or big swings for potential stars. He hasn't really taken those swings, to my estimation, since the Allen/Edmunds class. THAT'S why I'm disappointed in this draft class. It seems fine, solid, steady, and logical, but it doesn't seem like it'll move the needle much.
I will move on to hoping that the post June 1st money infusion brings us a quality veteran receiver and maybe a pass rusher either via free agency or trade. Failing that, it would be hard for me to conclude anything other than that it looks like the Bills are poised to take a step back this year. 2025 looks promising in terms of cap space and draft capital, but if it's gonna continue to be "business as usual" for Brandon Beane, then I'm not sure how excited I should allow myself to get for that.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.Another take separate from
Reality mixes up
what he wanted done with what could be done.
Dont surround JA? Kincaid Shakir Cook Coleman Davis. He traded a first for Diggs. If Diggs didn’t go stage 4 cancer…Cyrus plus other Oline guysDont swing for the fences? JA, VM …one home run, one whiff that cost the team dearly…That’s why you don’t swing for the fences too often in FA
WR corp? Gabe’s hands turned to stone, Diggs disappeared, and they still scored enough points to beat the chiefs…maybe 17 has more to do with a wr corp being good…what was KC wr corp last year?
Singles and doubles? What does that even mean? You make it sound like BB doesn’t choose the best eventual player at the position deferring to leadership…what do you think Coleman is…a pick with upside…he is trying to hit a triple with that pick when he looked at other options and saw Singles and doubles
Free Agency? This year is cap hell …Von Miller rolled the dice and lost…Can’t do anything
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12 hours ago, dpberr said:
I give it a D. Weird strategy this year. To me, seemed like a strategy solely focused on cost controlled depth of decent football players and lottery tickets.
How is it cost controlled? The first contracts are cheap and pre structured.
11 hours ago, 78thealltimegreat said:It is an odd decision cause you go into next year with Shakur being your default number 1 receiver. I really like Khalil but he’s not really a number 1 man it just seems like this receiving corps is missing a one more guy.
Then again at 28 or anywhere after you aren’t getting a number 1 receiver in year 1.
I have to think this means Kincaid maybe lining up out wide more often.Who has bee n chiefs best wr?
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4 minutes ago, DC Grid said:
It seems like the Bills keep getting the same guy at safety. Namely an in the box safety. Cole Bishop is now the 3rd in the box guy they’ve signed up for next year as Rapp and Edwards are also in the box safeties. So who on the roster can play deep center? Poyer was a phenomenal in the box saftey and they’ve replaced him in triplicate, but Hyde was a great center fielder (who had lost a step) and there doesn’t seem to be anyone on the roster who can even come close to filling this void. I realize there are a couple of other guys on the roster like Hamlin but none of these guys have ever put anything on tape that merits consideration as a starter at any position. This all seems particularly troubling in a league where the top teams all have great deep options that will run wild if the Bills don’t have a dependable deep center.
This is concerning and troubling
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2 hours ago, Logic said:
I'll start by saying that this was far from my favorite Bills draft.
I'm usually Mr Optimistic when it comes to draft classes, but I thought this year's class was just...fine. It was like if you fed Brandon Beane's draft tendencies and the Bills' needs into ChatGPT and asked it to spit out the 2024 Bills draft class. It was completely on brand, it filled the needs we all knew the team had, and it'll probably end up producing a few average players and a couple good ones.
Ho-hum. Nobody in this class makes me stand up and say "that guy's really gonna help the Bills get over the hump and win a title".
Onto the picks:
1. Keon Coleman - I was not a fan of this pick. For a team whose WR corps needed more speed and separation, this guy made the LEAST sense to me of all the 1st/2nd round WR prospects. Josh Allen has historically thrived with fast, shifty WRs who separate well, and has not clicked with big-bodied guys who struggle with separation. So adding Keon Coleman? It feels like "Square peg, meet round hole". He does have great athleticism and RAC ability for a man his size. He's also young to the position, having played football full time for only two seasons and being only 20 years old. I have concerns about his ability to play X in the NFL, and I'll believe that he's a better fit as a big slot until proven otherwise. Here's hoping I'm wrong about Coleman. The absolute ceiling I see for him is "Solid WR2". Not what I was hoping for in a star studded WR class and with a crying need at the position.
2. Cole Bishop - Looks like he should be just what the doctor ordered at safety for the Bills. He seems to be more Poyer than Hyde, in that he's at his best in the box and playing the run, and he packs a wallop when he tackles. He appears to have untapped man coverage potential, with Dalton Kincaid saying Bishop usually got the better of him 1-on-1 at Utah. He also has freaky speed for the position and a great mental disposition. Should be an easy fit in the Bills' scheme. At the VERY least, I expect him to contribute from day 1 as a dime 'backer, but I'll ultimately be surprised if he doesn't wind up starting at one of the two safety spots by midseason.
3. Dewayne Carter - Good bull rusher, great motor, tons of experience, impeccable character. Seems like a 1T/3T 'tweener. Quickly apparent from his interviews that he's one of the smartest, most likable, easy to root for guys you'll ever see in the NFL. Should be a quality rotational tackle for the Bills and seems like, in time, he will provide quality leadership and a steadying presence on the D-line. May never be a big play guy, but may at least be a "dirty work" guy who allows others around him to thrive.
4. Ray Davis - Hard running inside guy with great vision, ability to get skinny, contact balance, and underrated breakaway ability. Had the most receiving TDs in 2023 of any SEC running back in 25 years. Should provide a nice change of pace to James Cook without the Bills necessarily losing anything in the pass game when he comes on the field. An older prospect, but I don't care, because he's a running back, and he won't be here past his first contract anyway. Another "likability" and leadership All-Star. Davis should provide steadiness and depth, but doesn't do anything that wows you, and I'm not sure he moves the needle much on offense.
5. Sedrick Van Pran - Tons of starting experience at Georgia. Has some traits reminiscent of Mitch Morse in terms of quickness, twitch, and ability on the move. Stop me if you've heard this one before -- lauded for his leadership. Should provide a good backup plan to Connor McGovern at center and/or provide competition at that position. It will not shock me if this guy is starting by year two. Seems like a great value at this point in the draft. One of my favorite picks.
5. Edufuan Ulofoshio - What do you want me to say? You didn't think the Bills would let a draft pass them by without selecting a late round special teams linebacker, did you? The room is starting to get a bit crowded with Milano, Bernard, Williams, Morrow, Spector, and Ulofoshio. However...the Bills lost ST stalwarts Dodsen, Matakevitch, and Neal, and needed some reinforcements there. That's what Ulo seems to be. I'll be surprised if he ever amounts to more than that, but at this point in the draft, that's what you're getting.
5. Javon Soloman - Undersized speed rusher (though he does have a great wingspan for the position) who had absolutely eye-popping production at Troy, where he out-produced Demarcus Ware and Osi Umenyoira. He can be a designated pass rusher and special teams guy and can learn from his idol Von Miller, after whom he says he models his game. Very much a boom/bust prospect, with seemingly equal potential to be the steal of the draft or an outright bust. I liked this pick a lot, and I'm betting on the former over the latter.
6. Tylan Grable - What do you want me to say? Did you think the Bills were gonna let a draft go by without taking a project offensive tackle late? I don't have much to say about this guy. He's just like Tommy Doyle or Luke Tenuta before him: a developmental tackle prospect who's a long shot to make the 53-man roster. With VanDemark and Collins already in place as backup OTs, it's hard to see this guy making the roster.
6. Daequan Hardy - Special teams guy. Standout punt returner and gunner. I usually look to Bills' late round corners with excitement, because they're usually big-bodied guys with zone eyes who only dropped due to underwhelming athleticism. Hardy does not appear to fit that mold. He appears instead to be a punt return candidate and, beyond that, I'm not sure where he'd fit in. His only hope is as a nickel, but the Bills are obviously set there with Taron Johnson.
7. Travis Clayton - At least this one's fun. A guy from the International Pathways program who has never played a down of football in his life. But he's 6'7", 301 lbs and runs a 4.79. The hope is that he turns into the next Jordan Mailata. A fun story and will be fun to track, but obviously a longshot and likely a practice squad guy at best.
Overall, it was clear that leadership, maturity, and experience were high priorities for the Bills this year. Again and again, they picked guys who were team captains and lauded for their leadership abilities. Given all the leadership that walked out the door this offseason, that certainly makes sense. Again and again, they picked guys with lots of starting experience, guys who shined at the Senior Bowl, and guys who have their heads screwed on straight. Given that they will be counting on some of these guys to contribute from day one, and given that they seem to be doing a bit of a locker room reset, this also makes sense.
The reason that I am ultimately unexcited by this year's draft class is this: I wanted the Bills to prioritize building around Josh Allen. I wanted them to either take a swing for the fences by trading up for a star receiver, or -- failing that -- to go the Packers route and draft a handful of skill position players to surround him with. If they were unable to acquire great quality, then I hoped they would at least acquire quantity. I fear that in choosing Keon Coleman, they may have failed to achieve the "quality" goal, and in refusing to draft any other receivers, they also failed to achieve the "quantity" goal. And Ray Davis is the definition of "uninspiring" at running back. He'll be a fine depth player and grind out tough yards, I'm sure, but he doesn't move the needle much on offense. Neither Coleman nor Davis seem like they upgrade the offense. Just...status quo at best.
In a year where I felt the very TOP priority was to improve on offense, I feel the Bills failed to meaningfully do so. In an offseason where I hoped they'd make a bold move or two to try to find an elite player for this offense, they failed to try. After hearing "Josh needs more weapons" for a couple years running, he now seems to have less. The WR corps seems to have regressed, and seems to lack any true downfield explosiveness or viable deep threat.
This draft class was not a disaster, by any means. it seems FINE. Just fine. Keon Coleman doesn't scream "Alpha WR1" to me. Ray Davis seems like an average NFL backup. Cole Bishop and Javon Soloman seem to perhaps have playmaking potential on defense. Beyond that -- meh.
When the Bills decided to go young and start a roster reset, I had hope that Beane was gonna try to do things differently, since the old way he was doing things didn't get the Bills over the hump. They've been hitting too man singles and doubles over the years and not enough home runs. Instead, he appears to be doing things exactly the same way this time around. He seems to be content to collect character/culture guys, whose ceiling is "good, solid NFL player", rather than taking any risks or big swings for potential stars. He hasn't really taken those swings, to my estimation, since the Allen/Edmunds class. THAT'S why I'm disappointed in this draft class. It seems fine, solid, steady, and logical, but it doesn't seem like it'll move the needle much.
I will move on to hoping that the post June 1st money infusion brings us a quality veteran receiver and maybe a pass rusher either via free agency or trade. Failing that, it would be hard for me to conclude anything other than that it looks like the Bills are poised to take a step back this year. 2025 looks promising in terms of cap space and draft capital, but if it's gonna continue to be "business as usual" for Brandon Beane, then I'm not sure how excited I should allow myself to get for that.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.Whatever dude
8 minutes ago, Toyo321 said:Beane and McD are like a broken record that skips every time before the song can be finished playing. You hope that the next time you play it again, it might miraculously somehow get the end of the song. This sounds all too familiar to me.
One of these days Josh is going to wake up and throw the damn record against the wall and it will shatter into a million pieces.
This is the day I am hoping for because these two guys "Beane and McD" are nothing but pretenders in this league, and they are undeniably the reason this team has failed to get to Superbowl. It sure as hell is not Josh Allens fault.
The day Josh gets a fresh start with a competent GM and Coach will be a day Josh can breathe a sigh of relief and so will I. IMO.....
I am sick and tired of this " Trust the Process " with these two guys. It getting so old at this point, the process has mold growing on it now.
Good Lord….get over yourself
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6 hours ago, Freak-O said:
Why a sane person willingly would spend time on a platform like Twitter or X is beyond me. Talk about about wasting your life.
And yet ….you are here😜
29 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:That is EXACTLY how I responded and I'll never regret it.
At THAT TIME, Josh was a wild one in a million project type guy and I definitely did NOT want him....or Lamar Jackson, out of ALL the big name QB draftees that year!We hit on a lottery ticket with Josh so all is well that ends well. Doesn't make the pick better AT THE TIME however.
Wut?
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3 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:
Niners have taken 2 WR’s….
+ we just acquired another 4th for next yearperhaps we go after Aiyuk
Don’t ever give up!
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3 minutes ago, dgrochester55 said:
Let me get the armchair GM hot take comment out of the way
“But I wanted a WR and I saw Rice once in a college football game and he made a nice play, so Beane is a moron for not drafting him. Now we don’t have a #1 WR because of this. Buffalo shouldn’t ever draft a defensive player again. Beane is the worst GM EVER! Now we will NEVER win a super bowl”
And we lucked into the playoffs in 2016!!
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2 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:
McD's defense got trashed by a running Blake Bortles. Yes TT was god freakin awful but Bortles running killed them - 10 carries for 88 yards. McCoy balled out on an injured leg.
Nobody thought the Bills were going to the playoffs at the start of that season…they did….have fun in your misery
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1 minute ago, TheWeatherMan said:
Thanks to a miracle play from the Bengals. Bills proceeded to get smoked by an awful Jags team in rd 1
Or. Or….They did a helluva job getting that far with that roster and please revisit the score and check your smoked comment
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Just now, MarkyMannn said:
Bengals gifted the Bills that playoff
Puh lease
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3 minutes ago, TheWeatherMan said:
Facts!! The only reason Beane and McD still have jobs is because the Browns, Giants and Jets are dumb and passed on Allen.
Made playoffs without 17
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1 hour ago, Goin Breakdown said:
Wonder what happened with Franklin. Buffalo must know something is "wrong" with him to not take him after the visits. I thought he'd be the pick in the second. So I'm going Franklin
Turns out the whole league thinks something is wrong with him
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On 4/20/2024 at 9:25 AM, Doc said:
If Avenatti's ready to testify for Trump, you know how much of a dog this case is.
You guys link some Twitter from “I meme…therefore I am” and we are to think hard about it? Hshahahs
1 minute ago, Tommy Callahan said:OJ was found innocent in a court.
That island seemed to be a hot spot for the rich and famous, Hollywood and what not.
its like your comment is just gaslighting.
Do you know what gaslighting is…..No my comments are more like ridicule…..AD is about as irrelevant a thinker as it gets at this point…but you clowns like him because he says what you want to hear
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On 4/19/2024 at 9:50 PM, Boatdrinks said:
He’s bored. The proceedings are a completely political sham prosecution with a pet judge and jury. Their predetermined guilty verdict will be overturned on appeal. Alan Dershowitz said it is the weakest case he’s seen in his 60 years of experience. NYS is a complete embarrassment as usual.
Quoting AD? Was he on the kiddie porn island? Dude said OJ was innocent too….
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So Trump farting in the courtroom...😷
Tim Graham article on Kim Pegula and Bills ownership
in The Stadium Wall
Posted
Heartbreaking