BADOLBILZ

I wouldn't just compare him to Rivers.........but I made a similar point here last week...........there are a lot of parallels between these Bills and the Schottenheimer/Turner Chargers for whom Brees and Rivers were the QB's. A LOT of them. Vegas loved those Chargers too, strong regular seasons, lauded rosters, defensive minded "culture" driven HC and of course, the QB whom unnamed GM's would all say "he's going to win a SB in the next few years" and.........then they would fall flat in the playoffs. Those Chargers teams are long since forgotten. One difference though is that Schottenheimer got fired after a season like McDermott had this year...........which didn't work out well for San Diego because Norv Turner was a sloppy HC like Wade Phillips and their program steadily deteriorated.............but part of Schottenheimers firing was likely tied to that being the 3rd culture driven re-build he had overseen and the prior 2 times, in Cleveland and Kansas City, things hadn't gotten better so I believe the Spanos family felt he had proven he simply could finish.

I mean, growing up in the 1980's a high % of my friends parents(boomers) were divorced and/or were kinda' indifferent to their kids extracurricular activities. Numerous kids I grew up with just lived wild lives and there were lot's of deaths and accidents and it was a real survival of the fittest and luckiest situation. So starting with GenX we started to see a lot more helicopter parenting, IMO............and when you do that parents really start living "vicariously thru their kids" as you said and that takes everything out of perspective at the events. I've seen it coaching and officiating. It's a real issue when you are in those positions........but at the same time I think the kids themselves behave a lot better on the field/court then we ever did. The behavior of kids in The Bad News Bears movie actually bore a good deal of resemblance to a lot of games I played in back in the 70's and 80's. The parents are a pain in the ass.........but we are getting more dynamic and pro ready professional athletes despite much less participation..........so I suppose in some regards it benefits us sports fans.

Not really. It's been decades since the Bills passed on a RB drafted in round 1 and later regretted it.

Weren't a lot of prospects to see. Play was dominated by a bunch of very over-aged pass rushers and running backs. Some of them 6 or more years out of HS.

Well you are wrong about that. A lot of people aren't bought back in yet..........and if you think anyone outside of a 25 mile radius of the arena takes issue with being called not a "real" Sabres fan........they do not. The Sabres are still in easily the worst stretch of hockey in NHL history. They are again on the outside of the playoffs looking in at this point and have a difficult schedule. So I am not surprised when I walk into a sports themed restaurant/bar an hour from the arena and the Sabres game is not on anywhere. They have been a complete embarrassment to their fans and WNY in general and as such are largely irrelevant still. But you aren't here and going to games either so I guess you wouldn't know. You are a New England sports fan first and foremost. If you think having your co-favorite team be the Bruins doesn't keep you from being a "real" Sabres fan.......well, I disagree. 😆

Excellent post. The simple answer to why they drafted well from 2017-2019 was, IMO, because they had enough needs that it was still easy to align need with BPA. Since then.......less needs........but still drafting for need. 🤷‍♂️

You can not buy "the Sabres aren't good excuse anymore" all you want.........but they have been so bad for so long that a lot of fans aren't going to hurry back to see a fringy potential 1 and done playoff team. Their poor performance drought dwarfs the Bills 17 year run of futility because it's hard not to be competitive in the NHL. The Golden Knights enter the league and are quickly in the SCF.........the Kraken joined last year and are a top 10 team already and wipe their assiz with the Sabres every time they play. The distrust turns to disinterest when you are as pathetic as the Sabres have been. I know fans who used to drag me to mid-week games with them as recently as 5-6 years ago that aren't even back watching them on TV again yet.

Yeah there aren't many good offensive lines in the NFL so starting quality still begins below "good". People are reluctant to admit it but the standard for a centers ability to block man-on-man is clearly lower than that of a guard. I loved Creed Humphrey as a prospect.........he was All American quality as a freshman.......but the position is so easy to fill adequately that it's hard to justify using a premium pick on it. With rare exception the quality of an offensive line is seen in the blocking talent of the LT and guards. Even RT you can have a stiff like McGlinchey out there sometimes and still have one of the better lines in the league.

And center might be Bates best position. It's fairly common for guys who can't play tackle or guard a lick to be starting quality NFL centers. See Jon Feliciano.

Former Bills OL coach Karl Mauck projected as a first round pick for a Gilligans Island re-boot.

I know Boogie Basham was a bad pick but the obsession with Creed Humphrey on this board is approaching the obsession with runnin' bax. Center is the easiest position to fill on the line.........there is a good chance Creed Humphrey will price himself out of KC with his play.........just like Rodney Hudson and Mitch Morse before him.

I think DC's in their 50's with a number of years experience tend to be the safest picks but an edge the team that gets Leonhard may also gain is insight into the next few draft classes of players.........on defense in particular. The Bills need to really nail some of these upcoming drafts and ideally the early round emphasis would be on offense. Being able to find some mid-late round starters on D would be huge.

Sounds like the 49ers want Wilks to be their new DC.

Adding another very good WR2 is their biggest single "need" and I agree that waiting for it in the draft isn't a smart idea. If OBJ is right then he'd be a very good option. And I was never a huge fan of Michael Thomas because I like WR's who get open and he basically had the greatest contested catch WR season ever when he put up 149 grabs...........but with the NFL now allowing mugging in the secondary his skillset becomes more important...........he'd be a very good strategic add WHEN he is released and IF he will take a reasonable 1 year prove it deal. Then you draft a receiver to hopefully replace Davis in 2024 with some upside as a potential WR1 or WR2.

I love how fans want to spend owners money above and beyond the collectively bargained levels. The cap is there for a reason.........to keep the league competitive despite HUGE market discrepancies from team to team.........so creating a new variable where one team can spend $50M more at their discretion creates a competitive balance issue. Small markets like Buffalo, Cinci and KC don't want to end up like they would be(or are) in MLB (where my Yankees can have a winning record for 30 straight seasons). The system works great right now.........teams who luck into great QB's should have to pay a price to encourage competitive balance. And yes, while I give the Bills massive amounts of credit for taking the chance on Allen, they got lucky that he is this good.