BADOLBILZ

Yeah it wasn't a good deal for the team. He had 2 years left and not much real negotiating leverage. It's very reminiscent of the extension they gave LeSean McCoy after acquiring him in trade.........McCoy's original Eagles contract would have expired when his ability did.........instead the Bills tacked on 3 more years and $26M more guaranteed for no good reason other than to try to keep him happy. Super agent and former Pegula employee Todd France......likely noting the Bills excessive generosity to McCoy........then fleeced the f*ck out of his former boss with the Dareus contract.......which was signed in a moment of Rex Ryan era euphoria and contained no penalties for misconduct because Terry was giving his old pal a sweetheart deal. They should get a few more top years out of Diggs but 6 is about twice as far as I'd trust Diggs to be a top 10 WR in the NFL..........and I do think that WR contracts will level off. They extended him at the peak of the market, IMO. Sometimes the worst cap decisions are made in the height of offseason/preseason revelry. But as you said.........in reality...........the cap is more of a guideline. The deal may hurt them down the line but if they really care about winning they will work around it. The problem is that the cap CAN......and you know WILL.......be used as an excuse or weaponized to shut up the media or other observers. When it's convenient. Like when the Beane-ster joined the Bills and loudly whined about the cap situation he inherited. Salary cap ignorant fans,.....disgruntled by the prior regime....were quick to parrot that nonsense. In reality.......the Bills went into free agency 2017 between $30M and $40M.........UNDER........the salary cap........with almost no long term commitments at all. They didn't spend much before Beane technically took the reigns. The cap excuse was just used to justify not retaining any of the young core of the team........like future All Pro Robert Woods and NFLDPOY Stephon Gilmore. Beane then created what was then the largest amount of dead cap in one offseason in NFL history in 2018 and wasted PILES of money and cap space on a simply horrible selection of free agents. Brutal. A couple years later he was neck deep in cap commitments with his QB only 3 years into his rookie deal. He tried to toe the line in the 2020 offseason.........teams like pocketing actual profits if possible......(lifestyles must be maintained).........and being confident he thought they could run it back and their trajectory would improve thru continuity alone. That didn't happen............they blew a truly golden opportunity to gain home field advantage in a jumbled AFC.........and ultimately failed to even get the team back to where they were in 2020. THEN.....Beane got real and started treating the salary cap like a guideline. I like Beane a lot.........he makes more decisions I like than any GM the Bills have ever had. He is a confidence man and devout shyster who is quick with a lie.......and excellent at looking innocent doing it..........which is all part of what makes him one of the best executives in the NFL. The Pegula's NEEDED this guy. But he still has also made a lot of bonehead moves and non-moves and that should be acknowledged in real time........rather than just heaped on when things go bad like they traditionally have been.........and like may happen late in Diggs contract.

What did they do to improve the personnel on their OL that allowed 125 combined pressures/sacks? Saffold is a step back in pass protection and can't play tackle like Williams in the event of Brown being sidelined with back issues again. They simply saved some money swapping Williams out for Saffold......but took on more age and injury risk in Saffold. There is a better chance that the much younger and better player in Tre White comes back and plays a full slate of games at high quality than there is that Saffold plays at a high level for 17+playoffs. Saffold is a guy you can count on as a half season starter, IMO. This years version Emmanuel Sanders.........but with the terrible Cody Ford as his backup not a promising young vet like Gabe Davis. And they are missing one starting CB.......Levi Wallace. Dane Jackson was the starter during the best stretch of the Bills season.......December and January. He is as good of a starting CB in this system as Ryan Bates is a guard.......he literally started more games than Bates yet you say that Josh Allen is setup to succeed with Bates and Jackson doesn't even count as a starter? Dane Jackson put up 41 tackles and his 70 passer rating allowed was lower than two of Tre White's season ratings in his career. He can start and play well in the Bills system. I get the concern but you are clearly in panic mode about something they've always done well enough to rank among the best in the league........pass defense...........and whistling past the graveyard that is the OL as a whole and their depth at WR...........positions where weakness has undermined them on a broad scale.......ENTIRE SEASONS.........not just one game each year.

Ryan Poles handling of that offer sheet was really poor.........very disappointed in the Canandaigua guy. Not that he'd be the first bad GM with WNY ties........there are and have been a bunch of em'...........but was hoping he'd do well in the NFC. Thought he would take a player from a team that needed him by putting $250K aav on top of an otherwise Bills friendly deal? As I said before..........very reminiscent of Marv Levy doing the same as GM years ago..........fake hustle........there are reasons you don't see many GM's do that............it's bad form........plenty of UFA's out there.........if you want a RFA that bad then go for it..........don't dick around and run up prices. That's amateur hour.

There is still so much unknown with Watson. He showed a lot in the Senior Bowl.........that elevated him significantly but that's a very brief exposure to top talent. Spencer Brown was similar.........he was great at the Senior Bowl and blew up the combine..........physically he's an All Pro. But despite a year of training with Joe Staley he hadn't actually played against much high end talent and he really struggled mightily in pass protection as a rookie. I think the transition from SEC to NFL was easy for Metcalf........and he's also really a man amongst boys at his size. Watson isn't built like Metcalf........he is almost identical physically to the similarly 4.3 speed Marques Valdes-Scantling........I'm not saying he won't do well as a rookie.........but he will be challenged physically by secondaries like Metcalf couldn't be.

You edited that? That Bills@KC divisional game was the first playoff game in NFL history where two teams that had scored 40 points the week before met up the following week. And NE and Pitt weren't exactly BAD defense's. Both defense's got torched in the division round. By virtue of the Bills losing two coin flips........the Chiefs had two extra possessions.......and won by one score. Do the math. You are over-thinking it. Judging your entire #1 ranked defense on the most unique such situation in NFL history...........as opposed to addressing the problems that plagued your team for the first 3/4 of the season.........causing you to be on the road in the playoffs..........well I agree that is a good way to get yourself another crack at playing in KC in the playoffs.

I don't think WNY'ers consider St Peters local. Most WNY'ers had likely never even heard of St Peters basketball. From a Bills fan standpoint..........a lot more Bills fans interested in the Carolina teams in the tournament than a team from NJ. You can't throw a rock in WNY without hitting someone with family and friends in the Carolina's.

They have played Tyreek Hill 4 times in the past two years and shut him down twice...........just so happens that the other two games were the playoff games and the pass rush simply wasn't good enough to lay a finger on Mahomes...........who proceeded to extend plays over and over...........until the defense was EXHAUSTED. Beane knows that.........and acted accordingly..........you don't, then I don't know what to tell you. You clearly are caught up in the perceived need of the moment........and obviously don't think that the success of this team is primarily about putting Josh Allen in position to succeed...........and that's inexplicable.........because it's absolutely the reality.

1) Yes the OL play was the majority of the problem with the team during the mid-season swoon. 3 losses with under 20 points scored. But what the poor protection also exposed was that Allen couldn't just get the ball out quickly and have a receiver make a play against over-sold pass rushing defenses. I've illustrated the screen passes that John Brown had taken to the house in similarly closely contested games against Seattle and Baltimore in prior seasons. That was not an option in Jacksonville or at home versus New England. The primary solution is better pass blocking to avoid having to use Allen like a battering ram.......but whether you think a lack of YAC is signinficant or not.........they finished DEAD LAST in the NFL in YAC. When you are DFL context doesn't provide much excuse........it's a proven weakness. 2) As far as "clinch(ing) the deal"........what's been consistently lacking in the two playoff games in KC is pass rush. Mahomes didn't just shred the McDefense from the pocket.........he had all day to throw and literally wore the Bills defense down by extending plays for 4+ quarters. We all knew this after that game. Now 3 months of over-thinking it later an exhausted back 7 group of defenders has been re-cast as unable to cover anyone for any reasonable amount of time all game. That's not what happened. If Hughes doesn't fall down and Allen never throws that last TD pass with 13 seconds left..........and the Chiefs take a knee and win it..........the big story would probably be again not even getting to the requisite 30+ point minimum to beat a healthy and fresh KC team at home..........and of course Stefon Diggs tragic 3 catches for just 6 yards. 3) The Bills addressed the primary cause for their defensive struggles against the league's most feared offense. Pass rush. You literally don't even mention that. But they didn't lose both games just because of defense........the offense was terrible in the AFCCG........the only TD they scored before garbage time was after a fumble recovery near the Chiefs goal line. The level of paranoia about stacking talent on defense and the "leave it to Josh to elevate everyone on offense" mentality is very "offseason" "on paper" thinking that doesn't hold up when the pads start popping.

I think DK was a significantly better prospect..........his massive, wide frame combined with that speed is a real tough cover for NFL DB's.........whereas they are used to defending narrow, angular types like Watson. But I agree about the importance of the health aspect in the evaluation of Watson. Watson has been healthy........which I think is a huge positive about him because it's often a struggle for receivers built like him. Like, for example, the Isaiah Weston comps. Sure he has some similar RAS numbers........but Weston was hurt A LOT. Tall, narrow framed receivers who can't stay healthy are a dime a dozen. I also like what I've heard from Watson........seems like a smart kid who is going to take coaching well and work hard to get better. Not that DK had a bad attitude but he was probably a bit more complacent due to his extremely high pedigree. I think the bigger thing with him was the concerns that his neck problem would end his career.

And another thing about Woods...........his size seems to be a detriment after the catch..........instead of bowling defenders over his gangly awkwardness just seems to make him easier to tackle. Maybe this is another Logan Thomas situation and he makes broad improvements with more experience..........but the hype about his RAS really doesn't match up with his tape AT ALL.

The #1 objective of any franchise should be to protect and support up their franchise QB...........if they get hurt or underperform.......nothing else really matters.......you aren't winning. The Bills defense was #1 last season.......on the strength of pass defense............and that was with UDFA Levi Wallace starting at one position and without Von Miller, Tim Settle and Jordan Phillips. The Bills offensive line meanwhile.........allowed 125 combined pressures and sacks..........they were arguably the worst pass blocking unit in the league.........and they did not improve their personnel in that aspect in trading out Daryl Williams for Rodger Saffold. Saffold did not grade out well in pass pro. And during their mid-season slump one GLARING need that was evident was a fast receiver who could get YAC..........the Bills ranked LAST in the NFL in YAC and have subtracted from their WR corps and haven't added any notable YAC talent. So while your opinion is that the Bills defense can't possibly defend well enough without better CB play than they had last season............that doesn't jive with the facts that we know about this team. So while you think you can see the future........... clearly I know more facts about this team than you. Like most people I expect the Bills to address the CB position with a veteran who will probably be better than Levi Wallace was. I also expect them to draft one in the first 3 rounds to develop.........not necessarily expecting them to play every snap like a 1st rounder would be expected to. I also expect one of Lewis, McCloud and Griffin to stick and one or both of the others to be on the PS and to be able to step in and provide adequate play behind a good pass rush. This has always happened under McDermott. So while CB is definitely a position they need more depth at.........that has literally been said every year since McDermott arrived and it hasn't proven to be at the top of their weaknesses in ANY of those seasons.

Taron Johnson and Siran Neal are locks for SCB1 and SCB2...........and Tre White and Dane Jackson are the starters outside...........so your 3rd and 4th outside CB's BOTH have to be first round or day 2 picks or your cupboard is bare?? In a zone based system? If the cupboard is bare at CB what does that make the OL cupboard with the only backup not yet proven to be trash is Tommy Doyle........and HIS stat line was 1 snap and 1 sack allowed at LT last season? Or how about the WR cupboard where outside WR3 is the 30 year old undrafted journeyman Jake Kumerow? There is a lack of quality depth behind starters at several positions...........CB has been the one position of those that the Bills have proven to be best at getting quality play out of low pedigree draft talent...........but bad OL and bad WR play have been catastrophic at times during the McD era.

Cyrus says "Can you dig itttttttt!" and gets killed like 10 seconds later in that movie.

Woods may have great workout numbers but he runs like an old man........when his knees go up his shoulders go up........it's very disco-esque........lotta' wasted motion. He is the opposite of a smooth athlete and definitely doesn't play anywhere near those speed and agility numbers on the field. And for an ex-QB.......he doesn't handle the football well........shaky hands. He is huge and can block so there is hope. But he was on NFLN the other day and they were interviewing him and talking about Kyle Pitts comps.

I think he will be a very productive receiver in the NFL.........lotta' catches from the slot..........but IMO he's more in the Jamison Crowder category than a WR1. If you are going to draft a WR in early rounds they need to be a WR1 type, IMO. Feels like a case of a guy getting pushed up the board........at least of draftniks........because of the perception of the class as a whole(strong). If I am drafting a 5'9" WR in the first two rounds they better have Steve Smith kinda' juice and be a legit threat as a returner.

Agree...........Justin Zimmer is a good example of this...........he was a playmaker and seemed like he had a good chance of being in Buffalo for a couple more seasons. Injured his knee.......

I don't recall that.........most of the rest of the board was fixated on another more high profile safety whose name I can't recall. But Hyde was a pretty easy pick to sign to fix the Bills lousy safety situation, IMO. He was dynamic in the last couple months of the season for Green Bay.........arguably their best player on defense...........if you watched big NFL games you saw him because GB was a contender playing in meaningful games.........but there was virtually no love for him going into FA on TSW. The only love I saw for him was from myself and Bandit. In general the board is getting a lot more familiar with the league now that the Bills are a contender...........it's much appreciated..........a lot easier to read when there are so many more knowledgeable fans.

I think you may have paralysis by late stage draft over-analysis here....... .......have a process and trust it. Like you do wrt not drafting interior OL early(that's a good one, IMO). When you start looking at the draft like players in late round 3 are really going to tip the scales in the upcoming season.......it's easy to rationalize a lot of decisions that will look laughable in hindsight.

I don't think they will use their first round pick on a player to specifically replace any of their pending UFA's or cuts in 2023. That's not how they have operated. That is how the 90's Bills would have done it though..........it was literally how they did it..........and what happened was they eventually went broke making those small profits. A lot of defensive backs....in an era when they weren't as impactful........and high floor/low ceiling/easy evaluations that didn't have the potential to possibly replace any of the Bills aging stars. Now in the second round.........anything goes with Beane.........I am FULLY expecting him to go LB to replace Edmunds in 2023 there..........probably Troy Anderson if he is still on the board. Beane has had 4 years of his own second round picks and the results have not been pretty........a lousy guard and 2 DE's that have averaged just a sack every 10 regular season Bills games(5 in 49 opportunities). They could have scarcely gotten less production to this point. The most productive use of his own second rounder by Beane was the one he traded to move up to get Allen. My confidence in him in round 2 is low.........I think he fixates and celebrates in round 1 and then loses sight of the BPA objective in round 2 and swings at needs. This is a common problem in business in bid scenarios........the euphoria of getting what you were most focused on then followed by a series of less than ideal decisions. It takes a good deal of discipline and cool to keep your head. Whaley had the same issue.......as have a number of Bills GM's.......it's why the second round has been quicksand for the Bills in their history.

I disagree that the WR market is just going to keep rising that quickly. We've seen spikes and plateau's in every position salary except QB. I stated before the offseason starts that I think the WR market is a bubble that will burst when some of these elite talents of the past couple drafts........and this one.........increase the supply in the market. I think the Bills just bought Diggs at the top of the market. They could have gotten the same deal or better next offseason if they so desired. And if they had drafted a WR that blew up this year and/or Gabe Davis broke out they would have been well positioned to move on from Diggs and seriously unburden their cap. I also think that there will end up being either a great deal of dead money or a couple years of bad football on the back end of his deal...........this contract will not age well. As for the fallout in the locker room...........I'm just noting that it doesn't alleviate all issues.......there will always be new ones and this deal likely has some direct impact on that. I couldn't care less if Jordan Poyer is happy with his contract. He has issues with addiction and chaos in his personal life........."not happy" has been his normal. He doesn't have to be happy to play well. Hyde, like Poyer, has a very limited remaining shelf life. Edmunds hasn't taken the next step to warrant a new deal. None of these players contractual satisfaction should be Beane's concern in 2022. You can't be a good GM and keep everyone happy.

They used a first rounder on Diggs..........they didn't draft him. Drafting an unknown is being willing and confident enough in your ability to evaluate personnel to take more risk.........which is what they've shown wrt defense........probably because McDermott is a defensive HC and they have more trust in themselves on that side of the ball. And frankly, none of us should have trusted their eye for offense based on the offenses they put on the field in 2017-2018-2019............it was easy to understand why they would trade for an expensive proven commodity. Understandable but a reflection of weakness nonetheless. What is the opportunity cost of not being more offense-centric? Well, everyone knew that 2020 was a tremendous WR draft..........and the player that was selected with their traded pick was almost instantly the equal of Diggs......surpassed him last season.........and is playing on a contract with just a $4M aav.

No, extending Diggs just opened up a can of new issues. Players understand when free agents get paid...........but once you start re-doing players with years remaining on their deal and rewarding them as if that player is an actual free agent.........ie not "team friendly"...........then it's invariable that guys like Poyer/Hyde/Edmunds .........whose values are unlikely to ever be higher........are inevitably going to feel jealous or mistreated and angry with the team. None of those players should be extended any further than they are right now and they had peace on that front IMO because of the fact that Diggs deal was below market. Said it many times this offseason.........you don't re-do Diggs deal until there is only one year left.

He didn't work out in some gym off site..........it was the middle of Giants training camp..........not everybody that works out at team facilities has to be under contract.

It's not just the first round.........most of Beane's second round picks have been exhausted on defense as well. Edmunds was a 1 + 2 Epenesa Basham Ford is the outlier And yes they wheeled and dealed picks away to move up for Allen...........but how did they gain extra capital? All of the draft capital they acquired in 2018 to get Allen and Edmunds was done by trading 3 offensive players and moving back out of the Mahomes pick spot with KC. You can argue that those trades worked out so they show how smart Beane is...........but by the same token NONE of Beane's MANY notable defensive free agent signings have panned out........Star/Murphy/Vontae/Norman/Jefferson/Butler..........nothing but busts with the exception of Mario Addison who was underwhelming at best. And look at it this way...........when they need a 1 Tech to play 40% of the snaps they pay Jones $7M aav on a multi-year deal......when they need a slot receiver they pay $2M.........when they need starting guards they pay $4M and $6M. I mean Bates deal is closer to backup slot CB Siran Neal's $3M+ or backup LB Matakevich original $4M aav deal than it is what they played Jones to play 60% less snaps than him. Quality on defense has been consistently prioritized over offense. It's hard to argue otherwise............so why doth you protest so much?

You were both wrong. Edmunds was a first round pick.........in fact, he was a 1st AND 2nd round pick because they trade up for him...........you "pretended" he was not, for some reason. But the greater point that the Bills under Beane have put a much greater emphasis on defense early in the draft is quite literally indisputable. And nobody has made a greater financial investment in their DL in the past few years than the Bills. They also have 5 secondary members under long term contracts and both starting LB's on $10M+ aav's at this point. They are FULLY invested in defense. Offense not so much yet.