BADOLBILZ

I wasn't directed at you chat bots. Unsubscribe.

That's not how the salary cap works. $8M base salary. The trade deadline is after week 9 so about $4M cost. He has some bonus stuff that would have to be worked out but like I said, I suspect the Titans would eat some of that for a little more compensation. Totally manageable.

Shakir wasn't really fitting in with what the Bills were doing as they were destroying teams at this time last year. Then they had like 700 yards passing in games 4 and 5 as well. Didn't look like they needed anything on offense then either. But they did. If they had the dynamic and sure-handed Hopkins in that KC playoff game.........I think they survive and advance. People gotta' learn, a lot can change DURING a season.

Yes, interested. He shouldn't command much in trade and the Titans might eat most of his salary. Not the ideal target he would have been for last year's offense but he could give them a big boost outside and his very good hands fit the profile. Nice guy for Keon to learn how to play outside from as well.

Yeah but interestingly, fantasy people are CRYING about how bad the league's TE production has been this season. The Bills hasn't been statistically impressive either. There was a lot of talk about how Dalton Kincaid was the now the new top target of the Bills. I am a Kincaid fan but I wasn't buying that. I pegged Shakir to lead them in the 900's. He's looked great but still.......projecting in the 900's. @Alphadawg7 and I were actually pretty close on the yardage predictions for Shakir but he thought those numbers would be great and I am not as overwhelmed by 900-1100 yards. Those have been second option numbers for the Chiefs since Mahomes took over the QB position there.

The people I am debating with are taking issue with MY takes. And my goal posts ain't moved. I've been entirely consistent. My argument for years has been that one of the greatest indicators of whether a team can reach a SB has been the quality of their receiving targets. I've illustrated that probably a dozen or more times. If you follow Reception Perception you'd also understand. The last time they had a top 3 WR corps was 2020. It's also the farthest they've gone in the playoffs. 4-6 teams typically have two pass catchers in the top 32 in the NFL in receiving yardage..........and those teams tend to be reaching SB's. Stop me if you realize you've heard any of this before. The rest of your analysis is entirely SUBJECTIVE. I gave you the actual numbers. They production is WAY down. They have been de-emphasized so far. That's all we know.

Yeah you seem to be taking offense to the ongoing discussion. Like it should be suspended. The topic of the thread was established long ago. I have said many times in this thread that we won't know if the plan at WR worked until February because the goal isn't to lose in January again. They entered the offseason knowing WR was a weakness. They made a series of moves. We will see if they were better in February. But there are a lot of people trying to totally re-frame the subject matter of the thread or re-adjust their argument and try to take a victory lap for the team winning another September Bowl. There is even a mod who is gaslighting us with hyperbole about the degree of concern about not having a WR1. It's illogical but comical and makes for some entertaining banter. This board is just entertainment, after all.

Yep and you are welcome to start a different thread about that. This thread is about the WR corps specifically.

No you are being ignorant about subject matter in this thread.......the OP was literally counting yards. If you want to amend the discussion start a new thread about how what you really meant was that the Bills only need 117 yards receiving per game from their WR's. And that MUCH less production meant that they were better. Did you make yardage predictions in that thread? Don't make me look it up and embarrass you. Own it if you thought 5 WR's were going to get at least 400 yards or something like that. Everyone is NOT eating at WR. They have just been put on a low yard diet.

If the WR comparison doesn't matter.........then why are you specifically drawing WR corps comparisons with that link? The efficiency stats are fine but when James Cook ran for 5.7 yards per carry in 2022 was that a better accomplishment than LeSean McCoy running for 5.4 in 2016? Being efficient at your 3rd or 4th best pitch doesn't make it your bread and butter. Ultimately, the discussion here is about the WR group. What do you think is their weakest position group on offense?

I remember early in Josh's career we discussed the concept of "arm talent" and how Josh just didn't have the feel at that time. It's bizarre to see a throwing pro athlete without a range of speeds/deliveries that many HS athletes already have but that was the case. He was largely just beating the defense with his fastball. The touch on the deep ball was the bigger point of emphasis but there were clear holes in his repertoire of available passes. Back then The Athletic story of note was more about how QB's who had experience a shortstop in baseball had a much greater range of throws available to them. Josh was not that type. He was more like Aaron Judge........a big armed right fielder. I've heard Shill Capaccio going on about how much better Allen's mechanics are now but to be really good on short throws you have to be able to do it off platform or without ideal footwork as well. And he's doing that. Seeing Josh finally develop more touch actually gives me hope that he can meet Mahomes as the co-#1 QB in the NFL at least. Without that, it wasn't happening.

September Bowl Champs! Three-peat!

Considering that the question was always whether they had a SB worthy WR group.......no........it won't be resolved until they make it there. Or don't. In February. WR is still the worst unit, relative to the rest of the league, that the Bills have. Not LB or S. Who says no and if so which unit is lesser?

Ok. That 2016 Patriots group of receiving options finished 4th in the NFL in passing yards. The 2024 Bills are currently 14th in that category and WR is a particularly low producing area of that group. There aren't any Bills WR's tracking toward Edelman's numbers as their WR1 or Hogan's numbers as a WR2. And those were 16 game season numbers back then to boot. Maybe as the schedule gets easier we'll see that WR corps blow up. Thanks for the seat of your pants analysis. Let me know who those people who you claim said the Bills were "irretrievably lost" without a WR1 were when you get the time to back up your claims. 😂

I just did and it still is what it is. For instance, he anticipated Mack Hollins putting up 690 yards receiving.........and he has 41.......so he is on pace for 232. I guess that's close? Right? Otherwise just a lot of vague "we're deeper at WR" so they will therefore be a better WR corps. I mean, if I told you guys that Samuel would only have 40 receiving yards thru 3 games you'd have shouted me down but now the goal post has been moved. 😂 What it really comes down to is that the WR position has been de-emphasized thru 3 games. Last year thru their first 3 games(including a tough road game against NYJ defense) the Bills WR's had almost 500 yards receiving. Then they got warmed up and had two HUGE games after that "modest" start. They were a WR centric offense that really wasn't good enough at WR to expect to reach a SB. This year, thru three games their WR have just 350 yards receiving. They've been efficient but it's their weakest unit on offense(by a lot) so it makes sense to under-feed them if possible. When I tried to explain to people that you just weren't going to replace those 2023 WR stats by having a better 5th(or 6th) WR.......there was great pushback as people tried to backfigure how Josh Allen was going to get the same amount of passing yards etc..

Great song. Kickball is a sh!t boring game but the fans are great.

Play action you can't go wrong with but the QB has to want to do it. JA clearly hasn't liked getting under center and taking his eyes off of the defense to execute the play fake. Which as @GunnerBill pointed out recently is largely why the Bills have never been able to develop much of an outside zone run game. Brock Purdy and Kirk Cousins? That's how they gotta' make their living. That and throwing "contested" passes and back shoulder throws etc.. Among the things we are seeing is Allen looking better on short throws. We take it for granted but he hasn't always been very good on those. His timing and placement on throws at/behind or near the LOS looks much better to my eye.

Which posters thought they were "irretrievably lost without the luxury or a #1 WR"? I must have missed that one. I think you are hyperbolizing there. People like myself, @Kirby Jackson, @FireChans or @GunnerBill have been talking in terms of reaching and winning a SB. Not whether the offense turning to utter garbage or even "struggling" on a week to week basis. When you have Josh Allen in his prime you should always be at least good on offense. I mean, he makes a 3rd and long look like just another down. And we saw what this offense looked like in the final 9 games(counting playoffs) last season. They weren't going to go broke taking a profit but the goal posts weren't at midfield either.......the question is whether this offense has the horses to win in February.

1) Yes, it is possible. But that "legion of boom" "defend every blade of grass" style of defense is out of vogue now because the talent at the QB and WR positions has increased exponentially in the past 15 years and week-in-week-out it's just more effective to make most teams nickel and dime their way down the field. The Bills have adapted but it doesn't mean they've become indefensible. They've just moved the emphasis. 2) They faced a great defense on the road in the opener last year and then speedboated 3 teams more like the caliber of what they have played this year. They put up huge numbers offensively. 3) The thread is about the quality of the WR. Josh has indeed looked great and they are letting him run and take his lumps like they typically have tried to avoid until later in the season. 9 rushes in the opener of the season? Not ideal. Subsequently he was injured in the opener. That's all for another thread.

What looks dynamic(defined as constantly changing) can look repetitive/predictable later when defense's take it away and you can't use the entire field.

I've been hearing Mr. Brightside at sporting events for a few years now. The Bills pinched it. It's ok. If you want a Bills themed song..........Square Hammer by Ghost with the "Rite here Rite Now" refrain. It's not a scream along but it is escalating energy.......and it's fairly commercial having been used by the NFL many times and considered by some the best heavy metal song of the 2010's.

This could be the catch phrase of the group who claim the WR corps is clearly better this season than it was at this point last season. 😂 I am enjoying the Bills taking advantage of being better prepared and executing better than the opponents they've had to face. Just like I did last year(when I also didn't think their WR group was good enough to reach a SB with). But then the offense went from being incredible all the way to the point where the OC got fired at midseason. Teams will adjust. It's not natural for opponents to assume that Josh Allen isn't even going to try to stretch the field with his WR's so early season defensive game plans have been vulnerable. But the tape will force them to adapt. The thing about having playmakers as opposed to role players is that playmakers require extra attention to take away........which opens up other avenues for the offense. Role players can just be schemed out. I'd hate to see the Bills forced to have a heavy reliance on their outside WR's later in the season.........but if I was a DC that's what I'd be scheming to make happen. I'm not going to just let you run 12 play drives if you are going to execute them and score 4 TD's in the first half. I will make you throw it deep to MVS or Coleman or Hollins and take my chances that the mistakes will come in abundance there.

Yeah, I do know........because I have been there. I'm not the one calling out the fans who are there for the team for being "classless" when I am just some left coaster watching on TV sh!t talking and fan shaming the people who make it possible for you to be a low investment couch-fan. Know your role. Stay in your lane.

The WR corps hasn't been better than it was early last season. Diggs himself was putting up pinball numbers. The focus so far has just been taken off of the WR corps. Which was the trend at the end of last season. The numbers are clear about that. The OL is better. The RB's and TE's are better(and more of the focus). The WR's......nah.

His teammates loved Gabe because he fought with the fans for them. But he also just fought with fans because he hated the fans and wanted to take out his frustration on them. So the fans behind the bench grew to dislike Gabe because he constantly disrespected everyone in the name of fighting with a few people getting on him about his drops. And if the hecklers spoke to him during games the way he spoke to fans........barrages of f bombs..........they'd have been kicked out. So basically, like @Mark Vader you also don't know sh!t about the situation.