BADOLBILZ

I saw John Lee Hooker open for Blues Hammer back in 2000. If you like some "way down in the delta blues" you'll love Blues Hammer. "I've been PLOWWWWIN'.......pickin' cotton all day long".

This thread is funny. Next season the Bills back 7 cap hits include: $16M Tre White $13M Tremaine Edmunds $10M Matt Milano $10M Jordan Poyer $9M Micah Hyde They already crossed the "too much $ invested in defense" line a bit when they surprisingly paid Milano. They are reaping the benefits this year because the defense is loaded..........but having 8-9 highly paid defenders isn't reasonable/sensible cap management. Offense is a lot more sustainable. They need to keep the offensive side of the ball stacked.

Edmunds definitely does some good things IN THIS SYSTEM.......that's why he's a top 10-12 type MLB in the NFL. He's a lot like Tyrod Taylor at QB though...........Tyrod was elite at not turning the football over........before he got benched in 2016 he was about to QB a team to the fewest turnovers ever in a SB era season. And like Edmunds he made a Pro Bowl, deservedly, in a year where only 2 of the top 8 QB's were in the AFC. The thing was.........we all knew Taylor wasn't actually a great QB and that he left a ton of plays on the field. You couldn't justify paying him top of the market, which was $30M per year. But $15M on a bridge deal wasn't out of the question because he had lead some good offensive teams. The issue with Edmunds is that he's not going to be signed for half of what Darius Leonard signed for. He probably doesn't even deserve Joe Schobert money, to be honest. And most people on here have no idea who that is.

He has 0 TFL this season.........so would saying he made a tackle behind the LOS qualify as hyperbole? Yes, yes it would. Like I said........people want to characterize solid plays as game changing or "splash" plays. They are not.

I think if they felt that Edmunds was the foundation that the entire defense was built around that he'd at least have been inked to a long term deal by now. It's more likely that they think he's good enough for now while they hope that he improves his consistency and starts making more big plays. And besides, if Milano is healthy they don't really have another regular position to move him to where it wouldn't be a veritable start from scratch(like edge) anyway. Probably the only way we'd ever get to find out how Edmunds would perform as a one-side-of-field defender prior to his free agency would be if he missed a lot of time and his replacement played so well that they would not need to plug Edmunds back in the middle.

Yeah that was one of them. The main issue was not getting a QB, obviously. But next was constantly letting good young players leave in FA or via trade and then trying to draft their replacements early. That was just treading water and maintaining mediocrity.........they could never get ahead.......and sometimes those high picks would bust(like Leodis) and then they weren't even getting back to square one at that position. Also desperate regimes without the best long term interest of the organization making bad "draft for immediate need" decision. And drafting lesser positions too early (see drafting Spiller and Whitner top 10). Finally, drafting 20 year old underclassmen year after year and plugging them into bad culture situations with very little leadership in the locker room. Things like drafting Sammy Watkins and not having a vet in the WR room was absolutely asinine........but the list was long, Whitner, Lynch, Dareus, Watkins.......all very young players drafted very high and handed lot's of money. Hard to excel at player development like that.

There aren't really metrics to support the "near impossibility" of attacking Edmunds in zone drops. He took a step back last year when opposing QB's started attacking him more. He's still too easily manipulated. In college he was really just a see-ball get-ball LB and not instinctive or good at recognizing the broader scope of how plays are going to unfold. It's not a mistake that instinctive backers make plays......their anticipation allows it. But just as important Edmunds has not been a threat to make plays on the football if you throw at him and when that's the case then eventually QB's will take their chances. That happened to the tune of a woeful 114 passer rating against and passing 4 TD's allowed by him in 2020. I remember on Sunday the Dolphins worked him for a 13 yard gain to Waddle on a play where he and Gesicki both attacked the middle. Brissett read Edmunds shoulders and that was that(setting up the 4th down where Jackson made the great shoe-string tackle). So, still not impossible. Edmunds is the nail too often in the passing game and QB's are getting better at being the hammer. It's pretty early in the season but he's been targeted 4 times and allowed 3 completions so far and his passer rating allowed is 106 (which would, of course, be very bad as a season figure).

So you kinda' remember one play from the last season? A TFL........he's had just 4 TFL's in his last 21 regular season games so that's probably why you sorta' remember that one. Here's some more dandies from his career stat log: He has never recovered a fumble in his career. He hasn't forced a fumble in 44 games. Hasn't had an interception since 2019........when he had 1. He has just 3 QB hit's in his last 23 games. Last season he blitzed 72 times and did not even record a single pressure. He hasn't made ZERO actual big plays.........but it's rather astounding how few he's made when playing almost 3,000 career defensive snaps.

1. Obviously being 10th-12th best in the league when you have 1st team All Pro potential is underachieving. That's more than just "Could he IMPROVE? Sure". He SHOULD improve. SHOULD. A LOT. I've said this before.......when the Bills offense was so anemic that it was challenging records for futility in 2018......McDermott would attempt to deflect criticism by saying nonsense like "would we like to score 50 points every game? Sure." There is a VAST area of ground between scoring a record amount of points per game and a record LOW of points per game. That's just the kinda' sh*t someone says to deflect when they don't have a reasonable explanation. And my expectations of him aren't unique. There was much bluster about him and the decision to move him to MLB(from OLB at VA Tech) from within the organization. He's Brian Urlacher on-the-hoof.......but instead of being an All Pro he's just a "good enough" player at a devalued position where there are very few above average players around the league. They are like RB's........you can win SB's with guys like Anthony Hitchens so unless teams are blown away they aren't investing first round picks or pass rusher type contracts in that position. When teams spend early or mid 1st round picks on a MLB they expect All Pro type play. Not what Edmunds has produced. 2. Taron Johnson is a 6' 190 # slot CB. Jordan Poyer is a small-ish safety at 6' 200#. That is not a "hybrid" of any sort. They are good players.........very physical and good tacklers for their size.......but they are not a combination of a front 7 player and a CB. The closest thing the Bills have to the 230# Shaq Thompson type that Carolina over-drafted to be that "hybrid" player for McDermott's defense is Siran Neal. Shaq Thompson never really worked out as the impactful big nickel hybrid they imagined he would be.....it was a mostly failed experiment. He's just a short LB now. And Neal hasn't been able to cut it in coverage. And YES.........I want a guy like Edmunds making TFL's and sacks and forcing/recovering fumbles etc.. Everyone should.......much was invested in him to be all of that. Milano does those things. You intentionally trying to skew the numbers by using "games played in" as a basis to make it seem that there is less of a difference between the two isn't convincing to those who actually follow the Bills closely and realize that Tremaine Edmunds has played almost 400 more defensive snaps in his career than the oft-nicked Milano(in 1 less season!). And Milano is more than just the man for splash plays........he also makes the OTHER plays that Edmunds does........he just gets less overall tackle opps because Edmunds plays the mike. Edmunds has somehow turned more opportunities to affect the game into less big plays. And I am not sure how you can imply that Edmunds is better in coverage than Milano. Or that he's a better solo tackler. Both assertions are ridiculous, IMO. 4. See my take in point 1 about attempting to deflect criticism rather than acknowledging it.

How about the place where the ol' hound dog Terry first met young Kim: https://www.theoldlibraryofolean.com

Belichick as the Jets DC pulled the curtain on "Flutie Magic" in 1998.........basically ruining a season that seemed to have SB promise for the Bills by sweeping them and taking the division. The home game with the deep TD pass to Dedric Ward was a killer. Parcells getting the best of the Bills again was galling. Also Rex basically extinguished the hope that "Fitz Magic" was a franchise QB with a game plan designed to make the Gailey horizontal passing offense go vertical. That version of Fitz had no command on long throws whatsoever and the season came unraveled after that big reveal by Rexy. The Jets haven't been good very often but they have had their moments where they threw cold water on some counterfeit Bills teams/QB's and ruined their seasons.........and did it in annoying fashion.

I don't like the Bills TE's or FB options but playing a lot of 21 or 12 personnel is just better long term, IMO. More big plays in the passing game because there is more space for the Bills receivers to work. More pass blocking assistance for an OL that clearly hasn't gelled. And perhaps most importantly the WR don't take the beating that they do when they try to run empty and use the passing game as a replacement for the run game. The dink and dunk gets your skill players beat up.

The Washington front is being criticized for not performing well..........but we know how talented they are.........they have some added motivation to play better this Sunday. Would rather have them coming in hot and the Bills OL being called to account. They have allowed far too much pressure in the first two games.

It's funny how a contract year can sharpen a players focus. After signing new contract? Different story. I'm hoping he just needs to round back into form..........and hopefully it doesn't take until late in the season.

Yeah he is surprisingly poor in space against OL downfield...........he should be discarding those big guys out in space.........but as @Simon pointed out in his post Monday.......Edmunds will eventually get rolled onto his flat side.......and if it's a screen pass on 3rd and 15 he might just cause a pile up with his door jam routine and leave the opponent a yard or two short of the first!

1. Everyone has a role in every play. Being where you are supposed to be away from the ball is expected.......it's not the same as making a big play. We understand the concept of team defense.........but the idea that Edmunds himself cannot make any big plays because he is too busy letting everyone else get the credit is laughable. Routine plays are cited as Edmunds highlights. We've had some posted in this thread. @ctk232 tried to shout down the conversation in this thread with snark..........you don't see it that way because you clearly don't have any common sense.......you are like a 7 year old nephew in that regard.

Having no recollection of the games from his rookie season when he was actually a dominant player.........that was BY FAR the most energy that I've ever seen Star Lotulelei play with. He's generally been quite satisfied to just slow dance with his blocker at the LOS. He was actually impactful in this game. But the downside of being more active appears to be injury. He has already missed a game with a calf injury and suffered a groin injury in Miami that's limiting him. So his improvement might end up short lived but I'd rather he played hard for 7 and missed 10 others injured than be the Polynesian Pylon for 17 again.

1. I literally said he's a top 10-12 MLB/ILB in the NFL........so don't start straw-manning me with the BS notion that I said he doesn't belong on the team. You can't possibly have misinterpreted that. And comparing the MLB in this defense to a guy who is, in theory, doing his job by just tying up blockers is a weak argument. He's in position to make plays. His predecessor was Pedestrian Preston Brown.......and he lead the entire NFL in tackles in this defense in 2017. The bar is high. 2. I can tell you are regurgitating rather than using your own two eyes because you are talking about the hybrid nickel as if the Bills really use that. They use Taron Johnson almost exclusively as their nickel coverage defender. And you can't say that Edmunds/Milano have the same responsibilities and not acknowledge that Milano regularly makes game changing "splash" plays........TFL, sacks, forcing or collecting turnovers.........and not explain why Edmunds has not. 3. I am comparing him to Derrick Henry because they are both players with body types and traits that are usually associated with elite pass rushers.......the second most valuable players in the game behind the QB's. Yet they have somehow ended up at devalued positions. Henry lacks certain skills that you want in a great RB.........but he's taken the great physical skills that he has that other RB's don't.....and made himself into inarguably the most valuable RB in the NFL. He changes games and has reached his potential. Edmunds skills have not materialized into anything close to his potential. As for the "run stuffer" question........what I am pointing out is that Edmunds lacks some of those RB/MLB traits.......the instincts, the elusiveness and leverage that are associated with guys like Devin White, Leonard and Wagner. But Henry isn't extraordinary in those regards either. He uses his speed and power to dominate the position. For Edmunds though, lacking those "smaller player" traits has seemingly left him in no-man's land as a playmaking, game changing player. 4. What player on our team can't play better? That's a feeble attempt to avoid the point.......but I'd say a bunch of them. Milano? White? Johnson? There are a lot of players who are likely at their pinnacle and are in the right defense to be at their best. Edmunds is supposedly in the right defense. But he's not his best........not anywhere close to it........he can play A LOT better. That is the distinction between he and most of the starters who have modest room for improvement. And don't get me started on his "marked improvement". Claiming that he was "markedly" better in 2020 than 2019 is absurd.

There have been some unfair criticisms of Edmunds........like saying his isn't physical enough........that's certainly not the case. But the criticism regarding his lack of big, game changing plays over the last 3+ season's is simply factual. And it's not just fans on a website who note it. Watch the games. It's part of his identity around the league now. People like yourself and @Max Fischer can do a ton of research trying to familiarize yourself with the Bills defense.....but to understand what you are seeing you also need to be able to use your own eyes and a little common sense as well. Milano and Edmunds don't have identical roles in the defense. They are similar but you can't on-one-hand say that they have nearly identical roles but effectively one guy "by design" makes big plays and the other does not. Edmunds is a top 10-12 MLB/ILB ...........a devalued position.........and that's OK but when you are the biggest and most gifted player playing the position in the NFL and your team traded up in the middle of round 1 to select you and you are about to become a $12M-$20M per year cap liability.........people are going to expect YOU to be the guy making plays. The mike on a defense is traditionally a mirror reflection of the (also de-valued) RB position.......and if you take your nose out of the biased Bills coverage/analysis and actually follow the rest of the league....... that's really still the case with most of the truly elite MLB/ILB's. Physically, Tremaine Edmunds is the Derrick Henry of inside LB's..........but unlike Henry he doesn't perform like a truly elite player at the position. In short, save the line of bulls*t about he's just so misunderstood for people who don't know he can perform A LOT better.

Why?

"A “splash play” in football is a play that makes a big splash—that is, it makes a big impact on the game. A “splash play” might be a quarterback sack, a tackle for a loss, a fumble recovery, or an interception." I'm not sure how you came up with this idea.......but Edmunds does not make many "splash plays". Yes, he is inconsistent.........but the most glaring weakness in his game is the near complete lack of impactful, game changing "splash" plays. Also not true.

The NFL is the biggest TV show in North America........not the biggest show or hottest ticket in the world. Going to games is a different story.....general attendance at NFL games had been in decline across the league for years prior to the pandemic. And it's become a relatively small amount of the revenue teams generate so a few empty seats isn't the crisis it was decades ago. The Bills should sell out most if not all games and there will not be much additional foot traffic from out of town fans of other teams.

So has "Reverend Rhule" and his faith based brigade changed your opinion about christian leadership in football? Rhule really wanted Jack Easterby...........if he had a QB like DeShaun Watson at the time then maybe Easterby goes there instead of Houston. 😉

Rousseau was a unique prospect. They don't all pan out..........but players like Aaron Donald and JJ Watt were mis-evaluated and then became so difficult to stop because they were unique. Phillips, on the other hand, was run-of-the-mill performer who had already retired once because of concussion issues. Excellent athlete, good movement skills for his size.....aside from not producing and all of the medical and commitment red flags he fit the mould.....I thought he warranted an early day 3 pick.