BADOLBILZ

Yep, the bad takes are expected, they hardly register with me anymore. The second most annoying thing on WGR is hearing Tasker slurping. Most annoying is Bulldog's relentless stuttering and stammering as he tries to formulate takes. I know they hired him out of a pizza shop but it's crazy how unprofessional his presentation is after decades of doing it. Sometimes he's gotta say "I" five times before he can spit out the second word of a take.

Tasker does no research or prep for the job. Not knowing a detail about the salary cap doesn't even register on the list of mistakes he makes daily..........as Yolo says that show is just banter.

He needs to become a game changing, playmaking player to be worth $15M-$20M.............but if you think that's all he needs to improve on you are wrong. He is inconsistent at the basics. Angles, tackling...........and last season his response to QB manipulation was profoundly concerning.........hence his heinous passer rating and passing TD's allowed numbers. Consistency is the more common criticism of him from the analysts/scouts............and those are people who don't have to worry about paying him top dollar. Personally, I can live with some inconsistency from a defensive player on a team where the offense will have opposing offenses trying to keep up.............that's where the big plays come in. Sacks, TFL, FF, scoop and score, pick six..........I almost can't imagine him ever doing the latter two the way he has played........and these plays are more important than the fraction of a yard average in run defense they might gain. Paying Edmunds $15M-$20M based on what he's done NOW would be like paying Josh Allen $43M per after his 2019 season.........he made almost unprecedented strides to get to that figure. The pro bowl stuff is irrelevant........there simply aren't many above average MLB/ILB's in the NFL.........and most teams are fine with that because it's a passing league.

Honestly, your biggest concern going forward if you irritate your current employer is a future employer finding out that you took 8 weeks of family leave when you didn't give birth. You may think that's a male chauvinist perspective.........but if so, you haven't heard female management discussing the topic. I've found they keep more detailed mental lists of slights/perceived wrongs.😉 It makes you look like a clock puncher/non-career oriented employee..........and a prime candidate for top grading off in the future when there could be less demand for your services. My advice is cut your leave short, even if you have to return some money and be forthright your employer. Most of the time people think that their company values them more than they do. Think of it as an extension of the "20% of people do 80% of the work and 80% of the people think they are the 20%" axiom. It's possible they will be relieved...........but finding out AFTER your paid leave is almost up and THEN having to find a replacement after someone worked to keep your seat warm is not a good way to leave.

I don't think Leonard is any better than top 50 overall.........the players voted Leonard #59 last year and he actually had a bit of a down year.......but I agree with the rest of your points. Edmund's production has been modest enough that he could still be unseated if he doesn't start making plays. And Milano, when healthy, has clearly been the better player. And the issue with Edmunds is definitely being a tick too slow to read and react..........his athletic ability allows him to achieve the basics and put up tackle numbers...........but that late reaction leads to tackles near the LOS instead of behind it........missed opportunities to dislodge the ball from runners or to pounce on fumbles..........and would-be interceptions bouncing off him as he reacts like he had no idea whatsoever that the ball could be coming his way.

So less game changers than All Pro's? Mmmkay. You are literally just pulling these takes out of your backside...........don't make me call John Wawrow!😉

As much money and draft capital as they've invested in the defense......most money spent on the DL in the NFL and 4 of their first 6 #1 picks invested on the defensive side of the ball.....anything less would be a disappointment. Guys like Edmunds, Oliver and even Wallace should be poised for "career best" kinda's seasons.

Notice how suddenly nobody is talking about all those Pro Bowl nods....... Interesting.🤔

No........ANY LB in this era of the NFL that is selected in round 1 is expected to be a game changer. When you go with lesser valued positions in round 1............more is expected. #17 overall for a DE or LT or CB isn't necessarily expected to be an All-Pro type...........but an off-ball LB or safety or RB or interior OL/RT are all expected to be dominant if taken anywhere in round 1..........most definitely in the middle of it. And yes, when the likely very best player at the position......like Darius Leonard.......is signing for just under $20M/per.......that's still devalued.........that's A LOT less than the top LT/CB/WR/Pass Rusher would sign for right here and now.

You knew that was gonna' happen. Edmunds has struggled to make big plays for 3 years...........every time I've mentioned it, it's been met with much denial or downplayed/excused. Now everyone says he needs to start making big plays to deserve the big money........go figure. @JGMcD2 is one of them.

Buffalo can become the new Seattle!

If you have been bickering against the narrative that Edmunds isn't playing up to expectations/potential.........or making excuses for why he hasn't........but still don't think he deserves $20M/yr for his age 24-28 seasons.........there's your sign that you have been wrong all along. This is the new market rate for a top, young veteran MLB.

It would be big if Micah Hyde returns to playmaking form..........last year was the least impactful of his career in terms of turnover production.

I agree that they might do that, even if they like what AW is doing now a bit more. OZ RB's are probably the cheapest and easiest kind to find......so subjecting AW to waivers isn't exactly high risk. They can always find another. Finding another player with DS skillset would at least be a bit more difficult............and if they want to flip a gameplan or if they have to make an adjustment to how they are being defended with a return to man blocking.........Singletary is easily the best option they have for that. However, Antonio Williams can also contribute on special teams...........so having him active adds versatility to the lineup.

Look............I don't want to like Antonio Williams...........he is a boring, straight line runner with zero wiggle or flash who I could not understand why they had on this roster last summer. Total misfit. But then they changed styles. I'm not a real fan of OZ run blocking. We were spoiled by Roman/Lynn and even to an extent by the man blocking we got in 2019(and the glimpse we got in the NE home game last season). But this is about what's best for the offense. Specifically the passing game. Daboll seems to have made up his mind. Tempo and time for Josh matter more. I am for whatever is best for JA. And Devin Singletary tip-toeing to the line hoping to get a block that creates open field opportunities that is NOT COMING is a recipe for TFL's and TFNG. You gotta' hit it or forget it in OZ. That's not been his style and if they don't get efficient at the style of run blocking they choose they are going to be off schedule and largely out of balance again. Nobody wants that.

While that's all true........the personnel for OZ and IZ is not necessarily well suited for both. See the difference between Roman's rush attack and Dennison's. Roman wanted his RB's to take the inside yards.........his lineman were "athletic" but not the more nimble guys best suited for OZ (like, say Forest Lamp). So when Dennison came in and stubbornly decided to run much more OZ..........the OL wasn't as adept at it and while LeSean McCoy was able to adapt to Roman's style he struggled in OZ. A dynamic rush offense was undermined while still technically being a zone blocking team. Do you understand why they switched last year or are you in disagreement about that as well? Rather than trying to straw man me with things I didn't say........just tweet John Feliciano and ask him if he lost 30 pounds so he could run more inside zone this year.😉

So you mean it's like north american pro soccer versus watching soccer in Europe or South America? People still pack the house to watch that minor league product in the US and Canada...........it's part of their culture/lifestyle and gives them a reason to gather and be a community with a goal.......so they suspend disbelief and enjoy it like it's high end product. The CFL is similar.......but at least there is some real violence and courage needed to play pro football. Plus interestingly enough, there are a lot of stories of US football stars going up to Canada and faceplanting. One of my favorites examples of that was Vince Ferragamo.........had a SB run with the Rams and a highly productive season with them sandwiched around a ghastly performance in the CFL with Montreal. On team with a bunch of former NFL "name" players. One of them was Tom Cousineau, the Bills former #1 overall pick in who was poached away from the mercurial Ralph C Wilson and whose rights were later traded to Cleveland for what ended up being the selection the Bills used on Jim Kelly.

Who said zone blocking was a "philosophy"...........clearly not I....so I guess that's some kind of straw man attempt to discredit the idea that the Bills have RB's that fit a particular style of run blocking over another? Here is a nice Daboll related article on the differences between man and zone blocking: https://www.rollbamaroll.com/2017/7/13/15963800/alabama-football-brian-daboll-saban-jalen-hurts-bo-scarbrough-pittsburgh-steelers-patriots Outside zone is the technique that the Bills made their primary run blocking style about mid-way thru last season. Teams often have a blocking style and stick with it..........teams accumulate personnel that matches the style of blocking they wish to use..........so obviously it tends to becomes an identity of a team's offense. But no........it's not a "philosophy" if someone told you that. As for why the Bills switched.........it wasn't necessarily a personnel issue..........they had proven they could man block in 2019..........Quinton Spain was a casualty of the switch and Singletary was lessened by it. Feliciano was better in man as well.......particularly at center where he was much superior to Morse in that regard. What it did was allow them to spend less time determining blocking assignments and allow the offense run more up-tempo and/or give Allen more time to look over the defense pre-snap.

Antonio Williams is a natural scheme fit in outside zone. As is Moss. And Breida. Singletary is not. I don't like it...........even though everyone knew it was a bad draft for RB's I felt Singletary was the RB1...........and he was excellent in a rush offense catered to his skills............but if switching to OZ continues to streamline the passing game I can live with it if they have players that fit the scheme. And Moss/Breida/Williams are fits.

Be nice if they came out of the preseason with some upside potential and years of control in the reserve groups that have been underwhelming.

Singletary might be a trade candidate in a week or two. AW is under team control for a little less $ but the same amount of time..........which might not be a total coincidence..........perhaps they envisioned this and didn't want to be in a spot where team control was a deciding factor in the RB decisions. Wouldn't get much but maybe another team has a blocked or similarly scheme misfit talent that would match up to Beane's liking.

I suspect the Bills will be in the market for competition to add to that group yet this preseason via trade or UFA. Jackson looked dynamic at times last year but his injury history alone made it a gamble to bank on him. DT, OT and PR/KR may possibly be upgraded via trade or signing as well. The 3rd string at those positions don't seem near competing for snaps with the reserves............and the reserves aren't exactly standing out.

And Jack Eichel may be dead set on going to his childhood favorite team Montreal.......or back home to Boston.........and since his contract is guaranteed he can half-ass it or feign disability until he gets what he wants. Don't care........giving him away in the name of culture when you likely have the worst roster in the NHL(in an expansion year, no less) would be stupid. If the Bills offered Woods significantly more money..........he stays........and as it turns out his $9M deal was an outrageous bargain...........his FMV was $15M+ per over the first 3 seasons of his deal. The Bills alleviated the miscalculation of Wood's worth by acquiring Stefon Diggs...........but it cost them a #1 pick ++.

McDermott let Gilmore walk, he became the NFL DPOY and won a SB ring. Same with Bob Woods.......became an All Pro WR and reached a SB. And he traded Patrick Mahomes to a conference rival. You can afford to make a lot of mistakes if the opportunity to fix them emerges. That was the case for McDermott.........he literally could have drafted any of Mahomes, Watson, Allen or Jackson and gotten an elite/MVP level QB. That's more cracks at dynamic QB's in 2 offseason than they'd had in the previous 2 decades decades combined. It's great when a plan comes together..........but TALENT is the most important part of the equation that makes that happen. Adams can't expect to be that fortunate. He can't trade Eichel for some average NHL'ers and expect to come out smelling like a rose if Eichel goes on to hoist a Stanley Cup in Vegas or Montreal or somewhere.

Actually haven't heard much positive at all about Addison or Lotulelei in camp. With most of their salaries guaranteed whether they make the team or not.........and likely having next to zero market for their services elsewhere........it might be an option to cut them and have them as vets on the PS to have available for injury replacements while keeping the young talent on the roster. Can pretty much guarantee that if they were cut on the eve of the season they would at least not be signed elsewhere until week 2 when their veteran minimum salaries would be unguaranteed and they would only have to be paid week-to-week. Could also see Beane exploring some trades to swap depth at one position for help at another.........like the Eli Harold for Ryan Bates trade. I'd be interested in seeing @GunnerBill use his extensive knowledge of recent drafts to put together some swaps..........like Daryl Johnson for a promising but blocked LT prospect.......deals like that.