BADOLBILZ

Ever count how many major programs are in Texas? Now count how many in Ohio. Or Indiana. Or Alabama. Or South Carolina. It won't be easy for someone to really turn around U of Texas permanently..........the in-state competition for talent is cut-throat and well funded.........you can't own the state like a lot of the current football factories do. And in Texas.......you can't cheat as easily as you can in some places either..........they have a RICH history of blowing each other in for violations...........it's quite comical actually.........and a good reason for Urban to avoid Austin.

Everyone being a free agent and signing one year contracts would be the fairest thing.(Charles O. Finley) But then players would make pennies on the dollar in that much of a buyers market!(Marvin Miller) The tag is a very small concession for a system that promotes yearly average salary increases far in excess of what an open market would produce. In an open market Dupree might have gotten a 5 year contract for the value of the one year contract he is receiving this year.

That's true about them pursuing Reader but he isn't just a space eater........he can play the 1T like Lotulelei did as a rookie......he can force the double or he can split the double. He tackles RB's and can get to your QB. He was the whole package in 2019. Harrison Phillips was turning into that "active" 1T before the knee injury. Hopefully he gets back to that. He was an absolute tackling machine in college.

3 first downs and out has almost replaced 3 and out as a good series. Where does a 1-down guy with very limited mobility fit in a game like that? The answer probably is a defense that is OK with being bottom half of the league......like Seattle at this point.....I don't see McD being ok with that anytime soon.......maybe when he is 70 like Pete Carroll.

It's also part of what's great about the franchise tag. Like it or not.......salaries in the NFL are mostly unguaranteed for a reason. Dupree halfassed it for most of his first 4 seasons.........and then brought his A game in his contract year..........the franchise tag is typically applied to guys who do sh*t like that.

Regarding Star: The Lotulelei "2021 half season" guarantee.......which now applies to 2022......is only guaranteed for injury. He simply got a $1.75M pay cut in 2020 in exchange for guaranteeing his 2020 salary.........which was about the best they could hope to get back.......because his unamortized bonus money made it untenable to just release him outright. The $2.5M injury guarantee was Star's agent getting Star a parachute in the event that he were injured in 2020. As John Feliciano pointed out........Star opted out because his pay was guaranteed..........an unfortunate tactical error by Beane who didn't realize at the time that players would be allowed to opt out and get their 2020 salary pushed to 2021. Going Forward: Expect them to try to keep doing what they have done this season...........it's not a compromise..........it's a choice. With defenses employing nickel or dime defenses over 2/3 of the time you are obviously seeing teams go with just 2 LB's that can play 3 downs..........there is an inherent sacrifice in run defense that choice. So in an era where there isn't really such a thing as a "running" down anymore........it makes sense for a 40 front to not have to switch out a run-defense-specialist-1T mid-series. Get your DT's to do the 1T dirty work in small doses and in return for good work give them one-gap reps. And then if and when the opponent goes to the pass on early downs you aren't left with a bad matchup on plays where the most damage can be done............or you don't get yourself caught running guys off the field and unprepared at the snap in a defensive switch when these high powered offenses go up tempo. Nobody is pitching shutouts on defense anymore...........there are more first downs played than ever.........steady pass rush and coverage are what you hope for........and not having to substitute your front on a down to down basis is a lot more valuable now. Especially to a team defense like the Bills.

The improved LB play has really stood out and gotten a lot of attention. But they made a decision this offseason to load up on athletic DT's and try to be more of a pressure defense(as mentioned in your OP)........and now that they are familiar with what they are being asked to do they are getting more pressure as a front and doing a better job in run defense as well. Run D is mostly want-to and technique and with the Bills rotating 9 DL all game they shouldn't be too worried about them getting worn down by the run. I have been teasing the people who mistakenly think they miss Star Lotulelei.........but everything they have done since the end of last season has said they don't value that traffic cone 1T any longer. 1) They cut Star's pay 2) They signed pressure guys Jefferson and Butler 3) They cut Vincent Taylor at the end of camp 4) They have games where they de-activate the only true 1T they have in Phillips(who is actually a tackler when healthy) 5) They even rotate the undersized Oliver between the the 1T(and sometimes nose) and 3T. And at the peak of their in-season struggles what did they do? They added an undersized hustling DT in Justin Zimmer(instead of finding another big body) and played 6 guys in the box against the Chiefs. It's hard to play a 4-2 in today's NFL and have one of the 4 be incapable of making plays behind the LOS. The current top 6 seeded teams in the NFL are the top 6 scoring teams. You aren't very likely to win the SB unless you can outscore the best teams..............and since points come in the passing game that's what you have to be disproportionately focused on stopping.

Sal is always peddling easy answers. Yes, by a lot of metrics the Bills look like a team that is lucky to be 8-3. But that doesn't mean they need a "label" to explain that away. And being the worst second half defense in the NFL is not really the definition of resourceful...........struggling over and over in 3rd quarters is not being resourceful.........an inability to adapt is not resourcefulness. The Bills are a good team with a difference making QB..........they have had some issues with discipline in assignments and focus and are probably one playmaker on either side of the ball from being able to finish lesser teams much earlier........but they have the potential to get better still this year too.

Correct......but name one situation where you can compare HC hires/setups/rebuilds etc.. as "apples to apples"? No two are exactly alike. It's a non-argument. In the NFL most observers/critics/players/coaches fill in the unknown with absolutes to decide how much to invest on the field...........and that's how a guy like Belichick keeps finding dudes to run thru the wall for him.

Dallas should definitely fire McCarthy.......that hire was inexplicable, IMO............then they should hire Kris Richard as HC and let him bring Rod Marinelli back as DC............it would be an upgrade but at the same time not a total shakeup or a bunch of guys brought in that have to learn the organization. That would be a different example of the kind of off script you are talking about. Richard is sitting out voluntarily until he gets AT LEAST a DC job.......but it seems to me from everything I have heard that he is a better HC candidate than a DC one. He checks some boxes that would be wise for JJ to consider checking.

Yep 0-2 in playoffs 1-6 versus chief rival I am looking forward to McD doing what it takes to engineer a second defeat of the Patriots and an extended playoff run.......but I'm not a Bills player who has to trust the process........and to those guys perception is reality.

Excellent work, thanks for the info. I think 8 is always the over under for HC firings. Having Patricia as DC would help Daboll in the same way that having Gus Bradley helped Anthony Lynn. If you are going to hire an unknown like Daboll who has been fired from 3 coordinating jobs in the NFL you really need him to bring a staff you can sell to the fans. But I think that there will be somewhat surprising retread hires as well so Daboll is far from a lock for a HC job. I do think that the situation is more ripe than ever for college coaches to jump though too. A lot of these college programs are losing epic dollars this season and the chaos in college football has to be maddening for a HC. I suspect more than a few major college HC's have been asked to forego payments or take salary cuts........and they are working as hard as ever. The NFL is a steady ship by comparison.

You're kinda' building a straw man here. But fwiw.........Beasley and Diggs offer a lot of the same to your offense...........Diggs averages 11.8 ypr and Beasley 11.7 ypr.........Diggs is 36th in RAC and Beasley is 38th in RAC. You can't get much closer than that. So while it would be a big loss, not having Beasley doesn't sink your chain moving efforts. John Brown is a career 14.8 ypr guy..........as mentioned earlier in this thread he might be the best Z receiver in the NFL..........and he was by far the Bills best WR in 2019. So I don't know where you've come up with this hyperbole about Beasley being "far, far" more important. What having Brown does is push the defense beyond the sticks so Diggs' short receptions with zero RAC would be first downs instead of 2 yards shy...........that was the case early in the season when Diggs was catching first down after first down. It helps Beasley get space too.......but he starts becoming real small target 20 yards down the field...........where Diggs at 6' with long arms is still a viable option downfield if they decide to flip he and Browns' routes. So give me a healthy Brown and Diggs every time.

That and they've physically slapped the McD Bills offense around a couple times and are liable to be very confident in their chances of doing it again. I am still pissed at Matt Judon for the cheap shots on Allen in that Peterman-inspired opening day debacle in 2018........definitely prefer to avoid them in WC round but whoever it is they have to win a game or 4 in the playoffs this year.

Foster was a rookie who put up 540 yards in just 43% of the teams snaps.....20 yards per catch........he was projecting as a potential WR1.......then poof! Zilch. THAT 2018 draft and UDFA class looked very deep and promising in their rookie years too..........since then they look like two first round starters and a bunch of spare parts. Except of course for Wyatt Teller who they regrettably dealt to Cleveland.

My personal favorite was drafting and developing a 34 defense for 22 years and when it finally has reached the point where it is the identity of a perennial playoff franchise and they have the best NT in the game...........they hire Greggo and dump Ted Washington and the 34. It cratered the on field product of the franchise and they spent a fortune trying to get back what they had and it set in motion all the failure to come. The Bills could have done what the Steelers did..........ironically it was a former Steeler GM that wrecked it.

He looked like Star..........didn't make any sudden movements or tackles.......but better than a typical Star-lead result and for 5 cents on the dollar.....3.2 ypc by Chargers. All Star jokes aside..........success in run defense is primarily want-to and execution.......we have seen improvement of late and I'd attribute much of it there.......they are better at the point of attack. The Bills current run defense is allowing 4.7 ypc........up from last season at this time but improving........and right in between where last season's SB matchup Niners(4.5) and Chiefs (4.9) finished in 2019.

It's a quote from the book, Don. Adapted to screen. Justin Herberts gramps I think.

When you wish upon (a 31-32 year old) Star................🤩

Yes they are excellent at the draft. Helps so much to have an ownership group that has been made up of football people for most of the past 50 years..........a lot less trial and error in their management/coaching decisions. That stability in ownership has helped the Steelers maintain their identities on both sides of the ball for a very long time........which makes drafting so much easier.

Well yep.......tell it to those dudes. The point of my post was to point out that modest success in a rookie season........which is often graded on a curve anyway.........does not consistently translate into better or even similar results in year 2 or thereafter. I'm not saying Gabe Davis or Zach Moss or Devin Singletary Dawson Knox will become complete busts........... but if they do you will get over it quick just like you no doubt did when Robert Foster blew out like a dud bottle rocket. The draft will keep importing hope and coaches will keep giving rookies too many snaps because they fell in love with their tape and they are cheap.........and as @NoSaint pointed out........fans will read too much into those rookies getting PT and expect they will all only improve.

I don't believe they can win it without him this season.....but with him they at least have a punchers chance. They won't score enough without what he brings to their offense. I know people think 27 is a lot of points but 26.5 is 14th in the league and 27.5 is 9th...........it's only "good". How important is being a top 6 scoring team in the NFL? This year the top 3 seeds in both conferences are in the top 6 in scoring. But I do think John Brown is a near lock to be on the roster next season. I am not exactly sure why you disagreed with my original post........you are telling me things I already know..........they need to act like he WON'T be back because he is going to be 31 and will be coming off an injury RIDDLED season and is in the last year of his deal anyway. They have a number of areas to improve on.........as do most teams, that's parity..........but the position where one good player would make the most difference is there........we've seen what his presence does for the offense as a whole.

That would be a record short time for one of Urbs scandals to come to light. But I am predicting fibromyalgia..........gotta be some kind of silent killer where the doctor looks into your eyes like Larry David to see if you're just tryna get disability pay. Urb and his illnesses are definitely Curb material.

At this point last year Oliver, Ford, Singletary, Knox, Bam Johnson and Tommy Sweeney were getting the same level of hype or more than this class. There have been moments this season.........and they still could pan out later........ but that is a startling amount of "meh" or outright regression from a draft class in year 2 right there. And that happens more than you'd think..........rookies are like new toys.........teams often can't wait to march them out there but if they disappoint at all they can depreciate quickly in the eyes of management.

They need a game breaking RB but spending more early picks on them is shortsighted. Early picks are for foundation pieces...........that's where you take risks on long term difference makers you wouldn't have many chances at in UFA. You can still find RB's that can offer playmaking ability all over the draft or in UDFA.........and of course in UFA because nobody wants to pay them.............you just have to choose well. Drafting a RB early after taking two in the third round the prior two drafts is throwing good money after bad.