BADOLBILZ

If the measure is "who is the best receiver in the league in this given year" then age and contract status don't matter. I'd say the majority of franchises would have taken Hopkins, Hill and Jones to finish their 2019 season because they are system versatile. Big plays play big in every system. Everything they do carries over. Thomas......and Adams as well......are to a greater degree the products of their system and highly accurate HOF QB's.

We are still tailgating and watching the games together and the place exploded last week when he did that. Love it. Hoping that we see more of it tomorrow against a banged up Cardinals defense that has to turn around and play their toughest division game of the year at Seattle on Thursday. Hoping for 500 yards passing.......5-6 passing TD's..........8 pounds of chicken wings......bad weather games are coming so we won't get a chance to see this every week but another chance to see some kick stepping tomorrow!

I think that you think that you don't need to support any of your points to produce a strong argument.......................but could you humor us with your top 5 most coveted WR's if you were a GM in week 9 of the 2019 season? You don't need to weigh in contract or off field issues.........just the guys that most GM's would prefer to have for that season, everything else aside. That strips bare the "best receiver" IMO.

I hope he's still #1...........but it's hard to lead the league in yardage at 12 a pop............instead of kick stepping like James Lofton in the middle of the field.........he needs to get over the top and high step like him into the end zone a bit more and that would really help his chances of staying on top. As for grabs......Diggs is on pace for 112 receptions.......that figure probably won't lead the league......and would be 37 off of Michael Thomas total last year. But Diggs is also on pace for about 15 drops...........so in terms of getting open he is having an even better year than that 112 projection would indicate.

He had the best statistical year last year.......yes, breaking the catch record earns him that nod..........but was he the most coveted WR in the NFL?........I don't think that's the case. Chris Carter had better years than Randy Moss too..........when he was leading the league in receptions and TD's people like you argued that he was the best......but even though Carter finished with a lot more grabs he will be a relative footnote in the greatest WR discussion while Moss is a fixture. Did I mention that Stefon Diggs 100 reception season was the lowest y/r of any 100 catch WR season in NFL history? What you gotta' say about that? Nada? That's what I thought. Or was it just "lower than you expected"?

You guys are really fixated on yardage and catch totals when some guys have played 9 games like Diggs and others have played 8 or even 7. Don't worry........the Bills bye week is coming. With opportunities not being even at this point of the season.........per play production and % of targets caught and even per game production are better indicators.

Yep and it's a concern when a coach gets off to a playoff start that's different than his MO. Marty Schottenheimer didn't blow leads in the regular season either............but once he got that rep in the playoffs it took on a life of its own. One of the reasons why I've been confident in Josh Allen developing is that early on in his career he was able to win some games in the 4th quarter..........they weren't necessarily spectacular but it got that signficant psychological barrier out of his path.

You just said I was wrong about my take on Thomas.......which included my perspective on where he stands relative to a guy like Julio.........you should have qualified it. But you can be an elite WR AND also overrated relative to your peers. Thomas plays with the most accurate passer in league history.......in a great offensive system..........saying he is not overrated is the same as saying that he could catch 149 passes elsewhere.........which he could not. He's outstanding.........but IMO, he would be Mahomes 2nd (or 3rd) read.

Jefferson is another case of the perils of you trying to be so on the nose with every prospect..........you called that very wrong. Same with Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. This isn't ESPN where takes are lost in the noise, when we take strong positions on players in this small community we have to take the "L's" here........."better than I expected" is a very dismissive way to admit these things........but what makes it humorous is the depth of your prior assessments. Now are you saying I'm wrong that Julio Jones will be remembered as the greater player than Michael Thomas? Really? How long do you expect Drew Brees to play? When the greatest WR's are mentioned it's all big play guys...........Rice, Moss, TO, Megatron.........not the Steve Largent's and Chris Carters', regardless of their gaudy catch numbers. As for Diggs.........he isn't what he isn't until he isn't.............I literally gave you a mountain of statistical support for my opinion.........you just don't think I am right.........but you have nothing to tangibly support your position? Disappointing. I would love for Diggs to turn into a regular 14+ y/r guy at his 68% catch rate and would be fine with him being a high 70% catch rate 11-12 y/r guy............he just isn't even that guy now, 6 seasons into his career, in his prime.........and them's the bars for top of the league WR conversation.

Might not want to use a roster spot on him even if he's healthy and they think he can be productive. Already have 3 TE's plus Gilliam and they like to be able to activate extra DL and special teams only guys like Kumerow and Matakevich so they might be better off stashing him on IR until next season.

I literally took a ration of abuse from you for predicting that the 2017 Bills were going to play Jauron Ball instead of tanking...............and now you are saying they've played too much Jauron-ball for you. Classic TSW. You guys are lucky I still keep calling it like it's going to be for ya'. (this is where I put the emoji that I use to "pretend" that I have it in the proper perspective). On a serious note.........yes I think that trusting the offense will score should help the defensive staff be more aggressive...........getting John Brown back in the action and Gabe Davis having his breakout game were big too and hopefully the arrow is pointing up on their production from here on out..........if so that is huge for Allen.

I think they were very caught off guard by John Brown being available more too.........he'd made just 1 significant play in the prior 6 weeks due to injury...........his big play ability/potential is a catalyst for the offense and it was also a breakout game for Gabriel Davis too. Davis is among the league leaders now in separation numbers......averaging almost 4 yards of sep per catch. But Pete was also busy negotiating his contract extension last week and a road game of lesser significance against an AFC opponent may have had him looking ahead just a little to having to play the Rams and Cardinals in the subsequent 11 day period.

1) Actually.......it might surprise you to hear that the Chiefs are averaging more yards per play this year than last year. 2) Thomas is great at what he does and he's in the best position to maximize those super-possession-receiver numbers..........but in the same way that Chris Carter had a lot more catches than Randy Moss........history will remember Julio Jones as the greater player of the period..........we remember the big play guys. Julio, btw, is quietly having one of his best seasons ever with a career high and very Thomas-like 77% catch rate to go along with the typically big y/r. Justin Jefferson is also catching 77% of his targets and his 18.4 y/r is second best in the NFL. That's why he is getting the love. Nearly 50% more production per reception and a higher catch rate is why it's not unfair at all to rank him ahead of Diggs to this point. You defending your take that Justin Jefferson is just going to be a "slot guy" while arguing my statistically on the nose takes on Diggs is foul play.

1) Again.........you claimed Reggie was matched up against great tackles on those Super Bowl teams..........he wasn't.......like most RT's of the time they were glorified guards.......years later teams would learn that putting their best pass rusher on RT's was a great way to get to the QB. Strahan, JJ Watt........these dudes put up 20 sack seasons against mostly schlubby pass blocking RT's. 2) You asked for another player who had inflated stats in the 46.........I literally gave you the guy playing across from him. 3) Looking at Smith's 90 season.......he also had 5 sacks called back on penalties. And 5 career sacks against Armstrong was a lot. 2 sacks allowed was a bad YEAR for Armstrong. Walter Jones is arguably the greatest pass blocker in NFL history......he allowed just 23 sacks in 180 career games.......he allowed 3.5 sacks to Bruce in 2 games. Smith had a 3 sack game against Orlando Pace. These are all-time great pass blockers........the notion that he couldn't beat great LT's is just wrong. Could Reggie? Who knows because he didn't have to face them. Look.........the media loved to laud the humble religious man from the more successful conference over the boorish Bruce from the annoying Bills.......and yes, Reggie White was GREAT........he might have been the greatest overall DL ever and could have easily been the greatest DT ever had he played in the middle. But Bruce Smith was the better pass rusher by a wide margin......had he been in a 4-3 for his whole career with single gap run responsibilities like White....... and better, bigger pass rushers around him like White...... he might very well have put up 300 career sacks even if he had to do it against greats like Bruce Armstrong and Richmond Webb and Anthony Munoz and Walter Jones and Orlando Pace instead of the JAGs that typically occupied RT in the NFL in that era. It's only fitting that he has more sacks than Reggie because it shouldn't have even been close.

I think you need to be on IR for two years to be classified as a Troupacabra though.

Yes.......I am all about the big play aspect and of course I have "scoreboard" this year with the Chiefs being the SB champs and the favorite to repeat. If Diggs becomes an 80%+ catch rate receiver like Thomas the past two years........ then you might have a point. Personally I think Thomas is overrated.......Brees is fine without him, which says it all, IMO.......but his production is just so great it can't be ignored. And right now he and Diggs aren't the same type of receiver. Chain movers who drop the ball aren't going to catch 149 passes and force the accolades the way Thomas has. Which leads to why I question whether Diggs can be in the top 5 over an extended period of time........he's a tweener...........can make some big plays but isn't a lid lifter or TD machine.........he is great at getting open on short to intermediate routes but still catches just 68% of his targets.

1) The right tackles on all of those 3, difficulty defining teams you mentioned..........none of them even made a single pro bowl at RT in their entire careers........how do they compare to Bruce Armstrong and Richmond Webb and Tony Boselli and Mark Tuinei and and Jumbo Elliott? 2) Clyde Simmons played opposite of Reggie White at RDE in Philly........he faced the left tackles on those teams......studs like Jumbo Elliott and Joe Jacoby........and he put up 55 sacks and an un-*****-believable 455 tackles in a 4 season stretch from 1989-1992. That defensive front just ran to the ball. There is a reason why he has more career sacks than JJ Watt will likely ever get but JJ is a first ballot HOF'er TODAY..........and Clyde is still waiting for a call. It isn't the lack of a dominant stretch or All Pro accolades. It's because everyone knows his numbers were inflated. 3)The Bills played with leads.........they also rested players with leads. It was the club Marv way and probably bought Bruce some extra years at the expense of a bunch of cheap sacks in the second half of blowouts. And having the better team doesn't begin to offset the statistical scheme advantage of White playing his entire career in a 4-3, the 46 in particular, and on lines where he wasn't the only player who could dominate games. With all due respect to Phil Hansen and Jeff Wright and Leon Seals......Bruce was the only elite pass rusher on the Bills defensive line. And White's teams were mostly good so don't give me a line of sh*t about him not getting chances to rush the passer with leads he played in 2 Super Bowls himself.

Against man they are very good. Against zone they lack a big body to attack the middle of the field.

No it's not implied......."will" is the future......."still" is the present and beyond........presently Diggs has never made a Pro Bowl in any capacity. Hopefully that's the case this year but also hopefully he will be too busy preparing for or recuperating from a Super Bowl win to participate instead.

Yeah he should be a top 15 guy for the next 3 seasons either way.........which isn't any terrible knock.........there is a lot of talent out there at WR..........but fans need to accept that the accolades are going to go to the guys who put up big numbers but also catch the pretty long balls and make the great RAC plays all season.

Rice, Reed and Sharpe were the 3 guys over that stretch. He played on the top rushing team in the NFL over that stretch so he got A LOT less targets than Sharpe but he was held in high regard for not only his numbers but his toughness and blocking. It wasn't a year to year thing........he was ALWAYS in the conversation during that run. This is all new for Diggs in year 6. As for Moulds.......in 1998 he was the best receiver for one season that the Bills have ever had. He was unreal. But he was a knucklehead and just kept stacking on muscle, especially in his legs, and lost speed and quickness and flexibility and his ypc numbers declined steadily until the point in the mid-90's he just could not get open to save his life. Everything was contested which exposed his so-so hands and he bitched at refs constantly and spit in opponents faces in frustration and blamed everyone else as he declined until his "I quit" game in Miami. Could he have put up better numbers with a better QB situation? Maybe......but he got FED the football more than Reed. But he wouldn't have been as good as Reed in the Bills K-Gun because he just wasn't as good of a receiver or football player in general. He sure as hell wasn't getting those 150, 160, 180 targets in the K-Gun like he did in the Rojo/Bledsoe era either. Finally.........Reed's skill and body aged much more gracefully.......at 33 he was still about where Moulds was at physically at 29.

To be clear I wasn't saying you were moving the goal posts.......everyone just has a different theory and none of them holds up to scrutiny..........ultimately, as I said and you apparently agree with, dead center of the field is him just being an enigma over anything else. Me saying he's closer to Landry than Julio on the performance spectrum is just based on their production. I don't think that much of Landry......low ypc is a big knock in my book. And I think Landry gets mostly ignored for honors because of it so I don't think I'm alone in that regard. Diggs is decidedly better than Landy IMO but has also not been a particularly explosive player over his career......his ypc is much closer to that of Landry than Julio and much of what he does best is the same kind of work that Landry excels at. I am inclined to pay Diggs too.......they aren't easy to find........but at the same time he's definitely not the peak AB/Hopkins/AJ Green/Julio type of #1 but he will get paid like that and he will need more help in the WR corps than guys like that.

Possibly wrt Thielen but missing the playoffs entirely in a covid year may increase the chance that a guy like Thielen ends up as a 5th alternate.........and fixed the other part for you.

Pat was a disruptive one gapper like a bigger Kyle Williams. He was a badass but the BS with he and selfless-Sam Adams fighting with each other week after week over who was going to have to play the double team role was annoying........and actually the early season Bills defense this year reminded me of that.........it was like nobody wanted to do the 1T job well because they all wanted to play 3T. Anyway......if they had never let Ted Washington go......he and Phat Pat probably would have ended up on the Bills wall of fame together.

And he anchored Dick Jauron's only winning team as a HC.........13-3 Bears and the #1 seed in the NFC. He was much maligned on TSW from 1998 on because he had been maybe the most dominant defensive player in the game in from 1996-1997.......a literal sideline to sideline 400# man who accumulated 152 tackles......... and then got paid and fell off to just the most impactful interior DL in the league for the rest of his contract. If Star Lotulelei were only half the player of a diminished New England Ted Washington........