BigBuff423

I don't know if this has been stated here, but he released a statement with a link in Sal's Twitter feed. Acknowledges and owns it and then apologizes. I don't think that's good enough, but now we wait to see what the Bills' brass does. Edit: putting twitter link mentioned above in here

Two things: 1. this franchise has been searching for their true QB of the present and future since Kelly left and didn't get it done, so if Allen makes the leap in year three and therefore produces over the next three years at a high to elite level, the unequivocal answer is Yes! You sign him, set the market and don't look back. You NEVER go back to not having an extremely effective QB when you have one in hand. We all know the QB is the single most important position in all of sports and there is no isolated position more influential on the outcome of games than a QB - if he's good to elite, you pay him - back up the truck, dump the cash on his lawn and move on. 2. The Cap is going to be insane by that point, as in just out of this world per the new CBA, which is largely done because everyone knows the salaries coming to the QBs of the future will be astronomical. So, don't think of it in terms of paying Josh Allen $50 / AAV today under the current Cap, think of paying him that amount in three years when another $60 million has been added to the Cap. Josh Allen proves his worth - you pay him and never look back. The market is going to change with a significant higher spending floor and ceiling to give much more flexibility at which time Allen comes into his new, deserved contract. Lastly, great GMs know how to manage all of the emerging talent with their contracts, how to structure them, how to find / unearth great talent in the Draft to complement their team and how to attract FAs without simply superfluously washing cash over their bank account with no way out. I don't know if Beane will prove long-term he's a great GM, but IMHO, the early indications are he's done an amazing job with how he's handled all of the aforementioned challenges.

I understand the OP's general point about Draft picks being unpredictable and in some respects that's true (IMO). However, to say that it's a "crap shoot" is also misleading in my humble opinion. A "crap shoot" indicates it's a gambler's chance at getting it right. But time and time again, the best organizations find and unearth talent at every level of the Draft and get good to great players, year in and year out. That to me says it's not just a roll of the dice, it's far more nuanced and complex than a "crap shoot". So far, in the limited sample size, I think Beane and his FO team have done a remarkable job at getting talent all over the Draft and then McD coaching them to their potential. Let us not forget the Milano post-Draft question debacle where there was so much hand-wringing over a 5th Round pick and people questioned Beane's decision. Yet, his absence made the Defense last year noticeably much worse. The best GMs are able to consistently find talent for their teams and put them in positions to maximize their talent. I just think it's so difficult to do that when it's done successfully, it appears to be like a Lotto ticket. JMO

I can understand a Jets fan with this opinion, as of TODAY, meaning presuming all progress for both QBs were to be frozen and they'd have reached their pinnacle, then I can see it. Otherwise, given Josh's monumental development from year 1 to year 2, and the belief he will take at least some semblance of similar strides, I think Allen is better.

20 years ago, you would have been right.....nowadays, I wouldn't be so bold to determine this to be true.

I get it....I was just messing around. Roger might be many things, but dumb and unaware of the social climate he is not. So obviously, he has all sorts of cascading contingencies and plans to develop "in case" of certain factors. I was merely playing on all of the "rumors" and "leaks" that the teams would start the season with 4 straight non-conference games.

I'll give Goodell props, he's got a giant set of brass ones on him to basically tell the world, "Screw you and your social distancing. This is gosh-darn football and we ain't stoppin' anything. Kickoff is Thursday, Sept 10th....like it, or gtfo!"......ok. Well, let's see if it works.

Great point. And not that I was comparing the two in terms of personality, just that Polian did construct a Super Bowl worthy team and we haven't seen that level of competence in the GM in Buffalo since Polian's days. But, point well taken.

I keep saying, and I will keep saying it - Brandon Beane is the best GM this organization has had since the Polian era and he and McD are absolutely perfect fit for Buffalo. Beane is supremely gifted at this GM business, smart, tremendous instinct and an amiable figure to be able to engage players, personnel, and agents alike. Fantastic.

Agreed, and this goes back to one of my comments at the start of the thread about how sometimes the best things that happen to us, are the things that DON'T happen as we hoped. This, is a good example. Sometimes we become so fixated on one particular solution we miss an opportunity for something better and presuming bandit's account is accurate (that's no shade bandit) then I prefer Diggs for a 1st over AJ for a 5th simply b/c the Bills got Diggs healthy and under a very fair contract while he's only 26. Plus, the Bills still took a promising young WR in Davis and a potential steal in Hodgins. Not to mention a potential long-term viable #2 QB with terrific collegiate experience and resume with a 5th round pick.

Only time will tell, but sometimes the best things to happen to us - are the ones that don't. How many times in life have we all heard about a person who "should have" been on a plane, in a car, or train but missed it and was fuming they were late or delayed only to have that plane / car / train have an accident that could have / would have seriously injured them? Or when you miss the trading call on the floor by a minute and the stock rebounds or jumps to see the money made or saved in the thousands / millions etc. This could be one of those times, b/c unless Dugger becomes Reed 2.0, the DE is a much higher value position especially after Poyer's extension and Hyde's contract. But as I said, time will tell. Edit: upon review, I saw a typo and couldn't leave it alone

Michelle Magdziuk broke down some PFF information several days BEFORE the Draft, and before anyone asks - the team she loves is the Steelers, regarding RBs and while I'm not good at the Twitter link stuff I'll do my best as I think it's enlightening at the very least: Michelle Magdziuk ⁦‪@BallBlastEm⁩ PFF put out an article stating that the metrics below were the most important when projecting RBs going from college to the NFL: Rushing grade Missed tackles/att Yards after contact/att Rec grade Yds/Route Run I went back a few RB classes to see how accurate this is. WOW! 4/17/20, 7:59 PM Michelle Magdziuk ⁦‪@BallBlastEm⁩ PFF put out an article stating that the metrics below were the most important when projecting RBs going from college to the NFL: Rushing grade Missed tackles/att Yards after contact/att Rec grade Yds/Route Run I went back a few RB classes to see how accurate this is. WOW! 4/17/20, 7:59 PM I gathered the metrics above for 53 Total RBs - every RB drafted in Rounds 1-4 from 2017-2019 & the majority of RBs expected to be drafted in 2020. (All top RB prospects included). *All metrics from COLLEGE (NOT FROM THE NFL)* 4/17/20, 7:59 PM Then, I ranked them out 1-53 for each metric based on their college stats. (1= best in that metric, 53 = worst in that metric) I totaled the rankings for each metric, for each player, and calculated the AVERAGE ranking for all of these metrics combined. A perfect score would be a 1 - which no one got. The lowest possible score would be 53 - which one got insanely close to it.? 4/17/20, 7:59 PM Michelle Magdziuk ⁦‪@BallBlastEm⁩ The very best-ranked player (by far) from the 2017-2020 classes was Zack Moss - his average ranking for all metrics was 2.5! The very worst-ranked player (by far) from the 2017-2020 classes was Kalen Ballage - his average ranking for all metrics was 52.8! - LOL. ? Michelle Magdziuk ⁦‪@BallBlastEm⁩ Top 10 in Average Ranking: Zack Moss* - 2.5!? Jonathan Taylor* - 7.75 Darrell Henderson - 8.25 Dalvin Cook - 8.75 Joe Mixon - 11.75 Kareem Hunt - 12 Josh Jacobs - 13 Rashaad Penny - 14.5 AJ Dillon* - 15.5 Saquon Barkley - 16.5 * = 2020 RB Class # = Average ranking per metric Bottom 10: Benny Snell - 38.25 Alexander Mattison - 39 D'Onta Foreman - 39 Samaje Perine - 40.25 Wayne Gallman - 40.5 Justice Hill - 40.75 Leonard Fournette - 40.75? Anthony McFarland* - 40.75 Joe Williams - 45 Kalen Ballage - 52.75 * = 2020 RB Class # = Average ranking/metric It seems like there really is a STRONG correlation between those metrics and success in the #NFL. Believe it, don't believe it, I just wanted to show how accurate these grades and metrics have been over the years. Disclaimer: I just used OVERALL TOTAL GRADE for each player instead of ranking Run Grade and Receiving Grade separately. - I couldn't get access to 2020 Receiving grades for RBs 4/17/20, 7:59 PM

In a Draft where the Bills addressed all of the areas needing to add depth (CB might be a little lacking b/c they used a 7th Rounder), taking a K in the 6th Round feels like the right decision. If - and that's a huge IF - the Bills really believed he was the best Kicker in the Draft, then I have no concerns with Beane making this pick. Many others have said it, but 6th Round picks don't often make an impact and / or need year(s) to grow into the position so if this makes the team better, no offense Hasuch-money, then Beane has done his job. Let's also remember, how many times does a really good Kicker earn ALLLLLLLL that swagger in ONE kick, time expires - down by 2, and you need a 52 yarder to win the game. Then, everyone is willing to give the Kicker whateeeeeever he wants to make it. All the more when it's post-season. I have NO clue about this guy or if he'll do well, but I trust Beane. Full stop.

Overall, very well done.

To me, this was a foregone conclusion but I do celebrate it's completion. It just makes too much sense for the Bills and I don't think that precludes the team getting a long-term deal done for him, but I also think Dawkins and Milano will need paydays next year which might delay the roll-out of the proverbial red carpet for Tre. He's going to make good money on that 5th year deal, might just have to wait a year before Brinks sends out one of its trucks.

It's something I've truly, deeply appreciated about Beane since he came to Buffalo that doesn't really get said often enough, but the man comes PREPARED....to like, everything. He is prepared in FA, he's obviously prepared in Draft, he's prepared to let players go and to keep players he knows they need to pay a premium for, he's prepared for virtually everything and it is just gaht damn refreshing. Bring that man a house party when he's done....

And um, be sure not to get those initials mixed up.....because calling out, "KY down the middle squirting through" can be bit awkward with your mom on the couch next to you....

Rounds 5-7, sure. But Jags aren't trading both for that....otherwise, I think a RB in the 3rd / 4th will do just as well if not better than Fournette in this Offense and while Yannick is a good player and I'm good with him being a Buffalo Bill, I don't want to sacrifice any Draft picks 2-4 because the depth of this class at RB and WR is just too good to pass up, plus the Bills now have a solid group of DEs. Yes, they're older, but you can't fix / address every position group in one year. That's why few GMs are good at managing all of those moving parts, and so far Beane has been a master.

The 1st round is out of the question, but depending on the asking price, I could see bottom 2nd or another 3rd.

McFarland - RB from Maryland Gandy-Golden - everyone knows his name, but if he's Drafted in the 5th or later, I think his Re-Draft value is 2nd Round Anthony Gordon, QB Wash. St. - I think his lower body mechanics can get sloppy and that needs coaching, but his touch, NFL arm, leading receivers are all there IMO, so while I have no idea where he'll get Drafted (if at all) because QBs are an enigma in terms of projecting where they'll get taken, i.e. Daniel Jones, I think he's a low round pick that ends up being very good for the *right* team. Meaning he goes to a team like Miami, and I just don't know if Flores has the chops to develop him but a team like Green Bay, and I can see him being quite good.

You're completely missing the point. Regardless, I'm done with this topic for today, except I'll correct your inaccurate statement, that he can't just sit out the year and be done with it because the team can Franchise Tag him again next year, and again the year after. It's not until it's done for 3 years that it becomes really uncomfortable for the team and if you don't see the injustice in that, there's nothing I can say to enlighten you. Have a fine evening sir / madam and Go Bills!

That is not the point - he doesn't want their money and he doesn't want to play for the team. He is NOT under contract, therefore he should be allowed to leave, whatever his reasons are....full stop. When two parties can't agree, it's time to go separate ways. Also, going on the "NFLPA agreed to this" wreaks of a strawman argument given that back then marijuana drug use was an agreed upon punishable offense, but much has changed and it shows in the new NFLPA. The original intent of the Franchise Tag was to benefit a perspective mutually agreed upon contract that just took too long to get done or if the player wanted to play but felt his deal wouldn't be lucrative enough. Neither is the case here for Yannick and the Jags. Jags want more for him than the market bares and Yannick wants to play for a team he believes in - and he's willing to lose money to do it. That's his right, to walk away from guaranteed money if he chooses a different team for different reasons. Jags want to keep a player - do a better job making him WANT to stay on the team.

But those aren't really "options", it's about the lesser of three evils: sit out and lose a year without pay and losing a year where he could be compiling career stats, sign a tender and be forced to play for a team who doesn't want him long term and for whom he doesn't want to play, or sign it and *hope* they will get the compensation they're looking for to move on from him, but if they could do that - they would have already. All the players go into Draft weekend knowing any team can take them and they will need to play for that organization, and to me that's fair - b/c you know going in what the deal is, but when your deal runs out and you no longer want to play for that same team, you should be allowed to leave - regardless of the reasons. Not all reasons are justifiable, but they are personal - and a player should be beholden to a team if they no longer wish to play for them AND there is no contract agreement in place. He has no options so long as the team acts as a 21st Century lord of a fiefdom.

Look bandit, not that it matters but you and I agree on most things, and I'm NOT saying Yannick is handling it the right way - but point in fact is he is not permitted to leave the team to play for another - that is the very definition of being held hostage. It's not about the fact that he wants more money at this point, it's that he no longer wants to play for that team, irrespective of the money. When I want to leave, for any reason, and I'm not permitted to leave for any reason, I am being held hostage. Something or someone is precluding my exit from the situation or location, that's exactly what this Franchise Tag is at this point: nailing them to a location (team). If the team did a better job of building the culture, showing value to the players as people, giving him (and others) the contract they wanted before their final game, and established a positive rapport and relationship with the players and their families, the money would get it done. But, in this case - and several others and not just the Jags - players want more than just money. It appears to me, in my limited exposure to what Yannick is saying via Twitter, is that it's of little consequence about how much - it's that he wants to exit the team, change locations, and he is not allowed to do that - so he is in effect being held to a location or fixed position against his will. Also, if he had signed a contract at any point with his agreement to play for a certain amount going into next year, I would fully support the team on this one because when you sign a contract you work for it the agreed amount and hope that the value matches your output. But he was Drafted, through no choice of his own, and then he played out his contract - all he's requesting is to let him go find the joy and peace he wants elsewhere. The Franchise Tag was not intended to be used as a hostage situation, it was intended to be used for good faith efforts in contract extensions and to ensure the player was paid a premium if the two sides couldn't hammer out a multi-year deal.

Look, it doesn't matter to me one way or the other, I really don't care. But, if Fergy is really interested in securing future credibility, why not save and lock the spreadsheet and email it to a Mod or SDS that will have a date / time stamp of when it was saved and / or emailed? If mean, then, the Mod or SDS can lock this thread and then log back in and unlock it Saturday night or Sunday morning. Just a thought if it matters enough to him or others.