hondo in seattle

Well said and I agree wholeheartedly! I'm a greedy fan. I hope Josh gets even better. I hope he elevates his game to the point that people start talking about him as the GOAT. But even if he never improves, I'm still happy. Josh is already good enough to win a Lombardi if the rest of the roster is there and chips fall our way. Being a Bills fan used to be a masochistic test of loyalty. With Josh, it's a joy.

We have to play them twice anyway. Might as well open with them - as others have wisely said - hopefully before Rodgers develops timing & rhythm with his pass-catchers. The Jets were good last year outside of the QB position. It should be a fun game, pitting the grizzled, old-generation signal caller versus the exciting young gun. Good storylines: Can the savvy, ring-wearing, maybe long-in-the-tooth veteran resuscitate a moribund Jets franchise and have them compete with the AFCE's new king of the hill? Will a Bills franchise beset by challenges in 2022 return this year better and stronger?

There are hundreds of people who professionally comment on the NFL with hundreds of different opinions. Last year, a bunch of these guys opined that the Bills would win the Super Bowl. That didn't work out. The preseason buzz is meaningless. I really don't care what Acho thinks. I don't even know (or care) who this guy is. I do know that the Bills are one of the teams with a realistic shot of winning it all. So let the talking heads talk and enjoy the ride when the season begins.

I'm pretty sure Beane signed Sherfield, not McD. And I doubt if religion is something McD pays close attention to. McD is the coach of a football team. His goal is to win on the gridiron. Not establish a church choir. Sherfield was signed because he has some talent and we didn't have much depth last year.

I'm with you. 30 catches last year on a less prolific offense. He'll get more than 12 with us. Seems like a good kid. Nice combo of size and speed... Can play outside or slot... Earned PFF's highest grade blocking as a WR last season... 3rd highest YAC over expected last year (only behind Jaylen Waddle and Deebo Samuel)... Dorsey will let him play.

Thanks for sharing. Here's another good one - by our old friend, Tyler Dunne https://www.golongtd.com/p/the-trent-sherfield-prophecy I'm rooting for him to have a great year.

LeRoy Neiman style...

It's weird - since we were getting all the Lombardi hype last year - but I feel a bit more optimistic this season. Too many question marks last year on offense: two new starting receivers... a new OC... a suspect OL with questionable new starters... Questions abound again this season, on both sides of the ball. But I think we've improved our receiving corps, RB room, and OL.

As a simple guy with strong blue-collar roots, I hope Josh remains humble & simple, and doesn't go all Joe Burrow. But, mostly, I hope he wins some Lombardis.

I chose Earl Campbell because I'd love to see a power back in this offense. I like the dilemma it gives DCs. Do you go heavy and load the box to stop the big back? Or do you go light, spread your defenders out, and try to defend the pass? There is no good option for the DC. On the other hand, I can see a different line of thought. We're a passing team so get a back that works well in a passing attack. Someone, for example, like Thurman who can catch, pass-block, and run.

I'm surprised OJ isn't receiving more enthusiasm. I remember watching games where he'd gain maybe 140 yards - a good day for any other back but pedestrian for him. But there'd be two plays where he made some tremendous juke - or broke some tackle - and nearly broke a long one except for a desperate shoestring tackle. And then there was a long run called back because of a penalty. And another because he stepped out of bounds. The 140 yards were nearly 200, maybe even 300 yards. He was a threat to go the distance on every play. But the idea that maybe he wouldn't be the best fit for this offense has some validity. I don't remember OJ being selfish, but you have to wonder how happy and productive he'd be playing in Dorsey's pass-first offense. OJ did like being the center of attention. And he seemed to be the kind of runner who did his best work when he got into a rhythm. And while I remember OJ being a good receiver out of the backfield, contrary to what some others may say, he was not a great pass-blocker. And, in this O, backs need to block.

Anyone who chooses anyone other than OJ did not watch football in the 70s. OJ was preternatural. But I picked Earl, not because he was better than OJ, but because I'd love to see this dilemma presented to our opponents. How do you stop a team with a premier passing attack and a premier power running game?

Just a bit before my time. The earliest Bills RB I remember is Mini Max Andersen. Didn't Larry Felser used to say that Cookie - in his prime - was as good as Jim Brown? You're a lucky man to have seen him play.

Impressive highlights. I'd rather have a powerful downhill runner like Earl, but Lenny would be super productive in our offense - if Dorsey used him right.

Cookie was one tough dude. I've heard 60s Bills players tell different versions of this story... The Bills were playing the Pats. Early in the game, Cookie finds a hole. A 2nd level defender moves forward to make the tackle. Cookie could have tried to slip to the right or left and then broken the arm tackle. But Cookie loved contact. He lowers his head and destroys the Pats tackler in a horrific collision. They had to take the poor schmuck off the field on a stretcher. Cookie then goes over to the Pats sideline and shouts something like, 'Which one of your muthafutzers is next?' (The actual quote might have been R rated). According to Cookie's teammates, the Pats lost heart after that and the Bills cruised to victory. Can you imagine Diggs and Cookie on the same offense? Diggs would love it. Cookie's violent physicality would be an inspiration for the entire team.

The draft is over and preseason hasn't begun so I find myself with weird offseason musings. Today's useless speculation has to do with the Bills' running game. I was wondering if I could pick any RB in history to start for the Bills this season, who would it be? I think Jim Brown and OJ are the two greatest backs in history, so they'd be fun to see in the backfield with Josh. Multipurpose Thurman would be great with this offense. Even Cookie Gilchrist would be awesome. Today's defenders are often smaller than the defenders of yore. It's a passing league now. Defensive schemes and players these days are better at coverage than stopping a battering ram. I'd be cheering, "Lookie, Lookie, Here comes Cookie!" as Gilchrist ran over pint-sized nickel backs. But the guy who really jumped out of my memory was Earl Campbell. If an opponent lined up in a nickel or dime to stop Josh, Earl would obliterate them. Earl was such a strong, violent runner. How would a modern defense stop both Earl and Josh? I don't think any team could. As for current backs, I'd probably most want King Henry. Thoughts?

Statistically, Harris isn't better than Singletary. Yet, when I've watched Harris run, I felt he was bigger, faster, stronger, and more explosive. Maybe it's because Harris has played well against the Bills, but he looks like a better back to me. We've seen so many opponents to stop the pass with nickel and dime defenses and various blitz packages. I never got the sense that opposing defenses took our running game very seriously. If Dorsey schemes it up right, I think they will this year. And that will make Josh's job easier.

Our two safeties - Poyer and Hyde - are interchangeable. They both can play strong or free. This helps us disguise coverages. Maybe our two base D linebackers should be interchangeable. Both good at run support though not Dick Butkus good. Both good at coverage.

Maybe because I'm a Boiler, this bugged me when it happened. Rome's behavior was absolutely classless, and I've never watched him since.

I can only imagine! It was weird to read.

I think both Harty and Sherfield will eat into Gabe's snap count. I'm expecting/hoping for better target distribution this year.

Let me ask because I'm not sure... How good is the Jets OL? Can they protect Rodgers?

I don't think Sherfield will be #2 in targets but I do think he's kind of the forgotten man in the wideout discussion. Some thoughts... * Nice combination of speed and size: 6'1'', 219 lbs, and runs a 4.45. * He had PFF's highest-grade among all receivers as a blocker last season * According to Next Gen Stats, Sherfield had the 3rd highest YAC over expected last season - trailing only Jaylen Waddle and Deebo Samuel. * Had 30 receptions for 417 yards for the Fins last season competing for targets with a couple of superstars. * Can work slot or outside. * Sounds like a guy who works hard but hasn't had a lot of breaks... The Tyler Dunne article makes me want to root for Sherfield - and believe in him. www.golongtd.com/p/the-trent-sherfield-prophecy

That's an interesting thing about the NFL. 32 teams start the season. Only the 14 best teams make the playoffs. 13 of the best teams end their season with a heartbreaking loss. Obviously, I'd rather be the team that hoists the Lombardi. But minus that, I'm glad we're one of the elite 14. The regular season wins get us into the second-season (i.e. playoffs) where we at least have a chance for a SB. That's why I personally care about regular-season wins. One way to think about it is that the best teams win lottery tickets. Each ticket has a 1-in-14 chance of a Lombardi trophy. I'd rather have a lottery ticket than not have one. If you earn enough lottery tickets, the odds of winning it all get pretty good.

You rarely get everything you want for Christmas. Like a lot of fans, I wanted a vet Tackle and vet MLB added to the roster along with a bunch of other positions on my list. But I always knew Mom and Dad had a limited budget. And, I gotta say, I'm happy with what we ended up with. Beane did way more than I expected.