hondo in seattle

We'll have to wait and see to find out how good this OL will be. But I'm so happy it mostly consists of different names than 2018's OL.

It's just Beane and his staff doing their due diligence. You never know who's going to get injured and when you might need to sign an offensive linemen or DB in a hurry. Might as well get to know as many players as you can ahead of time.

You don't think McD knows the Jets playbook? There are only a limited number of plays and formations in the NFL. Every OC, DC and HC knows them. And they study so much film, they know what formations and plays other teams use. The artistry is (1) calling a game plan that takes advantages of your strengths and the other teams weaknesses, and (2) executing the plays better than other teams. Webb might know a couple nuances and tendencies that are not immediately apparent. But the intel he gives the Bills coaches will have little effect on the outcome of the game, if any at all.

I think Beane brings guys in just to get a first hand impression. He knows some of these guys have no chance to make the Bills roster right now. But when injuries occur during the course of the season, sometimes you want to get a new guy onboard rapidly. So Beane is doing his due diligence now.

I gotta admit that when I saw we were keeping 5 TEs and 3 RBs, I was stunned. Especially when Shady wasn't one of the RBs. When we had so many talented backs, why not keep more than 3? When we had so few talented TEs - and we often line up without even 1 TE on the field - why not keep less than 5? Of course, Croom - who we were keeping - was quickly put on IR and it started to make a little more sense. But I'm not sure I fully understand yet what Beane and McD are up to.

Singletary: 719 yards Allen: 612 yards Gore: 601 yards Yeldon: 198 yards DiMarco: 3 yards

Nice article. This was the most painful cut day in recent memory. We lost some good, NFL-quality players.

This is mostly right but I'm not sure it's is exactly right. Gore used to be an every down back, not just a short yardage specialist. I think - even at his age - he still has ability to gain yards in whatever situation. Singletary is small. I worry about his ability to take the beating of a typical feature ("bell cow") back. I also worry about his efficiency at picking up blitzes and and pass pro in general. I think Singletary may indeed have more yards by the end of the season but Gore is going to get entire series sometimes. He'll get his fair share of touches.

I think you're probably right. McD wasn't necessarily looking at who's the best back, 2nd best, 3rd best, etc. He was looking at what 3 backs he wanted to go into the season with. Beane talked today about running back by committee. So the question becomes: Which backs collectively make up the best committee? You don't want all your backs to have identical skill sets. Singletary will be playing the Shady role this year. Even thinking this through, I'm still surprised and have some concerns. What if SIngletary gets hurt? And so far, to me, Singletary looks like a slower version of the original Shady. I really hope I'm wrong.

Some fans have been predicting Shady would be cut or traded since the end of last season. Congrats - you were right and I was wrong. I felt McCoy still had juice in the tank and was clearly one of our best backs - if not still the very best back on the roster. Given we didn't need to free up cap space this year, I didn't think his salary would be an issue. So, personally, I'm stunned. With cap not an issue, TJ Yeldon beat out LeSean McCoy for a roster spot? Beane is saying: “We do see this being a running back by committee, whatever group that we kept. We’re excited with where (Singletary is) heading, but he’ll have a lot to prove as a rookie this year.” https://www.buffalobills.com/news/brandon-beane-lesean-mccoy-decision-difficult-opportunity-is-now-for-devin-singl

It's not all about the money. It's about the DREAM. Many of these guys have dreamed of playing the NFL since they were little boys. They had some innate talent. They trained hard. And they became very good at their craft. Just not good enough. For some of the guys cut, this will be the 2nd or 3rd year in a row that they almost made a roster or PS. It's hard to get that close to your dream but fall short.

The indisputable fact is that Luck retired. Almost everything else in BBF's post is opinion. We don't know the "real" reason Luck retired. I do know that every player retires at some point. Only they can decide when it's right for them and their families. Luck reevaluated his situation and decided it was best for him to retire now. That's his right. He's not required to play football. Who among us knows what Luck's family has been advising him or what the doctors have been telling him? Or how those things may have changed over the course of the year? I don't feel sorry for Luck. He had a bad day when folks booed but a bad day doesn't make a bad life. I do think it's classless for fans to boo him over something like this. Let's boo Al Qaeda. Let's boo Neo Nazis. Let's not boo an athlete because he's doing something as sinister as retiring.

I think the D will be good. I hope the O will be good. Still lots of questions. I'm thinking 9 or 10 wins. I let my optimism guide my vote and selected "10-11."

Carter must be really bad if Bojo beat him out. (If things had worked out differently, I would have written: "Bojo must be really bad if Carter beat him out").

You're right that ultimately the only person who can make Allen better is Allen. But you don't think it's helpful to watch the GOAT? I imagine Allen admiring Brady's footwork and committing to working harder on his own. Or seeing Brady check down and thinking, "Hmm. I would have made a different decision. Let me think about that." And so on. I can't imagine anything bad happening from studying Brady's film but I can imagine Allen getting better because of the film study. I'm glad we have a QB who's committed to his craft.

Who is he hurting, CB? I'll skip past all the medical stuff about the harm he's doing himself and the moralistic stuff about him being a role model for America's children. Let me get straight to the money. You do realize, right, all the criminal activity - murders, beatings, rapes - that are funded by the drug business? Chung might as well send a check to Al Qaeda or the Taliban. Neither option is any worse than giving money to the drug cartels.

The first sign of compassion on the board... and it was meant in jest. My brothers, Patriots are humans too.

I don't think he should be asked to run less. Running is a huge part of his game and a real threat to opposing defenses. I do think he should be trained to read defenses and run through his progressions better. Finding the most open guy quickly will result in a more potent passing attack and - at the same time - have him running and risking injury less. But if taking off on his own is the best option on a particular play, I want him to run.

I've read a few of his posts. He seems like a thoughtful, well-intentioned young man. Though I don't necessarily agree with every opinion. If I had been talented and dedicated enough to play in the NFL, I think I have had a more positive attitude about it than he does. But as Sean Peyton says, "It's not for everyone." I wish him only luck in his future endeavors.

Somebody just had to make this joke.

This is exactly where I'm at. Shady's not done yet - but he's going to share touches. And this OL isn't great yet - but it's better than last year.

Briefly, if you can guess this year's point differential with reasonable accuracy, you should be able to guess this year's win total with reasonable accuracy. In other words, it's a lot of speculation dressed up in math. It's called "Pythagorean" partly because the formula used looks a bit like the Pythagorean theorem and mostly because it makes the idea sound geeky legit.

I see your point but there's a nuance of difference here. While NFL content is on his site, he's charging you for his commentary on the footage. I don't think anyone goes to Cover1 to see highlights. They go for his analysis.

I'm torn. On the one hand, I've heard that some guys on the selection committee won't vote for any special teamer. And I get that. Special teamers don't play a lot of downs. And the best athletes don't play special teams (not counting returners). But on the other, the special special teamers change the outcome of games as often as defensive players do. Tasker was one of those guys. I don't know how many coaches and players I've heard describe him as the best punt and/or kick coverage guy ever. It seems if that's true, Steve deserves a bust in Canton.

The AFL probably doesn't get enough respect from the HOF. Butch Byrd was a 5x AFL All Star and selected to be on the all-time AFL defensive squad - though behind Dave Grayson who's not in the HOF either despite his own impressive credentials (AFL all time interception leader, etc.). Only four 1st stringers and one 2nd stringer on the all time AFL defensive squad are in the HOF. Tom Sestak of the Bills is another guy who's been short-changed. He's a starting DT on the All Time AFL team but has never been inducted into the HOF. Yet Buck Buchanon, who's a backup on the All Time AFL squad, has his bust in the Hall. This on Sestak from Wikipedia: During the 1960s, only six professional defensive linemen were unanimous All-League selections for three or more years, Sestak (3), Bob Lily (5), Merlin Olsen (4), Willie Davis (3), Gino Marchetti (3), and Deacon Jones (3). The latter five, all former NFL players, have already been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while Sestak, a star from the AFL, like many other AFL players has been ignored by the Hall of Fame selectors. At least Bill Shaw got in.