hondo in seattle

This is something not much considered when rating all-time great RBs. It was harder for backs to get yards (ypc) in Jim Brown's and still in OJ's day because defenses were designed to stop the run. It's different now. Defenses are built to stop the pass first. LBs used to be big and tough - think Dick Butkus. Now they're quick and agile. A team team w/o a good QB would be well served by a power running game. I wouldn't be surprised if the Pats go that route. I certainly don't expect a losing record from any Belichick coached team.

I think Josh Allen needs to continue his growth. And the OL needs to get better - either through continuity or by adding a couple PB type studs. The D was good enough to play in a Super Bowl last season. If Josh and the offensive line get better, the O will be good enough too.

I hope you're right about him taking his eye off the ball because that is correctable. He looked like Gronk on that catch and run versus Cinci. I'm hoping plays like that define his career, not his drops.

I get what you're saying about Know not having a lot of opportunities at Ole Miss but then again maybe they didn't throw to him much because they knew he had hands of stone. The problem might simply be that he lacks hand-eye coordination and that's virtually impossible to teach. I'm not going to rush to judgment on a rookie but the drops are concerning. He's not getting any love from me - beyond the love I give all players in a Bills uni - until he proves he can be a reliable target for Josh.

D was good last year and this still have arguably the best coach ever.

Random thoughts... Peter King. I like King's writing. I respect his insider information. His judgments and opinions, though, are often wrong. For example, back when Doug Whaley was with the Steelers, King said the Bills should make him our GM. Hopkins. Any comparisons to the Hopkins trade are problematic. Despite his obvious talent, few teams actually wanted Hopkins because (1) he wants $20 million/year and (2) he doesn't like to practice. As One Buffalo suggests, check out today's MMQB article by Albert Breer. Draft. There's been some buzz that the Bills were less enamored with this year's WR crop than some others. Furthermore, no draft pick is a sure thing. Getting Diggs puts the Bills in the enviable position that they can truly draft BPA instead of reaching for needs. Diggs. This is a proven NFL WR who can beat press and does well against zone or man and excels at contested balls. At $12M/year, his price is reasonable.

I went back and looked at this thread - Thanks for posting! Some folks really thought the sky was falling. One even posted that the JA pick will force the franchise to leave Buffalo! It's really amusing to see how wrong some of us were. I actually liked 26CB because he loved the Bills and actually knew quite a bit. Just not as much as he thought.

While this is true it's also true that JA will look better when the OL gives him more time. There were flaws in both areas. I'm not a huge fan of PFF and I think their grades for our OL are a little harsh but it is true that we don't have elite/PB level talent up front. Building a Super Bowl team, you probably want 2 elite/PB caliber offensive linemen and then a few solid starters. Right now I'm hoping continuity makes the OL better. This is only the second year together for this group of starters and OL Coach Bobby Johnson. Cross my fingers - we'll have healthier starters this year too. But I'd love to see the Bills pluck an OL superstar out of the draft.

To paraphrase Sun Tzu, "The skillful leader attacks only what's left undefended."

If Fords hold his blocks .3 - .5 seconds longer, JA won't have to run for his life and will get passes off quicker.

I think Beane's done a nice job of bringing a lot of competition to camp. It used to be you pretty much knew the final 53 before preseason even started. Now there's real competition. I wonder if anyone has the stats on this: how many guys we cut each year make other rosters?

My hope is that the OL improves this season with fewer injuries and the continuity from last year. I'm just not sure there's enough actual individual talent on this line for it to be a great one.

McD does love versatile players. I found this on a Seahawk website... Jefferson, soon-to-be 27, has quietly been a strong part of Seattle’s defensive line in each of the past two seasons. In 30 games (24 starts) Jefferson racked up 29 solo tackles, 25 quarterback hits, 6.5 sacks and five passes defended from 2018-2019. His versatility was key for the Seahawks, as he was capable of lining up at five-tech and rushing the passer and also lining up at three-tech and plugging holes up the middle. Seattle is likely trying to save their money to bring back defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, but even if they are able to bring him back they will have another hole to fill following the loss of Jefferson. https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/2020/03/17/former-seattle-seahawks-dt-quinton-jefferson-reaches-agreement-with-buffalo-bills/

Listening to Belichick talk, I don't get the impression this is a guy who feels like he has anything left to prove. But if he still loves the challenge of coaching, he'll still coach. If was going to retire prior to the 2020 season, I think he would have done so by now.

Beane screwed up trading for KB. But, boy, he's made amends since.

I don't know, man. Diggs is a proven NFL talent. Too many 1st rounders don't end up as good as their projections/draft position.

Saints perspective.... "Klein’s veteran presence will be missed on the Saints defense, as he was solid, if unspectacular, in defending both the pass and run." https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/2020/3/16/21182870/new-orleans-saints-free-agent-lb-aj-klein-to-sign-with-buffalo-bills-contract "Linebacker A.J. Klein has been a steady player for the Saints since he arrived here in 2017. He’s stout in run support, improved in coverage and can get after the passer as a blitzer. This season he finished with 69 tackles and had a career high 2.5 sacks. He also got his first career pick-six in the season finale against his former team, Carolina. Klein enters free agency as a quality, consistent starting linebacker that can still be very effective. "

Knox dropped an astounding 10 of 50 passes thrown to him. His 20% drop rate is ridiculously high. Who knows what this upcoming season will look like. But if Know lacks natural hand-eye coordination, that's not coachable. https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/stats?season=2019&week=100&category=RECEIVING&opp=0&sort=10&qualified=1&sortOrder=0

Knox can't catch. Kroft can't stay healthy. Smith can't get open. Croom hasn't done much in his short career and Sweeney has done even less. I'm agreement with everyone who says we need another TE option.

Where did I complain? Where did I suggest people can't talk about it? The well-known importance of continuity is already being discussed in the Spain thread. FO has been discussing it since at least 2007. I asked why we had a new thread - wondering if maybe there was a new angle since no link was given.

The importance of OL continuity is not a new insight. Why a new thread?

This is true - but it would be irresponsible of Beane not to bring in some OL competition. We did not have a Super Bowl caliber OL last year.

I scored him 91 to 100. We earned a playoff appearance last year and we're still something like $90 million under the cap. That's remarkable. I may change his grade depending on how well he drafts this year and how well he spends that $90 mil but so far I'm really happy with Beane. I especially liked how Beane decisively disassembled the team before reassembling it with the kind of players he and McD want. That took some cojones. Beane has had his misses but I don't expect any GM to bat 1.000. Even talented guys swing and miss sometimes.

With pot becoming legal in more and more states, I'm not surprised. But let me be the scorned minority and say I'm not a fan of the NFL's new tolerance. While marijuana is good for pain management, it comes with a lot of health concerns. I don't think athletes should use it though I grant they're adults and can make their own informed choices. My concern is more about the kids they influence. I wouldn't mind the NFL getting tougher on off-the-field behavior rather than softer. Playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right. Because of the influence celebrity athletes have on kids, I think the NFL should have a demanding code of conduct that they enforce.

For everyone applauding the promotion, let me ask: why? Certainly the D has played well under McD & Frazier. But how much of that can we attribute to McD and how much to Frazier? As far as that goes, how much do we attribute to Beane for getting the right players? I'm not knocking Frazier. I actually tend to think highly of the guy. I just don't honestly know how much he contributes when the HC is a defensive guy.