hondo in seattle

I think Terry already did. Beane took a team that never made the playoffs and transformed it into a team that always makes the playoffs. Terry counted up the successes and failures and rewarded Beane with an extension. One of the things that made Basham expendable is that Beane has successfully acquired other good DEs. I do agree, though, Beane still needs to get better as a GM. He's given McD a good roster to work with, maybe a very good one, but not a great one.

We certainly have a good roster but saying we have a "Super Bowl caliber roster" is like saying we have the best roster in the AFC. At least, that's what it means to me. Is that truly what you believe?

Don't care... It used to be that 3 of our 4/5 starting DBs were studs: Hyde, Poyer, and White. The other CB and nickelback were okay. Maybe it's the same this year. But Hyde and Poyer have both had injuries and are getting up there in years. White hasn't seemed right since his ACL, though maybe he just needed more time to mend. In any case, I was hoping Elam would become a star to compensate for whatever degradation we experienced in the older veteran stars. My fingers are crossed that Hyde, Poyer, and White all return to peak form. If so, our secondary will be great. And I'm looking forward to seeing how Rapp will contribute. It's nice, of course, to have good backups but I'd rather have great starters.

Contrary to what others may insinuate, Beane is not a moron. He's made a lot of good moves and built us a pretty good team in a very competitive league. But it's not a SB team yet and misses like Elam are part of the reason why. Obviously, he knew Elam was a press corner and drafted him anyway. Maybe to give our defense more versatility. Maybe something convinced him that McD and his staff could coach Elam to be a good zone defender. Whatever the reason, it looks like Beane was wrong. It happens. Some GM, maybe Ron Wolfe, said that you want to get one or two Pro Bowlers in every draft. The NFL is filled with jags who have starting jobs; you need some Pro Bowlers to set your team apart. It doesn't matter if they come in the 1st or 7th round. If the 1st round pick is a bust and the 5th rounder is a perennial All Pro, it's all good. The problem for us is we didn't get any elite players out of that draft in any round... At least, that's how it looks now.

Mostly the lines. I thought Beane made some smart, economical signings to improve the trenches. But Poona Ford, who I thought would be a useful run stuffer hasn't shined. And I liked the Shell signing because I have little faith in Brown's health or ability. I thought Shell could fill in if Brown faltered. Now, with Shell gone, I'm really worried about OT. And McGovern's injury has me worried about OG. I also worry about the age and health of our safeties, Tre's knee, and CB#2, among other things, though these aren't new.

How good do you think this roster really is? I was pretty optimistic in the offseason, but my doubts have been growing as the preseason has progressed. I'm not confident anymore that we have one of the best two rosters in the AFC. So I'm not confident we make it to the AFC championship game, even if McD coaches well.

Hyperbole? I agree MLB is a problem. But "never been worse"? I suppose that's true if you've been a fan since 2020. Go back to the 1 and 2-win seasons, if you want to see worse. We only play 2 LBs on most downs and 1 of those guys is a stud. LB is a concern for a team with Lombardi aspirations, but not historically awful.

I was looking forward to 2023 with enthusiasm partly because I thought we'd be stronger in the trenches. I thought Art Shell's great nephew, Brandon, was a good safety net at OT. And I thought Poona would make us stouter against the run. I might have been wrong.

It's a low cost for a QB who's ceiling is unknown. This kid has started so few games in his football career since high school that it's easy to imagine that he hasn't reached his full potential yet.

I hate when Miami wins trades, especially when they are this lopsided.

Morse isn't great but I wouldn't make a weak OL even weaker by cutting one of the expected starters.

I don't think we were a 13-3 team last year. Contrary to the opinion of some others, I think McD performed well to attain that record. I think the cumulative impact of injuries and detrimental events would have resulted in fewer regular season wins if we had an average HC. But to predict the Bills falling to 9-8 is a bit much, even given our tougher schedule and roster holes.

Good to hear McGovern say this before his injury: "[Buffalo is a] complete 180 [from Dallas]. It’s been the best [coaching] I’ve had in my career from college all the way up. [Kromer] gets into the small, little details, and I’ve never really had somebody pick things apart. It’s not, ‘Hey, just block your guy.’ It’s, ‘Get your punch up a couple inches to the V-neck of the jersey.’ Just those little things.” www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/mcgovern-reveals-complete-180-from-cowboys/ar-AA1fNbSJ

It's a curious take and he knows it. Of course, opinions are like anuses, and everyone has one. I think he's swinging for fences with his argument that Bill O' Brien will revitalize the offense and propel the Pats into first place of the AFCE. No one will give you credit for picking the Bills. We've owned the AFCE for a few years now. Picking the Fins or Jets may be a sexy option because of the improvements to their rosters. But if Orr is right about the Pats, he can lay claim to being the NFL's new Nostradamus.

Without being on the practice field, in the meeting rooms, in the locker room, and on the sideline, I don't know how you're supposed to competently evaluate the Bills leadership. From the bits and pieces I hear from players, McD seems to possess good leadership skills. But I wouldn't assert that confidently without far more first-hand knowledge. As for player leaders, I have no idea.

Great post but I'm not sure why the 49ers are the measuring stick. There are only two measuring sticks I care about: wins & Lombardis. Beane and McDermott have done a marvelous job getting us more wins. Before them, as we all painfully know, we went 17 years without a playoff appearance, let alone a playoff win. I deeply appreciate Beane and McD because they deliver more regular season wins than losses, and typically add a win or two in the playoffs. But we remain Lombardi-less. I just hope they can finish the job and get us a trophy.

I don't listen to most commentators but when a legendary Bills lineman talks about the line, I pay attention.

On D that's the problem. The bigger problem on offense is that - until maybe this year - we've only had two great players: Josh and Diggs. Beane's offenses have been manned mostly by jags. Some of the O Linemen who have started for us don't even deserve that appellation.

I think the reason McD has so many detractors is because many mafiosos overrate our roster. If Beane built a SB roster, we ought to be playing in SBs. But he hasn't (yet), and we're not (yet). I tend to agree with Simms: outside of QB (and, obviously, that's a huge thing to leave out), Miami's roster has the edge.

Well, this is why I take the talking heads in the media with a grain of salt. The only guys I pay attention to a little are the guys who are former HCs and GMs. But even when these smart men speak, I acknowledge they know a million times more about the NFL than I do, but I'm not necessarily convinced they know more about the current Bills squad. Many of us here intensely focus on just one team and get to know that team pretty well. My opinion of our players rarely changes even a degree when I hear the national gurus compliment or critique them. And I yawn when the network voices predict either success or failure for our team.

Consistency is important.

Yikes, Mike, this is harsh. Personally, there are few people on earth that cause me to say, "I really can't stand these people" (ill feelings are an emotional/psychological anchor I don't want). Buck and Aikman certainly don't make the list.

I've been saying this for a long time. Josh is the most valuable player on the team. We need to give him a capable bodyguard. A good offensive line does all sorts of things for us: * Give Josh more time to throw. * Gives WRs more time to get open. * Gives Dorsey more options (sometimes, he seems to like slow developing plays). * Gives the RBs lanes to run through. * Diversifies our offense and makes it more potent by making the running game a real threat (what do you defend?) * Allows us to grind out first downs in bad weather games. * Allows us to wind down the clock in the 4th quarter when we have a lead. * PROTECTS JOSH ALL FROM INJURY!

Some random thoughts... I think some people undervalue Frazier's contributions. Yes, he had his faults. But he certainly added value in some performance areas that will now suffer. We don't know how McD has delegated his duties. Al Holcomb has the title, "Senior Defensive Assistant." It's a vague title but, clearly, he's not burdened with the responsibilities of being a position coach. I'm going to guess - and it is just a guess - Holcomb performs a lot of Frazier's old admin and organizational duties. McD, though, will be the chief designer of each week's defensive game plan and will call plays. I don't think McD, because of the way he's delegated stuff out, has overburdened himself. But I'll also guess that he ultimately ends up deciding he likes having a titled DC and either hires or promotes one next year.

From Hugh Freeze, Oher's high school football coach at Briarcrest: “I know this: If Michael called Sean right now and said let’s work this thing out, Sean and Leigh Anne would be there in a hurry to hug his neck and tell him he’s loved." ww.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/michael-oher-s-former-high-school-coach-has-cryptic-admission/ar-AA1fwkgX?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=77e933e089ee4f858825349a249f64b0&ei=14