hondo in seattle

I'm not sure, Thurm. The OL is definitely better and I'll be happy if they attain averageness this season, given where they've been. But "good" - that's uncertain. Will Brown and/or Bates play better this season in their second years under Kromer and now playing alongside better people? Not sure. How good will Torrence play as a rookie? Not sure. Morse's concussions worry me, and I think some folks overrate him. McGovern is better than Saffold, but that's not saying much. Edwards played decently a couple years ago but sucked last season from what I've heard/read. I don't know what to expect from him. Dawkins is good and a warrior. But he's not elite. But I see potential. I see reasons to hope. And I hope I'm wrong about them being average. I really, really want to be wrong and you to be right.

I don't remember the details but we had something going like that in the 90s, too. After losing to teams in the SB, we'd beat them in the next regular season.

Because we lost 4 games last year including a playoff game that ended our Lombardi hopes. And there were other games that were arguably close than they 'should' have been. It's about continuous improvement in all facets of the game. Beane said something to the effect of we weren't good at attacking the middle of the field last year and Kincaid makes us better. That's something to be excited about.

That Randall Cobb wasn't very talented, but he was one of the toughest SOBs ever seen on television. That man could take a beating!

The details are interesting, but the big picture is this... The Bills spent 17 years of bouncing between mediocrity and horribleness before McD and Beane. Now we're a perennial playoff contender. We can dissect Beane's victories and failures all we want. Some find it entertaining. Once in a while, I do myself. But it's like going to the Louvre and getting up close to some masterpiece and saying, "Well, that brushstroke is a little off!" You've got to step back and take in the whole work of art. Nope, we haven't won a SB... yet. And, yup, both Beane and McD have had some missteps along the way, as humans do. But, brothers & sisters, we're in contention after long years of irrelevancy. Do what you want but I'm enjoying the ride.

I don't know if it's Dorsey's idea specifically to run the ball more. My guess is that he wants RBs to run the ball more with Josh running it less. I also think that he wants to be able to take advantage of teams who play against the pass with Nickel and Dime packages. He wants to have the capability to disincentivize them from selling out to stop Josh.

Not just food: Room & Board. They can live at the stadium like Ochocinco.

While we were drowning in Lombardi hype last off-season, I had worries. I may actually have fewer worries this off-season. Beane did a great job addressing our shortcomings despite not having a lot of picks or cap space. We're not the frontrunners, but we are one of a bunch of clubs that have a realistic shot. As for the harder schedule, I don't care. We might not win 13 games in the regular season, but a better roster just might earn us a better run in the playoffs.

I mentioned this in another thread. I was a bit depressed after the end of the season. Not about the Cinci game so much - I'm a there's-always-next-year kind of guy. But I saw so many holes in the roster that I thought there was no way Beane could fill them all with his meager draft and cap resources. But, other than, MLB, he did. It's not perfect but right now the O does look better.

After watching him last year, I'm not happy with Davis as our #2 either. As a Bills fan, though, I hope I'm wrong and his apologists are right and his ankle was hurt and his catch percentage was negatively impacted by the longer routes he ran, and all that junk. But overall, I'm happy with our pass catchers. I think Harty is a better version of McKenzie and Sherfield is a solid addition. Kincaid will be a valuable addition as well and as Beane said, gives us an option we didn't have last year. And we have two RBs - Cook and Hines - who can be good out of the backfield if Dorsey decides to use them that way. I wonder if Beane did enough for the OL but Dorsey has enough weapons to score points.

It's great to see we've gotten bigger. And TampaBillsJunkie is right when he says that Beane is now going for sure-hands guys. That's also good news. But did we get faster? We lost Lil Dirty who was, I believe, our fastest receiver last year. But Sherfield and Harty are both about as fast. And if we involve Hines in the passing game, he's faster yet. Cook has good speed as well. I like our current receiving corps, but it would be nice to find someone as rapid as Smoke Brown. I'd love to be able to put defenses in a quandary. If their best CB is also their fastest, do they put him on Diggs or our fast guy? Either way, they lose.

Yup. I'm trying but I don't think I can remember a single day in my life from my 27th year.

I liked the Chris Long interview. It wasn't a surprise, but it was interesting to hear Beane talk about the evolution of the LB position. Beane told some Josh stories that I hadn't heard before. He was specific about why they drafted Kincaid - they needed someone to make plays in the middle of the field. He said that was supposed to be Crowder's role last year.

I'm with you. I don't watch many NFL games that don't involve the Bills. But I lived in Seattle a couple years ago so, yeah, I know Poo a little. Mostly, I know him from reading about the D Linemen that were available in free agency because I was hoping we'd get one.

My mistake. Thanks for correcting. But still interesting that his PFF grade dropped when he went to 3-4. Seems to perform better in a 4-3. And while it would be ideal if he excelled at getting after the QB as well as stuffing RBs, I'm glad he's a solid force against the run. We've been soft in the middle - he helps solve that.

That Ditka owns this record is amazing. He played a 14-game season back when running backs still ruled the gridiron. Even with 3 extra games, I don't think Kincaid will come close. Josh has too many weapons. Diggs may be a future HOFer... Shakir and Knox will get their share... 2 of our 4 backs are legit receiving threats - if Dorsey decides to use them... I even like our backup wideouts this year.

Random thoughts about Poona... Poo graded out at 73 or better for his first three seasons on PFF. 70-84 on their scale is a "starter quality." His rookie year, in limited action, he was a 90. Last year, he graded out at 56. Apparently, he did not thrive as a 3-4 NT. Though he did have 3 sacks, the most in his career. Obviously, he's better known as a run-stuffer than a sack artist. According to an SI article written in 2021, "Ford's run defense grade ranks in the 85th percentile since breaking into the league as an undrafted rookie out of Texas in 2018." At aged 27 and back in a 4-3, we should see a Poo in his prime doing what we need him to do: clogging up the middle of the field. www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/news/pro-football-focus-ranks-seahawks-defensive-standouts-heading-towards-2021-season#:~:text=Poona%20Ford%20PFF%20Ranking%3A%2019th%20out%20of%2032,wasn%27t%20known%20for%20his%20interior%20pass%20rushing%20ability.

I will say I think Beane is having himself a helluva offseason. Beginning free agency with 6 draft picks and a few million in cap space, I didn't think Beane had enough resources to do what needed to be done. But with today's signing of Poona Ford, Beane's managed to upgrade several position groups: DL, Safety, OL, RB, and WR.

I hate to be the contrarian, but Beane is articulate, engaged, and on top of things. That's pretty much what I would expect of any GM. When he talks, he doesn't seem extraordinary to me. His track record, on the other hand, is pretty good. He hit a home run with his QB pick and has done a nice - if imperfect - job building out the rest of the roster. I hope he improves but I would never fire him. After the drought, it's good to enter every season with a realistic chance. And, yup, he's our best GM since Butler.

I hear you, but... Beane took over a mediocre team that went .500 over the prior three seasons (9-7, 8-8, 7-9) and transformed into a team that perennially gets to the playoffs. I appreciate that. But Polian took over a team that went a miserable 2-14 in back-to-back years and got them into the Super Bowl 3 consecutive times. Polian authored the bigger turnaround. And if you look at the entirety of Polian's resume, you have to say he's the more accomplished GM. Prior to the NFL, Polian built a Grey Cup-winning squad in Winnipeg. After his stint with the Bills, Polian got Carolina into the NFC Championship game in their second year of existence. He got Indy into the SB twice, winning once. I'm hoping when all is said and done, we'll confidently label Beane the best GM in Bills' history. But I think he's got more work to do before he earns that epithet.

Up there with Bill Polian?

Sherfield had 51 targets with Miami last season and did well with his opportunities. Why did we sign him if we're not going to throw to him?

Prior to last season, I guessed we had a 10% chance of going on to win the Super Bowl. Considering there are 32 teams, this is about 3x better than the average odds. I'd say this season we again have a 10% chance. We'll be one of several teams in the hunt. I believe we got nominally better at OL, WR, RB, and safety. I worry about the health of White, Miller, Poyer, and Hyde. I also worry about the loss of Edmunds. I'm curious how the D will be without Frazier. To say he brought no value, I believe, is wrong. But McD might be more creative this season with the roster he has, and may prove to be the better play-caller. I'm really curious about Dorsey. The OL isn't great but it does seem improved. And he's got more weapons to work with. Will he put it all together?

The Bills are not a power-running team, as you say. But it's great to have powerful backs on a passing team going up against nickel and dime defenses. I'm not sure how good this OL will be, but I do think it's realistic to expect it to be better than v.2022. Beane said that Hines didn't have time to learn the offense last year. He seemed to be suggesting that we'll see more of him in the backfield this year. With Hines' catching-out-of-the-backfield skills, we ought to.

Hmm. I'm not seeing a significant difference other than size. Maybe my estimation of Motor is higher than yours rather than my evaluation of Murray being lower. But I see you've got some folks agreeing with you so I'll keep an open mind and relook at Murray more closely. I would agree that Harris is "bigger, stronger and faster." At least he seemed to be all those things in his games against the Bills.