2003Contenders

Yes. Also with all the injuries and inexperience in the defensive backfield, McD and Frazier were playing even softer than they normally would, hoping to cover for those inadequacies. This was most exposed in both games against the Bengals in which Burrow got the ball out of his hand so quickly.

While I do not necessarily disagree with anything Barnwell said, I find it interesting that he had the Bills ranked #10 last season and dropping to 20 heading into 2023, especially considering that we really did not lose much on that side of the ball in the off-season. I am guessing that perhaps he underestimated (as many of us did) the significance of replacing Beasley in the slot position/security blanket role for Josh last year and that perhaps the 2022 supporting cast (especially Davis) was overrated heading into 2022. That may be true -- but the various additions along the OL should help to elevate the success of the various skill position players -- and I suspect that one of the new receivers (including Kincaid) will help fill the Beasley role.

And yet I remember all the hype about what a great leader EJ Manuel was -- how he instantly took control of any room he walked into. That is what the military calls "Command Presence". Not saying that Dak (or EJ) do not have that in spades -- but that still does not mean that they are/were premier NFL QBs.

So that game and another one later that year (between the Jets and Seahawks) that decided playoff seeding were key factors in bringing instant replay (in its current format) back to the NFL. The Buffalo/Pats game in particular -- because Ralph had historically opposed instant replay. That game was the primary reason he changed his tune and voted (and in doing so got the league the number of votes necessary) to reinstate it in the off-season.

So it was all set up by a 4th and long play along the sidelines (with mere seconds left). Bledsoe (with the Pats at the time) completed a pass to a Pats WR -- and the receiver came down out-of-bounds -- and was driving back for the ball. Those were the days when officials had to make a judgement call on whether or not the receiver would have come down in bounds if not shoved out by a defender. That part of the play is debatable -- but the receiver had to come back for the ball and was clearly a yard short of the first down marker. 2 officials were on the scene and trying to make a call -- and one said to the other "Just give it to them". The next play as time expired was the Hail Mary to endzone where the officials called DPI, which set up an untimed 1st and goal from the 1. Bledose then completed a TD pass to Ben Coates. Wade was made and had his team leave the field. The DBag Pete Carroll (head coach for the Pats at the time) responded by calling for a 2 point conversion.

Beane was on Moving the Chains on Sirius Monday and addressed the trade and the thoughts that went into it. It was a very candid conversation between him and Pat Kerwin. Beane stated the following: 1. Went into the draft with limited picks so they knew they needed to be judicious about trade-ups, etc. 2. The run on WRs came quite a bit later than they anticipated. They thought the first could come off the board as early as 12 and certainly by the teens. When the first one dropped to the 20s, that's when they started to believe that they had a real shot at trading up to get one of the receivers or Kincaid. 3. Beane said they first tried trading up with his "good buddy" with the Giants, but the Giants had already made another deal. He was vague about whther that deal would have been for Kincaid or for one of those receivers -- but he implied that he had Kincaid and at least one of those receivers with a close grade. When the 4 receivers all went one after the other, he knew he needed to move up ahead of Dallas to get Kincaid. Kerwin asked him how certain he was that Dallas was going to take Kincaid. Beane responded that he had reliable sources that told him that Dallas was prepared to take Kincaid, then paused and said with a chuckle "But I guess you would have to ask Dallas." Kerwin chuckled too. The sense I got was that both of them believe that Dallas was definitely prepared to draft Kincaid -- but since the draft the Cowboys have held fast that Smith was their guy all along, which is team-speak rather than the truth. Of course, we will never know for sure what Dallas would have done if Kincaid was still there, but many in the NFL arena (including Beane and the Bills) believed that Dallas was going to take him. 4. In the 2nd round he said that he was very tempted to move up for Torrence -- but having already traded away the 4th they did not have the ammunition they needed to trade up. When Torrence was still there with their pick, the war room got very excited and he said it was a no-brainer. Said Torrence was their top graded guard in the draft. 5. It is interesting that Beane actually downplayed the Williams selection in the 3rd. Said they expect him to contribute in a big way on special teams and likely serve as a backup at one of the LB spots. The plan is to work him in as both MLB and OLB and see which position he is most comfortable with and progress from there. 6. Regarding Shorter, he loved his physical tools and measurables. Said it was a bonus that Shorter played with Richardson at Florida, so he was used to having to improvise and roll with broken plays -- attributes that should help Josh. They like him on special teams too. 7. Beane did not come right out and say it, but he intimated that he likes next year's draft much better, which is why he was happy to maneuver in the 5th-7th rounds this year and pick up 2 extra 6's next year, while still maintaining 3 picks in those rounds this year.

Caught Beane on Moving the Chains on Sirius yesterday. He mentioned also that one of the things they also liked about Shorter was his playing with Richardson in Florida, which led to a lot of broken plays. BB thinks this experience will be an asset to Josh on extended plays.

Did anyone else see a report last night on ESPN that the Panthers were reportedly set on shocking the world by taking Levis at #1 overall instead of Young? The report was not from one of the reliable guys like Shefter but supposedly the report was solid enough to have played a role in Vegas odds about the draft order.

I think there is a pretty good chance that all 3 will be gone before the Bills' #59 pick. That is why I suspect that if they opt to draft a non-LB in the first round, then they will move up a few spots in the 2nd to ensure that they get one of Campbell/Simpson/Sanders. Think back to how they did in 2007, when they drafted Lynch in the 1st and traded up for Poz in the 2nd. Given the consensus on the low number of first round-graded players in this draft, I honestly do not think the Bills will be too worried about "value" at 27, since there is unlikely to be much in the way of value at that spot anyway. And while trading down may be nice in a situation like this, it takes two to tango AND there is something to be said for procuring that extra cost-controlled year (and option year) by staying put in the first round. Now, if they see one of the last of the 1st round graded players (regardless of position) still on the board in the 20s, I could see them trading up a few spots to get him. I would say that with McD's inside Kuechly source and the obvious need at the position, assuming no genuine 1st round graded player drops to 27 (and barring a slight trade up), Campbell could be the go-to pick at 27.

I guess I would go Mingo here. Honestly, I suspect that when the "run" starts in the middle of the round on the LBs that Beane would trade up a few spots (probably cost a 5th) to grab one of Campbell/Sanders/Simpson.

Just some random thoughts and why no one should be "haunted" about that trade back in 2017. First and foremost, even if the Bills had stayed at 10, they were not drafting Mahomes. Whaley was on the way out and the new regime did not want to entrust him with making the pick at QB. (Reportedly Whaley was enamored with Watson, whereas the Pegulas loved Mahomes.) When the Bills were on the clock at 10 they reportedly were prepared to draft Lattimore if the trade had not materialized. Mahomes is a generational talent -- but he had the luxury of having a red shirt year sitting behind a professional veteran in Alex Smith. He was also blessed with one of the all time great play callers in Andy Reid as his head coach and a very good supporting cast. I do wonder what trajectory his career would have taken on if he had played on the same Bills squad that Josh did in 2018 with no mentor at QB, a horrific OL and garbage at WR?

Yes and no... The chronology is that Jauron ran his version of the Tampa 2 with a base 4-3, but when Chan Gailey came aboard in 2010 he wanted to install a 3-4 scheme. Of course, he just wanted to run the offense himself, so brought in an underwhelming George Edwards (whom Gailey admitted was not a "household name") to run the defense. Buddy and Chan drafted Torell Troupe (a few spots in front of Gronk) to serve as their NT. He never panned out. A year later Dareus was drafted #3 overall with Edwards still running a failed 3-4 defense. Dareus was part of the rotation at NT. Edwards was fired by the end of the season and Dave Wanstedt took over in 2012. He tried running both 3-4 and (mostly) 4-3 packages but neither worked successfully. Even with Mario Williams freshly signed, DW was surprisingly terrible as the DC. Marrone came along in 2013 and hired two very good DCs during his two years here, Pettine and Schwartz -- both of whom ran a 4-3 and got the best out of Dareus.

Dick Jauron was somewhat underrated as the Bills head coach from 2006-2009. Yes, he had his shortcomings and could never get past Brady/BB and the Patriots. But... 1. During his tenure, the Bills roster was woeful in the talent department. 2. Managed to get to 7-9 with JP Losman at QB -- and the Bills were in the playoff hunt until the final week of the season. 3. 2007 team was injury riddled with a then record # of guys on IR. Still went with 7-9 with Losman and Edwards at QB. 4. Got off to a hot 4-0 start before Edwards got his his brain scrambled in Arizona. Edwards (and the team) never psychologically recovered. Again, not suggesting he was a great coach (still shudder at "It's hard to win in the NFL") -- just that he did a much better job of playing the hand he was dealt than many remember.

This is my take as well. Also, I suspect that there will be some disagreement in the war room regarding the various LB options. Do they go high floor (Campbell) -- or high ceiling (Sanders, Simpson)? What I can see them doing is taking a WR or OL at 27 and waiting on LB until the 2nd -- but possibly panicking a bit and trading up a few spots to get the LB they settle on.

A few other thoughts... 1. The Chiefs' decision to part ways with Hill was partially $ based but team dynamics also played a role. Hill had become a head case and a major distraction to the team. 2. Reid is one of the all time great play callers in NFL history. I marvel when I watch Chiefs games and wonder "How are defenses allowing Kelce to get so wide open?" Some of that is due to the generational talent that Kelce is -- but a lot of it is also based on schemes to get him open. 3. Mahomes is great at buying time. Better, when he gets flushed from the pocket, there always seems to be a WR somewhere that has come back to bail him out. I would love to see the Bills' receivers better coached up to provide Josh with multiple options when a play breaks down, like Reid's Chiefs WRs are.

OK, I'll play along. I get the mind-set that Allen is such a transitional QB that he makes all of his WRs better. Pretty much every receiver that has played with Allen has posted career-best numbers. In reality, what quality receiver has he ever had to throw the ball to BESIDES Diggs? Yes, Brown and Beasley posted quality numbers with Allen and the Bills -- but what they do after leaving the Bills? Nada -- both wound up on the trash heap and were available for free late last season. Long story short, I don't think the Bills NEED an elite #2 to play opposite Diggs -- and the money spent on such a player would be better spent elsewhere, I believe. Of course, having a stud #2 would certainly help. They just need a reliable target who can haul in more than 50% of his targets (yes, I am talking to you Davis).

While I absolutely agree that Josh needs to be careful and not absorb unnecessary shots, I do believe that it is in his nature to play the way he does. And honestly, if he starts doing things that are not natural for him, he could very well open himself up to injury -- rather than avoid it. Let's remember that the elbow injuries that he has sustained came when he was in the pocket and from his blind side when protection broke down. Solutions: 1. Improve the OL 2. Dial up plays that allow Josh to get the ball out of his hand quicker 3. Make use of check-downs 4. Be smarter about when it is time to throw the ball away 5. Get down or out of bounds when possible

First, it starts at the top with Kraft giving BB unwavering and total control of the team -- and mostly staying out of his way to do what he needed to do. Anyone coming to the Patriots as a coach or player knew this going in -- and it makes a big difference not only from a continuity perspective but also from an accountability perspective when everyone knows who is in charge. Then it is about a system that everyone on the team MUST buy into -- or be shown the door. Remember, for the introductions for their first Super Bowl they were simply introduced as "the team" refusing to be introduced individually. And, while player-for-player they may not have had many superstars, they had hard-nosed, intelligent and versatile guys who were willing to do whatever it took to win -- even if the game plan called for different personnel game-in and game-out. In a way, this concept and approach reminds me a lot of Shula's 70's era Dolphins. They had that no-name defense loaded with lunch-pale guys who knew their role and limited their mistakes. And then, of course, there was Brady who elevated the play of his supporting cast, was clutch in big games, and was obsessed with winning.

BB indicated that the team is looking for a power back, which Singletary is not. To me that leaves the following options: 1. Davis or Hunt are about all that are left in free agency 2. Trade for Henry 3. Draft a big back in the middle rounds I suppose with the RB market drying up the way it has and DS remaining unsigned, the Bills could be interested in bringing him back at a bargain price -- but I think they would still be looking for a power back, most likely in the draft in this situation.

Great work, MAJBobby!

Maybe the front office can land another guy who used to be a starter and is willing to take a step back and play behind Josh in hopes of resurrecting his career: Carson Wentz?

Remember when the Bills FO took all Texas players off their draft boards? That is how we wound up with Maybin instead of Orakpo.

That draft -- as bad as the Maybin pick was with the first pick -- was actually a nice primer for what the front office should be looking to do in THIS draft to bolster the OL. Spend a late 1st rounder on a solid interior lineman -- then combine a 3rd and 4th to move back into the 2nd round to grab another (Levitre in 2009). They could do the same thing this time around -- and still maintain their own original 2nd round pick to grab a player at another position (WR, S, LB, etc.)

I think that is fair. Also, hard to take away very much from that game at all as the entire team was "off". Still, third season in a row -- 4th if you count the 2nd-half meltdown against the Texans in 2019 -- where the team was eliminated from the playoffs with a poor showing by the defense.

That is a good point about the Dolphins under-achieving, largely because their front office let Marino down. That said, theirs did it in a different way than ours has with Allen. Miami did, in fact, surround Marino with top level WRs (the Marx brothers, etc.) and built a quality offensive line to protect him. Let's hope that Beane can make the right moves to fortify the OL to better protect Josh. And adding another quality WR (or 2) would not hurt.