mjt328

Both the offense and defense have played a role in our playoff losses the last 3 years. The difference between the two... is that we've invested so much draft capitol and cap space into the defense, loaded it up with a half-dozen All-Pro and Pro-Bowl talents (Tre White, Matt Milano, Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, Von Miller, Tremaine Edmunds) and the team was STILL totally helpless in stopping Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow at any point during those three postseason losses. This unit has been pretty much maxed out in talent, and it has meant absolutely nothing. The Chiefs and Bengals moved the ball at will. Our struggles on offense can usually be attributed to weak positions where the team just hasn't been able to find an answer. This side of the ball is pretty much just Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, and not much else that scares opponents. When another weapon other than Diggs actually shows up (such as Gabe Davis in the 2021 divisional game), the offense does great. When the O-Line actually protects Josh Allen, the offense does great.

Well, our 1st Round Pick this year dropped almost nothing in college. So maybe Brandon Beane realized his hit percentage at this position wasn't good enough, and he decided to adjust scouting priorities.

Every time Brandon Beane talked this offseason, he mentioned getting the offense MORE weapons. He was limited in cap space and there weren't a bunch of options, but he still signed two free agent receivers (Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty). We know he explored signing Odell Beckham and acquiring DeAndre Hopkins. In the draft, he ended up getting the best receiving Tight End (Dalton Kincaid) and adding another receiver (Justin Shorter). Everyone knows the Bills are inside a rapidly closing Super Bowl window. Everyone in the organization has acknowledged that. There isn't a single example in the last 2-3 seasons of us doing anything that could possibly be viewed as a rebuild or reset. Beane's moves have all been about trying to win a championship right now, with a little bit of care to not totally mortgaging the future. The idea he would trade away Stefon Diggs is laughable. Not only because it would completely blow-up our Super Bowl aspirations, but because it would also cause dead-cap problems. It would pretty much be the opposite strategy of every move Beane has made recently. Regardless of whether Diggs is causing issues internally (which is entirely possible), the Bills know they NEED him badly and couldn't realistically move on financially if they wanted to. I absolutely believe more is going on with Diggs than our front office is currently admitting. It could stem from a multitude of issues, up to and including anger with the coaching staff, gameplan, team acquisitions, or personal beef with other players. All of these possibilities are on the table. But nobody outside of a select few people on this planet know the truth, and the Bills are notoriously tight-lipped with allowing leaks. The media is desperate to milk this story during the NFL's slowest time of year, but they can't get anything concrete. So as usual, they are just running with rumors from anonymous sources. It's pathetic.

Maybe. Hopkins clearly wants to be on a contender with a top QB. He said so himself, even before the Cardinals released him. The Bills pursued a trade for Hopkins before the draft, and checked into signing him after his release. Brandon Beane admitted it publicly. There were also rumors about teams like the Chiefs, Cowboys, Ravens and others being interested. But nothing ever materialized. The fact that Hopkins sat for a few weeks and then started visiting teams like the Texans, Titans and Patriots tells me that offers from those higher teams weren't close to what he was looking for. But since he hasn't signed with any of those teams and things have suddenly gone quiet... it makes you wonder if their contract offers didn't quite blow him away either. He may be torn between the money and going for a ring, and having trouble deciding which way to go.

Ironically, this may be Elam's biggest hurdle. We saw plenty of flashes during his rookie season. But the main reason he couldn't secure the job last year (or yet this offseason), is because the Bills have also gotten strong play out of their 6th Round CB from the same draft. Not to mention that 7th Round corner they started developing a couple years back won't go away without a fight.

See the thread from yesterday about reporters making stuff up, using anonymous sources.

If you read the entire post, there are obviously exceptions to the rule. There are rare times when sources cannot (or should not) go on the record, and must remain anonymous. However, when this occurs, it should fall on the reporter to track down the proof BEFORE the story is published. They should use the anonymous tip to find additional documentation, or find someone else that IS willing to go on the record. It's foolish to just take someone's word... do no additional follow-up... and then report the story like it's breaking news. Yet based on the inaccuracy we see in the media, this is clearly the way things are being done now.

Yep. In the old days, the idea of an "anonymous source" was almost always laughed at. If a source wasn't willing to go on the record, then it probably wasn't true. Very few newspapers were willing to put their reputation on the line to print unverified rumors. So if a reporter got some information off the record, they needed to do MORE legwork investigation behind the scenes to 100% verify it was true. Today, reporters can just talk to the building janitor (or just make something up themselves), stamp it with the standard "inside sources tell me"... and then face absolutely zero repercussions if the story turns out to be B.S.

Many years ago, I was a journalism major and actually worked the first five years of my professional career as a newspaper reporter. The media in this country is a pathetic mess. And not just in the sports world. Editors used to require certain procedures to verify information and sources. Printing false information was embarrassing, and something that could legitimately get a person fired. Today, nobody cares. Every outlet is more concerned with getting attention (clicks and ratings), or pushing some kind of political agenda.

Bill Belichick is the team's GM, Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator. Last year, he was also the team's Offensive Coordinator. The HC for both of the last two Super Bowl champions (Andy Reid and Sean McVey) also called the offensive plays for their team.

Stefon Diggs restructured his contract on March 15, just a couple days into free agency. DeAndre Hopkins did not get released by the Cardinals until May 26. So I find it very unlikely Diggs only agreed to rework his deal on the condition the Bills landed D-Hop, since he wasn't even technically available for another two months. Most of the pre-draft rumors were that Hopkins might be available for a draft pick and that Arizona would be eating most of the salary. If Diggs was simply wanting a "weapon" on offense, I have no idea who he was possibly looking at. That is a very vague request, and the WR options in free agency were absolutely terrible this year. The popular names getting thrown around on this website were Jacobi Meyers and Parris Campbell for crying out loud. I don't know how those guys are better than Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty. The cap space cleared from Diggs' restructure is only $5.4 million. The rumor floating around is that Hopkins is looking for roughly the same as Odell Beckham, who signed for $15 million. So if this rumor is true, then instead of being mad at the Bills, Diggs should be on the phone with Hopkins and trying to convince him into taking less. Or he can take a paycut (instead of a contract restructure).

Unfortunately, it's not crazy to think the Bills could fail to win the AFC East. It's very possible the Bills don't even make the playoffs this season. Even last year (13-3 overall record), the Bills managed to lose to both the Dolphins and Jets. Their victories over those teams were all close games and weren't dominant wins in the slightest. The Jets only true weakness was QB, and they added a guy who has won MVP two of the last three seasons. That's nothing to scoff at. The Dolphins season was derailed by Tua's concussions. It's not a forgone conclusion that he will get hurt again, like some here seem to believe. Last year, the Bills went from losing a bunch of one-score games to finishing 6-3 in those contests. On paper, this year's schedule looks tougher. And if that stat flips backwards again this year, we are looking at a 9-10 win season. In an absolutely brutal AFC, that could be enough to miss the postseason.

On paper, the Bills probably have a better roster than last year (outside of middle linebacker). But it's hard for me to be optimistic after the way 2022 played out. At this time last year, everything really seemed to be falling into place. Most observers felt we had the best roster in the NFL. Very few holes. Very few questions. Our rookie punter was even catching national attention. The schedule was tough, but the AFC East didn't look particularly challenging. Our main competition (the Chiefs) looked vulnerable after losing Tyreek Hill. We even seemed to have the magic touch when it came to avoiding injuries, which many credited to our top-notch training facilities. Maybe I just got my hopes too high. But last year really broke and emotionally drained me. Starting with the preseason mess with Matt Araiza, to the death of Dawson Knox's brother, to the first major injury to Micah Hyde, to the IR-fest that started in Week 3, to Josh Allen's elbow, to the fumble against the Vikings, to Buffalo weather once again becoming an issue, to Damar Hamlin almost dying on the field.... with everything culminating in an absolutely embarrassing show against the Bengals. Everything that could go wrong seemed to. And just when I was ready to wipe the slate clean and get my hopes up for 2023... Stefon Diggs.

In my opinion, Sean McDermott deserves one more season to get the Bills over the hump. Back in the 2020 AFC Championship, the Bills were still totally outmatched in talent by the Chiefs. Going into the season, I was hoping for the AFC East title and at least one playoff win. They accomplished that, so I felt like it was a successful season. The last two postseasons are strikes one and two. The 2021 AFC Divisional loss (13 seconds) was a horrific breakdown of coaching strategy, and really made me question McDermott's ability to direct his team in a high pressure situation. Last year's mess against the Bengals, in particular the defensive gameplan, told me that he learned nothing from his previous two playoff exits. There are some other great coaches who took some time to finally break-through. Andy Reid obviously comes to mind. Bill Cowher was another. But with our franchise QB in the prime of his career, we don't have the luxury of waiting a decade for him to get it right. I'm willing to sit-back and see what happens this season. But McDermott should be on the hot-seat if we aren't lifting the trophy in February.

So now it sounds like Diggs is either accusing the Head Coach or Quarterback of lying. Just great. I was slowly gaining my enthusiasm and optimism back for this upcoming season, and this mess is quickly reminding me of how my spirits were crushed just six months ago. I swear this team is cursed.

What cards? What is Diggs actually hoping to gain from holding out? What is he trying to leverage? That's what makes zero sense in this whole thing. If he's upset with the coaching staff, is he expecting the Bills to suddenly fire Sean McDermott or Ken Dorsey at this point in the season? What good is holding out of camp going to do for anyone?

None of this really makes sense from a football perspective. Most holdouts are contract related. But Stefon Diggs is already one of the highest paid receivers in football, just signed his extension a year ago and even agreed to a restructure in March. He hasn't made any hints about being unhappy about money. And nothing in his agent's statement suggested he was looking for a new contract. So you can probably rule that out. Some of have suggested his problem is usage related. But this also makes no sense. He's caught 100 passes each of the last three seasons with the team and has been the focal point of the passing game for that entire time. Considering our additions at the WR position that surely isn't going to change in 2023. Unless the guy expects to catch 150 balls every year, I can't imagine him being upset with this either. Another idea is that he's not happy with someone on the team, especially after the playoff loss to the Bengals. Maybe Ken Dorsey. Maybe Josh Allen. Maybe Sean McDermott. Although I think that's a certainly a reasonable possibility -- it really doesn't make sense from Diggs perspective. How does missing Day 1 of training camp fix the situation? We can't go back and replay the Bengals game. We can only move forward and hope to be better when the 2023 season and 2023 playoffs roll around. And if Diggs is hoping to demand a trade... it's already been stated numerous times that our cap situation would actually be WORSE to cut/trade him, than if we just let him sit the bench. It isn't going to happen, no matter how many tantrums he throws. He must know this. Not to mention, why wouldn't he have formally requested a trade during the offseason? Why be cryptic and quiet for months, and then surprise everyone the first day of camp? And why would he have then shown up in Buffalo yesterday, met with Beane/McDermott and then left again this morning? Just seems to be an irrational way to go about things.

The Bills offense ranked very highly in all categories last year. But it lacked consistency. Fans who poured over film really felt they missed Cole Beasley. The injury to Jameson Crowder hurt more than most expected, and Isaiah McKenzie just wasn't great in the role of slot receiver. I think over the course of the season, Ken Dorsey and Josh Allen lost confidence with the short options and just started going for the throat on passing plays. Brandon Beane seemed to recognize this, and went after Nyheim Hines. For some reason, he just never got incorporated into the offense. He also brought back Beasley, although it wasn't the same without a year to get timing and rhythm down. Hopefully the Bills focus on getting this right in 2023. They certainly have the guys to make it work. Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, James Cook, Nyheim Hines, Deonte Harty.

Just like most sports personalities, Cowherd is all about riling up fans so they pay attention to him. This offseason, he's clearing getting some traction by ripping on Buffalo. So he's going to keep doing it. As usual, there are some good points that he makes. For instance, how the Bills haven't done a good enough job surrounding Josh Allen with offensive weapons and blocking over the last few years. That is very true. But he then follows that with lazy and uneducated nonsense (the Bills have done NOTHING all offseason to help the offense...), which make him appear like a total idiot who doesn't even pay attention to what he's talking about. The Bills spent their #1 and #2 draft picks to select the consensus top receiving Tight End in the draft, and the consensus top Guard in the draft. Even the most negative NFL observer could probably admit that at least counts for doing something to help the O-Line and weapons. And even if you don't like the players, the Bills also went out and signed three O-Line starters from other teams. Time will tell whether Brandon Beane's moves are enough. But it's almost like Cowherd expected the Bills to trade for Justin Jefferson, Davante Adams, Trent Williams or Quentin Nelson... otherwise we didn't address the positions. And that's just a stupid take.

I agree that sports curses aren't necessarily real, at least in the supernatural sense. But I absolutely do believe that if players start believing their team is cursed, it can mentally affect how they play on the field.

Maybe not the #1 seed, but that division is probably a guarantee. I can't recall ever seeing a single division with THREE rookie quarterbacks likely to play the majority of the season.

The "Madden Curse" was always a pretty iffy idea, even for superstitious people. Yes there are some players who got hurt or played poorly after being featured on the cover. But have always plenty of guys who played great, even back in the earliest days. Ray Lewis for example was a 1st Team All-Pro the same year he was on the game. Calvin Johnson set the receiving yardage record. Patrick Mahomes won the Super Bowl. If you actually take a look, more guys have continued to have injury-free Pro-Bowl level seasons than suffered from the so-called curse. Here is a list of each cover athlete: https://www.si.com/fantasy/2021/06/17/history-madden-nfl-curse

Not really interested in adding Dalvin Cook. I really like our current group of backs, and would prefer the cap space goes somewhere else. By pretty much every metric, James Cook was actually better as a rookie than his brother was. He deserves a chance to make his own legacy: Dalvin in 2017: 354 yards, 4.8 ypc, 2 tds, 11 receptions James in 2022: 507 yards, 5.7 ypc, 2 tds, 21 receptions

The most common path to NFL Head Coach is the coordinator route. While it does happen sometimes, teams very rarely draw directly from the college ranks. I think certain narratives develop around the league over time, and unfortunately Leslie Frazier has several strikes against him: 1. Re-treads don't usually get a second chance. Especially if their first stint was a total failure. In 4 seasons, Frazier's Vikings had a lowly 21-32-1 record with 3 last place finishes. 2. His recent success as a coordinator can be easily dismissed by the idea that Sean McDermott actually runs the defense. It's the same problem that Eric Bieniemy has with Andy Reid above him. 3. At 64, he would already be the third-oldest head coach in the NFL. When a team is looking to start-over, they generally want a young guy who can run the ship for a decade or more. 4. While it's only a slight difference, teams have been trending towards hiring offensive coaches over defensive ones.

They already have a strong young RB on his rookie contract (Breece Hall), so it doesn't make much sense to throw money at Dalvin Cook. I know Hall is coming off an ACL injury, but seems like a wasted move to me.