mjt328

This exactly. It's why he made the Top #100 last year (even many Bills fans were shocked when that happened). The coaches/players know what Quarterbacks are legitimately tough to play against. They know who is getting propped up by schemes, and overrated by statistics. Don't forget that guys like Mitch Morse and Cole Beasley said they signed in Buffalo because they wanted to play with Josh Allen. And that was after his rookie season.

Think of the movie 300 and how the Spartans worked together to form a wall of shields, which was difficult for the enemy to penetrate. The offensive line is similar. Communication is very important, and understanding where the other blockers are going to be. At the same time, you can't just bring back terrible players every year, and expect to succeed due to continuity. That's why I think it was brilliant for Beane/McDermott to totally overhaul the O-Line all in a single offseason. In a sense they ripped off the band-aid, and can now focus on keeping the same guys in place. The Bills switched out a whopping 4 starters in 2019, with Dion Dawkins as the only returner. Last year, they kept Dawkins, Morse and Feliciano in place. They added Daryl Williams, dumped Quinton Spain and pushed Cody Ford inside. This year they return the same starting five, and they all should be playing in the same spots.

1-Tech DT was a problem last year for two reasons: - Star Lotulelei unexpectedly opted out due to Covid - Harrison Phillips struggled coming back from his ACL injury Lotulelei is back this year. And Phillips has gotten another offseason to recover. So we are back to the 2019 rotation, which did pretty well. Not to mention, the D-Line is already overcrowded (mostly at Edge, but many of those guys can kick inside). You can only keep so many guys at each position group. I'm just not thinking Beane will make a significant move at this position.

I was actually going to say the same thing. The Bills are going to strive for more balance this year. You can tell by the way Beane/McDermott talk. One of the focus points will be on improving the run blocking, getting the backs more involved and exposing our QB to less hits. I still think we are pass-heavy, but it won't be as drastic as 2020. The losses on the D-Line and injuries at Linebacker hurt us more than anyone expected last season. With Star Lotulelei back, some young additions to the pass rush and everyone (hopefully) healthy, I also expect our defense to have a nice rebound. At the least, opponents shouldn't be able to run the ball as well. My hope is that we go into the 4th Quarter most weeks with the game in hand, and we can just let the run-game and defense finish the job. You are correct. They weren't playing catch-up. But they did always seem to let the opponent back into games in the second half (specifically the third quarter). Not being able to run effectively (and chew clock), combined with the defense struggling - those were the main reasons we kept throwing and throwing late in games.

Throw for throw, Dan Marino was definitely a better quarterback. But Jim Kelly was a significantly better leader, and a master at dissecting a defense at the line of scrimmage. As strange as it sounds, I don't think the Bills have the same success with Marino under center. It's like comparing Peyton Manning to Tom Brady. Or Steve Young to Joe Montana. In my opinion, Manning/Young were better QBs in a head-to-head comparison. But there is an art to winning big games, and there is something Brady/Montana possess that is above anyone else who every played.

With other NFL teams, it's about how much I like the players, coaches and fans. Sometimes the city itself. I also get very tired of seeing the same teams winning all the time, so I often root for the underdogs to start finding success. So outside of the AFC East, it often changes by the year. For instance, I was fine with Tampa Bay until they added Tom Brady, who is probably my least-favorite player of all-time. I liked Kansas City until Tyreek Hill, and Andy Reid's son destroying the life of that little girl. Now I just can't support them. I'm tired of teams like Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Green Bay, New Orleans, Dallas and would like to see some other teams get attention. As someone else mentioned, Indianapolis has always fielded teams with likable players and coaches. I also wouldn't mind seeing teams like Chicago or Detroit find some success in their rebuilds.

We'll see. Despite finishing 7-9 last year, most analysts still see the Patriots as a legitimate postseason contender. So if you have that perception about them, of course playing 3rd Place schedule is going to look pretty favorable. My opinion is they are giving Bill Belichick too much credit. In the snippet you posted, they list ten October/November opponents for New England. Out of that group, they should be the heavy underdogs in at least six of those games: Bills 2x, Colts, Dolphins, Browns and Titans. The Chargers will also be a very tough road opponent. If they escape this stretch with an above .500 record, I would say they are beating the odds.

You keep saying this. But such is the nature of free agency. Paying excessive amounts for average veteran production. In 7 months, most of the guys who just signed massive contracts will be in the exact same boat. The 2017-2018 Buffalo Bills weren't exactly an attractive destination for free agents.... unless we were willing to overpay for their services OR they had a history with this coaching staff and really wanted to play for Sean McDermott again. This is a major reason that our rebuild featured a ton of ex-Panthers, who ultimately didn't live up to lofty contracts. Our other choice was to just stockpile cap space, and leave massive holes on the roster. What also keeps getting forgotten when it comes to guys like Lotulelei, Murphy, Gore and Addison is that Beane/McDermott were NOT just looking for long-term talent upgrades. That's what Doug Whaley tried to do, and failed. The Buffalo Bills needed to develop a winning culture in the locker room, and across the entire organization. They needed solid veteran leadership to fill the gaps, until the younger guys were ready to step-up. Tre White, Dion Dawkins and Matt Milano were fantastic draft picks. But four years ago, they weren't ready to lead this franchise's turnaround. Like it or not, the signings everyone likes to call trash were probably more valuable than anyone gives them credit for. Do you honestly think the Patriots will get sufficient value/production from the contracts they handed out this offseason to guys like Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne or Nelson Agholor? Not a chance. But they couldn't just fill the roster with rookies, and hope to reclaim the AFC East. Belichick understands the importance of veteran leaders on offense, especially now with a rookie quarterback. Without those huge contracts, players wouldn't be clamoring to sign with New England, and they would be left with nothing. At this point, it should be pretty clear that Beane is going by the Green Bay/Pittsburgh model. Now that our roster's foundation is established, the priority will go towards re-signing our own talent. Free agency will be mostly used for bargain-shopping.

People don't remember the players the Saints were forced to let go, because they have done such an excellent job drafting. That's the only reason it took so long for the salary cap to totally catch-up. Just look at the receiving weapons for Drew Brees. The year they went to the Super Bowl, their main guys were Marques Colston/Devery Henderson/Robert Meachem/Lance Moore. The only guy who really got paid from that group was Colston. As the other guys started leaving or fading off, Jimmy Graham developed into a top tight end and replaced that production. Before the Saints got into cap trouble with Graham, they traded him away to the Seahawks. They never missed him either, because that's when Brandin Cooks stepped up on the outside. Then instead of paying Cooks, they traded him away too and suddenly Michael Thomas became the main target. Outside of Brees and Cam Jordan, the Saints have mostly been a revolving door for the last 10 years.

I have my own ranking system for draft picks. A - All-Pro/Pro-Bowler B - Solid Starter C - Rotational Player D - Backup/Special Teams F - Out of League Tre White is clearly an A, and one of the best corners in the NFL. Zay Jones was a major disappointment here, but has settled as backup for the Raiders. He just re-signed with them on a 1-year-deal. Grade him a D. Dion Dawkins is a solid B, as a solid starting left tackle. Matt Milano is also a B (maybe a B+). I think he's got some potential to become a Pro-Bowler in this league though. Nathan Peterman is a joke around here. But he's still floating around on the Raiders roster as a backup. Grade is a D. Tanner Vallejo has also remained in the NFL as a backup and special teamer. Just signed a two-year deal with Arizona. Another solid D. On the team level, this was a very strong draft for the Bills. Three picks were clearly hits, and every player is still floating around the NFL somewhere.

I'm not sure what our 2018 dead cap situation has to do with 2021. It has been off the books for 3 offseasons now. The idea behind taking on that dead cap at once, was to give us more flexibility in future years. And it worked. We suffered through a 6-10 during Allen's rookie season. Then jumped to 10 wins. Then to 13. I agree that Star Lotulelei and Mario Addison are overpaid, based purely on production. But sometimes you also need a veteran-bridge while rebuilding your roster. You can't just fill a team with rookies and expect to succeed. Part of the process has been keeping NFL-tenured leaders in the locker room and gradually replacing them with younger talent. Both of these were guys Beane/McDermott knew and trusted from the Carolina organization. And fans also tend to overexaggerate how "awful" they are, because both guys are still solid pieces to our rotation, even if they aren't huge impact players anymore. As guys like Lotulelei, Addison and Jerry Hughes begin to filter off the team, then guys like Ed Oliver and AJ Epenesa will hopefully be able to step into a leadership role on the D-Line.

Not sure we can really blame COVID. Other teams in similar situations found ways to spend money this offseason. Brandon Beane's mentality is just different than most GMs. The recent trend around the NFL is for teams to go ALL-IN after hitting on a franchise quarterback. The idea is to stack the roster like crazy before they are forced to pay said QB $30-40 million per year. This allows for a 2-3 year window, and hopefully you can get a trophy before the entire structure collapses. Then a rebuild becomes necessary. We are seeing this right now with the Chiefs, who are already 1-2 seasons away from cap hell. The Rams get maybe one more shot, before everything totally implodes. The Eagles have already fallen apart. Beane has a different philosophy. Instead of selling out for a brief window, he wants to keep the Bills competitive every season for the 10-15 years we (hopefully) have Josh Allen under center. This is more the way teams like Green Bay, Pittsburgh and New England generally run their franchises.

It would be great to have both. No doubt. I would love to see Singletary/Moss turn into superstars. It's just about allocating resources. Not all positions can get equal attention. If you decided to spend a Round 1-3 pick on all of the 22 starting spots, it would take over 7 years to address every position. Most teams can only afford between 5-10 players (depending on the QB contract) making over $10 million per year. My opinion is that Quarterback, Offensive Tackle and Edge Rusher always get first priority. They are followed by Wide Receiver and Cornerback. Running Backs, Tight Ends, Defensive Tackles and Safeties can often be addressed on Day 2. Good interior Guards, Centers and Linebackers are the easiest to find in later rounds. Of course there are always exceptions, depending on scheme.

Everybody would love to have 22 superstars, backed up by incredible depth at every position. But with the salary cap, teams need to prioritize the areas they consider most important. For example, this draft really showed how much Sean McDermott's defense emphasizes the D-Line over the secondary. In this kind of zone scheme, they don't see the need to obtain multiple lock-down corners. With enough pressure, they are confident Levi Wallace/Dane Jackson can do the job. Outside of a few exceptions (Tennessee for instance), I believe that RB is also way low on that list.

As Buffalo Bills fans, we have a history of all-time great running backs (Cookie Gilchrist, OJ Simpson, Thurman Thomas). Even during the playoff drought, we had two potential future Hall of Famers on the roster (Marshawn Lynch, LeSean McCoy), a couple first round picks (Willis McGahee, CJ Spiller) and the extremely popular Fred Jackson. Then you have Travis Henry, who ran for 1400 and 1300+ in back to back years. It's tough for people in this city to accept the facts, because for so many years THIS POSITION was pretty much all we had on offense. Outside of fantasy football, the running back position just isn't that important anymore. You need to go back 7 years before you find a Super Bowl Champion where an individual running back (Seattle/Lynch) was the primary attack of the offense. Then probably another 10 years before you find one again (Pittsburgh/Jerome Bettis). The Patriots dominated the last two decades with a by-committee approach, where backs are expendable and exchangeable depending on gameplan. The RBs with the rings over the last 20-25 years are guys like LeGarrette Blount, Damien Williams, CJ Anderson and Sony Michel. The guys the Bills have on their roster can be effective, with better blocking up-front and a better gameplan for getting them involved. I'm not worried about this position in the slightest.

There are still two decent remaining options (at least) remaining on the free agent market: Richard Sherman and Casey Heyward I would like them to go after one of those vets. But I think it's just as likely we grab someone even cheaper at the vet minimum. As someone else said, I'm starting to believe Sean McDermott does not value the #2 corner position. He knows teams are going to play away from Tre White, and just wants someone who can tackle. Every other position on the roster has been aggressively addressed either in the draft or free agency. That spot has been either filled by an UDFA (Levi Wallace), Day 3 Pick (Dane Jackson) or low-level signing (EJ Gaines, Josh Norman, Kevin Johnson).

You can't take the shots you don't take. Of course there is a chance Zach Wilson and Mac Jones bust. Tua didn't look very good as a rookie, so he could as well. But if those teams are going to take a legitimate step forward into contention, it all starts with drafting the right Quarterback. It's hard to believe all the years we wasted trying to build teams around guys like Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Fitzpatrick or Kyle Orton. Instead, we should have drafted a QB in the first round every 2-3 seasons until we hit. The best thing for Buffalo would have been for the Jets to stick longer with Sam Darnold, the Patriots to hope for a better season with Cam Newton, and the Dolphins to continue stunting their young QB's development by benching him for Fitzpatrick.

Looking through this thread, I find the player comps interesting. Rousseau is really nothing like Aaron Maybin, Shaq Lawson, AJ Epenesa in anyway that I can tell. Maybin was ridiculously undersized. Not just in weight, but also in his overall frame. It still baffles me that anyone believed he could put on the weight necessary to play Defensive End in the NFL. Rousseau is already 20 pounds heavier that Maybin, and still has plenty of room to grow. He has the potential to actually be a very big guy. If anyone reminds me of Lawson in this draft, it was Kwity Paye (which is funny, because so many wanted us to trade-up for him). Both came into the draft strong at setting the edge, and in run defense. Both had/have room to grow as pass rushers. We all know that Lawson became a solid NFL starter, but never hit that upside we were hoping for. I could easily see Paye being the same type of player. With Epenesa, the Bills coaching staff wanted him to lose weight to become faster and more explosive. Pretty much the complete opposite of what will be needed out of Rousseau.

We can agree to disagree. I just don't see great burst or closing speed when watching Rousseau. Again, I'm not complaining about the pick. Just pointing out my observations. When you see a guy with his build (tall and skinny), you expect to see tape that resembles Azeez Ojulari. Constantly beating tackles around the corner with speed. But when you watch Rousseau, his best production is actually beating Guards inside like a 3-Tech Defensive Tackle. Anytime you see a player with odd characteristics, it makes them tough to rank (especially one who hasn't played football in over 12 months).

It takes roughly 2-3 years for most players to develop. So you can't really judge a draft choice until that point. But the NFL Draft is a big event. Everybody wants to talk about how good each team did. The only way you can really judge at this point is by looking at value (where did the consensus rank him), and how well team needs were addressed. Maybe I'm looking different places than you are, but I can't find anywhere where Alex Leatherwood was ranked that high. I usually keep track of about a dozen sites (NFL.com, ESPN, CBS, Fox, NBC, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, USA Today, Pro Football Focus, Draft Network, Draftek, Tankathon, Pro Football Network, etc.). Out of that group, only one had Leatherwood with a first round ranking (#27 overall). Most had him in the middle of the 2nd, in the early 50s. The best GMs in the league don't just find good players. They also navigate through the mess to find value, which ultimately leads to more/better draft selections. Brandon Beane gets good value, because he often talks about doing his homework on OTHER teams and making educated guesses who they are targeting. Even small trade-downs in the 1st Round can easily result in additional 2nd/3rd Round picks. Raiders fans are frustrated because Gruden/Mayock continually pick guys 20-30 slots ahead of where they are expected. When you look at a roster full of guys like Damon Arnette, Clelin Ferrell and Kolton Miller... you quickly realize that Las Vegas could have gotten the same guys PLUS another few starting caliber players, by just doing a better job of moving around the board.

Yep. That is the only downside of winning a lot of games. Drafting becomes infinitely more difficult.

I said it for weeks. The media was too caught up in assigning a "type" of QB to Kyle Shanahan. Since he had success in the past with Kirk Cousins and Matt Ryan, that must be the kind of Quarterback he prefers. Trading up for Mac Jones never made any sense, and would have been ridiculously stupid.

I mentioned in another thread, the issue with Koramoah is usage. The talent is off the charts. But he's not just a typical position player. He's a hybrid chess-piece. The defensive coaching staff needs to have a plan for how to use him, or he's just going to sit the bench and waste space. He was my first choice as well. But that's without knowing the discussions happening inside One Bills Drive.

Here is the thing. Getting a top pass rusher was always going to be a huge challenge in this draft (many of us were saying it months ago). After Kwity Paye, there were guys with big question marks. Medical concerns. Opt-outs. Long-term projects. There is also a significant lack of depth at edge rusher. Once the next 2-3 guys are taken (probably very quickly tonight), there is an astronomical drop in talent at the edge rusher position. Our choices at #61 would have been pretty pathetic. Our only real options at defensive end were either to trade-up for Paye (probably would have cost a fortune), taking a chance with a risky prospect (which is what we did), or go with another position like cornerback and completely miss on upgrading the pass rush. Azeez Ojulari has injury concerns. Jayson Oweh was also a massive project. I'm not crazy thrilled with this pick, but you really can't blame Beane for going this route. It makes plenty of sense. In terms of Rousseau himself, he's very similar to Josh Allen and Tremaine Edmunds. Very raw. Very big risk for busting. Big upside if they can develop him correctly. Over the last few weeks I've seen him ranked as high as mid-1st round, and as low as end of 2nd (though I really doubt he would have fallen that far). It's pretty clear that Beane is an aggressive GM and likes going for the players with big ceilings (at least early in the draft), rather than safer picks without much room to grow. As a prospect, Rousseau isn't really the typical athletic freak. He didn't test fast. He didn't test really strong. You will get different opinions about how impressive he looked on tape. Ultimately, his value comes with his size, length and physical frame. My guess is that Bills coaches have a plan to pack some weight/muscle (basically the opposite of what they did with AJ Epenesa last year), and work on improving his technique. With 1-2 years in an NFL weight room, and learning how to use those long arms to his advantage, he could end up being very tough to block. We will see.

Like many others, I felt Koramoah was the best on the board. He wouldn't really fill a traditional need, but I thought a hybrid linebacker/safety would be an interesting chess piece for the defensive coaching staff. The thing is though... if our coaches don't feel the same way, he would have been a wasted pick. We play nickel the vast majority of the time, and Milano/Edmunds are on the field for 99% of the game snaps. That is probably why he's dropping in the first place. Many teams don't really have a plan for how to use him.