eball

Great? Who knows, but there will be plenty of good ones.

Yep -- admittedly one that had no practical implications.

@GunnerBill I think when it's clear that either the coach or GM decision was a mistake, and the power structure is such that both report to the owner(s), you definitely have the potential for what appears to be "meddling" by an owner. Looking back at 2016, by the end of the season the Pegulas knew Rex would be gone so they acted to protect their "investment" (Tyrod) in a meaningless game. I don't recall the specifics relating to Tyrod, though -- did that move cost him any bonus money?

Ohhhhh...you mean the W16 decision in 2016...gotcha.

T.Y. McGill was the fourth. Looks like they're going to keep some guys on speed dial if injuries/corona hit.

You think the Pegulas played a role in McD sitting Tyrod in 2017? That's curious; I've never heard that take before.

Temporary declines in the cap never impact the elite players (and rookie deals). The group of players impacted is always the same -- aging veterans who are now underperforming their contracts and highly paid backups. Both will be replaced by rookies and guys looking for "prove it" deals.

Singletary's injury in W2 played a significant role in how the RBs were used. Gore also started out playing extremely well. This season they've hopefully got two young, healthy backs ready to roll right out of the gate. I look back at Singletary's performance in the playoff game and get excited about what this season holds.

I think it's easier to predict RB success than that. RB is probably the easiest transition from college to the pros, and typically the only thing you hear that takes time to learn is picking up blitzes if they didn't have to do that in college. Moss is a stud.

Serious question...does anyone really think Kim Pegula "meddles" in hockey- and football- related decisions for either franchise? If so, I'd like concrete examples that are more than hearsay. It's clear to me that Beane and McD have leeway to operate the Bills as they see fit. The problem for the Sabres is simply that they've hired the wrong guys. That's it. She's one of the best owners in sports, and the Sabres will be "fixed" when they have the right GM and coach in place. I think they have it half right (coach) and hopefully Adams is the right GM. The "Kim should step down" nonsense is just that.

The only other thing I'll add to this discussion is about Hauschka. I've loved what this guy has brought to the team, and there's no doubt he has made a ton of clutch kicks and was crucial in the playoff game, although his inability hit the long ones any more certainly impacted playcalling. He's no dummy; like every player on the roster he understands you have to earn it each day. We'll see what he brings to camp over the next several weeks, and I am by no means ruling him out to retain a spot as the "short" FG kicker.

True. I mean, the way Daboll dropped that TD pass, the way he didn't get his feet in bounds, the way he missed a block to spring Allen -- those were all terrible play calls. Let's look at one sequence in a game and crucify the playcaller.

Practice reports could be a lot more fun than usual if we get more full contact, as most coaches have suggested. But this is truly a different year; while there is a training camp aspect of player evaluation there is also the reality that games are now less than a month away so there will be gameplanning going on as well. I’ll be curious to see how much the Bills let the media watch and how much is private.

Yeah, if you make Beane Prez then you suddenly make him McD’s boss rather than his equal. I don’t think that’s happening. I like Schoen a lot as well but we just need to come to grips with the fact that within a year or so he’ll get a GM gig elsewhere. That’s ok; good organizations lose people — I hope and trust the Bills know this too and are grooming others to backfill.

I’m not George but I’ll answer. Drafting a kicker is unusual; this was a clear sign the Bills aren’t committed to Hauschka and see something special in Bass. If the lack of preseason games means they can’t really “pressure” Bass but he otherwise kicks well in camp, he will make the team because if he is put on the PS he will be poached by another K-desperate team. If he is truly “lights out” in camp I think they let Hauschka go despite the risk of going with an inexperienced guy.

The Bills’ roster from top to bottom is significantly more talented than the Pats***. Sure, Cam has experience, but he’s a war-torn QB now and I don’t think his rushing will be a significant factor. Belichick is going to try to win with the Titans’ model this year; they will be a run-heavy team and force teams to commit to stopping the run. For all of the complaints about Allen’s accuracy I don’t see Cam suddenly becoming the dink and dunk king. But the bottom line is that outside of RB the Pats*** skill positions are weak. I’ll be pretty disappointed if the Bills don’t at least split with the Pats***, and I think if the season plays out as I believe it will they will be favored when they travel to Boston late in the year.

If McD had fired Daboll after last season pretty much nobody in NFL circles would have said “I understand that move.”

Post of the offseason right here. Bravo!

Yeah, I mean a guy who can’t come in and win the Super Bowl in a year or two — you’ve got to think about whether you’ve made a mistake here if you’re the Pegulas.

His defenses have been overrated for many years now. His claim to fame is the Titans defense of the late 90s and Bountygate. He’s on the back nine of his career and more douchey than ever.

it improved, that’s the point. It should improve again this year. Starting over with a new coordinator makes no sense right now.

You were late with this joke, and besides, that’s a contract for a trick shot QB.

Exactly right. This is where we see just how much wanting to stay in Buffalo and continue playing for McDermott means.

You can’t really say he lied; he just didn’t clarify what “it” was. Turns out he was talking about EJ’s ability to draw defenses Offside with a hard count.

I can't disagree with any of this. We don't know what was going on over at the Bills' sideline that led to that sequence, but I guess we all hope that they are constantly learning from their mistakes just like everyone else.