Rocky Landing

If Jeremy and Joe think they’re entitled to a victory lap here, they’re high.

Just for reference: Who has argued any of these things?

Personally, I can't really raise my excitement level above cautious optimism for the D-line. There are too many "ifs" to feel overly confident that the starting D-line won't be about as average as it was last season. But... what I do feel confidence in is the D-line rotation, which had been one of the hallmarks of a McDermott defense, and one of the keys to closing out games, and some of the fourth quarter comebacks of the Josh Allen/McD era. The Bills D was paper thin last season, and at least at D-line, I feel pretty confident that this is going to be a pretty deep group. OK, I do feel a little excited about how this line might pan out...

Sure. Doesn't answer the question, though. Pay him what? The $15M he's asking for?

Also if they have a preference for blue cheese, or ranch.

I think more accurately, Cook was a stud towards the end of the year, and into the playoffs.

Sometimes, though... if the squeaky wheel squeaks too loud, it gets replaced...

Without knowing anything regarding the interviews, or meetings the Bills have had with their various prospects, I feel like Emmanwori is the better fit with the Bills at safety. And while the league doesn't value the safety position as highly as CB, i think the Bills place a higher value on safety than most other teams. Am I wrong?

A few thoughts on Cook: Missing OTAs is not a big deal. But, I suspect it's not just about missing OTAs that might stick in Beane's craw, but the public means in which Cook has dealt with his contract frustration. Beane has said as much. Missing OTAs is just icing on the ***** cake. A lot of posters have brought up what a great season Cook just had, but It strikes me that Cook finished last season exceptionally strong. IMO (and some might argue this), if you look at the tape from Cook midseason, and compare it to Cook in the playoffs, he really came on strong towards the end of the season. And it makes me wonder-- did he (or the O-line?) get better as the season progressed, or did he play harder? Which begs the question: if it's the latter, how will he play after he gets paid? Ty Johnson is every bit as fast as James Cook, but I believe Cook has better acceleration, and better yards after contact. But Ty Johnson is the better receiver by a mile. I've never really understood the contract strategy of holding out, or backing off from the team when a player is unhappy with their contract, or is seeking an extension. But, it happens so often that there's obviously something to it. Personally, in my career, I've been freelance for 34 years, and so there have been many jobs in which I felt I was being underpaid. But, I never worked down to the value I felt they were placing on me. My strategy was always to show the company I was worth more, and that's worked out well for me over the years.

It wasn't that long ago that most pundits had the Giants taking Sanders at #3-- few have them taking him at this point. Personally, I'd be shocked if they did, but I think that was always the case. The team building combo of Daboll/Schoen has in many ways followed the McD/Beane blueprint where a lot of value is placed on character, and culture building, and Sanders clearly doesn't fit that. My opinion is clouded by wishful thinking, though. I would be very disappointed if the Giants picked Sanders, because I would hate for Carter to fall to the Patriots*.

I'm really enjoying listening to this. It's going to take me a while to get through, as I a) don't have an hour+ chunk of time to devote to a podcast, and b) don't have anywhere near the attention span. And props to SDS for allowing it to be posted. There is no NFL fan forum for any other team that comes close to the quality of this one. That speaks to mods, as well as the posters on this site. We are blessed. I do also agree with @Coach Tuesday. It's disconcerting to hear these voices-- lifts the veil a little bit. Be that as it may: Thanks @GunnerBill, and @gonzo1105!

I get it. I certainly wouldn't want him back on this team. But, I figure he should be in the discussion since the question is regarding the skill set. It's his baggage we don't need.

Why wouldn’t Diggs be on that list?

I wish the NFL had farm teams the way MLB uses the minor leagues. The NFLPA could allow practice squad players on those teams, and then there’d be a reason to watch, and get excited. Tyrell Shavers could be a stud on the Batavia Bobs…

I heard Tre White fell into an upholstery machine. Apparently, he’s fully recovered.

If he looks good on that chart, that's good enough for about half this board.

I spent the better part of a day with him once, working on some ESPN content back when he was dating Danika Patrick. He was actually a really likable guy, and was quite affable with me. And he has a good reputation with players. He strikes me as the kind of person whose BS rolls uphill. I remember him literally swearing at Mike McCarthy during games when he was a Packer, and he was an absolute dick to Robert Saleh.

Maybe I would have to watch his show to know that, which I have no intention of doing. But, if someone is like that behind the scenes, it follows that his reputation would bleed into his public perception. Out of curiosity, I googled "what is Dr. Phil like in real life?" and immediately found this Buzzfeed article: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/krystieyandoli/dr-phil-show-employees-allegations

I've lived, and worked in the motion picture industry (set lighting) in Los Angeles for the last 34 years. Dr. Phil's show was shot at the Paramount lot. I know several people who worked on that show, and I can tell you that everyone who worked on that show-- and I mean everyone-- despised that man, and his son (whom Phil had installed as executive producer). He had a reputation for being mean, petty, entitled, and utterly conceited. There were stories of people getting fired for such infractions as talking nears his director's chair. Everyone who worked there was warned not to make eye contact with him. He had a camera installed outside the stage pointed at his parking space so that if someone parked in it-- whether he was on site, or not-- the car would be immediately towed. Several years before Dr. Phil went off the air, I was helping wrap out a sit-com that was on the stage next to Dr. Phil's stage. There was a door between the two stages up in the perms. The perms are the huge, wooden grids, with wooden catwalks above the stages that are uses for rigging over the sets. These things are decades old, and there's graffiti going back decades, as well. The sit-com I was helping to wrap had high-amperage cable going to some power boxes in the perms above Dr. Phils stage, and so I was working above Dr. Phil's set for several hours. The graffiti was amazing. In my 34 years in the industry, I have never seen more graffiti devoted to one individual-- not even close. Multiple "artists." Some of it foul, and vulgar. Some of it hilarious. Some of it impressively drawn. Hundreds of tags, and ALL of it negative. I guess it takes a certain type of personality who can appear likable, and caring on camera, but still have a low enough character to profit off the defects, and misfortunes of others. The man is a sociopath, and a parasite.

Isn't it spelled Marv LLLLevy?

James Cook is on the hot seat. Going public with his contract wishes is something Beane would prefer not to tolerate. Cook will not get a contract extension, and will have to continue to play the next season on his rookie contract. If he holds out, he may very well be cut, or traded. Further hot take: he'll likely play next season in a diminished roll, with Ty Johnson getting an increased roll. Even hotter: Of the two, Ty Johnson is the better receiver.

There's are three games that make a difference in the schedules. The Pats* play the Raiders, and the Giants at home, and the Titans away. The Bills get the Chiefs, and Eagles at home, and the Texans away. All the other opponents are the same, home and away. And I certainly see reasons for optimism for all three of those games for the Bills.

Did Beane really say, "come on in, have a seat..."???

This was really a surprise to me. Mitch Morse was a solid center for us. I was shocked when they released him for what was really a paltry savings. My thought at the time was: If McGovern was a better center, and Edwards at least a lateral move at LG, then that's how they would have played '23, as both those players were on the team in '23. Everything else Beane did in the last offseason made sense to me, including releasing Diggs. But that one was a head-scratcher. It's one of those moves that, in retrospect, increases my confidence in Beane's judgement. (And Kromer's, for that matter.)

Yeah, he's clearly not a culture fit for Buffalo which, as we know, is very important to McD/Beane.