Rocky Landing

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.

I recall Jack Jones, while being unquestionably athletic, having poor situational awareness, and a penchant for utterly stupid plays-- like making an interception in the end zone, and running it out to the one yard line, rather than taking a knee.

He did, actually. People on this forum hammered him for it. He also entered the NFL having never caught a TD in his college career. Then, in his first two offseasons, he worked tirelessly to fix the issue, including hiring a vision specialist to improve his eye-hand coordination. https://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/2021/06/bills-dawson-knox-working-with-vision-specialist-eyeing-big-leap-in-year-3.html

It's a really good question. If the season started tomorrow, it would probably fall in the same order-- Miami, New Jersey, New England. But, it doesn't, and a lot is going to happen between now, and September, and the order could easily flip. Miami has a culture problem, IMO. It's been reported, numerous times, that there are issues of accountability, and a general lack of respect for McDaniel's authority. But, beyond that, they are stuck with Tua, whose defects are as glaring as his attributes. And they still haven't properly addressed their O-line. Tua behind that O-line reminds me of Trent Edwards running Dick Jauron's no-huddle offense. They have an aging Cheetah, whose frustration, and poor attitude have become quite public. At this point in the offseason, it's easy to imagine the Fish taking another step backwards. The Jets could really really see their trajectory go either way. But, if their rebuild does become a success, it still seems unlikely that they'll turn the franchise around in a season. A first-time HC (former DC) in Aaron Glenn, a relatively inexperienced OC, and Justin Fields trying to reinvent himself could work, I suppose-- but it doesn't seem like it would happen quickly. More than likely, they'll remain a bottom-dwelling team. The Patriots* seem like they'd be the better candidate for one of those crazy breakout seasons. I've always been impressed with Vrabel. Josh McDaniels, and Terrel Williams both strike me as competent coordinators. I also think they were smart to bring in Doug Marrone as their O-line coach. If the Pats* build from the trenches, Drake Maye has a break-out season, and they have a decent draft, they could find some momentum, and make a run for a wild card. Why not? If I had to make a prediction for the AFCE, it would be: Bills Patriots* Dolphins Jets

Dawson Knox did a pretty good job on that.

Those two things are not mutually exclusive.

Bills fans: Overrated-- Ray Davis Underrated-- Tyler Rapp Media: Overrated-- Daquan Jones Underrated-- Ty Johnson

I would be very much into this.

Diggs must be one of the saddest players making eight figure salaries in the NFL, these days.

I don't know why, but I never really realized what an idiot Edelman is.

Talk about moving the goalposts...

So, you're presenting the possibility that Pegula might fire Sean McDermott, and hire the HC that gets fired by the giants?

That's an ACL.

And he sure did get under Miles Garrett's skin!

I figured that's why they signed Mack Hollins...

The Bills had $31M less to spend on talent last season. "Modest love" is probably a good description, but it'll be chillier than what Hollins receives.

It'll be interesting to see the reception he gets at Highmark, from both Bills' players, and fans.

I certainly wouldn't imagine they would just cut him.

It's odd to me that so many on here are talking about Davis potentially becoming Cook's replacement, when they are clearly such different players. Cook has far better acceleration, and speed, while still being able to bounce off a defender, and stay on his feet. Davis does have reliable hands, but his speed in the secondary would take a lot of plays off the table, IMO. He's a great #2, RB, with the kind of down-hill, bruising running style the Bills need, but I have a hard time envisioning him as a feature back. But here's the thing, if the Bills already have a replacement for Cook in mind, it's got to be the newly re-signed Ty Johnson, IMO. Cook made some great plays in the red zone last season, but so did Ty. Ty Johnson has consistently made absolutely eye-popping catches, and has shown incredible clutch efficiency, situational awareness, and proprioception, and he may even be a hair faster than Cook. He's put up highlight reel plays enough times to know it's not a fluke. He has the ability to help keep a play alive when it breaks down (an important skill for the Bills' offense). And perhaps equally important, he has trust, and chemistry with Josh Allen-- you can't overstate the importance of that. If tomorrow Brandon Beane said that they were moving on from James Cook, I'b be disappointed, but I wouldn't be worried about "who would replace his production," as another poster wondered. And, if in the next breath, Beane said that Ty Johnson would be the #1 for '25, my first thoughts would be, "... I can't wait to see that!"