BisonMan

I take the long view on these players. A few games or a rookie season doesn’t tell you much. Based on personal makeup, physical skills, intelligence and coaching, my list goes like this: 1. Allen - the dude is off-the-charts physically for a QB and can make all the throws. He will have a perpetual chip on his shoulders after every college passed on him his Freshman year and all but one did the second time around. All the doubters pre-draft just added fuel to his fire. He’s obviously very smart and has a stable regime behind him. I hope Dabol doesn’t get a HC gig in the next few years. 2. Mayfield - moxie with physical talent to throw accurately. He’s a bit more limited than Allen and makes a lot of throws out of arrogance, leading to picks. He could end up a star, ala, Favre but could end up like Jeff George. 3. Darnold - solid starter with above average skills across the board. Appears pretty smart and capable of reeling in his poor tendencies. Coaching upheaval could derail his career early along with the NYC spotlight. He might end up above Mayfield on my list. 4. Jackson - To me, he’s Kaepernick 2.0. The SF offense under Roman took similar advantage of the physical tools, especially running. He’s refined those aspects of his offense but, ultimately, these types of systems get QBs injured. Kaepernick was more sturdy than Jackson so I doubt Jackson will last as long. Of course, Kaepernick almost won a SB with a Harbaugh coaching him! 5. Rosen - I think he’s very smart but lacks the fire and commitment to be a leader of a team. Jay Cutler without the physical skills. Rosen will make less mistakes given a decent line and WR corp. His physical skills will betray him down the line along with his waning interest in putting his body on the line week after week. His best outcome at this point will be a trade from Miami to be a backup behind an aging veteran where he an learn...and heal.

He’s back on the active roster again. The paperwork sent to the league after the preseason ended got picked. ?

Heck of a post, Brownie...

Two words: Hershel Walker 3 1st rounders, 3 2nd rounders, a 3rd rounder and a 6th rounder...that’s highway robbery! This also doesn’t hold a candle to the Skins giving 3 1st round picks and a 2nd rounder to St. Louis for the rights to RG3.

I doubt Singletary is our #1...or any back for that matter. The Bills’ offense is morphing more in to the Pats offense with a RB by committee apprach, each with their own set of skills/plays. I also don’t think the Shady move was about money. Yes they save $$$ but the Bills already had a lot of CAP space and aren’t likely looking at a trade for a big-money starter from someone else. This is about the Bills liking the mix of Gore-Singletary-Yeldon—Murphy. Muphy’s play in practice and pre-season showed he was more versatile than Shady (PR duty/ST/RB) while he didn’t result in a significant drop off in what Shady can do. If you don’t dump Shady, you don’t get to keep Murphy. Also, Shady is a d*&che and not a team guy the Bills look for in the new culture. Sure, they needed his skills the past couple of years but now he’s not worth the prima-donna headache.

I like the owner’s idea for an 18 game schedule with players only allowed to play 16 games and having an expanded roster. This has gotten a lot of flak on this board but it’s an idea that I’ve thought was the only way to get to 18 games. Having players sit 2 games a season is really not that impactful as many players already miss that many games (or should) just due to injuries. Sure people might be pissed they went to a game with the backup QB but choosing which game to start your backup would require strategy (out of conference road games with weak opponents?). Teams with good depth would really shine in this system and individual stars would be less impactful across an entire season. Would you rather see an additional 2 preseason games or 2 regular season games where you average less than 2 starters per game sitting out. Every other sport with a long season has “breaks” for their players. The brutal game of football is behind the times. My 2 cents.

I throw the bulls&*t flag on this one. The game is more popular today primarily due to better marketing. Players are not 100,000 times better than previous generations. This growth is entirely the product of how the league is run, TV contracts are negotiated and how it is marketed. Players have nothing to do with the growth. The product is roughly the same as it was 40 years ago. Granted the league is now pass-happy but that’s because the owners decided to focus the rules around that element of the game. There is little question in my mind that if you took all the players from the 70’s and dropped them into today’s teams, the league would still make the scads of money they make today.

I can see a new punter, a trade for a significant upgrade (Clowney?) and picking up an better backup O-lineman that we currently have on the roster (center?). That’s my 3.

I’ve read a lot of threads and stories about which current Bills make the 53-man roster opening day. My question is, how many of the opening day 53 aren’t yet on this team? As teams release players, the Bills will too and could scoop up players from other rosters as upgrades. I think the Bills will do this less than in previous years, when the roster wasn’t as deep as it is today. My guess, there will be 3 players on the 53 that aren’t on the roster today...hopefully one of them is the punter.

Watching highlights this weekend, I repeatedly say replays of a throw that Mayfield made for a TD on a long pass down the middle to a WR in the end zone, who subsequently got creamed by the safety behind him. Josh makes a very similar throw through a tight window that Zay drops before getting creamed by the safety behind him. Mayfield was widely praised for this score while Allen was criticized by a variety of commentators (including Tasker) for risking his WR on such a tight window throw with a safety behind him. Go figure.

Give the continual rise in the CAP, it’s silly to compare a QB’s rating against his salary. Each year the CAP rises so, even mediocre QBs are going to move into the top 5-10 highest paid QBs. If every year, every QB had to renegotiate their contract, we could compare them against performance but that won’t happen. Add to this that highly experienced QBs tend to sign for less than they can get on the open market in order to stay with a team they think can win a championship (see Brady, Brees). I doubt Josh Allen will take a lesser deal if he pans out as a good starting QB. The question is, will the Bills be willing to pony up that much against the CAP to keep him? My guess is that they already have that in the plan.

With all of the camp injuries to the O-line, what I notice most about this team over recent years is the depth across a lot of positions on the team. With that in mind, it begs the question as to which player, if injured, would hurt the Bills’ chances of reaching the playoffs the most this year? Of course, an injury to Allen would be devastating (like the starters on most teams). So, let’s take that one off the table. My pick would be Tremaine Edmunds. I really don’t see a substitute for him on the roster as there is a severe lack of depth at the MLB position, IMO. Edmunds is going to be a breakout star this year if reports from camp on his play are to be believed. I agree and losing him would really hurt this defense. That side of the ball will have to play well in order to secure a playoff spot as I don’t see the offense climbing much above the top half of the league, even if Josh Allen plays well. Your pick?

This better be the best Hard Knocks ever. The expectations for this season’s show will be through the roof. Most TV-ready coach in the NFL TV veteran Mayock is the GM QB Controversy...just wait Antonio Brown pissed about getting too few catches in practice Rich Incognito pissed about...everything Vontex Burfect pissing on Richie Incognito after giving Antonio Brown a concussion...in the locker room. Team planning to pull up steaks and move to Vegas...baby! Raidernation with pitchforks out to get Davis 3 First Rounders HBO got the winning lottery ticket this year. Better not screw this one up.

My bad. Reading fast on too little sleep. Thanks for the correction.

Only 8% of DBs selected in the 6th round make a roster across the NFL. The Bills have been a special case in recent years due to constant rebuilds. The current roster is in better shape than in recent years and more “normal” by NFL standards. Great stats here on draft picks making a roster: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2015/2/20/8072877/what-the-statistics-tell-us-about-the-draft-by-round

With mini-camp approaching, which “long-shot to make the roster” player are you predicting to be on the active roster week 1? Don’t just drop a name but give your rationale. Given most late round picks don’t make the roster, I’m going with Jaquan Johnson (S). Although the Bills have depth at safety, Johnson is a typical Beane “high ceiling” draft pick. I think Johnson makes the roster primarily as a Special Teams contributor but moves up the depth chart at safety as the season wears on. EdW

I look at that list and see a bunch of teams the Bills should be able to beat this season. I think the Browns are the one exception. While I don’t think the Browns are the world-beaters that a lot of off-season analyses has shown them, they aren’t in the “Dirty Dozen”. I think there are several teams that are worse than the Browns (Titans, Falcons, Vikings and, possibly, the Texans or Bills). JMHO.

#3 on his list of best offseason teams: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001030895/article/best-nfl-offseasons-of-2019-browns-raiders-head-list?asdfd The 2018 Bills carried more than $50 million in dead money in anticipation of retooling the roster this offseason, and the team followed through on its plans. Signees Mitch Morse, Spencer Long and Ty Nsekhe and rookie Cody Ford (drafted No. 38 overall) will upgrade the offensive line, while veterans Cole Beasley, John Brown and Andre Roberts will do the same for the pass-catching corps. The ageless Frank Gore and rookie Devin Singletary (No. 74), meanwhile, were brought in to help bolster the LeSean McCoy-led ground attack. Those additions were all designed to give quarterback Josh Allen a better chance of growing in his second NFL season. On defense, the first-round selection of Ed Oliver (No. 9) should help make up for the retirement of six-time Pro Bowler Kyle Williams. Yes, the Bills just recorded their 11th losing season in the last 15, but this team was surprisingly feisty at times in '18, upsetting the Vikings in Week 3 and finishing with the second-stingiest defense in terms of yards allowed. All of Buffalo's moves, combined with rebuilding projects going on with the Dolphins and Jets, mean anything less than a playoff appearance will count as a disappointment. Playoffs? Would be nice!

"Bills fail to draft WR in 2019, upsetting fans" - typical headline McBeane are smaaaart. Trust the process.......

Another factor to consider was the Bills' 2018 receiver separation rate. I read multiple articles that pointed out that Bills' receivers were the worst in the league at getting separation from coverage. The QB only has a few choices there and none are good for his completion percentage: Take a sack - no comp% effect (see: Rob Johnson) Run for your life - no comp% effect (see: Doug Flutie) Rifle it into coverage and hope the receiver wins the battle - reduced comp% (see: Brett Favre) Throw it away - reduced comp% (see: Eli Manning) Throw a pick - reduced comp% and increased INT% (see: Nate Peterman) Separation rate should improve this year with Brown and Beasley, although Brown has the dropsies. A better line will also improve his time-to-throw without requiring him to make a run for it. That, theoretically, will increase completion percentage. I agree with most on here that Josh has a big role to play in improving his comp% with better decisions and less aggressive throws. His comp% will go up regardless with a better supporting cast but only he can raise it above the NFL average. EdW

Eat a bag of Johnsons!

Has anyone seen a list of likely June 2nd roster cuts from across the league? The Bills still have a lot of cap space (~$33M) and could definitely upgrade some positions (OL, DL, etc.). Looking at OverTheCap.com, there are a number of teams without enough 2019 space (<$5M) to even sign their rookie contracts (Bucs, Steelers, Vikings, Panthers, Falcons?) while others are close. A few OL players from those teams have big contracts and could be on the downside of their careers (28+ years old). Guys like Riley Reiff (Vikings LT) or David Decastro (PIT RG) or Alejandro Villanueva (Pit LT) could come free as cap casualties. The DL outlook is similar. 4-3 DTs include Kawann Short (Panthers...of course), Gerald McCoy (Bucs), Linval Joseph (Vikings). For Edge Rushers, high cap players are Everson Griffen (Vikings), JPP (Bucs), Ryan Kerrigan (Washington), Cameron Jordan (Saints) I'm not saying the Bills should sign FA contracts with these players (if available) or even trade for them. Just curious what anyone has heard. I know I've already seen rumors about the Bills trading picks for Gerald McCoy. EdW

#5 to Zay was the best, IMO. It was a throw over the middle with timing in traffic. The long throws to Foster and Zay were athletic but they didn’t require the accuracy I’d like to see in Allen. All of the throws they showed were good(ish) throws but the dart to Zay over the middle in traffic for a TD well down the field was the best throw of the bunch. If he can start making those throws, where the WR is crossing in front of him either short or long, he’ll be the answer for the Bills. EdW

“Stay off the weeeedddda!”

So, a scout (or scouts) went to 3 or more ALA games. That doesn’t mean they were focused on EVERY ALA player on that list. There is really know way to know (unless the scout stupidly tells you) which players on a given team they are focused on. This goes for every college team. I’m pretty sure Bills’ scouts went to multiple ALA games last year but weren’t focused on Robert Foster at the time. Also, attending a game involves 2 teams so focusing on players on one public draft board is just arbitrary. i do miss Astro though.