Mister Defense

Yeah, as he creates another obstacle for himself against the Bills. Not a smart idea to call a defense, an NFL team, a "bunch of *****". Looking forward to those two games, to seeing what this young, fast, athletic, and talented new defense will do to Hill and his team.

Not sure if this has been posted on this long thread, but great news for Cook supporters and Bills' fans last week from the mouth of Josh Allen. In response to a question on Cook's contract he said, "He's one of the best backs in the league and hopefully that gets reflected soon." When I heard him say that last week it renewed my confidence that this nonsense is settled well before the season begins. When the best player on the team, and in the league, says that in public it is inevitable and "soon". Before training camp? Josh is smart, and he knows it was Kelly and Thomas leading the way, and Aikman and Smith, and Montana and Craig, and Bradshaw and Harris etcetera. And that the success of one fed the success of the other. And that inserting just a good back would have meant different outcomes.

Yup, James Cook, as he is the team MVP after Josh Allen and gets better each year. So he seems poised to have a monster year running and catching. Will challenge for the most all purpose yards. I had thought he was too slight to be a featured back on a run heavy team. But he then transformed himself physically which made him even harder to bring down and tougher at the goal line.

Excellent commercial, creative and humorous. Thanks!

You make good points, and I think Jackson is an elite talent and excellent quarterback. But I don’t think he is at the same level as Allen, Mahomes, or Burrows. In that playoff game against the Bills last year his two turnovers, to me, cost the Ravens the game. He has a 3-5 playoff record, while Mahomes is 17-4, Allen is 7-6 and Burrows is 5-2. And in the losses Jackson seems to be an important reason his team does not win, while for the other three quarterbacks that is generally not the case. So I think that idea, more than anything else, causes me to put Jackson in a tier just below the top 3. He has gotten much better as a passer the last few years and still runs like a madman, but he needs to show his best stuff in the playoffs. I think if Jackson makes the same kind of progress this year that he has made the last two years he could take that next step. I would like to see that eventually--after the Bills win a Super Bowl or two.

I thought it was really funny how several had Lamar Jackson ahead of Patrick Mahomes! And I wondered: if they had to pick a quarterback to lead their own NFL team, would they actually make that awful move and pick what is clearly a much lesser QB over Mahomes? Makes zero sense--choosing a QB who seems to be THE reason his team does not make it to the Super Bowl over a QB who seems to be a seminal reason his team has--and why they have won three of them. I think some did that because they resent Mahomes for his success against the Bills in the playoffs, but I cannot imagine many sentient adults thinking Lamar Jackson is a better quarterback than Mahomes.

You have to counter the ignorant yahoos to some degree, and not give them free reign. BUT, I see that it is not a new thread, thought it was, so not interested at all now.

Great post, using facts and excellent reasoning here, along with very good writing. So, no contest here. The guy had said the same exact thing about running backs just a few months ago that he is now saying about wide receivers! And with the same kind of shoot from the hip, facts be da*ned, bizarre reasoning to 'back' his ideas up. Now, 'never mind', it's the wide receivers who should never be payed! Your "for a tremendous offense" comment will likely send all of the rest of the bashers into another fit, of course. Shoot, the Bills may have the best offense in NFL history this coming season, after having the best in the NFL last year.

But didn't you say almost the same exact thing about running backs a few months ago, that teams should 'NEVER pay a running back'? I thought it was you, but I may be mistaken. I thought you had said it was your rule, and never means never. If so, you are now saying the same thing, but about wide receivers? Just moving on to another position group? But here, it seems even more extreme As here you say "you should NEVER pay a wide receiver anything ever". I think it would be very difficult in today's NFL to play without any wide receivers at all. Yeah, running backs catch balls, and the Bills have two good tight ends, but I think it would put the Bills at a significant disadvantage if they did not have wide receivers on their team. But I do agree with your point that the Bills should now pay Cook, and am happy that, at least on this change of heart on running backs, you have come to your senses. And our team's QB seemed to agree with that in his mini-camp conference, which is important.

ummm...maybe winning some playoff games, and also beating their share of good teams in big games during the regular season would also help... Dallas has done neither lately.

Does not make sense--they cannot be a top ten team if they have not had almost any playoff success. And they have a dismal record, especially the last few years, against the good teams during the regular season. They have put no fear in almost any good teams, and that is especially true of teams with good defenses. Prescott almost always looks lost, confused, with the old adage, "like a deer in the headlights", an accurate image of poor ol' Zak whenever he faces a good defense. While I do like some of their off season moves this year, such as the acquisition of Pickens, Jones has been a mess as their GM since Jimmy, a true football guy, left in the 1990s. Dallas will never be a fully loaded talented team until Jones gives control of the girls to a real football man--again. One way or another. Top 20 team, maybe, but not a top ten team in the league now or recently.

Including the point of the thread, question itself. It may become a thing: Which running back in 2014 had the most carries?

Great news for the rest of the AFC Central--a waayyy over the hill narcissistic head case will now bring all of his HUGE baggage, distractions, and greatly diminished skills to the Steelers. Still can't believe they did not make a major push for a real quarterback this off season. And then they got rid of one of the best wide receivers in the league! Just like I said when he signed with the Jets, one less team the Bills can consider a threat of any kind. Maybe Tomlin's first losing season. And maybe his last with the Steelers. The Bills may get 10 sacks when they play them in November--in the unlikely event that rodgers is still playing at that point.

Hope this, Brady's last year with us, is a great one. In hist first full year as our OC, the most points in Bills' history, the most points in the NFL last year, only team to ever score 30 rushing and 30 passing touchdowns, Josh's first MVP............ And that stat you share, that I did not know previously. I knew they were superb in not turning the ball over, but not that specific stat. Think of how well prepared an offense it must be, how fine tuned, how sharp in their skills and execution, to have no lost fumbles by any running back, wide receiver or tight end--in an entire season.

Amazing post, one of the best I have ever read in this forum in the well over two decades I have been on here. Unfortunately it looks like not many have read it yet--or there would be a slew of posters hitting the 'awesome' emoji by now. And, of course, almost none of those who most need to read it will do so. And those of them that do read it won't get it; it is sooo far off the tracks for them. But If they don't know sh*t from roses, fu** 'em. They aren't worth converting and will never get off that dark, irrational Crazy Train. Truly a moving post, one full of insight and wisdom, as you define what it means to be a Bills' fan, and a human being as well. Everyone should read Folz's post. Yup, it's long, but just look at what this thread has become, the waste, the same few posters bashing all over again, like demented broken records.. How many of the posts in this thread are just nonsense, just a waste of everyone's time--again? Like so many of the off season threads dominated by bashing, negativity and ignorance. Instead, read that post, and be enlightened. Two posts above this one...

No, it's a good comparison. As sometimes the best analogies are the ones that are not obvious, that you have to think about. Yes, the journey is the destination. And this particular journey is bringing us great things, great game days that fill our heads with amazing images. The championship will come. But, sadly, for many of those on that crazy negative train, even that will just be a one day thing. They will get right back on their super negative bandwagon at the first bump in the road.

Though I had to read that a few times to get your point, a great analogy to start But it's those last lines, that I just bolded, that accurately and factually nail some of the main problems with the bashers--they are simply not basing their ideas on reality, facts, but on pure emotion only. That is why their arguments are so consistently, thoroughly ripped apart and undermined when posters decide to push back. Those realities you point to so well, so accurately, are like mirrors to a vampire-- theyignore and avoid those at all costs. They cannot overcome them, so they just keep spewing.

Yup, just like ol' Ted Nugent said, 'when in doubt..."... Always the best policy.

Yup, I understood that...just made me think of that possibility, of Diggs getting invited to the wedding.

Diggs, interesting. They have said they are like brothers, and Josh says he loves Stefon. Doubt it. But we shall see..

Hallelujah. Well said.. With that last sentence maybe the most significant, most profound. Joyless. So sad for them. But worse-- that they try so hard to bring others to that dark place. Thank goodness it is only a very small percentage of 'fans' who are like that. I cannot imagine not enjoying this current ride and the joy it has brought to me and the overwhelming majority of Bills' fans.

How dare you start a thread like this? Who do you think you are? Just to antagonize the haters, I assume. Just flaunting the very high quality nature of our team since McBeane established this excellent base of success. Picture: a furious Yosemite Sam, turning bright red, steam pouring out of his ears, cursing his brain off... That is what you do to that small but prolific group of posters with such a positive, upbeat OP. I hope you're happy. Those are meaningless stats you point to, and the haters will make you pay for such such a careless, ignorant, heartless thread like this. They will not stand for this. Shame!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk9C1ukV-EM

This year we should see a different Cole Bishop, like we saw a different Terrel Bernard in his2nd year, and in Benford's 2nd and 3rd years, as Bishop has the physical tools, skills and intelligence. Like them he just needed to learn how the NFL game works, so his skills can shine through. And with that the toughness you speak of. If he is good the Bills defense is good, and if he is very good, the defense may be very good. To me the quality of Bishop's play this summer and in the regular season may go a long way in transforming the defense. I think he comes through and is considered a very good NFL safety by the end of the season, a player who got better and better as the season progressed

I think you may be right, especially for a guy still reeling, and likely feels he always will be, because of one of the most ludicrous trades and contracts in NFL history in Deshaun Watson. But he seems to like giving away his draft picks still, as you point out, as if they don't have much value. In the end what happened in the draft may end up being one of the best things to ever happen to Sanders. He is now a more sympathetic under dog to many, while previously he was being thought of as an entitled, arrogant rich boy, someone many were rooting against. On the other hand, can you imagine the pressure on him if he was a top ten or even top round pick? With all the unrealistic expectations everyone, including his own father, were putting on him? Now, maybe all of that hot air his dad had been filling him with his entire life, including in public, may be gone. And the pressure is off to some degree. He can just play football. As the expectations for any quarterback chosen in the 5th round are very low, by anyone's standards.

I agree about both Strong, great potential, and Hamlin as a solid backup--not the most fast athletic guy but seems to know what he is doing out there, a big plus for the difficult safety position. I also think Forrest is a nice addition as a backup and maybe as a starter if Bishop is not the real deal. To me, Bishop may be the biggest question mark on the defense and maybe the most important X factor for the overall defensive improvement this year. With Hairston as the starter opposite Benford, if Bishop has improved his processing ability that you speak of then the defense can take a huge leap this year, with the improvements in the secondary alone. So Bishop will be the player I am most focused on this off season and in early games. And the high level defensive line additions will enhance the secondary's performance as well.