Kirby Jackson

Great post!! It feels to me that the Bills backed themselves into the corner a little bit. It’s reasonable to say that Claypool is the most talented WR on the roster. We all know the issues in his previous stops. The Bills gambled on him because of the talent in the room. Miami let him walk knowing that they have a couple of guys that can do what he can do when he’s at his best. I hope that he turns a corner and revives his career and character in Buffalo. I’m not counting on it though.

I posted it somewhere else but have a good friend that is a scout with the Bears. He texted me as soon as the Bills signed him. He said that “hes been a cancer everywhere that he’s been.” He also said, “we paid him to stay home and started winning games as soon as we did.” I know that this isn’t shocking but it’s interesting to hear from that side. My buddy is a former player and generally gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. He went out of his way to say what an idiot Claypool is. That was discouraging.

I was the opposite on Coleman coming out. I did not like him as a prospect (at all really). He doesn’t separate. With that being said, I wouldn’t read too much into him getting locked up by Ingram/Elam/etc. Coleman isn’t a guy that is going to look great in shorts. He wins with body control and physicality. That doesn’t really translate to practice. The guys that win in shorts tend to be guys that create space (like Beasley). We won’t know Coleman’s impact until the regular season imo.

They haven’t prioritized the position in the draft so it is a little unique to them. How many total receivers have been drafted since Beane got here? Coleman, Shakir, Davis, Shorter, Hodgins, McCloud and Proehl is the answer (I think). Prior to Coleman it was a 5th, 4th, 5th, 6th, 6th & 7th (if that list is right). They haven’t invested prime assets in the position. That’s why you get this group, which on paper is bottom 3 in the NFL.

I’ve done LA and NY so I kind of double count them. There are 30 stadiums total. I haven’t seen the Bills play at the Giants or at the Chargers but I count it still. What’s your list? Mine is: Buffalo, Atlanta, New Orleans, Cleveland, Houston, Jacksonville, Tennessee, New York, New England, Miami, Los Angeles, Detroit, Carolina, & Dallas.

This thread inspired me. Booked LA this morning.

Lol, it is such a bad group on paper. It’s like a drought era position group playing with the guy that will end up as the best player we’ve ever had. Weird. I agree on the 6 from the OP. Claypool has ability and is good in shorts. If he’s focused he will have to play some. Otherwise it’s a mix of different role players.

I’ve been there 3 or 4 times for Bills games (and another 3 or 4 for Yankee games). It was only like a 4 hour trip from New Orleans so that’s where we’d catch our teams. Houston, as a city is SO spread out. It’s kind of a crappy downtown. The Bills parties were always at Christian’s Tailgate. That was fun. The tailgating scene there was pretty non-existent. There aren’t really Texans fans. It’s kind of like the Jags. It’s an okay time and it should be a good game. As a destination for a road game though it would be near the bottom of my list. On a side note, the AFC South has, BY FAR, the least passionate fans of any division.

It’s Seattle for me. I have a goal of seeing the Bills play in every stadium (potentially excluding Philly). I’m exactly halfway there. Seattle is a place that I’ve never been and the opportunity to see the Bills there doesn’t come around often. This is an easy one for me.

Beautiful home and honestly $5M doesn’t feel that expensive for it. Some rich person is going to get a nice place.

It’s a fair point but again, if average Joe consumer is paying for those tickets at an insane markup, isn’t that what the market will support? That’s why I specifically used that Leafs at Sabres example. The Leafs fans are willing to pay a number that most casual Sabres fans aren’t willing to pay. The Sabres fans that own many of those seats are willing to accept that insane price even if it is from a Leafs fan. I think that the bots are more of an issue for one off events like a concert. You are limited with alternatives for something like that. It’s not like, “I wanted Taylor Swift tickets but their too expensive so I’ll go see Jethro Tull.” You can get tickets to see your team play pretty easily. It’s just more expensive on a weekend and vs. a better opponent. That has always been the case. Teams just weren’t sophisticated enough to implement variable pricing until 20 years or so. If you’re a Yankee fan and want to see them in the stadium, you can see them play the Twins on a Tuesday night for $11. If you want to see them play the Dodgers on a Saturday, it’s going to cost more.

Metcalf ran a 10.36 100M. Harbor ran 10.12!! That’s faster than Tyreek Hill (10.19). He’s also an inch taller and 5 lbs. heavier than DK. Metcalf is the closest comp but as I said, “we have never seen this.” We haven’t. Harbor is still only 18 so who knows where he ends up.

Just came across this tweet and started reading about him. My goodness!! We are a couple of years away but this is a level of size/athleticism that we have probably never seen.

Lots of thoughts on the topic: - Fees have gotten crazy (specific to the primary market). - Because a venue only has 1 ticketing partner it is realistic to control those fees. They have a right to make money but they also are a monopoly in a sense. - The secondary market cannot and should not be regulated. It’s basic supply and demand. The tickets cost what someone is willing to pay and someone else is willing to accept. That’s the Leafs at Sabres model. - It’s hard for new ticket brokering sites to gain market share because TM & Stub Hub have so much $. It’s tough for anyone to close that gap. - Whoever can master a calculated gamble on futures would be able to find an audience. As an example of what I am referring to is something like, “pay $200 for the right to buy 2 Bills playoff tickets for all rounds at face value. If the Bills don’t host you're out $200. If they get there, you saved a bunch of money.” People have tried stuff like this but none have been really successful to my knowledge. It’s like the prop swap concept for those gamblers out there. It’s more of a big sporting event concept but it’s interesting imo.

I think that the Bills will have roughly 1100 defensive snaps (give or take). I’m thinking that he plays about 35%. That’s 385 defensive snaps. Let’s say that 250 of those are pass plays (probably conservative for how he will be used). He needs to get to the QB on 2% of the plays.

I mean, that’s not a huge number. For context 4.5 sacks would have him tied for 99th last year. It’s really not crazy.

I’m not trying to be “that guy” but I think that it’s important to add Javon Solomon to the mix. He led college football in sacks and plays a position of need. He’s going to play meaningful snaps at an impact position. I have his o/u at 4.5 sacks.

I’ll own it. Guys that can get to the passer, can get to the passer. I’ll set an o/u of 4.5 sacks for him.

My brother is on a plane right now with Beane. I told him to ask, “why does he only like slow guys?” 😂😂

I don’t think that they’re great but have produced. I’m way more concerned about the WR group because they don’t have anyone that requires attention. The DL at least has Oliver. If Von ever bounces back, they’re difficult to account for. They have a bunch of guys that are pretty good and 1 guy at an all-pro(ish) level.

I guess that I don’t think Floyd is as big of a loss. They were okay there last year. He was really good until like Thanksgiving. Toohill had 6.5 sacks and Solomon led the nation. That combination, with Von getting healthy, can hopefully offset Floyd’s departure. They were 4th in the league in sacks so they got pressure. Is it crazy to think that Toohill, Solomon, Von, Epenesa and Rousseau combine for 30 sacks? You can get another 15ish out of the guys on the inside and 5-10 out of everyone else and you’re back near the league lead in sacks.

For me, this isn’t a huge deal at this point. It is voluntary. It does probably indicate that the 2 sides aren’t as close as we have been led to believe. I hope that they get it done soon. The least thing that I want is Tua falling off and Miami escaping without his contract being an anchor.

Solomon could absolutely contribute this year. He has a knack of getting to the passer despite some limitations in terms of length. WR and edge are different types of needs. The problem at WR is that you’re missing the top of the depth chart. You don’t have a number 1 and may not have a number 2. Your 3-10 would stack up against any team in the league. If Shakir, Coleman, Samuel, MVS, Hollins, etc… had 2 guys above them (or at least 1 alpha) they would be fine. DE is a little thin but have a clear top. Toohill had 6.5 sacks last year (at least I think). Solomon led college football in sacks. It isn’t great but it’s a serviceable room. They too are missing an alpha (unless Von returns to form) but they’ll manage to get some pressure as they did last year. The Bills were 4th in sacks last year with zero from Von. They lose Floyd but gain Toohill, Solomon and a healthier Von.

I actually don’t hate the idea. There are probably 100ish - 150ish guys that COULD be DPOY if things go perfectly. Miller is probably one of them. He will need to be around 20 sacks. He did have 18.5 once. Obviously he’s way less likely than Watt or Garrett or Parsons but still POSSIBLE. At 250/1, it’s worth a few bucks.

https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-36190426.amp