GunnerBill

My take on the 2026 class (and I really haven't started diving in yet) is it doesn't look a great class at the premium positions - a lot of people love the QBs but that remains to be seen. Think interior Dline, linebacker, running back will be decent groups with some depth. Agree with the OP there are some edge guys but they aren't really your quick twitch dominant pass rush types. They are your big end 5i types. There will be receivers but maybe not a ton of top names (possibly similar to 2025). I think the 2027 class not just at receiver but everywhere could be a bit of an all timer. But that is VERY early crystal ball gazing and a lot can happen inbetween times.

I'm looking. He is still meh.

What leads you to believe the defense would have been any more likely to make a stop?

Sure. And I never doubted he was a solid pick. I think Hancock can be too. It isn't a knock on those guys. It is a knock on Beane's priorities. Which are third tight end and backup DB over developmental receiver with explosive traits. He just always seems to find something he values more.

Well the Normans did invade. About a thousand years ago.

Tuesday morning reflections.... - There was a ton of bad football in the NFL this week even from some of its stronger teams. Not this game. This was an excellent contest between two talented teams; - The Lions demise was definitely prematurely stated after week 1. Even I dropped them from my tier of potential Superbowl winners. I shouldn't have. This team still has enough talent to go all the way; - Kelvin Sheppard (not someone I immediately had down as future NFL DC when he was a 3rd round pick of the Bills in 2011) and his defense won the battle up front. Limited Henry and then when the Ravens were forced to pass swarmed Jackson; - Meanwhile the Ravens defense missing Madubuike and Van Noy really never got hold of the Lions run game and you do wonder a little bit about their depth on that side of the ball; - All of a sudden Derrick Henry is a fumbler! 3 fumbles in the entire season last year, three in 3 games this year... but the Ravens also need to find a way to get Zay Flowers more involved in the game. While Rashod Bateman is a good player as a defensive coach I am happy with him having 6 receptions if it means Zay Flowers is 2 for 13 yards - he is their game breaker. Both of these teams are still potential Superbowl champions. Even if they both have yet to prove it in the post season.

The Dorsey metrics fell off a cliff at the end of his time here as well. He was fired deservedly. I thought he did a reasonable job his one full year (2022) But 2023 was going downhill fast. It started in London where the offense was brutal and it snowballed from there. It was definitely the right decision to move on. Brady is a better OC.

The deep shot comment was a tongue in cheek jab at Dallas to be clear.

I also do not think Bobby Babich is particularly good. The third down defense is a problem not entirely because of how he calls it but definitely partly how he calls it. I know he is still a relatively inexperienced coordinator and he has had some highlights (his regular season gameplan v KC last year was outstanding) but I feel like he is a weak spot.

I am a bit of a downer on this defense. I think if Hairston can get healthy and be an impact guy and we can get more of the best version of Joey Bosa, and Michael Hoecht can add something and we can get and keep Ed Oliver healthy then maybe it turns a corner. But I dunno. I just don't feel like this group has the talent of a top defense.

Yea day 2 this past draft wasn't really the sweet spot, certainly not where the Bills picks were (there were a couple of guys who went early day 3 I'd have been willing to take if we had our original 3rd rounder at the end of the round still). But I was in favour of double dipping in 2024 and I was in favour of an early day 3 pick this year - I thought there were some developmental pieces there with explosiveness and upside. I would rather the team was built around explosive receivers than an explosive running back. But here we are. If Cook gets hurt the overall offensive speed on this roster is pitiful. Elijah Moore and not much else.

I don't disagree too much with that. I'm not sure they want to "grind it out" I think that over eggs it - they are not a 3 yards and a cloud of dust team. But they definitely value efficiency over explosiveness on offense. Brandon Beane came from an organisation that didn't value receiver and hasn't valued receiver here. McDermott doesn't like divas, he likes "team guys" and I imagine the Diggs experience further embedded that view - and lots of WRs are divas. I predicted the day Beane was hired he would spend less draft capital on receivers than I would like him to and that has been pretty much the case. I wish they'd invest more in receiver in the draft. Even this year where I understand why it wasn't on the table in round 1 and I don't think it really fell that way on day 2... they still drafted a second IDL, a run blocking tight end, and a backup nickel corner in rounds 4 and 5 when there were explosive, developmental receivers on the board. I am not just saying it because he has popped early in the return game (I'm on record here as saying it at the time and in the aftermath of Beane's WGR interview) but Id have given up Hawes or Hancock and any of the 6th round picks to go up a few spots for Tory Horton. I think he has potential to be an impact player. Yep. And unless you are playing Dallas completing deep balls looks darn hard.

It wasn't the INTs that bothered me about the offense previously. It was as soon as we didn't have peak Diggs within it the boom and bust nature became very much more bust. We'd have whole quarters, even halves of football in the first half of that 2023 season where we couldn't get first downs, sustain drives or score points. I would love to go back to 2021 playoff offense. But you can't do that with this cast of skill position players. It would be doomed to fail. Even with Josh Allen.

It has, but at the expense of some players over the years. I'd much prefer the week off and the road through Buffalo. Doesn't guarantee anything but maximises our chances.

And this is our shot at the #1 seed. As I said before (and sure things can change) the road next year looks a lot tougher. While I'd still back the Bills to win the division and therefore be in the playoffs, I don't expect them to be in the mix to win 14 games or more in 2026. So this is the opening. Fitting with the last year of the stadium.

Yea I have him top 5 too. There is a significant drop from #4 mind you... but there is this presumption the Eagles don't throw because Hurts isn't good at it. Well 2nd half yesterday against a good defense they put the game on his arm and he delivered. He is also an exceptional leader. I'd take him above everyone except the top four to start a franchise with.

The schedule is what it is. Everyone knows the formula years in advance, some years you get a break, some years you don't. Most of the time I have been an NFL fan it is a good think to have either the AFCS or the NFCS on your schedule that year. Cos those divisions are often rough. And now the Dolphins have taken a step back the AFCE is a pretty good division to live in as a starting point too. EDIT: as an aside our 2026 schedule could be brutal. AFC West and NFC North. That is Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, Vikings, Packers, Lions at a minimum who are all I'd say top half of the NFL teams right now. And there are signs of life for the Bears too. Our other out of conference game is NFC West as well which looks right now like being the 9ers. Plus division winners of the AFCS (maybe Colts?) and AFCN (Ravens). There isn't gonna be a lot of chaff other than the division games on that schedule. Of course the Bills can beat all of those teams but that is probably shaping up as the hardest schedule of the McDermott - Allen era.

H2H against Baltimore Houston 0-3 Chiefs 1-2 and not looking great Bengals 2-1 but now Burrowless. If the top 4 seeds come playoff time are Buffalo, Baltimore, Chargers and Colts man I will feel good about our chances.

On the pretence that this somehow guarantees they end up with 3 not 7.... but that gets you to the same problem.... you need your defense to make a stop.

It is a coaching decision the Bills got right in the Ravens win. After the big play to Palmer the Bills needed one first down to make sure the game ended on a FG. They passed on first down, complete to Coleman. Maybe they got lucky with the Raven tackling him, but in that scenario the best down to pass on is first down. I think where analytics can definitely do more is 4th quarter clock management really throughout the whole quarter. I am constantly amazed by teams getting the ball with say 10 minutes left down a score and taking a 6 minute drive where they are not hurrying between plays to score a TD. What you have just done by that is guaranteed that unless your D can make a stop you have lost the game. Because the opposition can time a 4 minute drive to score right at the end and leave you basically no time. Once its 4th Quarter you should be managing the clock on every down.

And a time out still in their pocket.

This. End of debate.

I watched some of that Bears game last night. Very, very bad. That is all Kaiir Elam needed to be an NFL starter. Find the worst secondary in the league, start on it.

Monday morning reactions to SNF: - The Chiefs finally got their run game going which was a necessity as other than telling Thornton "run fast downfield" they are getting nobody open in the pass game; - Other than the backward pass he had to recover himself I thought Mahomes played a really good game. The numbers won't pop but while early last year I thought some of their issues offensively fell on Quarterback play that isn't the case here. It's mainly stuff around him that isn't working. - Talking of Quarterback issues... Russell Wilson is terrible. All dump offs or heaves downfield. He made precisely one what I would call "proper Quarterback throw" to Slayton late on. They are going nowhere with him. If you don't wanna play Dart put Winston in. - Also for its talent level that was an underperformance by the Giants defensive line. They lost too many assignments up front. Given the resources they have poured in - top 10 picks etc - that unit has to be the engine of their team. - It's been a really tough week for the James Cook haters. Not only did we see again just how wide the gap is between him and the other Bills backs but the "Singletary would have been just as good if the Bills had this offensive line when he was here" argument took another hit as he is relegated to kick returner on one of the worst teams in football. And while Skattebo averaged 6 yards per carry and Tracey, before injury, 4 yards per carry... Singletary had 4 carries for 11 yards. 2.75 ypc. He will be out of the NFL next year.

#english