GunnerBill

This is a bit of a "one more throw of the dice" year for the 9ers. This squad, which has been together for 4 or 5 years the bones of it, will have to be broken up after this season. I expect 2025 for then to look a bit like we all think 2024 will be for Buffalo. Eat some dead money, move on some older players, try and re-set a bit.

What a shock. Not.

Yea. And the aqueducts.

I am generally out by 1 as well. Been out by two a couple of times. I think 11 wins as well. 11-6 and enough to win the AFC East.

Not all of us. I liked Dean the best of that group and had a 1st/2nd borderline grade on him. The rest I was lower than the consensus on all of then. Was an overrated group. EDIT: not so say Cine isn't a good shot for a team with safety questions like the Bills to take just for the avoidance of doubt. I like it. Just never thought he was a first round talent. EDIT2: I just checked actually was a late 1 on Nakobe Dean. Of that group I had Cine (2nd); T. Walker (2nd/3rd); Dean (1st); Q. Walker (3rd); Tindall (5th); Ringo (4th). I also had 2nds on Devonte Wyatt (who I think has justified it so far) and Jordan Davis (who hasn't).

And with the Jones and Neal duo now both gone he is by far our best gunner. How important a gunner is with the new rules we will find out this season.

53 or PS?

Completely right. It was always a low percentage dart but if it landed you were hitting the bullseye. There should always be space in your draft for a risk or two like that. I slightly disagree with Grable's college tape though. I hadn't watched him pre-draft (despite my spies at the Shrine Game saying he was a practice standout all week). But when I went back post draft and found some 2023 UCF tape.... he was pretty good especially in pass pro. Previous years I didn't get into and with the late transition to tackle (he tried QB and TE before landing at tackle) very possible they were messy. It's hard to grade objectively after the fact but I think had I watched him pre-draft I'd have had higher than a 6th round grade on him. If he hits there are going to be a lot of teams asking their scouts how they missed on him.

I genuinely would watch it. Maybe that makes me sad, but those end of roster decisions are always fascinating to me. I understand the people who say "don't care, has very little impact on the W-L record" I get that. But roster construction and the decisions that underpin it are part of what makes the NFL so interesting.

I agree. It is now. With the elevation rules and the allowing of vested vets the Practice Squad is an extension of your roster. It matters more than it used to. Is it something for people to freak out about, no, but it isn't a complete irrelevance these days in the way you could argue it was say a decade ago.

I get that on Jonathan. And I agree with it. But for Toohill??? That is the bit I don't understand.

Me too. I am also surprised by Toohill over Jonathan even though I know Jonathan had a mixed summer and was probably on the bubble. If they'd kept five ends and used that spot on another position I wouldn't have been at all surprised. For Toohill who has been hurt and looked rough on Saturday to jump him surprises me.

Interesting. They will certainly feel like their gamble paid off.

Yea. Did I expect Shorter would work out? No. The history of those speed, size guys without the college production in the pros is bad. But is that a pick to hate on them for? No. Plenty of picks I'd question the strategy and the thinking behind. This wasn't one of them even though the results were not good.

Except the Bills over the previous 4 years lead the league in players claimed. The only one I thought there might be a shot there was Gore and that is as much about legacy and name He has been there once though.

I don't think that is as safe an assumption as you do. That said, I agree the Bills have tended too far towards depth and not enough towards stars but as I said to @Chaos the other day it is a little bit chicken and egg. Have they spent less on stars because they spent more on depth or have they spent more on depth because they haven't had enough stars to justify paying them. In the Bills case over the last 5 or 6 years it has been a bit of both at different times. Agree with the Collins comment. I said when they signed him I thought it was a silly signing he was washed.

Give them a chance they couldn't sign anyone until 24 minutes ago.... were you hoping they'd be waiting there pens in hand?

Toohill is DE6 actually. Groot, Von, AJE, Smoot, Solomon, Toohill. I agree Toohill over Hardy makes no sense as a decision. But if he is hurt it comes down to Evans over Hardy. Which also makes no sense to me.

He has scored 10 tries over the past two seasons for Racing 92 one of the biggest clubs in France. He has returned to England to play for Gloucester this upcoming season.

Tasker has said it and I think he is right it is now less about pure speed and more about contact balance. I have no ide if this guy is good or will work out but I am pretty confident the answer wasn't Hamler or Isabella. If Hardy is fully healthy I'd have been happy to ride with him even though his decision making was questionable in pre-season but if he is not they had to make a move.

Lewis is really a safety who plays some nickel at this point rather than a corner.

Multiple times.

The Rams primary returner last year was Austin Trammel who had 25/28 punt returns and 6/9 kick returns. He had one game all season where had more than 4 offensive snaps. He had 9 weeks where he had 1 or 0 offensive snaps. The Bill primary returner last year Deonte Hart played more than double the number of snaps of Trammel. So remind me, which team only gives a spot for special teams? Almost every team has a primary returner and almost every team uses that guy pretty sparingly on offense or defense. The Bills have brought in a returner because they didn't like what they saw out of Hardy in the pre-season in the return game re. presumably his decision making. I don't have an issue with that at all. I do question still the decision to cut him because IMO he had shown enough to be worth a roster spot ahead of hopeless vets like Toohill and Morrow who bring nothing except a voice in the room that you could easily get from a PS guy.

Henne and Moore fit the classic backup mould a little more - kinda the way Case Keenum did here too. Sure, he had been a starter in the league but he'd never been drafted to be a franchise QB - indeed Moore and Keenum were never drafted at all. Mike White belongs in that camp. Wentz and Gabbert are failed top 10 picks. That is a different category IMO and Trubisky falls in that bucket. It isn't to say one is necessarily better than the other but, generally, the classic backup bucket are guys with more physical limitations but good understanding, command of the offense etc and the failed former top 10 pick types have a bit more physical talent but are inconsistent or struggle with the mental side in terms of processing quickly etc. But all backups are backups for a reason and how many times have we seen teams over the years take a decent backup and try to make them a starter - Fitz and Tyrod here, Keenum with Denver, Hoyer with the Texans, Bridgewater (I know he was a first round pick originally but a backup after the injury) in Carolina.... it never works in the longer term.

He is an upgrade on DiNucci