GunnerBill

That is a slightly different point to your initial point. I understand challenging that assertion. But he didn't suggest that that it was sufficient of a sliver lining to override the risk that we do need to make a clutch kick at some point (which was your original point as you articulated it).

I think you missed the words "silver lining."

Yep in the era of free agency nobody is keeping Frank Reich as a backup for 9 years. Just isn't happening. Your choices now are: 1. The 4 or 5 established bridge/backup guys in the league at any one time who are normally signed to decent contracts by teams with a question mark at the position or who are intending to draft their starter that year: Gardner Minshew, Jacoby Brissett, Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton types.... 2. The former starter who hasn't quite established themselves as a reliable backup yet but still feels like a talent worth a punt on but again get decent FA money unless you can snag them while still on a rookie deal: Carson Wentz, Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, Kenny Picket, Mitch Trubisky, Mac Jones... 3. The mid-round guy you drafted, tried as a starter, and now have cheap as a backup still on a rookie deal: Sam Howell, Davis Mills, Desmond Ridder, Kyle Trask.... 4. The bounce around the league guys who go from team to team year on year as backups and normally never see the field and when they do have inconsistent results: Josh Dobbs, Tyrod Taylor, Mike White, Jake Browning... Sometimes you strike lucky with a guy from category 4. The Bengals did last year. But Jake Browning had been in the league for four years without seeing the field. It's not like anyone was ranking him as a top backup. If the Bills are really stuck and Trubisky stinks it up again in pre-season the realistic, logical option I can see is trade with the Falcons for Taylor Heinicke. He is the bounce around the league category too, but looks like being the #3 in Atlanta as things stand. He would only bring a $1.2m cap hit with him and I'm not sure who else is coming that cheap with a chance to be an improvement. I'm not saying he is definitely better than Trubisky, but if it isn't working with him then Heinicke is a viable and attainable alternative IMO.

Think that was also Gabe. In cut from the left hand side of the field from memory.

It seems it still is.

Mario. Reddick isn't close to what Mario was at his best.

That is how I read the rule too though it isn't totally clear. I am going to guess Sal has checked with others before posting so looks like my read is the right one.

Gabe Davis touchdown @ 49ers in 2020. Corner route to Gabe who looked wide open but Josh manipulated the defense with the eyes, identified where the pressure was coming from and then threw a strike. Not necessarily his best, but my favourite. That was peak Josh Allen IMO. His best regular season game as a Bill in my view.

Agree with all this, although on B that is just traditionally where McVay uses his best receiver. He is an exception not the rule though.

You get two returns for people IR'd before the season and they must be designated on roster cutdown day. I don't know whether that means it only applies if you are IR'd on that day? Or if the Bills could still designate Claypool as one of their slots on cutdown day? It isn't clear from the wording that I've seen.

Yea it did look windy, maybe that played in to it.

Availability is the best ability. Claypool onto IR for the year. He is done.

His weakness as a runner is that he is not great moving laterally. He is great when he hits a seam and he can go straight ahead. But he doesn't have those quick step feet in and among the mess in the trenches to find a lane where there isn't one.

Harsh drop though. That was on Trubisky. Ball was unnecessarily left behind him. Woulda been a touch catch moving one way and reaching back behind yourself.

I don't. Edwards was not the issue on Saturday. I think he had one play where he kinda lost his anchor that was on him, otherwise Edwards was good. It was more the right hand side - particularly Spencer Brown that seemed to be struggling with communication or was half assing it. I haven't watched Joe Marino's breakdown but I believe he put it down to timing issues. Regardless, Spencer Brown wasn't blocking where he should have been blocking at the time he should have been blocking way too often. And I don't think Torrence had his best game either. While I think SVPG looked tidy technically and had a solid debut he was playing against 3rd stringers and there were still a couple of snaps where some of his over balancing tendency shows up and he ends up pushed back. I think the Bills need to not rush him into the lineup and wait until he has earned that spot. At the moment he is 3rd on the depth chart because that is where his play has him. It isn't any reason for concern but equally I don't think he has done anything yet that justifies rushing him into the lineup.

Missed a couple of run game assignments too. I thought he was really rough on Saturday. I don't agree with the premise he played well. There was a significant gap between Solomon and he IMO, and they have been rotating in for one another in camp.

I said it in the spring..... Philly getting Bryce Huff as a FA and then trading Reddick to the Jets for a third to replace aforementioned Huff was great business. They got the better, younger, pass rusher and a 3rd round pick.

Yea 2020 was a good class. On Caleb I am pretty confident that he at the very least is going to be a serviceable NFL starting Quarterback.

If that is true it is a horrible lack of self awarenss from Shanny. That isn't how he runs his offense.

Tanny's success has all been in a very different system. If he comes cheap, I'm interested. But I think you'd have to run quite a different offense if Josh got hurt.

Yea I havd been on the intrigued side of Kinglsey Jonathan for the last 2 years. Because he has talent without the knowledge of how to play football. But he is no better now than he was 2 years ago. And he was bad on Saturday. We do have 5 better players on the roster at that spot though. Jonathan is not battling the rest of the Ends now. He is battling a 4th tight end, a 6th linebacker, a 5th safety etc... for one of the final roster spots.

I still wonder why they drafted him. He was never a fit for their offense. They moved him on because Purdy runs the plays Kyle designs. That is what Kyle wants. He does not want freelancing.

Agree. But I don't think they are as deep this year. Maybe that is understandable with the cap decisions they took in the spring to start over at some spots. But it is still a weaker roster to my eye. We didn't get better this offseason, hopefully though it sets us up to get better next offseason.

I normally do a good night / bad night thread for every pre-season game but this weekend was pretty hectic so happy to stick my thoughts here belatedly: Good night (slim pickings....) Javon Solomon - I think if there was any element of him being in a battle for a roster spot at the start of camp that is now settled. He makes it. Okay, Von didn't play, so you have one edge to come back but it was significant that he was on the second line opposite Smoot rather than Kinglsey Jonathan who had been rotating in with him in camp and has been in the system longer. Solomon had two nice tackles and held up better at the point of attack vs the run than I feared he would in the NFL. Okay, it's only pre-season, but he was our most impressive DLman on the night and Jonathan had some mistakes and penalties that further solidifies Solomon's spot IMO. Tylan Grable - A bit like Solomon in that he is a day 3 pick who is in a battle for a roster spot. While I think his probably isn't nailed down yet it also felt significant that he started with the 2nd team offensive line at right tackle. La'el Collins who I think they hoped was some vet tackle insurance when they signed him played (and not well) at left guard which suggests to me they have given up on him as a tackle option. It's worrying for our vet depth on the line but I thought Grable was probably the best lineman on show. He has a super high ceiling. I'd like them to try and develop him this year so that they are not forced into paying Spencer Brown if that price rises quickly this season. Kendall Williamson - I know he had the stupid late hit out of bounds that brought a flag and extended a drive. But I thought aside from that he played a good game. Was active in the box, had a nice solo tackle in space at the second level and a good pass break up in a 2 deep look. We obviously have injuries at safety and there is an opportunity for someone to potentially step up. He has given himself a real outside shot at the roster, but at least was one guy I circled as "would want back on the practice squad." Frank Gore Jnr - He had no chance at the roster beforehand and he still has no chance now. But I thought he kept running hard in a forlorn effort, had a couple of nice dump off receptions and looked like a pro. That is going to get him on a practice squad somewhere. If you have to put him into a game he is going to know the playbook, understand his protection responsibilities and do his job. His athletic limitations are there for all to see - he is small and he is slow but he showed enough to stick in the league for a couple of years even if he is unlikely to ever be an active roster guy. Joe Andreessen - I wouldn't have mentioned him if there was more good to reflect on. But in the absence of it this kid lived his dream on Saturday night and played at Highmark Stadium as a Buffalo Bill. It might be the only time it happens, and while he was active and all effort he was clearly short of the required talent level, but it was a cool moment for him. Bad Night (how long have you got....) The starting offensive line - that was rough. I know a lot have focussed on the Edwards-McGovern axis but I thought the right side was terrible. That was where the improvement in the line came from last season, but Brown and Torrence were either not communicating well or half assing it because it seemed like a guy was penetrating from that side within a second of the snap every play. Sam Martin - he had a couple of really nice punts but two absolute shanks too. You can't have two sub 40 yard punts in a game that are not intentional pooch punts. I know he was complaining about the wind moving the ball as he dropped it onto his foot but you are the punter in Buffalo. Newsflash - it gets windy. He struggled at the end of last season but was carrying injuries and they maybe gave him a pass. He worries me going into the season. Dorian Williams - I know he had a tackle for loss and a sack. Two of the few splash plays by the Bills defense. But what was keeping him off the field last year wasn't an inability to make splash plays. It was the inability to make the routine play. He is out of position all the freaking time and a couple of those big early runs the Bears broke he was out of his lane. He is an athletic freak, if they can channel it there is a player there. But McDermott won't put him on the field when he is so consistently not in his spot. Valdez-Scantling and KJ Hamler - If these guys went into the night as indicative WR5 and WR6/7 on the depth chart then neither helped solidify those spots. MVS had 1 target and 1 horrible drop. Hamler muffed a punt and had a drop of his own. The positive for the two of them is none of the other guys competing for a spot at receiver did anything either. Beyond Shakir and Samuel who are locks and a little flash from Coleman on one play there was not much encouraging about the receiver room. The backup Quarterbacks - I have been a defender of the deal to bring back Trubisky but he was awful on Saturday. He didn't throw a pick but there were two that probably should have been. He did at least manage to move the offense a bit though. The third stringer Shane Buechele who Brandon Beane has been telling anyone who will listen has "had a great camp" looked to me like a guy who does not belong on an NFL field even in a pre-season game. Worrying.

Id say LB3. Jesus Williams was rough. I was on my sofa and closer to plays than him. Christ alive. He is physically talented but he has no idea what he is doing.