GunnerBill

Think this is absolutely fair. Nabers, BTJ and Ladd had great rookie years but given we were talking ten in the first two rounds it hasn't quite lived up. Interestingly Corley (who I thought at the time was way overdrafted, never a day two pick for me) was WR11 at the top of the third round. I know the regime has changed but to be on the outs by the end of your second camp....... wowzers.

Gotts be for one of the DBs. Hamlin, Lewis, maybe Ingram.

I still think SVPG is a possible cut when Grable is back as well. Anderson is safe. Any of the other backups could be the odd one out. Agree it is Carter and Solomon the likely Dline casualties though it DQ looks even more washed than last year then maybe... the other route they can is cutting a DB given how many they kept... if Bishop has nailed down the job might they feel more relaxed moving on from say a Damar Hamlin?

Been in the theatre.... I see Shavers made it. Do we think that means 6 receivers?

He earned it. Kudos

Yea I know it's a bad way to look at it in the big picture but that genuinely was one of the things I most liked about extending Cook.

Yea I defend AJ a bit as a player because he has been a kind of consistent rotational pass rusher the last 3 years and yet people still often talk about him like a bust which isn't fair. But the Bills drafted a guy and then asked him to completely change his body which wasted two years of his rookie deal and frankly even if he had been the player he has been the past three years for his full 5 year career it is still probably the absolute baseline for an acceptable 2nd round pick.

Carter is right on the bubble. It does still classify as a surprise give he is a 2nd year 3rd round pick.... but it could happen.

The Bill Belichick D was about size and run play at defensive tackle, big interior linebackers at the Will and the Mike, length at the outside backer positions (I mean by the end he was just drafting pretty much carbon copies of one another at that spot - Ronnie Perkins, Chase Winovich, Anfrenee Jennings - talk about physical prototype!) and then he liked really sticky aggressive corners and wasn't really bothered about size - he probably took as many smaller corners as big ones - and he liked safeties who were ball hawks, ideally who had played corner previously. He valued guys who played his way. Yes, he wanted smart football players, I don't dispute that at all. But he didn't draft coverage linebackers, he didn't draft 4-3 hand in the dirt defensive ends and he didn't big thumping safeties. They didn't suit his system he didn't draft them. You can choose not to believe it, that's your choice, but the Patriots had the smallest draft board in the league year after year after year. You had to be smart, you had to fit Bill's system and you had to love football. If you didn't tick all three boxes you were off the board - and that's before the normal injury and character red flags.

Some will. Some won't. For some there is that frustration borne of "just give me one" for others there is a more fundamental entitlement and a heavy dose of modern everything now culture.

I see the in a total emergency Shenault at WR > Codrington at CB argument.... but I think I'd rather see Codrington as the return man. So you are then getting into what do you choose, better returner, or better break glass position player?

I'm sorry the bolded is wrong. Belichick drafted guys who fitted his scheme and only guys who fitted his scheme - you had to be smart, but you had to be able to play his scheme. It was part of what sunk his drafting at the end. As NFL defenses changed to be smaller and faster and the college game followed suit Belichick got stuck drafting people for his scheme which often meant passing on superior talents. Yes, he had the ability to be multiple in the way he used his players, he is and always was a great football coach and strategist. But he was very rigid to his player prototypes. The Patriots had the smallest draft board in the league when he was there. I was told by someone pretty well connected that one year right at the end of the Brady era the Patriots had just 53 draftable players on their board because they had decided so many others were not suitable for the scheme.

I mean he got that 2022 draft pretty right even despite whiffing on his first rounder.... without that 2022 class his seat would be very, very hot right now. If the 2023 class and the 2024 class don't look better by the end of this season than they do right now then his end of season presser will be interesting.

Agree. Beane says he will "never apologise" for spending a lot of his capital $$s and picks on the DLine. But to the same degree he can't then give us a sob story about how hard it is putting pieces around Josh or having something resembling NFL level safety play "when you are paying your quarterback"..... it's all choices. Brandon makes his. We will have to live and die by them. EDIT: although just to be clear he won't actually be on the books for the next three seasons. Once his contract voids after 2025 the money accelerates into 2026. He actually counts $2.5m dead cap next year and then is clear thereafter. But your principle point stands.

Agree with all this except Trubisky. I think he has been fine. He is a middle of the road NFL backup Quarterback. He won that job pretty convincingly to my eye. But all the other concerns are concerns I share. I'll add return game too where neither Shenault or Coddrington has really separated for me.

Yea he is never a straight down the highway kicker. His kicks were fine apart from the chip shot. He is always going to flirt with the uprights a bit.

Not as much as before because they can now IR two players for return in advance of cuts. That was new last year and as such fewer "wait in the car park" type vet cuts will happen. Sure there is still some calculation between an older bottom of the roster vet you might not lose if you cut him for the PS and a younger guy who is subject to waivers.... but generally these days a guy who is cut in the next 48 hours is cut because they were deemed not good enough to make the roster.

I have watched it. Yea Bishop had a couple of nice close and stick plays. He was fine. It was a solid day, if he can turn in 17 plus post season solid days we will all be happy. I don't think he did anything exceptional but he was fine. I have never questioned Cole Bishop's physical talent either. I do worry a bit about his processing. It's the mental side in coverage that still gives me concerns. It's a bit Dorian Williams like. Nobody has ever doubted he can run and hit, but teams have taken advantage of him between the ears. They get him to take the bait too often.

I do. He is Brandon Beane's pet project. He just can't quit him. And they will need a 5th DT I imagine. Carter is trash. At every opportunity to rush the passer.... his run D... not so much.

I think we will keep 5. I don't think Shenault makes the team. I am certain Shavers is ahead of him. If we keep 6 Shenault is being kept just as a returner. Not as a guy who can play receiver, because he can't. They were a talking disaster zone.

I thought Cole was fine this week. He didn't stand out but no mistakes that were immediately noticeable.

Thats a bit optical illusion. Tv head on angle doesn't always do a good job on kicks. They were all good except for the miss.

Was on my good list until he missed the kick. Good to see him out there and looking healthy. But you can't miss those chip shots and get a good night!

Agree with all of this. Solomon did force the fumble last night - that goes in his favour. But agree he hasn't done a ton else in the games to be sure of sticking. I think it is Shavers > Moore for ST play and just general making an impact. Moore needed to show some splash.

Honestly I'd need to go back and look. I did it reasonably quickly this morning to get the post out as I have plans later. But will remember to come back and update! Ha, yep! The more you can do etc...