GunnerBill

Yea there was a lot of buzz, a year ahead, at the 2017 Combine about the 2018 Quarterback class and particularly Allen and Darnold. He'd have been a first round pick in '17.

I think he meant as in he decided to go back to school in 2017. At one point he was rumoured to be considering declaring for the 2017 draft instead.

I've mentioned him in this thread..... and he played primarily wide this season (67%). He is small but he is not primarily a slot guy. For me it is Hollywood or take a punt on Atwell or Dyami Brown.

Spencer was a top 3 right tackle in 2024. I need to see him back up that level of play before I call him overall top 5 but if you are just going on the past season he was unquestionably top 5 at his spot. And you are right on Dion, in terms of consistency, reliability and longevity his resume definitely belongs in the top 5. Then it is the age - old question about how you value that against the guys who might have a higher ceiling in their best years but have not been as consistent, or are always hurt - I'm thinking the likes of Ronnie Stanley, Terron Armstead, Rashawn Slater etc, or guys who've been in the league less time, or played left tackle less time like Tristan Wifrs or Charles Cross.

Yep. It came down to a few plays, sure. We weren't good enough to make them.

Yep. The answer is not this dynamic kick off gimmick. The NFL needs to pick a side between safety and entertainment on kick offs. This middling it does not work.

You can't blame them, in terms of being the main reason for the defeat, no. But when you have an elite QB and two years in a row that happens you have to consider as part of your fix why that is. Simply shrugging and saying "defense" is misguided. The Bills have to find a way to win the high leverage moments vs Kansas City in the playoffs. That is mainly, but not exclusively, on defense. They have made those plays in their regular season wins (particularly the last 3) but they just haven't been able to in the playoffs.

Yea it is a fair point on 2021. I suppose I kind of feel like that was a team that just underperformed itself most of the year, partly cos the oline really struggled. When that clicked down the stretch the team improved to its potential. The thing about 2022 is the first 7 or 8 weeks the Bills were without question the best team in football.

I think you might be onto something there. With Tre, Po, Micah and Taron you could be limited but fundamentally sound and be a serviceable 5th wheel. With no safeties to help.... it is definitely harder.

Yea for sure. I think Lincoln Riley was good for him but that only mattered because of who Hurts is. His work ethic is incredibly impressive.

I think the 2021 and 2022 teams were better than the 2024 team.

Taron Johnson, Ed Oliver, Christian Benford and Conor McGovern are all top 15 at their positions. Shakir is top 15 if you simply deliniate slot receivers and Bernard would be there are thereabout at MLB. The Bills problem isn't lack of guys top 15 at their positions. It is lack of top 5 guys at their positions.

They are not great or elite, agreed. Milano was I think for a period pre-injuries and I think Benford and Brown are trending that way, but right now the only elite player on the Bills is Josh Allen. I am not sure that is quite the same as "just Josh and a bunch of guys" though which was your original statement.

I don't think the Denver team that beat Carolina was even a top 5 team in the NFL that season. Everyone else on that list was within the top 4 or 5 the year they won. But they aren't always "the best." The reality is normally among the top 4 or 5 teams in any one season the margins are very slim and they could all beat each other.

Probably a bit of both. Him setting some parameters before they hit the road and then him adding a layer of analytic analysis to their reports when they come back.

Especially how he looked in 2024. If he is healthier a further year removed from the achillies, fine, but yea it is voluntarily downgrading at Quarterback without any obvious play for how you then upgrade again. I said the same when the Raiders did it with Carr... it is never a good idea. If you can get someone broadly equivalent for cheaper, fine. If you plan to tank, fine (this Rams team is way too good for that). But just willfully going from a tier B Quarteback to a tier C guy for no good reason? Yea that's odd.

It appears as such because it is as such. And yes I broadly agree with the second para. "Crush" might be slight hyperbole but get the better of, yes for sure.

Gladstone was only Prime Minister four times....

It is primarily the Chiefs O vs Our D, yes. But their D generally beats our O in high leverage situations in the playoffs too. 2021 excluded (when that was purely coaching failure).

Yea I agree Snead is VERY good at his job. And he picked McVay too.

Oh for sure. Though in the big moments, Spags wins too. But unquestionably the bigger issue is we cannot find a way in the playoffs to win on defense. Which is so bizarre because in the regular season we have. The Eagles basically ran Leslie Frazier's 2021 regular season defensive gameplan in the Superbowl.

I suspect he is a very smart, slightly nerdy guy who McVay and Les Snead realised was bringing something different. Like the personnel version of Mike McDaniel.

I just think the Bills roster with Tua not Allen would be in the playoff mix. One game in or one game out. As for what is keeping the Bills short... it's simple. It's the Kansas City Chiefs.

I do that all the time. If you search my profile and "fair" you find plenty of them. That is generally how I start those responses.

I don't know for certain but I suspect it means developing player specifications and profiles for guys that meet their requirements for the scouting staff to then apply.