GunnerBill

And remember we'd need the space to accept his contract before we can renegotiate it. With the Bears 2-2 I think it is less likely now he is available. A 2nd and a 5th or something..... maybe a 2nd a 5th and Curtis Samuel or Elijah Moore? Sure there is an injury risk, but he is immediately a stud on this offense.

He is also turning 26 within weeks. He'd be 28 at the end of his rookie deal. He is never going to be the #1 here now Cook is signed (nor would I ever have wanted him to be but the idea if Cook was still up in the air long term of at least having someone "in the system" to split time with a rookie replacement you might need to draft next spring is now out the window). I'd rather Davis than paying a vet to be in the rotation but Gore is even cheaper than Davis and so anything you can get back for Davis is gravy.

He kicked game 1 but as a practice squad elevation. He wasn't signed until the active roster until week 2.

I'd do that YESTERDAY.

While it is definitely true that the Bills have had some success with draft picks even where they haven't had much impact their rookie season but you are confusing Cook with Singletary. Gore was long gone by Cook's rookie year - though Cook was stuck behind the bang average JAG that was Devin Singlepurpose in his first season.

That is fair. But it still doesn't justify people saying things like "the defense is always bad" and "it's like this every year" four games into a season when that is demonstrably untrue. Whether you value regular season statistics or not the Bills used to regularly post very impressive number and performances in the regular season. So getting four gamed into the regular season and claiming the defense being bad is same old, same old, is not justified.

Yes I would though I haven't really thought about practical affordability.

I didn't judge rookies on whether they'll be good or not. I judged the six premium picks at the spot previously. And Phillips started 11 times in 4 years as a Bill. He was a backup.

If I am living in reality Xavier Woods at safety from Tennessee maybe. I liked him as a low cost vet option in FA though abd if the Bills had been interested maybe they do it then? Jeffrey Simmons also from the Titans if cap space etc is no blocker.

I don't like any of those ideas for the Bills.

I disagree. I think you can. The defense wasn't clutch in the big moments. Indisputable. But it doesn't invalidate everything else.

Frazier's D was a top 3 D. You are arguing with facts to say otherwise. If you want to say they were not clutch in the post season be my guest. But they were a top defense.

McDermott ran the defense quite differently in 2023 from Frazier though. There was plenty of Frazier's own influence in how he ran it. Each of the three DCs we have had (McD included) has run the defense quite differently even if the fundamentals of their scheme are broadly consistent. I am on record as not thinking the fundamental scheme is the issue. I know I am in the minority on that, but fine. True, I more meant about where he was apportioning the responsibility.

There was one person...... We had one of those. He is now Assistant Head Coach in Seattle.

This is all fair but to add that the confusion pre-snap and the 3rd down struggled are largely on Babich. Because they have not been issues prior to him being the DC. It is completely fair to put poor run defense and inconsistent pass rush on McDermott and to a lesser extent Beane, because those have been repeated problems across multiple DCs over many years and they haven't solved them either with scheme or player acquisition. It's also fair, of course, to say McDermott hired Babich and so is accountable for that. What it is not fair to say though is firing Babich would just be scapegoating. There are problems on this defense of his making. Wanting them to keep him to "punish" the HC for hiring him in the first place is an odd way of some fans (not saying you) thinking.

And he is particularly fond of the double overload blitz with off coverage behind. Which means not only is there a big window for a receiver to get into and be available to his Quarterback but if they can connect they basically have one man to beat on that side of the field. He seems to run that blitz at least once per game. I'm sure it will get home someday. McDermott should just order him to take it out of the playbook.

I point fingers at McDermott for the things that I think it is reasonable on a proper assessment of evidence to point fingers at him for. And I certainly don't give him credit for all the positives. A lot of what was right on defense the first six years of this regime was Leslie Frazier as much as it was anyone.

Yea, he really only got three years of backup level play from Phillips but I'm not blaming Beane for the injury. These things can't be helped.

Eight premium (day 1 or 2) picks in eight drafts on the defensive line by Brandon Beane. Only the two first rounders - Oliver and Groot are starters or have ever been proper starters. He has invested SIX day two picks on defensive linemen and from the four that happened before this past draft he has got just four years of rotational backup play from Harrison Phillips and now six years of situational pass rushing from AJE. It's the area of the roster where his return on investment is worst IMO and that's just the draft.... when you consider FA as well it is even more stark! But hey, he will "never apologise" for investing in the defensive line.

AJE played well Sunday.

He is definitely better than he was coming out.

Of course. That is not in dispute. But people are talking like the defense has always sucked and has never been good. People are saying that in this thread. And I'm afraid for as bad as the current defense is and looks that is simply not true.

while I totally agree with the assessment of where we are now the people who keep saying "the defense has never been good" and "it's the same every year" really do have short memories. Leslie Frazier had three top 3 ranked defenses and one other top 10 defense in six seasons here. They are consistently top 10 in the league in takeaways (ever season of McDermott) and under Frazier they were top ten on 3rd down 5 out of 6 years too. Sure, the defense never dominated in the playoffs, that is undeniable. But the Bills had a number of really good defenses under Leslie and I think fans have simply forgotten how good we had it. The current defense is a mess. We are already blitzing way more than normal. After week 3 we were second in the league for blitz %. It doesn't look pretty. We should be blitzing way less.

He doesn't have the leg for Buffalo. Very shaky beyond 50.

Was definitely their worst game of the year.