sven233

It really is impossible to compare Kelly to Allen, or really any QB from that era to today's players. The game is just so different. As someone who has had the privileged of watching both Kelly and Allen's careers live (multiple times for each thanks to recordings), there are not just obvious differences in the game, but there are so many subtle things as well and those differences just impact the way the game is played. In Kelly's era, it was all about timing and getting the ball out on time. The offense dictated to the defense. In today's game, it's almost the exact opposite. WR's have options on many routes depending on the defense being played. QB's have to play more reactionary as well and a lot of the decisions that they make are based on where they see overages switch to post snap. That's why in today's game so many of the big plays that happen do so out of structure rather than the 80s and 90s where QBs would just call a "Go" route and throw it because that was what was called because they were forcing defenses to adapt to them. You look at stats from a 30 years ago and you just assume that the guys today are just that much better. In terms of athletes, that is for sure true in most cases. That said, guys like Kelly, Marino, Favre, Elway, etc. were so in control of the game. Everything happened within the structure of the play. They dropped back, set, and delivered the ball for better or worse. They always seem to know at the top of their drop, if not sooner, where the ball was going. They didn't always have the right answers, especially when you look at INT numbers, but they were always going to get the ball out on time way more often than not. I have probably a 100+ Bills games from the mid 80s to current day that I watch and it's crazy sometimes to watch the game slowly evolve over the years. Not saying I enjoy one era more than another. They each have things that make them special and I actually like that. But yeah.....don't just look at the numbers when trying to compare the old and new guard. You can't do that. Just enjoy greatness in both eras.

1. How many would they have won without Josh Allen? 5 2. How many would they have won without James Cook? 12 3. How many would they have won without Dion Dawkins? Spencer Brown? 11 (If missing both. If only missing 1....12) 4. How many would they have won without Ed Oliver? 12 5. How many would they have won without Rousseau? 12

He just needs to learn how to finish. Solomon played sparingly last season, but when you watch him, he wins a ton of reps. He was around the QB a ton, but there were so many times he would get his hands on the QB and not finish. He probably should have had 5 or 6 sacks last season because he beat his man badly, but failed to get the QB on the ground. Almost looked tentative at times. Maybe he was afraid of getting flagged or something. Regardless, I saw some promise in him last year because I did watch him specifically quite a bit, but he left me frustrated when he didn't get the QB on the ground. I want to see him be more aggressive and finish this season. I think he has something.

I am not going to say what is "right" or "wrong" either way when it comes to streaming. I'd be lying if I said I never saw a stream of a huge boxing, WWE, UFC card, or NFL game at some point. Is it "right"? I am not here to judge because there are compelling cases to be made on both sides. I mean, there is a perfect example being built right now in our backyard. We are funding almost a BILLION dollars of a new stadium with our tax money for an owner that is worth almost 8 BILLION DOLLARS that will collect the revenue generated from this stadium. On top of that, fans are being forced to purchase the RIGHT to buy a seat in the same stadium on top of the ticket price to actually see the game. And we as taxpayers are sure to get a piece of the pie back from the stadium we are covering about half of, right? Nope...... Yes, there are other arguments to be made as well. Tickets, merchandise, streaming services to watch the games, etc. But really, for funding the stadium alone, it seems like watching an NFL game should be included in that price somewhere. Like I said, it's a gray area in a lot of ways. Sure, the rules are the rules but there is an argument to be made that the NFL is a monopoly and are finding every loophole themselves to increase their profits year after year. They get so many tax breaks, and other perks us regular folks don't so if someone wants to watch their favorite team or a good matchup they normally wouldn't be able to watch on a stream once in a while, I am not going to rake them over the coals about it.

While not completely shocking, I am not particularly worried yet. It's probably about hopes and expectations. Obviously, we all hope he is healthy all season and dominates in the Playoffs. And you know what? It can still happen. Will it? I, and many here, don't expect it. That said, I think this is going to be the theme of the year. Every time he is remotely banged up, I think the Bills are going to be overly cautious and keep him out longer than necessary whether that be at camp or during the season. And you know what? I'm fine with that as my goal is to have him as close to 100% going into the Playoffs and then just ride him until the wheels come off. So, if he only plays 7 games this season, fine. Heck.....be overly cautious and go into the season saying he is only going to play every other game as a plan even if he is healthy! Just ramp him up for what we hope is a dominant Playoff and Super Bowl run. In the meantime, get the you guys like Jackson and Solomon as many reps as possible. Have Bosa work with them in the film room and as much as he can on the field and try to push them ahead of schedule in their development.

For a rookie DB in his first practice with vets, it's probably a positive we haven't heard a peep about him.

Here's the thing.... I am all for NFL players being allowed to play in this if they want to......as long as they are not a member of the Buffalo Bills. The last thing I need is one of our star players blowing out a knee or something weeks before the season is about to start playing flag football. This isn't Pro Bowl level flag football either. These are hyper competitive games where bad things can and probably will happen. That said, I am all for other NFL players playing because I think it would be awesome and fun to watch. I know some view it as a joke, but flag football is starting to become a huge thing in the US. It has been gaining momentum for a long time and NFL players might help it explode. It was just reported a few weeks ago by ESPN that there are already major investors like TKO that are looking to get in on the ground floor of both men's and women's professional leagues as the NFL is really behind this because they think it is a great way to introduce the game to new people. With the NFL throwing their support behind it,I think those that invest early are going to be rewarded for it. So yeah.....I hope 31 other teams have at it. I'll be rooting for you to win gold!

As you all know, like many here, I was not a fan of the Coleman pick. I had him rated as a late 3rd or 4rh rounder. The fact is, if you can't get open in college, you are not going to get open in the NFL. And that was shown last year. Outside of a couple of plays where he was kind of schemed open and a couple of slants, he didn't make a lot of plays within the structure of the offense. He made a couple plays deep down the field on scramble drill type stuff, but within the design of the play, it was rough going. He was slow and had terrible footwork at the top of routes which allowed defenders to close extremely quickly if he did create a half step of separation. The way I see it, to get anything out of him, 2 things need to happen. First, you have to use him on routes where theoretically he can win (using him out of the slot more as well). That means slants and short to intermediate stop routes. Look.....we would all like him to become a complete WR and win down the field. I just think that he is limited physically and will never create the separation you would hope for. That leads me to the second thing..... Coleman himself needs to realize he's not going to beat any CB in a foot race down the field and he has to make the decision to play physical at the top of routes. With his size and strength, he needs to start playing bully ball to create separation. Put him in the film room and have him watch every snap of Anquan Boldin's career. Boldin couldn't run worth a darn either, but he had a long, successful career just bullying DBs with his big frame and strength. I am not sure Coleman will ever develop into anything other than a depth WR at best. In a dream scenario, he figures it out and he becomes a WR2 option, but he has a long way to go to get there. Rooting for the guy to do it because he seems like a great kid and I always want guys to succeed. It would help our offense dramatically if he finds a way to take a big step this season.

It all depends on your definition of "elite". In my opinion, that's top 5 in the league at your position. None of the names on this list are top 5 at their positions in the league yet. That said, Brown is close in my opinion. He had games last season that were absolutely dominant. Thought he had his worst game of the season in the AFC Championship so that doesn't help his case. But, he's right there. Benford did receive 1 All Pro vote if I remember correctly. He's very good. "Elite"? Not in my opinion. He's got great numbers, but I don't look at him like a true shut down CB that you will have travel with the best WRs in the league. He's great in our defensive scheme, though, which is all you can ask. As for the other guys on this list, they all have elite moments, but are not elite players. They are very good, but not elite.

That's OK, Josh..... I would too if I was you.

There are rumors going around that it will be Bills vs Bengals on Sunday Night Week 1. THey said it on the Buffalo Plus podcast yesterday and I have seen it a couple other places too. If true, man......probably no tougher matchup for our overhauled defense to have to work the kinks out against right out of the gate. Not sure if this is what Allen will be part of announcing or if it will be something else, but it is something that's out there.

This is an interesting exercise because it all comes down to whether these guys are going to be used in a way that plays to their strengths. For example, Kincaid is a perfect example of this. This guy was a beast in college running up the seams and running deep crossers. Her was a mismatch in college because of how well he ran and the hands he has. That's one of the reasons I was high on him coming out. But, fast forward to how he has been used in our offense, especially early in his career and all they do is ran screens, flairs, and short stop routes over the middle. Heck, they were barely using him down the field and it made absolutely no sense. Now, I will say as the season went along last year, they eventually started using him a bit more down the field than they had been, but it took forever to get there. Coleman is another one. Everyone knows I am not a big fan of Coleman's game. I didn't like him in college and I am just not sure he will ever be more than a WR4 in the NFL. That said, I am not sure we used him to his strengths last year. Too many times, we just sent him down the field in hopes he could out-jump someone at the catch point. Coleman running long routes is laughable to me. We all know he's slow and can't create separation. So, why are we sending him on deep routes down the field? The best way Coleman can help us are on short slants, short stick routes, and intermediate back shoulder throws along the sidelines. The other way he can help is in the scramble drill by just trying to make a play when Allen hucks the ball up (ie. the Jets game at the end of the year jumping out of the stadium for the TD where Allen basically just threw up a prayer or the Lions game where Allen scrambled out right and Coleman just too off down the sidelines and made a play out of structure). But, for whatever reason, the slant pass is not a big part of this offense. Seems like we see it like 5 times a season whereas other teams use it more than that in one game. I think Coleman can be a player on this team, but you have to play to his strengths and mask his shortcomings. So yeah.....I'll give you my list, but I am going to base it on talent and skill set assuming that we find a way to play to each player's strengths. 1. Shakir (The one guy we actually use correctly. He is schemed open. He's smart enough to find holes in zones. Great hands. Great vision. Sneaky quick/fast. Keep on using him exactly how he has been used.) 2. Palmer (#2 and #3 on my list may flip here because we haven't seen these guys with a QB like Allen. I think both of these guys are going to be good in our offense. Palmer has decent size and speed and has shown he can win in man coverage which we didn't have really anyone do last season.) 3. Moore (As mentioned above, I can easily see him making a bigger impact on this team than some do. I am higher on this signing than many and I think there is a ton of untapped potential here. Quite honestly I can find a path for him to be the best WR on this team by the time it is said and done. I think those projecting him to be fighting for a roster spot at the bottom of the depth chart are flat out wrong. He may be the most physically talented WR we have in terms of tools.) 4. Kincaid (I said my piece about him above. I think he has been miss-cast in the offense for the most part so far. But, if they figure out how to use him as the miss match he can be, he could shoot up this list. I still think he has everything it takes to be one of the best receiving TEs in the league. Just split the guy out and let him run. He can't block.....probably never will be able to block. But neither can Kelce. Just use him down the field.) 5. Coleman (Again.....talked about him above. Just not sure he will ever make the impact we all want him to. He should embrace his inner Larry Fitzgerald and just put on a lot of mass and go out and play bully ball. Fitz was never a blazer, but he was physical at the top of routes and just shoved guys around to create separation. Might be his best option to turn into a great player someday.) 6. Knox (We all know what he is. No explanation necessary.) 7. Samuel (This is a tough one for me because I don't know how bad he was hurt last season. I had much higher expectations for him going into last season. I thought he was going to be used all over the field including in the backfield. But we never got a great look at this because he got hurt before the season ever got started. So, he is going to start down here, but could absolutely shoot up a few spots quickly if we find out that the injury was worse than we knew.)

I'll let the ranch comment slide for now because he probably hasn't gotten a chance to try real Buffalo style blue cheese. I have had blue cheese in other parts of the country and I will just say that not all blue cheese is created equal. I have had some outside of the Buffalo area that was pretty much inedible. Buffalo blue cheese is just different and until he has a chance to properly try it, I won't hold the ranch thing against him. That said, he seems like a great dude with a personality to match. I hope he's coachable because having someone like Tre to learn under couldn't be a better match quite honestly. Here's hoping he's great!

Going to be a tough question to answer because our defense has basically been completely overhauled. It's going to be completely different than it has been the last few seasons. The defensive line alone, even with a Oliver and Groot returning to starting roles is going to look completely different with the depth we now have, especially after week 6 when the suspensions are lifted. Our secondary is going to look completely different than it has, especially if Hairston and Bishop win starting jobs. With the young talent influx we are going to have, I think we will actually see a change in overall philosophy as well. I don't think we are going to see our soft zone that we have played almost exclusively the last several years. I think with the signings they have made, they are going to try and force the issue a little bit. Bosa is obviously a huge X factor in all of this. If he's healthy the entire season and is the dominant player he has been in the past, this defense is going to look a lot different. I think their goal is to rush the passer with big, fast, athletic guys that will run probably 8-9 deep on this roster and force the QB to get rid of the ball quickly against corners that can now play both man and zone. And, especially if Hairston is that dude like we all hope, and Bishop takes a giant step forward, our team speed on defense is going to really show. So, until we see how it looks on the field, I am not sure I am ready to say who the toughest matchup might be because I do expect our defense to play a lot differently this season. And, as long as 17 is healthy and running the offense, I do expect them to be able to score enough to win most weeks. So yeah......going to wait and see what this is all going to look like before I start trying to figure out how we match up against teams.

All this talk about what happened with WGR and Beane. I have made my comments on this in the main thread, but based off of everything that happened since that aired, it makes me wonder if the whole thing would have never happened if we knew that Moore was coming in for a visit BEFORE the interview instead of 20 seconds after it aired. I mean, I think all the WGR guys were saying is that we probably could have used at least 1 more guy in the WR room to try and make life easier for Allen. I think the signing of Moore is kind of a perfect fit for what the Bills want to do on offense......positionless WRs that play in different packages depending on the game script. Hollins played like 60% of the snaps last year and I think all of us would say he probably was the 4th or 5th WR at best on the roster in terms of labels. So, with Moore coming in, I could absolutely see him slotting into the Hollins role. I think we can also all agree that Moore is more talented than Hollins overall. So, if the WGR guys would have known that the visit was happening and the signing was a possibility, I don't think the conversation on Monday every happens. Anyway, I like this signing a lot. It's one of this low to no risk, high reward types of signings. I think the dude has talent and we haven't seen his best because of the teams and QBs he has played with. I think he can get some separation and he likes to live in the intermediate areas that Allen likes to target. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he plays a more important role in this offense than many are expecting. Palmer is new to the the team and, while I like that signing too, we don't know what that is going to look like yet. The jury is still way out on Coleman. I have no reason to believe expectations should be real high with him. I wasn't big on him in the draft and until he proves differently, I think a middle of the road WR is distinct possibility for him. And Samuel has never been able to stay healthy for an entire season. So, with Shakir being the only reliable guy in the room, I could absolutely seeing Moore emerge as a guy to get a good amount of snaps this year. Regardless, I like the signing. We needed another guy in the room and he can run. So we'll see what happens.