sven233

He isn't getting past 10. The Jets will run to the podium if he's there. As much as I want him to be a Bill, I really don't want him on the Jets just as much.

You see a contract like this and can start to really understand the value of getting a rookie on a cost controlled contract for 5 years? I would not argue with you if you think the guy you need is one of the big 3 and want to trade 4-6 assets to get up and get him. I would also not argue with you if you want to stay at 28, maybe take a 2nd tier guy like Legette and then trade all the way back up in the 2nd round and grab another 2nd tier guy like Worthy, Mitchell, or someone else and have 2 cost controlled guys. I could make an argument for either and I don't think either would be wrong. Neither option may work out, but I can't argue with the premise of either. Regardless, trading for a guy like Ayuik is pretty much out of the question because we can't afford that type of contract. And, I might argue that I wouldn't want to pay that much for a WR anyway. There seems to be more and more talent coming out at WR every year. While having a top guy would be nice, I am not sure they offer enough value to get the QB style contracts. I think I can win just as much with a couple of good/great WRs instead of a dominant, elite WR with a bloated contract. There are so many talented guys out there and while WRs definitely impact the game, there are always 2-5 on the field at one time and even the best ones only touch the ball 7-9 times a game. They are not QBs that touch the ball every play. I think teams after seeing these contracts being handed out for a little while will soon realize that cost controlled WRs are the way to go. When they come up and are in line for the big contract, they will just bite the bullet, let them go, draft from the growing pool of talent and just try to find the next guy that can offer 75% of the guy getting the big contract and hope that the new player develops into the next big thing.

There is risk no matter what way you decide to go. That is why everything, even the choice you consider the safest is still a crap shoot. If you go with a rookie......is he going to be good? Is he going to be dominant enough to make you at least not mind the capital you gave up to get him? Would you have been just as happy 2 years from now staying put and taking a guys like Legette or someone else? Heck, stay put, take someone like Legette and then trade all the way back up in the 2nd round and double dip and take Worthy of someone else too! You don't get to know how these things would work out now,so you have to decide if it is worth the risk. What about the established star? How can you make the contract fit? Will that contract prevent you from signing another important player down the road? Will the skill set that he has completely transfer over to a new offense? Will that new offense get the most out of that star? Etc. etc....... That is why all of this is such a crap shoot and so much fun to talk about and debate. All of these questions above are one thing......then you throw in the potential of a serious injury in either scenario that would flush either option down the toilet immediately. It's a high risk game these teams play both on and off the field. As of now, I am in win now at all costs mode. We have, in my opinion, the most talented QB in the NFL and I want to take every swing I can over the next 5 years to win. So, I am looking to try to do both. Can I find a way to get the top 3 rookie and still go out there and get a top vet WR to pair with him? Maybe not JJ, but what about DK or Ayuik? Or forget the vet.....find a way to double dip at WR in the draft like I mentioned above. Picks are great for building your team. But when you are trying to win a Super Bowl, you have to think differently and I wouldn't blame the Bills one bit if they traded away 50% of the next 2 drafts to put the best weapons possible around Allen and just try to score 35-40 a game. Have your defensive genius head coach find a way to get 3-4 stops a game and just try to score as many points as possible and see what happens.

All this talk about trading up and going big game hunting is fun, but I am not sure how practical or likely it is. We may want to do it, but from 28, it is easier said than done as we all know. If we are really serious about it, it may take a couple of different trades to accomplish it. We may have to do something like we did in 2018 and get into the 12-16 range first and then get into the top 10 from there. But this is a trade, at least the first part, that would have to be done before the draft. I don't think this is the type of move you can do during the draft. You would probably have to talk to the teams in the top 10 and find out how far they are willing to drop. If you can work out something for 28, wonderful, otherwise you have to see where you would have to get to, and have a deal already in place if you can get into the range they tell you to. It might be complicated to do, but obviously possible because it has been done in the past. That said, is it the right thing to do? I will say, I could see this team falling in love with Odunze. He has great size, can run, is physical, and can separate. He reminds me so much of Moulds and he would be the perfect #1 WR for us, especially in the colder weather games. But what is having this one particular player worth? While I am not necessarily opposed to making the move, it is hard parting with so much capital. I always ask myself what would the best player in the NFL at a certain position be worth. QBs are different, because you have to have one, but what about WR? Justin Jefferson is probably the best out there right now. Contract aside, how much would you be willing to give up for JJ? A first? Two firsts? A first and a second? More? Now, add in the fact that he will be getting more than $30 million a year. How does that change things? To me, that lessens the value and makes parting with more assets to get 5 years of cost controlled production worth a bit more. Regardless on where you settle in at, going up for Odunze, or one of the other big 3, is going to cost you a lot more than what it would for the best WR in the league. It will probably cost 28, a 4rh round pick this year, next year's first and probably at least a 2nd and 3rd next year as well. Who knows.....it may cost both seconds next year. It is just a ton to give up. Now, if you were to work out some things with a couple of current players, that might help ease the pain a little, but any way you slice it, you will be giving up more than you would for the current best WR in the league for a rookie that you have no idea how good he's going to be, but is under a cost controlled contract. For those that want to do it, I completely understand it and can definitely make the argument for it. If it happens, obviously all eyes will be on the cost......and then we will immediately forget about it and celebrate the fact that one of the big 3 are on our team with Josh Allen at QB! Worry about next year, next year...... Whether or not this is actually even being discussed or not, we don't know. It is smokescreen season and I really tend not to believe much of anything out there. Do I think we're at least making the calls to see what it would cost? Yes. But that would be the only responsible thing to do. That is literally Beane's job to turn over every stone and look at every option. But how serious are these conversations? We might never know. Obviously, if it happens, we will know that the conversations were serious, but if it doesn't, I would expect if they do acknowledge the talks, that they would downplay the talks no matter how serious they are.

My time has come and gone as a pretty good athlete. There was a time when I had a pretty good arm back in the day. Not NFL levels good, but I could hit 60 yards on occasion. That said, outside of maybe a couple of swing passes to a RB, or a shovel / push pass, I'm guessing it wouldn't go extremely well. I'm guessing that even in my prime, the only passes I could complete would be quick hitters at or behind the LOS. I think trying to even hit a simple hitch route against NFL players would be darn near impossible for us average Joes, no matter how well you can throw a football. These people saying 6-10 or 11+ are absolutely in fairy tale land. There are games in the NFL where NFL QBs have not completed 10 passes. You think you being some Joe Shmoe off the street with no experience are going to go into an NFL game for the first time and complete double digit passes? You're absolutely dreaming.

I have been grinding on these WRs for so long now it feels like aside from medicals and in person interviews, I have as good a understanding about this class than I have for any class since I started really getting into the draft many years ago. And I think that what a lot of these draft guys are saying about this WR class is right.....it might be the deepest it has been in years. That said, outside the top 3, the more I dig, the more flaws I find with the next tier of guys. Now, I want to say right up front that even though I am seeing more flaws in these guys than I would like to, that doesn't mean they won't be able to clean these things up and become stars. All of these guys have extremely high ceilings if they reach their potential. So, where am I at with this draft in terms of WRs? Well, if I'm the GM of the Bills, I have 2 different trains of thought as to how I want to go about this draft and I can make a case going either way. OPTION 1 Get super aggressive and try to move into the top 10 to get one of these potential studs. Most have it MHJ, Nabers, and then Odunze. To be honest with you, I could make a compelling argument for pretty much any order you would want to put them in, depending on the type of WR you are looking for and I would be absolutely thrilled with any one of these guys being a Buffalo Bill next Thursday. But man......it's not going to be easy to find a trade partner willing to drop to 28, and even if you do, it is going to cost a ton to do it. Most likely, 28, next year's one, Minny's 2 next year, and probably at least another pick or 2 because teams are going to force you to pay a premium to drop that far. They would probably ask for 60 this year on top of all that even though it would be way too much. But those teams that you are asking to move up with pretty much would have all the leverage in this situation and I would expect having to pay a premium when it comes to assets to do it. But, if you could come away with one of these top 3 guys, I would for sure consider it as long as it doesn't cost me next year's first and both 2nds next year as well. I would need to keep one of those 2nds. If you can find a taker, this is one option I am going to consider. OPTION 2 Stay put and then trade up back into the 30s and double dip at WR. I really like this scenario and it would be cheaper than the option above and I still think you would have a chance to hit a grand slam here. I am a big proponent of Legette. He's big, strong, physical and fast. Quite honestly, he reminds me a lot of Eric Moulds who I believe is the most physically gifted and talented WR we have ever had. I love Andre and everything he did for this team and he very much deserves his spot in the HOF. However, if you are just looking at the physical tools and talent these guys have, I still believe Moulds, if he had a real QB throwing him the ball for his career, would be in the HOF as well. But anyway.....back to Legette. I think this team, while talented at the WR position over the last few years, has sorely missed that big, physical, explosive WR that can just impose his will at times. I think next to Odunze, Legette is the next best option in this class when it comes to a player like this. So, in this option, I am taking Legette at 28. Then, I am immediately getting on the phone looking to move up into the mid 30s and taking another one of these guys that are in the same sort of bucket. That is probably going to cost 60, next year's 2 and maybe a 3rd or 4th, but it would be much more manageable than the move into the top 10 would be. But ideally, I am walking out of this draft if using this option with Legette and one of either Worthy, McConkey, Mitchell, or Franklin. You could maybe wait into the late 30s or early 40s for one of these guys, but if this is the option I am deciding to go with, I am committing to it and getting as high as I can in the 2nd to take the next available prospect. Either of these options work for me. I think both are exciting and would help this team immensely on the field next season. There are no perfect players, but there are some WRs in this class that could potentially be super stars and I want to make sure I give myself the opportunity to make that happen. I think either of these options will give you that chance to knock one out of the park.

Man.....it's like buying 25% of a money printing press. Could only dream of an opportunity like this. Someone is going to get the opportunity of a lifetime here. Good for them.

While I like Odunze, I am not doing a trade like that for him. Now, of course I could be wrong because who knows, but I think MHJ and Nabers are the only WRs doing a deal like this for. It's a tough deal for sure, but I am at the point, and have been for a few years now, that I'm ready to go all in. Not only am I making a trade like this for MHJ or Nabers, but I am also exploring the trade market for an established upper tier WR as well. My goal is to get 2 dominant WRs to pair with Samuel, Shakir, Cook, and Kincaid and just try to run other teams out of the stadium. This focus on defense has not worked, and has actually cost us games. Go all out for offense, find a way to get 4 stops on defense, and just try and blow teams out.

There are so many angles to this to break down.....some good, some bad. 1. The player - I will say this about the player himself. I have been a fan of Diggs before he ever put on a Buffalo uniform. When I used to watch the Vikings play, I watched him and wished we had a player like him. A true route runner. A guy that played with passion and fire. So, when we traded for him, I was very excited. And that is the player we got......for the most part. As a performer in the regular season, Diggs, with the help of Josh Allen, was a top 5 WR in this league. At certain points, you could argue that there was nobody better as a pure route runner. But, what we have found out over the last few years is that as good as he was in the regular season, he never showed up in the playoffs. He vanished and was a non factor in the biggest moments of the season. Now, not all of that is on him, of course, but regardless of the reasons, he never was that alpha we needed when it was all on the line. Unfortunately, the lasting image I will have of Diggs in a Bills uniform will not be a big TD or a dominant playoff performer, but rather of him dropping a crucial deep ball against the Chiefs when we were in position to take that game over and win that game. I don't know when or why it happened, but he suddenly became a guy that didn't win contested catches, would short arm balls and shy away from contact. It also became apparent in the second half of the year he was no longer the go-to guy he was when he got here and that he had noticeably lost a step and couldn't separate like he used to. Whether he was here this season or not, we were going to be looking to draft his replacement as he had fallen to WR2 status. That said, I am glad he was a Bill for the last few years. Just wish we could have gotten more out of him in the playoffs. 2. Dead Cap Hit - Over $31 million dollars is counting against us for a player not even suiting up for us this season. That is not ideal. Now, next season, having that money available will be great and allow us to do some things, but man......that's a tough pill to swallow and, hopefully, there is a play in place to make up for his lack of being here. 3. The WR Position - What was already a very weak position on this team is suddenly on life support at the moment. WR1, WR2.....both gone now. Yes, Curtis Samuel is here, and I do like him as a player, but he was not signed to be this team's top WR, or even a WR2. He is a great utility guy that will see a ton of snaps in our offense, but he will be used all over the field at WR and even RB at times. He is not a true X. Never has been, never will be. So, even before this trade happened, drafting a new WR1 was a top priority, now it is an absolute must. 4. The Draft - The draft was already shaping up to be interesting this year because we all knew adding another weapon at WR was a must. Now it might be the most obvious thing in the NFL. I would hope Brandon Beane and the rest of the front office doesn't make a trade like this without a plan in place. So, while I didn't want to rule out a trade up for one of this year's top 3 WR prospects, I wasn't expecting it because of how deep the WR position is overall. But now.....while I still don't expect a huge trade up, I do think it is a lot more of a possibility than I did before this trade. The thing is, now, not only do you need your new WR1, but you also need a WR2. Can you find a way to get both done if you trade up? Not sure, but there is a little more ammo to move around the board a bit to do it if you get creative enough. So, what was already a very interesting draft just got a lot more compelling. 5. The return - A 2nd Round Pick next year. I know some say that wasn't enough, but I get it. If you look at what other WRs have been traded for this offseason and last, they haven't gone for much. Getting a 2nd for a guy that is on the wrong side of 30, has noticeably lost a step, and maybe even feeling forced into the trade in the first place, overall isn't that bad of a return if you ask me. All that said, I would be somewhat shocked if we ever use that pick on a player. I think that pick will be moved in an effort to move around the board to find Diggs' replacement. In the end, this wasn't an ideal ending for this player here. I truly wish we could have gotten over the hump with him here because he was a great player. I am not going to get into the behind the scenes stuff because none of us are there and none of us really know what everything was truly like. But, even putting all of that aside, what this all comes down to me, is that he will go down as a great Bills player that never got it done when it mattered most. Unfortunately, we have had a lot of those players here through the years. Eating the dead cap bites. It really does. But, we have a chance to lessen the sting based on how the draft plays out. I am confident Beane has had discussions with teams in the top 10 and he knows what it would take to get there if he wants to. I am sure he has had the same conversations for the top 20. I know this draft is loaded with WR talent. That's great. But, the fact is, while there is a lot of talent, the opportunities to find a true X WR are not that deep. There are a ton of complimentary WR2, WR3, and beyond, but in terms of a true X, the options are limited a bit. I was already pumped for the draft. Now I'm counting down the days because it could be really exciting for us. GO BILLS!

I would do this in a heartbeat and smile all the way to the podium........

Diggs is going to be here for at least a couple more years. There is just no justifying anything else with the dead money on his contract. If Diggs truly wanted out, which I don't think he does, he just has to go to Beane and tell him that he will rip up his current deal, agree to one with no guaranteed money, and then get traded. But with the guarantees in his current contract, trading or releasing him would be flat out dumb. All that said, it's the main reason we have to find our future WR1 in this draft. Diggs, even if he is here, is heading towards WR2 status sooner than later. We need to nail this pick and find a guy that could possibly be ready by the end of this season heading into the Playoffs that can grow into the new go to guy. EDIT: WHELP.... Guess they thought getting him out the door was worth 31 million dollars. Hopefully there is a plan in place.....

Both teams have moved the ball. Both have turned it over when trying to score. The football actually hasn't been terrible overall. For us football junkies that just need a fix, I for one am glad it's on. Hoping the league can continue to grow and develop. Theoretically, the talent should be better this year on teams because there is only one league and not two to dilute the talent pool. But yeah....it's good to have football. I guess I forgot that they no longer have the XFL kickoff which I was looking forward to watching, but I like that they have a kickoff that more resembles a traditional kickoff. Hopefully it's safe and maybe an option for the NFL in the future.

Spring football has been around off and on the last few years as we all know. But this year, the XFL and USFL have merged in an effort to put better football on the field and the league is kicking off with the XFL Champs vs the USFL Champs from last season. Kickoff is about ready to happen. Who knows what the quality of football will end up being with the merger of leagues, but it might be worth a look if you are having a football craving. There are some very familiar names in the league and they will obviously have presentation features that the NFL doesn't, but may someday.....who knows.

Look....I know he doesn't want to point fingers, and no, I don't know who made all the individual calls, but I'm sorry.....if you are an NFL head coach, especially a defensive minded head coach, you kill that time off every time and it's not ever even close. Heck, most people that just watch and understand the game and never have coached a single down of football gets you out of that game with a win. 1. Squib kick - Probably gets you down to single digits and the Chiefs have 2 plays maximum. 2. Safeties deep and corners jam everyone off the line. You either force an incompletion, or a moderate completion. Either way, you are burning almost the rest of the time off the clock. I mean, the game can't end on a defensive penalty, but get super physical at that time. Force the refs to call something. If they do, you get a penalty, but depending on what's called, who knows.....you still take valuable time off the clock while sacrificing little yardage. 3. Force the hail mary at worst. You execute the 2 things above, at worst you are forcing a prayer at the end and not letting them even have a shot at a FG. And the thing is, there are even more ways than what I laid out here to get out of this game with a win. It isn't rocket science. In fact, it is closer to common sense. It shouldn't even be a thing that NFL coaches have to necessarily prepare for. Killing 13 seconds shouldn't be a concern. So yeah.....I don't know who made what calls in that sequence, but if you ask me, your head coach should be able to take over that situation, lay it all out, and get out of the game. You will not convince me the Chiefs were the better team on the field. They definitely had the better coaches on the sideline, though.

Sure.....providing that he takes a completely non guaranteed fully incentive-laden deal.