msw2112

I agree with the others that McKenzie will be back and be our guy. I also agree that Hyde can step in and field punts in a pinch and there are likely other guys who have done it in HS or college (or the NFL, such as Taiwan Jones) that can step in.

I subscribe to Sports Illustrated and have for years. I'm a bit old-school in that I like the print copy. The main reason I like it is that when I am working out at the gym (on an elliptical, stairmaster or treadmill), I cannot read from a phone, but I can from a paper magazine. I have never paid for any online content behind a paywall. That all changed today. I have seen and heard great things about the Athletic's content, and at $1 a month for the first year, it was too good to pass up. I hate auto-renewals, so I will probably cut it off at one year, but many thanks to the OP for alerting us to this offer. I have read bits and pieces of their content before and always thought it was excellent, so I'm pretty excited to have this for the year.

I see it a little differently. DL was an area of weakness last year, as none of our DL were truly dominant, so they are looking at strength in numbers: 1) with more guys, they can rotate and stay fresh, which may lead to overall improved play; and 2) the more guys you throw out there, the more chance that someone (or multiple guys) will step up and emerge as a high quality player. I'm thinking that Rousseau may develop into one of those guys. Basham, Obada, Epenesa, etc. also have the potential to break out too. And with Star back at the 1-tech, Oliver may break out at the 3-tech, in his more natural position.

I like all 4 major sports, but NFL is the one sport where I really enjoy the regular season as well as the playoffs. For NBA, MLB and to an extent NHL, I really don't invest a lot of time watching until the playoffs. Back when Buffalo had an NHL franchise, I enjoyed regular season NHL hockey too. Also, I like regular season college football and for college basketball, I like to watch any games my alma mater plays in (a Big 10 school), plus all of the NCAA Tournament games. And, in regards to this post, I think that a few of the comparison are apt, including Allen to Giannis. Giannis is a physical specimen who was very raw when he came into the NBA. He developed his game over a few years, got to a MVP level, and made his team a playoff contender, before this year, breaking through and leading his team to a championship.

I thought that Hollister would be re-signed. Not because of his college connection with Allen, but because he was a solid contributor with the Seahawks, and because he made a couple of good catches in limited preseason action. That said, I trust Beane and McD, and if they think the roster spot was better used elsewhere, I am OK with it. Our rookie tackle can line up as an extra TE on obvious running downs and Gilliam looks like a versatile piece that can help out in multiple areas (FB, TE, H-back). Plus, as pointed out above, 2nd and 3rd TEs are not a hot commodity. Those types of guys are not that hard to find., particularly for an offense that is not dependent on TEs.

I agree. The Bills have one of the most talented rosters in the league, so some of the guys they released won't be back on the PS because they will be signed to other teams' active rosters. I do think, however, that the Bills would like to have their "own" guys back on the PS and that the majority of the PS will be guys they had in camp.

I love football and watch as many games as I can. That said, when I watch the Bills, it is total focus. For other games, I usually have the TV on in the background while I am doing other things. I have a fairly young family (even though I am not that young) that needs a lot of my time and attention, so it limits my ability to enjoy the games as much as I would like. My DVR has become a good friend and I often watch sports after everyone has gone to bed.

Good catch. I actually meant to say Sanders and was referencing an earlier post that mentioned Beasley and Sanders, both of whom are getting up there in age. Clearly, Davis is much younger (and bigger).

The concept was not lost on me.

I like Jake a lot, but his time is now and not in 2-3 years. The guy is not a rookie. He's 29. He's also a tall guy - a "bigger" receiver, so I don't see him replacing smaller guys like Beasley and Sanders. He's a solid WR 4-7 who will get snaps in special situations such as red zone (jump balls) and 5 wide. Just my opinions, of course. I have no special insights.

I assume these decisions were cap-related.

Wow. I don't usually watch those old videos (don't have the time), but I watched some of this one. That was one incredible football game. Some impressive plays by Bledsoe, Josh Reed, and Peerless Price. How about some Kendrick Office? And I didn't remember Mike Hollis kicking for the Bills, but that was one clutch kick to sent it into OT. He missed a winner in OT, but it looked like a high snap threw off the timing. Great finish. Too bad Bledsoe was only able to play like this for a half-season.

I'd be good with a 7th.

Trubisky played a fantastic half of a preseason game. He's a guy with talent and lots of starting experience who looks to be an excellent backup for the Bills. Can we just leave it at that? I certainly don't want Josh to get hurt, but if he does, and Mitch plays a number of meaningful games the way he played that one half of a preseason game today, we can reopen this conversation.

Good article on Rosen from the hometown newspaper where Rosen was drafted. The quotes from all of the experts would indicate that those of us who were pro-Rosen had good reason. That's why we are fans, the sports writers are writers, and Beane is the GM of a highly successful franchise. Josh Rosen cut by San Francisco 49ers: How were NFL writers so wrong about quarterback? https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/cardinals/2021/08/18/josh-rosen-nfl-writers-arizona-cardinals-2018-draft/8180850002/

I'm in the Chase Young camp. I'm not an Ohio State fan, but Young is a stud. Imagine that kind of edge speed on the Bills defense.

This comment made me think of the year that Dick Jauron led the Chicago Bears to the playoffs and was the NFL coach of the year. They got every tip, bounce and call that year. They were medicore to bad before that season and after it. I will also always remember an article from many years back when the Bills were looking for a new coach. The headline read: "Bills to Interview Dick Jauron for Head Coaching Position.....Why?" But getting back to the point of this thead, Jauron's one year of success with the Bears is a paper tiger type of thing. This Chiefs team is not that. They have been very good to excellent for several years (they were a multi-year playoff team BEFORE Mahomes) and, if you take the last 2 seasons collectively, they were the NFL's best team (2 Super Bowl appearances, one victory). They soundly beat the Bills twice in two different styles of games, including the AFC Championship where they spotted the Bills 9 and still won handily. I do, however, believe that if the Bills improve their defense and can run a little bit, they certainly can compete with, and potentially beat, the Chiefs this year. If those things don't happen, the Bills will remain #2 or #3 in the AFC.

This reminds me of the classic line from Animal House - "Fat, Drink, and Stupid is no way to go through life, son...."

I am out west and will watch on NFLN, Channel 212 on DTV. It starts at 4 PM here and I will be at work until about 5:30 and not home until about 6, so my DVR is set to record it and I will watch with a couple of cold ones later on this evening.

No question that local joints and food trucks are typically going to be a higher quality, better product than something from a chain restaurant. That said, I still think In and Out is a pretty tasty inexpensive fast-food burger (and Whataburger isn't bad, but not as good, in my opinion). Mighty Taco has a lot of nostalgia and memories for me and it's part of the fabric of WNY (and I enjoy it on the rare occasions I have it), but sometimes we have to be honest with ourselves. It just isn't that good. It's a WNY version of Taco Bell (probably better, but a similar concept). But there's a place for it in our lives.... The irony is that I have posted 3 or 4 times in this thread and have probably eaten at In and Out, Whataburger, Five Guys, and Mighty Taco about that many times combined in the last several years . It's just a fun thread to participate in and a little break from the monotony of work.

I don't think it exists (In and Out in PA). The map below is from the In and Out website. Nothing east of Texas.

A developmental prospect. 3 years on the practice squad and then look out! Most HS wrestlers that I know (including me) also played football. Gain weight for football, then starve it off for wrestling. We did it, but not a very healthy way to operate. Wrestling takes a ton of discipline and that translates well to football (as does the balance and use of weight/force against another person), but for someone who hasn't ever played football or has not played since HS, making it in the NFL is a major climb.

A few comments on the post and above comments: I live out west and In and Out is very good. It's simple, fresh fast-food burger and fries at a reasonable price. They are confined to the western part of the US and are unlikley to come to Buffalo unless they start a huge operation in the eastern part of the country. Five Guys has great fries and their burgers are pretty good, but I think it is overall too slow and too expensive. Whataburger is also good, but nothing earth-shattering. I lived in Chicago for many years. Portillos is extremely popular, but in my estimation, overrated. I prefer Ted's for hot dogs. I love Chicago dogs too, but I don't think Portillos make them that much better than other Chicago places. I moved out of Buffalo before Tim Horton's became big. I don't drink coffee. On the rare occasions we are back in WNY, my wife enjoys their coffee and the rest of the family enjoys their donuts. I prefer to patronize Horton's due to its WNY/Southern Ontario connections (and the fact that its namesake was a Buffalo Sabre) over Massachusetts-based Dunkin' Donuts (screw the Bruins, Patriots, and Red Sox, and all Massholes). I prefer Josh focus on football and stay out of other businesses. A commercial or endorsement here or there is fine. After winning a Super Bowl, he can do whatever he wants....

It's amazing to think that Barkley might well have gone 1st overall had he left USC a year earlier. After Barkely, Leinart, and Darnold, I am not in favor of drafting USC QB's high. That aside, I don't think Barkley sucks. He's a good NFL 3rd string QB and potentially decent 2nd string QB. He lacks physical ability, but he can learn an offense and can mentor younger guys. He's a class act and a great teammate. I also believe he could do OK as a spot starter with time to prepare by getting the reps in practice, as he did vs. the Jests a few years ago. He also played well in relief against Miami in the finale last year, but again, he knew he would be playing. He's not great coming in cold off the bench and I don't think he can carry a team for an extended string of games and certianly not for an entire season, which is exactly why the Bills moved on and signed Trubisky. I wish him well and hope him signing with a rival won't come back to haunt the Bills much. I don't think it will. Now Kizer, he sucks.

I grew up near the original Duff's, have great memories of going there and love the nostalgia, but the quality of their wings was never that great. They are relatively small and not very meaty. The Anchor Bar - same thing - great nostalgia - particularly because they invented the damn things - but not the greatest in size/quality. The best I have enjoyed is Gabriel's Gate and the Cole's/Brennan's restaurants. I have not lived in Buffalo in a very long time and have not visited in a couple of years, so my opinion and information is dated. I have never had wings at Bar Bill, but based on what I see on this board, I would love to try them. I also have never been inside Big Tree. I have many adult beverages in the vicinity of their parking lot on game day. If you are looking for great wings in Chicago, try the Wild Goose Tavern on North Lincoln in North Center - a single location neighborhood bar. If you are in Phoenix, try Pullano's on Thunderbird and 51st Avenue (in the suburb of Glendale, near the western border of Phoenix). As far as I know, the Wild Goose has no connection to Buffalo, but Pullano's is the home of the Phoenix Wild West Buffalo Bills Club, with Bills stuff on the walls and packed on game days. It's more of a family atmosphere than some of the other Bills bars, which are not places to bring kids.