TPS

His numbers this year show that he's as good if not better than most of the UFA options for 2020, which is what I'm arguing. It remains to be seen if McD thinks he's a fit. While Beane and McD talk about signing your own, Shaq was not their selection, so I think it comes down to their belief on whether or not he truly fits their process? Either way, he'll get a pretty good payday.

With $90 million in cap space next year, they can afford anyone now. I think Phillips is a no-brainer. Shaq is the more controversial one, but I think his numbers stack up well against almost anyone else you could sign as an FA replacement next year, which was my main point. As to future needs, the cap space next year sets them up well. Sign Shaq and Phillips, and a WR, then fill a few gaps with middle range signings and the draft. My guess is that Beane would like to have significant rollover $$ the next several years so he can use it to give large guaranteed sums to the premium contract needs. If they commit say $50 million to signings next year, that would give them $40 million to rollover into 2021, when they have Tre, Milano, Dawkins, and Poyer coming up. Josh and Tremaine come up in 2022, but they also have 5th year options. Hyde, Harry, and Taron J are notable names for 2022, but Hughes, and most likely Starr, will be gone by then, so I really don't think it will be a question of affordability with making the decision on Phillips and Shaq.

Happy Holidays to you too.

Sorry. Mods, please move to an existing thread.

Both of these guys have bought into the process and should be re-signed. Statistically, I think they are the best options as well. jordan Phillips is straightforward: 9.5 sacks on 460 defensive snaps. Compare that to A. DONALD who has 11 sacks on 823 defensive snaps. Hopefully, he'll be willing to take a home town discount. At any rate, signing him keeps their DT rotation in place and continuity is valuable. Shaq is the more interesting case. Many people want the Bills to go after yannick Ngakoue of the Jags. Compare their stats. Ngakoue has 8 sacks, 13 TFLs, and 13 QB hits on 680 defensive snaps; Shaq has 6.5 sacks, 12 TFLs, and 17 QB hits on 435 defensive snaps. There really is no comparison, Shaq is the better player based on production per snap. And, Again, continuity is valuable. The Bills should then draft an edge rusher in one of the first two rounds to groom behind Hughes. It would probably take $16-20 million/ year, but it would lock them in for their next 4-year super bowl run. If D. Johnson continues to develop, then they could also move on from Murphy which saves them $7 mil. Shaq has been more productive anyway, and should be the starting LDE. At any rate, I think this may be the best route for the Bills, and it keeps the D nearly intact.

Yeah, I was thinking about that after posting...then again, that's what "they" told McD....

I think they could weather the loss of Frazier more than Daboll. Would like to see LF get another shot. A long shot, but Maybe the Browns will want someone associated with a culture change?

Not with the Bills because he's never going to get more than 50% of the snap counts sharing time with Ed. I hope he's willing to take a little less $$ to stay here. He's a good fit.

He's a perfect example of their Defense, which may be the best in the NFL, but only got one player named to the Pro Bowl roster. They do their 1/11th.

He's a funny guy.

He is fun to watch, but it's hard to focus on him when you're watching the games. Glad Baldy does this.

I can see them taking a CB after the first two rounds, not before. Edge and WR in the first two.

I sure hope McD reads this thread so he can make the necessary changes to improve the O....

And Special Teams.

As a counter to those complaining about McD's "conservative play calling," how about the first scoring drive where they went for it on 4th and 6 at Pitt's 36 yard line? Not sure they win the game if he's not aggressive there....

Then there's this to support @GG's point: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-16/defaults-in-one-of-china-s-richest-provinces-spook-investors

Once I realized it was a HB option from the replay and Collinsworth's saying so, I felt much better about the play call. I sat there in disbelief muttering "what the hell are they doing running the same damn play on second--Frank Gore on the outside!?!?" I wonder if it would've had a better chance of success if they did it on the first down run?

Maybe 6-7 years ago (or more) no one trusted their numbers, but I think it's better today. China has been trying to open up its financial sector, so it has to be more transparent. That doesn't mean they are completely, but I think the "proof" is in how global investors react to the numbers based on their belief in the stats.

I would call you an idiot, but I don't want to hurt your feelings again.

A call option on Bills playoff possibility. Nice!

Yes, but when the new spending is mainly directed at capital intensive defense contractors and the tax cuts mainly raise the disposable income for those who will save more than they spend, the impact on GDP is weaker.

"Why the Bills beat the Patriots?" Because we can.

The next Fiscal year or the end of this calendar year? Either way, it'll be around a trillion again.

One data point isn't a trend but positive news this morning on China's growth. https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-economic-activity-gets-a-lift-as-2019-comes-to-a-close-11576471966?mod=cx_picks&cx_navSource=cx_picks&cx_tag=contextual&cx_artPos=6#cxrecs_s "A raft of supportive central government policies lifted China’s economic activity in November—bolstering factory production and consumer spending—which prompted some economists to raise their growth estimates for next year."

They could really use a big-bodied WR too....