SoMAn

Agree. I think Isabella, Gilliam, and Klein all make the team unless veteran salaries get them cut in favor of cheap rookies/2nd year players. A lot can happen between now and Sept 11, and it's entirely possible an injury or two to any of the other 53 named could make way for these three. I think the slot receiver position is over-loaded, so could Shakir be odd man out? Traded for low draft pick? Calling Brian Dabol. Does Matakavich make it based on teams? Will Dodson show he's worthy with impressive play in preseason games or will Spector live up to some of his early hype? Of the 53, it's pretty easy to pick 45 or so. We'll have our answers for the others in about 3 weeks.

I started participating in the pre-TSW days of Rochester D&C Hyperbills. For those too young to remember or know, that message board was to TSW what the Quarry Men were to The Beatles. If you still don't know, it doesn't matter. Basically, being a southern transplant and a huge fan from the Buffalo area, there was little Bills information to be found on local news or newspapers. There was the occasional blurb in USA Today or on ESPN, but very little in-depth stories. I could get the Sunday Buffalo News at a bookstore in Atlanta (not convenient). Then, sometime during or directly after the super bowl years there was a publication in newspaper form called 'Shout'! that had lots of good info. It came out weekly during the season and I believe monthly during the off-season. I'm pretty sure that preceded the advent of popular internet use and message boards. I'm thinking Chris Brown, now a Bills employee doing the afternoon WGR show with Tasker was involved. Seems he was the guy I had to contact when Shout didn't show up in the mail - which was a frequent occurrence. If it arrived, it was often weeks after the previewed game was played. Very frustrating for subscribers and the publisher. Thank-you USPS. 🤨 Finally the internet came around in the mid-90's and became the best way to waste the company's time at the office. There were these things on-line called 'newgroups' that had every topic imaginable, populated by the early computer nerds. Suddenly, there was all kinds of Bills news to be found at my fingertips. That eventually evolved into message boards, graphics, hyperlinks, video, and unlimited access to anything your heart desired. side note: The first photo images viewed at work were frequently from a porn site. 😁 It was mischievous novelty in the pre-cancel-culture world. After several years of digging for any tidbit of Bills news, I had at my disposal as much information as the fans back home. Combined with the technology that made games readily available via satellite, the isolation I initially experienced following my move to Georgia in the mid-80's was no longer an issue. To answer the OPs question - my thrust was to have the virtual bar stool experience hanging with like-minded Bills fans who could share news and experiences. A little bit of home brought to us though this community. Thanks Scott and all the others who make it possible.

Who among us?

With 12 personnel they still use 5 linemen. TE doesn’t take the place of an OT.

Overhyped players are frequently overpaid. In a couple of years when the Bears figure out what they're getting for their money, Edmunds will be looking for another team. I've re-watched games from the past 3 seasons, specifically focusing in on Edmunds. More often than not he was a liability in my opinion. He had a couple of decent games, but most of the time he can be seen chasing the play, getting blocked out of the way, not creating fumbles, not getting interceptions, 'assisting' on tackles when an opposing ball carrier is already halfway to the ground from another defender, or just being in close proximity to that ball carrier after the tackle. His condor-like wing span was supposed to be integral in clogging up passing lanes. That doesn't work unless your in a position to do that. Edmunds' poor instincts prevented him from being in position. My guess is he followed the defensive playbook to the letter, making him predictable. It was weird watching him trail a ball carrier when it appeared another Bill would be there to make the tackle, and it looked like Edmunds was running at half speed, assuming the teammate would make the tackle. Seriously, he sometimes looked like he was out for a morning jog. I have nothing against him personally, and by all accounts was well-liked by his teammates. I just don't believe he was all he was made out to be by the press and some fans. The organization is very loyal to their players and would never disparage any of them publicly, but I believe if they had really wanted to keep him, they could have found a way. Prediction: in a couple of years he'll come knocking on the door at One Bills Drive as a FA, just like the numerous other players that came back home after a stint with another team.

Oh! 😄 I see how you interpreted that first line. Mea Culpa. It wasn't stated clearly. No, I meant it as a rhetorical question, as in 'how can you (everybody) not like Mitch Morse'? i.e. who doesn't like Mitch? Lost in the translation. I never meant for it to sound like I thought you didn't like him.

How can you not like Morse? He's smart and has done a decent, if not great job at center. He's probably sightly better than average, but he's no Kent Hull. I can see the Bills looking at signing a top FA center or drafting one early next year. I'm optimistic about the o-line and I believe Brown may make some of his detractors eat their words. He's only in year 3 and he was playing catch up after being injured last year.

I think you have to view those ‘mediocre’ wins as having a team decimated by injuries, yet still managing to get the ‘W’. That’s all that matters in the end. Nobody’s getting handed a trophy for biggest point differential. I won’t bother researching it for the sake of this post, but I’d bet that many of the teams that we historically remember as dominant actually had a lot of close games on their way to winning championships.

Rob Johnson. Perhaps the luckiest NFL player who ever wore a Bills uniform. With minimal exposure, shined in preseason with Jags enough for Bills to give up 1st round pick and sign to big contract. Then, gets beat out by Flutie, but has great game in meaningless finish against Colts before playoffs. Later, gets another nice contract with zero accomplishments! Later, experiences something warriors like Kelly, Thomas, Smith, Hull, Tasker, Reed, Talley, Bennett…et al never did…being part of a winning Super Bowl team and getting that ring. That China doll has some Irish luck. That’s for sure.

The X factor: which teams will remain relatively intact with good health? It’s impossible to know who and when a key player for the Bills or their competition may miss time. Assuming Allen and Diggs don’t miss significant playing time, the Bills will get deep in the playoffs and have as good a chance (or better) as anyone else to make it to the superbowl. If Allen goes down, I think they’re toast. The Bills have some tough competition on this year’s schedule, but so does the rest of the division and the other first place finishers from ‘22. They’ll all be handing losses to each other. I believe the defense will be top 4 and won’t miss Edmunds. I think Gabe will bounce back and be a legitimate threat. Hoping the O line will mesh with new additions. Not worried about big Spencer Brown. I think he’ll surprise a lot if you with improved play at RT. The line has room for improvement, but they weren’t as bad as some believe. Receivers finding openings and Josh getting rid of the ball quicker will magically make that line look great. I’m bullish on the Bills chances for winning it all. Bring it on.

Thanks for the insight. The only jerseys I ever owned was a replica #12 (I don’t believe it even had a name on the back) and a 2003 Travis Henry away jersey. That one should have come with the little family stencils seen on rear car windows, depicting Henry’s 20 kids and concubines. On a similar note regarding team Jerseys- I’d be reluctant to spend $100+ on an authentic jersey with players changing teams and numbers so frequently. They’re often already dated after a couple of years. Anyone get a James Cook #28 last year? Sorry. James is now #4. # 28, who knows? Camp fodder?

I’d be surprised if that’s correct. My recollection is it was only that single game against the Broncos. If you have any photo evidence or links regarding that same ugly helmet worn in Oilers contest, please share.

I heard he was sleeping under his desk

Uniform appeal is completely subjective and dependent on an individual’s opinion. I actually like the old school classic look of the Browns. Fall colors and the whole Jim Brown/Otto Graham vibe. Rub some mud on the jersey and stick some turf in the face mask and it almost looks like the way god intended it. Same opinion for Packers, Steelers, and a few other unis.

It is what it is…a changing game and changing market for some positions. If they don’t like the job, go sit for an insurance license exam. They effectively get paid over $1,000,000 with 4 months off to vacation or just spend time with family. In the glory days of when RBs where taken 1st overall and were often the best paid, corners, receivers, and OTs were second tier players on the wage scale. That’s flip-flopped with the change in game and rules that favor the passing game.

Anyone have a good potato salad recipe they’d care to share? 😏

It’s amusing to me how much if the off-season discussion is centered around rankings or opinions from various writers, commentators, and pundits who cover NFL matters. I get it. It’s not September yet and we’re all hungry for Bills football. I don’t put a lot of import on the rankings by Joe Blow of the Miami Herald or whomever is the latest lazy columnist who’s run out of stories. If they run dry they can always rely on ‘a list’ to make the deadlines. Not knocking it at all. It’s a conversation starter. But, I don’t know that the so-called experts who’ve managed to eek out a living sharing this stuff know any more than us or that their rankings have any real merit.

When I was a teen working in a Tonawanda foundry, we had a vending machine for coffee where someone had thoughtfully placed a Mr. Yuk sticker on it’s front glass panel to warn us of the inferior brew that could be ours for the bargain price of thirty cents. 🤮

Half the suburban basements surrounding Buffalo looked similar to that-including the one I grew up with. Did yours have drop ceiling panels knocked out from hockey sticks when playing street hockey down there?

All the way to the very end of the season

I won’t be surprised if Klein gets the job. There were reports that he’s very intelligent, described as like having a D coach on the field. Give me as guy with smarts and good instincts over the by-the-book superior athlete, any day. What good is all that length, wing span, and athleticism when you have no idea where the play is going? Edmunds was usually chasing the play rather than making the play. If the eventual replacement is a step slower than Edmunds, he’ll still get to the ball carrier sooner because he’s a better football player.

He got the green dot and radio helmet because of his positional proximity and ability to be heard in the middle of the defense. I don’t know that he’s any kind of defensive genius. More likely just the messenger. Though we don’t know who it will be, I have to believe whoever inherits the role will be a more aggressive tackler and less of a liability against the run. Yes, we will see.

I have a reasonably good vocabulary, but wasn’t familiar with that word. After learning it’s meaning, I’m amazed it’s not more commonly used. Thanks for the enlightenment! Yes, a PowerPoint presentation would be a useful tool to help us understand why McDermott should go, but maybe more importantly, who the replacement should be. 🙄 The statistics are ridiculously one-sided. A more balanced view might include how many years those rapidly ascending coaches went without getting to a Super Bowl after being there early in their careers. Tomlin, Payton, Carroll, etc. The great Don Shula-how many consecutive years did he lead without getting there? Considered one of the all-time best coaches, yet he went 25+ years after ‘74 not winning the big game. Loser! Can we get a pie chart illustrating the collective below-average IQ of the ‘fire McDermott’ throng?

I believe the LB core will be improved with a replacement for Edmunds. He had a couple decent games, but more often he was out of position, pushed around unable to shed blocks, chasing the ball carrier up field, and at the end of the play frequently standing nearby the defender who actually made the tackle. Don’t believe he’ll be missed. Prediction: The Bears and their fans will soon realize what poor value they got for that big contract, and when it makes fiscal sense with the cap hit, they’ll cut him loose.

Reading between the lines of several statements from Josh since OTAs… Management wants him to play more disciplined ball. They want him to settle down, find secondary receivers, be more careful with the ball, execute the plays as they’re designed, and use his legs as a last resort or when the opportunity presents itself. I think the team has attempted to improve the O-line to put Josh in that position. Whether or not the line will be improved enough remains to be seen.