Nihilarian

I'm not here to force my will on anyone as I just want to point out some observations. Just like I did last year pre draft with Josh Allen...as most fans here hated that choice. One of the things that bothered me the most about the Bills last season was the top two Buffalo Bills receiving targets who had the dropsies all season. I couldn't figure out why either one of these two players were constantly targeted. 2018 Buffalo Bills leading receiver target, yards wise, Zay Jones 102 pass targets, 56 receptions for a 54.9 catch percentage. Yikes! Second in targets was Kelvin Benjamin, 62 targets, 23 receptions for a 37.1 catch percentage. 85 passes, really? Then you look at TJ Hockenson who dropped a total of only two passes his entire two year career at Iowa. https://www.cover1.net/buffalo-bills-2019-nfl-draft-first-round-pick-predictions/2/ That article from another thread gives some insight into who the Buffalo Bills could be looking at @ #9. Chris Trapasso calls Hockenson a destroyer of worlds, https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2019-nfl-draft-iowas-t-j-hockenson-is-destroyer-of-worlds-as-a-blocker-dynamic-pass-catcher/ NFL.com Analyst Bucky Brooks lists Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson is one of the "gold jacket" prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft class. https://www.rotoworld.com/college-football/nfl-draft/player/39502/tj-hockenson Another thing, I wouldn't be surprised if Hock is gone before #9 to the Jags or Lions. I also wouldn't be surprised if the Patriots attempt to trade up to draft the kid.

Good stuff, thanks for posting!

I think Bills fans just don't get how a tight end can be graded so highly by so many as just about every site I look at has Hock as a top ten prospect and most have him in the top six. The reason for this high grade is because he doesn't just block people...he pancakes them or treats them like rag dolls. He is an elite blocker! Just like what made Josh Allen stand out so much was because it was like watching a man play against boys or like a eighth graders playing against a senior. Then, the kid catches everything thrown his way...as he dropped only one pass out of 49. This alone would would make him special in Buffalo as Clay only caught 58% of the passes thrown his way. Just to give a comparison his teammate at Iowa, Noah Fant dropped 15%. Like Hockenson, Gronk was graded as the best TE in the draft. However, even if he had no red flags due to injury he wouldn't have graded as a top ten pick. Those red flags were considerable as he he missed three games in 2008 due to back problems and missed the entire 2009 season due to back surgery. Some teams didn't even have him on their boards due to durability concerns. The Patriots also hedged their bets by drafting Aaron Hernandez in the same draft and his issues were failing up to five drug tests at Florida. He wasn't considered a generational talent at his position like some think TJ Hockenson is... https://www.milehighreport.com/2019/3/25/18278845/2019-nfl-scouting-report-tj-hockenson

I think he had them mixed up. Fant is faster in the 40 with a 4.50 and Hock is a 4.70 and the latter is much more physical because is so much the better blocker. He is being refereed to by scouts at NFL.com as a world destroyer and another stated he will be gold jacket worthy. Hock 6'5'' 251 Fant 6'4'' 249 The biggest difference is that Hock has a 6.35 grade which lists him as the 5th best overall player in this years draft and Fant is graded at #38 just behind Irv Smith. Gronk went in the 2nd round due to back problems as he missed the entire 2009 season due to back surgery and yet still entered the draft. TJ Hockenson is graded much, much higher then Gronk who was considered a late first round, second round pick.

If you look at some of the top tight ends in the league and if teams could have a do-over to draft with guys like 49ers TE George Kittle, who was a 5th round pick from Iowa in 2017. Last year, 136 targets 88 receptions for 1377 yards, 5 TDs. Anyone think he would last until round 5 if redrafted now? The thing is Kittle played injured for 797 of those yards with a rib injury and he wore two rib protectors and still played. The way teams are now utilizing the TE in the passing game like Zach Ertz 116 receptions in 2018, Travis Kelce 103 receptions in 2018, George Kittle 88 receptions in 2018. I think teams are now putting more importance on the position. I think Hock, Irv Smith and Noah Fant will be drafted a lot earlier then people think as I see all three as first round picks. Times are a changing.

Okay, so say LG and OC are set. That still leaves question marks at RG, RT and Dawkins had a down year last season. The run game and O line protection should be the #1 priority this year. Did they fix it so they have no weakness? Anyway, If you go by NFL.com grades there are 4 WRs with a 6.0 or better, need. 6 O-linemen with 6.0 or better, need. 11 D linemen with a 6.0 or better, need. 2 Lbers, with a 6.0 or better. 2 CBs with a 6.0 or better. 1 safety with a 6.0 or better. two QBs with a 6.0 or better. ONE TE, need with a grade of 6.35 which puts him as 5th best player in the draft!

I still believe the best thing that can happen for the defense this year is to build a power run game (by the RBs) and strong passing game that can sustain drives and score. Last years offense went three and out so often it caused several blowouts and special teams was also a clear problem. The Bills average drive start was at the 10 yard line. What I see in free agency this year is six offensive line additions and the only really solid starter is center Mitch Morse and the rest are all maybes. OT might still be a need, TE is a need, WR is a need. DT and pass rusher are also needs. Talking about needing elite players on defense. Excuse me but the Bills already have an elite DBs as they were the #1 team in the NFL in pass defense in 2018. The only solid elite players on offense are...

It will probably take more than those two upping their game. I was hoping for more offense on draft day and now I'm wondering if that defense is going to get run over. The Bills shut down Tom Brady in that week 16 game and then got killed in the run game. Brady went 13 of 25 for 125 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs which was abysmal for the GOAT. However, their run game went 47 rushes for 273 yards, 2 TDs. ToP was 35:38 NE to Bills 24:22. Bills fans might be thinking that the Jets, Giants, Titans might be easy wins but they forget how good the RB's are on those teams. Le'Veon Bell, Saquan Barkley, Derrick Henry plua the Patriots in those first five games and unless the Bills fix their run defense it could be a 1-4 start.

I'm not bummed, but it's like the schedule makers were looking for an easy win for Dallas on a day that they generally don't lose on. Think of it this way, should Buffalo beat Dallas that should wake up the world that the Bills are no longer AFC doormats. So much will depend on a few things. Who the Bills draft and if they will have an impact. Also, if Daboll can build a good run game attack with the RB's as this will help the Bills defense out so much if the offense can sustain drives and score. If Daboll can fix the passing game to go from 30th to say perhaps 15th which would be a huge improvement. The Bills secondary was already upgraded with the addition of EJ Gains so the areas of need are run stopping and pass rush. The Jests with Bell, the Ginats with Barkley. the Titsns with Henry. The Bills will really need to improve in run stopping or it could be a long season.

I tend to disagree with the bolded. When you have a really good receiving TE, he helps out the younger QBs immensely in that when the OC puts the TE in certain formations the defense has to reveal itself. To man or zone coverage and if the safety is here or there it will tell the QB which kind of man or which kind of zone so now the QB knows the defensive coverage before the ball is snapped. A good TE that can win outside as a receiver has become a very valuable chess piece in the better offenses as you can move him around the formation to get the look you want. Then if the Bills go two tight ends that can give a run look to the offense because this makes the defense gear up to stop the run. That receiving TE slips a block and he is open. If I'm not mistaken Bills OC Brian Daboll was the Patriots TE coach for a number of years and he should be pounding the table for TJ Hockenson as this kid doesn't need much development and should make an instant impact and be an instant starter. TJ might be getting a lot of hype from the media...because he deserves it The positional value hasn't been great in Buffalo over the years because they haven't had top NFL offensive coordinators who would even know how build a top passing scheme or to utilize a top tight end. The list of bums and nobody's in that offensive coordinator position in Buffalo has been astoundingly bad going back to after 2003 with Kevin Gilbride. Greg Roman, Anthony Lynn aside but those gentlemen were more suited to building a power run game.

None of those players were ranked top 10 picks. Like i said in an earlier post in this thread, the 2014 Buffalo Bills had the #4 overall defense and were #1 in sacks, pass rush, QB hurries. They didn't even make the playoffs that season. The few things the Buffalo Bills haven't done in two decades is build a dominant offensive line and and find a franchise QB. This GM might have found the QB and started building the line. The one thing they have never had is an elite tight end like a Gronk, an Ertz, a Kelce.

Like Gronkowski does for New England, that Tight End gave their already top passing offensive a new dimension that few teams could cover. Buffalo has never really had a player like that who could open up the middle of the field and make nightmare match ups for the linebackers to cover and also be a nightmare for the the smaller DBs attempting to tackle him. A really good TE gives the QB another option in not only the pass game but also in the run game with his blocking. This kid "ragdolls" DEs and LBers. Catches... everything... thrown... his... way! This in itself would give the Bills something they haven't had in forever.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2019-nfl-draft-iowas-t-j-hockenson-is-destroyer-of-worlds-as-a-blocker-dynamic-pass-catcher/ 2019 NFL Draft: Iowa's T.J. Hockenson is destroyer of worlds as a blocker, dynamic pass-catcher by Chris Trapasso NFL.com Analyst Bucky Brooks lists Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson is one of the "gold jacket" prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft class. https://www.rotoworld.com/college-football/nfl-draft/player/39502/tj-hockenson Brooks compares Hockenson to Jason Witten.

NFN, in 2014 this team has had the #4 overall defense with the #1 pass rush in the league and they didn't even make the playoffs. Oh yea, the player that cost the team two firsts and a fourth in Sammy Watkins played in all 16 games was targeted 128 times and caught 65 receptions for 982 yards, 6 TDs. Watkins had a 50.8 catch percentage. TJ Hockensen caught 49 passes for 750 yards, 6 Tds last season for the Hawkeyes and dropped one pass!

2009 Arron Maybin #11 2010 CJ Spiller #9 2011 Marcel Dareus #3 2012 Stephon Gilmore #10 2013 EJ Manuel #16 2014 Sammy Watkins #4 & Cleveland's pick 2015 Cameron Irving #19 2016 Shaq Lawson #19 2017 TreDavious White #27 traded back from #10 Patrick Mahomes So, who have the Buffalo Bills drafted in the last decade that was honestly worthy of that pick? Gilmore, who is now a Patriot with a SB ring. Dareus, who got paid and became a JAG in Buffalo. Anyway, I'd be all for Hock at #9 and he wouldn't have to put up Kittle, Kelce, Cook or Ertz numbers his first season. I'd be happy with the 2018 Ebron performance and know that his ceiling is very high like that of Josh Allen in that he could be another Gronk or Gonzalez. Buffalo hasn't had a TE like this...ever! Gil Brandt ranks Hockenson at the #6 best player in this years draft. 6 T.J. Hockenson, TE School: Iowa | Year: Sophomore (RS) Hockenson, who played two seasons at Iowa after redshirting in 2016, can and will block and is a very good receiver downfield. He will help his team's running game. The very competitive Hockenson played faster than his 4.7 40 time. He also posted a 37.5-inch vertical jump and a 7.02-second three-cone drill at the combine. He will play a long time at a high level and should be a first-year starter in the NFL.

Okay, I show that the Bills OC was calling for deep passes with three different QBs! And the consensus from the board is that it's all on Josh Allen because he refuses to throw the underneath stuff... Yet, I showed in the Carolina game log 3rd quarter series that he does indeed throw short passes. That game log shows completion after completion with 5 of 6 passes completed. 6 yards, 22 yards, 3 yards, 1 yard, 11 yards. I don't see a problem with Allen throwing a short pass! It's those deep passes to the two guys who didn't catch very well that bothered me. If the OC honestly didn't want the QB to throw deep he would simply call plays that didn't send a receiver deep! Oh, I forgot. Allen would just change the play to a deep pass because that's all he wants to do...

To further my point about the deep pass calls. The week 10 Jets game the very first pass from Matt Barkley was a deep 47 yard bomb to Robert foster that set the tone for the game. Buffalo had the lead the entire game and the Bills still threw it deep eight times. The Jets only threw deep four times despite being behind the entire game. Daboll calling for 5-7 deep throws in 18 attempts for Nathan Peterman in his start against the Ravens. Daboll calling for 8 deep throws for Matt Barkley in his 26 attempts. This shows that it wasn't just about Josh Allen or any issues some fans think he is dealing with. The simple fact was that Bills OC Brian Daboll was calling for far, far too many deep passes when the Bills didn't have much of a run game from the RB's to take the heat off the QBs, or worse yet much protection in the pocket as the O line stunk. Even with Allen's unreal pocket escape ability and ability to run he was still sacked 28 times in 12 games. It wasn't just Josh Allen with the deep passes as both Peterman and Barkley were also throwing deep. It couldn't be more clear to me that the Bills OC Brian Daboll called the scheme his way regardless of the QB. The object should be to move the chains to make first downs, get into the red zone and score. Not to throw deep 30% of the time.

This game you linked was a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers and it looked like both head coaches got together and said let's not blitz like crazy. So the QB's had more time in the pocket to throw in this game. On that very first play why should the QB look at the underneath guy when the deep post receiver had beaten his man and he had time to throw? (1)The very next play after that deep ball Allen throws a short pass that was incomplete just to make a first down. (2) Next pass after that was another short pass over the middle to Clay for a first down. (3)The play after that was a mid range 20 yard pass on 2nd and 8 for a first down. (4) The next play is a pass to the back in the flat five yards behind the line of scrimmage...(5) The next play on 3rd and 13 again Allen throws a short pass 5 yards beyond the LoS and some yards behind the first down marker. (6)The next play on 4th down and 3 Allen scrambles and attempts to throw it away. (7) So far only one out of seven passes attempted was deep and most were short passes in an attempt to make a first down. Next play on 1st and 10 a short pass attempting to get to the first down. On 2nd and 10 from the Bills 25, Allen steps up in the pocket and hits his receiver at the Bills 45 for a first down on a deep pass. Really a darn shame Allen didn't have protection like this during the regular season! The thing is, the Bills had two open receivers underneath and the camera view from the end zone showed how open the Bills receiver was and that a defender fell down on the play. From ESPN, (11:15 - 3rd) G.Gano kicks 65 yards from CAR 35 to end zone, Touchback. Kick through end zone. 1st & 10 at BUF 25 (11:15 - 3rd) J.Allen sacked at BUF 19 for -6 yards (J.Carter). 2nd & 16 at BUF 19 (10:35 - 3rd) K.Ford up the middle to BUF 31 for 12 yards (L.Doss). 3rd & 4 at BUF 31 (9:57 - 3rd) (Shotgun) J.Allen pass short left to K.Clay to BUF 37 for 6 yards (D.Southward). Flat pass, caught at BUF 36. 1st & 10 at BUF 37 (9:23 - 3rd) K.Ford left tackle to BUF 39 for 2 yards (B.Cox). 2nd & 8 at BUF 39 (8:49 - 3rd) J.Allen pass short left to J.Croom to CAR 39 for 22 yards (D.Cox). Caught in flat at CAR 49. 1st & 10 at CAR 38 (8:17 - 3rd) K.Ford right guard to CAR 33 for 5 yards (C.Frey, C.Elder). 2nd & 5 at CAR 33 (7:36 - 3rd) (Shotgun) J.Allen pass short left to K.Clay to CAR 30 for 3 yards (C.Elder, M.Palardy). Screen pass, caught at CAR 36. Penalty on BUF, Illegal Formation, declined. PENALTY on CAR-J.Carter, Lowering the Head to Initiate Contact, 15 yards, enforced at CAR 33 - No Play. 1st & 10 at CAR 18 (6:48 - 3rd) J.Allen pass short right to M.Murphy to CAR 17 for 1 yard (S.Bailey). Screen pass, caught at CAR 23. 2nd & 9 at CAR 17 (6:32 - 3rd) (Shotgun) K.Ford up the middle to CAR 16 for 1 yard (L.Doss). 3rd & 8 at CAR 16 (5:59 - 3rd) PENALTY on BUF-K.Ford, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at CAR 16 - No Play. 3rd & 13 at CAR 21 (5:49 - 3rd) (Shotgun) J.Allen pass short right to K.Ford to CAR 10 for 11 yards (R.Brown, L.Doss). Caught near sideline at CAR 17. (5:03 - 3rd) Timeout #1 by BUF at 05:03. 4th & 2 at CAR 10 (4:53 - 3rd) J.Allen pass incomplete short left to J.Croom (D.Hall) [J.Carter]. Pass tipped in flat at CAR 20. The next series Allen attempted more deep passes but those were because of the down and distance 2nd and 10, 2nd and 17, 3rd and 22. In the last series it captured one reason as to why I think Daboll kept calling deep passes in some games during the regular season and that is because the Bills were behind in the score 23-28 and he wanted to catch up by throwing deep... as the last 4 of 5 passes were deep.

While I get that Josh Allen likes to throw the deeper passes just as he did while at Wyoming and that McD and Daboll have stated they would like to have Allen throw more underneath, dump off passes. They didn't state this until later in the season. This should have been taken care of internally after the first game. LeSean McCoy was the leading receiver in 2017 with 77 targets, 59 receptions for a 76.6 catch percentage which makes me wonder why he wasn't utilized more often in Daboll's scheme regardless of going from a "west coast" scheme to the EP they now run in Buffalo. The scheme that Daboll is running is the "Erhardt-Perkins" which is very versatile in allowing the OC to tailor the offense to the players he has on the roster. Yes, the scheme they run "Ghost Tosser" calls for a deep out to stretch the defense... the QB doesn't need to focus on this one particular receiver to make the big play one third of the time. In particular in knowing that the top two receivers can't even catch one half the passes thrown their way! Also knowing that the offensive line would barely allow for a two second drop back in the pocket, much less a three to five seconds needed for those deeper passes. The way the Bills offense worked in Buffalo in 2018 sure wasn't the way the Patriots run that same scheme. With all those deep passes Buffalo was 31st in passing yards, 32nd in passing TDs. It clearly wasn't working at the start of the season, at the middle and only in the very last game against Miami did the play calling settle down and stop with all the deep passes. The Bills only went deep twice in this game with 33 rush attempts vs 26 pass attempts. Josh Allen threw for three TDs and ran for two more. I have a difficult time believing that Allen was this raw and yet was the #7 player taken in the 2018 NFL draft. I also don't believe it was all Allen making the decision all on his own to throw those deep passes. If you go look at the game log of that very first Bills vs Ravens game in which Nathan Peterman started he went 5 of 18 for 24 yards. He was sacked in the first series on third down probably with a deep pass called. Threw deep left on third down in the second series. Third series sacked on first down probably because a deep pass called. In the fourth series on second down a deep pass incomplete to KB. Fifth series on first down deep pass incomplete to KB, on third down deep pass incomplete to KB. Sixth series. Seventh series on 3rd down deep right to Jason Croom. Eighth series ended on an INT on a short middle pass to KB. Peterman sacked three times and attempted five to seven deep passes as two of those drop backs resulted in sacks. Josh Allen entered the game in the 3rd quarter and the second play of that series was his first pass which was a deep pass incomplete to Zay Jones. Next play Allen was sacked, probably attempting another deep pass. Both Peterman and Allen were attempting far more deep passes (10) then they should have and both QBs were sacked three times each for 6 sacks total.

You missed the point here as the very last thing you should be doing with a 2nd year QB In Nathan Peterman and rookie Josh Allen is asking them to attempt a throw that takes three to five seconds to develop in the pocket when they clearly won't have that time. Especially not one third of the play calls. Deep outs take five to seven step drop backs in the pocket and those drop backs take time in the pocket to develop and when you have an offensive line as bad as the Bills was last season those deep passes are the very last thing you should be calling or even asking the receivers to be running. This was clearly the offensive play calling by the Bills OC and not the QB taking it upon himself to attempt to throw deep one third of the time. Receivers don't run fly routes every play. There was a direct correlation between deep passes called and sacks in some games. Both Peterman and Allen were trying to make the play call work and they simply didn't have the experience to read the defense, change the play or go with the check down. After Allen's injury when he returned to the starting lineup he started running more often rather then hold on to the ball and hope a receiver gets open and his protection holds. The protections usually never did hold up so he ran. Luckily, due to Allen's athleticism he was able to make defenses look foolish in chasing after him. RG3 managed to do this also in his first season. What bothers me most is that the catch percentage of Zay Jones was 54.9% which means he isn't even catching half the passes thrown his way. Kelvin Benjamin's catch percentage was an abysmal 37.1% and these two players were the top two targeted receivers with Jones at 102 targets, Benjamin at 52. Why? McCoy caught 73.9% of the 46 passes his way! It looked to me like Bills OC Brian Daboll had a fixation with Allen's big arm and tried to force him to use it more then he should have. It eventually got Allen injured and yet Daboll still kept calling for deep passes even after the injury, although not as much. For 2019, more running the ball by the RBs and more short to mid range passes to move the chains should be the scheme. This was the reason for my concern for the play calling vs the nastiness of the line.

In that first game against the Ravens 47-3 blowout, Out of 33 passes attempted 10 went deep with that craptastic Bills offensive line. Peterman went 5 of 18 for 24 yards, 2 INT, 3 sacks a 0.0 rating, Allen went 6 of 15 for 74, 3 sacks a 65.0 rating. Benjamin was targeted 7 times and caught one pass. Jones was targeted 6 times and caught 3. Bills QBs sacked 6 times. Against the Chargers Allen went 18 of 33 for 245, 1 TD, 2 INT, 5 sacks. 10 deep passes called out of 33 which is almost one third. Bosa wasn't even playing for the Chargers. Against the Vikings Allen went 15 of 22 for 196 yards,1 TD. Only 5 deep passes called A WIN! Against the Packers Allen went 16 of 33 for 151 yards, 2 INTs, 7 sacks. 7 deep passes called. Notice a correlation? Blowout loss Against the Titans Allen went 10 of 20 for 82 yards, 1 INT only 5 deep passes called A WIN! Against the Texans Allen went 19 of 17 for 84 yards 2 sacks, Peterman went 6 of 12 for 61 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT. 6 deep passes called out of 29. Allen Injured A loss Once back from his injury Allen tended to run more often because he didn't trust the pocket. Against the Jags Allen went 8 of 19 for 160 yards, 1 TD. Allen rushing 13 for 99 yards, 1 TD. 6 deep passes called A WIN Against the Dolphins Allen 18 of 33 for 231, 2 INT, 2 sacks. Allen rushed 9 times for 135 yards. 13 of 33 deep passes called. A Loss Against the Jets Allen went 18 of 36 for 202 yards, 2 INT, 3 sacks. Allen rushing 9 times for 101 yards, 1 TD. 8 deep passes called. A Loss Against the Lions Allen went 13 of 26 for 204 yards, 1 TD, 1 sack. 8 deep passes called A Win Against the Patriots Allen went 20 of 41 for 217 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT. 12 deep passes called. a loss. Care to know how many times Tom Brady went deep in this game? Only once! The point is with little or no run game from the running backs the Bills shouldn't be attempting so many deep passes all season long. Especially with how bad that Bills offensive line was all season long. Once you establish a rhythm and the QB has some confidence with some short to mid passes... then you go deep. Last game of the season against the Dolphins Allen went 17 of 26 for 224, 3 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack. Allen 9 rushes for 95 yards, 2 TDs. Only 2 deep passes called in that 42-17 blowout win !! Let's hope the Buffalo Bills 2019 season is like that last Miami game. Only with the RB's making all the rushing yards. Last year Josh Allen was the leading rusher on the team in 12 games. 89 attempts for 631 yards, 8 TD and a 7.1 yard per carry average.

I'm more concerned about the scheme Brian Daboll is going to call vs the O line policing Allen after a big/dirty hit. If he stays with that deep passing scheme that looked like the Mike Martz scheme that concussed Trent Edwards out of the league and gave JP Losman PTSD problems. Then Allen may not survive the season despite the influx of the talented mean/nasty O linemen. Daboll supposedly brought the NE Patriots playbook with him to Buffalo and instead what he called was for quite a few deep passes which require a lot of 3 to 5 step drop backs. Which usually requires the QB 3-5 seconds in the pocket to throw those deep passes. So, many times last season Josh Allen didn't have time to throw those deep passes and he ended up running due to the pocket breakdown or receivers not being open. He also didn't have much of a run game to help him out either. Jim Kelly used to air it out to Don Beebe, James Lofton on occasion and that was usually after they established a solid run game with Thurman Thomas which caused the linebackers and safety's to move up to stop the run. When the Bills faced the ferocious pass rushing Eagles with Reggie White they changed to more quick out throws with more crossing routes. This new scheme enabled the Bills to effectively stymie that pass rush. Even with all the new additions to the O line I highly doubt Allen will consistently have the time needed to allow him to make all those deep throws again this year unless they draft a new LT. Here is hoping the Bills OC changes up his game plan to what the Patriots actually run.

While Gronk is up there in a top ten. I gotta wonder how he would do with another team with a not so dominate QB, HC, offense. After all, the guy was being thrown to by the GOAT! While being in the NFL for 9 years, Gronk has played less then 6 full seasons. Talk about tough? Guys like Ozzie Newsome never missed a game in 13 seasons and he helped redefine the position. Oakland's Dave Casper was nicknamed "the Ghost" and it was the Ghost to the post while being one of the best Tight ends in the 70's-80's. Denver's Shannon Sharpe was on three super bowl winning teams and was the prototypical pass catching TE. The Chargers Kellen Winslow was like an extra WR in "Air Coryell's " offense. Mike Ditka was the very first TE to transform a blocking role position into a pass catching position, the very first TE in the HoF. John Mackey. There is a reason as to why the award for the best tight end each year in college football is named after this man. Tony Gonzalez, played 17 seasons, 14 pro bowls, 6 times first team all pro. Played from 1997-2013. Had QBs like Elvis Grbac (3 years), Damon Huard (2 years), Yancy Thigpen (1 year), Matt Cassell (4 years) throwing to him He also had Trent Green (5 years) Matt Ryan (5 years). The guy is second in the NFL for all time receptions, 6th in career receiving yards. Some of those players helped redefine the position in the game and if you are old enough to watch them you couldn't help but see them take over games. I'll never forget that 1981 38-41 OT playoff game in Miami with Kellen Winslow blocking a FG in the last seconds to send the game into overtime. 13 rec for 166 yards and a TD. His performance in the game had to be one of the single greatest efforts in NFL history as the guy would come off the field and fall down exhausted and then rise again to make a play. His yardage total in this game was an NFL record for over 30 years. What made Winslow's performance all the more memorable was that fact during the game he was treated for a pinched nerve in his shoulder, dehydration, severe cramps, and received three stitches in his lower lip. After the game, a picture of Winslow being helped off the field by his teammates.

Panthers Greg Olsen, Still playing SF Russ Francis, *KC Tony Gonzalez, 14 pro bowls will be in the HoF Holds NFL records for career receiving yards (15,127), receptions (1,325) and touchdowns (111) for tight end Denver Shannon Sharpe HoF, Cleveland Ozzie Newsome HoF, SD Antonio Gates, still playing Bears Mike Ditka HoF, *Oakland Dave Casper HoF, *Dallas Jason Witten, just retired, 10 pro bowls *Colts John Mackey HoF, *SD Kellen Winslow HoF, Dallas Jackie Smith HoF, Lions Charlie Sanders HoF. Gronk isn't even the best of the bunch IMO

I honestly don't think it was Beane's or anyone else's intention to tank last season as they did attempt to bring in some free agents. Some certainly low cost due to cap constrictions. The team also traded for WR Kelvin Benjamin by the trade deadline in 2017, a player that if he had the heart and desire to play his best could have been a huge asset at WR. Anyway, look at the free agent signings. Impact starters, DT Star Lotulelei, DE Trent Murphy, CB Vonte Davis. Borderline starters, QB AJ McCarron, WR Jeremy Kerley, CB Phillip Gains, C Russell Bodine, OT Marshall Newhouse. Backups, RB Chris Ivory, S Rafael Bush, DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa, WR Kaelin Clay, LBer Julian Stanford. Back of the roster, DE Terrence Fede, DT Tenny Palepoi. We also need to remember that the GM usually doesn't select free agents all on his own as he gets info/input from his scouts and assistant coaches. Who else thinks that that O line coach/Run game coordinator was a wasted hire and a waste of space in Buffalo? So, his opinion on O line players was probably worthless as was his opinion on Peterman. Both Bills OC's Rick Dennison and Brian Daboll were fooled by Nathan Peterman into thinking that Peterman was a viable backup QB. In Daboll's case, it was worse because he had that bum pegged as the starting QB last year with him getting all the starting reps for the opener. Last season with literally no holes for the RB's because the line was so bad the run game suffered big time. Which then put more responsibility to carry the offense on the QB shoulders (a rookie, right!). With no run game, it also made it more difficult for the defense to do their job as they were on the field so often in every game. Lack of time of possession by the offense caused the defense to wear down near the end of the game and also was the cause of many blowouts last season. (At least 5 or 6) This season the Bills made C Mitch Morse the highest paid center in the league in free agency as this makes more sense rather than have a rookie calling the protections for the line. This offseason the Bills spent 38 million to six new offensive linemen with 317 games of experience between them. OG Quintin Spain to LG. Mitch Morse to Center. Spencer Long to RG/backup center. Jon Feliciano to backup OG. Ty Nsekhe to RT. LaAdrian Waddle to backup OT. I see the new Bills O line pretty well set in the first round of the draft unless they are unhappy with the play of Dawkins last season. Which was a dropoff from 2017. I'm with you though and can only hope that they go after that stud TE who is graded by some as the 5th best player in the draft. https://www.nfl.com/draft/tracker/prospects