Nihilarian

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

Not many others picked up on this and I think Brian Daboll should have been beaten with a tire iron for his offensive scheme. Not with that craptastic offensive line they fielded last year. It reminded me of 2000 Rams Mike Martz offense with a lot of deep passing that only worked when they had a top O line. Steve Fairchild brought that offense with him to Buffalo in 2006 and we Bills fans got to watch JP Losman get shell shocked out of the league... he probably still has trouble with PTSD. Trent Edwards suffered many concussions running that scheme too. In my view, that offense that Daboll called was about the very worst you could ask a rookie QB to run with all that deep passing and not all that much time to throw due to the turnstiles of an offensive line. To throw five, seven-step drops you need three to five seconds in the pocket and thus the reason for so much running by Allen. Not to mention all the drops by Jones and Benjamin. Jones 102 targets, 52 catches a 54.9 catch %. Benjamin 62 targets, 23 receptions a 37.1 catch %. Plus, not much of a ran game...except for the QB. Daboll supposedly brought the Patriots playbook with him to Buffalo but like you mention he really didn't utilize it much. With the Patriots it's all about moving the chains, getting first downs and frustrating the defense because the ball is spread around so much they don't know what to expect. The Patriots also run the ball and utilize the tight end A LOT when Gronk is healthy. The Bills should be copying this scheme. If you look at the last game of the season against Miami the Bills spread the ball around to seven different receivers with Zay Jones catching the most 9 targets, 6 rec, 93 yards, 2 TDs. Foster was next with 5 targets, 4 rec, 21 yards, 1 TD. TE Jason Croom was next with 4 targets, 2 rec for 32 yards. Allen tried to find the TE as he was the third most targeted. The point here is that teams will start doubling the outside receivers to take away those deep threat wideouts. Shady and Cole Beasley will work their magic with the short, underneath stuff so that leaves the midrange which is where a really good tight end would really force the defense to defend the entire field. All this is probably moot because McD will most likely draft a D lineman with that #9 pick.

The thing of the percentage of first round hits and misses is because some people develop earlier in life than others and in college, sometimes it's like a man against boys! Almost all these young men are still developing and will gain weight, muscle and change usually for the better. Some are currently closer to their potential than others. Anyway, If you look at the catch percentage of last years Buffalo Bills players, Zay Jones, 56 rec 652 yards and a 54.9 catch % LeSean McCoy, 34 rec 234 yards and a 73.9 catch % Robert Foster, 27 rec 541 yards and a 61.4 catch % Kelvin Benjamin, 23 rec 354 yards and a 37.1 catch % Jason Croom, 22 rec 259 yards and a 62.9 catch % Charles Clay, 21 rec 184 yards and a 58.3 catch % Cole Beasley, 65 rec 672 yards and a 74.7 catch % John Brown, 42 rec 715 yards and a 43.3 catch % Things changed for Brown when Flacco stopped playing and Lamar Jackson took over. I listed those because Noah Fant has a 14% career drop percentage vs TJ Hockenson who dropped one pass out of 51 passes last season at Iowa. 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/ I would really, really hate to see the Patriots trade up to draft either Hockenson or Fant and they have one first, two seconds and three thirds.

I dunno, Ebron was never on my radar in 2014. The Bills even brought in Odell Beckham Jr for a look before the draft and I think they didn't look at him hard enough because he was injured at the time. Anyway, my thoughts on trading up for a WR were Mike Evans at 6'5'' 230Lbs and not on a kid who gained most of his yards in screenplays. I also liked the OG Zack Martin the Cowboys took at #16 in a trade back. I know most Bills fans don't think a TE or OG is worthy of a first-round pick. However, I do if the guy is another Jason Witten type. The thing is, in my view is that Josh Allen doesn't like to check down to the RB in the flat and is always looking for that receiver open downfield. While Robert Foster and John Brown will be going deep with the fade/go/clear-out and Cole Beasley will be in the slot going for the underneath stuff. The Bills could really use a tight end like Gronk who can be a dual threat to block well for the run game or peel off for a mid-range pass. Or the Bills could trade back and pick up his teammate TE in Noah Fant who is not the blocker that Hock is but runs a 4.5 40. Either way, the Bills have never had a pass catching TE like either of these two and Josh Allen needs a go-to TE. The Patriots had Gronk. The Eagles have Ertz. The Chiefs have Kelce, had Tony Gonzalaz. The Saints had Jimmy Graham. Carolina has Greg Olsen. Dallas had Jason Witten. The Bengals have Tyler Eifert. The Redskins have Jordan Reed. The Vikings have Lyle Rudolph. The 49ers had Vernon Davis. The Broncos had Julius Thomas. The NY Giants have Evan Engram. The closest the Buffalo Bills have come to having a top TE recently was Charles Clay whos best year was back in 2013 with 68 rec for 759 yards, 6 TDs. Buffalo bought into what they thought was an on the verge TE and it never happened. Just sayin, I wouldn't be adverse to a TE at #9.

I had considered Ebron a bust too at Detroit and last season paired up with Andrew Luck he had 66 receptions for 750 yards, 13 TDs. I'll not forget that Doug Whaley had stated if the trade up for Sammy Watkins had fallen through he would have drafted Ebron at #9. The wrong system in Detroit? Anyway, TJ Hockenson looks to be on a much higher level as some mocks have him going as high as 6th overall. Bucky Brooks calls his a gold jacket prospect and a top 15 player much like ex Cowboys TE Jason Witten. https://www.rotoworld.com/college-football/nfl-draft/player/39502/tj-hockenson Dunno about you, but I would love to see a Gronk type TE in Buffalo. A receiver that creates a mismatch that few teams can adapt to stop. Bust factor? In NFL mocks I see him going at #10 to Denver, #12 to Green Bay and #19 to Minnesota. Oddly enough that guy who said #19 to Minn also had the Bills selecting TE Noah Fant at #9, Charles Davis. (Fant was Hocks teammate at Iowa) http://www.nfl.com/draft/2019/mock-drafts

I posted the chart to see if it would actually stay as I saw it as a chart. Then added more to it with a link explaining everything. you were a bit fast on the uptake

Historic Success Chart The numbers show us the following outline for finding consistent starters: 1st Round - OL (83%) LB (70%) TE (67%) DB (64%) QB (63%) WR (58%) RB (58%) DL (58%) 2nd Round - OL (70%) LB (55%) TE (50%) WR (49%) DB (46%) QB (27%) DL (26%) RB (25%) 3rd Round - OL (40%) TE (39%) LB (34%) DL (27%) WR (25%) DB (24%) QB (17%) RB (16%) 4th Round - DL (37%) TE (33%) OL (29%) LB (16%) WR(12%) DB (11%) RB (11%) QB (8%) 5th Round - TE (32%) DB (17%) WR (16%) OL (16%) DL (13%) RB (9%) LB (4%) QB (0%) 6th Round - TE (26%) OL (16%) DL (13%) WR (9%) DB (8%) RB (6%) LB (5%) QB (0%) 7th Round - DB (11%) OL (9%) QB (6%) WR (5%) DL (3%) LB (2%) RB (0%) TE (0%) https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2015/2/20/8072877/what-the-statistics-tell-us-about-the-draft-by-round Eric Ebron was a 1st round pick Gronk, Ertz were 2nd rounders Kelce, cook were 3rd rounders Kittle was a 5th rounder From Iowa Anyway, if you look at the CBS mock drafts you see Hock going at #7 to #19 and most have him going at #12 to GB. The kid is the complete package at TE and blocks like Gronk. He dropped one pass out of 51 and was the first sophomore to win the John Mackey award as the nation's top TE. He also won the big ten TE of the year award. Buffalo has never had a TE this good Interesting article, https://thedraftnetwork.com/articles/t-j-hockenson-the-better-iowa-te-prospect

Perhaps I should have phrased it differently to what you suggest as I also feel that McD had considerable influence on the Beane hire as they previously had worked together in Carolina. The Pegula's did interview four people for the GM job. Also, the Bills model under these new owners is no longer flawed in my view. It started that way as Brandon had great influence over these new owners at first and I think that changed quickly after they fired Rex Ryan. My take is the new owners in not knowing anything about how to run an NFL team kept Brandon to help them run their new team. Once his character came into question and he resigned. It was then Kim Pegula took over as president. From what I see/read the Pegula's are not involved in the football side of the Org.

While I like the pick the kid has not been one of the 30 players to visit the Buffalo Bills pre-draft George Kittle, 49er TE had 88 receptions for 1337 yards and was the 8th best receiver last year. Travis Kelcie, KC TE had 103 receptions for 1336 yards 10 TDs and was the 10th best receiver last year. Zack Ertz, Philly TE had 116 receptions for 1163 yards, 8 TDs and was the 16th best receiver last year. Honorable mention to Jered Cook , Eric Ebron. In 2017 Gronkowski was one of the best run blockers while also was the 10th best receiver in the league and a game changer for the Patriots his entire career! Also was 12th best in 2015. Having a TE like one of these men can be a game changer for the team and with that size, it makes it very difficult for a linebacker to keep pace or a DB to make a tackle. A good tight end is a QB's best friend as a downfield outlet and can be a great asset in blocking for the run or pass. Hockenson can do both very well as he pancakes in blocking and is a good deep threat.

Whaley was a GM in name only as he had little actual power. He basically couldn't because Brandon was the team president! When team owner Ralph Wilson was team president for decades he had his hands in/on everything in the football side of the Org too. Wilson was in the draft room every draft and he was "helping" make choices. Kinda why the team didn't draft QBs for so many years and instead drafted a lot of RBs, CBs with those first round picks. It took Rex Ryan telling the media that Brandon was so involved in the football process that the team president/head marketing man in the org was in the teams "cut room" and on the phone to players instead of doing his job in the Bills front office. You can't really get more involved in the football side of the team than to be talking to players about to be released during the cut downs. Brandon was so involved football side of the org since he took over for GM Marv Levy as de facto GM in 2008 that when the new owners took over he directed them to do the very same things that the late owner was doing with the team. Thankfully, the Pegula's saw the error in this when they hired/fired Rex Ryan and then hired Sean McDermott. Rather than listen to Brandon who was moved to only the FO of the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Americans. They consulted with many, many NFL people before they hired McD and then gave him the power to select the next GM. Unlike Wilson, Brandon I think these new owners are "hands off" the football side now.

I thought so too. Now for the catch highlights! The kid dropped one pass in 51 targets... Potential generational talent!

I heartedly agree about Juan Castillio as he should have never been hired. There was an immediate downturn in the run game from Greg Roman/Anthoney Lynn who built a #1 run game to what Castillio did. Yards per attempt went from #1 two years in a row in 2015-16 down to 14th in 2017 under Castillio and it was even worse at first, this with the very same running QB and lead back. McCoy went from a 5.4 yards per attempt in 2016 to 4.0 in 2017 and it was worse at first until McCoy turned it up on his own in the second half of the season. Last season without Incognito/Woods the yards per attempt went to 21st. While the actual overall yardage and #5 in rushing attempts don't look so bad... it's because of QB Josh Allen was the leading rusher with 631 yards rushing at a whopping 7.1 yards per attempt. The Bills went from a power or gap scheme means you have double teams at the point of attack and the way you cut the defense is with double teams or kick out blocks. The zone scheme is much more complex! The wide zone or outside zone, the way you cut the defense is to stretch the front side and then the backside you cut the defenders. That's how you create seams by cutting the defenders so there is no backside pursuit. The tight zone or inside zone is different so that you have some double teams but different from the power/gap scheme but it still requires cutting the defender. I think we can all see which was the more successful blocking scheme.

Gotta go with the weakest position on the team and the kid who could have the greatest impact. The TE from Iowa TJ Hockenson who can both catch and block. When was the last time the Buffalo Bills had a player like this...like never?

No need to worry about this years offensive line and here is why! If Josh Allen can survive last years craptastic line which was one of the very worst the bills have fielded in over a decade, he will be alright with this new group. Opposing teams now have to be scared to death of his running ability in which he literally ran away from Miami LBer Kiko Alonso repeatedly. Made him look foolish! They will let him throw the ball and put a spy on him instead of all-out blitzing like they would any other young QB because of his ability to break long runs. The Bills FO has tape on all these free agents picks ups so they know what they are getting with each player! Morse is a veteran stud at his position of center and he will help Allen immensely by calling the protections. Spain is a good veteran LG and he will make Dawkins at LT look/play better. Long was holding his own at OG with the Jets so he should lock down that RG position and Nsekhe should take over at RT. Dawkins 6'5'' 320Lbs Spain 6'4'' 330Lbs Morse 6'6'' 305Lbs Long 6'5'' 318Lbs Nsekhe 6'8'' 330Lbs No defense in the NFL is going to roll over these beefy monsters! I doubt we will see another Joey Bosa type episode against that right side again as we had with Mills, Miller in there. Pass protection should be good as well as run blocking. It could look even better should the FO draft some O linemen in this upcoming draft. Wyatt Teller was a 5th round pick and he was one of the best Bills linemen last season in only allowing 8 pressures in 8 games and he is probably a backup. No more worries about the O line, get some sleep! Wanna worry about something, worry about the TE position!

I don't know man, as that line looked like one of the very worst the Buffalo Bills have ever fielded in the first half of the season. Teller came in and things picked up as he only allowed 8 pressures in 8 games and although he looks like a backup on paper right now. That kid might have something to say about being a backup. Anyway, offensive line players usually play better when they have some decent talent next to them and it goes the opposite way when they don't. LG Dawkins should play better with a decent starter next to him at LG in Spain. Spain, Morse, and Long should lock down the middle. Morse is a huge upgrade at center and shouldn't be that far off from Eric Wood. Long was a decent starter for the NY Jets at OG so he should do okay. The question is at right tackle and it looks like Nsekhe will take that spot. Even if this year's starting unit gets to 15th or so overall. That is still a big help to that rookie QB who shouldn't have even started last season as he was supposed to sit and learn. It's the run game that concerns me the most as they were pretty crappy in yards per attempt last season under Castillo (21st). With this new revamped line and Mccoy, Gore I can see the Bills getting back to a top-five run unit. Here's hoping!

I already agreed it was the Pegula's choice with both hires. This whole thing started because you said, "Unfortunately the decision was made by two people who don't have a pro football brain. Terry and Kim Pegula. I don't believe anyone else in that room, Russ Brandon, Doug Whaley or the person making the coffee had any say." When clearly both Whaley and Brandon had debated the hire of Rex Ryan and they said so in their own words! Sounds to me like you state it was a snap hire... when in fact the Pegula's talked it over with many, many NFL people before they hired McD.  You want the last word by refuting the links I posted of what actually happened, go ahead! Even when you clearly state something...then go on to refute it. I can see you choose to believe what you want to believe. I won't be responding to any more speculation.

This is what you stated and you make that statement with nothing to back it up but speculation. "Whaley, who was in the room for the interview process that led to Rex getting hired, has been in Buffalo since 2010. That's seven seasons of the soon-to-be 17-year drought. Brandon has been here for nearly two decades of this drought. He was the one who hired Whaley. He's the one who helped hire Doug Marrone. And yes, he's the one who told Pegula not to let Rex Ryan leave the building. He texted Rex with advice for how to woo the Pegulas." https://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/2016/12/can_the_pegulas_trust_doug_whaley_and_russ_brandon_to_help_hire_bills_next_coach.html "After an extensive search, conducted by myself, Kim (Pegula), Russ (Brandon), and Doug Whaley, the Buffalo Bills have hired a new head coach and that coach is Rex Ryan." "We went into this process very open-minded, the four of us. There was a lot of arguing, a lot of debating, which is always healthy." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Q: What made you decide that Rex was your guy? TP: The first round of the interviews were broad-type questions. When we called him back and got into the nitty gritty, Doug hit him with all this stuff that put me to sleep (Laughs). That’s when we knew that Rex could be our coach, if he wanted to be. We just felt that he was our guy and trust me, we had some pretty impressive people that we felt could the Bills coach, but we said, “Hey, let’s go after Rex.” Russ told me, “Don’t let him out of the building.” https://www.buffalobills.com/news/complete-transcript-rex-ryan-s-introduction-14782098 I posted a link which stated that the Pegula's took their time and consulted with many, many NFL people before hiring McD. This wasn't a snap decision on either hire by the owners like you suggest. The links I posted to support this and it is not just my speculation. Yes, the Pegula's had the final decision on who they hired to be the head coach of their NFL franchise. Bottom line to my main point, Doug Whaley had a voice and backed the Rex Ryan hire from what I read.

It's going to interesting to see how this line starts off in preseason as is it looks like Dawkins LT, Spain LG, Morse C, Long RG, Nsekhe RT. LT is the same and should play better with a solid starter at LG, C is a huge upgrade, RG should be an upgrade from Miller who couldn't get out of his own way. RT is the only question. Dawkins had a very down year last year in my view because of the poor play next to him at LG and the team might just look to upgrade at #9 with Jawaan Taylor, Jonah Williams. In any event, the 2019 Buffalo Bills O line should be much improved over last seasons debacle even without an early draft choice for the line.