BillsFan4

It's so obvious he's such a huge Pats fan. I was literally yelling at my TV "he was a runner and crossed the plane of the goal Line you Patriots homer!" when he was saying that touchdown shouldn't count because he fumbled the ball.

Patriots have made a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes.

Ooh. He was wide open Tyrod! Edit - sorry. It's just a reflex reaction. lol

For sure. You know the Patriots are a 2nd half type of team. Keep the foot on the gas!

Ok, they can start the game again any time now...

Belichick, without a doubt. Brady will be 41 before next season. Father Time catches up to everyone, I don't care who you are, and MAN would it be satisfying to see that happen on the field. Belichick could decide to pull a Tom Coughlin and coach until he is well into his 70's. He is the puppet master in New England. Everything is done his way, to his standards. He is like a king there. Everyone does what he says without question. That would be a huge hit to lose him. He is irreplaceable IMO (so is Brady though). His attention to every little minute detail is the stuff of legend. I mean, stuff as insignificant as counting how many times a QB coming up on their schedule turns his head to the left or right. He even studies officiating crews to see what penalties they call more often and which they let go, and all sorts of other crazy stuff no one else in the league probably even thinks of. He is also the absolute master of in game adjustments. I don't think anyone adjusts the game plan during a game as well as he does. They could find another good coach and still still be a dangerous team with Brady, but I just can't see anyone coming in and replacing Belichick and his total obsession for preparing for an opponent. The other thing - with both coordinators leaving, if Belichick left too it would be very hard to keep all of their schemes/systems/culture etc. the same. Someone could come in and try to do it like they did, but it likely wouldn't be the same.

Damn. He can't be happy. Although he will ill still get his super bowl ring if the Pats win, so...

And not interfere in the decision making like he has in the past. I am actually just a little surprised that they've haven't seemed to have any trouble attracting so many big name front office people with Haslam's track record... Although I am sure that landing Dorsey went a long way in that regard (plus the boatload of picks...).

This wouldn't surprise me at all. I posted about how I felt the Vikings could be the perfect fit in the Cousins thread. I think it either comes down to them or Denver, but the more I thought about it the Vikings probably make the most sense. They need a QB, easily have the cap space ($57+M iirc) and are poised to compete immediately as well as for many years to come. As as much as I'd love the Bills to be high on his list and think that he and McDermott would be a perfect fit, I just don't see it. Not yet anyway. We have a lot more to prove still.

Can they actually even give him the tag? https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/washington-redskins/ As of now they have $47M in cap space. But that's without Alex Smith's cap hit. Now, we don't know how Smith's deal is structured. But for now, let's say it's $20M this season. That only leaves $27M. Not enough for the $34M exclusive tag. And I can't imagine that Smith's cap hit would be as low as $13M for this season (what it would need to be for Wash. to have the $34M they need to tag Cousins). I don't even know if they could do that.

And both from the same draft class as Sammy, at that.

I don't think he will be there at #21, but I would love it if he was. I'd run up to the podium with that pick if I were the Bills and he was still there at our pick. Its TD so hard to predict the draft though. Every year guys fall that I'd never expect to, and others go way higher than I thought they would. So, who knows...

That would be my guess as well, especially since Carpenter himself said that he and the Bills "mutually agreed that now is the time" to retire/part ways.

Interesting. I remember reading that Marrone and Whaley wanted to replace him, and thought his training methods were too old school for the players today. Edit - here's the first article I could find on it - http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000328741/article/{ballotUrl}

Great article. Thank you Shady!

I am wondering if Minnesota is going to be in the running for Cousins. They could be an appealing destination. They have a very good young team, great defense (they were in fact the #1 defense in the NFL - in both PPG and YPG). They also have tons of cap space - $50+ M. If they decide they'd rather have Cousins over Keenum and/or Bridgewater (I sure would), the Vikings could be a strong suitor for Cousins. I am still rooting for the Bills to land him. My dream is one of Cousins, Luck or 1 of the top 3 QBs in this draft (Rosen, Darnold, Mayfield). Cousins would be great because he'd leave us a bunch of draft picks to fill a bunch of holes, and it would hopefully allow the Bills to build on last season and make a playoff push instead of a potential step back with an unproven rookie QB. I also believe that Cousins is nowhere near his ceiling yet. With how hard he works and studies, I only see him getting better. He's only been starting 3 years.

Im not exactly sure what I learned from the Cousins trade, except that he seems to be valued higher by NFL teams than he is by fans and media. 1) I definitely think Alex Smith is a top 10-15 QB. I'd put him top 15 comfortably. Top 10 last year for sure. But yes, that contract was pretty damn high for him. As of now, I believe he is the #5 highest paid QB, and that's just insane. 2) I'm not sure if any players rights have been traded in the NFL recently, have they? Alex Smith was actually still under contract for 1 more year. I think The Redskins just wanted to make sure they had him for more than 1 year (without having to use the franchise tag 2x in a row again like the whole Cousins situation) at a price they felt comfortable with, in order to give up what they did in the trade. 3) I am also not sure that the Browns are not sold on the rookie QB class just because they tried to trade for Smith. Mary Kay Cabot, who is usually pretty plugged in with the Browns, said that the Browns were willing to give up a 2nd but were not willing to make the finaicial cmmitment to Smith that Washington did. http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2018/01/browns_tried_to_trade_for_alex.html I think they were (and still are) just looking for a good veteran bridge QB for the short term. My guess is that Dorsey wants to build up the team first, to have a stronger supporting cast for a young QB before throwing him into the fire. 4) Beane has done some good work clearing cap space in a short amount of time. They will take their lumps this year (dead cap of what, $29M?) but then 2019 looks excellent with $70+ M. They may not have the amount of cap space some teams like Cleveland and the NY Jets do, but we have enough that we could fit Cousins in, and they could always structure it so that the cap hit is lower this year and higher in 2019 when they have much more space. And like you said, we have more cap space than the Broncos do who I think will be big competition for Cousins. I think Minnesota is a dark horse candidate for Cousins. IIRC they have like 50+M in cap space and just went to the NFC Championship. They have a great young defense and team. If they decide they'd rather have Cousins than Keenum or Bridgewater, I think they stand a very good chance at landing him. 5) we will know a lot more after the first week of the new league year when free agency and trade windows open back up, but yes as of now I see 3 to 4 teams in front of us that need a QB. I still count the NY Giants because I could easily see them taking one at #2 or trading back with a team in the top 6 to still have a shot at their RB if they choose not to take a QB. I do think #3 is a good trade target, just not sure if the Bills have the assets to do it, especially if competing against teams much higher in the draft order than they are. I am definitely curious to see how this draft shakes out though. I can see as many as 5 QBs going off the board in the 1st. BTW Good post, Virgil. I enjoyed reading through it.

I don't think McDaniels would do that to Belichick & the Patriots. If they were going to trade him I don't think it would be anywhere in the AFC. It's a great dream though...

Hey! I resent that! I'm not on the couch. I'm sitting in my recliner.

As much as I want an upgrade on Tyrod for next season, I would actually be totally fine with Tyrod coming back next year if the Bills somehow managed to draft a QB high (Mayfield, Darnold, Rosen). If by "draft a QB high" you mean whichever QB falls to us at 21/22, or moving up to the teens for someone like Allen or Rudolph, I can't say I'd be quite as enthusiastic about that, but I'm sure I'd still be excited. Id also like to say that as badly as I want a better QB for next season, I'm not one of those people screaming "I want Tyrod gone no matter what! ANYONE would be better!". No, I only want Tyrod gone if it's for a legitimate improvement, and I know that as much as he struggled we still could do worse (and we have). And I also know that the Bills may not be able to solve their long term QB problem this season.

Here Shaw - https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/11/29/kirk-cousins-washington-redskins-quarterback I agree. I have thought that same thing ever since reading that article. Seems like McD and Cousins would be a great match. They both seem to share a similar traits and belief in what it takes to win. I am really hoping that he chooses Buffalo and will continue to hope until he is signed somewhere. I'd be thrilled if he ended up here. I think he is very driven to continue getting better and although the price may be high I think it would be a good gamble to take. I just think Denver has more talent currently, on both sides of the ball, and probably looks like the more attractive option. Look at the weapons he would have on offense. Look at the talent they have on defense. Then compare it to Buffalo's roster. We have some pieces but we are not as talented as Denver IMO. Shaw - what I was saying in my previous post is that Cousins could step onto the Broncos and (again, assuming their defense rebounds) they'd basically be ready to try to make a playoff run as soon as next year, and continue to do so for the immediate future (next 3-5 years). They still have a lot of the pieces from that super bowl team and a window to win that could open right back up with a good QB. I would love to be wrong about Denver appealing to him, and I hope that I am. I guess, as a Bills fan, am just trying to prepare myself for disappointment... I have thought all along that him and Smith were our best shot at an upgrade for the immediate future, and was kinda bummed when Smith went to Washington. But I'd rather have Cousins anyway, so hopefully it happens! If it comes down to coaching and ownership, then I think we win hands down. Lets just hope that McDermott and Beane get a chance to sell Cousins on their long term vision, and that he buys in.

As much as I may not want to admit it, Denver makes much more sense than Buffalo for Cousins. Yes, they were worse than us this season, but they are barely 2 years removed from winning the Super Bowl. They have a veteran team, a lot of good, skilled playmakers on offense and a good QB could really put them over the top again (assuming their defense rebounds). The head coach may be a question mark at the moment, but other than that they have a whole lot going for them. I feel that Buffalo is a team on the rise and should be looked at more favorably by free agents. But we just this year broke a 17yr playoff drought. I'm guessing that the Bills have a lot more proving to do to the rest of the league before we are really taken seriously by free agents looking to win (especially if they're not just looking to win, but win a championship).

Damn. Our QB upgrade options are quickly disappearing. Smith, Cousins, McCarren... I am starting to be more and more on board with a trade up for Rosen, Mayfield, Darnold. I am not seeing many options left for an upgrade at QB. But I really don't know that Beane will be willing to give up how draft to move way up for a QB, especially sitting at #21. It is starting to look like a lot of people (including myself) may be disappointed at what the Bills roll out at QB next season. Unfortunately, this may not be a problem that the Bills can solve this year. But there is still a lot of time, so I'm not giving up hope yet by any means. We are just going to have to draft our long term solution. Buffalo is not a destination and probably never will be (unless we somehow turn into a true perennial super bowl contender)

What a great read. Very sad, though. Always like A Will. Wish him all the best in whatever he does in the future.