Logic

I hear ya, and I made that caveat in my first couple of sentences, but… When you’re looking for negatives after a game like that, you might have to reach a little. Besides, the Broncos were ALSO playing third stringers and nobodies on special teams, and they still outclassed the Bills’ unit.

Stock up: Ken Dorsey Forget the specific playcalling. It was the usual preseason vanilla. This "stock up" is because the offensive operation was crisp and efficient throughout. The playcalls got in on time, the personnel -- which shuttled in and out a ton -- was always where it was supposed to be, when it was supposed to be there, there were very few delays, miscues, and mistakes. This may seem like nothing, but as Steve Tasker mentioned during the game, it's something. Offensive line In both run and pass blocking, the offensive line had a good day. From the starters to the the third string. From Saffold and Bates to Hart and Ford -- they outclassed the Broncos in both the run and pass game all day long. Whether it was giving Keenum ample time to throw or paving the way for an all-runs touchdown drive, the offensive line came to play today. Aaron Kromer looks to have made a huge difference. Running backs All five looked good. Singletary and Moss hit the whole with decisiveness and quickness. Cook showed his speed and his pass-catching acumen. Johnson looked like the slippery, dependable vet he is. Blacksheer looks like a definite practice squad keeper -- if the Bills can manage to get him there! Between the performance of the offensive line and the entire running back depth chart, it sure LOOKS like the Bills are going to have an actual run game this season. Shakir and Hodgins Nothing earth shattering today. Just another series of good route running, quality catches, and good sideline awareness. Shakir also looked like a trustworthy punt returner. I didn't specifically watch Hodgins when he played special teams snaps, but offensively, he's certainly making his case for a roster spot. Case Keenum What a difference a week -- and being protected by the first team o-line and throwing to first team skill players -- makes. Actually, even when the backup linemen and receivers came in, Keenum STILL looked good. It's safe to say all the hand wringing about the Bills' backup QB position can end now. OJ Howard Again, nothing earth shattering here, but he showed a pulse. He made a few catches, one of which saw him use his frame and strength to outmuscle the defender and secure a touchdown. After being invisible all summer, it was nice to see him contribute. Defensive End depth Shaq hasn't forgotten how to stop the run, and he showed good contain on a scrambling QB a few times, as well. Epenesa continued to pressure the passer. At one point, he was chipped by a running back AND facemasked by a tackle, and he STILL got into the QB's face and hurried a pass. His development into what looks to be a quality contributor from the right side is HUGE for this defense, whose best edge rushers all perform better on the left. Boogie Basham had a few nice plays, too, as did Mike Love. Stock down: Penalties There was one sloppy, penalty-filled drive by the offense. There were silly penalties by the defense. On a day where just about everything went right, this is one thing that coach McDermott can bark at his players about after the game. Special teams I realize that the Bills' three best special teams tacklers -- Matakevitch, Jones, and Neal -- weren't playing. Nevertheless, the Bills gave up too many big kick returns today. When the opposing offense is regularly starting past their own 30 yard line, you're not doing a good enough job making tackles on special teams. Depth corners Jackson, Elam, Johnson, and Benford acquitted themselves just fine. After those four, the rest of the cornerback depth chart struggled all day. Granted, guys like J'Marcus Ingram are likely cuts anyway, but still. They did themselves no favors today. All in all, just about a perfect preseason game: No injuries, a resounding victory in front of a fired up home crowd, six straight touchdown drives, sound defense (for most of the first three quarters, anyway), and unstoppable seeming offense. Just about every unit of the team -- with the aforementioned exception of the special teams -- performed well. Today was about as much fun as a preseason game can ever be. One more preseason contest -- in which we'll see only fringe roster players and practice squad candidates -- and then it's onto opening night against the Rams. Gonna be a hell of a year.

This is why I'm confident the Bills will continue to win the AFC East most years. Until the Jets, Phins, or Pats get a quarterback that can go toe to toe with Josh Allen on a regular basis, I won't worry about them. MAYBE Tua or Jones or Wilson become that guy, but I doubt it. Imagine being a Phins or Jets fan and going from 17 years of Brady straight into the Josh Allen era? We're potentially talking about a 30 year+ stretch where there's just a dominant phenom QB ruling the division, and he doesn't play for your team. Yikes.

The venue I'm seeing them at is 30 minutes outside of Portland. Based on the location and the lineup, I'm picturing a sea of hipsters for sure. (side note: Once, while working at a hotel front desk, I waited on Fred Armisen in drag. Like the picture below. They were a filming a Portlandia sketch in our lobby. He walked up to me, and the first thing he said, totally deadpan was "Hi. I don't really look like this. I'm in a costume". It took all the effort I could muster not to laugh at the whole situation.)

Billy Strings was ***** awesome. So, so good live. That was my first time seeing them, but it won't be my last. Acoustic, upbeat, shake-yer-ass bluegrass in the first set. Then, after the sun went down, they came out and played more electric, spaced out, improvisatory stuff in the second set. So one could say they followed the tried and true Grateful Dead method. It worked! Going to see a bunch of music I'm not familiar with tomorrow. Courtney Barnett, WaXahatchee, Sleater Kinney, and Fred Armisen. I know Armisen, of course, though I have no idea what kind of set he'll do (comedy? music?). A friend had an extra ticket and offered to take me. I'm not one to turn down a free outdoor summer concert. I like discovering new music. On first listen, WaXahatchee is pretty awesome. Barnett not bad either. Sleater Kinney is kind of not for me, but I'll put up with one unfavorable act if it means a bunch of other good music. Trey Anastasio Band, Ben Harper, and two nights of Bob Weir and Wolf Bros still to come.

That article I just linked claims that no, that was not the case. It states that Kim Wexler was originally only supposed to be a bit part with a limited role in the show. It also stats that Jimmy was supposed to have transformed into Saul by the end of season one. It says the same thing about Breaking Bad: That Jesse was only supposed to have a small part, etc. I'm not sure where the author of this article gets this information, but assuming it's correct, it seems everything was NOT meticulously planned out in advance.

https://www.theringer.com/better-call-saul/2022/8/18/23310690/better-call-saul-finale-saul-gone-satisfaction Thought y'all would enjoy the above overview/review of what a great show Better Call Saul was. I won't bother quoting it. If you want to read a great summary of what made the show excellent, check it out. Not too long a read.

I really wish the owners and the GM would just be honest. Just come out and tell us "look...the guy is disgusting. He's a sexual deviant. The fact is, winning football games and making money are more important to us than anything else. We're willing to deal with the bad PR and with employing a perpetrator of serial sexual assault because, at the end of the day, he helps us win more football games and increases our bottom line, and that's all that really matters to us". That's the truth. That's what's really going on here. At least if they were honest, I could have a teeny tiny sliver of respect for them for being transparent and saying what everyone knows to be true. Instead, we can add "insulting our intelligence" to the list of offenses.

Disgusting.

Dogs

A cold beer and a burger after a vigorous hike. Or actually...a cold beer and a burger literally any time ever.

Well said. I mentioned previously that I think Benford came in more well versed in what the Bills' defensive coaches generally ask of their defensive backs, whereas a lot of it was/is new to Elam. I still tend to think that Elam has a higher ceiling than Benford, but Benford is no slouch athletically, either. In any case, it seems like both players are getting better week after week. By the bye week of the 2022 season, I expect the Bills to have four quality outside corners on the roster and the "problem" of not having enough playing time for all of them.

I'm sure you've never in your life used hyperbole. Not once. Sometimes when I feel insecure or ill at ease, I, too, lash out at others. It's an understandable impulse. I find it helpful to take a few deep breaths and consider what it is that is really at the root of my unhappiness rather than projecting my negative feelings onto others. You may find this technique helpful, too. I hope you have a nice Thursday!

I could point out how weird and sort of sad it is that you comb through my posts, just looking for a reason to insult me or start an argument. I could point out that there was a clear element of exaggeration to my statement, and that you’re picking nits and being rude even though you likely agree with my overall point about the harmlessness of players doing podcasts. But ya know what? I realize I’ve been dealing with you the wrong way all these months. When someone has such unhappiness inside them that they feel the need to constantly try to make others as unhappy as them, one should not respond to that person with the same level of base, ugly cruelty that that person dishes out. One should respond instead with compassion, and with loving, nurturing behavior. I apologize for failing you in the past, BADOL. I will treat you only with love and kindness from here on out. I hope you have a great night, my friend.

Were the plays where Moss picked up chunks of yardage running behind guys that will be bagging groceries in a few weeks, against the Colts' 1st string d-line, which is one of the best in the league...actually impressive? Yes, yes I believe they were.

These players care A LOT about winning. They spend every waking hour upkeeping their bodies and studying playbooks and risking their health to try to win. Some players across the league may not care much about winning, but our guys do. That's the only type of player Beane brings to the roster. He also brings really SMART players to the roster, like Mitch Morse, for example. Given their burning desire to win and their often high level of intelligence, I really, SINCERELY doubt that these players would participate in these types of shows if they thought it would give their opponent a competitive edge. I also kind of doubt that Belichick has scouts watching the Cover 1 interviews with a notepad in hand, scribbling down details of Isaiah Hodgins' technique. I mean...with Belichick, ya never know, but I doubt it.

I'm a bit late to this conversation (I watched the show a day late on DVR), but holy cow. What a finale, what a show. I'm struck by the way in which Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad were the same type of story -- the descent of two decent men down a slippery slope of moral decay -- and yet were completely different shows. They shared the DNA of the Gilligan/Gould writing team, of course -- the meticulous detail, the rich visual tapestries, the carefulness and deliberateness -- but whereas Breaking Bad was loud, violent, bombastic, dramatic, and at times operated at a breakneck pace, Better call Saul was quiet, staid, understated, and subtle. It was as if Breaking Bad was the Id, and Better Call Saul the ego/superego. And whereas Walter White steered into his worst impulses and ultimately went down in a violent blaze of glory (sure, he helped Jesse and killed some nazis, but he was certainly no hero by the series' end), Jimmy sought redemption, ultimately doing the right thing and choosing to pay for his sins rather than weasel out of consequences for the millionth time. When looking at Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul together, I'm not sure I've ever seen a more well written, well told, well shot, well acted couple of shows in my life. Between the story arcs, the character development, the visual tapestries, the carefully planted easter eggs in almost every episode that often foreshadowed future events or colored the story in an extra shade...I just really can't say enough about the job Gilligan and Gould did on these shows. I may be in the minority, but I think that overall, as much as I loved Breaking Bad, I might have preferred Better Call Saul. It was as if the showrunners took everything they learned and perfected while making Breaking Bad and applied it to Better Call Saul. As for the finale...most everything has already been said, but...I especially liked the three flashback scenes to the three formative characters in Jimmy's life, and of course the ending scenes with Kim. That may -- MAY -- have been the best series finale I can ever recall seeing. Just exactly perfect.

Well...I don't see how those two statements are incompatible. "He's not yet complete as a punter" and "I think he'll likely end up being really good" are not mutually exclusive, and one of the key things that I think would lead from statement one to statement two is improving upon his hangtime. the thing I was originally responding to was your comment that "hang time is meaningless almost all the time". And then IronMaiden said "hangtime is a non starter of an issue". I disagree.

I agree with what you say, generally speaking. I DO think Araiza will be a good punter, and I DON'T think hang time will likely hold him back in the long term. The only issue I have is with people minimizing how difficult things like achieving good hang time or directional kicking with accuracy actually seem to be. If these were such easy things to do, all punters would do them! Take former Buffalo Bill Corey Bajorquez. He, too, has a really strong leg. And yet, several years into his career now, he STILL struggles with directional accuracy and consistency with the hang time of his kicks. The notion that it's just a simple fix seem to dismiss the reality that if it were so simple, there'd be a lot more great punters in the NFL. Clearly, it is a legitimate concern, at least insofar as two punters were drafted ahead of Araiza. I already posted upthread that I think that's a mistake on the part of those GMs, but the fact that it happened is evidence that professional NFL talent evaluators DO value proven hang time and directional kicking over pure leg strength, and that fixing the former just because one possesses the latter is not a foregone conclusion.

If "gets it" means unrealistically ignoring a player's flaws and their potential downside, then sure. Having the strongest leg in the league does not automatically mean Araiza is going to be some flawless punter who presents no downside or who doesn't have room for improvement. Araiza has the upside to be the best punter in the league. Araiza is not yet the best punter in the league, and his potential flaws -- chiefly, lack of hangtime -- if not corrected, could lead to big punt returns, which would negate the benefit of having such a big leg. Both statements can be true. Pretending that Araiza is already a "punt God" and that he has no flaws is unrealistic. Again, I think he'll be just fine and will likely end up being a really good punter, but this "hang time doesn't matter" and "he'll just boot it out bounds every time" stuff is unrealistic over-simplification.

You're making some assumptions here that the facts do not yet support. The statement that "he will just kick it out of bounds or away from the return man" assumes that he's good enough at directional punting to accurately place the ball where he wants all the time. I'm not saying he can't do it, but we haven't YET seen him do it in the NFL. The reason he was drafted was his leg strength, but by all accounts, he still needs to work on directional kicking in addition to hangtime. For the record, I think he'll wind up being fine at both in time and will be a good punter overall, with a chance to be the best in the game. But to say that "hangtime issues are a complete non starter of a concern" or that he can just place the ball wherever he wants so that returns aren't an issue are simply not accurate statements at this point in time.

Yep. Prior to the Bills selecting Bass, genius Patriots GM Bill Belichick took a white supremacist kicker who is already out of the league. Gotta love it.

I thought I remembered one of the beat guys saying it was 4.22 seconds. My understanding is that punters aim for between 4.3 and 4.8. I do not agree with this. Even on the Araiza 82 yard punt on Saturday night, the ball did not LAND in the end zone. It landed in the field of play. If the returner had fielded the ball -- and as word gets out that Araiza can kick it that far, returners may be instructed to line up deeper -- he would have likely had some room to run. Punts with less hang time and a flatter trajectory give the opposition more opportunity to return the ball further. If Araiza could kick it into -- or out of -- the end zone itself every time, then great. But if the ball is coming down in the field of play, if there's a returner there to field it...yes, it's potentially a problem.

It's funny to me that two punters were drafted ahead of Araiza. On the one hand, I get it. Their directional kicking and hang time abilities were/are superior, and they represent safe options at punter who will likely have long NFL careers. There's more to being a good punter than just booting the hell out of the ball. On the other hand, Araiza has SUCH a powerful leg -- maybe the most powerful ever seen in the NFL -- that it would seem his upside was worth taking a swing on earlier than guys like Stout or Camarda. I guess maybe "upside" isn't something that NFL GMs give much thought to when it comes to punters. It is very emblematic of Beane's approach to drafting, though, that he selected Araiza. That is: he likes to take supremely physically gifted players with high ceilings but who have not yet reached those ceilings, then turn those players over to his coaches and entrust them to help said player reach that ceiling. Assuming Araiza can improve his directional kicking and hang time -- and all indications are that he's a humble, coachable guy -- he could be an unprecedented weapon as a punter. "Weapon"? Yes, weapon. The kick on Saturday was a great example. That kind of field flipping ability is a weapon.

I thought Spector flashed a few times on Saturday. I don't feel like third string linebackers often make plays that make me sit up and reach for the roster guide and go "who IS that guy?", but that's what happened with #54. Whether it was shedding a block and making a tackle in the hole, looking natural on a few coverage snaps, or timing his blitzes perfectly, I thought Spector looked like a guy with a future in this league. Certainly a roster-able player. Obviously the next couple weeks will tell us more, but based on camp reports and the first look in preseason, I hope Spector makes the team.