Logic

Now we get to see those who were crying and and moaning about not signing any big time players pivot to crying and moaning that we overpaid for an old guy. @BillsVet? @Coach Tuesday? Who wants to go first?

Yet another recent high priced, "big splash" addition to a team that was much ballyhooed by the media, and then didn't work out very well and the guy was released a year into his deal. These big names on the back nine of their careers don't always work out the way fans think they will...

As it stands right now, the Bills have: 1T: Daquan Jones, Star Lotulelei, Eli Ankou (practice squad) 3T: Ed Oliver, Tim Settle I feel like they normally roll with just 4 DTs on the roster, particularly now that they have Basham, who they like to kick inside on third downs. That said, unless they decide to roll with 5 DTs this year, I'm not sure where Jordan Phillips fits on the roster. I liked him as a player here, and he brought great energy and was seemingly beloved by his teammates. If they find a spot for him, so be it. He can bring juice as a rotational pass rusher. I just don't think we give game day jerseys to 5 DTs, so unless someone mentioned above is getting cut, one of the five will be inactive every Sunday.

Like I said... Jones says "it isn't about money", but would surely proceed to take more money to play for a non contender. And yes, I'm counting the Raiders -- in that division -- as a non-contender. You're telling me they're gonna rise above the Mahomes Chiefs, Herbert Chargers, and Wilson Broncos any time in the foreseeable future? Ain't happenin'. Money talks, bull#### walks.

Any time you can forego joining a Josh Allen led top three offense on a Super Bowl contender to play with Carson Wentz on the worst-run franchise in the league for the same amount of money, you've just gotta do it, right?

It's like we all said to begin with: He was a terrible signing, a waste of money, and wouldn't improve the Bills one iota! (Just kidding. Was excited at the prospect of him being added to the offense. Oh well. Not gonna get too broken up about a 3rd down RB)

Seeing more Brandon Beane slander in here than I expected. I think Beane is taken for granted by many here -- certainly the ones complaining the loudest, anyway. How many years were the Bills an irrelevant dumpster fire, never making the playoffs, with seasons usually effectively over by Halloween? And during those years, how many times did the Bills make "big splash" moves in free agency? Pretty frequently! What good did it do them? Come to think of it, what good does it USUALLY do teams to make "big splash" moves in free agency? Yes, the Rams and Tampa Bay are the two most recent Super Bowl winners, and yes, the recency bias of seeing that happen has caused many to forget that those types of "super teams" tend to be the exception rather than the rule. It happens much more often that the big, flashy, exciting moves don't work out and leave the teams that made them with impractical albatross contracts that they're desperate to get out of. Khalil Mack was a big, splashy trade from the Raiders to the Bears that many here wished the Bills had done. How did the Bears do during the years he was there? How did his time with that team end? Amari Cooper was a big, exciting acquisition for the Cowboys. How many titles did he bring Dallas? How did his time with them end? After 17 years of absolute incompetence and awful football, the Bills hired a GM who -- along with his head coach -- have guided the Bills to four playoff seasons out of the five years they've been here, including three straight and an AFC Championship game appearance. They now routinely win 10+ games every year, are the favorites to win the AFC East, and are the 2022 AFC Super Bowl betting favorites. Furthermore, we see scores of unbiased national analysts praise the Bills every year for smart, well thought out signings and for using free agency intelligently. That, in and of itself, should not be taken for granted, as we sit here and watch other GMs hand out absolutely ridiculous contracts to mediocre players. The reasons that I see people bashing Brandon Beane? He "plays it safe" and "Doesn't make the big splash". Riiiiiight. The guy that came in and immediately traded away big time players, cleared the salary decks, traded up for all time divisive player JOSH ALLEN (a non "playing it safe" move if ever there was one), traded for Stefon Diggs, and oversaw a team with one of the most modern, diverse, pass happy offenses in the league....THAT'S the guy you say plays it too safe? Why? Because he doesn't dole out 1st round picks for and pay huge contracts to other teams' stars? I get it: He hasn't brought the Bills a Super Bowl title yet. But if the only thing that qualifies a GM as "good" is winning a Lombardi, then 99% of the GMs in the NFL are awful. End the Beane slander. It's madness.

Legitimately good tight end. 3,000 career receiving yards, 24 TDs in six years. Only 27 years old. Someone’s gonna pay him $9M. Won’t be us.

Today is the day we discover that Chandler Jones, who said “it isn’t about money”, indeed took more money to sign with a non contender. We then discover the Bills wound up with the ghost of Jason Pierre Paul.

From Watson’s perspective, why choose to stay in a stacked AFC? Why not go to the NFC, where the only good QBs are 45 and nearly 40 years old? Go own the NFC for 15 years instead of street fighting in the loaded AFC every year. That’s what I’d be thinking, anyway.

They’re gonna end up without Watson OR Baker. Absolute fools. Jimmy Haslam, who is apparently behind the effort to get Watson, is an AWFUL owner. I feel bad for Browns fans.

wow. I missed that somehow. Thanks. Seems like a pretty reputable source. I don’t recall pelissero reporting that. If it’s true, I wonder what the sticking point was that ended trade talks. Knowing Beane, I’m guessing it was the draft pick compensation, with rumors that CAR was holding firm on wanting a 1st round pick and more.

Sounds like Washington wasn't given the chance to match the Bills' offer. Also sounds like McKissic is another McKenzie when it comes to being a mouthy instigator in the locker room. Maybe it's a Mc thing. https://theathletic.com/3186834/2022/03/15/commanders-keep-bobby-mccain-but-j-d-mckissic-follows-other-washington-free-agents-out-the-door/ “We would love to have J.D. back,” general manager Martin Mayhew told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine. “They’re all sort of in the same group where they were really important to what we did last year.” Washington had not made a tangible contract offer to McKissic’s representatives at the point of the combine, even though teams are permitted to sign their players prior to the start of free agency. Interest from other clubs entering free agency’s legal tampering period made it apparent McKissic would have options. The Commanders allowed the running back to test the market. The Bills pounced with a deal that could reach $8 million. At the finish line, Washington believed it was not given the chance to match Buffalo’s offer, according to a source close to the situation. ...... “They want me here and I want to be here. It’s as simple as it sounds,” McKissic said shortly after Washington’s 7-10 season concluded. “We just got to get something done over the time period.” Perhaps McKissic’s neck injury weighed on Washington’s decision, or it decided to invest elsewhere. The Athletic has reported for weeks of the Commanders’ interest in adding a running back capable of handling early-down duties with Antonio Gibson. McKissic caught 123 passes and averaged 4.3 yards per carry in 27 games with Washington. He offered quickness with the ball, and he gave offensive coordinator Scott Turner a moveable chess piece and quarterback Taylor Heinicke a valuable safety valve last season before a neck injury sidelined McKissic for the final six games. The chatty McKissic was a locker-room favorite, a player Washington’s defenders always cited as a playful instigator during practices. Fans grew to appreciate McKissic’s value, especially during his 80-catch 2020 season. McKissic’s deal on the surface is more than double the contract he signed in 2020. That’s not a break-the-bank contract. Teams are at times conflicted with making a concrete offer at the start of free agency over the fear of the player’s agent of shopping those terms elsewhere. The counter is that a player and his representatives may view that ploy as hesitancy and seek safe harbor elsewhere. In this case, McKissic joined an AFC powerhouse

I think Beane has it right: Avoid the big overpays in free agency for the top tier guys. Instead, use free agency to plug holes, scoop up young players with potential who needed a change of scenery, add veteran role players, and make it so that you don't have glaring holes on draft day. Use most of your cap money to re-sign drafted players and retain home grown talent. Wash, rinse, repeat. The flip side of that coin is the wild spending on contracts that look bad when they're signed, and look even WORSE a year or two later. We saw this last year with New England handing out funny money to the likes of Nelson Algholor and Johnnu Smith -- contracts that ALREADY look bad and will only look worse with time. We're seeing it again this year with the Jaguars, who have given out giant contracts to lesser players like Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Even Engram, and whose offensive personnel STILL doesn't look particularly threatening. Free agent mega spending doesn't seem to regularly translate to wins or to stable cap situations. Using free agency judiciously to fill roster holes and allocating most of your money to homegrown talent and committing to building through the draft DOES seem to translate to consistent team success and cap stability. Beane has it right. Cue the Beane haters in 3, 2, 1...

I think that it has been demonstrated over the years that the McDermott/Frazier defense is at its best when it has a legitimate space-eating, two-gapping 1T that must be accounted for and must be routinely double teamed. When they have had such a player, it has allowed the undersized but speedy linebackers to flow freely to the ball carrier, and has allowed the 3T and the ends more one-on-one opportunities, and thus, more pressures on the quarterback. When they have not had such a player for whatever reason, the linebackers get engulfed by offensive linemen more frequently. The ends get doubled or chipped more regularly, and thus, do not get as many pressures on the quarterback. The 3T who should be making plays is instead often getting doubled himself. It seems like a simple thing, and it makes some here roll their eyes, but it's the truth: Having a big man who can take up two blockers -- essentially eliminating an entire offensive player from the play -- allows what is generally an undersized defense to function SO much more effectively. It's why Star Lotulelei was one of their first big money signings when they got to Buffalo. It's why they went out and spent $7M a year on DaQuan Jones. In addition to the above, I DO think interior pressure is important to them. Hence the high draft pick spent on Ed Oliver, hence the addition of a big 1T this year to finally free Oliver up to wreak havoc, and hence the addition of Tim Settle.

I suppose it depends on how you define "dangerous weapon". By definition, I guess it's fair to say that 3rd down backs are rarely that. On the other hand, a guy who was second on his team in catches last year, had 80 receptions the year before, is the third leaving receptions and yardage leader from the running back position over the past three years, and averages over EIGHT YARDS after the catch certainly SEEMS like a bit of a weapon. A guy who can regularly turn a .4 yard catch into a 9 yard gain seems like a bit of a weapon. Just my opinion.

Add this guy to the list of pissed off Commanders fans. Their collective anger at letting McKissic go should tell us something.

My hopes of a first round WR just took a major hit. For the Bills not to match the contract Wallace signed, they must feel confident they can upgrade at CB, and/or they must really like Dane Jackson. I expect a free agent signing or two at CB. No way Beane walks into draft night with this crying a need at CB.

*****. I would’ve happily paid him that. Best of luck to you, Levi.

Indeed. Looks like adding a dependable double team splitting, space eating, two-gapping 1T was a high priority. In terms of the ripple effect it will have on Ed Oliver and our young edge guys, I can understand why.

Running a 5-2 next season? My goodness.

Imagine being so attached to one draft eligible player who's never even played a down of NFL football that you flippantly dismiss and belittle anyone who disagrees with you or is happy about a player who actually HAS proven useful in the NFL.