Logic

Carter and Bernard out means we can expect the Seahawks to attack the spine of our defense over and over again with a heavy dose of Ken Walker III. Frankly, that's likely what we could've expected if those guys were healthy and active, too. The Seahawks will get their yards. It'll be critical to limit them to field goals and to get off to a fast start on offense, rather than spotting them 10-14 points before we "wake up", as we have done multiple times this year.

I think the key part of the Amari Cooper trade that doesn't get talked about enough is that if the Bills DO let him walk next year, they could very likely receive a third round compensatory pick in return, meaning they would've essentially gotten him for the 2024 season in exchange for $800k and dropping, say, 12 spots in the 3rd round. It was literally the PERFECT deal for Beane: Low financial compensation, with a shot to either re-sign the player next year or re-coup the pick he used to acquire him. Garrett would not be that. Garrett would be sending multiple high picks and making him the highest paid defender in NFL history. I just don't see how people think that's a realistic thing that the Bills are likely to do.

Don't get me wrong: Garrett is a great player, and if it was up to me, I'd be calling the Browns and seeing if something could be worked out. I was more speaking to what I think Beane will do vs what I would do. I do not believe Beane wants to denude the top of his draft next year (he already traded away his 3rd) for one player. I don't think he wants to go into the draft with his first pick being in the 4th round. I just don't buy it for where the Bills are in their build right now.

I don't think anything the Bills have done over the past 12 months signals that 2024 is an "ALL IN" (to use your phrase), push-your-chips-into-the-center-of-the-table type of year. They've been cutting veterans, shaving salary cap, and hording (and using) draft picks to re-stock the cupboards with young talent. Everything they've been doing, in fact, points to 2024 being a soft re-set year, with 2025 and beyond being the years they hope to open a new and sustained window of Super Bowl contention. For Beane to suddenly turn around and flip multiple high draft picks for Myles Garrett would be very, very surprising to me. I don't think it's gonna happen.

I really don't think saying that Hamlin "hasn't been playing at a liability level" is singing his praises all that strongly. As for the INTs, you can dissect ANY player's interceptions, and you'll often find tipped balls, gimmes and gifts, etc. The fact is that he made the plays. You can call it luck or you can call it "being in the right place and doing your job". I prefer the latter, but you may prefer the former.

I think they'll sit Bernard this week in the matchup against the NFC opponent on the road, in order to rest his ankle for the big divisional home game the following week. I know that we all say "every game matters", and of course that's true to some degree. But it's indisputable that games against NFC opponents matter less than against AFC opponents.

I have never been more irate than I was watching this play live in Seattle's stadium. It was a horseshit play be the Seahawks, and the way the refs dealt with it was infuriatingly bad. It also had a direct impact on the outcome of the game and, worse yet, Dan Carpenter was basically never the same after this play. It sort of ruined his career. It still makes me mad to watch and to think about.

Seems that way, yep. Pass rusher would have been a fine choice. It would have also been great to combine those two salaries and put it towards a more viable safety like Kamren Curl. Hindsight is 20/20, but obviously Edwards and Samuel (particularly Samuel) both look like huge misses right now.

I agree with what I saw posted on Twitter. He was signed in the same wave of free agency as other "afterthoughts" like Casey Toohill and DeShawn Williams. He wasn't given a ton of money. He then proceeded to miss just about all of camp and the preseason with injury, which surely set him back in terms of fighting for a starting role. Fast forward to now, and I think his biggest obstacle to being gameday active is Cam Lewis. Lewis can (and does) also play nickel corner, and I think his versatility advantage over Edwards gets him onto the field. Edwards has always been a replacement level player, and the only thing "off" in this scenario was Bills fans' expectations for him. As for why he hasn't overtaken Hamlin or Rapp, maybe he's simply not playing as well as them in practice? Maybe he hasn't earned it?

So surprising to see him SEPARATE from the pack this week 😝

Raiders - Cooper (by his own admission) dealt with injuries, drops, and inconsistency, so even though he posted 2,900 yards in his first three seasons, the Raiders didn't want to commit to him long term. They traded him to Dallas instead. Dallas - Jerry Jones didn't want to (or wasn't able to) give Cooper a long term extension. This is the same team, mind you, that handed Ezekiel Elliott an awful contract and recently had long and idiotic contract staredowns with CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott. They traded him to Cleveland. Cleveland - Rumors are that Watson and Cooper didn't get along and that Cooper sort of quit on the team this year. Either way, the Browns are having a down year and likely were happy to get a draft pick back in return for a player who definitely wasn't going to be there in 2025. So all in all, to answer your question: Early inconsistency and injury troubles, then bad front offices. That really seems to be it. Cooper isn't a superstar WR. He's a mid to low end WR1 who will give you 1,000-1,200 yards most seasons. He's a smart and savvy veteran who knows how to get open, commands attention from the defense, and will add some juice to the Bills' receiver room. They'll either re-sign him to a reasonable deal next year or let him walk and re-coup the 3rd as a com pick, but either way, he makes the Bills' WR room materially better in 2024, and his past as an NFL player doesn't change any of that, no matter what theory you ascribe his various moves to.

Cooper is younger, cheaper, and a better fit culture-wise and in terms of the skillset the Bills were lacking. Bills needed someone to win consistently vs man coverage, to separate, to do his job quietly and with professionalism, and to be a good veteran presence in the locker room. For every item on that checklist, give me Cooper over Hopkins.

Well if Kirk Minihane says it, it must be true.

Bills running game has mostly been good. I like all three of our running backs. If we're gonna go back and play the "what we could've used Curtis Samuel's money for instead" game, I'd rather have seen us sign a quality safety.

Most weeks I watch at home, but I do go there sometimes for big games, season openers, playoffs, etc. Tinker Tavern. Nice place. Always have good beer on tap, and they make respectable beef on wecks, pizza logs, and wings. It's not an absolutely packed madhouse of a place, the way some Bills bars are. It's got a little bit more of a laid back Portland feel to it. But it's a good time, and it does fill to capacity. If you ever find yourself in Portland and a Bills game is on, I think it would be worth a visit. Drop me a line and the first round is on me.

In the D-Hop thread yesterday I said "watch him become a Kansas City chief for laughably small trade compensation", and here we are. When I heard the news, I rolled my eyes a bit, but it honestly didn't irk me too much. The Chiefs are ALREADY undefeated. They're ALREADY the team to beat. Them adding the wide receiver that our corners just showed they can capably cover didn't bother me as much as I imagined it might.

Nice try, FBI. Just kidding. I live somewhat near Laurelhurst park, around NE 33rd and Glisan.

Something something Creed Humphrey anger frustration grrrrrrr

Awesome! Still considering whether I should go or not. Just got back from visiting WNY and going to the Titans game. Might be tough to convince my wife that going to another game so soon is a wise decision, financially and otherwise. Sidenote: I spend most of my free Summer days in Washougal. There are so many great swimming holes along Washougal River Road, which I would put up against any swimming holes in the world, in terms of water clarity, natural beauty, etc. Side side note: I had to drive through Camas for business the other day, and I had Red Leaf organic coffee for the first time and holllly crap was it good. Anywho...enjoy the game!

As someone who was vocally anti-Coleman, I must admit... Kid has looked good. I think he's getting better and better as the season progresses, and I think having Cooper to learn from will do wonders for him. It reminds me of when Josh Allen spent the first part of his rookie season without a viable mentor, then the Bills brought in Derek Anderson and Matt Barkley. Same kind of thing. Who did Coleman have to mentor him from an on-field standpoint? Samuel? Not great. I realize Coleman CAN do the 50/50 jump ball stuff and do it effectively, but what I like seeing most from him and what I've been most encouraged by his his YAC. Seeing him break one tackle or juke one defender and then pick up and extra 20-40 yards has been awesome. Rare post-catch ability for a man his size. THAT'S how I'd like to see the Bills use him: Concentrate on getting him the ball in space and on the move. Once he gets moving, with his size and at his speed, he's not easy to bring down. More of that, please. Lastly, enough of the "everybody eats" and "easing the rookie in" stuff. Cooper, Coleman, Shakir, Kincaid, Cook. 11 Personnel. THAT should be the primary offense moving forward.

Thanks for this. I live in Portland, which has its share of problems similar to those in Seattle, and unfortunately, that's ALL you hear about -- and more often than not from people who have never stepped foot in the city and are only parroting what they've heard on TV. I won't pretend that Portland, and Seattle, and several other west coast cities, don't have major issues with homelessness and petty theft and things like that. But ALL cities have problems -- Buffalo and Rochester are not exempt -- and all cities also have wonderful aspects that make them worth visiting or residing in. Seattle, despite its issues, is a beautiful city with great food and drink, great coffee and legal cannabis, kind people, a thriving arts and music scene, and filled with and surrounded by gorgeous nature. Anyone who exclusively talks smack about Seattle (or any city) without also mentioning its virtues -- PARTICULARLY if they've never been there and are just parroting TV talking points -- irritates me. Sorry. Rant over. Thank you for saying what you did.

If the Bills can avoid the whole "start slower than molasses and spot the opponents 10 to 14 points" nonsense, they have a great shot at winning. Make no mistake, Seattle is a tough place to play, the Seattle running game is no joke, and Geno Smith has been playing well. This is no gimme. Very winnable, though. I'd love to see the Bills lean back into the "running the offense through Josh Allen" strategy that they employed in the second half against the Titans. Keep running the ball, yes, but remember that Josh Allen is your quarterback, and gameplan and play accordingly.

Watch him become a Kansas City Chief for embarrassingly low trade return and absolutely light it up.