Logic

For all those saying "it's only preseason" or "he hasn't done anything yet", well...you're both right and wrong. On the one hand, you're right, preseason doesn't mean anything. On the other hand, he already HAS started to prove the doubters wrong. The book on Allen was that yes, he could hit the amazing, improvisatory play or the long bomb, but he couldn't consistently read defenses, adjust his protections, find the open man, and deliver the ball accurately in the short passing game. As the second half of last year wore on and then the preseason games started being played, we began to see that yes, Allen IS learning how to read defenses, set his protections, and find the open man in the short passing game. He's learning to take what the defense gives him. He's showing that it's not "long bomb or bust". That he perhaps CAN operate a standard, modern NFL offense. That's the whole thing with Allen. We already KNEW he could make the extraordinary plays. But could he make the ordinary plays? It's starting to look like the answer may be "yes", and that alone is indeed proving many doubters wrong. Already, it seems quite obvious that Allen's FLOOR as an NFL QB is much higher than the analysts stated. Already, he is doing things they said he wouldn't be able to do. Yes, it's only preseason, but there's no law against being encouraged by a young QB's progress. There's no rule against cautious optimism.

So you're saying everyone should just pump the brakes?

The following article was written by Mike Tanier, noted Josh Allen hater. And when I say "hater", I mean that the publication he co-authors called Allen "A parody of an NFL quarterback prospect". Anyway, it's a pretty fair article, and points to cautious optimism that Allen may just turn out to be good after all, despite the hot takes of so many "draft experts". https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2850542-buffalo-bills-josh-allen-starting-to-prove-doubters-and-haters-wrong.amp.html "If Allen develops a decent short game, remains a rushing threat and can hit on the intercontinental ballistic launches just a little more regularly, well, that's a pretty darn good quarterback. And a lot of folks, including me, will be eating some old takes. Allen may still be a work in progress, but he's no punchline. In fact, he's what the Mayock types told us he would be: the high-upside guy with a lot to learn. The upside is still there, the learning continues, and Allen looks ready to help the Bills win a few games during his on-the-job training. Maybe the old NFL guard really does know what it's talking about now and then. Imagine that."

The Dolphins are going to be SO BAD this year. Like 2-14 bad. Will they draft Tua or Herbert? I don't really care either way. They should represent two easy wins for Buffalo this year.

Japanese wrestling. What?! No, seriously. I've been spending an inordinate amount of time this summer watching New Japan Pro Wrestling's annual G1 Climax tournament. Don't ask.

I'm with you on this. The Bills can survive just about any other injury and still win some games. If Allen is hurt, though? Not so much. And lest anyone say that Allen is a special case because he's a raw youngster: Lamar Jackson isn't playing tonight, and he DAMN sure needs reps as badly as Allen does.

I'm seeing more and more coaches not play their starting QB in the third preseason game. I know Allen needs reps, but should the Bills follow suit?

I don't blame anyone one iota if they want to see more from Knox before believing he'll be a good player. I mean, he literally hasn't suited up for a single down of NFL football yet. I'm admittedly an eternal optimist, but I happen to think he's going to be very, very good. I thought so before the draft, I was THRILLED when the Bills traded ahead of the Pats to pick him, and I was not surprised when he was tearing up camp prior to his injury. He and Sweeney are going to form an excellent 1-2 punch for the next several years in Buffalo. But again, I fully understand why people would want me to #PumpTheBrakes on Knox.

I think it's that we're SO CLOSE to the regular season. We've made it to within one half of a football game from entering the regular season relatively healthy. Also, the starters often play for 2 1/2 quarters on the 3rd preseason game, as opposed to just a series or two in the first two preseason games.

It's honestly one of the more reasonable discussions I've ever read from an opposition's message board. Points various posters have made over there: The Jets need to bring well disguised coverages to confuse Allen, they need to get him on the move by bringing pressure up the middle and forcing him to make difficult throws across his body, they need to pay big attention to Cole Beasley, they might need to spy Allen...all pretty reasonable to me. Various people have also admitted that their corners stink and that their run game may be slow to wake up with a few new o-linemen and a rusty Le'veon Bell. I mean, sure, there's the usual dose of homerish enthusiasm over there, but find me a football message board that ISN'T optimistic about their team this time of year. All in all, I find MOST of the discussion to be pretty reasonable. There's some silliness, sure, but more reasoned football discussion than I would have expected.

Chris Ford. 100% I'm hoping we get a good, long look at McKittrick, too.

I google image searched "Prep school douche" and the first results that came up were the above photo and a few of Brett Kavanaugh. ?

I think Dawson Knox is going to be an excellent player for the Bills for years... But it's hard to think of a name that makes me want to punch a guy in the face more than "Dawson Knox". Sounds like a prep school villain from an 80s movie.

Absolutely. I'm putting the over/under on number of "pump your brakes" responses at 4.

I was just reading an article about Darryl Johnson and how the Bills likely won't even have the luxury of stashing him on the practice squad this year because he's just been too impressive. Ditto Tommy Sweeney. When was the last time TWO 7th round picks not only made the opening day roster, but made big contributions in their rookie years? Obviously, we have to see these guys play for a few years before we can declare any draft class a success. With that caveat out of the way, it appears at this early stage as though Beane knocked this draft out of the park. Oliver and Ford look to be fixtures in the trenches for years to come. Singletary and Knox BOTH look like steals in the third round, and I expect both to be the #1 on the depth chart at their positions by next season. Tommy Sweeney and Darryl Johnson from the 7th round, as mentioned, look like legitimate NFL starters. Jaquan Johnson has looked good in limited action as a depth safety. Seems like a very smart player. That leaves only Vosean Joseph. As it is, it seems probable that he will make the roster and contribute on special teams this year, and he certainly has the talent to be a contributor on defense next year. I figure he'll follow the same career path as last year's 5th round pick, Siran Neal. Even if he doesn't though, it looks like the Bills hit on 7 out of 8 picks, at minimum. That's OUTSTANDING! If these types of draft classes continue, bright times are ahead for Buffalo.

I don't think that what Barnwell said in and of itself was too unreasonable. If you think about it, it's not even that unreasonable to surmise that Buffalo will be one of the 10 worst teams in the league. Not including the Jets on the list, though....that's pretty egregious. They picked 3rd in this year's draft, have a pretty bad defensive roster overall, and just hired a head coach with a career losing record.

I think they're right to be optimistic about their quarterback and probably their offensive roster in general. Defensively? Their cornerbacks are a mess, they have no edge rushers, and they're missing Avery Williamson for the year. Also, there's the Adam Gase factor. I don't happen to think he's a very good coach. I expect he'll have a similar tenure in Jersey as he did in Miami.

I've been all aboard the "Le'veon is gonna have a terrible season for the Jets" train, but you know what? I think he'll be alright. I mean...lord knows they've gotten production from guys like Elijah McGuire and Bilal Powell the past few seasons. If THOSE guys can eek out production behind that bad offensive line, Bell should at least be a 1,000 yard rusher.

The third preseason game for me is known as the "hold your breath and pray" game. We've made it this far without any calamitous injuries (knock on wood). Please, please, PLEASE....tiny, infant, 6 lb 8 oz baby Jesus, please....let the starters get through this game without harm.

I think you're right. Just about all of it.

Both of this year 7th round picks, Tommy Sweeney and Darryl Johnson, are looking great so far. That limousine ridin', jet flyin', kiss stealing, wheelin' dealin' son of a gun Brandon Beane has done it again!

Wow. The national disrespect of Josh Allen is unlike anything I've probably ever seen before.

With Williamson, Copeland, and I think Trumaine Johnson being out, the Bills really need to win week 1. In fact, if they can start the season 3-0, I think we'd all agree they should have a pretty good chance of making the playoffs. And with the Jets, Giants, and then a Bengals squad probably missing AJ Green and playing in front of a fired up New Era crowd, that's not an impossible task.

You're off here, mrags. Lee Smith will make the team. While Knox and Sweeney offer route running and catching prowess, thus making Croom's skillset redundant, no one on the team offers Smith's blocking prowess. They also want his veteran leadership around their two youngsters for the next year. And do you want to know the REAL reason that he's definitely making the team? They're paying him $4.4million guaranteed. Smith makes the team.

This thread should be called The Bloviation Station.