Logic

Opinions are like buttholes. Everybody has one and most stink.

I feel great about 4 out of the 5 spots. I'd like to see the Bills add one more legitimate tackle via the draft.

What?

https://www.cover1.net/2019-nfl-draft-buffalo-bills-brian-burns/ The 2019 NFL Draft is less than one month away, and the Buffalo Bills could go in a variety of directions with their No. 9 overall pick. The team did a great job plugging holes throughout the roster at key positions during free agency, which gives Buffalo the flexibility to select the best available player with each of their 10 draft picks. Most mock drafts following the Bills’ active approach to free agency have the team selecting players like Alabama’s offensive tackle, Jonah Williams, Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver, and Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, among others. But one player that hasn’t been linked to Buffalo very often, and one who probably should be, is Florida State’s dynamic edge rusher, Brian Burns. Brian Burns is a long, athletic pass rusher who stands 6-foot-5 and 249-pounds. He improved in each of his three seasons with the Seminoles, finishing his career with 123 tackles, 38.5 tackles for loss, 23 sacks, seven forced fumbles, and seven pass breakups in 33 games. The former five-star recruit out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida’s American Heritage High School was named All-ACC after racking up 52 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, three forced fumbles, and three pass breakups in 13 games during his junior season, his last at Florida State.

Yep. Everything I read about Brandon Beane indicates that he is a relentlessly hard worker. He always seems to be on the road. Is this common? I legitimately don't know. He seems to be on the road as much as his scouts. Is this how all GMs operate?

Yep. People don't have the same fond memories/associations attached to our current jerseys, for obvious reasons. But from a purely aesthetic standpoint, I would argue that the current jerseys -- both home and away -- are the best the Bills have ever had. The all-white throwbacks are beautiful, too.

The Nike-i-fication of the NFL is not very impressive. I'd argue that the Jets, Bucs, and Jags all downgraded with their new looks. The Bucs are the worst of the bunch, but the new Jets look isn't far behind. The shoulder stripes are non-sensical, the italic "New York" on the front looks out of place, and the metallic green helmets don't match the green on the jerseys very well. And the all-black alternates, when black isn't even a primary color in the scheme? Yuck.

If Schein keeps this up, he's going to become Bills Mafia's most beloved sports analyst since Chris Berman. Schein is ALWAYS saying nice things about the Bills these days. He's like a closet Bills Booster. Went to school in Syracuse, which I suspect has something to do with his WNY love.

I agree on all counts. Most Bills fans are sleeping on Spencer Long, in my opinion. I think Long, if allowed to just compete for a starting guard spot, will win said spot. I think an interior three of Spain, Morse, and Long will be of high quality and high production. They're all still on the right side of 30, too. Training camp is going to be extremely interesting with respect to offensive line battles. While I like Long a lot and think he can return to being an effective starting guard in this league, I also like Wyatt Teller and Ike Boettger. In an ideal world, we could start Spain and Long at guard (assuming they win the competition), and still find a way to roster Teller and Boettger. Then, when Spain's one year deal is up, you can decide if either Teller or Boettger have shown enough in development to let Spain walk.

Did you read the whole Dunne article? It sure seems like it's more than just "QB becomes successful, QB gets big ego". He seems overly sensitive, petty, isolated, and refuses to accept blame for anything. Who knows if the article accurately represents Rodgers, but if it does, it paints him in a very negative light.

Yeah. I DO wonder why teams were scared to give Spain a big contract. He sure seems like he's worth it. The only thing I can guess -- and it is a TOTAL guess -- is that Spain simply was asking for more than teams were willing to offer, and Spain didn't want to sign a multi-year deal for less than what he thought he was worth. We have yet to see his contract numbers with the Bills, right? I'm curious what we're paying him.

It's more than that, though. Allen seems like a really humble kid. The whole thing about Rodgers freezing teammates out of his life, putting them in "the doghouse", not reciprocating their off-field friendships and kindnesses...none of that seems like Josh Allen. Allen is universally described as highly coachable, humble, "gets it", etc. And in just his first full offseason with the team, he already has various practices with his WRs scheduled and was recently shown at dinner with his teammates. I'm not saying Allen could never become Rodgers. How could I possibly know that? I AM saying, though, that it appears highly unlikely. Allen appears to be a born leader and quality person.

Everything about Spain's offseason suggests that he was asking for more than the league's teams felt he was worth. Finally, when he saw he wasn't going to get what he wanted, he decided that a one-year prove-it deal was his best option. Essentially, he's betting on himself and that his performance this season will earn him a big contract next offseason. If he plays very well for the Bills, they'll have options. They can either re-sign him to a longer deal (which I would hope for, since continuity is important along the o-line), or perhaps they'll look at their young, developing guards (Teller, Boettger, potential draftee) and decide that they can let Spain walk. In any case, his addition means a stabilized left side of Dawkins, Spain, and Morse. I expect Dawkins' play to return to a high level this year, with Spain next to him, with Morse making the calls, and with Dawkins having received a major wake-up call, to which he's already admitted.

This is probably my 2nd favorite signing of free agency. Morse was 1st, obviously. John Brown and Cole Beasley were both great additions, too. At the end of the day, though, it's all about keeping Allen upright. Spain will be a day 1 starting LG for the Bills, will help Dawkins to perform better at LT, and is excellent in pass protection. By adding Morse and Spain, the Bills added two guaranteed starters and upgrades to their line. We'll see about the others (Nsekhe, Feliciano, et al).

He profiles as a 7th rounder or UDFA, right? I have no problem with the Bills taking a swing on a guy like Atkins if that's the case. None of us has one tenth the football knowledge that the Bills scouts and front office has. How many Bills fans were advocating for Matt Milano two seasons ago?

What an incredibly reported story. OUTSTANDING job by Ty Dunne. I think there's a little bit of truth to all of it. I'm sure the coach-QB relationship DID sour. I'm sure Rodgers IS kind of a dick. I'm sure Ted Thompson was a pretty bad GM (which I've always thought). But it's important to remember that a lot of the most negative quotes about Rodgers come from just two guys: Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley. Without knowing the specifics of the way the relationships between those two men and Rodgers played out, its impossible to know how much of what they say is accurate and how much is just them having an axe to grind for some reason or another. In any case, I'll just say this: I am SO glad that Josh Allen appears to be the polar opposite of how Rodgers is described in this piece. And I'm happy that Sean McDermott seems to be the polar opposite of the way McCarthy is described, too. For anyone who still doubts that TEAM CULTURE is the most important thing in football, just read this story. They have the greatest quarterback of all time, and what good did it do them once things got shaky? Culture matters.

Thanks dude. I assume since you "liked" my reply, that I got the Chargers. Next to their name on the master list, in parentheses , it just says "Chargers". ? Enjoy the O's - Yankees game!

You took the words right out of my mouth. And by saying he'd take Maybin over Zay Jones, he inadvertently became the PERFECT example for the "overboard Zay hate" contingent. Well done.

Good post. And I won't agree that "incomplete" is the logical final grade. But with an "A" in all the major categories you explained, I'd say the grade is trending toward...well....an "A"!

I voted Oliver because he is the PERFECT guy to fill the giant shoes left by Kyle Williams and be the playmaking 3T for the next decade. It's funny to watch Oliver be the runaway favorite so far. Bills fans (myself included) were so adamant that the 1st round pick needed to be spent on an offensive player. Then Beane went out and signed 37 players on offense. Now we're all on board with Oliver. Good stuff.

Chargers please, if the Colts are taken

I have said this it feels like a thousand times, but I'll say it again: When you look at the production of JuJu or Kupp, you need to factor in the offense in which they are playing and the quarterback throwing them the ball. If you inserted Zay Jones into Cooper Kupp's slot spot, between Woods and Watkins/Cooks, I am not certain that he wouldn't produce at the same clip. Smith-Schuster's case is different, but not by much: He was in an extremely high volume passing offense, and was the beneficiary of both catching passes from a Hall of Fame quarterback and of having Antonio Brown on the other side of him. The Rams and Steelers both had top 5 offenses and top 10 QB situations. Again, take Zay Jones away from the Rick Dennison offense and the Taylors, Andersons, and Petermans of the world and put HIM in a high volume passing offense with a high quality QB and lets see how he does. Until I see Zay Jones get to operate in a legitimate NFL offense with a legitimate NFL QB, I'm not closing the book on him. Even just in the post-Allen-injury portion of last year, Jones posted games of 4/67/2, 5/67/1, and 6/93/2. Let me see him this year with an improved o-line and improved Allen before I'm willing to admit he's Josh Reed. Is there a point you're driving at or do you actually want me to answer this question? If you've got a point, well...Pitter patter, let's get at 'er.

Hyperbole, much?

I'm with you. Me, personally? I think the number 1 priority for the Bills is making sure they do absolutely everything they can to help Josh Allen succeed. If Josh Allen turns into a franchise QB, the Bills are perennial contenders for the next 10-15 years. They've already visibly committed to upgrading the offensive line and WR corps. The next logical step would be to give him the best tight end you possibly can. I like TJ Hockenson quite a bit and would be thrilled if the Bills selected him....I just don't think they will. And as far as the notion of taking a defensive lineman with the first pick instead of an offensive player: I can certainly understand the logic of wanting to make sure your defense is elite, since that will ALSO help Josh Allen, just in a different way. Doesn't mean I don't want an elite tight end or wide receiver. The draft is weird this year. There are five different positions that I could reasonably see them spending a 1st round pick on, and I wouldn't fault them for any of them.