Logic

I cannot say this strongly enough: Stop following Dov Kleiman. He is the absolute WORST of the content aggregators on Twitter. He's awful. @32BeatWriters is an example of content aggregation done well. But MLFootball, JPAFootball, NFLNotifications, and especially DovKleiman, are all awful and do not deserve your clicks.

I'll grant you KJ Hamler. He was a productive college receiver chosen in the 2nd round whose only downfall thus far has been an inability to stay healthy. I don't think it needed to be either/or, though. Taking a day three WR wouldn't have impacted the Bills' ability to bring Hamler to camp. In any case, I just don't think the Bills take enough swing at WR in the draft, particularly considering the importance of the position in the 2024 NFL. To give just one example, they attack the RB position with greater regularity and aggression and higher draft capital than the WR position, and that just doesn't make any sense to me. I want to see them regularly re-stocking the cupboards with quality receiving options, and they just seem absolutely unwilling to do so.

I'll play along with the "who should the Bills go after at WR" game. I don't think the Bills are going to trade for a WR. I wish they would, but I don't think they will. IF they were going to do it, though, one target that I think would be both realistic and attainable, from both a compensation and contract cost standpoint, is Marvin Mims from the Broncos. Depending who you ask, he rangers anywhere from 2nd to 5th on the Broncos depth chart. Crucially, though, Sean Payton seems to be consciously moving the Broncos WR corps to a more size-based approach. Mims only saw ONE preseason snap last week. That may be an indication that he has a starting spot locked up, or it MAY be an indication that -- like last year -- he has fallen somewhat out of favor with the coaching staff. He his a fast, twitchy receiver with RAC ability who could be the Bills kick and punt returner AND -- if necessary -- fill in for Samuel as the "motion guy"/diverse and movable chess piece. He's 5'11", 182 lbs, and had over 1000 yards and 6 TDs as a JR at Oklahoma. I like him a lot and I think the Broncos, for whatever reason, are wasting him. I think an early day three 2025 pick could get the job done, and would be a worthwhile move to make. You simply don't know that. Amon Ra St Brown was a 4th round pick and had over 900 yards as a rookie. Puka Nacua was a 5th round pick and had over 1400 yards as a receiver. Stefon Diggs himself was a 5th round pick and posted over 700 yards as a rookie. You can say that the PROBABILITY of a day three pick making a difference is low, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It absolutely does. And the only way to have a shot at that type of "outlier" is to take a swing at it. Even if a day three WR pick has, say, a 10% chance at making a difference, that's still higher than the 0% chance at WR productivity the Bills get by not taking one at all.

I think all the "McGovern is just a stopgap" and "he's the center by default after cutting Morse" talk is off base. It seems to me like McGovern established himself as the leader of the offensive line last year, and a major leader of the offense as a whole. I can't remember where, but I recently read/saw that it was pizza nights at McGovern's house that helped turn the season around last year. That the comradery and closeness built amongst the line and amongst the team at his house on those nights helped the guys dig deep and come together and want to fight for each other. In a season where team chemistry and intangible were a bit...funky, I don't think this report should be discounted. As for purely the on-field aspect: McGovern is/was a natural center. He has stated that he wanted to play center in the NFL, but the Cowboys didn't give him the chance. I'm sure the Bills coaching staff knew that he wanted to play center, too, not to mention having seen him do so in Bills practices and camp last year. It is my opinion that the combination of McGovern's leadership and the ability and play they saw from him at center last year helped them decide that now was the time to move on from Morse. I like SVP as much as the next guy. You can look back through the archives and see me touting him on draft night as the future starter for the Bills. I still think he may be that, but I'm looking at it happening maybe a few seasons down the line. For now? Unless McGovern struggles, he's the guy. Not by accident, not as a stopgap, but by conscious choice of the front office and coaching staff.

Yeah. He is arguably the offensive skill player we could LEAST afford to lose. I'm not sure everyone fully grasps how big a role he is going to play in this offense. It's not that he'll necessarily be the #1 read on every play or some kind of target monster. Heck, he may not even surpass 1,000 yards receiving. But every report out of camp indicates that Brady has him CONSTANTLY on the move before the snap. Out wide, in the slot, in the backfield. Orbit motions, return motions, jet sweeps, screens. All kinds of things to manipulate the defense, ID coverage, and make life easier for Josh Allen. To lose that element for any length of time is going to have a major impact on what the offense can do. Furthermore, I don't see another player on the roster who can replace what Samuel brings. KJ Hamler would be my best guess, but I haven't heard any reports about him doing the same things Samuel's been doing throughout camp. It would theoretically all be new to him. To expect him to go from WR6/7 and a fringe roster guy to "starting WR and integral cog in the Bills offense" seems like a big ask. Here's hoping Samuel can be ready by week 1. And if not, then let him miss the first two games and heal up completely rather than come back early and risk re-injury. I'd rather have a fully healthy Curtis Samuel from week three on ward than a gimpy, on-and-off the field Curtis Samuel from week 1 onward.

All Pros? Nah. I just wanted them to draft more than one WR in a WR-heavy draft. Guys like Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, Jalen McMillan, Jordan Whittington, and Jacob Cowing are making plays for other teams right now. All drafted round two and later. “Replenishing the entire roster” seems to consistently and repeatedly take precedence over surrounding Josh Allen with playmakers, year after year after year. You’ll have to forgive me for thinking a 3rd or 4th round WR would’ve been a better investment than a 3rd or 4th round DT or RB. Our current potential week 1 WR depth chart would certainly seem to lend credence to my crazy notion.

Respectfully, you've been one of the loudest cheerleaders -- if not the loudest -- of the current WR corps all offseason. You wrote hundreds of words across multiple threads telling me that my concerns about the lack of depth at WR and the Bills' refusal to draft more than one WR were unfounded, and that they'd be just fine. And now here we are, staring down the barrel of Mack Hollins as WR2 and Tyrell Shavers as WR4. The reality is this: Two of the WRs that got hurt weren't any good anyway. Claypool is dangerously close to being an NFL washout at age 26. MVS's career high in single season receiving yardage is 690. So yeah, those guys are hurt, but even if they WEREN'T, they're still not very good players, and the Bills' depth chart at WR is/was still thin. I (and others) said back as far as the draft that the WR corps was shallow and was placing an AWFUL LOT in the "if everyone stays healthy, we'll have Samuel, Coleman, and Shakir, and that seems pretty good" basket. Well, guess what? Everyone DIDN'T stay healthy, the lack of depth at the position is showing, and it's looking fairly likely that the Bills will start the season with Mack Hollins and Tyrell Shavers playing major minutes at WR. But again, even if Samuel was the only player lost to injury, you'd still be looking at two JAGs in Claypool and MVS getting major playing time. Spin it however you want. The Bills' potential week 1 depth chart at WR looks bleak. We've got a shiny new 3rd round rotational DT and a shiny new 4th round running back, while guys like Javon Baker and Jalen McMillan and Jordan Whittington make noise for other teams. WR got short shrift AGAIN. It looks like Josh Allen is gonna have to play Superman AGAIN. It just gets so damned old, and I get damned tired of being gaslit into thinking that I'm crazy for wanting more for support for our franchise QB.

On sheer talent, I'd take Brown/Worthy/Rice in a heartbeat, but to each their own. Right, because Samuel getting turf toe is the ONLY issue with this group. Nevermind the lack of depth, nevermind the fact that the Bills are planning to trot out Mack freakin Hollins as Josh Allen's WR2 in the year 2024. Sure, it's ONLY injuries that are the problem.

The issue is that when your depth chart is thin to begin with, you can’t afford to lose anyone. Even if MVS and Claypool were healthy, I wouldn’t be feeling good about our potential week one WR depth chart if Samuel misses the game. Without Samuel in the lineup, Shakir is about the only WR worth a darn. Any way you slice it, injuries or not, Josh Allen may be about to enter his age 29 season with the worst receiving corps he’s had since he was a rookie. That’s downright criminal. Joe Burrow has Chase and Higgins. Mahomes has Brown, Worthy, and Rice. Josh Allen, as of this moment, may be starting week one with Hollins, Coleman, and Shakir. Nauseating.

The fact that we are two weeks prior to the season kicking off and there's a "receivers the Bills could go after" thread is so infuriating, and so predictable. The loudness and ferocity with which I was called a negative Nellie and told not to doubt Brandon Beane back in May. And here we sit. Failing some miracle trade, we're very likely looking at Mack Hollins being counted on as a starting outside receiver in week 1 of the season. If you think that constitutes anything but criminal roster mismanagement by Brandon Beane, then I don't know what to tell ya.

Why rush him back? Because with the wide receiver depth chart minus Curtis Samuel, the Bills' chances at staying afloat until November don't seem great. It'd be lovely to get a full strength Samuel back in November, sure, but not if the Bills are 3-5 at that point.

I'm sure you can barely contain your excitement.

The severity of Samuel's turf toe would be a great thing to know, as it drastically affects the outlook for his recovery. We have to assume from the "week to week" language that it's not Grade 3. Grade 1: A mild case that may heal on its own in a few days to a week with rest. Grade 2: May require a few days to a couple of weeks off, but could take a few weeks to fully heal. Grade 3: Can take two to six months to heal, and may require surgery and wearing a cast for six or more weeks. A study of 15 football players with grade 3 injuries found they missed an average of 16.5 weeks of playing time while recovering from surgery.

Turf toe absolutely lingers and absolutely limits players' effectiveness. Of all that bad injury news, Samuel having turf toe is easily the worst of it. Especially with how integral it sounded like he was going to be to this team's plans offensively. There is really no one on our offense that can replicate his skillset, either. This is NOT good. Potential week one WRs: Coleman Hollins Shakir Shavers Hamler That is truly ugly. Good God.

Plus we let Sammy Watkins go there. Grrrr I'm MAD

Seeing the lack of success for our receivers so far this preseason (bad QB play notwithstanding) is irritating, because it was entirely predictable. On draft night, I wanted Xavier Worthy. Why? Because if you've decided that you're going to operate a lot of your offense through the middle of the field with guys like Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Khalil Shakir, and Cook/Davis, it makes sense to ensure that the defense can't squat on it. It makes sense to put explosive guys on the outside to take the top off the defense and open things up. So the fastest WR in combine history was sitting there, and I had visions of Worthy and Samuel on the outside, and the aforementioned TEs and Shakir eating in the MOF all day long. Or pounding the run game and opening up deep shots to Worthy. Or killing them with crossers if the defense went man-heavy. Instead the Bills decided they wanted a big-bodied X receiver (which I thought they could've gotten later in the draft with someone like Javon Baker), and to let the Kansas City chiefs -- Yes, the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS -- get the fastest player in combine history instead. Fast forward to today, and Worthy is making deep touchdown catches in camp and preseason games, and Coleman is still struggling to separate from any cornerbacks of competence. Of course it's still only preseason, and we need to give Coleman time to develop, and I direly hope I'm wrong about the whole mess and he makes me look like an idiot. At this moment, though, the lack of separation and, ultimately, production by our wide receivers through two preseason games is anything but surprising, and the fact that Worthy looks like an early star (or at the very least a productive starting WR) makes it sting all the more. It's early, yes, but it looks like once again it's going to require expert scheming by the OC and all-world heroism by Josh Allen in order to get production from our offense. Lovely.

I eat almost anything. I'm not a picky eater. On the contrary, I'd say I'm one of the more adventurous eaters I know. Mustard (and anything in the mustard family, like horseradish) is the ONLY thing on earth that will ruin a meal for me. I just can't stand it. I find it disgusting. ESPECIALLY the yellow mustard that's so ubiquitous in America. Absolutely putrid stuff.

They'll make the playoffs. Josh Allen is a good enough quarterback and Sean McDermott is a good enough head coach that the Bills are in the "playoffs every year" category until further notice. They haven't won less than 10 games since 2018. They have the second most wins in the league since 2020. Even in 2019, BEFORE Stefon Diggs arrived and before they had a Dalton Kincaid level talent at tight end, they won 10 games -- and that was with a second year Josh Allen! I simply don't buy the notion of the Buffalo Bills struggling to make the playoffs as long as Josh Allen is the quarterback of the team.

I'm worried about the BIG things. Global warming, cancer, monkeypox, bankruptcy, the anesthesia not working correctly and me being fully conscious during surgery, dying alone and with a lot of regrets, and the restaurant putting mustard on my burger when I explicitly asked them not to. But to each their own.

I was simply replying to the comment "a linebacker will not decide the destiny of this team". A linebacker kind of DID decide the destiny of this team just last year. I was simply pointing out that the notion that the absence of an off-ball linebacker (or the performance of his replacement) can't swing a season -- based on recent evidence -- seems inaccurate. That's all.

If he could get a game or two in December to round back into form and be ready for playoffs (assuming the Bills qualify for them), that would be huuuuuuge!

I think Davis will be more than that by midseason. In terms of the skills required of a starting NFL running back, I can't think of anything Cook does better than Davis. He's faster/quicker, and that's about it. All indications from camp seem to suggest that Davis is better at catching the ball, better at pass blocking, and is as effective -- if not more so -- as an actual rusher as Cook. I realize Cook had a productive season last year, but inability to consistently catch the ball and pass block, if not remedied, will pave the way to his ceding snaps to Davis.

I made no comment about where Klein lined up. I stated only that he was abused in the passing game and was a huge factor in the Bills' inability to stop the Chiefs offense. These things are objectively true.

Right no but I'm talking about actual reality that actually happened last year. AJ Klein -- an off-ball linebacker, same as Milano -- played in the Chiefs playoff game and was absolutely abused by Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce all game long. It was arguably the biggest factor in the Bills' inability to stop the Chiefs offense in a home playoff game that could've sent them to the AFC Championship game. This really happened. It was on TV and everything.