Logic

Stefan Diggs skips Texons OTAs.

Enough has been made about Claypool's off-field stuff, so I'll say this about his on-field success: If I'm not mistaken, when Claypool was putting up his two 800+ yard seasons with the Steelers, they were using him primarily as a big slot. A guy who can get free releases, run down the seam, and play bully ball against smaller nickel corners. I think that if the Bills plan to use him that way, Claypool can be successful here. MVS and Hollins play X, they've already stated they want Coleman to play X, and Samuel and Shakir can both play Y and Z. The Bills currently don't really have another situational big slot on the roster other than Claypool. Given that Claypool would likely be, at best, the WR5 or WR6, they'll likely only be using him situationally, in schemed up looks and specific packages. As such, I can see him succeeding in that role. The Bills could potentially have a pretty big personnel set at times if they wanted, with Coleman, MVS/Hollins, and Claypool at WR, and Kincaid at TE. Such a grouping seems like it would lend itself well to running the ball and to red zone production. If Claypool is to succeed in Buffalo and stick on the 53 man roster, it will take not only him having his head screwed on straight and playing well, but the Bills having a plan for how to use him. Based on Claypool's comments at OTAs, it seems like he likes the way they're deploying him so far. Here's hoping he can reclaim the talent and production he once showed in this league, because it would go a long way in helping and diversifying the Bills offense.

I was at the game as well, and I respectfully disagree that it was the correct call. The league effectively said "well he didn't follow the rule that we have for this situation, but we knew what he MEANT to do". They let the player off the hook for not following a clearly written NFL rule. That sets a dangerous precedent. As Shaw pointed out earlier in the thread, why did Dawkins not get the same leeway later in the game for the blindside block call? I understand why the NFL did it, I guess, but I will NEVER agree that it was the right thing to do. Should've been a Bills touchdown.

Utilizing the running backs in the passing game on more than just swing passes and checkdowns. It was always a sight for sore eyes to me when Cook would run a wheel route or split out wide and run a go against a linebacker. Yes, I realize Cook had some crucial drops last season. But he remains a mismatch against most linebackers and I think the Bills should continue to find more ways to get him creatively involved in the passing game. Additionally, there were times last year that both Cook and Johnson were lined up in the backfield together. I'd like to see more of this, but with Ray Davis. Davis had seven TD receptions in the SEC last season, so he's a more than capable receiver himself. Beane keeps talking about how when we consider the Bills' pass catchers, we should be thinking about tight ends and running backs, too. That said, having both Cook and Davis in the backfield seems like it presents options. One can stay in to block while one runs a route, one or both can motion out wide, etc. So give me some legitimate running back involvement and variety in the passing game this year. I liked it when I saw it last year, and I'd like to see more of it. Get Davis and Cook matched up against a linebacker and let them eat underneath.

I agree. As someone who has been vocal the past few weeks about our WR room not being up to snuff, I feel a bit better about it today than I did on May 1st. MVS, while not a world beater, adds some depth and downfield ability. Claypool so far is saying and doing all the right things, and if he actually has his head screwed on straight, has shown in the past that he has the ability to be an 800 yards per year type talent. I've been focusing more on what Coleman potentially CAN do than what he CAN'T do, and that has softened my apprehension about him at least a little bit. Beane talked up Shakir as being underrated on the Chris Long show, and I suspect he may have a big role this year. I said all along that if they weren't gonna have top quality, then I at least wanted them to have quantity and variety. With Coleman, Samuel, Shakir, MVS, Claypool, Hollins, and then a Shorter/Shavers/Hamler deathmatch....I think the WR group may be fine. I still don't think it's gonna make anyone's top 10 lists, but combined with Kincaid/Knox, Cook/Davis, and the way Brady likes to spread the ball around, I think the Bills still have a chance to be pretty good on offense. All of that said...I still hope they draft, sign, or trade for a dynamic WR in 2025, and I'd still be fine with them acquiring one post June 1st this year as well, though I give it an extremely low chance of happening.

All I know is that, for whatever reason, in the circles in which I travel, after everyone toasts each other, it is considered rude or bad luck not to tap one's glass on the table before drinking. So it goes toast, tap, drink. Failure to do so elicits scorn. Why? I have no idea. Is this universal? Also, and I suppose this is only tangentially related...when I used to live on the island of St John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, it was very common to "Ice" one's friends. That is, to present them -- at a random, surprise time and usually in a creative fashion -- with a very warm (or hot, given the tropical temperatures) Smirnoff Ice, with the rule being that, once presented with one, the recipient had no choice but to drop to one knee and speed-drink the entire beverage. It's a dumb, sophomoric game, which proliferated on the island most likely because it's Neverland down there, and no one wants to grow up. I will admit -- I witnessed some pretty funny Icings. Drive-by Icings, toilet tank repair Icings ("Hey Ben, can you check the tank on the back of the toilet? It's making a weird noise". Boom. Warm bottle of Smirnoff Ice in there), Scuba dive Icings, etc...Yes, it's immature and silly. Yes, it was also usually hilarious to witness. And yes, a warm bottle of Smirnoff Ice consumed speedily is one of the worst things that can happen to you in the middle of your Wednesday afternoon).

Torrence had a very good rookie season. I think he'll be a good guard for a lot of years here. The weirdest thing to me is that after a few seasons of searching for the right o-line combination and of the guards being a liability, the Bills finally stumbled on a great lineup last year. Their guards were finally, at the very least, NOT a liability. They followed up this season of above average line play by....releasing their veteran center, shifting their left guard to center, and moving a backup to the starting lineup. (Yes, I realize training camp battles may change this, but that's what it's penciled in as at the moment). So...it's just weird to me. Morse's contract was not THAT cost prohibitive. The deal he signed with the Jags was certainly doable for the Bills. And fixing what ain't broke by moving McGovern to center, which he hasn't played since college...it's just weird. My biggest hope of the offseason is that Sedrick Van Pran takes the reigns at center and never looks back. That would allow the least upheaval/turnover on our line, with only one position seeing a new starter.

Your insistence on knowing definitively how reality would've played out in an alternate, unknowable timeline and the speed with which you went the "you are not an educated football fan" route simply because I refuse to play along or agree with your nonsense combine to lead me to one conclusion: I'm good on this conversation. No desire to engage in it with you any further. Have a lovely week, bud!

I gave my reasons why (potentially superior pass blocking ability, surer hands in the receiving game, and to keep Cook fresher and to more strategically employ his specific skillset), mentioned that I didn't think it would happen right away, and pointed out that it would still likely be a 1A/1B or "1st and 2nd down back" vs "3rd down back" type of thing. I guess in time we'll see if I'm crazy or not.

For what it's worth, I'd also happily trade a 6th or 7th for the guy.

I mean...he was asked "do you think people are sleeping on [underestimating] Treylon Burks?", and Hopkins' response, essentially, was "how do I not make a negative soundbite? No". I guess there are two ways to view that. He either meant it as in "he's bad" or he could've meant it as in "no one is underestimating him, we all believe in him". Intent is not always easy to discern from written transcriptions of comments. It kind of sounds....not good...to me.

Jesus! Is that a real quote? That's brutal. Good lord.

I don't disagree. My post was more so a commentary on the fact that no Bills offseason feels complete without a bottom-roster longshot WR that we can all root for, fall in love with, get tattooed on our arms, and whose Hall of Fame induction ceremony we can pre-purchase tickets for.

Same. Refs rule it one way, then some guys in black run on the field and talk to them, then suddenly the call is changed. Ridiculous.

I was at that game in Houston. I remember watching Duke play in real time and thinking "this is it. All the times we've ever envisioned the offseason darling underdog WR actually stepping up in a big moment and making memorable plays for the Bills!". It was like...the biggest/best chance a guy like this was ever gonna get. And......he blew it. Damn shame. One of the more painful and Billsy losses I can ever remember, and it may have turned out completely different if Duke catches that ball. Then again, it might have turned out completely different if the refs hadn't decided on the fly that a Texans' player's intention was good enough to substitute for following an actual NFL rule.

OMG. How did I forget all time Bills offseason legend Duke Williams?!?! Thank you for the reminder!

Chase Claypool taking the early lead in the 25th annual "Buffalo Bills offseason darling wide receiver" series. Like with Drew Hadaad, Da'Rick Rodgers, Naaman Roosevelt, and Andy Isabella before him, I'm predicting 75 catches for 1,100 yards and 10 TDs.

For what it's worth, Ray Davis had 12 receiving TDs in college to Cook's 6 (granted, Davis played an extra year). Davis had 7 receiving TDs just last season, which was the most receiving touchdowns by an SEC running back in 25 years. Pretty impressive. That's another reason I think Davis can eat into Cook's playing time and maybe seize the starting job from him: He's just as capable -- and arguably more so -- as a receiver.

I'll throw a wrench into the discussion and say that I think Ray Davis has a chance to take real playing time away from James Cook. As it is, there were times last season where the staff seemed to want to move him to more of a change of pace role and give more snaps to Latavius Murray, but Murray was looking long in the tooth by that point in the season and wasn't up to the task. I think James Cook's best role -- based on his college career, his size, his skillset, etc -- is as a change of pace, timeshare, 1B kind of guy. I think the way you get the most out of him is to have him split reps evenly with another guy, or even to outright be the change of pace guy while someone else is the starter. I also think that James Cook is a below average pass blocker. I'm not sure how Ray Davis is in that department, but IF he's a better pass blocker than Cook, that'll be his first ticket to eating into Cook's reps. Beyond that, and just generally speaking, I can see Davis doing more of the 1st and 2nd down dirty work, short yardage and goal line stuff, and Cook being more of the 3rd down back, splash plays guy, and being more involved as a receiver. I don't think this will happen immediately, by any means. But by, say, week 10, I can see Ray Davis being the de facto starter at running back for the Buffalo Bills.

I think the other interesting nugget, if it came from Beane, as it seems to have, is that Beane feels Coleman has "rare ability to bend" (like a pass rusher) and "the redirection skills of a much smaller receiver". Nice little writeup. Wouldn't have expected that to come from Fox Sports, who I wasn't even aware did written sports journalism of any kind. Thanks for sharing. Like I said in a different thread yesterday: Coleman may not have been my first choice, but I will be rooting like hell for him to succeed now that he's a Buffalo Bill. Super likable guy. I hope he becomes a dominant WR1 and makes me look like a total idiot (not hard).

I have no more way of knowing what McDermott would be without Josh than you do. It's almost a meaningless question, because it didn't happen and we'll never know. Actually, that's not entirely true. McDermott had one season without Josh Allen. He took a team in the very first year of a from-the-ground-up rebuild to a winning record and a playoff berth. Jauron had one winning season out of TEN as a head coach. He made the playoffs ONCE out of TEN tries. Josh Allen-less McDermott, meanwhile, made the playoffs in his lone Allen-less season. One for one. Besides, as I responded to another poster: Having a great QB does not equal automatic playoffs. Justin Herbert doesn't make the playoffs every year. Philip Rivers made the playoffs 7 out of 16 seasons. It takes good coaching, too. I'm sorry, but I think automatically attributing all Bills success to Josh Allen and pretending the coach doesn't have anything to do with it is dumb. I think the "without Josh, McDermott would be Jauron" argument is dumb. He's not Curly Lambeau or Don Shula, but he's a good NFL head coach. The proof is in the pudding. You don't have six winning seasons out of seven and the winning percentage he does without being a good coach. It's nonsense.

I totally agree. But what an objectively hilarious sentence to post in a discussion in which you're trying to prove that Sean McDermott is a bad coach. Sean McDermott, who boasts a great career winning percentage, has made the playoffs six out of seven seasons, and won four straight division titles, and whose ONLY bugaboo so far is lack of a Super Bowl victory. By your own standard, which you just summed up so eloquently, you must agree that Sean McDermott is a high caliber coach. Yes?

The burden of proof is on the accuser. Thus far, I've at least provided career win percentage statistics. You've provided nothing of substance to back up your claim. I'd love to hear what, specifically, makes Sean McDermott just like Jauron. Please enlighten us.

Shanahan is really the only one you have any argument with. How many rings as Bill "Greatest of all time" Belichick won as a head coach without Brady? The exact same amount as Sean McDermott, that's how many. Having sustained success without a high quality quarterback is more the exception than the rule. And on the flip side, there are instances of great QBs who lose year after year and DON'T regularly make the playoffs. Why? Because their coaches stink. How many times has Justin Herbert made the playoffs in his career?