Logic

Unless I'm mistaken, WhoTom IS the person who has passed away.

I am so sorry to hear it, and I am so sorry for your loss. I always enjoyed Tom's presence here. He made this forum a better place. Absolutely one of my favorites. Thank you for sharing this. May he rest in peace, and may your family find comfort in this difficult time.

Bills Scoring Offense rankings the past four seasons: 2nd 3rd 2nd 6th Bills Scoring Defense rankings the past four seasons: 16th 1st 2nd 4th The Bills have won the second most games in the league since 2020. The Bills have been top 6 in preseason Super Bowl odds the past four seasons. Winning more games than everyone but the Chiefs, being consistently above average on both offense and defense, and being considered one of the five or six best teams in the league year in and year out seems like an indication that the team's GM is fairly good at his job. Looking at each move in a vacuum -- "Beane failed to draft impact player X", "Beane failed to burnish positional group X with the draft capital I would've liked" -- ignores the reality of looking at the team as a whole: The Buffalo Bills have been very good for several years now. It also fails to mention the moves he's made that have been SUCCESSES. Ultimately, to suggest that the man in charge of building the roster for a team this consistently good is, himself, bad at his job, well...I strongly disagree.

I expect one of three outcomes. Which one happens will depend on who is on the board when the Bills pick. 1. A receiver they really like begins to fall, and they make a small move up to get him. Think Brian Thomas Jr. 2. They draft a non-WR player at 28 (edge or safety likely), then use day 3 pick(s) to move up higher in the 2nd round and draft a WR. 3. They trade down from 28 into the 2nd round and add a 3rd round pick (Beane was expecting one, and I bet he wants to have one). They then use their two 2nd round picks on a WR and a defensive player. One thing is for sure: Even WITH the player exodus and lean free agency period, they won't be using all 11 picks. There's just no way. Expect movement up and down the board.

They did not mean the play clock. They meant the game clock. The actual rule that was passed was that they can review whether the GAME clock expired at the end of a QUARTER before the ball was snapped. They cannot review whether the PLAY clock expired before any snap. That would be chaos. See below for further explanation: https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/nfl-approves-rule-allowing-replay-review-to-see-if-game-clock-expires-before-snap The NFL announced that a rule change concerning the game clock has been approved at the league meetings on Tuesday. The Competition Committee’s proposal to allow for reviews of whether the game clock expired before a snap got the required votes to become a rule. The change does not apply to the play clock, so it will not impact delay of game penalties. On the final play of the third quarter of a game between the Packers and Lions in Week Four of the 2023 season, the Packers picked up 44 yards but the Lions objected because they argued the quarter ended before the snap. Replays showed that the Lions were correct, but there was no recourse under the old rules. That changed on Tuesday and a similar play will have a different result in the future.

I'd rather have this modified kickoff than have the kickoff taken out of the game entirely. When I watched this on TV in the Spring leagues, its novelty wore off pretty quickly. There weren't as many big plays or as much craziness as you'd think. That said, the potential for big plays seemed greater to me than what it is now in the NFL's neutered kickoff. I predict that everyone will be used to at after just one game of watching it, and that the rule will be here to stay (with minor tweaks until they perfect it). All of that said, I'm interested to see how the league goes about adjusting their roster-building for this. I wonder if the Bills use Samuel as kick returner (which Beane mentioned in his recent press interview).

Seems we've had a few volunteers already. What still needs doing?

I am genuinely curious as to why the Bills aren't a part of this. Has anyone asked Brandon Beane or whomever might yield an informed response? My instinct tells me that the Bills, by virtue of their proximity to Canada, are considered to naturally/automatically have Canada as their "international" market. But that's completely an assumption, and admittedly not the most well-reasoned assumption at that. Does anyone have any legitimate insight into why the Bills aren't a part of this? It seems like they could use all the help and extra attention and income they can get.

I'm not entirely sure of the intent of the OP. Is it your intent to indicate that Sean McDermott feels pressure to win a championship in Buffalo? If so, I agree. I'd also say that's a no-brainer. All NFL head coaches -- particularly those who last longer than 3 or 4 seasons without winning a championship -- feel pressure to win a championship. Failure to do so inevitably leads to their dismissal from their job, so of course they feel pressure. Is it your intent to indicate that the way Sean McDermott has been answering questions this offseason suggests that he feels he's on the hot seat? If so, I'm not sure I agree. Aside from the aforementioned pressure he feels as an NFL head coach, I view the way he's been answering questions this offseason more as a response to the recent spate of coverage of him and the Bills, starting with the Tyler Dunne piece last season and continuing through the "Bills' window is closed", "Bills haven't accomplished anything" talk that seems to gain strength more with these Bills than it does with any other non-title-winning team in the league. I actually LIKE the increase in "punch" to his responses and interviews since the Dunne piece came out. I feel he's stuck up for himself and his team more and been less milquetoast. I like that. I made it very clear half way through last season that I wanted to see the Bills move on from McDermott. Since that time, the way he has responded as a man and as a coach, the way he's improved at various aspects of his job, the way the team and GM and owner have all rallied around him, and the way the Bills responded on the field after the piece's publication have all combined to make me feel that it doesn't make sense to move on from McDermott at this point in time. I'm still not 100% convinced that he's the man to lead the Bills to the promised land, but the good that he brings outweighs the bad to a significant enough degree that I think he's currently the best man for the job, and certainly deserves another season at the helm.

The comments you're making indicate to me that you have not watched Xavier Worthy play football. If you are calling him a "gadget guy", there's no way you've watched much of him at Texas. Again, if you don't like Worthy and you want someone more physical, that's perfectly okay, buy when you say things like he's "John Ross 2.0" or a "gadget guy" or "cool because he's fast", it just makes it clear you haven't watched him and/or don't know much about him.

He's bluffing. The Jets are desperately hoping someone will throw a 2025 conditional 7th at them. If they outright admit that he'll be released, then the .0001% chance of that happening go to a 0% chance. At the end of the day, no one will trade for him (rightly so), and he'll be released (rightly so). There's no way they go into the 2024 season with that big distraction on the roster.

I don't think it's fair to say that Xaxier Worthy is John Ross 2.0. The first set of stats is Ross, the second is Worthy. For one thing, John Ross broke out as a fourth year Junior, doing not much of note until then. Worthy broke out as a freshman, posting 981 yards and 12 TDs. As for the size and the notion that players like him can't hold up in the NFL: Xavier Worthy is 5'11" 165 lbs. Devonta Smith is 6'0" 170 lbs and has done quite well for himself in the NFL. Darnell Mooney is 5'11" 174 lbs and has posted a 1,000 yard receiving season in the NFL and just signed a decent FA deal to be a WR2 for Atlanta. It's not unreasonable to think that Worthy can add 5 lbs of muscle in an NFL strength and conditioning program. If you don't like Worthy as a prospect, that's fine, but I think that calling him "John Ross 2.0" or blaming his size is faulty reasoning.

Cool. Wake me when the Bills' defense starts performing in the playoffs like the Chiefs' D did.

Put more simply than my previous post: Not all WRs play the same position. So it's not as simple as saying "we have enough receivers now". Diggs is a Z. Shakir/Samuel are slots. The Bills need a viable X, which is what Gabe was. We have Hollins and Shorter and Shavers, but those are all replacement level JAGs. The Bills need a DYNAMIC X. There's not currently one on the roster. Because of that fact, and because we simply need young bodies at wide receiver to start grooming to take over for Diggs as WR1 in the near future, it's imperative that the Bills draft a young WR or two this offseason.

I respectfully buy vehemently disagree. Two reasons. The first reason is that when building a team, you look beyond the coming season. You look at the following season, as well. In 2025, Diggs will be 32 years old, Samuel will be 29, and Shakir will be in a contract year. No one beyond those three is worth discussing (Shorter unproven, Hollins on one year deal, etc). So the first reason the Bills need another receiver or two is because they need to set themselves up for the long term and start breaking in a stud who can take over as the alpha in the room for Diggs in the next year or two. The second reason the Bills need another receiver is that Stefon Diggs plays Z, and Shakir and Samuel play the slot. The only X receivers we have on the roster right now are Hollins, Shorter, and Shavers, and I'm not counting on ANY of those guys being viable starting X receivers in 2024 and beyond. So for both short term planning (the Bills need a starting X receiver) and long term planning (the Bills need young receiver talent in the pipeline), the Bills need to spend premium capital on a wide receiver THIS YEAR. It's not a want, it's a need. Now...the signings of Samuel and Hollins make it so that it's not a SCREAMING need that you absolutely HAVE To spend a 1st round pick on. But me personally? I'm not waiting any later than the 2nd round. I'd prefer a 1st rounder and a 4th rounder, but I'd settle for a 2nd and a 5th, something like that. Make no mistake about it, the Bills need -- and I'm almost certain WILL be spending a high pick on -- a wide receiver.

I do believe Samuel had his best season as a pro under Joe Brady. Receiving threat who can also do the orbit motions and jet sweeps and bubble screens. Brings YAC ability. Somehow feels like he's been in the league forever, but still just 27 years old. With Diggs, Samuel, Shakir, and Hollins, this is certainly starting to look more like a legitimate NFL receiver room. The presence of Samuel and Hollins should make life easier for the rookie they hopefully spend a high pick on, who won't have to be counted on to be THE GUY and can ease his way in behind the vets. If the Bills DO spend a high pick on a rookie receiver -- and I think we ALL hope they do -- and Samuel becomes a de facto WR3/4, then I'll like the move even more.

At $17 million per year, I'm definitely glad we didn't do it. I understand that he would have materially improved our defensive front, but...I don't need to see any more major contracts handed out to 30+ year old d-linemen, especially those coming off two straight years of leg injuries. Hopefully Beane takes the money not spent and gets a legit safety or two instead.

We may very well not land him because the Texans have more money and he played for DeMeco Ryans before, but... Based on two historically reliable sources, the Bills absolutely ARE going after Armstead currently, as we speak. It's happening. May not land him, but they're damned sure trying.

Right. He's an RB3 likely making vet minimum. If that was your argument -- "he's no more than an RB3", then you should have just said that from the jump instead of talking about Latavius Murray and Devin Singletary and Zack Moss and who deserved touches in the offense. If your point is "he's an RB3, he's nothing too special", then I agree. I think he's a pretty GOOD RB3, which is why I like the cheap re-signing, but he's an RB3 nonetheless. So if that's all you're saying, then we're on the same page. We could've saved ourselves some effort here.

No. Cook needs a breather at times. He's not the biggest guy in the world. When those breathers were needed, Johnson showed more as a runner and receiver from midseason onward than Murray did. You give the touches to the guy that earns them. Johnson earned them. Johnson posted 4.4 yards per carry. Cook 4.7. Murray 3.8. That means that after Cook, the next most productive guy when toting the rock was Ty Johnson. So why give those carries to Murray? I want and expect the Bills to draft or sign an RB2. But when your RB3 can run it for 4.4 yards a pop, catch the ball, and provide a change of pace for your RB1 when needed while ALSO playing special teams -- that's a useful player. That's why I'm glad they re-signed Johnson.

Am I the only one who's just...not that excited about the idea of signing Armstead? Yes, he's a good player. But paying a huge contract (which is what it will take to land him) to a 30 year old DT with zero All-Pro or Pro Bowl seasons on his resume seems..I dunno...like a waste of valuable resources? We're already paying Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones, not to mention the enormous Von Miller contract. And now we're gonna shell out big bucks in an offseason where we really don't have them to spend to a 30-year-old 3T? I just...don't really understand this strategy. I don't understand why that vast amount of money wouldn't be better spent on some offensive weaponry or a legitimate starting safety. Shelling out big bucks to a 30+ D-lineman makes me feel like Beane and company haven't learned from past mistakes and are too focused on huge spending on the d-line and aging veterans when this SHOULD be a "get the cap right and re-allocate money to the offense" season. Can't bring myself to get particularly excited about this one.

I don't think you can get much better at RB3 than what Johnson gave the Bills last season. Aside from playing special teams, he also ran the ball with burst and power and caught it well out of the backfield. He's probably also making vet minimum or close to it. Good signing.

I may be completely alone on this island, but... I think Alec Anderson will get a legit chance to compete to be the starting center, and I think he has a better chance than some might assume to win the job.

They did that already. Mack Hollins. Another big-bodied, downfield threat, run blocking guy that can start opposite Diggs in a pinch but hopefully won't have to once they draft a rookie high. WR1 Diggs WR2 ??? (hopefully rookie) WR3 Shakir WR4 ??? (hopefully rookie or another FA) WR5 Hollins/Shorter