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He's the original helmet catch guy. Did it way before David Tyree made it so cool, haha, I kid, but yeah, he caught a pass in a game during the '90 season that he held against the side of his helmet as he fell backwards to the turf. It was a gain of 35 or something. I think it may have came against the Dolphins. It stands out to me because I remember watching the old VHS tape of the 1990 season video yearbook as a kid. Aside from that, he kind of had a hand in somewhat redefining the role of the running back with his ability to not only be an outlet for Kelly to dump it down to but also line up as a receiver and run routes. He also had incredible balance and was tough to tackle given how he ran with a low center of gravity that allowed him to out-leverage defenders. I also think he was the last player to wear that style of facemask which you don't see for a RB.

Good grief, Thomas, are you okay? The lessons you share as the world's foremost expert on mockery have caused you to start communicating in complete gibberish. Maybe you should get that checked out. Furthermore, mockery can be noticed, acknowledged, and then moved on from as one does when sharing some opinions relative to the topic.

Eh... that might be a big deal in another industry but not in the NFL. Obviously as a coach you're going to start at the bottom and work your way up. He moves out of the college ranks within a couple years and has some longevity with New England. After that, he bounces around not because his head coach kept firing him, but because his head coach (and entire staff) were getting fired. I think McDermott likes the guy for his high energy but I'm sure he's informed Daboll that he has a certain level of expectation when it comes to respect between coaches and players. McDermott is not the kind of coach to run around and scream like a lunatic and hurl insults, so I doubt he'd be the type of coach to tolerate from one of his assistants.

The inclusion of "haha" at the end of that sentence indicates I understood the mockery. Now get the !@#$ out of my lab, Thomas.

I didn't think Alex Smith would really be any good. It took a while but clearly he's a very solid quarterback. Having a different OC for his first seven seasons (as well as multiple different HC's) certainly hindered his development but once he was put into a system that played to his strengths he was finally able to reach his potential. Designing schemes and game plans based around what your players naturally do well has always been my answer on "how to succeed" when it comes to developing players. It's not rocket science. You identify what the guy does well and draw up plays that utilize those skills. In the meantime, you work with him on areas of weakness while still sharpening his skills that he already does well. You don't pull a Rex Ryan and come in, assess your team which is composed of players best suited for a straightforward/see ball-get ball 4-3 style of defense and say, "Alrighty fellas, we're gonna dig up my dad's old playbook from the mid-80's and run that sh*t! Sweet, right? I mean, it's been 30 some years since my old man came up with this stuff so obviously there's just NO WAY anyone has had the time to figure it out! And I know you're all used to simple calls and straightforward assignments but here's what's up now, each one of you can have up to 416 different assignments based on what the offense is showing you! To help you remember those assignments I've devised a foolproof system of checks so you'll know what to do when you hear the check. If you hear 'Barf Nugget' that means you drop into coverage. If you hear 'Sloppy Joe Slapped My Wife' then you'll know to rush the passer. If you hear 'Sloppy Joe Slapped My Wife With A Barf Nugget' then you know that you'll be simultaneously covering the tight end and the running back coming to the flats as well as rushing the passer and dropping into a zone. This is genius, I'm tellin' ya! And to make sure this system runs as perfectly as it can, I've acquired a secret weapon. This secret weapon is responsible for some historic defenses! It's mah brudder Rob!! Oh and by historic, I meant historically bad!" OK so I got a little carried away but you get it. Don't try to fit round pegs into square holes.

That's a bit of a stretch to say that play cost them the game, haha. Bruce still has no idea how Hostetler was able to hold onto the ball on that play. By all means he definitely should've fumbled it as Bruce chopped at it and even got his hand on it. Somehow, Hostetler holds onto it and pulls it up at the last possible second. Someone else already mentioned it here but I'll echo the sentiment that the Bills were too stubborn to adjust their offensive game plan to handing the rock to Thurman all night. Dude was on fire and NYG even had several plays defensively where they only had two (friggin' TWO!) DL on the line. I mean, how the crap did they not talk about that on the sideline? Like, nobody thought to say, "Yo, they're playing to stop the pass all night, why don't we change it up and start calling our bread and butter run plays for #34 here?" And then the minute the Giants adjust and start stacking the box to stop the run, you let Kelly audible and start picking them apart. Overall, a case of team-wide overconfidence and a lack of coaching to get the players focused cost them the game. To have their offense shut down the way it was and having the defense miss some key tackles but still have a chance to win it on the last play shows just how insanely talented that group was. Not winning that one will always sting because that was arguably the best Bills team in their history and quite possibly an all-time top ten team in NFL history.

Their comeuppance shall be had!!!

Bucky and Jerry are both pretty rough. Once in a great while, Jerry writes something decent. I don't think anyone disagrees that the man is a talented writer, it's the non-stop negativity that turns people off to reading his stuff. What's worse is the influence they've had on Jay Skurski. After Tyler Dunne left (their best guy behind Tim Graham) I was like, "Eh, at least Skurski is still there" but more and more his stuff resembles Bucky and Jerry. I thought it was obvious they weren't doing good when an outlet like Bleacher Report is able to offer one of your better writers a whole lot more. Bleacher Report has grown into a reputable source but back in the day, it was pretty rough and barely anyone took them seriously.

I've wondered this myself but whenever I see those post-game prayer circles players like to do, it's never the entire team out there. I'm sure they realize that not every player, coach, assistant, etc. is religious. I think they welcome that aspect about a player (if they have strong faith) but I don't think they dock a player any points if they aren't. Character is obviously a high priority to them but I also think they have a threshold as to how many red flags they'll allow. I don't think it's like, "Uh oh, this dude has a red flag." "What's it for?" "Um, he once borrowed a pencil from a teacher in 4th grade and did not return it." "Take him off the board! He's a lunatic, a menace! Can't win with him!"

Shaq Lawson will make this team. They are investing heavily in the DL and McDermott wants little to no drop-off when he rotates players. Shaq is pretty sound assignment-wise and plays the run well. If he can tap into his potential as a pass rusher, he has a chance to be pretty good. It's his third year, which is usually the make or break year for most players. He'll get a chance to prove himself beyond camp and preseason.

Has anybody watched the Amazon Prime series "All or Nothing?" Great behind the scenes look at what goes with an NFL team over the course of an entire league year. They profiled the Cardinals in 2016, which was a fun watch considering how entertaining Bruce Arians can be. 2017 was the Rams and for this year they profiled the Cowboys. A few things I took from that show in regards to Dez... first, nobody can say the guy isn't a competitor. All he wants to do is win. Win the games, win his one-on-one match-ups both in the games and in practices. At times he shows flashes of what he did when he was still considered a top five WR in the league. Aside from that... he really seems to struggle to stay focused. He's also a player with what appears to be a rather fragile ego. At one point, he's in the film room with his coach and the other receivers and the coach is talking about the secondary of the team they're facing that week, I forget who, but he's singing their praises. "This is a tough group, they're big, they're fast" blah blah blah all that stuff. Dez blurts out something like, "Damn coach, how 'bout a little positive recognition for us, huh? You always hyping these guys up, what about us? We gon' ball, c'mon, how 'bout a little credit?" I'm paraphrasing... poorly, I'm sure. But you get it. The coach responded like, "Well, I'm not taking anything away from you guys, this is just the reality, this is a good group and if we aren't on our A-game-" Dez cuts in, "We always on our game, c'mon!" Coach continues, "If we aren't at our best, these guys can shut us down." He goes on to apologize to Dez if he made him feel a certain way. He even asks Dez, "Well, how would you prefer I phrase this stuff? What would be a better, more positive way for me to get my messages across?" Dez mumbles something we can't hear. Coach says, "What's that? I'm listening, what do you think would work better?" Dez mumbles some more and finally just says, "Man, I don't know." Dez also could not let it go when a rookie CB was talking trash. Dez wanted to line up and run some one-on-one's against him, which they allowed. First pass was off-target. Second pass, Dez straight up shoves the CB away as he hits his break, flag would've been thrown for offensive PI in the game. But Dez caught it and then whipped it at the rookie all like, "Yeah, see, I told you, I told you!" And he was just jawing at him for the rest of the practice. It's like, man, shut the hell up. So yeah, I just don't think Dez is a "process" guy. Nor would he be worth the money given where his talent level is at right now. The other thing I took from that show is that Jason Garrett is very close to claiming the title of "Weasel-Faced Jagoff Coach I Can't Friggin' Stand More Than Any Other Coach," a title that currently belongs to Bellychix. Garrett though... you can tell he's got like, no pull in that organization. The Jones family rules with an iron first and Garrett strikes me as just another "yes man" carrying out their orders. The dude barks and curses like he's some hard-nosed tough guy but it all seems so forced and disingenuous. Whenever Jones finally decides to can the dude, I'd be almost shocked if the guy ever gets another head coaching gig in the league.

It's OK. I'm the limo driver.

There are a few... Refusing to run the ball against what was essentially a two-man front vs. the Giants in Super Bowl XXV. Thurman Thomas had 15 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown. That's 9 yards a carry. If they would've kept feeding Thurm, they win that game without question. The minute NYG would've adjusted to stop the run, they could've went back to letting Kelly sling it and he would've picked them apart. Instead, they were too stubborn to come away from the K-Gun and we know the rest. Handing the keys to JP Losman in 2005 instead of trying to get one more year out of Bledsoe. And then refusing to fully commit to Losman by constantly benching him for Kelly friggin' Holcomb. Allowing the "brain trust" of Dick Jauron, Marv Levy, and Russ Brandon to make the most important football decisions for the team during the late 2000's. Forking over a $50 million dollar contract to Ryan Fitzpatrick after he had a few hot games against some slack teams. Consistently refusing to pony up the dough for players that were worth it who then walked and found success with other teams. Many of the names I have in mind have already been mentioned. Hiring Rex Ryan. I see a lot of people listing this as a bummer of a decision with the addition of not promoting Jimmy Schwartz... something to keep in mind, Schwartz was not a very good head coach. He was 2-14 in his first year, 6-10 in his second, he did make the playoffs in his third year but was handed a swift first-round exit. In 2012 he started 4-4 and then went 0-8 for the second half of the season. Started 6-3 in 2013 but then went 1-6 the rest of the way. He couldn't really sustain any consistency or long-term success. Definitely one of those "better coordinator than coach" type of guys. Keeping him on with Rex never would've flown. Those two have completely conflicting ideologies on how to run a defense. Consistently refusing to pull the trigger on a first-round QB draft after draft for years. Trading picks to get back into the first round of the 2006 draft to pick John motherfricking McCargo. I still remember the talking heads on ESPN saying, "Well, he could be a good one, but was his success a result of having both Manny Lawson and Mario Williams on his left and right all through his college career?" Answer: Yes, yes it was. Lawson and Williams were beasts that year at NC State and both went in the first round. Someone with the Bills thought, "Heck, NC State's whole DL must be first-round worthy, let's get back into the first and grab that McCargo kid!" Their constant inability to identify and hire the types of coaches that would best fit with the rosters they had, as well as drafting/signing players that would fit with the coaching staff. "Nobody wants to play in Buffalo" was the mantra of many a player during the drought. The team DID pay up for free agents when they could... that wasn't always the main issue... it was the dysfunction and disconnect between players and coaches and then between coaches and the front office and then (probably) the front office and ownership. All that discord between the departments that make the franchise was the primary reason for the drought. There was just no cohesion, despite them always saying, "We're in lock-step!" they weren't. Behind the scenes it wasn't really a secret that it was a giant crap-fest. It's nice to see some harmony strung together from the top down with this current regime.

Jez Baclin

I never hated EJ, haha. I was skeptical when they picked him, for sure. And by all accounts he's a great dude, hard worker, solid teammate, etc. etc. His shortcomings are mainly because of his inability to process the game at the speed it needs to be processed at. I remember this big write-up on the Bills official site from 2014, I believe. It was a good read but what stood out to me was the part where they talked about how hard he works and how he even had to put in extra time and work to get through middle and high school. I'm not saying the guy is stupid or anything, but that article indicated to me that the guy might be a C student doing a job that requires a lot of A's. It was obvious how much he studied, did extra work in the film room, worked after practice with receivers, etc. all that stuff was there. What's missing for the dude is the capability to put everything together in a cohesive manner and then apply it to his position to allow him to play fast and loose without overthinking things. Instead, he was constantly thinking about the things he was working to correct. I wonder if his internal thoughts were kind of like this whenever he lined up for a snap: "OK, pre-snap, there's the Mike, is the safety dropping down or back... I got a one-on-one to my right...nope, now they shifted...OK, doh, play clock is almost out, *HIKE!* Alright, where are my feet as I drop back, one, two, three, and fire the ball...dammit he's not open...lemme look over he--crap, pressure! Bail bail bail! *runs for three yards* Phew!" And then line up and try it again haha. To me, it seems like Allen should have an easier time putting everything together. We'll see, though.

I've subscribed to see the BNBlitz content but my login/password never work. I've received a response from the customer service department when I've contacted them and they told me my login/password is correct and I should be able to login, but I'm never able to. So that may be an issue they'd like to look into considering I'm still paying the $3 a month and am rarely able to see the content unless I do some random clicking around and end up getting to read it without logging in. There's nothing wrong with charging for content, I just don't feel like they are producing anything unique or overly interesting that people can't read/hear about elsewhere. Tim Graham may have broke the Russ Brandon story but I learned more about that whole story by listening to a 10 minute segment with Tyler Dunner on Shredd & Ragan. I commend them for trying but it would appear that the majority of fans don't care for the team of writers. And it's not always because people perceive their writing as negative. In my experience, a fair number of writers are active on social media but most of the time they're engaging with trolls, bragging about how they're in a position any average fan wishes they were in, or completely ignoring decent questions or solid rebuttals to their statements.

Shredd and Ragan are co-hosts of a morning radio show on Buffalo's rock station, 103.3 The Edge. Here's the link to the audio interview with Dunne: http://www.wedg.com/2018/05/04/sr-int-5-4-bleacherreports-tyler-dunne/ During that interview they also discussed how Brandon and Whaley were bros and that possibly being the reason as to why Whaley hung around for as long as he did.

As of Thursday, April 26, 2018 at around 9:30 PM, yuss, yuss I am. Kid has flaws (they all do) but if they figure out the right combination to unlock that upside and potential, watch out.

San Francisco was open to move down from #9 and had talks with Arizona so I don't think he would have been there at 12. They did what they set out to do. They compiled their data, reorganized the hell out of the roster, acquired extra picks, identified their guy, then went and got him. We'll see how it pans out but props to this front office for sticking to their guns and executing their plans.

Evidently, it had surfaced that Brandon was engaging in in some extra-marital activity with several female employees. I don't believe he's in trouble for harassment or anything illegal, whatever he engaged in was consensual but it's obviously less than professional behavior and when you're in the type position he's in, you're expected to act appropriately. So the rumors were going around and from what I've heard (and this was stated on Shred & Ragan this morning when they talked with Tyler Dunne) the Pegulas hired some law firm out of Pittsburgh to do some digging. They did their investigation and reported back to Terry and Kim that, yes, Brandon was indeed messing around. They called him in and questioned him about it and he denied it, not knowing they already had proof from the investigation they paid to have conducted. Sounds a bit like entrapment but they weren't setting out to fire him or throw him under the bus. They looked into the things they were hearing, some (or all) of those things were confirmed true, they gave Brandon a chance to fess up and instead he denied and supposedly that was what really bummed out the Pegulas. This was a guy who had been their right hand in navigating the craziness of the NFL from day one. They obviously placed a lot of trust in him for various things and he violated that trust so it was adios. I have no clue if they would've kept him on had he admitted to his behavior. They may have, and may have just told him, "Well, uh, you're gonna have to knock that off or else you're done." Word right now is there'll be details emerging within the next week or two. The NFL soap opera don't stop for no one!

These teams are investing a great deal of time, money and resources into the players they pick. Naturally, they're going to want guys who eat, sleep and breathe football. But more and more, I think you'll see a steady increase in the amount of players who have no problem saying they play football because they understand what a lucrative opportunity it can be. And there are already (and always have been) a percentage of guys who play because they know it can make them rich. Those guys don't really love the game or constantly dream about winning championships, for some, that's the last thing on their mind with the first being, "Doing this stuff is going to get me paid." Obviously teams are careful with those types of guys but there's a few on every team. And if a player says they have interests outside of football and that causes scouts and executives to shout, "But does he love football?! How can we feel good about drafting this kid knowing he has the world's most exquisite marble collection, a hobby he says he plans to continue when he plays?! Oh, the horror!!" then maybe they need to re-evaluate the process they're using to learn about these kids.

I have a family member who works with a firm that rents out heavy construction equipment for a variety of jobs, including well-drilling. He finds himself in PA quite a bit and through the companies and people he's talked to, he's heard that T-Pegs has always been a "behind the scenes" type of person. Evidently, the guy has a real innate ability to crunch numbers and run a business with a slightly different perspective than most. I guess he's very much about letting the results of the hard work put in by the people he employs be the main focus of his enterprises. He also puts trust in the people he hires for top positions. He prefers to find the right people, deliver his expectations of them and then get out of their way and let them do their job. I'd say this is definitely a good thing when it comes to the Bills and Sabres. They've stumbled a little bit out of the gate with people like Whaley, Ryan, Regier, etc. but hopefully now they've "got their guys" in the right positions. The way he prefers to run things is also probably why they haven't spoken publicly on Brandon. I've heard Terry was "highly disappointed" while Kim was pretty PO'ed given that she gave Brandon the chance to be honest with her and he lied. Being a "behind the scenes" guy also explains why he isn't great in interviews and in speaking with the press. But for all intents and purposes, they genuinely seem like good people who have built quite the business empire over the last 25+ years.

Taylor seemed to be most accurate when throwing to receivers he had spent time developing a rapport with and building chemistry. When he and Watkins were injured at the same time in 2015, they started getting to know each other better while rehabbing their injuries. And then, as we saw, Taylor to Watkins was a pretty solid connection during the back half of t he 2015 season. Watkins injuries prevented them from picking up where they left off but also in 2016 and 2017 was when Taylor suddenly seemed to lose one of his best skills, which was top-notch accuracy on the deep ball. But at the same time, he really lacked a downfield target without Watkins. Whether or not you develop a chemistry with a teammate, you still gotta give them chances to make plays. I assume Allen will be able to see the field a bit better than Taylor so hopefully that will provide him the chance to see windows/opportunities that Taylor just flat out couldn't see.

I didn't say Taylor needed to be throwing jump balls or 50/50 prayers. Far too many times he would wind up like he was ready to throw but then he'd pull it down and start running around. While he was exciting to watch on plays where he miraculously avoided pressure and a sack, there were an equal number of plays where he simply held onto the ball too long and wound up taking a sack. Those types of plays are where he needed to trust his receivers and at least give them a chance to make a play. You're never going to know if your guy can make something happen if you never give him the chance.

Accuracy and ball placement, a quick release that doesn't allow defenders any time to read body cues and make a play on the ball, ability to read/react/adjust to what defenses are showing/doing, trusting your teammates and giving them a chance to make a play (something I feel Taylor didn't do enough of), confidence to attempt difficult throws, pocket movement and keeping your eyes up to see if a receiver comes open on a play where you have to improvise. Size, arm talent, big time stats, etc. that type of stuff, to me, is held in too high of a regard. Having the prototypical size is nice but I don't think it directly correlates with success. Arm talent is a bonus. And I read arm talent as more than just strength and the ability to put it on a rope. Arm talent involves the capability of knowing how much air to put under a deep pass, how much touch to use on a fade, knowing when you need to really zip it to a spot on the field, knowing how to throw guys open, etc. Mechanics and footwork, I feel, are also things that have too much emphasis placed on them. Peyton Manning never had the best looking footwork, he'd be tap dancin' in the pocket on most plays but his ungodly work ethic, preparation and knowledge more than made up for shoddy footwork. If I'm a coach or GM and my QB has a weird throwing motion on top of choppy/awkward dropbacks but he's able to pick apart defenses and hit his targets on time, etc. then I couldn't care less in how he looks in getting the job done. I care about the end result and if the end result is success and wins, have a funky throwing motion and dropback all you want.