blacklabel

I generally pick up the draft hat each year but last year's hat was pretty boring and this year's hats just aren't for me. If you think the design on these ones are bad, phew, I used to work with a guy who had a friend that worked at New Era and every so often he would get "proofs" which are hats that were made and then one of several designs gets chosen to go into a full production run. The hats that don't get picked, I don't know if they become free game for employees but this guy would come up with a handful of (usually) Sabres hats and some of the designs on those things, gah. But then on the flipside, there were some that I saw with great designs that you wish they would've picked for the full run.

I do hope they give him some serious consideration. Talent-wise, he seems like a great fit for this defense. I'm not sure what kind of locker room guy he is and obviously that's important to McBeane. I've never seen anything negative about him in the news but that doesn't mean he's a good match for the type of locker room McDermott is trying to maintain. We shall see what happens.

Not a bad idea. He certainly won't be sitting around for long. I'm sure we'll soon be hearing which teams have interest. With his skill set, we have to pretty much assume for sure that the FO is taking a look back at his film and making some calls to see what kind of deal he's looking for. Don't think they'll get into a bidding war, though. Doesn't seem to be Beane's style.

I wonder if he'd go for a one-year deal, because I don't think Bills have the money to offer him a monster contract right now. I believe that's the reason he's tried to get out of Philly for so long, his contract demands are well above where Philly is willing to go.

Who was the other offer from? I don't think I caught that in the news during free agency frenzy. And I don't think anybody is sleeping on the kid. He bet on himself to land a nice contract and a starting gig somewhere but ended up being one of the last available QBs to be signed. That tells me that teams around the league haven't really changed their value on him.

He may have been invited but couldn't make it. A number of rookies miss NFL and NFLPA events every year if they attend a school that runs courses through May and they're trying to finish up their degree. Other guys might have exclusive endorsements with other companies, although that's doubtful when it comes to football cards. A few years ago the NFL decided they wanted a singular exclusive supplier for trading cards. Since Panini is one of, if not, the biggest trading card company in the world, they won the contract and became the only company licensed to make NFL trading cards. Companies like Topps and Upper Deck had to stop making football cards starting in 2016, I believe. Topps is still king of baseball cards and Upper Deck does quite well with hockey card collectors. But yeah, it kinda took some of the fun out of collecting knowing that you only get one choice. Years ago Panini bought out companies like Donruss, Fleer, Playoff, etc. and they print cards using those names and logos but it's still all Panini. Ever since they became the only NFL card supplier they've completely flooded the market. They put out at least 20 different sets of cards for every football season. I pretty much gave up on buying boxes and now I just stick to trying to snag a couple of different autographed cards of each Bills rookie from year to year. All of this insanely nerdy info comes courtesy of, well, being a nerd that collects a buncha different stuff but also a good friend of mine works for Dave and Adam's. Fun fact, those guys started out as a tiny store in Tonawanda and today they are one of the biggest trading card and collectibles retailers in the nation.

I'm not sure about Suh but Phillips played somewhere around 90% of the defensive snaps for Stanford last season, which is a lot for a DL. He said he would have to pick and choose some plays where he wouldn't go all out in order to preserve some energy. As part of a consistent rotation, he has a chance to standout early in his career. Especially as he learns from a guy like 95. And a lot of his flaws can be corrected with coaching. I also thought it was funny to see that bit from a scouting report on Kyle, saying he's not much of an athlete, haha. It's funny because plenty of coaches and teammates have said Kyle is one of the best natural athletes they've been around. He's what they call a "big body athlete." He has an explosive first step, he's strong as hell and just as smart. I hear he's also a ridiculously good golfer.

It's from today. It's the NFLPA Rookie Premiere which is put on by Panini America, a trading card manufacturer. These dudes will spend the day signing their name more times than they can count and taking tons of photos to be used for future card releases. Panini decides who gets invited. There are always more offensive guys there than defensive as most collectors go for players in skill positions.

The importance of a big time WR is a bit overstated these days, at least in terms of wins. Receivers miss games and teams generally don't miss a beat. Or receivers play the entire season and their team still winds up with a losing record (OBJ's best statistical season came in 2015 and the Giants went 6-10). Half of the leaders in receptions in 2017 were on teams that didn't make the playoffs. The top three leaders in receiving touchdowns in 2017 (D. Hopkins, D. Adams, J. Graham) all sat home during the playoffs last season. Tom Brady has played most of his career without a true #1 WR. He's depended on small, speedy slot receivers like Welker, Edelman and Amendola. Gronk regularly misses games every season and the Pats still win. Kirk Cousins established himself as a top ten QB without having a big time receiver during any of his seasons. Of course it's a benefit to have a game-breaking WR but I don't think it's a necessity to win games. It still all comes down to how coaches utilize their players. Case in point, you can move up and draft a player expected to be a big time WR but he can't do much if his coaches spend time during his rookie year using him as a decoy instead of dialing up plays to get him the ball. Beyond that, the Bills have been a run-first team since 2014. Greg Roman's scheme in 2015/16 featured rather elementary route combos and overall had a passing attack that wasn't difficult for defenses to figure out. 2017 may have had a different OC and scheme but it still had a simple passing scheme. Plus, the WR group here doesn't really have any guys that separate with their route running. Combine that with a QB hesitant to throw into tight coverage and you get a dead-last ranked Bills are still going to aim to be a run-first team with an opportunistic defense. They're still going to keep the passing attempts around 25-30 a game. They're still laying the foundation for this team and the side of the ball they've chosen to focus on first is defense, for obvious reasons. They're closer to having their defense where they want it than they are with their offense. I assume next season will be the year they work to bring in some better offensive talent to put around Josh Allen. With the way they prioritize positions, I think, for right now anyway, WR isn't near the top of the list. They'll get there, though.

Nah, just that people using the R word are about as useful as people who use the N word so whatever subtlety you're going for is cancelled out by your ignorance.

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.