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blacklabel

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Everything posted by blacklabel

  1. He's got a good shot at sticking around long term as he's shown the right work ethic and has the positional versatility McDermott really seems to value. I'm a fan, hope he keeps getting better.
  2. You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. It'd be great if you just....stopped talking.
  3. Thank you, couldn't remember the team.
  4. O'Leary was outplayed by Croom and Streater dropped passes all summer, he never got back into the shape he was in before his injury.
  5. Dude can't catch and has trouble picking up offenses. I know after Baltimore cut him, another team signed him about a week later only to cut him within a couple days.
  6. That's a fair assumption. He got some quickness and he's a little shifty. I'd draw up screens and wheel routes for him but definitely keep him off the field anytime a play is called that requires the back to block. He really struggles with that but I can't say I blame him. He's like, 5'10" 180 lbs trying to slow down 6'3" 240 linebackers.
  7. I think Murphy can be an asset in the screen game and can carry the ball a few times a game. But I would definitely keep him off the field in situations where he'd have to block because he gets ran over rather easily.
  8. This is a tough one. I understand that they're in a full rebuild but right now, McCoy is their only offensive weapon. He's the only player that defenses have to concern themselves with. On top of that, (I think) this is the first season he's ever earned the C on his jersey, so clearly his teammates look up to him and have a great deal of respect for him. Shady also seems to be one Allen's biggest fans. It was fun watching Shady get psyched up over the plays Allen made in the Minnesota game. You take away Shady and you're taking away more than just his production on the field. You're taking away a leader in the locker room and a guy that appears to have developed a pretty good relationship with Allen. He earned the C from his teammates so obviously the way he prepares, practices and plays has a big impact on his teammates. Especially the young guys. Shady is a great player and I'm sure there are plenty of young players looking at him to see how he does things so they can play as long as he has and find success like he has. Plus, as many others have mentioned, you trade Shady and you make Josh Allen's job much more difficult than it already is, and he doesn't need that. They need to come out of this season with Allen having developed more positive traits than negative ones. Remove Shady and Allen's gonna be running for his life even more and some of those things may become habit, which is exactly what you don't want with a young QB. I have thought for quite a while that 2018 is Shady's final season in Buffalo. Just because of the rebuild and the fact that he'll be 31 by the time the 2019 season starts, plus they'll save a little bit of money. I realize that if they trade him after the season, they probably wouldn't get as much as they may be able to get now, but I think right now, I would hang onto him. I'd even hang onto him past the trade deadline. Shady definitely appears to be a big part of the culture right now and seeing how important culture is to this coaching staff, I think they'd really throw the rest of the team for a loop if they traded a guy who exemplifies what McBeane are looking for in their players. Hang onto him, just for the sake of helping Allen and keeping whatever culture they've built from deteriorating. But if they call and say, "Alshon Jefferey and a 1st" I will happily pack Shady's bags, haha.
  9. I know Murphy has been dealing with a rib/chest injury... but before that I think he was a healthy scratch in a game or two because he's struggled with blitz pickup and pass protection, and he dropped more than a few passes, so.
  10. Yeah, they might've won it had it been a TD instead of a safety. I think it's on that Four Falls of Buffalo 30 for 30 but they talk about it with Bruce and he said something like, "To this day I think about it. I still have no idea how he held onto that ball." And Leon Seals completely destroyed Hostetler on a play, hit him with a full head of steam and landed with all of his weight on him (Leon was not a small man, and this play would've caused a plethora of flags and fines if it happened today). It literally looked like Hostetler had been pressed into the ground, his head got turned to one side, his helmet was all jacked up, he laid there for a few seconds barely moving but got up. Seals says the same thing as Bruce, has no idea how the hell the dude got up from that. Seals has said he hit him with everything he had and the guy still got up. I dunno, musta just been destiny or fate or some BS cause it just seems to feel like the Giants were meant to win that one. Jerks. But also... Marv and Jimbo needed to swallow their pride a bit on how to run the offense for that game. Giants played coverage all day, but at times there would be as few as two DL with their hand in the dirt. Thurman was eating their lunch but they kept throwing. They should've handed it to Thurm time and time again and then once the Giants stacked the box, that's when Kelly should've dialed up big shots down the field. In all seriousness, they should've wiped the floor with them but they wouldn't abandon the no-huddle and adjust. I'm sure it also didn't help that half the team was hungover.
  11. I think Kerley lost a step. Then they picked up Ray-Ray who's similar in size and faster so it seems like they wanna develop him instead of hanging onto a 31 or 32 year old WR.
  12. The free agent wide receivers available next off-season aren't awe-inspiring, really. And based on the free agents they've signed so far, it seems like they look for guys coming off their rookie deals. Which is smart, it gives you a player in his prime age (25, 26, 27) but still has 3-5 years under his belt. Larry Fitzgerald is the top one but I'm sure he'd rather retire than play elsewhere. Randall Cobb will be an FA but has dealt with a number of injuries over the last few years and is currently making $10 mil a year. Obviously, he won't get that again seeing how he's 29, but he'll try and I don't think Buffalo would be willing to come close to what he wants. Donte Moncrief could be available, he's on a one-year deal in Jacksonville right now and has actually played pretty well for them so they may extend him during the season, who knows. Tavon Austin would be available but no thank you. Golden Tate would be a great addition but he's 31, so unless they bring him in to be like the "elder statesman" of the WR group, that's the only way I can see it happening. He's quietly had big numbers year after year so I think any young receiver would benefit in learning from him. Ryant Grant from Indy could be a possibility. He's 27 and on a one-year prove it deal. So far he's played really well in Indy, has 24 catches for 246 yards and a score. He might be a name to keep an eye on. John Brown from Baltimore will be available. He said earlier this year that his decision came down to the Bills and Ravens and he chose to go with the team not in a rebuild, can't blame him. Dude is a legit deep threat, has 19 receptions for 396 yards, a nearly 21 yard average per reception. He'll be 29 or 30 next year so, we'll see if they circle back to him and try again. Jermaine Kearse formerly of Seattle and currently with the Jets would be available. Seems like his best play was in Seattle though as he hasn't been much of a factor since joining the Jets. Terrelle Pryor, also a Jet, also would be available. He'll be 31 next season so... I doubt they'd be interested. Cordarrelle Patterson would be free but I don't think he's a real big "process" guy. Kevin White out of Chicago... this is an interesting one. Injuries have completely derailed the start of his career but he's still only 27 and does have a lot of athletic ability. But is he made of glass? Can't say I'd be surprised if they kicked the tires on him. Mike Wallace, he'll be 34 by next off-season so I think they'd pass. Chris Hogan, Bills board LEJUND will have completed his time in New England. He'll be 31 next season. Still has some left in the tank, I think. Not sure if this staff has high grades on him. Cole Beasley... Bills already have a small, shifty receiver in Ray-Ray McCloud and will probably continue to develop him as opposed to signing a guy with similar size and skill set. Quincy Enunwa from the Jets will be available. This one interests me, guy came outta nowhere a couple years ago and burned a Rex-led Bills team on Thursday night (if I recall correctly). Great route runner with sure hands, will be 27 or 28. However, he's currently a captain with the Jets so I can see the Jets making him an offer this season, unless they think they can do better or plan to look elsewhere. But he'd be a guy I'd bring in. There are a bunch more names but I'll just list the ones that stick out... Cody Latimer - former early 2nd round pick of the Broncos, currently with the Giants and hasn't produced much of anything, but that Giants offense seems to be spinning its wheels so, who knows. Philip Dorsett - former first-round guy, on the smaller side, speed is his game but he struggles to shake off tough press coverage. Currently in New England with 19 receptions for 190 yards and 2 scores. Would be a very manageable contract. Devin Funchess - ah, the Carolina connection. He's only 25, as big as KB but plays a lot harder, which is why Carolina had no problem trading KB. He started kinda slow over his first two years but last season was their #1 guy, caught 63 balls for 840 yards and 8 touchdowns. And he'll only be 26 next season. Four years in the can, still only 26, coming off his rookie deal... exactly the situation McBeane seems to look for when signing free agents. Wouldn't surprise me. De'Anthony Thomas - Will be finishing up his rookie deal and be 26 next season. Probably not a #1 WR but definitly an upgrade over what Buffalo has in terms of WR depth. And he's been buried behind an all-star lineup of Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Travis Kelce. Keep an eye on this one. They may see him as a young guy they can still develop. Justin Hunter - Hey, look at this guy. Former second round pick. Actually played fairly well for the Bills in what...2016? Has never lived up to the early 2nd-round pick that Tennessee used on him. Big dude, can high point the ball well (caught 10 passes for the Bills, 4 of them being TDs) but has never broke more than 30 receptions in a season. I think he struggles a lot to separate and the Bills already have enough of those guys. Other names: Jordan Matthews (been there, done that), Aldrick Robinson (playing well this year but will be 31 next season), Josh Gordon (not really the "process" type), Kendall Wright (former 2nd round pick, will be 30 next season), Michael Floyd (has never lived up to his 1st round status and has had loads of off-field issues), Chris Conley (this one is intriguing, still only 26 years old, former 3rd round pick, and like De'Anthony Thomas, buried on KC's depth chart, keep an eye on this one), Geronimo Allison (will be 26 next year but Aaron Rodgers loves the guy so I could see him kinda banging the table for the Packers to retain him but if not, he's a 6'3" 215 lb. target that can get open. Would be worth a look), and after that it's a bunch of no-name guys. I was kinda confused by OPs post, but as for Centers, I was hoping Ali Marpet from Tampa Bay would be available. He plays guard down there but he's a versatile interior OL that can play both guard spots as well as center. However, Tampa Bay just extended his deal for another 3 years so that's out. Other than him, Ryan Kalil (Carolina connection!) will be available, but he'll be 35 next season. Still, I guess I wouldn't be surprised if they brought him in and also drafted a guy in the middle rounds to develop behind Kalil, who would provide a solid veteran presence. But, I think his situation is similar to Eric Wood's, he's played his entire career in Carolina and may just keep doing one-year deals to remain with the team until he decides to hang it up. Then there's Mitch Morse and Matt Paradis, after that it's a lot of backup players. Maybe they try to bring back Adam Redmond? I heard they were high on him and wanted to develop him but he was claimed before they could stash him on the PS. They may just continue to roll with Bodine, at least he's experienced, and try to upgrade one or both of the guard spots. Maybe they should upgrade the OL coach too if they still look like a trainwreck by the end of the year. Hope this helped. Spotrac is yo friend.
  13. Yeah, pretty sure. I know he had the rib thing more recently but a couple of weeks ago he was a healthy scratch. He'd been struggling with pass protection, blitz pickup and had dropped a couple of passes as well. If they do trade Shady, I don't know that I'd be comfortable rolling with just Ivory and Murphy. I know they have Keith Ford on the practice squad but I didn't see too much from him in pre-season. I'd assume they'd snag a guy off a practice squad somewhere. Yeah, no doubt. I just think that even if they did bring Murphy back up, I'd still wanna bring in one more back just in case. They have Ford on the practice squad but if I'm them, I'd scan the waiver wire and other practice squads around the league to see what's around.
  14. The past few weeks have shown quite the lack of confidence in Murphy as he's been a healthy scratch. He consistently whiffed on blitz pick ups and struggles all around as a blocker because of his size. If they trade Shady, they better think about picking up someone else from a practice squad or wherever because Ivory/Murphy isn't going to cut it.
  15. Have a friend who's a Giants fan, he's been dying for Flowers to get pulled or cut. He's not good. Not sure exactly what the Giants saw on him coming out of college but he's been a massive bust. Believe it or not, Jordan Mills has quietly put together a decent season. In fact, the OL probably played their best game yesterday. Had a few whiffs, Casey flew threw them a couple times but overall it was immensely better than the Green Bay game. Dawkins is alright. And, again, believe it or not, Vlad Ducasse has been solid and steady. Russ Bodine and John Miller not so much. I still maintain that they tinkered with the OL lineup too much over the summer. At a certain point, you gotta identify your best five and let those guys develop chemistry. Instead, they had a different starting OL for every pre-season game and I think the lineup of Dawkins, Ducasse, Groy, Miller and Mills only played a handful of game snaps together. Groy lost whatever he had back in 2016 when he filled in well for Wood. Bodine has been better but not by much. Gotta roll with him though because at least he has four years experience as a starting center. Hopefully as the year goes on they gel together and keep getting better. But yeah, there's no way Ereck Flowers provides this team with an upgrade.
  16. This is an atrocity! How dare he?! Cut the kid, sell the team, burn your jerseys. It's over. Everybody go home... especially those that constantly dig for some stupid new number to point to so they can say, "I'm right, see? SEE?! THIS NUMBER SAYS SO!" "Sir, that's a banana and I'll thank you to keep it out of my face." "ANALYTICS!"
  17. Hahaha, Big Sam! I was at that game. Saw the interception but was like, "There's no way he's getting to the... oh wow, he made it!" One of the best Bills season openers ever. Stark comparison to this season, which was unbelievable. Worst opener I've ever seen and very close to the worst Bills game overall, for me anyway. It's always fun to see a big guy get the ball. Always reminds me of Berman, "Rumblin', bumblin', stumblin'!"
  18. Yeah, I was pretty psyched that they brought him in last season. They knew they could make a serious run for a wild card spot which is why they went out and got him. Like I said (I think), a knock on him coming out of college was that old adage, "Looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane." Big dude, should be out there physically dominating the smaller corners he goes up against and make contested catches but he hasn't been doing that. I don't know if he took a shot at some point that's made him a little gun-shy and is causing him to play with a lot of caution or what. Maybe his knee injury sticks in his head and messes with how he can play. He just looks so far removed from the dude who snagged 79 passes for 1008 yards and 9 TDs in his rookie season. And yeah, interesting that McBeane have called him a great locker room guy after he threw Cam under the bus on his way out of Carolina and hasn't really shown much accountability for his poor start this year.
  19. I know against the Green Bay game he was shaking off something with his right forearm/wrist. I think it got beat up pretty good on one of his bajillion sacks but he finished the game, was off the injury report last week and finished yesterday's game so, I assume it's good. His ball placement yesterday was wonky save for a few throws (that throw over the middle to Clay is one of the nicest throws he's made as a pro QB) and that's usually a result of not having his feet set correctly. Right now, I think his internal clock is moving pretty quick. He rarely gets time to throw and he's obviously being coached to get rid of the ball fast as a way to negate the rush. So, after the snap, his thought process might be, "Must get rid of it, gotta hurry, gotta hurry" and that's just a product of being a rookie right now. Game hasn't slowed down for him yet. I think it will. He's also being thrown a lot of different things right now. I'm sure coaches are careful with how much stuff they give to him but even with that, QB is the hardest job in sports, have to know everything. While the game plan on offense yesterday wasn't flashy, it worked. They consistently picked up first downs and moved the ball well on most series'. They simplified things for Allen and leaned on the run, which is what they should be doing game by game.
  20. I can hear the play-by-play now... "Groy catches it at the 50... he's at the... 48...he's at the 47... he...could....go....nope, he's down."
  21. Haha, nice. I haven't bought a jersey in well over a decade but yesterday I had the same thought. If I do grab one, I think it'll be #49. And yeah, it's been fun watching Edmunds out there. It's insane that his size alone is enough to make QBs pause about going over the middle. Add his size to his range on the field and he takes away throwing lanes all over the field. He's always around the ball, his first step usually goes in the right direction and with each week, he's showing better instincts, better reaction time, etc. He's only five games in and already he has coaches talking about how quickly he improves, how the game is already slowing down for him and how the sky really is the limit for this dude. I hope he's a cornerstone on this defense for the next 10-12 years. Right alongside Tre' White, Harrison Phillips, even Taron Johnson if he keeps playing how he has. Matt Milano as well. People can doubt all they want, but those doubts are based on the fact that these people aren't seeing immediate results. It takes time, but they're doing this the right way. Edmunds, White and Milano, three full-time starters on their rookie deals. Taron Johnson, Harrison Phillips, both on rookie deals. Then they have a handful of veterans under 30 years of age all playing on very manageable contracts, followed up by a number of long-time veterans leading this team and preparing to pass the torch after this season (i.e. I think Kyle and Lorenzo both retire after this season. Kyle for sure, he can still play but I think time has finally caught up with him. Lorenzo, I like how they've moved him around this season, I think they're smart to do that. Both have their contracts end after this year.)
  22. I may have to take another look but from the couple times I saw it, yeah the ball came up on him fast but he had time to get his hands up and locate the ball in the air, just didn't complete the catch. I'm sure Holmes blames himself as well. He's an NFL WR, he knows he needs to come down with that. I agree with you. Especially on KB. Like I said, I dunno if the guy lost his passion for the game or just never had it but he really looks like he just doesn't care. Maybe there are things going on behind the scenes we aren't aware of, that's always possible. Maybe he has an undisclosed injury, who knows. He alligator-armed that one throw against Green Bay which he got lit up for doing and other times the effort just doesn't seem to be there at all. If it keeps up like this, I can see them moving him for a late round pick at the trade deadline. If he plays out the year here with the same attitude and performances, they won't retain him. I dunno if he'd be out of the league completely. There are plenty WR-needy teams that'll believe they can get something out of him simply for his size alone (in fact, I'm pretty sure his size at this point is the only thing keeping him around) but they aren't going to pay a whole lot.
  23. This is where I think a guy like Derek Anderson can help a lot. There's no substitute for on field experience. Sure, Allen has had Culley and Daboll guiding him a long but I don't think either of those guys has ever taken a snap. Anderson has over 10 years in the league, has played in nearly 150 games and started a bunch as well. He's seen a lot and surely can help Allen out much the same way he helped out Cam.
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