Rochesterfan

Can he be upgraded - yes, but you need depth on your team. Would I pay him 10-15 million a season - nope, but there is no reason to get rid of him. He is good enough to have a long term role and be an important part of this team for many years.

I would prefer to see the Bills try to work out an extension and not use the 5th year tag. I like the team better with Lawson on it and he is a good enough player to remain on the team, but the 5th year option is typically a bit more pricey than he deserves for his play. Either way - they have the room and I would rather see them retain Lawson than let him go - so my preference is extension first, then option if needed.

My guess is they will not open needs for the team - so if someone becomes available at the right price if FA or if a guys drops in the draft - they will add to the stable. If they do do not find the value - they can roll with what we have. In either case - I imagine by the time training camp rolls around there will be 2-3 more RBs on the roster to supplement those 4 and where they come from will depend on value, but I do not believe they are unhappy with the guys they have.

First I do not disagree with what Nate had to say overall, but I think the timing was not good for the correct discussion needed. The fact that 5 African American Head Coaches were just fired meant that in the last several years - African Americans have been hired at that top level in unprecedented levels compared to the past. The discussion should be about how to continue that type of opportunity for deserving canidates so that the levels continue to grow. The issue is is that change is very slow - especially at upper management levels because no matter what we want to believe that type of promotion is about who you know and have worked with. That is true in most businesses because at that level (say GM to HC) you must have the ability to have frank and open discussions about many topics and therefore you are looking for someone familiar and of a similar mindset. You are seeing over the years - more GMs and assistant GMs of color and more Head Coaches and coordinators also. The NFL is also sponsoring more and more opportunities for former players (both black and white) and non players (men and women) to get internship coaching roles that will start building these contacts and help drive some future coaches. The biggest issue that I see - is that in the past the players made good money, but they knew when their career was done they were going to need jobs - so coaching became a logical next step. Many past great coaches were former players that knew coaching was a great way to continue in the game they love, but their talent and body no longer allowed them to play. That is no longer the case - many players can walk away and have enough money to never have to worry again - so the pool is lessened. The former players that get into coaching now are mostly career journeyman types. Therefore you are seeing more and more coaches with little to no playing experience reaching higher levels which begins to make the breakdown of player race less relevant because that is not the sole pool for future coaches any longer. In in the case of Wilkes - First year coaches that are let go are always a bad look, but it has happened numerous times over the years to coaches of both races - so Wilkes is not unique in any way. I believe Arizona hired Wilkes with a specific plan in place. The plan was to bring in a Veteran QB (ended up as Bradford) and that with the talent and a better defensive scheme they were supposed to compete in Fitzgerald’s last years. I do not think that the FO though before the draft they had a real opportunity at one of the top 4 QBs and I think they were truly just looking to keep the team competitive and find ways to win with the talent they have where in their division they have been one of the top 2 teams for the last several years. Rosen falling to them changed everything - now you have a young QB that got playing time and you want to develop- that changes the FO thinking and my guess is they want (like so many other teams) the young offensive mind to develop Rosen. Wilkes was not hired to groom Rosen - Rosen came after the hire and I believe that is the sole reason Wilkes is gone - if the FO had believed they could have gotten a guy earlier - the entire plan for the offseason may have been different and an offensive coach hired and the team blown up to grow around the rookie. Now I agree that is not fair to Wilkes, but I think it has to do with background (DC) not skin color. I also believe that yes he did not have the talent to work with and maybe the GM should go also, but if you think the Rosen pick is right and the GM made the pick - maybe you let him see that through. What we do not have any information on is exactly what the discussions and plan were between GM and Owner prior to the hiring of Wilkes, after they picked up Bradford, after they drafted Rosen, and after Rosen became the starter. That all impacts the discussion and is the real reason why Wilkes is no longer the Head Coach and I do not think race had anything to do with it.

How many staffs are being hired between now and Wednesday or Thursday?

Love your optimism, but I am not sure I believe he makes the Browns better. I think Mayfield with his accuracy was a perfect fit for what they wanted to do. Allen’s numbers would be better, but I do not think he improves the Browns. The battle between Darnold and Allen is interesting to me - I think Darnold will continue to have some better numbers, but will make more critical mistakes (both fumbles and Ints). In either case they got their guys and the Bills did not have the chance at either - so I really look at the guys we could of had Rosen or Jacksonand think we made the right choice.

I agree - we will not agree on this, but looking at the team last year and early part of this year which side of the ball was stronger offense or defense? The defense may be a mirage based on everything you said, but it was still by far the better side of the ball and therefore McDermott played to that strength being more conservative. Once Josh got more comfortable and they became more familiar with his athleticism- McDermott became more aggressive by going for it more on 4th and short. As I said before - to me McDermott is not super aggressive and he is not super conservative. He will make some aggressive calls on 3rd and 4th downs and sometimes he will make the less aggressive calls, but if people can not see how much his choices have changed as the offense has come around then that is all on them.

Risk Aversion is another way to look at it - I agree, but situationally there were many times he needed to do something different with the ball and his risk aversion prevented it. I believe even TT’s lack of getting to the line late in games and speeding up play calls falls into this problem- he just did not seem to understand the entire situation around him - everything was that one play at that time. I agree that NE game was one that he opened it up, but I believe that was also early and one of his 3 ints games that lead to the more “risk averse” TT you see later on.

He did that, but how many times did TT run all over in the backfield and then step out of bounds and take a 2-3 yard sack rather than throw the ball away. TT also would check down on 3rd down way to much and punt to see another day rather than try to get the first down. The final thing is TT was terrible at pushing the ball late in games when we needed scores. All of these were lack of situational awareness to me and things a rookie picked up in 6 or 7 games and made a difference. The rookie tried to make a play - yes even if it only had a 5% chance of success versus the check down with 0% chance (but it increased TT completion percentage and yards at a useless time).

I am not to concerned - I think these guys are a prepared for most scenarios.

I don’t think he will ever be a HC again. I think he is done. The only thing I will say is that he did seem to get something out of that team for many years including a few playoffs runs. He never accomplished a win in those games, but he did get them there. It was time to move on though - maybe even 2-3 years to late, but right now this is a bad opening to me and they are going to end up with a failed retread.

Agreed and I think one of the hardest divisions in football. My wife and I were talking and I think this is at least 5 years before they become relevant again. Would not touch this job with a 40 foot pole.

If true this is a MEH hire to me. If they get a young innovative OC and McCarthy leaves him alone then great, but McCarthy as HC and OC for the last several years in GB has not been good and his relationship with the QB has been bad. The biggest difference is Aaron is more quiet and laid back - I can see Mayfield going off on him if things don’t go well. So much will depend upon the what the rest of the make-up of the staff becomes, but I think with that division and McCarthy’s game management skills they are looking at some middling years when they have elite talent.

Why - did they need the points? Did you need to take a chance on a blocked kick or a kick-off rather than just kneeling down? The Goal was to get the defense out and have them a long distance away and to give Kyle on last hurrah. The kneel down was just fine.

So let’s challenge this a bit - all drives starting in the first quarter - so close game and lots of time left. On first down the Bills ran the ball 2 times - once for a 9 yard gain on the first play and once for a 1 yard TD by Allen (QB sneak). They passed the ball on first down 6 times (one was a sack) and got a passing TD to Jones. At that point they built a 14 point lead. Then I agree they get an itch and try to run more in the second quarter with the lead - 3 first downs - 3 runs and the half ends tied. 3rd quarter they rebuilt the lead there were 3 first down runs and 4 first down passes with one of those pass attempts ending up as an Allen scramble. They rebuilt the lead to 11 points by the end of the 3 quarter. The 4th quarter - especially early saw the same aggression with 4 out of 5 first down plays as drop backs with one Allen scramble for his 30 yard TD. At that point they were up big and running the clock and ran the ball on 2 of their last 3 first downs. For the game they ran the ball 11 times on first down including a QB sneak for a TD. They dropped back to pass the ball 15 times on first down with one of them being a sack and 2 ending up as Allen scrambles. The passing on first down continued even when they were up 35 to 17 and then the Kyle Williams pass at 42 to 17. I do agree they get conservative at times, but I think they understand the best way to protect a QB is to try and keep them in manageable downs and distances.

It was not just the last game, but keep believing that if it makes you feel better. They have gone for 4th downs over 18 times this year - top half of the league. That number has increased as the offense and Allen has settled in. He has also had (like this week) a few 4th down attempts negated by penalty- like yesterday’s false start or we would be in the upper 3rd of the league. I do not think he is conservative and I do not think he is aggressive- I think he was playing very much into the strength of his team last year and earlier this year - his defense. Once Allen got got his feet wet and showed what he could do (about the last 4 weeks) and they started working things - he has switched focus and been more aggressive. I would never call him Jauron 2.0 because that is just plain wrong.

Guess I would really like a better understanding of the conservative game planning. We go go for it on 4th down - numerous times around the field - yes he has occasionally punted on 4th down around mid-field, but he also goes for it at several places. Once again before the half - he allowed a young rookie QB to throw to try and get points and it cost him a pick, but he still let him throw. What I see is a defensive coach that has some gambler in him, but has a very young and very untalented team and that seems to drive some decisions. Late in the half he likes to run on first down to see what the opponent is going to do. He want to eat some clock and try to ensure that he gets the ball last. I thought this year as the team got experience he has opened things up and taken more risks, but there are some people that have already labeled him a bust and ultra conservative when he has had a very bad team and has made the playoffs once already. Gotta Love it ?

I believe he got to the initial scrum late, but went flying in. There is another flag thrown right after he hits the pile going after Quinn. I believe he was ejected for that and then Quinn swung at his head and grabbed the face mask. I thought the refs did pretty good with the calls to get Alonzo out after his second personal foul and then the two late comers. Glad to see Ike go right at Kiko after the play.

There are other including the CDC - do a search or not - there are cases and there are listed articles out there about deaths. You can choose what side you want to fall on - either way, but there are not just single articles. Plus just do a quick search for Colorado and motor vehicle issues and a ton of marijuana related articles will pop up. As I have said repeatedly - compared to other drugs it is not as bad, but it is still a drug and has all of the same issues every other drug has. To call it 100% safe and say that no one in the history of the world has ever died from overdose was the point of my contention- that is simply not true.

I never said it was not

Do a quick Google search of THC overdose or death. For Example: https://www.transformationstreatment.center/resources/overdose/many-people-died-weed/ http://www.poppot.org/2018/04/18/truth-deaths-by-marijuana-overdose/ These do not include the slew of newer vehicle related issues that are being seen in legal states like Colorado. Again It is nothing compared to other drugs, but to say no one has ever overdosed or that it is impossible is just wrong. It also does not include deaths when weed is laced with other things and people have psychotic effects. The facts are that it has been legal in states for a short time and numbers seem to be rising. Now - I could not care less- legal/illegal, use it or don’t, but to say there has never been an overdose or death is just wrong. It is like the argument that it is non addictive- yet people that smoke pot and are forced to stop have relapses, or can’t stop, and have other withdrawal type psychological symptoms. I think there are a lot of good things to be gained from CBD and other cannabinol substances, but it is still a drug and still has similar issues as other drugs.

This is not correct - there have been numerous cases of children and teens that have died from overdose and the numbers are increasing. It is becoming more common as more edibles are being produced and children are getting their hands on it. Yes it is more rare than alcohol, but as it becomes more widespread- the number of cases have increased. It is also been attributed to an increasing number of deaths associated with motor vehicle accidents. It is not impossible to overdose, but the levels needed are quite high. THC is also becoming the next Vitamin D - the most recent miracle cure. Doctors attributed everything from mood changes to cancer to diabetes cure to Viamin D and because you produced Vitamin D from the sun - the thought was no one could overdose. Then they started doing studies and found it was not much better than placebo. We will see how THC fares. We know that CBD has some positive effects, but does the added THC have any real effect.

I do not see him getting into coaching. I think he wants time with his family and a coach spends even more time than the players away from family teaching and watching film.

I totally disagree about the roster. The roster is squarely on the previous GM that overpayed for guys and then gave stupid contracts. The decisions by McDermott and Beane were made to begin cleaning up the mess - getting rid of underperforming players on larger contracts - Like MD. Using assets that they did not see here long term (Watkins) to get other assets. Yes the lack of talent was because of decisions by this regime, but were made to clear up previous decisions that were poorly made. The rest of the post is mostly hot garbage - great have them draft Mahomes two years ago - what do you think he looks like in a Bills uniform. He was raw and needed time to sit - do you think under TT he learns what he learned with Alex Smith having a career year. Do you think that without all of the talent that KC was getting for years for Smith that Mahomes would be successful throwing to KB, Jones, and the injured Clay. Also how would he have looked starting in the middle of his first season in a Dennison offense rather than getting to sit and learn under a Reid offense. My feeling is we would be sitting here talking about a bust at QB and when do we move on. I have the same issue with JuJu and Vander Esche. Both of them are fits as pieces on their current team. Is JuJu significantly better without Brown, the TEs, and experienced QB getting him the ball in Pittsburgh. Does he have just pedestrian numbers with TT and the motley collection of QBs throwing to him and are we questioning why we did not draft Jones because he ends up on a team like LA or Pittsburgh. Vander Esche is a typical MLB and I think would be a good fit, but I understand the Edmunds pick. They are looking for more of a coverage deep LB and Edmunds fits that better than Vander Esche.

The defense definitely had it moments where it dominated and I think they have a chance if given time, but I think they were surprised to get Rosen and now want a offensive guy to work with the young QB. I do not think that was really the plan, but now they are adjusting. It is sucks for that staff.