Rochesterfan

Well most Sundays I have 2 TVs going: 1 Bills and 1 the next best game or Redzone. Then 2 games when the Bills are done. Then Sunday night - at least part and part of Monday night. I usually catch some of the Thursday night game before bed. Plus Saturdays late in the season and All 3 games on Thanksgiving. So probably close to 100 non-Bills games and this year will be more. If they played both Saturday and Sunday - I would watch even more. It is the only sports worth watching right now. Can’t stand Baseball or Basketball - both are just boring to me. I don’t enjoy Soccer. I love Hockey, but with the Sabres being bad - I don’t enjoy the rest of the games and even then I only watch a fraction - it just isn’t worth watching lots of games. So I watch football and as many games as possible - love watching, talking, seeing highlights - any content available I try to consume.

Except Stevenson got a head injury in the game against GB - Sal could not confirm or tell what that meant or a time table - so maybe he could be a candidate still. Hogdkins was moving around, but could still be IR’d to be available later for a stretch if there are other injuries. Johnson seems likely to me as a potential IR candidate. I expect McKenzie to be back. You have Sweeney also as a possibility. They could also use it on someone like Doyle to give him more time as he was injured with a knee.

He isn’t deciding - the Texans are deciding to inactivate him. They don’t “want the distraction” right now. If they wanted him to play him and he refused - he would go on a Non Football refused to report list - where the team can suspend him without pay. The player also does not accrue vested years without hitting milestones - so he could not get paid and he would not accrue a season and therefore he is stuck in limbo as his contract would not move forward. The Texans are hoping by protecting him from the media and paying him, but inactivating him - maybe they can salvage this relationship. If not then maybe they can at least get his market value back.

Actually you can’t and salary has nothing to do with it because you can pay a coach whatever you want. The NFL has a rule that prevents “player/coaches” and does not allow a coach to be activated to play on the team. It was designed to prevent teams from using to hide players and keep them on the roster and modified to prevent teams from circumventing the salary cap. It does not come up often, but was enforced just last year with Denver when they lost all 3 QBs to COVID. The NFL would not allow a fully tested Quality Control coach to be activated as a player because of the rule.

The NFL has rules against this to prevent teams from hiding players. Denver wanted to activate the QB quality control coach last year when all the QBs were placed on COVID and the NFL wouldn’t allow it. There was a nice article about it - I will try to find it - but basically it was done in the past as a way to pay players and not lose them, but keep them on the team and the NFL banned it. Edit: https://broncoswire.usatoday.com/?p=651317 Not the original article, but mentions the rule in here.

Actually at least Houston got something for Shaq - where as Miami got nothing for Shaq except a player they cut. Miami nets zero Houston nets a 6th Jets get Shaq to fill snaps for very little.

I think it is playing out just right. The NFL doesn’t want to put him on the exempt list because it could be all of 2021 season before criminal/Civil/FBI investigations and if the NFL can get him not playing - that gives them options. Then they can use the exempt list for next year and suspension after that. The interesting piece is what happens if a trade is made because then I assume the NFL will have to do something and use the exempt list at that point.

What incentive would he have to sign that contract mid season - unless you are offering him big time money? He took this gig to get a chance to learn in a low pressure environment and see what Josh does as a leader to help himself. He has already showed that he has picked up a lot of ability at reading defenses and making good reads if you give him options and more importantly he is learning what kinds of throws to make in specific situations. In Chicago - he was over drafted and the coaching staff has shown themselves to be very poor at leadership as just look at the number of QBs that have gone through and not one has looked effective. Now you have another guy in Dalton that looks worse in that offensive scheme than he did in Dallas after taking over and significantly worse than Cincinnati. I think if Daboll leaves and goes to a couple of different places like Minnesota or Denver where they have a nice WR room, but are lacking a QB - Mitch could come in and make that team instantly better. As a QB - he had a winning record in Chicago, lead them to multiple playoff appearances, and had a positive TD to Int ratio. He couldn’t live up to his draft position, but he was never as bad as they thought.

If you are not keeping 7 DEs and you are getting rid of either Johnson or Obada and you can get a pick back for Johnson rather than cutting him - isn’t that the smart move. We would have to see, but one of the 3 was getting cut and I don’t think they were getting a bunch of offers for the other 2 - so that drives the decision you have to make. Now - unfortunately we will never know where they would have gone if no offer materialized because at least one deal did come about for Johnson - so all we know is the Bills we’re willing to part with him for a price.

Yes, but Shaq will play 40% of your defensive snaps at a premium position. He is overpaid compared to the contract, but he earned that contract by at least putting up 1 good year. Johnson as a late 7th round pick has nearly given nothing on the defensive side, but did some nice things on special teams. I image he will get more playing time in Carolina, but currently he has 2 sacks in 450 career defensive snaps - so nothing that jumps out. The fact that you can flip that for a round earlier pick is not bad. My guess is Johnson was not the guy Beane necessarily wanted to move (much like Teller), but he was the guy with the most potential to move. Addison was going to be tough to move and Obada was an option, but Carolina was not making that deal - so my guess is he got value and took it.

Sounds about right to me. Shaq an actual DE that plays regularly was a 6th. Bam - a more ST focus that can maybe play in the regular defense also for a 6th. I have no issue with it.

I heard a lot in the Media about Kumerow making plays. The Media barely talked about Johnson. I think you are way overthinking this.

I find the comment 3rd best team in the AFC to be laughable. With Tua - they are in a group of 5-6 teams competing for spots 6-12 or so. You have KC, Buffalo, Cleveland in tier 1 - Baltimore, Tennessee in tier 2 - then you get Pittsburgh, Miami, Indy, SD, & NE in the next tier. With Watson they maybe move up tier, but I am not convinced.

I won’t disagree, but there are teams that are bad with cap space that for the right deal would trade for Addison if you want. It could end up being just something stupid like a switch of 7th round picks with Houston to give them a better version of Lawson. I do think they like his leadership - this is another Wyatt Teller moment - where a developing player like Johnson or Obada might have to get moved and if that development continues - we come out looking worse for it and people get mad - when that player never gets the same opportunity here because of talent. Wyatt Teller developed when he hit an offense suited to his strengths and Johnson or Obada could do the same if going to a young team.

I totally agree - there might be a few cuts that trickle in, but if they are working on some trades - it might keep a few more guys on the roster until the last minute - just to maintain flexibility.

I think there is a lot of “recapping” what is pretty well known, but where the narrative falls apart for me is that his friend is a “scout” and worked on trades. Most scouts spend almost no time in the organization’s headquarters during the summer months and very little time working on trades. That to me is just a cop out way to make it sound like insider info. Then to say this is the same scout that told him Fields was going to Chicago - is this a Dolphins scout or a Bears scout. Where did that info come from - again sounds to me like something you say to try and sound credible - he has given me info before, but is complete BS because a Dolphins scout would have little inside info on the Bears draft - that would be a huge disadvantage to teams if even scouts knew exactly who the teams in a alternate conference were taking. The final kicker to me is the “info” about Carolina and the quote about becoming Houston of the NFC - why would a Dolphins scout have that kind of info - especially at this time as they are just getting back out to scout college games. It again seems to me like it is just an added fact to sound plausible - like he has some info because the statement seems consistent with what we would think, but would make no sense for an organization to even be thinking. Overall this reads like a Incarcerated Bob type post. I have limited info that has come out and I can piece it together and sound like an insider and if it doesn’t happen - you just say well they must have decided risk was greater than reward - He never said it was 100% or something and you still sound like you knew something.

Classic Right Josh to end a drive. Terrible pass Tripped himself on 3rd down run 4th down sack Ugly

I agree with that, but Shaq still does not cover the loss of Carl Lawson. Carl is a pass rusher by nature and Shaq is not. Shaq can eat snaps, but he does not fill the role that the Jets need. It is not a bad move for them - it just is not a move that does anything. I honestly believe if they had waited for cuts - they could of picked up the same level of player for nothing.

He does not cover the loss of Carl Lawson. Shaq was average in Buffalo with a great defensive coach. He was a failure in Miami with a head coach that had a top defense. Shaq found no opportunity to rush the passer - he is basically a contain DE - not something NYJ needs. In the end to me - Shaq is a below average DE that will play, but he isn’t a guy I would worry about. He is a guy I would attack.

I think this is spot on. My guess is this offense is going to look different throughout the year, but I anticipate a lot of Diggs, Davis on the outside and Sanders, Beasley on the inside forcing teams to try and cover 4 quick route runners. Davis will be the #2 which is his perfect role on this team. He finds ways to get open downfield and just makes plays.

I think you nailed most of this - the only thing I think needs to be mentioned is that on the sack - you say both Dion and Williams were beaten, but Sal specifically mentioned on the post game - that play. The Bills went with a higher snap count and GB’s D-line moved. Morse snapped the ball early to try and catch him off sides and no one was ready giving both DEs a huge advantage. That decision is given to Morse to try and get a free play, but obviously the Refs did not give it to them, but I don’t think in the end that will reflect on Dion at all. Eric Woods also said in the pregame that any injury/illness that you lose the kind of weight Dion lost - the trainers will get back in 3-4 weeks - they want to add it slowly. He did not think the weight would hinder Dion much, but the stamina was going to be a huge issue - especially with Miami in week 2.

Not really worried about this at all. Who released the speculation - it was not a normal insider - it was some more random guy. That suggests to me that 1 team wants this info out there and I doubt it is Miami - as they have to be getting ready to play with Tua for the year. Miami to me least wants info like this out in the news - they are trying to improve and have a fragile QB ego already - They only want this info at the moment the trade is complete. Anything earlier - like this - only weakens the teams trust in leadership and gives people in Miami time to organize against the move. The real benefit to this article is Houston (most likely source of the “leak”) - my guess is some teams - like Philly and maybe Carolina have reached out again with weak offers - something like their starter (Hurts or Darnold) and a 1st for Watson and they are trying to rebuild the momentum they had for multiple 1st round picks. The leak also gives the league a chance to step in - as I truly believe the league recognizes that Watson will not play in Houston and Houston is not trading him - therefore he is sitting out right now without being a league issue. The league has said they won’t suspend him yet, but if Watson is traded to a team that will play him - my guess is the uproar will cause the NFL to exempt him and I think the leak was hoping to get some info out. I think a lesser trade goes through - Philly would not surprise me - for a pick and a young QB and maybe another player and then Watson gets exempted before he plays - if the league even allows the trade - and then gets suspended and it is 2023-2024 before the guy is back if he ever gets back and doesn’t end up in jail like he seems to belong.

I will just say your second part is 100% unnecessary as the Bills have already picked up his option this summer. He is on the team this year and next barring a trade. We will see how the coaches react, but they seem to like what they get from him in this defense - even if fans don’t.

If Josh got injured and you had to rush Mitch on the field with no prep time - can he handle the snap, is he prepared to be able to run a play, can he get the play call, can we get him out there without wasting a timeout. Does it guarantee a Super Bowl - Nope, but it once again shows this coaching staff understands game situations and wants to make sure the players and coaches are prepared. Then you can talk about it in film and determine- how do we get better, how would we handle it if it was third and long, how did the coaching staff react and what things can we put in place to get better. This may never be needed or maybe it is the one play that continues a drive in a must win game to get home field advantage. It is very smart coaching.

Will Philly try to use Hurts to get Watson? All part of their plan.