Rochesterfan

Can I just say ewwwwwww! Way way way over TMI here.

I don’t disagree it could be cruddy data or less proactive collectors, but these are the same 2 teams that during minicamp when some of the initial data was provided were also at the low end. Some teams were nearing 50% and these 2 teams - along with Chargers were below 25%. It could still be a sign of less active collection, but as they have been low since the spring I don’t think it is a vacation issue with a data collector - I think it is more these teams and I have no idea whether that is disclosing information or not having sustained talking points or what. I find it particularly interesting that Washington with Rivera recovering from Cancer is on the low side as that to me seems like a place they would be pushing the numbers big time.

And golf has had multiple and even now an Olympic athlete is going to miss out on his dream with a positive test - other sports continue to struggle. I think once again the NFL is doing just about as good as they can with what we know. Many teams above 75% with some teams above 85% and the league at 73% - that is better than the National rates - great job.

Yeah we hear him say a lot of things, but in practice that goes to heck. I believe he has been able to act like Pittsburgh because he had a winning combo of coach and QB, but when it comes to practice - he showed with how they handled AB when Tom wanted him back and how they handled other players including Brady - that Kraft will get involved and will butt in and show a lack of patience. I expect nothing less once Bill steps aside and the next guy comes in and struggles that he will become just like 95% of the other owners and move on in 3 years - ala Carroll. Especially as the Patriots become an after thought as Boston fans move back to the Red Sox, Bruins, and the Celtics and the Pats become 2nd and 3rd class teams in their own town - he will make even more quick decisions than others trying to right the ship.

It was 100% luck - the Jets had already hired Belichick when NE decided to offer the job. If it wasn’t for the commissioner stepping in and forging a deal - Belichick never goes to NE. The Jets were ready to let him go but force an agreement where he could not go to NE. NE got very, very lucky in the deal. 2nd you say he was not a “hot commodity” yet 2 teams hired him to be a head coach and it took the commissioner’s office to get him to NE. You are correct - Tom Brady did no take the Lions to Super Bowl because he has not played there. Let’s see He took the Pats and the Buc to the Super Bowl - the only 2 teams he has played on and he won in both places - seems he is the common denominator as the TB team couldn’t do that the year before and after he left NE got worse. Yes I remember Tom Brady’s last year in NE - he had terrible WRs and made them look pretty darn good compared to the quarterbacking they had last year. I think you totally missed how good he was to keep that team alive because after he left - everything was exposed. So Pete Carroll wasn’t ready - so they moved on - who is to say the next guy is “ready”. Pittsburgh hires coaches and let’s them grow - he fired a head coach after 3 years and then through an act of the commissioner’s office happened to choose a guy that paired with Brady was epic. We have nothing that suggests Kraft will be patient after Belichick leaves.

You answered how he lucked into the head coach. He hired a guy that was not available. How much more luck can you have. I think Belichick early really helped Brady, but Tom has left and won another Super Bowl - while Belichick was a 0.500 coach with a team that Brady hauled on his back to playoffs the year before. We will see again, but there is a significantly better chance that Brady gets a second Super Bowl win away from NE than Belichick gets one without Brady. I think it is clear early on they needed each other, but later in their career - Brady has driven that team and Belichick has tried to compliment what Brady could do and Belichick failed as once Tom was given offensive weapons again - Tom Brady got another Super Bowl MVP.

LOL - I would have thought Belichick signed the door - it had the hidden spy camera that he loves.

This is about the funniest thing I have read. Of course Kraft can say that because in a moment of sheer stupid luck - he got his head coach 21 years ago through a fluke. Then that fluke doubled down and got a QB that was the best ever in the 6th round. Those 2 things have allowed them to be relevant. Kraft went through Parcells and Pete Carroll before lucking into Belichick. Not exactly Pittsburgh material. He had more HCs at that point than Pittsburgh had in 50 years. Now how do people really think it goes if once again the Pats end up right around 0.500 and miss the playoffs? Belichick may come back or may finally retire, but either way without a QB I give the next Head Coach 3-4 years - just like what the Bills, NYJs, and Dolphins did as they could not get over the hump. Bill Belichick is a great coach, but he is not succeeding without a QB. He has never succeeded as a HC without a legitimate QB. This team has talent at several positions that will help them win games, but the trick to winning all those years was the little things Brady did late in the 2nd quarter and late in the 4th quarter to transform games and without that - you will see more games you could of won become losses. I look specifically at games like Buffalo #1, Seattle, and even Denver - 3 games where the Pats were driving late in the game and instead of scoring to win - all 3 times their QB in Newton either was stopped, fumbled or threw an incompletion and cost them the game. Or Houston where with under 4 minutes to the half - NE gave up 2 TD drives and had to punt on their possession going from the lead to behind by 11 going into the half. Then NE down by a TD gets stopped again late in the 4th and couldn’t convert. These things didn’t happen often with Brady. He found ways to keep drives alive and you darn well knew if it was within 1 score he was getting NE into the Endzone. As was shown last year - Brady won another SB without Belichick, but Bill was a middling coach without Tom. Expect more of the same.

I understand the sentiment, but the thread title is terrible. Ramsey likes Tre’ White and would love to team with him. I don’t see anything that suggests he would like Buffalo or to do that in Buffalo. This is a nothing burger and Ramsey is not and would not come to Buffalo unless it was his last chance at a contract. Money is his driver and that is all.

I will not say anything about the violence because it is terrible in every situation and no one deserves to be ridiculed in a DV situation. Just a sad and tragic situation. What I will ask is what the heck is a former Ohio State player doing with a Michigan State girl - that is some Romeo v. Juliet stuff there. There is a natural and powerful hatred between those 2 schools - although Michigan is probably even worse than M State, but still. I feel bad for Dwayne because he has done nothing wrong and we don’t even know a small part of the story and he is getting killed for absolutely no reason - sad state of affairs and nearly as bad as some comments in the Mingo thread.

Yep, although to be fair we also get to see many at their highest point and if they avoid these situations- we may never see them hit these lows.

I think he fits the Bills alright because they use him (and all their TEs) more in a hybrid H-Back role and he is better at a shorter side picking up Blitzers. They don’t really use him as a in-line or split out TE - he is that lead blocking TE that slips out occasionally.

I won’t argue if he is a middle of the road TE or could start for many lesser teams as I think we are quibbling over minor phrasing and slight differences, but the above quoted piece is so critical and it fits in with the entire Ertz discussion. Hollister (or Knox, Kroft, or even Ertz for that matter) come in as the 4th or 5th best receiving option. They are behind Diggs, Sanders, and Beasley for sure and then you have McKenzie (McKittrick 😂) and Davis either of which when on the field may be better options. Therefore; no matter who is in that role (and that the includes most TEs in the league - looking at you Logan Thomas) they are not going to put up elite numbers because the targets are not there. I think the combined targets you see for Knox and Kroft last year are going to be about the combined targets for Hollister and Knox (maybe Ertz) and therefore the difference between any of them is tiny because the sample size is small. They have their check down, safety blanket, first down guy in Beasley - he just does it differently than a big TE. Now with Josh talking a lot about in-breaking routes and the addition of Sanders maybe the TE moves up slightly in targets, but I still think the primary responsibility is going to be protect Josh as the hybrid FB and then as needed slip out into patterns to occupy space and pick up 30 catches for 400 yards and be a big target around the goal line. The same role we have seen the last 3 years.

Can I honestly ask what you mean by pretty late in FA? Just curious. Hollister was signed March 19th. Free Agency started March 17th. NE signed Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry on March 19th also - should they be guarded about those 2 TEs also? I am guarded because he has typically been a number 3-4 TE on other teams and is very average, but he has also shown some nice things and has played both in line and as an H-Back for blocking - so he seems to be a good fit. I expect him to be a step up in what he can do, but he is not an elite TE. He can make plays and block and do everything the Bills have asked of other TEs - just don’t expect Kelce or other elite numbers.

“Won it”. We all know the story of the Kiko Jersey and how you got it. 😂😂😂😂😂😂 - I kid.

Totally disagree - most guys are good upstanding guys. Most guys give time and effort for sick kids and charity of their own free will. Many come from bad and poor and deadly neighborhoods and find through sports, hardwork, and caring - they can make it out and give back. There are a bunch of guys that are the opposite of that - bad, horrible, terrible people and they should be removed from the league whether or not they help a team win, but there some coaches and teams that don’t care and allow these people to stay in the league. Atlanta had the guts to cut a bad guy - KC has several and don’t care - there is a difference. For me - I want to win, but it is much more important that I like the team at the same time because they are brining the memories and Joy. We have had some bad people that were good players, but for the most part I am happier with an approach where I can identify and love my team because they are generally good people - not a guy that beats his girlfriend and gets multiple felonies for guns, but wow he got me 5 sacks or caught a TD. An attitude of well I will tolerate it to win is a horrible way to get through life - especially in entertainment. These guys should be celebrated for the good and positive things they do and after a few failed chances - guys like Clark should be out on their butts and it should be lead by winning teams saying I can get production from good players and people.

The problem is Orlovsky was not wrong in his assessment, but he totally misjudged how Allen would take to teaching and how absolutely little Allen knew (exactly how raw of a prospect he was). Everyone could see the huge arm, the size, and even the talent, but you could also see the lack of footwork, his “hero ball” tendencies, eyes staring at receivers, inaccuracy, and the willingness/desire to go for the deep throw over the play the defense is giving you. What no one could see was just how smart of a prospect he was (Wonderlic score), how hard working and dedicated he would be, how he would listen and learn as a prospect, how he would adapt his game with teaching, and most importantly how good of a leader can he be. Those things do not come out until you get them into an NFL program and Josh has shown himself to excel at all of those traits. Of course he never had a plan because his prior coaches never gave him those tools - Daboll is giving him the answers and it was up to Josh to then recognize the defense and find the answer. Palmer is working with him on footwork, accuracy, and changing throws (taking some off so they are not all fastballs and adjusting the angles), but Josh has to be willing to listen and practice. The WRs need to run the correct routes and need to be in the right place and Josh needed to trust them to do their job and even in year 1 that was lacking making him seem more inaccurate. The biggest thing is leadership - these guys trust and know that Josh gives it his all and they are all willing to give a bit more to battle with him. That can not be taught that is who you are. Josh destroyed the analytics guys because they only looked at the raw numbers, Josh became more than the aggregate of his numbers as he has learned. Josh also passed expectations of many prior QBs and analysts because he has been willing to put in and absorb more knowledge and effort than others. He has the ability to take another leap as he adds to the knowledge he has and finds new ways to beat teams.

No - In-Breaking routes. It could be a slant, it could be a post, or it can be any number of other routes like a 10 yard square in. Basically he is working more on the middle of the field nearer the hashes. His arm strength has allowed him to already throw the long out breaking routes to the sideline, but he was more hesitant and had more issues on the routes toward the middle as there can be more defenders in the area. He seems to be working on footing and how to take a bit off the throws to help his guys. I really look forward to seeing how this translates to our TEs as many of these routes are also traditional TE routes that Josh has not used much of in the past. He liked hitting Knox or Kroft (and even Lee Smith) on routes closer to the numbers or outside and rarely on skinny posts or in cuts.

The strip occurred at the 15 and was recovered on the 13. Newton’s knee hits the ground right where the ball was recovered. The strip saved the game, but it would have still been 3rd and 4 or so. There is no way he gets a first as just after the hit by Zimmer - Newton goes down and his knee hits. I understand there was a definite chance we could have lost, but I still think they would of had a 3rd and mid range and would of needed a timeout. Either way - it was a great ending for us.

Not sure I agree - the play he fumbled was a 2nd and 10 on the 19 - even if he doesn’t fumble it would have been 3rd and 6 from the 15. The most likely outcome was still a FG to tie the game and I still liked the Bills chances in OT. I don’t think we were on the ropes as NE never lead in the game - they kept having to match us. I think NE has talent, but they are not a great team. I think their TEs are better, but our top 4 maybe 5 WRs start for them and they really do not have good WRs or depth and if they get rid of Harry it is even worse. I also think there OLine is not any better than the Bills - they have some good run blockers, but pass blocking is not a strength and the last time they lost their OLine coach - the line fell apart and they had to bring him back after a year - so I expect their line to be a liability this year. Their defense has loads of potential whether Gilmore plays or not, but they will need to be a top scoring defense because that offense is going to be in the bottom of the league scoring. I expect at least 1 tight game and one comfortable win against them, but I just do not seem them hanging around at the end of the season. Looking realistically at their schedule I see them looking good early, but starting with LAC at the end of Oct. going 3-7 down the stretch for a 7-10 or 8-9 record.

Sorry - we beat them in the second game 38-9 a complete domination from start to finish. We did only beat them by a FG in game 1, but we were the better team - just needed to finally get that win and cement ourselves as the better team. Game 1 versus NE was mental more than anything. The Dolphins we’re 10-6 solely on the basis of the defense. I would not expect them to repeat the turnover fest that kept them in games - everything I see suggests a regression to the mean for the Dolphins and around a 0.500 record 8-9, 9-8 or so. The Pats spent a ton on offense, but I think they will be a run, short pass game team and neither their QBs - nor their WRs scare me - I think they will be better than last year, but are still going to lose some close games that Brady would have won. They are a 0.500 level team also. The Jets intrigue me, but Corey Davis and Carl Lawson do nothing for me on that team. Lawson had a great contract year on team that went no where. I picture it very much like Phillips going to Arizona (or Lawson going to Miami) then getting hurt and/or doing nothing. They put everything into the contract year. I think the Jets are 3-4 years away - assuming they don’t get impatient and blow it up again. I am not sure they got the 4th or 5th best QB in the draft at the 2nd spot, but my guess is long term he is closer to Darnold than Lawrence or even Fields or Lance. I guessed 11-12 wins for the Bills - I could easily see 14, but realistically the last few games will depend on seeding and guys they want to rest. I would also consider it successful to get back to the AFCCG again, but that obviously is not the goal - the actual goal is to win it all and the Bills can do that.

Hap - You are 100% correct Beasley only mentioned Retiring or taking the fines/suspensions rather than following protocol and I am not going to discuss his thinking with that, but at the time of his tweet fest- the NFL and NFLPA had not come out with a COVID Opt out option or plan. I don’t believe it changes anything with Beasley, but the Opt Out did suddenly give him an option to not follow protocols and step away until this further clears without retiring or taking any fines/suspensions thrown his way. I don’t believe he took it, but it was a legitimate question based upon his prior tweets.

Agreed - especially if we are including Addison/Butler or asking them to retain salary. In any of those cases - I am assuming Philadelphia would be looking for a significantly higher pick. @Einstein's Dog - I guess my question would be if AZ and TN have money and would out bid the Bills - why wouldn’t they be in on a trade - especially TN. If they are interested - they should be able to offer a similar pick - that most likely is lower in the round and not ask for Philadelphia to retain salary. If he is cut - Ertz gets his choice and could go to whatever team for whatever money - the Bills would have a better shot as we are contenders. If it was strictly money - then I don’t want him - I want a guy who is willing to give his all to win - not because of a little more money with a worse team and QB. I do not hear rumors of any team (except the Bills) trying to trade for him - and I think most of the trade rumors are pure garbage. I think the Bills tried to get him and when Philadelphia didn’t do it early - they moved on and will revisit once he is cut. Many teams with space can make a much more attractive package in a trade than Buffalo - Buffalo has a bigger advantage in FA - at least based upon what I see.

Right after camp and when they were showing the videos from OTA’s - may still be in the OTA thread - They talked about spending a lot of time working on in breaking routes toward the middle of the field. Last year they spent a lot of time working timing on out breaking routes. Josh even said in one of his interviews that the in breaking routes were one of his off season focus. I believe the RB and WR decision will come down to a few special teams things. I think if McKenzie (McKittrick for laughs) wins the return job - both punt and kickoff - then that opens up a WR spot that someone like Kumerow could fill - which may allow them to get rid of Jones and have the 3 RBs active. It will also depend on TE and other RBs like Williams because if we trade for Ertz - you now potentially have 4 TEs minimum to keep on the roster and if Williams looks good at RB - he might push one of the other RBs down and therefore force other decisions. All I know for certain is we have about 60-65 legitimate NFL caliber players and we are going to be cutting or trading guys that will make other rosters. Our O-Line is about 11 players deep and a few like the rookies aren’t ready, but will need to make the team. The DLine is the same way. The WR room has Hodgkins, Kumerow, Stevenson- all sitting on the bubble and all have a legitimate place on a roster. I think the final 53 will (as usual) have a strong special teams flare, but I could also see a few young guys make the roster and push a few former key special teams guys off the roster. Jones/Gilliam - I am looking at you - they might have to sacrifice some ST experience to keep some youth and talent.

Totally agree, but he didn’t use Beasley like you would Ertz. Beasley would come off the line flying and he would hit him after breaks as he gained separation. Ertz doesn’t really gain a ton of separation- he finds that soft spot turns around and posts up - that is something Josh has not really utilized- even when we saw TEs like Kroft do that for him. Like I said - I get the reasons Ertz could be a huge plus - I just think on the current Bills offense - he is still the 5th option (much like Knox and Kroft were) and his targets and plays would be hugely limited. He would be a nice target near the goal line as that is we’re Josh seems to really find his TEs.