Rochesterfan

I think this is so interesting because we constantly hear about how teams had to take Edmunds into account - especially in 2019 where we were a top defense and the best defense against TEs in the NFL. Teams consistently looked for ways to try to attack the middle of the field and struggled. For some reason - fans expect him to be Singletary/Lewis in the bringing force and violence to RBs, but that is not what the Bills are looking for. They want his depth and length and when healthy - combined with Milano - two guys that can get anywhere on the field. Teams run a bunch of play action to influence him (and every other LB as we showed also last year). The only LBs that it does not impact seem to be guys that are behind Stud type DLines that can stop the run with limited LB play. How many times did Cover1 show the Bills offense influence the LB with play action and hit a crosser in a window behind him? They did that all year on offense and had the same issue on defense. We will see, but I have seen nothing that suggests the Bills are not happy with Edmunds and his multiple Pro-Bowl births suggest he is seen as a talented player - so I would assume the team wants to continue to grow around him and hopefully a bit more aggression on the defensive side will make the entire team better.

This is a totally ridiculous comment. The Bills are running right now with 5 WRs that have starting talent (Diggs, Davis, Beasley, Sanders, and McKenzie) and they have multiple young players on the roster like Hodgkins, Kumerow, and Gentry all before the draft - two guys that have started in the NFL and a redshirt rookie. If Moore is available and the best player - great draft him, but WR depth is not an issue - if any of the top 4 go down - they have multiple players that have already been a NFL WR ready to step in. I love their WR room right now and if they can add even more great, but I am not of the mindset that depth here is an Achilles Heel. Heck last season they were winning playoff games and the starting 4 guys were all injured and they have more depth now.

Although I don’t disagree with the sentiment- the initial statement above is 100% false. The KC offense was built for Alex Smith. They had been acquiring talent for that offense for years before Mahomes was drafted. Including Kelce and Hill that were both drafted before Mahomes. Their drafts have been almost 100% Defense and back-up late OL. Since Mahomes was drafted - they have drafted 1 WR in Hardman in Rd2 that has not been able to get into a starting role - even with a ton of injuries to WRs and an average RB in round 1 last year. That is the extent of their investment in Mahomes and skilled offensive players. The Bills have already done more for Josh Allen with 2 WRs drafted last year, 2 TEs drafted, 2 RBs drafted, and acquiring Diggs, Beasley, Sanders, and McKittrick (LOL) all since Josh was drafted. The Bills are trying to build a team with some levels of experience: They have some crafty veterans on shorter deals that can get replaced, they have the solid #1 in his prime, and they have 3 young players that can grow to fill roles. The TEs have a few young guys and a veteran, but all are younger and can grow. The RB room has 2 young 3rd round picks and a more veteran presence. I love the Bills approach to building around Allen and as far as I can tell it is significantly better than the job KC has done. KC just started from a better place with Mahomes because they have been an offense first team since Reid took over and where building the offense around a QB for 5 years before Mahomes was drafted. The Bills on the other hand had a total blank slate on offense because they have not had a QB in 10 years.

I hear this - my only issue is that at every position except CB - previous picks start the season as back-up. White at CB was the only true rookie to start and even he started out limited. Both Singletary and Moss started out as back-ups until about half way through the season - even though both were clearly better. Knox didn’t see a ton of playing time even with the injuries at the position and Sweeney started rotating in late his rookie year. AJ basically got starting juice about 1/2 way into the season. I believe McD looks at the analytics and sees most rookies hit a wall at 8-10 games - so he starts them out slow - sometimes very slow - to ensure they are in shape and ready to go. He also wants to ensure they are mentally prepared to do the job - so it does not create holes that impact the team. I will also say - other than RB - most positions take a significant amount of time to transition to the NFL. DE (EDGE) and TE most notably. I wouldn’t expect any TE drafted this year to have much impact - including a guy like Pitts. Rarely does a TE transition and put up quality numbers as a rookie. So if I look at it from your perspective- what position has the highest % chance to start - only CB has shown that as an option. On the other hand - if you ask what position could have an impact in year one and beyond - then the list expands to DE, TE, WR, LB, and DB. The one position that to me has the least chance of having a significant impact both in year one and over time is RB because it is a 4 year position - you typically do not want to use a 5th year option or re-sign, the average over replacement is typically not a huge gain, and finally - even with a relatively easy transition - pass blocking is an issue and McD seems to start increasing playing time around week 6 for these guys - so you lose 1/2 of season 1 and then you are down to 3 season left. Get a RB later - chew them up and spit them out.

I would not expect an 18th game for quite a while. They specifically bargained in this CBA for a 17th game to come about and forbid an 18th game. What cracks me up is players that agreed to the CBA then complaining about the additional game - like it was some kind of surprise. I could see in 5 years the Players and the League looking at 18 games and trying to work out a deal for 1 more game, one less preseason game, an additional bye, a 50/50 revenue split, a larger roster/PS call up, and a Super Bowl locked into Presidents’ Day weekend to ensure the following Monday is off - allowing it to be an even bigger party. My real guess is we are looking at 10 years and a big part of the negotiations to get this approved.

Sal is 100% correct, but because it is a tweet with limited space for explanation- that is 1 option for Wade. I will again go through every scenario that I am aware of. First - Wade signed a futures contract with Buffalo at the end of last season to come back and try again to make the roster. I have no idea if the thought of a third year was presented or not, but either way that has little impact except allowing the Bills to have 91 in camp. He could of chose not to sign and become a FA then to try and find a new team. He chose to stay with Buffalo. Wade will get the same opportunity to make the roster that he has the last couple of years: showing up in training camp and hopefully this year preseason games. If he performs well enough he can make the Bills roster straight out of preseason (very limited chance in my mind). If he fails to make the roster out of training camp - he along with every other player that doesn’t make it goes through Waivers. This is his opportunity to be signed by every other team with no compensation. He is a FA. Teams could sign him outright to their active roster or approach the agent that he might be considered for a PS spot. Once he clears waivers - the Bills have a choice - they can offer him a regular PS roster spot and he would be free to get called up (NE used this with their exempt player 2 years ago). Wade can then sign that contract and he is a plain PS player - free to be called up and free to be poached. If the Bills feel he still is not ready - they can offer him the IPP exempt PS spot where he is protected from call ups to the active roster, but he also can not be poached (the scenario mentioned by Sal). This is the most likely scenario and the one that Sal has stated he believe will be used with Wade again this year. Wade has a choice as each of these is a contracted position - he has to agree to the contract or he can become an unsigned FA. The problem is that Wade will be making this choice at a point that about 1200 other players have just been cut. Wade and his agent would have to decide - do they think someone that let him pass on waivers would be willing to sign him to their PS and could he pick up a different offense quickly enough. The pay between the 2 would not necessarily be different, but he would be going to a different team with a new playbook and terminology- so he would have to determine can I learn it enough to get a call up - or will I be here until I am cut. My best guess is that he trusts what Beane and McD are building and what they talk about and he is happy as a part of this team. My guess is he is still awfully raw and his best and safest course is to be exempted again. It guarantees him a spot for the entire season. The problem is people act like Wade has no say and no control - he does the choices are limited and deciding to not take the exempt position may mean his football career is done, but he has more choices than players 80-90 have as they get cut and are done - no other options.

Makes sense - always start high and ask for more than you can get. I can’t imagine they will get it, but makes sense. When NE doesn’t get a QB maybe you can get something of value for him. Plus they need to recoup for moving up to 3.

Hap - totally agree - 30 days really seems about the limit after that there is something more going on. Even an additional 30 days seems more than the police should need to put a case together based upon the findings. They also seem to be a state more open - so I would assume they are having grand jury meetings and other types of cases - so that should not be slowing it down.

Exactly and the thought of replacing Moss with someone with his style and speed seems crazy. Devin did regress some, but many players have sophomore slumps - where they come back thinking they are BMOC and suddenly some of that off season eating takes an edge off. I will judge him more fully after his third year. He had a good average in year one and had a big burst run of over 50 yards for a TD and no one caught him from behind - so maybe he can find the balance.

Maybe, but once Moss got his hamstring back after the combine - he ran a 4.52/4.55 and he is complained about as way to slow. So yes it is easy to pull out guys as examples, but the mid 4.5 range makes it very dependent on the back and the holes. A guy like CEH to me is a JAG and if that is what we get out of Harris - he is definitely not worth the pick in round 1. Chubb and Hunt are guys that can definitely run over and sometimes run away from people and when one guys was out - like Chubb with injury or Hunt with suspension - Cleveland did not miss a beat. As I have said - he is not slow, but 4.55 speed does not give you a different dimension on the offense - it gives you Moss with what looks like slightly better vision based on the holes he ran through in college. If people are looking for the elite all purpose back - I am not sure you are getting something more than a CEH or a Sony Michel - a 800 - 1000 yard back at a 4.2-4.4 YPC level - which is exactly what you were getting with Zack Moss as he got playing time - a 4.3 YPC average - just significantly fewer carriers than a guy like CEH because as a rookie the Bills seem to bring them along slow.

Eliminate it completely- win on the field - trying to find a way to get a few percentage points back is stupid. If it is dangerous - eliminate it. I would prefer it to be either very, very rare or truly penalize the team trying it. For example - if the decide to go to the 4-15 attempt as an onside kick - make it 20 or 25 yards and from their own 5 - so you are really risking something. A team that has been behind all game and gets some late scores should not have more opportunity to find ways to win. I get it the league prefers close games, but at some point they are going to get caught just like in hockey where a hot mic catches the ref using make up calls as an excuse to help keep it close. Just let it play out.

Don’t expect it. Running the 40 could only hurt him and with his ankle injury - he should not risk it. Most “experts” have him pegged at a mid 4.5 range. Right at that lower end between not being fast enough for NFL and being alright. His power, leadership, and catch ability make up for some of the lack of speed. The issue becomes when in the NFL he is running behind a lesser offense line against DL and LBs with more speed than in the collegiate game - can he excel or does he become another mid level RB. What really is his NFL expectation: 600 yards max as a rookie (McDermott will only platoon him in year 1) and then what? I just don’t know and I don’t think a 1st round pick with the 5th year option is the place to find out. If we move back to the top of the second - he is more worth it - 4 year initial contract and you can replace him. If I am picking someone in the first round - I want to draft someone that will use the 5th year option and you want to sign to a 2nd contract and I really don’t like that option with RB. Initial contracts and cheap FA pick-ups are where we should be spending in my opinion.

I don’t think so. Assuming they make all 7 picks (not sure they will) - that gets you to 74. That leaves 17 spots for UDFAs - that is about 10 - 12 to many. I would imagine about 8-10 more little signings of depth type guys - see the LB and OT they just signed. Then after the draft they will fill in with UDFAs. I would expect them to either leave 1-2 spots open or cut a few guys for June 1st type cuts for more depth guys.

Agreed - not sure what the guard was doing on that play as his guys blows right in. The tackle looked to have the OLB - which is right where he is looking. Couldn’t have been miscommunication where the tackle is blocking out with his eyes on the OLB and the guard instead blocks down on the DT. I have never seen anything so egregious before. Can you imagine- two guys miscommunicating and leaving an opening that someone could rush through. Must make him the worst player in history- you would think someplace in the history of the NFL this might have happened before. My goodness - a lot of moaning for a depth signing player when we still need about 24 more of these guys to fill out the roster. I would totally be on board with the complaints, if the Bills had let Williams walk (or cut him - ala KC) and this was the replacement signing, but as they already have 2 starters and 2 back-ups on the roster - to sign a vet minimum guy with experience seems like a good thing.

So you do understand cutting Addison, Butler, and Star - would not have freed up enough to even sign Lawson right. To free up another nearly 10 million on top of the 3 DL you got rid of means eliminating Milano, Mongo, and perhaps Williams as their combined salary for the year would barely exceed Tomlinson and Obada. Then you would still need a guard and a LB and perhaps a RT if Williams goes. So you are replacing 3 starting level players with low price back ups to balance out the cost. So in the end were you willing to trade: Star, Addison, Butler, Milano, Mongo, and Williams for Lawson, Tomlinson, Obada, and 3 starting holes at RT, RG, and OLB? I don’t think I would make that trade. It is easy to say just restructure Diggs and Dawkins, but are you smart enough to understand why Beane is hesitant to do that? He we go as we try to explain it again. The CAP for next year is still a moving target. Depending upon the final agreement they could cut anywhere from 0 - 35 million off from the final number because of the COVID loss - it will depend upon the final payment agreement for the 17th game. If the CAP ends up at 190 million for next year after the adjustments - we are already tight against the CAP and not enough players signed. If we restructure- we are pushing even more money into a year we are tight and we have multiple big contracts to begin to put into play (Josh and Tre’s 5th year options and their new deals). So I love your thoughts - it just does not add up and makes it harder to keep the team together and compete in future years. The Cap is not something to be afraid of, but it is something to be mindful of. If you decide this is the year to go all in and throw everything at it - then next year you start to lose significant talent and people like you get all upset because we do not have a plan. Beane has a plan and is moving ahead to keep what is a greatly talented team together and to make continued improvements as they work their way forward.

I don’t know - the times listed are crazy, but I do not remember seeing huge difference in the past between Combine and Pro Day results. A few times you saw differences, but for the most part they were relatively close. These times have been insane with records dropping everyplace.

I don’t for a second believe the Bills target “1” guy. They put together a board and have groups of guys that they identified. It is not 1 guy from prior to the draft until their pick. That is a Raider pick drafting the fastest WR even if he has a lower round grade. The Bills may move up if they identify that the last guy in a particular band/group is available and within striking distance - if they believe the drop off is significant, but they did not target that player from the beginning. For Example: @GunnerBill believes there are about 17-18 true 1st round players (I believe - I am not presuming to speak for him). If the Bills identify it similarly and we get to pick 25 or so and 1 (or 2) of those guys are left - then the Bills may try to make a trade to get that specific guy because the drop off to the next group is significant, but they were not targeting that player - that was how the board fell. That is my feeling on how the draft works. Almost no one would ever target 1 guy and be all in on that unless you are sitting at #1.

More like Pegula: You are Executive of the Year and you just took us to 13-3 and an AFCCG. It is your call - I am on board 100%. Who should the Sabres trade now?

If the Bills interview him and feel he can be a difference maker - I am on board. He has shown some elite character traits in his time and leadership. My concerns are what they are. His talent caught the eye of the best program in football and I hate to criticize him because of the talent on that team, but to me many Alabama players suffer from the same issue NE players suffered from. They were so much better on a specific team with a specific scheme and they do not fit into every other team/scheme. Since there is no film of him running behind the ND line for example - we have to base on what we see. The question becomes how much to teams subtract because of the value of the position and the talent around him? I think right around 30 is a great spot for him to go - I am just not sure with our pass first offense that he is the fit. I could see TB loving the pick (not that they need a RB), but I am not sure Buffalo is the best landing spot.

Yes all labs are inspected - sometimes quite frequently. My current hospital based lab has had 3 inspections already in 2021 (some because of Covid pushing inspections back), but they are not the same level as the SAMSHA inspections (along with the regular inspection the lab has. The interesting thing is drug testing is highly specialized and for these cases require specific testing protocols. Testing for Antifreeze is general done in a hospital based setting due to suicide attempts and there is little to no regulations set up for that testing in legal cases. I have been involved in multiple legal cases involving Antifreeze and Methanol poisoning, but typical the hospital results do not hold up in court because they are not under chain of custody and the samples are not stored under lock and key. Typically in these cases the lab results become part of the picture, but they need to prove the attempt beyond the results. Many times in cases like that an autopsy report and testing is admissible and becomes the supporting documentation with the lab results just adding to the info.

I understand why people love Harris (I also get why they don’t). He was an undeniable force in college and you can see the Henry comparison and ability with better hands and catch radius. My feeling on Harris is he played on the best team with an o-line that has 7-8 guys better than any defensive lineman they played. The holes and the time were always there for him (and his back-up) to easily run through to produce. My fear is that he has average speed for a RB and therefore once the OLine becomes average and the defense becomes faster - many of those elite runs evaporate. If he had Elite speed - then maybe his YPC could translate or he could breakaway on swing passes, but I honestly think with his speed - he becomes a potential 3 down average back. Probably a bit better than Moss or Singletary, but not elite and at this level I think he becomes Sony Michel or Damien Harris - especially if he could get the Pats OLine versus most other teams.

There is a huge difference in testing in ED for altered state and doing legal work for court cases. In the emergency rooms - the sample goes down the lab and is run and processed right on site. Most labs have automated instruments that run and detect major categories of abused drugs and alcohol. They test them and send the results back up to the doctor for treatment within an hour. Those samples are tested one time and usually not confirmed. There are very specific regulatory rules about the reporting and comments to state they are not confirmed and they are screening only for treatment. For cases that involve police, legal matters, and injury; these samples are collected in very special ways via an entire chain of custody. The samples must be collected and sealed and protected to ensure no one has access to the unopened container. The samples along with a bunch of paperwork is then sent to a very limited number of laboratories around the country. The numbers are constantly dwindling because it is so expensive to run a toxicology laboratory that deals in forensic matters. The amount of regulation is insane and you are inspected at minimally 2x per year to ensure compliance. At one time the lab I ran was a forensic Toxicology lab and at that point we were one of 3 in NYS and l about 75 across the country. Those numbers are significantly fewer now. The sample will arrive in a lab and be matched to the chain of custody number and a lab number and everyone that touches the sample was sign on a form for each step of the process. The initial screen is usually pretty quick - similar to the hospital screens - depending upon the order, but all positive results must be confirmed by an alternate highly specific and highly sensitive method. That is where delays take place. The confirmation testing is typically done in large batches to ensure profitability for the lab. A confirmation test for alcohol or other drugs might get performed once a week and depending upon where the sample hits it might go into a second week. If there are other drugs whether illegal or prescription that cause positive screening tests those also must get confirmed. So you end up having all of the testing done typically in 2 to 3 weeks. The results then need to be reviewed by the medical director/toxicologist to ensure everything makes sense and then everything is signed off and finalized. Then comes the final step where the lab has to match the lab case number back to the original chain of custody and send the results back to the client. The lab is testing samples based solely on a number and have (or should have) no idea whose sample belongs to who. Once the samples get back to the client - they may ask for additional confirmation testing or clarification or repeats to ensure what they need. They also typically ask the lab to put together what is called a litigation package - which takes several days to a week - where everyone involved signs off on affidavits that they did not do anything to the sample, all testing results and quality control results are paired up to ensure the quality of the results, all confirmatory results and batches are put together within the data to validate the results, and all medical directors notes on the sample are filed. These are then all revised by a lawyer and then provided back to the client. The lab then also prepares themselves to be involved in the case if needed to validate the lawsuit. Not every forensic case is that in depth as many times the lab once it provides the results to the client is done, but in a high profile case that will involve multiple lawsuits - they are going to have to produce an entire litigation package and that will cause the results to be weeks - as the lab maybe working on 5-10 of these at one time.

Who got better? KC had a huge need at tackle and center. They have missed out on tackle and center and way overpaid for a guard. Guard was a position they already had depth at they signed 2 more (one being a guy out of football for 2+ years that was paid more than both of most teams starting guards). Now they sign a DT from one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Will he be better on KC - yeah, but is he a difference maker - no I doubt it. Plus if it move Chris Jones from the inside out on passing downs - I think their pass rush got worse. The Chiefs to me are strong down the very center (minus center), but have gotten significantly weaker at the edges and Overall I think they have downgraded themselves at this point. The Bucs (as they should brought everyone back - so they are the same minus any age concerns. The Bills are the same way - address little flaws, but did not lose any pieces. The Colts moved to Wentz - I am not sure that was an upgrade. Baltimore’s defense has taken a major set of hits. Miami has not improved - although the draft should help them. NE has improved a few weapons, but until they settle on a QB - they still are not even as good as Miami. Right now to me a few bad teams got better and most top teams got worse. The Bills and Bucs stayed essentially the same. What will be interesting to me is that the Chargers seemed poised to be better - especially with a new HC. They will challenge KC and could give them some fits.

OMG - those are terrible - absolutely terrible. Colors are bad on the helmets and the designs are just a sin - especially in some of the placements on the helmets. It would have been better to be a Peter Pan fake out. That would of hurt my eyes less. 🤮

Why? Maybe he would prefer to stay with the Bills - it has been his choice so far. Here is the roster regulations fitting the IPP (pathways program): ” Roster regulations The NFL has specific regulations for players that sign through the IPP. The teams to which each IPP player is assigned are allowed 91 players[7] on their off-season rosters, one more than those teams that are not participating in the IPP that year. At the point when these rosters need to be cut to 53 (at the end of pre-season), the participating teams must decide the status of their IPP players.[8][9][10] First, the team can keep their IPP player on their 53-man roster. If they waive the player, he goes through the NFL's waiver system, which allows him to be claimed by another team. If he clears waivers, the team can sign the player to their practice squad. If they do, they may elect to take an exemption for the IPP player, giving them an extra spot on their practice squad. If they utilize the exemption, that player cannot be signed to the active roster of any team during the season. If the exemption is declined, the player is treated like any other practice squad player, and can be promoted to a team's active roster. If the player chooses to sign with a team other than the one to which he was assigned, that team may not claim the exemption.” It covers the options: making the 53, getting cut and being signed by other teams through the waiver process, getting signed to the regular PS or the exempt PS, it even covers the player declining the exemption. The process is entirely up to the Bills and Wade and if Wade feels it is in his best interest to stay on the Bills and be exempt then that is a choice he has. We should not feel bad for him.