Success

Just a quick clarification: we BEAT the KC of the league in our last meeting.

Our WR corps is better than people think. They see Higgins/Chase & think every team is like that or something. Even if we stand pat, we're in good shape. Watch what happens when JA gets more time in the pocket, and we have an ACTUAL running game that defenses have to plan for. I don't think we will stand pat, but I'd guess maybe a mid-round draft pick at this point. This is not a desperate need.

I'm okay if this doesn't happen. Obviously, it would have been exciting, but it also comes with some downsides. We'd be much more "all in" for the short term, and it would wreak some havoc w/ our cap. He's also 31, and I'd prefer to see the team get a little younger.

Getting Damien Harris will help a LOT. I'm glad to hear him say this, and glad that they seem committed to changing it. We can be a dominant team for many years - but JA has gotta stay healthy.

I mean - the Ravens hate the Pats, don't they? Is there any way they'd make that trade? It would be kind of a drag to have 4 of the top 10 QB's in the division.

I think we'll see a very different defense next year - and better. Kudos to McD. He has total accountability for that side of the ball now.

It's what Burrow said, imo. Our window is wide open as long as Allen is playing. Not that we won't have "down" years, but that probably means getting a WC spot.

Probably one of our future safeties. He brings depth & youth to that unit, and if they end up extending him, can take over as a starter eventually. This is a very interesting FA period for the Bills. I expected almost nothing, but we've really picked up a bunch of very solid players, across the board.

It's interesting thinking about heading into last season. I thought both the Broncos & Colts would be formidable, and if someone told me we'd have 3 losses, I doubt I would have guessed "Jets, Phins, Vikings." In a way, we seem to play better against the top teams. Hopefully, the tough schedule and tough division will forge them into a championship team by the end.

It's a tough schedule. Still think we're a top 3 team - but around 11-12 wins sounds about right, given the opponents.

Oliver & a 4th. Done.

There was a time when I thought he was the best back in the AFC. He was a player I was scared to face. And there aren't too many of those. Health is the key w/ him - but if he stays healthy, he could be a 1,200 yard guy for us. I feel like this wasn't a very high profile signing nationally, but it's one that could be a real missing piece for this Bills team. And finally help get us over the top.

Burrow's contract is likely to be quite a bit more than Allen's. I suspect our cap will ebb & flow over the years. If we go all in on Hopkins now, we might need 1-2 "recovery" kinds of years, but I'd bet we'd still be able to contend.

I think people have some notion that championship teams are perfect, with true-blue starters & pro bowlers at every position. Even if the season started today - we'd have capable players at those positions. But, of course, we still have the draft ahead of us to fill any perceived holes.

The biggest downside - and it's not really that big, but annoying - is that we'll get back to the front of the hype train if this happens. I was enjoying a couple of months of thinking we'd be more "below the radar" in '23.

I just checked one of the Patriots boards, talking about the prospect of Hopkins going to the Bills. Honestly - it would almost be worth mortgaging much of the future just to see them melt down about it. Not quite, though. If the Bills pull it off, I hope it's in a reasonable way.

This morning? He was an aging player who still had a lot in the tank, and would have been great for the Bills. Now? Old man. So glad he's going to another team. We need to get younger.

I feel like both guys bring a lot of things to the table that we were really lacking. We need good hands guys, who can get yards after the catch. Very low-key additions, but with Allen as their QB, they could both be really good for us.

I don't like this thread.

That's a fair point. I certainly wouldn't be upset if we got Hopkins. I just don't now how we do it w/ our current cap. Stranger things have happened, though.

I don't see why the team-building philosophy should be different. Allen is an elite QB, who can make average receivers look really good - just like Brady. I maintain that the Patriots set the blueprint when you have an elite QB. Protecting him & giving him time in the pocket is the top priority. The more you invest in high-paid skill positions, the less you're able to do that.

The Patriots literally won a ton of Super Bowls without top receivers. We already have 1 who is better than anyone they had for any of those wins.

People are too enamored of skill players. Build the line, the rest will follow.

Did you just compare this Bengals team to Mike Tyson? Sorry - they were not "well on their way" to blowing us out before the injury in the regular season game. We were 9 minutes in, and both teams had a drive where they went down the field pretty easily. I'd understand if someone thought that if they had just started watching the NFL that week. Otherwise, no.

The Jets are going to be tough. Kinda bugs me that the Pats got 15+ years of a weak division, but when we get good, it's likely to be the best division in the league.