Success

What an outstanding post. I feel the same way. Just to add - it's kind of amazing how quickly I've gotten used to being in this position. Maybe it's the desire to get away from how things felt previously as quickly as possible. I commented on another thread, but watching the Pats is complete deja vu to roughly 4-5 seasons during the Bills drought. A ton of early FA activity, us talking ourselves into the idea that it would make us a contender - even without a good QB - and also having to pay a little more just to get players. And to me, it seems like every move they make is geared toward trying to beat the Bills. It's been such a quick "how the turntables" that I can only smile whenever I think about it.

Kudos to him. Good stuff. But tomorrow - he'll still be a New England Patriot.

The first part of that response reminds me of how Bills fans talked for half of the drought years, especially when we spent more than usual on FA's. Their O-line stood pat - they also lost Thuney and Cannon. We'll see if Brown can stay in shape. It's still their best unit though, as it was last year. The LB they got is okay, and Hightower is on the wrong side of 30, after missing a whole season. The WR corps is improved, but still just middlin' at best. Again - they remind me of the drought-era Bills. A bunch of #2 and #3 guys (being generous there). And, like the drought-era Bills, the biggest question mark is QB. Color me not scared at all if they trade up for one of the QB's in the draft. They won't compete right away with any of them, and BB will probably retire by the time one develops into a decent starting QB - if they ever do. It's like watching a mirror of what Buffalo went through the last 20 years. Always trying to talk ourselves into believing we could be better than we ended up being.

You had the Bruins staying on top a few months ago, and the Celtics being a top contender. Makes your 10-6 to 12-4 prediction for the Pats kind of moot. What have the Pats really done? They were the classic "win the offseason" team. Without doubt, they significantly improved the TE position. The rest was a lot of spending for minor to average upgrades. And they had a bad team last year - not even average. If they get Jimmy, they could make some noise, but 12-4 would be a shock. 10-6 is still a stretch. They're very likely headed for a 3rd place finish, imo. Their FA was blustery & a lot of arm-waving, but doesn't amount to much.

A great point. I spend too much time worrying about the moves of other teams, especially in the division. But I'm as happy w/ the state of the Bills as I have ever been - even counting the glorious '90's. The future is so bright, and Allen will keep us competitive regardless. How good the other teams are almost doesn't matter. There will always be tough competition in the NFL, and key games will generally come down to a few plays. At least the Bills are right there w/ the other top teams and will always have a chance.

Sign me up. But there is really zero way to know what they'll do. As has been stated, the current braintrust enjoys the smokescreen concept.

The Dolphins haul reminds me a little of the Minnesota trade that created those '90's Dallas teams. Hope the Phins don't draft as well as Dallas did.

Yeah, definitely seeing that. Those were fun days. And it will be fun to see the Jets & Pats battle it out for 3rd place.

How are the Celts & Bruins doing, anyway?

Not a fan of this. NE will probably get Jimmy G. from San Fran for a 7th rounder or something like that (teams just seem to do that w/ NE). Jimmy has had bad injury luck and a spotty career so far, but he is a huge upgrade over Cam, imo. I was hoping the Pats were all in on drafting a QB, who would take a few years to develop and be a crapshoot anyway. Jimmy, with their other acquisitions, would immediately make them a contender in the division.

A very quiet but also very effective offseason for the Bills so far. They retained almost the entire AFCCG team, and then made smart adds that filled holes and improved position groups. There really aren't any glaring "needs" they need to address in the draft. I expect it to be more heavy on defense, but they can really go BPA, or whatever direction they want now. Beane knows football.

Thanks - I feel pretty lucky. I actually felt amazing after it ended. It's kind of strange, but I've had more energy than I've felt in years. One kind of bogus development - I've had tinnitus in one ear, which I guess has happened w/ some people. It's probably temporary, but I'm already used to it. If that's the worst thing, I'll take it. I've heard stories about some of the "long haulers" and I'm glad that nothing else seems to be lingering. From everything I've read (and my doc), I should definitely still get the vaccine, after a few months go by.

Great post & observation. It's almost hard to adjust to. For years, it was all about overpaying, if we wanted to land any meaningful FA. And sometimes we'd offer more money, and feel like a deal was close, and they would STILL take less money to stay w/ their team or go to another. I remember an O-lineman from ATL (I think) who that was pretty blatant w/, and it was so discouraging. It was like, what do we have to do? It always seemed like the rich just got richer, while the Bills played their own version of moneyball, and mainly hoped to improve through the draft. Watching guys take pay cuts to stay here & seeing players like Milano talk about the culture the way they have is just a fantastic change. And all last summer, other fanbases were talking about the Diggs trade like he'd be complaining within a month because of Allen's "inaccuracy" and be the worst thing for this team. I don't think Diggs would choose to be anywhere else now. He clearly loves it here, and playing w/ Allen. We're that team now. Gotta appreciate these days.

I generally say "top 3," which I think is accurate. I wouldn't say the best. Still, pretty amazing when you think about it. After Price/Moulds, most of the drought was JAG city. Evans and Stevie were some of the rare exceptions, and I guess you could say TO, even though he was past his prime. Hard to think of anyone else.

That Pats made some decent moves - but really, if you look at it, they only significantly improved at the TE position. And they had a BAD team last year; not even average. I saw some graphic that showed the last 7 or 8 teams that "won" the offseason by having the biggest spending spree. Most missed the playoffs, and the remaining 2 lost in the WC round. It's actually kind of funny that for the 1st time in 2 decades, the Pats HAD to be one of those teams. I'm more worried about the Phins, but they're not really ready to challenge for the division. They'd need some breaks.

Thank; so, let's say they draft a DE in an early round (which I'd almost expect) - do you think they'd keep 5 on the roster, and just inactivate Hughes or Addison on gameday?

How many DE's do teams usually carry? With Epenesa, Hughes, Obada and Addison, would we still be able to add? (or do I have someone out of position there?)

I assumed Beane might go this route - instead of getting one major difference maker, just build depth & the rotation with solid players. The plus with Obada is that he's still fairly young and possibly hasn't hit his ceiling yet (unlike an Addison, where you know what you're getting). The Panther thing is....concerning. But I have 100% faith in Beane.

I can't really remember a season where we retained so many players. Except for Brown, they really kept all of the pieces together. Glad we kept McKenzie, too - he's pretty versatile, and speedy. I like how Daboll utilizes his skills (and, of course, he's an excellent returner).

The zone is often effective when 'Cuse gets in the tourney & plays a team that hasn't seen it. But I've rarely seen it as effective as it was last night. I almost felt bad for San Diego St. - they could not figure it out. That 10 minute stretch where they didn't score was crazy.

A few days in, I think we might feel better if the OP title was "Bills sign TE Jacob Hollister!!!!!!" Food for thought for next time.

Honestly, after watching the SB, it wouldn't bother me if we just stood pat now. Our offense, as is, is one of the top 3 O's in the league. And we likely add a RB at some point. It's should be all about the defense now. I'll trust whatever Beane does, but I'd be surprised if we make any more big moves on offense.

Darnold to Kroft will be the new Trent Edwards to Royal.

I was SO close - but ended up getting COVID toward the very end here. Isn't that always the way? I wish I could testify for the nation. I know some get it mild & some don't even feel it, but mine was 3+ weeks of pure misery. I thought I'd never be happy or feel good again. Get that vaccine, people.

I'm already in rationalizing mode - but A) We have more weapons on offense than just about anyone in the league, B) Ertz was hurt and didn't look great last year, and C) Defense, defense, defense. On that last point, the offense is really set, except for the RB draft pick. The Bucs showed yet again that you need a good to great D to win a Super Bowl, and I'd be fine if every remaining move & draft pick (except for said RB) was for the D.