Success

For sure. I think this is something else we all know, but worth repeating - we're going to have to draft very well moving forward if we want to stay in contention. That's also true of the Chiefs & Bengals. Beane has been a good drafter, but he'll have to be better now. It helps that we'll have more picks this year & probably next year too.

I feel like there are still some fans who don't understand the situation we're in w/ the cap. Which is understandable - this is literally the 1st time most of us have had to experience the kind of tight budget that happens when a top tier QB's 2nd contract kicks in. We don't have the money to sign guys we all want to see signed. From now on, Beane is going to have to piece together certain areas of the team w/ middle-tier players and bargain hunting.

What money?

That was one of the biggest "back into the playoffs" stories in NFL history. You generally give no context to the counter-points you try to make. How does Mahomes win the 13 seconds game? Does he rush out to tell the ST unit to squib it at the end?

Beane has a tough job. Teams HAVE to sign guys like this. They need depth, they need special teams. But any signing that isn't a marquee player or at least someone everyone knows gets slammed.

I think that's fair, in terms of the comparison. I see other fans kind of characterizing JA as being all athleticism and really lacking in those processing skills, which I of course completely disagree with. But it's fair to say that Mahomes is better there. As far as that final line, I think there are only a few fanbases out there that might have had an experience like we will when we finally get one - Cubs fans, Red Sox fans in 2004. Maybe Cavs fans when Lebron won that title there? It's hard to think of others. I can't think of an NFL team that has had a comparable history. I suppose Minnesota if they finally get one too.

Even w/ the cuts we've seen, we've retained more guys than I thought we'd be able to - and the ones we've retained are still playing at a high level. So far, so good. There just isn't much we can do in FA this year, but these kinds of signings will go a long way toward staying a contender in '24.

I understand what you're saying - but we don't have context on their full vision for this offseason. They're weighing cap space, available FA's, and their own draft boards. And we don't know what the latter looks like. Backup LB is a need in their eyes - to them, the decision to go there w/ what limited FA acquisition they can muster under cap might make more sense than looking at the draft, where they may already have players in mind to address our other holes (which include holes at both starting positions and depth).

Coaching is as important to SB appearances & wins as quarterbacking is. Look at the history of the SB. It happens - but it's rare that a coach not considered top tier makes it. I don't think the results would be mirrors of each other, but Allen would for sure have a Lombardi or 2. I don't think Mahomes would have gotten us there, if all other circumstances were the same. Someone on this thread said he would have won the 13 seconds game for us - how? Allen left the field w/ a lead, with (as we know) 13 seconds to go.

And if Elam can work his way in, our secondary could be a takeaway machine. He really has a nose for the ball.

Or, you know - fans of the Buffalo Bills.

I like what they did here. Beane is thinking of the future, and maintaining competitiveness throughout the JA era. And that's the right way to go, imo. The more chances you have at bat, the more likely you are to get a hit. Going all in for a year or 2 and then digging out of it never really appealed to me as a fan. You could argue that we're kind of doing the latter right now - but this will still be a contending team in the fall.

We'll get plenty of that in FA & the draft. The team is going to look quite a bit different & younger this season. Cam is a vet who knows the system. Good inexpensive contract, imo.

I go back & forth on Diggs and this characterization. What was weird to me this past season is that it felt like he played the 1st couple of months in peak form, putting up big #'s. Then it seemed like his production dropped off a cliff. That says "injury" more than "old" to me. I just don't think that age catches up to you in a few weeks. And he isn't that old for a WR. I guess we won't really know until we get deep into the upcoming season. I think they should build the WR corps like his best days are behind him, and then if he returns to form, it's more of a bonus.

This is kind of why I was pulling my hair out watching the talking heads after the KC loss. And I have stopped watching NFL coverage since, and likely won't watch much throughout the next season. All they talked about was how Allen came up short again, and his 1 decision to go to Shakir in the endzone as costing the Bills the game. I so wanted anyone on any of those panels to ask, "name one other Buffalo Bill who made an impact play that game." Maybe Diggs & Milano are close to elite when healthy (imo), but as others have said, we have a team full of mainly good & very good players. Which is fine for winning in the regular & division titles. In the playoffs, you need more than 1 guy.

We are to the Giants what the Panthers are to the Bills.

They got to the SB when Mahomes uncharacteristically played his worst in the 2nd half of that AFCCG. Mahomes has never done that against Buffalo. I would have loved to see that Mahomes this past year.

I love our team, and never doubt Beane for a second. He's the best GM we've had in decades. But it does seem like we're always a half step behind KC. Most of the rest of the league are a few steps behind them - but it almost doesn't matter that we're "closer." I'm not sure how we get over the hump & finally get past that team. All I can come up w/ is maybe one year we're a little healthier than they are when it counts, and that we get a little hotter.

He's as important on that team as anyone not named Mahomes & Kelce. Kind of bummed he'll be there awhile, but certainly a smart move for them to do this.

Honestly, I've given up most of it. The Bills narratives are generally pretty negative - "window closing" stuff, and KC stuff. It's kind of boring & annoying at the same time, and generally inaccurate. There are some people I still like to watch. Mina Kimes is always insightful, and that general crew is pretty good. Nick Wright's show seems to be gaining in popularity, which is par for the course for shows that try to be more outrageous. I used to hate watch those kinds of shows, but then I was like, why am I doing this? I'd just get aggravated. When the Bills win a title, I'm sure I'll tune back in to a lot of the media, but I'm more or less done for now.

Man, I am so tired of hearing about the "window." People have been saying the Bills window is closing or has closed since 13 seconds. It literally is just something people say. It is divorced from reality. Burrow summed it up best. Cincy has a window as long as he is QB. KC has a window as long as they have Mahomes. And the Buffalo Bills have a window as long as they have Josh Effing Allen. I don't think there are any teams outside of those 3 that can say that.

Obviously, everything depends on health. But I love the core of this team. I think w/ Brady being able to fully implement his own offense, JA w/ Kincaid in his 2nd year, Diggs healthier, Shakir really emerging, Cook & what will likely be a 1st round WR will put up a lot of points. On defense, we'll have to see how it goes - more guys are being replaced there. But younger & faster might be better in '24. I don't feel like there is much chance that we won't win the division again. From there, all we can is hope we're a little healthier than this past season, and that we get hot at the right time. I voted "win SB."

He's 22. I think he's the next one that some fans called a bust, but then broke out (Oliver, Epenesa, Bernard, et al.)

Of all of the news today, this was the biggest (imo). That contract was looming like a cloud over everything. Feels liberating to see this.

True. But I'm thinking more in terms of just needing some new energy. There is a hump out there that we have simply been unable to get over, regardless of seed or potential. And I've been vocal that injuries definitely set us back at the end of the season. But I love that we're going to have an infusion of youth and a bit of a makeover.