[Josh Allen the new Kyle Williams]

9 hours ago, LeGOATski said:

Ed Wang

They kind of existed simultaneously. The mysterious answer to this burning question needs to be someone who only barely crosses over with Kyle. 1-2 years max.

Well, if those are the rules, okay, but I think Fred is actually the answer.   I think Fred was the emotional heart and sole of the team until Kyle took over, overlap or not.   

 

And because I haven't always been so deeply attached to the team, and because I'm old enough not to be able remember, I have trouble naming guys from earlier eras.  Talley, for sure.  But between him and Fred, I'm sure there were leaders, but I'm not sure any were in the category of Fred and Kyle.  

 

 

[Josh Allen the new Kyle Williams]

4 hours ago, USCGBILLSFAN said:

I was just watching Kyle Williams last game and it hit me that he may have given Josh Allen the his heart and soul, so Josh could take his mantle as the heart and soul of the team.  It got me thinking who did Kyle get it from, Aaron Schobel?

Thoughts?

Fred Jackson.

[McGovern talks moving to center]

36 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

It’s official. Our new center is McGovern.

Great read.  Thanks.  

[Drafting 10 or 11 Rookies: Is there an argument to do that this year?]

5 hours ago, ColoradoBills said:

There is a lot of speculation of Beane using a number of picks to move around the board this season.

He has done that in the past, so the premise has legs.

 

On the other hand, Beane has never been in this situation needing some help in a number of areas while needing to get younger AND

controlling he cap going forward.  Lots of depth penciled in that could be improved on.  I look at the Hamlin's/Doyle's as examples.   

 

After the first 2 rounds (my personal hope is WR with 1 early pick and DL or S with the other), the remaining 9 are from the late 4th on.

Beane and his boys have found some decent players in these rounds, BUT the odds stack against you.

 

Could doubling up on Safety picks (if not in the 2nd) and OL/DL along with single picks of RB/CB/P have any advantage?

I know it's a risk, but everything has risk.

 

I just keep wondering if this approach has any merit.

 

 

I don't think so.  The Bills are never going to carry all the guys they could draft, so they'll push them to practice squad where they'll get pick off by weaker teams.  

 

Beane loves to move up to get guys the Bills thought would be gone much earlier.   I expect that twice in the draft he'll package one or two picks to move up to get a guy they really like.  He'll come out of the draft with seven guys, eight maximum.  

[CURTIS SAMUEL A BILL]

2 hours ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

I'm more intrigued about the possibility of Taron moving in and out of a safety spot.  He seems so versatile that he could start to split

time between the 2 depending on down and distance and opponents' offensive tendencies.

 

The 4-3-4 vs 4-2-5 argument has always been about taking Taron out.  This could be a compromise to that point.

The problem with the compromise is it upsets the safety chemistry.  I think if he moves he will be more or less full time. He would need all the safety reps in practice, too.

[CURTIS SAMUEL A BILL]

1 hour ago, HappyDays said:

 

I hope McDermott is taking a long hard look at himself this offseason. That's where the big defensive improvement is going to come from, not from further imbalancing the defense vs offense resource investment.

 

I don't agree that there's a talent imbalance.  Torrence, Cook, Kincaid in the past three years.  

 

But I definitely agree about the long hard look.  

 

I just quoted a bit, but the whole post was excellent.  Thanks.  

[CURTIS SAMUEL A BILL]

45 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

If this has been discussed, I missed it.  It's an interesting idea.  I could see situations/certain opponents when using this scheme could work.

Taron can do so much already that it seems plausible.

I've suggested moving Johnson before.  People bash me about it.  I like it because safety is a more important position.  It requires tackling ability, coverage skills and brains. That's Johnson. It's easier to find a slot corner than a safety.  It's been a luxury to have him in that position.  

 

If he moves, then the Bills need a new slot corner or they go 4-3.  

 

I think Johnson would be a great safety.  

[CURTIS SAMUEL A BILL]

9 minutes ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

Get a handful of bad @**** who are great at what they do.

 

Also quit rotating so damn much. Let them play. 

I think McDermott wants to get Dorian Williams into the lineup with Bernard and Milano and attack from the second tiernof the defense.  I still think we'll see Taron Johnson at safety and more 4-3.  

[CURTIS SAMUEL A BILL]

15 hours ago, BigAl2526 said:

Does the signing of Samuel make a trade down more likely??  

I don't think so. One thing I like about Beane is he values first-round talent, and he likes to trade up to get it.  Especially because he has a lot of draft capital, I expect he'll go up a few picks to get someone. 

[CURTIS SAMUEL A BILL]

3 hours ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

 

On the surface I feel the same. But we've extended two out of our four day 1 and 2 picks on the D-line. And might extend a third in Rousseau. We seem to be doubling down on the D-line investments we have made. Unless I am forgetting someone, the only one that was a draft day flop for us was Basham. 

 

I would also say, the D has been good to great in the regular season. And they have even had some nice moments in the postseason. The problem is they have been consistently horrendous against divisional round opponents. It's about getting the defense to play well against the best competition. That's how teams get to the Super Bowl. You don't make it to the Super Bowl winning shootouts. That might work one year if you get lucky but more often than not you have to be able to keep a team to 24 or less points. 

And this problem you describe is my biggest criticism about how McBeane choose personnel.  They keep getting guys who do everything, like Rousseau and Oliver, but they aren't dominant playmakers.  The dominant playmakers are the difference makers in the playoffs.  Maybe with Milano and Miller (the pre-injury Miller) the Bills would have had the right guys.  A roster dull of guys who just execute the system works in the regular season but has trouble in the playoffs, because the offenses are effective and can exploit otherwise minor weaknesses. 

[CURTIS SAMUEL A BILL]

11 hours ago, Dr. Who said:

Okay, at this point, we are talking past one another to some degree. I'm not talking about blowing the doors off elite teams in the postseason. That is unlikely to happen. We have invested heavily in DL and DB in the past, only to falter in the post-season. Would we have won last season without the spate of injuries? Unknown, but it's not a ridiculous surmise. It could have happened.

 

I wrote in the thread on mid-round players that folks think are going to be good players a list at Center, DT, and S. Center is one of the better positions in the draft. You have one possible first rounder (Powers-Johnson) and a couple of day 2 fellas (Frazier and Van Pran). There are also a couple of day 3 Centers (probably) that are above average (Limmer and Bortolini). The Bills can get one of them.

 

I think you have undervalued my point that stressing the opposing offense to keep up can make the job of the D easier. And naturally, no one is likely to be the '85 Bears, that was a rhetorical gesture. You need an effective D, and it is better to have a dominating one, but that is hard to achieve in this era. And I think we have not sufficiently played into our strength, which is the elite and very rare talent of Josh Allen.

 

And then, it is always a matter of where the strength of an individual draft lies. I don't think there is an edge player worth the early pick, unless Latu falls way further than anyone anticipates. Anyway, if they go D early, I hope it's for Cooper Dejean or a top CB, because the value isn't there at the DL position. I think it would be a waste of an opportunity to grab a potential WR1, but whoever they select, I'll be hoping it is a difference maker, and I'm sure you will be, too.

Thanks.  I'm not sure we were talking past each other.  I've enjoyed it, getting to understand your perspective about this.  You haven't convinced me about philosophy, and I haven't convinced you, but that's okay.   Your points about the draft make a lot of sense.  I don't know the players in the draft, but I get your point.  Bills needed a guard last year, but it wasn't a first-round move.  Second round was the place to find a guard, and they did.   If it's a second-round center this year, that's great.   I really wasn't talking about what the Bills should be doing in the draft as talking about what the team needs.   I don't think the Bills need a Tee Higgins to round out the receiver room.  If they get a first-round receiver, it's a good move because in a year or two he'll replace Diggs, and he'll help this year, but I don't think the team needs a Tee Higgins to get the receiver room to the right level of talent.  I think for 2024 a talent like that may be nice, but it's probably overkill.   You don't think it's overkill.   Got it. 

[CURTIS SAMUEL A BILL]

56 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:

If you are in a position to field the equivalent of the '85 Bears, I say go for it. You can win a Super Bowl that way.

 

 

 

 

I didn't say anything about the 85 Bears, and that's not what I meant.  

 

What it takes to win the Super Bowl is what the Chiefs did to the Bills in Buffalo in January:  Make it very difficult for a very good offense to score.   

 

Championship games these days are won by scoring in the high 20s and keeping a really good offense in the high teens or low 20s.   That's how most games go.   To be a champion, you have to hold down a really good offense, and the last two Bills losses to KC in the playoffs, the defense couldn't do it.  Offense did its part, but the defense didn't.  

 

It's only occasionally that the winner in those games wins by blowing the doors off the other team.  The defenses are two good.  Once in a while, yes, but as I said, it's not a sustainable model.   You win with effective offense that gets you into the high 20s and really tough defense that makes a good opponent struggle. 

 

The Bills might actually have had that kind of defense last season, with Milano and Bernard and Miller playing, but they didn't.  Now, if they all come back, they still are not yet in a position to have that kind of defense because they need help in the defensive backfield and on the D line.  

 

They had the offense last season, or were close, but if Dion getting pushed into Josh, and Samuel replacing Davis will make the offense better.  He's a more effective threat.  They need a center.   

 

Now, I'm not arguing for a first-round safety or center.  I don't know who's out there.  And Beane is always a surprise, so I have no expectations.   All I'm saying is the notion that the way to win is by constantly giving Josh more and more weapons isn't the way.  The Chiefs let Tyreek Hill walk and have never replaced him.   Josh had as many weapons last season as Mahomes had, at least until whatever it was happened to Diggs.  It's not about more weapons.  It's about effective weapons and tough-as-nails defense. 

[CURTIS SAMUEL A BILL]

9 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:

Well, you're one of the solid fellas on this board. I respect your intellect and general decency. However, I'm going to stubbornly disagree with your interpretation of the state of the team. I think we both are more optimistic than not, so none of what follows should be understood as a repudiation of that. Nonetheless, here's my brief counter-argument.

 

Wanting a strong WR room does not mean dismissing the value of other positions or groups. You can get a solid S and C outside of the first round. You can often find quality in the middle rounds there. So even if you think those are crucial to the Bills in 2024, that doesn't mean one is compelled to pick them above WR. It's a false either/or, if one intends that.

 

Now, I believe the WR room isn't just about upgrading talent, but getting the right mix of talent. Some folks don't think a big X is needed, for instance. If you have sufficient talent, just make that work. I think having that big X with speed and reliable hands results in an exponential jump on the collective value, the whole transcending the particular values of the parts.

 

I also just don't happen to like many of the other options likely to be there at #28. You can make a case for Cooper Dejean, I suppose. There might be a CB worth the pick. Unless Latu inexplicably falls, I don't like the edge players, and I would not want Beane to reach for need ahead of WR if a fella like Mitchell is still on the board. But also, and here, I'm pretty sure we just differ, I don't think we're likely to prevail in the post-season on the basis of a superior D. There's a threshhold below which you are sunk, but I think McD can coach them up to get above that line.

 

What helps a D a lot is a really outstanding offense that threatens and stresses the other team a great deal. We don't have that, but we could. We have RB1. I think we'll add another in the draft. It doesn't have to be a high pick, because you can get solid RBs late. I think they should and will add to the OL. You might find someone worthy late first, but I doubt it will outweigh WR as I judge the need. Kincaid and Shakir are young, ascending players. I'm high on Kincaid. Samuel is a nice add. It's still missing an outside boundary receiver to make the recipe complete.

 

But overall, I have more urgency not only because I think it is wisest to protect Josh Allen and surround him with the best collection of talent possible, but because I'm not sure about Diggs, how far he'll come back, and exactly where he is altogether. I think it would be foolish to wait until you absolutely have to replace WR1 before you bring the new guy in. Get him now and develop him.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the thoughtful response.   It's funny to me , because I agree with the first three paragraphs, in that I can understand what you're saying.  I don't know that it's right, but it makes sense.   I get, for example, that a big X might make it an exceptional receiver corps.  I don't know if that's true.  But I also get that a talented OC can figure out how to make different combinations work, so I don't know that a big X is the only solution.  

 

Why it's funny is I pretty much completely disagree with the last three paragraphs.   I think a violent, highly talented defense is essential to winning the post-season, and the Bills need real help in that regard.  So, I see defense as a greater need.  I also don't think that trying to out-offense the whole league is the way to win.  Somebody always stops offense.  It's not a sustainable philosophy for winning.  Defense is.  And I seriously don't believe the surround-Allen-with-talent thing.  He needs to be surrounded with enough talent; when he has enough talent, more talent doesn't make him better.  The question is whether the Bills have the right talent and the right coordinator.  The wrong coordinator, and it simply doesn't matter how much talent they put around Allen.

[CURTIS SAMUEL A BILL]

35 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:

I'm sorry, I just hate that argument. Positional value ought to be a consideration. 

You don't just say, well, I could have the seventh best WR or the second best S, I guess I better pick S.

Look at the loaded free agents at S. Look at how RB is now a position you can fill with late round fellas and UFA.

 

And this is an exceptionally good draft at WR, so the seventh best is likely the third best in an ordinary draft.

Regardless, my view is that they should draft someone who can conceivably grow into WR1, and preferably someone who is a big X with speed and good hands. That is a piece that we presently lack, and adding it to what we have in the WR room will make the entire ensemble much more dangerous.

 

I sure as hell wouldn't pass on an AD Mitchell to take Chop Robinson, for instance.

Well, positional value is important, but I think you're greatly overvaluing the wide receiver position.  I think wideouts aren't much more valuable than running backs.

 

What?

 

First, look at the Chiefs.  Kelce at 93 receptions, Rice at 79, and Pacheco at 44.   They weren't exactly stacked with receivers putting up gaudy numbers. 

 

Then look at the Lions.  St Brown. LaPorta, Gibbs.   

 

The NFL just isn't about flashy wideout tandems.  

 

Now, think about what you're saying about the draft, about how deep it is at receiver.  It's true about the league in genreal - there are good recivers who make plays all over the league.  Samuel, for example.  There are a lot of good, athletic, fast players.  The league is much about getting a nice collection of those guys and designing an effective offense that they execute.   And that's what people have been saying here about the Bills. Diggs, Samuel, Shakir, and Kincaid in a well designed passing attack are a tough group to defend - as tough as any in the league.  Solid route runners, good hands, good speed, good run after catch.  

 

So, for the Bills in the draft, wide out has pretty low positional value.   A center or a safety is much more important to the 2024 Bills.  

 

Now, the Bills will need a new #1 wideout, so I agree that the long-term value of the position is greater than the short-term value, but the Bills have some time to find the new #1.  Beane always seems to make the move he needs to get the guy he wants, and I'm sure he'll make his move for a receiver when it makes sense. 

 

So, as much as you'd like a receiver in the first round, and I'd be happy with one, I think the notion that that position, particularly now, is not of significant value to this team right now.   If you're going to talk about positional value, Beane should go in a different direction. 

 

 

[CURTIS SAMUEL A BILL]

34 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

Samuel as of right now is a better player than Shakir. This post screams "I only watch the Bills." If Shakir hit the market right now he wouldn't be getting $8M AAV with $15M guaranteed. He isn't the caliber of player that stops you from trying to improve the position when a good opportunity presents itself. I appreciate Shakir's toughness and natural instincts after the catch but he was not an answer for our man coverage woes last year. Samuel is genuinely very good against man. And unlike Shakir he can actually play outside. I suspect for example all of the perimeter screens that went to Diggs last year with minimal success will now go to Samuel. So he raises our floor in a number of ways.

 

Some people are getting way too caught up in worrying about his best spot in the formation. The #1 and only priority this offseason was adding legit starting caliber talent to the WR room. It's laughable that now the complaint is "the Bills are going to have TOO MANY receivers." There will be injuries, rotation, varying game plans focusing on different skillsets to beat different matchups. This is a regime that has regularly spent a lot of money on players 2-3 deep at every single spot on the DL. But for some fans doing the same at WR is an unspeakable sin. I can guarantee you right now the effect of Curtis Samuel on the roster will be much more than the combined effect of Jordan Phillips and Tim Settle on the roster. Beane's only mistake is that he waited this long to make the philosophical change.

 

If Beane next does the easy and obvious move and selects the best WR remaining with his 1st pick we will finally have the long awaited influx of talent that this group has desperately needed. If that leads to a player like Shakir getting less attention, all that means is he will also face more favorable matchups which can only a good thing.

I'm not sure they need another quality guy for 2024, but I won't argue the point. You may be right.  And I certainly won't object if a quality starter shows up in the draft. 

 

And I completely agree about the comparison with Shakir.  With Diggs and Samuel on the field, Shakir will see more open space to work in.  Samuel will make Shakir better, not vice versa.  

[The Bills will be better in 2024 and everyone overreacted]

19 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

 

I agree. The Bills are going to be middle of the pack in terms of overall roster talent this year. But they have Josh. They are well coached and they play in a winnable division. 

 

The last few years they have had a really solid all around roster that arguably just missed a difference maker or two. This year they still need a difference maker or two but they also have some holes to fill on the DL and in the secondary.

I agree, but I think thebholes are fillable.  Safety is my biggest concern. 

 

Difference maker might come out of the draft.  Might not.  

[The Bills will be better in 2024 and everyone overreacted]

I agree with Transplant, in part for a different reason.  I think most fans over emphasize player talent and under emphasize coaching.   In terms of team play, the Bills are one of the best coached teams in the league.  It's coaching that puts them in the top five in the league.

 

Debating number 2 or 3 receivers makes little sense.  Those guys are interchangeable and all will give you more or less the same production.  Samuel has different strengths and weaknesses fro. Davis, but their contributions will be about the same.  With Diggs, Samuel, Shakir, Kincaid, Cook there's more than enough talent for thw passing game.  It's up to Brady.  

 

In fact, across the whole lineup, most players are interchangeable. The talent in the league is really high, and one backup DT is more or less the same as the next.  You just need your share of playmakers.  Allen alone puts the Bills ahead of most teams when it comes to playmakers, and Diggs and Milano are in that category.  Bernard, Miller, maybe Kincaid.  Maybe the first round pick.  

 

If Beane does a good job, he will get a starter in round 1.  If it's a wideout, even better for the passing game.  If it's an edge, great.  Safety?  Great.  Center? Great.  

 

McDermott doesn't make predictions, but he will be disappointed if the Bills win fewer than 12 games. 

 

 

[CURTIS SAMUEL A BILL]

17 hours ago, Mat68 said:

The game has evolved past x, z and slot.  Samuel has the juice and skill set to play outside.  The advance metrics points to him being very effective in that role.  Diggs, Shakir and Samuel can line up anywhere.  So can Kincaid and Cook.  
 

In term of production I would point to his qbs.  Carolina and Washington have had bad qbs. I expect Samuel in a steady role has a career year.  He can do it all plus adds some of the gimmick plays and Debo Samuel stuff.  If they take a Wr in the Top 60 picks Buffalo will have the best Wr room Allen has played with.  

All of this makes sense to me.  I liked Davis's size, and the Bills lost that, but they play so much with two tight ends that I think they have the size covered.  Diggs, Knox, and Kincaid is enough in red zone, and Shakir or Samuel can be Beasley.   

 

And I agree, a receiver in the first two rounds would make for a formidable receiver room.  

[CURTIS SAMUEL A BILL]

17 minutes ago, NewEra said:

I like the move. He’s a playmaker and has speed.  We’re loaded underneath. Beane has been preaching RAC every offseason.  Now he has it.  Samuel, cook, kincaid, shakir are all explosive playmakers imo.  Knox and Diggs aren’t too shabby either. 
 

He’d be a fine signing for KC.  I’m sure Veach has something up his sleeve.  
 

He’s just not an X in many peoples opinion, mine included.  He’s best in the slot and we already have a young up and coming slot playing on a rookie contract. We have limited resources and I can understand people preferring to invest resources to fill and immediate hole.  Samuel is almost a luxury based on his skill set. Maybe those people are wrong and Samuel can fill the roll outside.  Brady will just have to get creative.  I suspect that we’ll be seeing some Mack Hollins playing more X than many think.  

I just clicked in to see what people were saying about Samuel.  I don't know the league personnel very well, and I have no real opinion about Samuel as a player.  I'm sure I've seen him, but I don't remember any play he's ever made.  

 

However, my opinion about the signing, as soon as I looked at his career stats, was what you said (in bold) above.  This is a veteran receiver with physical skills (second round pick}.   He has a lot of playing time.  He must know the game.  

 

What I'm hoping for, and expecting, out of Brady is some sophisticated route designs that attack weaknesses in defenses from week to week.  What those play designs require is smart receivers, guys who can read defenses and adapt.  I think Diggs is one of those, and I think Shakir is one.  Kincaid looks like one, and Knox isn't bad either.  I think Samuel is one.  

 

And I think this is exactly the kind of guy that Reid likes on his team, a guy who can execute schemes with speed and who can catch the ball.  

 

I don't know Xs from Ys and slot guys and all that, but I don't think the physical differences in guys is what matters in those positions.   I think the modern passing game is largely about attacking the weaknesses in the defense, and that takes brains, not physique.   I like this signing.  And I don't think it means the Bills won't take a receiver in the first round.   What Samuel does is eliminate the NEED to go receiver early.  It gives Beane flexibility in the draft.  

 

And I'll go back to the point Transplant made in his thread.  This team is getting better.  Dodson, Settle, Jackson are losses, but they can be and will be replaced.  There'll still be some talent signed in free agency, and the draft will help.  

 

I like this team. 

[Isaiah Hodgins Expected to Be Non-Tendered as RFA]

17 hours ago, Brandon said:

 

Well,  the Giants DID get more production out of him over the last two years than the Bills did from Sherfield,  Harty,  Kumerow and Crowder combined. 

That's because the Giants didn't have any productive receivers. He was a starter on that team, and never would have sniffed a staring spot with the Bills.  

[The Bills will be better in 2024 and everyone overreacted]

Well, Transplant, I've gotta agree with you.   I mean, it isn't a sure thing, but I think that a lot of people around here, if they're honest with themselves in December, are going to realize that they were too pessimistic.  

 

I won't rehash all that you said, but I do want to comment on a few things.  

 

First, the thing that has me worried the most are the safeties.  The safeties play a really important role in this defense, and Poyer and Hyde were a magnificent combination.  They were better than the sum of their parts, and I worry that they won't be replaced easily.  Rapp didn't impress me the way Poyer and Hyde did; maybe he'll be better in his second year in the system, but he'll only be better if he has a good running mate back there.   Whoever it is, it's not likely that they'll develop in one season the chemistry that Poyer and Hyde had.   I hope I'm wrong, but that's the position that I think can hold back the progress of the team. 

 

You didn't say much about the draft because, of course, we have no idea who's coming and what positions they'll play.   I agree that Beane will use his excess picks to move up; I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up with only 7 picks.  What you didn't say, exactly, is that the Bills will add at least two, maybe 3, possibly 4 starters in the draft.   Not starters in September, but significant contributors by December.  First round guy is almost certainly going to play - Beane seems to have missed on Elam, but it isn't likely to happen again.  We saw what Kincaid added by December last season, and if the Bills take a receiver, we can expect more of the same.  Second round, last season the Bills got a starter who moved in right away, and the season before they got Cook, who by December had taken Motor's starting slot, effectively.  A third or fourth round corner or safety easily could be playing later in the season.  The point is, the Bills will be better because they're going to get some serious help at three or four positions.  

 

Someone said the starting center isn't on the team yet, and I agree with that.  But if he is on the team, I have a lot of confidence that Beane and Kromer know what they're doing.  

 

I agree about Miller.   Gunner says he's done, and Gunner's right a lot of the time, but I think it takes more than a year to recover from that injury, really recover.  

 

Finally, like you, I have a lot of confidence in Brady.  I think the offense is going to hum like we haven't seen in a few years.   I agree that Diggs almost certainly played hurt for the second half of the season.  He wasn't in a funk; he just stopped making the plays he usually made, and his body language said he was trying but just couldn't.   I think Brady will get more out of Diggs, Kincaid, Shakir, and whoever fills the #2 slot.  I think the Bills will be explosive. 

[DaQuan Re-Signed - 2 yrs 16M]

6 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 I was really hoping the Bills would use this offseason to get younger at every position, and cheaper at less important positions. 

McDermott values leadership in every room.  Oliver isn't the guy, at least not yet.  

[I think I have to bail on all offseason NFL media coverage]

1 hour ago, 90sBills said:

During the season you’d get more in depth discussions about different teams. The offseason is meant to give flowers to whoever won the superbowl. So if Bills are ever to win one I suspect many of us will tune in to the national shows the day after the superbowl until the start of the following season.

Good point.

[Bills Cap Status - Approx $4.25 under cap 4/03/2024 (added roster change summary)]

26 minutes ago, Blank Stare said:

All fair points. Believe me, I realize the arguments against outweigh the fors at this point in his career. Effort is probably the one thing that would likely take him off Beane’s list completely anyhow (see Darcel Mareus). That said, I’m betting on traits here and a max 1-2 year deal for reasonable dough. I’d like our pass rushers to be guys that aren’t 107 years old for what feels like forever. If McD and Babich can’t salvage him, then I agree, just isn’t going to happen for him.

 

His 7.5 sacks last year, while not great, would’ve been third on the team behind Floyd and Oliver and one above Epenesa. All things equal, If I’m choosing between Young and Epenesa, I’d be more inclined to go with the guy with the better physical traits and higher ceiling.

I hear what you're saying, but I think you're right that he isn't on Beane's list.  They've always said that effort, teamwork, work ethic are essential, and if you don't have that, you aren't playing for the Bills.  Compare Young to Spencer Brown.   Brown had a unique body and good athletic ability, but he wasn't all world at anything.  They took him for the intangibles.   That's the kind of upside they bet on - someone who's work ethic can make him an over-achiever.   That's who Bernard is.  And Milano.  And Taron Johnson.  Miller had the special physical traits AND the character stuff.  

 

I can't see Young.  

[I think I have to bail on all offseason NFL media coverage]

2 hours ago, NickelCity said:

 

That said, in my phase of life I watch the games and frequent this forum, and that's it.

Me too. 

 

There are some places where I should spend time - like, a part of me wishes I'd check into the Athletic and Cover 1 every few days, but I don't do that.  As far as nationally, it's a joke.  I suppose there are a few outlets that would keep me informed better than I am.  I wasn't a big Peter King fan, but if you read him regularly you'd get some good, in-depth coverage of some part of what's happening with teams.  But so much of what's out there is stuff written by people who are interested in the game, but don't have the time or the budgets to produce thoughtful stuff.   They're just grinding stuff out, and in that situation it's hard not to just run with the conventional wisdom.  So, you get, "Poyer, White, Morse.  I know something about these guys.  Wow, that's three big players.  Bills are slashing the roster."  Pretty uninformed stuff.