Shaw66

“Ready to Go” And now it’s here, the season Bills fans have waited for since January. The season Bills fans have waited for since Sean McDermott arrived in Buffalo in 2017. The season Bills fans have waited for since Super Bowl XXVIII. To say the 2020 season is the season most anticipated by Bills fans since the early 1990s is no exaggeration. The Bills were a legitimate playoff team in 2019, and on paper they’ve gotten better in 2020. They’re young and maturing, veteran and experienced. They have what look like all the pieces. In May of 2019, I said this: “I think the golden age of the Buffalo Bills is upon us. I think we are about to witness the greatest run of excellence in the history of the franchise, and one of the greatest of all time in the NFL.” I still believe that’s true, subject only to the Bills extending the contracts of Brandon Beane and Josh Allen. The Bills have in the building the four critical components of long-term success in the NFL: ownership, general manager, head coach, and quarterback. My optimism about 2020 is grounded in my belief that the Bills have the right people building in the right way. As I’ve listened to Beane and Sean McDermott talk about the team over the past few years, it’s always been clear that they had a long-term plan to build the team. They were clear that fans should not expect a quick turnaround. They consistently have talked about building “the right way”, building for sustained success. They never said it, but I came to understand that their plan was that the Bills would be a serious contender in 2021. Maybe a year earlier, but 2021 was the target. 2017 was the tear-down year (with a playoff surprise to boot), 2018 to 2020 were the seasons to build the roster the way they wanted, and 2021 was the year to be truly competitive. All that changed with the trade for Stephon Diggs. The move for Diggs was a major statement from Bills' management. Brandon Beane said to everyone "2021 may have been the target year, but we're ready now." It's a statement to Josh Allen, a challenge. It says, “We have everything we need, so it’s up to you.” It’s a statement and a challenge to the offensive line. It says, "We're all in on you. We didn’t sign any high level offensive line talent and we traded out of the first round, because we don't need to replace any of you." It’s a statement and challenge to Brian Daboll. It's a statement to the fans, and to the owners. Beane said to everyone, "we can win now. We aren't done getting better, but we can win now." If Beane had not made the deal and had drafted the best player available with the 22nd pick, the message would have been, "We're still building," because that guy at 22 quite likely was not going to transform the offense in 2020. He might play, and he might have a future, but he was not going to make a transformative difference in 2020. Diggs makes a difference; the deal said McDermott and Beane think they don’t need to wait any longer to win big. The moves on the defense said the same thing. Free agency began and BINGO! The Bills didn’t just plug holes, they upgraded their talent with solid guys in their prime. The message was “all we needed to be really good are a few more solid players.” What the Bills did before the draft screamed at the team, the league and the fans: “We’re ready!” Why is Diggs such a big deal? Not simply because he’s a legitimate number one receiver in the NFL, but because his acquisition moves John Brown to number two, where he has been outstanding in the past, and Cole Beasley to number three, where he, too, has been outstanding. The Bills seem to have upgraded at running back with the addition of Zack Moss, who should be the explosive complement to Devin Singletary that the Bills lacked last season. The offensive line comes back pretty much intact, with a full season of having played together. The Bills expect that Cody Ford will continue to grow into a legitimate starter, and someone needs to step up at guard or tackle to help fill what could be a season-long loss of Jon Feliciano. That looks to be Daryl Williams, a guy with multiple years of starting experience. Thus, the offensive spotlight is on Josh Allen. Allen’s play should improve simply because the receivers should offer him more open targets and the running backs and offensive line should make the Bills less dependent on Allen’s legs to make plays. But it’s not enough if Allen is better only because the players around him are better. Allen himself must be better than last season. He needs to continue to grow as a leader, a field general, a coach on the field. He needs to be a better, more consistent decision maker, and he needs to execute better. That’s the job of great quarterbacks, and being a great quarterback is Allen’s objective. Allen certainly has the willingness and determination. He’s shown it consistently. But it takes more than that. He has to deliver on the field. I believe he’s on his way. If Allen shows just adequate improvement, he will be a top-10 to top-15 quarterback and the Bills will have a good season. I think that’s quite likely. If he makes a real jump, he will be a clear top-10 quarterback and the Bills will be a serious playoff threat with the potential to win it all. Win it all. That’s the challenge Brandon Beane has laid down for Allen and Daboll. And McDermott, and Frazier and the defense, too. I think the Bills will come out of the gate winning. Why? Because McDermott’s greatest strengths are organization, planning, and motivation. When everything is turned upside down, as it has been in 2020, organization, planning and motivation gives you an advantage. Teams that adjust have an advantage, and the Bills adjusted in 2020. The Bills managed the remote draft flawlessly. When the NFL set a date when players could return to team facilities, the Bills were one of only four teams that were prepared to go on the first day. It’s reasonable to expect that the Bills are ahead of most teams in terms of readiness for the season, because McDermott never lets his teams fall behind in preparation. But it’s a long season, and when November and December come, early-season advantages will have evaporated. The best teams will emerge, as they always do. Look for the Bills to be there. Brandon Beane expects it. GO BILLS!!! The Rockpile Review is written to share the passion we have for the Buffalo Bills. That passion was born in the Rockpile; its parents were everyday people of western New York who translated their dedication to a full day’s hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.

I thought so too. I hope you're right.

The receiver room is interesting. Three starters and two rookies. McKenzie isn't a very good receiver, nor is Roberts. Two rookies. Says something about what Davis showed. And Hodgins, too I suppose. It looks like they didn't think Hodgins would be around for the PS.

The larger PS makes a lot of sense, although maybe it benefits the good teams.

Good luck to him. McKenzie survives?

Anyone still wish Bills had taken the other Josh?

The perfect explanation. I don't know how old Alpha is, but if you weren't a football fan during that period, you almost can't understand. My son asked me once whether there would even be another Beatles, and the answer is clearly "no." The Beatles were the Beatles not because they were the greatest band ever; they weren't. Not because they had the longest run of excellence; they didn't. They were the Beatles because they became superstars at a time when it was still possible to get the attention of the entire country. EVERYBODY knew about the Beatles, and practically EVERYBODY watched the Ed Sullivan Show when they were on. Namath caught the end of that era, and era when it was possible to be a true nation-wide phenomenon. He was in the news all the time - everyone knew what Namath was wearing, whom he was dating, everything. At that moment in time the Packers seemed to have proved what most people thought - that the AFL teams were inferior to the NFL team. Along comes the guy who is probably the most famous - not the best, but most famous - team sport athlete in the country, and he proves the Packers wrong. It was huge news, a defining moment in the emergence of professional football as the number one professional sport in the country. Joe Namath was on the Ed Sullivan Show after he won the Super Bowl. Mahomes is a good comparison. Mahomes captured the imagination of the football public like Namath did, but in the modern world of 24-7 sports coverage, his impact never could be as great as Namath's was. Mahomes wins the Super Bowl, and he's on late-night shows. The whole country watched Namath; some nightowls watched Mahomes. Namath just happened to be the right guy in the right place at the right time.

Clinton has always been way up on may list of people I'd like to hang with. He's smart as can be, he's funny, and as President he's seen and done things we can only imagine. As for a Buffalo Bill, Fitz or Kyle. Maybe best would be Billy Shaw. I'd love to meet TO. Smart, funny, misunderstood.

I think the Mario Williams signing was a historic turning point for the franchise. There was a lot of misery yet to come, but signing Williams signified that the Bills were willing to make the big move to change their fortunes, and it indicated that big-time talent would come to Buffalo. I couldn't leave my computer during that time, for fear I would miss something.

Actually this guy sounds a bit like me. I've been here for three years or whatever, and I just discovered the links to all the news. That's really useful. Anyway, as I've said before, a lot of fans, including me, are happy thos place is here. I practically live here.

Well, yeah, it's legitimate, but you guys run this playground for all of us to play in, and whining with that tone is a little out of line.

The committee approach on the D line is why we saw all those DTs in for tryouts last week.

I don't think so, but the idea isn't as off the wall as most posters think. I think such a move would be driven by some things we don't know. First, it would make sense only if you had a backup who was so good and had such a bright future that you weren't going to be able to keep him off the field. If there is such a person, it's Gabriel Davis, and as much as the reports out of camp are positive, we aren't hearing reports that he is, right now, a big-time #2 receiver. That's what he'd have to be, right now, to make a Beasley deal affordable, because he's not a natural slot receiver. He'd have to be good enough to take Brown's job and force Brown into the slot, which might work. It's comparable to the Eagles trading that clear starter, Sam Bradford, to Minnesota because Wentz had demonstrated in camp that he was really ready. I don't Davis is that kind of guy. Second, there were some recent reports out of camp about Beasley being unguardable. As others have noted, Beasley was playing out of position some last season, and he still was excellent. This year, he'll be more regularly in the slot. He's a Welker-Edelman type talent in the slot - that's why people say he's unguardable. When you combine that fact with the fact that the Bills are still trying to get Allen to take the high-percentage throw more often, a guy like Beasley is going to be that high-percentage guy. He will be the guy who the QB can see at the line of scrimmage will be open, and that's the throw the Bills continue to want Allen to make. So it seems unlikely to me that the Bills would take that particular option away for Allen's third season, no matter how good Davis may be, because whoever is in the slot won't be able to do what Beasley does. Finally, there's just no question that Beane saw in Diggs what we all saw - a true #1 receiver who would allow both Brown and Beasley to return to their natural positions. I just don't see Beane upsetting that formula without giving it a chance to work for one season.

Thanks for the insight. Good stuff.

I'm not sure. Bills spec teams coach had him in Carolina for a year. More likely that the Bills know he can fill a need better than what they have. I expect he is on the 53. I don't see them doing this so late in preseason otherwise. Too disruptive. It's conditional because Beane is smart to cover the downside if for some reason he doesn't work out. It would be phenomenal!

That's an interesting comment. I'd guess there's more of that in big-time football than we recognize. Lots of very good athletes in 200-pound range who can't make it as running backs, receivers and DBs who bulk up, trying to play at a higher weight class. It's tough on knees and ankles.

As I said, McKenzie is versatile. And he has speed, which is always a good thing. I'm afraid the nod goes to McKenzie. Hodgins isn't an UDFA, and it probably won't be easy to hide him on the PS. Strikes me as a closer call, and I think the nod goes to the guy who looks like he'll be the best contributor in 2021. I say that for the same reason I said it last season about Duke and Zay Jones If you're not one of the top three receivers on the team, your chances of sticking with the team are based on your longer term potential. Zay wasn't top 2 last season and was barely top 3, so he was expendable. It wasn't long before Zay was gone and Duke was on the roster. The current talents of the #4 guy are somewhat important, but if the #5 guy has more potential, the #4 guy is at risk. That's where Duke finds himself. So, unless Duke has been really special this summer, unless he's staked a strong claim to the #4 spot, he's in trouble. Unfortunately for him, Gabriel Davis is the guy who apparently has staked that claim. So Duke is fighting for the #5 spot (Roberts is #6). Hodgins apparently has impressed, too, and so, given his age and his growth potential, I have to think he has the edge.

Well, as much as I love Duke's story, and as much as might heart wants to argue with you, I think you're right. If Duke were going to be a productive #2, we would have seen more of him on the field last season, and more production. Is it possible he'll be a late bloomer? Yes, and I'd love it if that happened. Is it likely? No. I do think he'll be in the league for three or four more years. There's a place for him on someone's roster. In Buffalo? I still think it's possible, but I'd say the odds of him making it in Buffalo are getting longer by the day. I'm not a McKenzie fan, but McKenzie offers more to the team than Duke. The worst sentence Duke Williams has heard through eight months of 2020 is "With their fourth pick in the 2020, the Buffalo Bills select Gabriel Davis." Through nine months, the worst sentence will be "Duke, we're sorry but ...."

My first thought. I wanted Wade to be Sproles. I guess not.

Moss won't have enough experience to start. Rooks rarely play on yhi re d down until later in the season Singletary will be primary.

Maybe it was not a good day for Allen.

I agree with this. especially the Diggs part. Other than McKenzie, the Bills had no one who was effective running the jet sweep and similar plays where the offensive wants to attack quickly with a quick, elusive runner. Beasley tried but couldn't do it. When McKenzie came it, the defense knew the chances of one of those plays increased. With Diggs in the lineup, every play threatens to be such a play. Diggs has shown he has the ability to run those plays. So McKenzie just isn't as useful as he was before. For whatever reason. Roberts hasn't shown the ability to be an effective receiver, but McKenzie isn't much better, and Roberts is both a more sure-handed and a more effective punt returner. I think McKenzie is at risk, unless the Bills just like the fact that he is sort of an all-purpose backup on offense and special teams. That may be enough to save him. Having said that, I don't think that Roberts running with the first team signals that Roberts is in and McKenzie is out. It also could mean that McKenzie is in and the Bills wanted to see whether Roberts could save himself by finally showing something on offense. Much too hard to read any tea leaves yet.

SDS - You're Ray in Field of Dreams and we're all Shoeless Joe Jackson, thanking you for building this place. Thanks.

I'd love to own it. I was there that day. I'd frame it and hang in it my basement. And when the Bills win the Super Bowl, ideally with a Bass field goal, I'd buy the Bass jersey, frame it, and hang it next Norwood. Bookends.

Somehow it's like Fitz is our friend. It happens with an occasional player on the team over the years, but Fitz is way up their on the list. We all love him, and we all are incredibly saddened by his loss. Prayers to Fitz and his family. He should take comfort in the love and support of fans all over the country, but especially from Bills fans.