Shaw66

It's build through the draft, fill holes in free agency. And when you have young guys who can play, get rid of the old guys (McCoy). Relentless and merciless competition.

It's hard to get to 10-6 and beyond. The competition is fierce. I've been saying for a couple of seasons now that 2020 is the target year, the first year we should expect the Bills to be 10-6 or beyond. 2019 is possible. As for rebuilding the roster, it's pretty clear that this season will be the first where the roster is fully theirs. But that doesn't mean the roster is as good as they want it to be. Even before the season starts, it seems clear to me that the Bills need an upgrade at receiver, an upgrade on the d line and probably an upgrade at linebacker. McBeane may have a roster of their guys, in the sense that they all fit the McBeane mold, but although they may have the KIND of talent they want, they don't necessarily have the LEVEL of talent they want. On top of that, they're going with a second year QB. 2020 is Allen should play like a true franchise QB. 2019 there still will be some inexperience showing.

In Buffalo, we love our running backs. It’s a tradition more or less unrivaled in the NFL. LeSean McCoy was the latest of the great, and I will miss him. We say it all the time, but I truly mean it today: Shady, I wish you nothing but the best, in football and in life. I wish you another 5,000 yards, dozens more highlight-reel runs, a championship. You deserve it all. We know you didn’t want to leave Philadelphia and if you had to go, Buffalo certainly wasn’t the place you would have chosen. But we loved you from the beginning, and soon you loved us back. We loved your talent, to be sure, but we also loved your heart, your willingness to get up and get going no matter how many times the hole didn’t open. In a way, your departure isn’t a surprise. Sean McDermott says everyone has to compete for his job, and there are no exceptions. It was interesting when the Bills brought in Frank Gore and then drafted Singletary and acquired Yeldon, but, we thought, that was for the locker room leadership and for the future. You were still the man. But McDermott is true to his word, always, and in the end, you weren’t part of what he thinks is the best plan moving forward. We will remember you always, along with Cookie and OJ and Joe and Thurman and Fred, for being one of those special guys who carried the ball and often the team. Good luck to you always.

Too bad. I wanted it to work out for the Bills advantage. But McBeane know what they want and how they want to build. I expect Duke will be appreciative of the time the Bills spent and the opportunity they gave him. I'm guessing that we will see Duke on someone's 53.

Christie. And Gogolak.

Oh, well.

Wow. I couldn't see the game so I watched Giants Pats. Listening to you describe it is exciting. Thanks.

Creative theory. Probably not right, but who knows?

Well, that's a piece of evidence right there. Either they've agreed to a trade that will happen tomorrow or he's the 4th receiver. So is it a Duke/Foster battle?

I think this true. It's because of Brown's speed. He gets mote of a cushion, which allows him to separate more consistently. Hard to be a one without speed.

Maybe. It took Duke years and a lot of failure before he got himself turned around. I've always thought he chose Buffalo because he knew that McDermott preached exactly the stuff the Duke has learned to become a competitor. They're made for each other.

Which is one of the reasons I expect him to make the team.

Those draft comparisons are deadly. I hate them. As I've said often, I think Zay's problem is that there isn't anything he is especially good at. He's a good receiver but great at nothing.

That's well said. Zay isn't a bad receiver.

Just thought people would like to see what NFL.Com draft tracker said about Duke. It's interesting.

% of targets caught is different from drops. Being targeted by Bridgewater doesn't mean you can catch it.

You may be right. We will see, because he is going to play in the league.

Yhanks. That makes some sense. It may be that playing regularly he will be shut down by NFL corners. (It doesn't mean much to say he would be shut down by Tre or Gilmore, because virtually every number 2 receiver in the league would be shut down by them.) But I think you don't appreciate who Williams is. He was five star recruit coming out of high school. He competed well in the SEC before his career blew up. He then turned over a new leaf and got serious about football. He played in the CFL for two seasons, went for 700 yards the first season and over 1500 the second season. In other words, once he figured it out, he blew up the league. That is, his career has just taken off. He isnt just some other CFL guy. I really don't know if Duke is better than Zay. I think he may be better right now, but maybe not. But I think Zay has had enough time to show us what his upside is, and I'm pretty sure Duke's upside is higher.

Thanks. Duke apparently ran 4.7. I never thought Zay had much speed, but he looked pretty speedy in last week's game. Still , I don't think Zay has good deep speed, and if you're not a deep threat, then speed differences aren't too important. We will see in the next couple of days.

Brown, Beasley and Williams each has had significant accomplishments in their pro careers, which suggests some level of talent. Jones has not. Leading the 2018 Bills, 31st in the league in passing, with 600 receiving yards is not a significant accomplishment and does not suggest any level of talent.

If it says Fantasy Football, I move on. Real football has very little to do with individuals. It's about teams.

Last season is irrelevant. He was the number receiver on a team with nobody else. This season he is competing with two guys who have been to the pro bowl and one guy who led the league in Canada. It's a whole new ball game. The Bills are upgrading their talent all across the roster. Good players are going to get cut or traded, and it will happen again next season. It just so happens that Zay may be one of those players. So would you cut Duke, who clearly does NOT have the problems you see with Zay?

That's how I view him. Frankly getting traded or cut might be the wake up call he needs. Duke got his wake up call in college and then when he couldn't stick in the NFL. He got focuses and got determined. Zay sometimes seems like he expects it will come easy. It seems that Duke is showing him the kind of commitment it takes to make it in the NFL.

You see, the problem is right there in number 1. "High picks should get three seasons." I agree that it often takes receivers three seasons to become full-fledged, but in the NFL and particularly in McDermott land, nobody GETS anything. You EARN your roster spot. How do you earn it? By being better now and by projecting better. As for projecting better, that is Duke hands down. As you say, he hasn't had a chance to learn to play against NFL defenses. Zay has had two seasons, less injury time. And two training camps. He is way ahead of Duke in that regard, so we should expect much more improvement from Duke than from Zay. So who is better right now? Tough to say. I'd bet Zay is the better route runner, just by virtue of his experience in the system. Duke has better hands, no doubt. Speed is about even, I think. Neither is a burner, but I'd give Zay the edge. Blocking, probably give the edge to Duke. And then, since they're competing in McDermott land, there is heart, character and competitiveness. Allen and Barkley both have commented, almost in awe, about Duke's "hunger." Duke wants it, first thing in the morning and last thing at night. He fights for the ball like it's a loaf of bread and he hasn't eaten in two weeks. Nobody has ever said anything like that about Zay. So, sure, it would be nice to "give" your high pick three seasons, but he only gets those three seasons if he is good enough. Unfortunately for Zay, in the off season the Bills acquired Beasley, Brown and Williams. Zay will definitely get his three seasons, but there is a real chance that the third will be in a different uniform.

I'm having anxiety a out game one. I'm going to the game and that J-E-T-S cheer makes me anxious.