Shaw66

Well, I actually thought Zay's looked better this year than last. But I've said all along is that Zay's problem is that he isn't excellent at anything. He's just solid all around. I'll give you an example based on what you just said. You said he won't have so much attention from defenses this year, so he will get better matchups. Well, what that really means is that he isn''t great at getting separation. That's okay, most guys aren't. Well, some people here complained that DUKE isn't good at separating. Fine, so neither one is. If you have a guy who can't separate, do you want that guy to have Zay's hands or Duke's? No brainer. Do you want McKenzie's shiftiness and speed or Zay's? No brainer. One more thing. Watch McD's press conference from Monday. He's asked about Foster and he's asked about Zay. It may just be me, but it sure seemed liked McD was thinking (not exactly saying), that both of them have showed some things and need to show more. He doesn't want to say they're on the bubble or worse, but it seems like he was thinking that.

Me too. Watched those videos and thought he was an elite pass catcher. I think he could be a Hines Ward. He has hands, he has heart, he hits people.

Of course, we don't know what's going to happrn, but I'm with you. Listen to the recent I interviews with Allen and Barkley. They both talk about how hungry he is. He stands out on a team of competitors as hungry. That says something, and that's what McD likes best. I expect that both qbs are telling McD they want him. People fall in love with ideas, like the idea of Zay Jones as a prolific pass catcher. That's nice, but he hasn't lived up to that idea. What people should be doing asking themselves whether in the past two years they've seen Zay make touchdown catches that even approach the difficulty of the two TD catches Duke has made this preseason.

I think this is exactly right. And add Hines Ward to the list. Most receivers can't get separation. A few have great moves, a few have great speed. Most have neither and they get open by being the guy on the field who happens to have the route that attacks the weakness in the defense. There is no substitute for great hands and ability to win fights for the ball. It appears Duke has those skills. I think that ability, plus the fact that his determination and competitiveness, traits McD loves, are through the roof , mean he will make the team.

I wouldn't take a third, but I'd take a second.

I haven't read the thread, and I have no information. But when I hear Clowney, multiple teams and the Bills, what I'd like to see is Clowney goes someplace else, Shady goes to Houston and the Bills get somone's first. Clowney doesn't strike me as a McD guy. Love Shady, but if I could get a first for him, I'd do it.

I don't like it, but I think I will prefer it once I get used to it. It gets you closer to the action.

I've been reading your posts, and disagreeing with all of them. This one really goes to the heart of the matter. You have this exactly backward. You don't learn the rules, then learn to break them. You break the rules and suffer the consequences. That's how you learn. You think Josh doesn't know it's dangerous to throw late over the middle? Of course he knows, just like a kid know he's not supposed to play with matches. If the kid doesn't ever play with matches, he'll never learn how to use matches. If Josh never throws late over the middle, he will never learn when to do it and when not. Making that throw in preseason is exactly the time to make that throw. He's a second year guy trying to figure out what he's seeing in the defensive backfield. By making that throw when he did, he learned something. Second year qbs are going to make mistakes. That's how they learn. The difference between good and great, in this sense, is this: the good QB is good because he never throws INTs over the middle late, and he does that by never throwing over the middle late. The great QB is great because he knows when to over the middle late and when not to. He only learns when he can do it by trying it and failing sometimes.

Luck retiring means the Bills defense was better two weeks ago, because they stopped the Colts #1 qb, not a backup!

Mixed reactions. I think they're restrictive during the game. I think game day discussions probably need to be free for all mess. Bur I like rhem AFTER the game. It makes sense for a day or two after the game to have the ads for o, d, qb, coach officiating. There also should be a thread for general reactions to the game. That doesn't mean that mods have to shut down other threads that people start. Some limitations are necessary, but more threads is better than less. More threads generate more discussion. I agree. Having these general topic threads was useful, but they shouldn't be the exclusive threads on any topic.

Nice job, Virgil. I haven't cranked up my efforts for the year. I agree a lot about Edmunds. He was a different player last night for last December. He's impressive closing on the run, and he's impresave on pass defense. The rest of his game sucks. I disagree about the running backs. I saw great burst from McCoy. Yes, he just took what he got, but he also made subtle moves to get the most out of each. I saw good power from Gore after contact. I think running back will be a strength for the Bills. I thought the starting d line was great against the run. I thought they got decent pressure. Gotta remember that most d lines get good pressure only some of the time. I've been a Duke fan since the day the Bills signed him. Thanks again. I like your work.

I agree with. I don't think the snap counts can be read to mean anything. I mean, there is a reason why each guy got the snaps he did, but we can't tell the reason by looking at the counts. Having said that, I think it's meaningful that Duke was getting first team snaps and Zay got a lot of second team. Someone suggested that they knew they would run more than pass with the 1's and they wanted to see Duke block. But even that's just a guess. I've said for a couple of months that Zay may be in trouble because he is good at everything but really good at nothing. Not great speed, not great hands, not great route runner, not great blocker. Just good at all of it. Personally, I want a guy on the field who catches everything that comes close to him. That's Duke.

Nice post. I feel really good about the game and the team. And pleased the injury list wasn't too long. I think the offense we've been looking for is on the way. I think we will see ball control, crisp passing. Whether the Bills can score TDs in the red zone is a question, but last night that wasn't a problem, either.

I didn't notice he was in the game. How was his blocking?

I like this team. Penalties were a mess. Beasley fumble was unfortunate, but otherwise I'm happy. I liked two minute drill. I liked run game. I liked passing game, which wasn't used until Josh got his rest. I love the defense. Really really good. I really loved Edmunds. Speed and smarts on display. I loved the winning attitude that generated yhe takeaway the third down run to win the game. Very nice, all around.

Congratulations! Great stuff. This country has a lot of great people. Great job!

I think this was obvious. This was the game to get Shady and Gore work. And they got it. I hope no one has any more questions about whether Shady has lost a step. Gore was great. Once the two stars were on the bench, it was time to give the second tier receivers work. I liked the offense. Penalties aside, it looked crisp and efficient. I love the short passing game.

I'm fine with Allen last night. Still looks like a winner tome. The INT? I'm fine with it, especially in pre season. The only way to learn how to throw over the middle is to do it and to make some mistakes along the way. The only way to learn to see the field is to look and throw. He will continue to make mistakes that young qbs make. Two or three years from now he will have mastered it.

Yes. Reward isn't worth the risk. How much better will Allen be against the Jets if he gets 30 snaps in a preseason game? Not much better at all. He won't get hurt in practice, give him more reps in practice, let the UB kid take the hits in the game.

I'm not arguing that the 2017 Bills were good. They were average. But luck isn how the ball bounces. It isn't luck when you make plays your opponent doesn't. Von Miller being a jerk isn't luck. If your opponent is a jerk and you aren't, you're going to win more than your share. Matt Ryan fumbling isn't luck. It's bad football. When your opponent plays bad football, you're likely to win. Raiders turning it over isn't luck. It just means the Bills beat a weak opponent. Saying beating the Colts was lucky because Shady is good is like saying the Pats winning six Super Bowls is lucky because Brady is good. When your good players make plays it isn't luck.

Oh, my. I was disappointed when the Bills let him walk. Sweet number 2.

I think he probably does. Other teams wanted him, and he was good enough to make the Bills before they got Beasley and Brown. If the Bills traded for a UDFA center who never played center in college, someone will trade for five-star recruit who started at Auburn and led the CFL in receiving.

I think there are very few guys who DON'T have to earn their spots. As I've said, I think Beasley and Brown are locks on talent, Roberts as a kick returner. No one else is a lock. I think Foster, Duke and Zay may be tradeable. I think its wide open. I think it does NOT come down to who is the best. I think it also depends on special teams play and potential. I think Zay's problem is he played for two years and didn't stand out. His potential may be limited.

Well, certainly he isn't a sure thing. But when I look around the league for young elite QBs, there are only a few oi like long term as much as Allen. Probably Mahomes, but I want to see him another year. Ditto Mayfield. Darnold. I have doubts about Murray. Goff and Wentz don't thrill me. I think Allen is right near the top of the list of guys who can be the next great ones. He has the body, the brains, the attitude, the coach and the owner. He is in a perfect situation.

I think it's already clear he will get there. He will be a star in the league next season, if not this. He is smart and he is coachable. He has the physical tools. One of the most encouraging things I've seen as a Bills fan was watching the Pegulas recognize the Rex blunder and recover from it. They demonstrated that they were learning what it takes to be successful owners.