Shaw66

Thanks to everyone for their posts. Excellent insights. Hapless, particularly your hard-nosed analysis of what's going on with Foster. It sounds exactly correct. What we're seeing is what McBeane have been preaching. They want people who will compete every day, and they want at least enough talent so that the guy who competes the hardest gets the job AND can compete against NFL competition. In this case, Foster could end up being the residue in a very public competition. You don't compete, you don't survive. And let's face it, the same thing is happening on the o line and at running back. In fact it's happening at every position. Don't think for a minute that those d linemen and DBs aren't competing every day. If you can say one thing about the Bills McBeane are trying to build, it's that they compete. They will compete every Sunday. This is going to be fun.

Great thread. Thanks everyone.

Hah! Misplaced arrogamce! I likenthat. I really enjoyed what you wrote. My only qualification is that I think you have give the outsiders a week or two. The one thing the receivers getting reps have over the Outsiders is experience, either a lot in the league or at least a year with McD. If someone has something special, training camp is where it comes out. So tell me no one has emerged a week from now, and I will agree with you.

I think the logic applies equally to any of them. If you aren't one of the top four, maybe even the top three, you have to look like you have real upside. I think it's very difficult to say right now who other than the top 3 or 4 has the best upside. I don't think it's obvious, for example, that Sills has more upside than Duke. I understand the logic, but there are good arguments the other way too. It's a real dogfight to make the team at receiver, @@nd it will be a dogfight for playing time, too.

How does five-star talent translate to the NFL? How does being a good starting receiver in the SEC translate to the NFL? The guy has had success everywhere he's gone. He has size, decent speed, outstanding hands and, now, maturity. That's the kind 6 of resume that translates very well. U agree with Hapless abou McKenzie. He never has looked like a guy who is going to win a job as a receiver. Special teams and gadget plays, sure, but not a starting receiver.

I think he will make it. First, I think he brings raw talent that no one other than Foster has. He was a four- or five-star recruit coming out of high school, he apparently did very well against SEC competition until he screwed up, and he succeeded in the CFL. People say "yeah, well, he got a running start in the CFL." Sure he did, and every other receiver in the league did, too, and he led the league. I think that the fact that he's been so highly rated and done well wherever he's gone means that he has superior talent. So he has that going for him. Watching his CFL highlights, he seems to high-point the ball and fight for the ball as well as any receiver you can name. Some of that video reminds me of Anquan Bolden. He can block, and he likes the contact. That part of his game reminds me of Hines Ward. He's motivated. I think he's just a guy who took some time to grow up, and now he's ready to show what he can do. My guess is that he will be impressive enough through training camp that the Bills won't be able to risk cutting him and sending him to the practice squad (if he's even eligible for it). I think he will be good enough that the Bills will decide they have to keep him on the squad. And I think as the season progresses, we will see him more and more. He might be the last receiver to make it, but I don't think he'll be the last receiver at the end of the season.

That's exactly why. As someone said, Pats fans will buy season tickets, sell seven games on scalping services, and drive to Buffalo for the Pats. It assures that for most or all of the season, those seats will be filled with people rooting for the visiting team. The Bills don't want that. They want people to buy those seats who will come to all the games, and that means they want Bills fans in the seats.

It helps to have connections. I'll say. All big events have tickets set aside to take care of people when the need arises. It's part if a life that most average people never see.

He's grandfathered. If a new customer calls from Houston today, I believe he will be told that they won't sell tickets to him.

I think we have to be careful not misread what Yeldon said. What he said is that there's going to be heated competition at running back. He said that's what the coach told him. Well, that's what the coach tells everyone. That's the work ethic McD wants the Bills to live by - fight for every inch, pressure the guy who's playing ahead of you and be pressured by the guy who's behind you. That's a matter of course for these Bills, not a commentary on what the coaches might think about who's going to start. I don't think signing Yeldon had anything to with Beane expecting Yeldon to take Shady's job, any more than signing Tyree Jackson suggests the Bills expect him to challenge Josh Allen for the starting job. Yeldon is going to compete because (1) he's a competitor and (2) the Bills want competition. Logic's comments are, as always, interesting. I liked the Yeldon signing, but for 2020, when there's a good chance Shady is gone or Gore has hung 'em up or both. But for 2019, if Singletary shows much of anything, he's making the team. And if Logic is correct about special teams, and it sounds correct, Yeldon has a lot of pressure on him to make the team. And Logic's comments about WR are also interesting. He names four locks, but I don't think there are four locks. I think that only three of the four are locks - three "starters," if you will. The fourth guy (Foster, Jones or Brown, I'd guess) will be threatened by the other guys (McKenzie, McCloud, Williams, Sills, Easley, and Phillips). Williams is an unknown, but he has the pedigree to take the fourth spot, even the third. Sills is an enigma, but if he shows anything special, the Bills won't want to risk sending him to the practice squad. The point is that at those two positions, and definitely at the offensive line, the coaches are looking at more guys with the potential to be contributors on the 53 than they have room for. The message to those guys is "bring it every day, because only the best are making it." Even to Shady and Gore -"bring it or you'll be looking for a job elsewhere." Yeldon already has gotten the message. Shady and Gore have played their entire careers with that mentality.

If you live in any there are lot of ways to get your Bills fix. Not so if you live someplace else. That's why there are so many out of towners here.

I don't think Allen is anything like Newton, and I doubt Beane ever though so, either. Granted, they both are big and they both can run, but Allen's game is throwing the ball. Cam isn't all that good a thrower.

Sounds like drugs were involved somewhere along the line.

I was there, too. What I remember best was leaving the stadium, with Bills fans cheering and chanting and high fiving. It was SO cool.

Yeah, their all over the highway on the way back to New England after the game. I see them in the rest stops. I hope they have really long faces this year.

I hope we don't get more INTs. I think Josh won't be taking so many chances. This year he'll be throwing shorter, higher-percentage balls. His decision making will be better. I really didn't think he looked all that much like a gunslinger last season. Wasn't forcing too many balls. I have high hopes.

Yes, unless they've changed the policy. The theory is that the distant season-ticket holders aren't fans, they're investors. They're buying tickets to scalp on StubHub, etc. Bills don't want fans of visiting teams to have access to a lot of tickets. They figure that if someone local is buying the tickets, he's buying them to attend games. Plus, they want the tickets to sell to real fans when they get good. If a bunch of NYC guys own season tickets and the Bills and Jets are the two powers in the AFC East in five years, there will be tons of Jets fans at New Era for the Jets game. McBeane don't want that.

Ain't it grand?

I'm in Connecticut. Definitely not Bills' territory. Did you know that the Bills won't sell season tickets to purchasers outside "Bills' territory"? I think they won't sell to anyone who's address is more than 200 miles from Orchard Park, or something like that. If you call and ask for season tickets, they start by asking your zip code. Current season ticket holders are grandfathered.

I agree. People call it hero ball, and there was little question he felt like he had to carry the team. Plus, he didn't know what he was doing. I expect this year to be much different. He is going to be much tuned into executing the game plan. He is going to take the short throw because he knows he is supposed to. Plus, this year he will have Beasley and a pass catching tight end in those short routes. He's still learning, and he will plenty of hiccups. 2020 is when he will really blossom. Maybe this year, but more likely 2020.

Bado - Very insightful, until you get to the end. Keuchly already has had his share of concussions, so his playing time may be less than you might think, for exactly the reasons you give about Edmunds. The concussion risk is hard to measure. But for the concussion risk, it would be foolish to move Edmunds to the outside, because the middle is more important and he projects to be an all-time great in the middle. He almost certainly will add weight, so he should be a good run stopper to go with his fantastic ability to cover space in the middle passing game. He's a fantastic weapon. But as you say, the important question for him and for the Bills is do you want a fantastic weapon in the middle for two or three years or a wicked outside linebacker for eight or ten? If Edmunds' concussions are behind him, he should stay in the middle. If he's going to have more, he should move. Tough call.

I wasn't aware of this. Thanks for the info about Babich. Right. And not all the players those fan bases think SHOULD improve WILL improve. I have high Hope's for Edmund's, but his progress to another level is not a sure thing.

Sorry. If I recall it was a credible report directly attributed to Daboll or one of the qbs. I was a little surprised because I would have thought there was only one preferred order. Anyway, the Bills have changed to short first, then deeper.

This is excellent! I agree with this. It's a complementary team. It's what Minnesota looks like. I'm not sure it's the only way to build a receiving corps, but you describe what these guys look like and how they'll play. I just think we may very well find that Williams is the fourth, not Zay. Not a sure thing, I just think Zay has a lot to prove and that Williams may be closer than may appear to some.

This is why I think Foster is taking a starting spot from Jones. You've shown the numbers; Foster was easily as productive, probably more productive, than Jones, and Foster had a whole year's experience on him. If I'm right about that, now Jones has to beat out Brown, and I'm not so sure he can do that. If nothing else, Brown puts speed on the field that Jones can't match. I've been saying for months that once Zay falls out of the starting three, he's in trouble. Now he's fighting with two other guys - probably Duke Williams and Andre Roberts, for snaps. I think Williams has more natural talent, and Williams has more experience than people want to give him credit. Zay's had two years in the starting lineup and hasn't shown much. I agree that it takes receivers two or three years, but I think he has to make a big jump this year or he'll be in trouble.