-
Posts
9,845 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Gallery
Profiles
Forums
Events
Everything posted by Shaw66
-
Former Panther Alert: Bills sign Shaq Thompson LB!
Shaw66 replied to FireChans's topic in The Stadium Wall
Well, that's interesting, but I don't think it's correct, for a couple of reasons. First, of the 90 guys on the roster, probably 40 of them were either drafted by the Bills or were undrafted free agents who've never been on other teams. So that means that if your 10% is correct (probably about right), there should be four or five ex-Panthers, not nine. In the early years of McBeane, I'd guess that there were more than that. I didn't mind - there's a real benefit to having guys who are familiar with what you're doing. In those years, I think the Bills had more than four or five. Lately, however, I think you're correct. The joke continues, but the Bills aren't picking up every guy the Panthers let go, not by a long shot. Makes sense. Thompson is one of the few guys left who were with the Panthers when McBeane were there. -
Former Panther Alert: Bills sign Shaq Thompson LB!
Shaw66 replied to FireChans's topic in The Stadium Wall
Broken leg isn't an issue. Achilles is always iffy, but that can be full recovery. -
Former Panther Alert: Bills sign Shaq Thompson LB!
Shaw66 replied to FireChans's topic in The Stadium Wall
Of course, it will depend on how well he comes back from the Achilles tear, but he was a first round pick and apparently a talented guy. Sounds like he brought more to the table than Klein ever had. -
Former Panther Alert: Bills sign Shaq Thompson LB!
Shaw66 replied to FireChans's topic in The Stadium Wall
Tore his achillies less than a year ago. Is he PUP? Late season insurance? Had a solid 2022. Broke his leg in the second game in 2023, tore his Achilles in game 4 last season. If he can get healthy, seems like a nice addition. -
Joe Brady says Dalton "lived here this offseason"
Shaw66 replied to sunshynman's topic in The Stadium Wall
Didn't see the Netflix show, but I'll take you word for it. It was impressive. But no one could match it? Come on. He's just a guy on a workout program. It's also well documented that he's a dedicated family man, so that alone means Mahomes is, one might say, wasting a lot of time that he could be using to train. Allen's competitiveness has been well documented - his teammates are amazed at how he competes and prepares. He has Brady, Palmer, and the entire Bills training staff developing training regimens for him, as well as personal trainers and dieticians. He has been a 100% straight-arrow dude since high school, doing whatever it takes to make himself a winner. He is close to McDermott, and McDermott's dedication to being prepared is legendary. I think there's no basis whatsoever to conclude that Allen is doing less than everything he can do to make himself the best player he can be. -
Joe Brady says Dalton "lived here this offseason"
Shaw66 replied to sunshynman's topic in The Stadium Wall
Good to see you, Thurm. Frankly, I've forgotten about last season, and I'd forgotten about that play until I saw the discussion here. I saw it like you did. It was one of those plays where, if you want to win championships, you need someone to make a play. Josh didn't, and Kincaid didn't. It was a tough, tough throw under the circumstances, but one that Josh needed to make it better. If he'd made a better throw, none of us would have been surprised. We would have said "Incredible Throw!" but wouldn't have been surprised. And it was a tough, tough catch, particularly as we know now Kincaid was playing without his usual mobility. If he'd made the catch, none of us would have been surprised. We would have said "Great Catch!' but we wouldn't have been surprised. Eli made an incredible throw, and his man made an incredible catch, to beat the Patriots. Edelman picked a ball of the ground to win some big game. We came name a dozen of those plays. Making the play and not is the difference between winning championships and knowing that you let one get away. I wanted to wake you up from your nap. -
Joe Brady says Dalton "lived here this offseason"
Shaw66 replied to sunshynman's topic in The Stadium Wall
You must be OLD! -
Who was invited to Josh and Hailee's wedding?
Shaw66 replied to Willie West's topic in The Stadium Wall
Great point. It's true; you made one point and then responded to comments. And that's one of the practices that makes you such a solid contributor here. You have interesting things to say, you say them, and then you move on. Here, people are responding to you because, well, something struck a nerve. -
Who was invited to Josh and Hailee's wedding?
Shaw66 replied to Willie West's topic in The Stadium Wall
That's wrong. That's like saying football practice is a colossal waste of time. In both instances, it's about practicing to increase the chances of a successful outcome -
Who was invited to Josh and Hailee's wedding?
Shaw66 replied to Willie West's topic in The Stadium Wall
For you and me, perhaps, but it isn't for us to decide what rehearsal dinners are worth to others. To each his own. $1000 to see a Bills game is ridiculous, but I've done it. -
Who was invited to Josh and Hailee's wedding?
Shaw66 replied to Willie West's topic in The Stadium Wall
Interesting take. I like it. But it's only one example of a consumer economy running way out of control. Cars and watches and vacations and cell phones and restaurants and and and. -
Nice thoughts here. Thanks for helping us all remember and be grateful.
-
Most Beloved Bills: 1 year (ok up to 2)
Shaw66 replied to BillsShredder83's topic in The Stadium Wall
I think was 97 yards. I heard Fitzpatrick talk about it (or maybe it was TO). Broke the huddle and lined up. Both of them looked at the defensive set and thought, "oh, boy!" Fitz and TO made brief eye contact. Then the snap, and they just did it. TO actually didn't have such a good year in Buffalo. He was, as you say, a total pro. But every year in the league after his fourth season, TO went for more than 1000 yards, except for two years when he would have made it, but for injuries, and his single season in Buffalo. His problem in Buffalo wasn't injuries; it was named Trent Edwards. For whatever reason, Edwards did not throw the ball to Owens. That ended when he was benched for Ryan Fitzpatrick. It was pretty clear that Fitz's thought process was something like, "Hey, I'm a mediocre QB on a bad team that happens to have a HOF pass receiver. I'm throwing it to him." Owens' targets and receptions went up. If Fitz had started the whole season, Owens would have been over 1000 yards. -
THE ROCKPILE REVIEW – McDermott’s Formula on Display in the NBA
Shaw66 replied to Shaw66's topic in The Stadium Wall
Cal - I'm not upset. You're one of the guys I most enjoy talking with about this stuff. We have different takes, and I like it. I said you're the poster child because you, like others, do seem to regularly read something into what I write that I don't intend: I'm not here to reflexively defend what McBeane do. I talk about why I think they do what they do. You seemed to be saying I thought they were super football genius, and I don't. I think they've worked hard to develop a plan and their following. Maybe that's not what you were implying. Sorry if you got the wrong impression. -
I agree. I think the Bills are heartless decision makers. The only question is which players make the team better? From that standpoint, Daquon is at risk, just like everyone else is at risk. Having said that, their decisions about who makes the team better will be colored by what they've seen players deliver in the past, so it may be hard to unseat simply by looking better in camp. A lot better, sure. A little better, well, then the coaches start thinking about what a guy adds in the locker room, whether the guy has shown a tendency to be better as the season progresses, etc. etc. McDermott has made it clear how much he values having a veteran leader in every position room. Daquan may be that veteran leader for the tackles.
-
THE ROCKPILE REVIEW – McDermott’s Formula on Display in the NBA
Shaw66 replied to Shaw66's topic in The Stadium Wall
i stopped reading here, John Elway. And probably others. Marino. -
Hey, everyone. This is a great discussion. It's why coming here is so good. A bunch of people who know at least something about what they're talking about, and a lot of give and take about the player and the situation. Love it. I had no opinion until I read the thread. Here's what I think now: Bottom line, I have to agree with the notion that it's a year, the first of several, to make a run at the Super Bowl. Can't release talent and create a hole if you think you can win it all. However, there are a couple of countervailing thoughts. One is that the Bills clearly are building for a multi-year Super Bowl run. Last year they cleared out a lot of veteran talent that contributed but that wasn't likely to be part of that run. Jones is one more of those guys, so I'd think his days are clearly numbered. The fact that there's a cap savings to be realized is a nice bonus. The other thought is a the theme I've been on lately, which is the Bills love versatile players, which often means undersized but overachieving guys. Just like the Bills obviously are not in a hurry to get a stud wideout, I think they're also not in a hurry to get a classic one-tech. They have Carter coming back and they've drafted some guys who project as under-sized one-techs. If they have one true big guy who can hold his ground to insert in the lineup on short yardage, I think the Bills might decide to go under-sized one-tech route, hoping to achieve what they need with quickness and competitiveness rather than bulk. So, there's a way I can see it, but I would guess it's much more likely a move to be made after this season.
-
THE ROCKPILE REVIEW – McDermott’s Formula on Display in the NBA
Shaw66 replied to Shaw66's topic in The Stadium Wall
Maybe you're the poster child for why I'm misunderstood around here. What I try to do is understand what McDermott and Beane are thinking. Many people, including you, seem to confuse that with my thinking they're great. As I've said in this thread and elsewhere, often, is that I'm just trying to understand. If I understand their philosophy, I understand better what's going on with the team. I haven't said they're a "super genius duo." I think they are extraordinarily good at executing their plan, a plan that's based on their philosophy, but it doesn't matter how good they are at executing the plan if it's the wrong plan. Some people are sure it's the wrong plan; I understand the plan and can see how it could work, but I don't really have an opinion about whether it's the best way to build an NFL team. What do I know? The only thing I do know is that the Bills are winning more regular season games than just about any other team, so that much is good. Whether this is the way to finish the job, I don't know. I have my doubts, but in the meantime, I'm rooting for my team. And I don't see anyone out there who's giving their team a better shot at winning, year after year, than these two. McVay was the flavor of the month a couple of years ago. Shanahan. Reid. Now it's the Eagles guy. As I've often said, if the Bills cut McDermott loose, he'd be some other team's head coach in 24 hours, subject only to the Rooney rule. So, by that standard, I'm perfectly fine betting on this duo. I don't agree the Bills went the "star route." I hadn't said this before, but in the NBA comparison I've been talking about those teams having one star - in the NFL setting, it might be necessary to have two stars, one on offense and one on defense. That's the point that Uticaclub just made - SGA does it at both ends, and Jokic can't. Allen does it on offense, and maybe you need one on defense, too. I would guess that signing Miller wasn't going the "star route," (which I think is the Jerry Jones philosophy). I think it's more likely that it's going the route that they need one lead dog on each side of the ball. Miller didn't work. Now they're trying Bosa, and in both cases it's intentionally a short-term effort. In the meantime, we see them drafting all guys with high ceilings. I think the Bills are doing exactly what the Chiefs did when they drafted Chris Jones - drafting high ceiling guys and hoping one outperforms his draft ranking. -
THE ROCKPILE REVIEW – McDermott’s Formula on Display in the NBA
Shaw66 replied to Shaw66's topic in The Stadium Wall
This is a really good point. Excellent point. As extraordinary as Josh is, it's hard to see him fitting into McDermott's defense. He isn't the physical type. He's such a competitor, I can imagine him learning to play the edge - has the size, strength, and speed - the raw talent - but he doesn't look the part. Just like Jokic, who makes plays on defense but who struggles to be good enough on that side of the ball. I love McDermott and I want to keep him, but the point about coaching change is important. I don't think a coaching change would help the Bills - the roster is built to play the game he wants to play, and changing coaches almost certainly would mean changing the roster. It would mean starting over. Someone commented about the Warriors needing to change from Jackson to Kerr to get good. The difference was amazing. But Jackson clearly didn't know what to do with that roster, and Kerr did. McDermott knows what to do with his roster - it's exactly the kind of roster he wants. I don't know where you'd find someone better. Maybe Shanahan, who seems to share the philosophy. But he hasn't won either. Maybe that means that the philosophy is wrong. I've said this before - McDermott thinks that football really is team wrestling. He wants 11 guys on the field who approach each play like it's a one-on-one wrestling match. And that's another thing that makes his model similar to the NBA - the toughest wrestlers all seem to be wrestling up a weight class and using competitiveness, tenacity, and quickness to overcome a modest weight and strength disadvantage. I'd bet that if McDermott watched the Thunder on Sunday, Caruso was his favorite player on the floor, given how he fought with Jokic. I don't think there's a coaching solution for the Nuggets. I think the roster was built for the 2010, and it's trying to win in 2025. I think Gordon and Porter, Jr., like Jokic, are a step too slow and too one-dimensional for the modern game. They aren't slashers. Even Murray has the problem. These guys are good players, but they don't have the body types or personalities to play with their hair on fire, which is what you see from Indiana and OKC. -
THE ROCKPILE REVIEW – McDermott’s Formula on Display in the NBA
Shaw66 replied to Shaw66's topic in The Stadium Wall
Yes. Yes! Yes!!! You're absolutely right, it hasn't worked to win a Super Bowl. And if you look back, I haven't said that McDermott is right and that this will work. All I've been talking about is that his philosophy about this is the same as the philosophy that the winning NBA teams are using. One thing I haven't said about the NBA teams is that as much as the philosophy that makes the Thunder so good is tough to maintain. Players come and go, and you need the right mix of personalities, the right chemistry, for the team to function in the synergistic way the Thunder is playing now. It's tough to keep it going. On the other hand, it has worked to make the Bills consistently one of the top five teams in the league. And (this is something I've written about before) McBeane said early on that their model is that the team will get better every year. They meant it - better year after year. That's what we've been seeing. I think Beane's been masterful this year, extending the best core talent on a very good team, then drafting a bunch of guys with high ceilings. I think the Bills will be better this season than last, and I think 2026 will be amazing. There are different philosophies. Jerry Jones likes his stars. The Eagles, the Lions, and Mike Vrabel believe in power. McDermott believes in competitiveness. (Obviously, everyone like stars and power and competitiveness - I'm talking about what the team style or personality is.) I don't know if McDermott is right. I'm encouraged by the fact that his philosophy seems to be the philosophy that currently wins in the NBA, but that doesn't mean it will work in the NFL. -
THE ROCKPILE REVIEW – McDermott’s Formula on Display in the NBA
Shaw66 replied to Shaw66's topic in The Stadium Wall
No. All these teams have a star. I named them. It's a team full of dogs, with a lead dog. SGA is a lead dog. Brunson is a lead dog. Allen is a lead dog. The difference between Jokic and Allen is that to be the lead dog, you have to be a physical match for the team's style of play. Jokic isn't a physical match for the kind of team offense and team defense that the surviving NBA teams play. And it pains me to say that, because I absolutely love Jokic, his skills, his determination. He is a dog, for sure, but his body type and physical limitations require that he slows down the game. As I said, five relentless high-end athletes can play team basketball better than four relentless high-end athletes and a big, slower superstar. -
THE ROCKPILE REVIEW – McDermott’s Formula on Display in the NBA
Shaw66 replied to Shaw66's topic in The Stadium Wall
I think it's interesting to compare the two. The QBs are interesting, for example. It's not just a new set of young star QBs, they are different QBs. Manning and Brady couldn't run and didn't need to run. Because of rule changes and strategy evolution, it's almost impossible for a QB to succeed if he isn't a running threat. In my mind, it's the big knock against Burrow. The Bengals suffer because he isn't really a threat to take the easy running yards. I see something similar in the NBA. Rule changes, including the three point shot and how they officiate, has changed how the NBA plays. For a while it's been difficult for a big man to really dominate. Shaq may have been the last. You have Jokic and Giannis, exceptional talents, but everything has to fall together just right for them to win. Instead, and this was my point, you have teams running, really running, with five guys who can run, jump, shoot, and defend. The difference, as someone pointed out, is best seen in the defense. Five quick guys, 6'2" to 6'9" can defend better than four of those guys and Jokic, or four and Giannis. The big guys, mobile as they may be, aren't mobile enough. I haven't watched the NBA this year until the playoffs, and I don't know what happened to Durant this year. I assume he's at the end, maybe he was injured, whatever. Durant had awesome speed and quickness for a man his size, and he was devastating in his day. But I think coaches have figured out that they can win more with a smaller, quicker guy in the lineup (assuming you can figure out how to replace his points). So, for example, you have four teams left, all of whom play this way - stifling defense, with one star who gets you the points you need and who still plays defense the way you need. Five guys running together, attacking relentlessly on offense and on defense, with a star leading them So, what we're seeing this year is smaller teams with one star. You need the star to get 25-35 a night. The rest of the guys have nice offensive skills, can shoot threes, etc., but they win by having five guys on the floor who can cover the whole court, who can defend tough, anywhere, close out on threes, defend in the paint, anywhere. (Caruso on Jokic the other day was amazing to watch - pure determination, and it worked). And because teams are putting five guys on the floor who can defend anywhere, you need five guys who can play offense anywhere. The Celtics showed it last season - everyone can shoot threes, every can drive. Celtics hadn't gone all the way yet, because they Horford and the other big guy who aren't mobile enough, but they made it work. And this is where I see the similarities with what McDermott has been doing. Early on in Buffalo, McDermott said that the problem in football is to attack the entire field, vertically and horizontally, and to defend the entire field. And McDermott has been pushing the roster more and more toward what I just described as the NBA model. We all fret about the fact that the Bills don't have a true one-tech tackle. Why not? Same reason the 7'2" center is tough to win with - the big one-tech guy just isn't as mobile, isn't as versatile, can't cover his gaps as well as smaller, quicker guys (three-tech guys). The smaller guys are challenged in some matchups (just like Caruso was challenged sometimes by Jokic), but McDermott's view is that if he has smaller guys who fight like hell, he can get good enough performance in those physical mismatches, and he can get better coverage of territory with the mobile guy. Same thing with Bernard, undersized MLB. It's why Beane and McDermott talk all the time about being competitive - they're putting undersized guys on the field, guys who make up for the lack of size with speed and quickness. Same thing with Spencer Brown - sometimes he looks outclassed, physically, but his quickness and versatility, combined with his tenacity, makes him valuable. He's a lineman who allows the offense to attack all of the field, because he can block all over the field. And that's just like I've said about the NBA. The style these teams are playing features, relentless defense, with guys working really hard to make everything difficult for the offense. And as I said yesterday, that's why the Bills receiving room looks the way it does. We can argue about whether they're good enough, but the style of the receivers is obvious. Every receiver, including Kincaid, has enough speed to get deep when they face the right defense or matchup. Every receiver blocks. Every receiver goes over the middle. It's the same as the Thunder's offense - yes, they have a star in SGA, but every guy on the floor is a threat, every guy plays well in a motion offense. The result in both cases is that the offense is best able to attack the entire field (football) or attack anywhere from the three-point circle in to the hoop. And the Bills don't care how talented a guy may be, if he won't play that way, happily, the Bills don't want him. Exit Diggs. And as I said, these NBA teams are good, better, actually, without having to chase after multiple super-stars. And what's really good about this philosophy is that there are more players who can play the new NBA style than there are super-stars. I live in New England and I watched the Celtics a fair amount last year. The guy who made that team was Jru Holiday. And guess what? He's the same model - fast, quick, relentless defender, good offense from all over the floor, not a super-star. Guys like Holiday aren't exactly a dime a dozen, but there are more of them than there are mega-stars, so you can find them and add them to your roster. I see the same thing when I look at the Bills' roster. All those guys the Bills have extended in the past couple of years, none of them is the close to the highest paid guy at his position in the league. They're not super-stars. But they all have the characteristics I'm talking about - fast, quick, relentless, team players. McDermott's philosophy is that 11 guys who play like that will regularly outplay 10 guys and a star who doesn't fit that mold, no matter how good he is otherwise. That's why Elam is gone - he was, presumably, more physically talented than some or all of the corners on the team, but he just wasn't useful because he didn't play the relentless team defense McDermott requires, play after play. Dane Jackson does. Benford does. White does. That's why, I think, the Bills don't go after the free agent agent edge who takes plays off, or a guy like Metcalf, who I also think takes plays off. You don't see anyone on the Thunder taking plays off. I think it's the same philosophy, and I don't think it's a philosophy followed by every team in either league. I love watching Doncic play, but I think he makes it impossible to play like the Thunder play. Still, the Lakers bet on him.