SCBills

I get how it can be annoying, but he has zero ties to Buffalo. Played his entire career in Denver. Was traded to LA. Hometown is Dallas. He has ties in all those places that Buffalo could never replicate. He's an honest guy, and I'm entirely confident that we'll hear similar stories from him down the line about how much Buffalo also means to him. We have guys like Stefon Diggs wanting to re-sign here. If a player loves football, Bills Mafia is the fanbase to rep, and Von loves football.

Was not aware this season had already been played.

The Bills roster is widely viewed as the best roster in the NFL because Beane has done a great job at putting "above-average/high-potential/reliable" talent everywhere, with depth, and yes.. most importantly.. with an elite QB. Elite Talent: Allen, Diggs, Miller, White Above Average Talent: Dawkins, Morse, Oliver, Edmunds, Milano, Johnson, Poyer, Hyde High Potential Talent: Brown, Bates, Cook, Davis, Rousseau, Elam Reliable Talent: Saffold, Singletary, Crowder, Jones Good (Rotation) Depth: Keenum, Howard, McKenzie, Quessenberry, Settle, Phillips, Jackson Then you look at the young guys I didn't mention.. Shakir, Hamlin, Bernard, Epenesa, Basham.. Juries still out on them. The OL depth is pretty good for in comparison to most NFL teams. Every group on this team is likely above average in comparison to other NFL teams. The depth is above average in comparison to other NFL teams. So when we say "Who has a better roster, Buffalo or Tennessee?".. QB is the main difference, but other notable differences are that they don't have a WR1.. they don't have the depth we have.. and they don't have above average talent or potential at almost every position on the roster. There are noticeable weaknesses to exploit on paper. On paper, Outside WR depth in the only glaring deficiency for the Bills.

I'd agree that, while surprising, us trading Milano wouldn't be shocking. Could very well be that Edmunds hasn't been extended yet for accounting purposes and Bernard was drafted as a Milano replacement once he gets a year under his belt. Not sure it makes a ton of sense, in terms of asset allocation, to pay good money a Slot CB, MLB and OLB, while also spending a Day 2 pick on an OLB for a team that only has 3 of them on the field at a time. Caveat being the Bills saw the Bengals throw a 3-3-5 type defense at the Chiefs and said "we want to be able to do that with high talent players".

I'm 100% keeping Moss. I'll trust Beane when he referenced him still dealing with the aftereffects of his injury last year. Moss looked good in his rookie year and I'd rather have him as an option in 2023 playing for a contract should Singletary walk. Epenesa.. this guy was viewed as a top 10 pick heading into his last year at Iowa. I'm certainly giving him this year, with Von and the other young guys, to try and make his mark. It takes EDGE rushers time to develop and Year 2/Year 3 is typically when it happens for them, if it's going to happen. Ford is definitely in a fight for a roster spot. I'd keep him because he showed legit talent at OU, but I'm not sure he fits Kromer's athletic profile. I have a ton of confidence in Aaron Kromer and will be fine with whoever he decides makes the cut.

The only caveat I'd say here is that if we don't re-sign Edmunds, chances are high that we use our RD1 pick on a LB. Hopefully we're drafting at the back end of RD1, and that's a prime spot to snag a top tier Guard/Center prospect. I think we have a decent OL and nice weaponry around him this year, but I'd really like for the team to get him some high draft pick ammo next year.

You're spaz-posting at someone who just said he doesn’t own a gun and is open to some forms of gun control. All because I stated we also need to look at other factors. Thank you for proving my point about those like you.

When you refuse to address the myriad of other issues driving the gun violence epidemic, yes. I understand progressives have one track minds and can only focus on one thing at a time… Guns, Abortion, Ukraine Sometimes more nuance, discussion and innovation is needed to handle modern issues. We are a country awash with guns. Those who want them, can get them. They will always be able to get them. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make it harder for them.. but we clearly have a country ravaged in some corners by anger, hate, mental illness, depression and desperation. Do you believe we should not address any of that? Our culture is being destroyed from within. I’d rather not be lectured about violence from those who’s new rallying cry is demanding zero limitations on their perceived right to kill the most innocent amongst us.

Two cops just shot in Philly during fireworks, plunging the festivities into chaos. I don’t even know what the answer is… I don’t own a gun, and am reluctantly open to some gun control, but this is clearly much deeper than that .. until the obsessively ridiculous “ban guns” crowd decides to look more inward as to what we have become, and are further becoming as a culture, nothing will change. This is societal decay.

As someone who’s not sold on Edmunds, or perhaps more-so the need to invest heavily in the LB position.. I would not be shocked at all to see Edmunds become an absolute monster this year. My worries would be that he needs a dominant DL to operate behind and that it’s bad asset allocation to pay two LB’s big money… but as we’re a Nickel team, I can stomach that if he makes the jump.

He has trade value. If we were “stuck” with him at a price we didn’t want to deal with, we would have moved him by now.

That view may be correct, but it’s also a hard sell for some of us when we’re also looking at a back 7 where we are debating a new contract for Poyer, pay Hyde decently well, have a top flight CB in Tre White, paid our slot corner, paid our other LB and drafted a RD1 CB a few months ago. It’s hard for some of us to accept, and it may he absolutely true, that Edmunds is a key cog that’s indispensable for us having an elite defense BUT we also have all these other top of the line, well paid Back 7 players AND a DL consisting of Von Miller, multiple recent RD1 and RD2 picks, plus decent money for a space eating DT etc.,

I think most people here see the big picture. Marino also points out that Edmunds, right now, is not on the level of the highest paid Linebackers. If he doesn’t make a jump this year, behind a potentially elite DL, it’s going to be hard to swallow a Darius Leonard contract. Furthermore, if you overpay by 5M AAV for a guy who never becomes elite, that is how you start putting yourself in cap jail. So far, Beane has been spot on with his big contracts, which is how you build a contender that doesn’t mortgage the future. Also, we can likely keep Edmunds, Poyer, Knox, Oliver etc., if we really want to.. but it also means no Roger Saffold, DaQuan Jones type signings anymore. Easier pill to swallow if Edmunds is paid in the 13-15M range or earns the 19M, and we finally start devoting RD1 picks to the Offense.

I listened to it yesterday while driving out of town. Really informative podcast, with some analysis/comparison that I wasn’t aware of. That said, it’s all about money. We can pay everyone as long as they are worth getting creative and backloading contracts. They better be worth it though.. because Beane has done a great job building a team that is a Super Bowl favorite without mortgaging the future. Start handing out massive contracts to guys who don’t live up to the “down the road” cap space hit, and you start closing that window. He does a good job addressing the contract money at the end, in terms of who Edmunds compares to and what options we have. Definitely a must listen for Bills fans on, probably, our most divisive player.

Not Bills related, but this is one of the best hype videos I’ve ever seen and I need y’all to see if too.. I think us drought era Bills fans can identify with the Vecna “suffering” intro…

There may be a drop off. Many of us are conceding that possibility if Edmunds, or Poyer while we're at it, walk after the season. Does the drop off hinder our ability to win a Super Bowl? No. QB - Josh Allen WR - Diggs/Davis TE - Knox OL - Dawkins DL - Miller/Oliver/Rousseau CB - White Those guys are all foundational pieces towards winning Super Bowls. Everyone else is a luxury. Edmunds, Milano, Poyer, Hyde, Singletary, Johnson, Jones, Cook etc.. all good to great players... all luxuries. If any of those guys have elite years, it helps... it doesn't mean we are winning a Super Bowl. If guys on the OL/DL step up, I don't see who can beat us. QB, Skill Positions and the Trenches. Focus there. Then.. if we can afford it.. if it makes sense.. pay guys like Poyer and Edmunds.

I'm already mentally preparing myself for this. Part of me wants to extend Edmunds simply so we can draft someone for Josh in RD1.

Good point. This is why, despite meh results, Beane has been obsessive in addressing DL. His priorities are absolutely in the right place. You can have a great secondary, which we have.. doesn't matter much against elite offenses if the DL can't finish. You can have good pass defense linebackers, which we have... doesn't matter much against elite offenses if the DL can't finish. The 2nd and 3rd level are great to have, and absolutely can be the difference in some games.. but at the end of the day, the game is decided by QB's and in the trenches. I expect our LB's and Secondary to look absolutely filthy this year, because this DL has elite potential. The DT rotation, in both talent and depth, is one of the best in the NFL and if any of the young pass rushers make a jump... watch out.

I'd be willing to extend Knox right now. I think he's got elite potential that will be realized and would be willing to take the gamble this offseason if it shaves a couple mil per year off his AAV. Oliver, I'm close but in wait and see mode. Edmunds I'm not close, but hoping to have my mind changed. Poyer, I'm pretty much indifferent to.

Agreed. Because you typically need high level play from pass rushers and cornerbacks to win rings. Not so much with safeties and linebackers. That's all I'm saying. If Edmunds balls out, let's pay him.. but he and Poyer should be last on the pecking order if Knox, Oliver and Davis also ball out.

Agreed.. but we are, as an organization, thinking about paying Poyer and Edmunds, but we can also agree that they aren’t difference makers in big games.. To me, they are luxuries. I think Edmunds can become a difference maker, but - so far - a difference maker, he is not. Im just pointing out that we can talk about all the intricacies of what our Safeties do, what Edmunds may do etc., all we want …. However we still needed a RD1 CB and to invest heavy in an elite pass rusher because those guys aren’t difference makers when it matters.

If/When Allen wins a ring, he will be viewed as the best QB in the NFL. Plenty of people around league circles already view him as such, and the ones who rank Mahomes ahead of him, typically do so based on his Super Bowl ring.

I agree with a lot of what's said here, but do we really care about having "the best defense" with guys like Edmunds, Poyer and Hyde apparently having all these complex assignments, when they seem to destroy mediocre Offenses - only to struggle against anyone with an elite QB and/or power run game? I'm confident we've addressed those issues with guys like Von Miller, DaQuan Jones, Kaiir Elam etc., but if the other guys are so valuable, we shouldn't be going into yet another offseason where we needed to invest so heavily on defense, no?

I certainly have no issue paying him if he balls out this year. We've seen how well the the large contracts Beane has handed out are aging. As long as you bet big on the right guys, it works out in the end. When you lose that bet, that's when you start running into cap issues. As of now, I'm ready to bet on Knox. I'm close on Oliver. I have no reason to think I won't be ready to pay Davis after this season (if it comes to that with how WR's are wanting to get paid heading into their final contract year). ..Edmunds is the only guy I'm iffy on.

As of right now, I agree. I'd feel differently about paying a MLB if he was a unicorn.. which is what we were/are hoping he is.. However, so far he's been a slightly above average MLB. To sign everyone, we need to be absolutely certain they are worth creatively structuring long term contracts that coincide with a growing cap. If we aren't certain, we have to let them walk or try to get them in on a shorter term/front-loaded or evenly-loaded contract, which means less flexibility in getting other guys in under the cap. I'm not paying Edmunds if it means losing Knox, Oliver or Davis, and I'm certainly not comfortable backloading a contract on a guy who hasn't shown he's worth top of the line MLB money that would require a creative contract from us given other priorities also coming due.