SoTier

^^^ I will address both these posts below: The Jests FO with help from their coaches have again built a great team on paper but we all know that the Jests are the champs of winning the off-season. They've built a roster filled with lots of expensive, older, often injured players that makes it absolutely necessary for them to make a serious playoff run in 2024 because not only are they're operating in "win now" mode, but because the owner is likely to fire their collective arses if they fail to make the playoffs again. Salah simply hasn't shown that he's a good enough HC to even get his team to the playoffs much less win in the post-season. The AFC remains significantly tougher than the NFC, so just getting to the playoffs will be hard. In the AFCE, the Jets likely have to get past the Bills and/or Fins to grab a playoff berth. It's likely that multiple AFCN teams make the playoffs again (three made the playoffs last season, including 1 with a backup QB and the other with a pretty poor starting QB). Moreover, several of the moves the Jests made last season, most notably signing Rodgers' buddies and then failing to sign an adequate back QB after Rodgers' injury, suggests that there's dysfunction and/or incompetence in the FO. I got the impression that essentially everyone on the Jests bent over backwards to accommodate Rodgers. Maybe this wasn't their choice but a dictate from owner Woody Johnson. IMO, the chances of the Jests making the playoffs is south of 50% because they are depending upon a HC who hasn't demonstrated much growth after several years in the job and so many older players with injury histories to make it through the entire season unscathed.

I think it depends upon the specific player they draft -- and the priorities of the FO that led them to make that trade. It's easy for fans to say, "we have to draft a QB in this draft!" but that's not always possible. It was a big-time fail when the Bills determined they were going to take a QB in the first round of the 204 draft, so they traded their 2005 first rounder plus a second rounder and another pick to move back into the first to take JP Losman at #22 after taking Lee Evans at #13 when the top three prospects in that draft class (Manning, Rivers, and Roethlisberger) were gone by pick #11. If a QB isn't a good value to take at #13 why ever would you trade so much to take him 9 picks later? It was also a fail in 2013 when the Bills traded back to take EJ Manuel because he wasn't really a first round prospect at all -- none of the QBs in the 2013 class were -- but the Bills took him anyway. Drafting a QB in the first round -- and having him play early -- is a sure way to excite fans into buying tickets, especially if the team has missed the playoffs for several years. The top priority of the Bills FO during Ralph Wilson's last years was to maximize profits by putting butts in the seats. It sure wasn't a fail for the Bills to trade up to #7 in 2018 to take Josh Allen. I doubt that they would have made that move up to draft any of the other QBs in the 2018 draft because McBeane's top priority has always been to win football games, and they wanted Allen. Would they have settled for one of the other first round QBs in 2018 if Allen was gone earlier? I'm really not sure.

The difference between Pittsburgh and Washington and/or the Giants is that the Stillers have an elite defense, an excellent running game, and a solid OL and decent receivers. IOW, they're a much better team than either the Commanders or Giants. In fact, the Stillers have the same kind of team that Wilson had during his successful seasons with the Seahawks.

Asking that question means that you are just another one of the lemmings who think that maybe, just maybe, Beane and McDermott actually might know what they're doing. Watching Russ Brandon trade away All Pro LT Jason Peters and replacing him with waiver-wire refugees in 2009 convinced me of the importance of having a solid OL. I think it was 2 or 3 years before the Bills got around to even drafting an actual LT. Prioritizing need over talent sets up a team for failure. A team like the Bills has to make its high draft picks count because the draft is the best place to find the difference makers they need. If there's a WR and/or DE as well as a C on the board that the Bills have graded as first round talents, they should take the one they think is likely to become a stud. If there's a first round C on the board but none of the WRs or DEs left are close to his quality, it's a no-brainer to take the C. Maurkise Pouncey went to the Stillers at #18 in 2010. Nine times Pro Bowler, 2 time All Pro. He retired after the 2020 season. The only season he failed to make the Pro Bowl was the season he suffered a season-ending injury in the opening game of the season. He came back the next season to be selected All Pro a second time.

I'm in! I've already advocated drafting a center at #28 in a couple of other threads. Even if there's not a run on WRs, the fact is a great center will help Allen more than a good WR, and you're more likely to get a great IOLer than a great WR at #28

I haven't watched a lot of Fields, but I think he has a skill set reminiscent of Russ in his prime, so they can both work in the same type of offense. My guess is that Russ will start the season with Fields as his backup. If he can't recreate the form he had in Seattle, then Fields will get his shot. Even if Russ excels and Fields doesn't see much playing time, I think that the Stillers may re-sign Fields for the future if he looks good in practice.

I picked Thanksgiving or Black Friday because I think they've done pretty well on Thanksgiving. Allen and the Bills made the NFL pay attention to them in 2019 when they smacked the Cowboys around 26-15 on Thanksgiving Day.

I disagreed with you because it's not "insane" to wait until somebody is actually convicted before penalizing him/her. Even perverts have rights.

Most people don't like change. The NFL traditionally has only played on Christmas when it fell on the weekend or Monday. Christmas coming on Wednesday has just magnified the change in NFL policy to play games on Christmas. Obviously, it's too much change for some people.

The NFL is a business, that's it's purpose. The ratings were so high for last year's Christmas game that Christmas Day games were inevitably going to become a fixture on whatever day Christmas falls on.

I hope he can make a great comeback!

I'm sure it's not a 50-year-old VW bus conversion.

The NBA has been scheduling games on Christmas for decades. The NFL scheduling games on Christmas is only "different" because you obviously aren't an NBA junkie.

I would definitely return it. I've had more PCs, lap tops, work stations etc over the years than I can count, and have never have one "pop". I doubt it's an "undocumented feature".

I find it interesting that many of the same individuals arguing for failed first round QBs to get second or even third chances are so fast to dismiss Levis after his rookie campaign, even though he played better as a rookie than numerous first round QBs in the last few years.

Name one NFL HC, current or since the merger, who ever said anything but "it's hard to win in the NFL". McDermott may be defensive-minded and rather conservative but he coaches to win football games. Jauron coached to not lose football games by too much. He was "risk adverse" to the max. If you think that Dick Jauron has been "crucified", during his tenure 1) you were too young or too far away geographically to watch the Bills often or 2) you never watched the Bills while sober or 3) you are suffering from serious memory loss. I was a Bills season tix holder during part of Jauron's tenure, so I had an "up close and personal" seat to his incompetence.

Absolutely agree. At the Bills' talent level, they need players who will make significant impact even as rookies. MHJ, Nabers and Odunze are the guys most likely to be studs from the get-go. They are significantly better than the rest of a very deep WR class where potential good WRs are likely to be available even in the second round. If a team can't move up high enough to get one of the very top guys, what's the point of spending next year's first when sitting tight or trading up only a couple of spots can yield a WR of about the same caliber of any other WR they could get at #17 or #18?

Woody doesn't want to admit that drafting Wilson was a mistake like drafting Darnold in 2018, Sanchez in 2009 and then giving him an extension, and signing Favre in 2008. People might begin to think that he's the problem with the Jests since he's been the owner since 2000 with a succession of GMs.

What exactly does "take the next step" look like to you? Fire the coaching staff? Sign some big name defensive or offensive player(s)? Trade all their draft picks to move up to #4 or #5 in the draft to take Marvin Harrison, Jr???? Instead of just whining, actually make some suggestions. Realistically, Beane had/has limited options in significantly improving the team because of the cap. Every team paying a franchise QB shares those limitations to varying degrees. They are going to lose some good players every season, and they're not going to be able to sign many big name talents in their stead. It's a balancing act and a hope that all goes well. The Chiefs, for example, chose to resign Chris Jones and trade away L'Jarius Sneed for very little compensation. It looks like a reasonable move now but what if Jones suffers a season-ending injury in September, and the Chiefs' D struggles to stop teams, especially in the red zone? Excellent post. I like posters who provide some reasons for their stands rather than simply complaining or praising. Depending upon how the draft falls out, I would not be opposed to the Bills taking one of the two centers projected as first rounders at #28 or even higher if they feel they need to move up to get one, but I'm always in favor of BPA because the Bills need difference makers not just "good" players in order to improve. A lights-out C can help Allen more than a "pretty good" outside WR who probably can be had in the 2nd round in this deep WR draft. If one of the highly rated defensive players falls or the Bills move up to get one, I'm good with that, too. I think Beane has filled the gaping holes in FA with an eye to drafting BPA in the first round in order to get a potential stud regardless of positon.

Excellent post. I think that the Bills are at the point where grabbing a real difference maker in the first round regardless of position will pay the biggest dividends in the future, especially when the depth of the WR class means that there will be good WRs available in the second. I think that Beane's moves in FA suggest that he's leaning that way himself; he's filled the glaring holes so he has the freedom to take somebody he likes best, especially if one of the two centers projected as first rounders happen to fall. If the Bills don't go WR in the first round, I wouldn't be surprised if they traded up in the second to grab one.

I like Gabe Davis as a $4-6 million a year WR but not for $39 million for 3 years. He's simply not consistent enough. Like you, I don't assume that Diggs is finished. He seemed to have been double teamed constantly toward the end of the season, which suggests that the other Bills receiving options weren't effective enough to force defenders to make hard choices on coverage. IMO using Diggs in the slot seems a waste of his talent, but maybe the Bills wanted to see if Davis could step up to become a reliable downfield WR on the outside. Davis didn't/couldn't, so the Bills let him walk.

Miami did not get stronger. They lost their best defensive player plus some other key players and have replaced them with guys at as "sketchy" talent/experience wise as the Bills signees. A wash. How did KC get better? They had to trade away their DB Snead for next to nothing because of cap issues. If there are questions about the Bills signing Samuel, then signing Hollywood Brown is just as questionable. Pitt will be improved if Russell Wilson can regain his Seattle form, but the Jests have put all their hopes on a forty-one-year-old QB coming off an Achilles injury who is flirting with politics and who will play behind a newly assembled OL filled with older guys or guys coming off injuries or both. Baltimore, Cincy, and Cleveland are in the same boat as the Bills, KC and Miami: since they're paying franchise QBs, they have limited cap room so they can't make tremendous improvements via FA. The draft is probably much more crucial in determining which of the top AFC teams improve than FA. I enjoyed Davis' long TDs as much as any Bills fan but it's very hard to deny the balls he dropped and how he so often failed to get open. What makes your TD/reception stat irrelevant to determining a receiver's play is that it ignores how many times the receiver was targeted, made catches or dropped the ball. I think that for receivers, TDs per target would be a more useful stat than TDs per catch. Of course, stats can't measure clutch plays, and Davis failed to make too many clutch plays to be worth what the Jags paid him.

Reality check. The Bills drafted Elam at #23 after KC drafted Mcduffie at #21. I'm not sure if the Chiefs traded up to do that.

Yes ... which should be later in the third round since Atlanta has made some significant moves to challenge Jax in the AFC South this coming season.

My two favorite Dylan tunes ... This was the Beatles first performance in the US. Then there was the "Motown Sound" ... The Supremes ... The Four Tops ...