SoTier

Gary Puckett was the lead singer of the Union Gap.

Here's a write up on Joseph-Day plus 3 other defensive players from an Eagles' site: 4 Free Agents Joseph-Day seems a worthwhile pick up since the Bills use a DL rotation.

Criticism that's based on reality is valid, but much of the criticism of Beane/McDermott recently hasn't been based on facts but rather on posters' untrue perceptions or ignorance. Check out the thread on the Mack Hollins signing for criticism that descended into crucification of Beane based on a single poster's ignorance, but there have been plenty of others. I wasn't aiming at you when I originally posted in this thread, but your criticism of Beane in the bolded sentence above is both unfair and disingenuous -- and certainly unworthy of criticism. While it is technically true that Beane hasn't drafted a WR in rounds 1 or 2, he did use a first round draft pick to acquire Stephon Diggs. ^^^ Oh, you guys mean like ... Collecting draft capital and doing due diligence so that the Bills could not only move up in the 2018 draft to take a QB but to take the right QB? Hiring Brian Daboll and then adding Ken Dorsey to develop Josh Allen into a generational QB talent? Trading for Stephon Diggs? Drafting Terrel Bernard in 2022 to replace Tremaine Edmunds? Trading for Rasul Douglas at the trade deadline because he knew that he wasn't going to keep White in 2024?

Isn't it ironic that you felt compelled to start this thread to push your hate for Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott while the Bills were finalizing the deal for Curtis Samuel? I guess the Bills aren't going to bed early on this FA period. IIRC, Beane & Company keep busy throughout the preseason and during the season (hello, Rasul Douglas!) Winner, winner! Chicken dinner! I don't get the hatred for Beane, either. At worse, he's the second best GM the Bills have ever had, and since he's still actively managing the Bills, he may surpass Bill Polian by winning a Super Bowl. His drafting has been excellent despite the whining of his detractors. He wheeled and dealed to move up in the draft to grab Josh Allen, a generational talent at QB. He pulled off the trade to give Allen his WR1, Stephon Diggs. None of his first round picks have been busts, although a couple haven't been quite good enough. Even among his 2nd round picks, I think only two, Cody Ford and Boogie Basham, have been outright busts. Compare that to the drafting records of other GMs around the NFL in recent years. What I like best is that Beane, though, is his forward thinking; he's not making making moves willy-nilly but prepares for future moves, and keeps his options open. He always has a plan or he comes up with a good one on the fly if necessary. He had Terrel Bernard ready to replace Tremaine Edmunds in 2023. He traded for Rasul Douglas to replace the injured Tre White whom he knew in October, 2023 he wasn't going to keep for 2024. Beane's detractors keep pushing the image that Beane doesn't know what he's doing but reality says that the Bills GM has his proverbial ducks all in a proverbial row.

Interior OLers (OGs and Cs) just don't get paid as much as OTs, especially LTs, so salary comparisons between the two OL groups are irrelevant. I do agree, though, that having an elite C is not a necessity for a good offense, but then neither is simply having an elite LT. A good, even an excellent, OL doesn't necessarily need to have any elite players if all of the players are good or very good, fit the blocking schemes that team uses, and work well together because good OLs frequently are better than the sum of their individual parts.

If Gabe Davis would continue to play for 4th-round rookie pay, he'd still on the Bills. He signed a contract with the Jags for about $50 million for 3 years. I really like Davis, but he's not a good enough WR to be worth that even if there wasn't a cap. You still haven't provided the name of a single "better" WR who would also play ST for about the cost of Hollins or Sherfield/Harty. FTR, I was a junior high teacher prior to going into IT where I spent 30 years designing and programming computer systems for educational and social services organizations, so I have lots of experience dealing with snot-nosed kids who think that they can bluff their way through their ignorance, whether in a classroom or production meeting, or online.

In one of my previous lives as a teacher, I'd give you a 0 on this essay answer because you failed to answer the question posed, which was to actually name some available WRs. Maybe that's how it works in Madden but not in real life, dude. Hollins' value is that he's a good STer who plays gunner, a position that every team with playoff expectations needs to fill with a competent player not just some random body. That he may be able to catch some passes is a bonus.

What "impact" WRs would you suggest for the money the Bills have to spend???? Keep in mind that the Bills have to have STers, and not all "impact" players are interested in playing ST even if they are willing to take less money to play for a contender.

You might want to fact check your statements before you post them in the future. All of the Bills' first round picks started as rookies: Tre White - started all 16 games as a rookie Josh Allen - started 11 games as a rookie Tremaine Edmunds - started all 15 games he played as a rookie Ed Oliver - started 7 games as a rookie Greg Rosseau - started all 17 games as a rookie Kaiir Elam - started 6 games as a rookie Dalton Kincaid - started 11 games as a rookie Moreover, these 2nd rounders started as rookies: Dion Dawkins - started 11 games as a rookie Cody Ford - started 15 games as a rookie A.J. Epenesa - started 1 game as a rookie O'Cyrus Torrence - started all 17 games as a rookie Here are the other rookies who have started for the Bills as rookies: Spencer Brown - started 10 games as a rookie (3rd rounder) Devin Singletary - started 8 games as a rookie (3rd rounder) Taron Johnson - started 2 games as a rookie (4th rounder) Matt Milano - started 5 games as a rookie (5th rounder) Christian Benford - started 5 games as a rookie (6th rounder)

I suppose you'd swap him for Russ Brandon, Beane's predecessor/boss. Brandon was the head honcho of the Bills for 11 full seasons, 2006-2017. His teams never had cap problems even though they signed such big name FAs as Mario Williams and Terrell Owens, but those teams only had 2 winning seasons and 1 playoff loss. I'll take missing the playoffs once in 7 seasons and "boring" FA signings any day ... but especially on Sunday ... and Thursday, Saturday, and Monday.

I would far prefer the Bills to go WR, DL or C/OG if there's a top rated prospect available at #28 before they take another TE. Kincaid, Knox and Morris are a pretty good trio of young TEs. Don't mess with what's not broke, especially when there are real holes elsewhere.

I've been a Bills fan since 1963. Except for the great Bills AFC teams in 1964 and 1965, the Bills have NEVER been league champs. Between 1967 and 1987 -- 21 seasons -- the Bills made the playoffs only 3 times -- in 1974 under Lou Saban and in both 1980 and 1981 under Chuck Knox. After only missing the playoffs twice between 1988 and 1999 under Marv Levy and Wade Phillips, the Bills then managed to flounder for the next 17 zstraight seasons without making the playoffs. FTR, that's 13 playoff seasons in 50 seasons. Let me tell all the complainers about the Bills not yet winning a Super Bowl, that winning football games is infinitely better than losing. Making the playoffs is infinitely better than not making them. Winning the division is better than making the playoffs via the wild card. Being a serious contender for the Super Bowl is infinitely better than being irrelevant to playoff discussions. I desperately want to see the Bills win a Super Bowl before I die, but if it doesn't happen, as long as the team (ie, ownership and FO) continues to make winning football games their first priority -- which wasn't always the case, especially in the 1970s and in the 2000s until 2018 -- then I'm good with the team.

Maybe but not that likely. Of the 32 QBs drafted in the first round since 2012, only 5 have become bonafide franchise QBs, and only 12 have become have become at least "quality NFL starters". I think that the 2021 QB class isn't unusually poor ... for all the hype that teams put into drafting a first round franchise QB, they miss more often than than they hit. Numerous draft classes have had no first round QBs become at least "quality NFL starters". A few times QBs drafted outside the first round turn out to be better than the first rounders. The most successful of the QBs from 2012, for example, are 3rd rounder Russell Wilson and 4th rounder Kirk Cousins, with an honorable mention to super-sub Nick Foles. First round QBs since 2012 (10 draft classes) ... 2012 Andrew Luck (1), Robert Griffin (2), Ryan Tannehill (8), Brandon Weeden (22) 2013 EJ Manuel (16) 2014 Blake Bortles (3), Johnny Manziel (22), Teddy Bridgewater (32) 2015 Jameis Winston (1), Marcus Mariota (2) 2016 Jared Goff (1), Carson Wentz (2), Paxton Lynch (26) 2017 Mitch Trubisky (2), Patrick Mahomes (10), Deshaun Watson (12) 2018 Baker Mayfield (1), Sam Darnold (3), Josh Allen (7), Josh Rosen (10), Lamar Jackson (32) 2019 Kyler Murray (1), Daniel Jones (6), Dwayne Haskins (15) 2020 Joe Burrow (1), Tua Tagovailoa (5), Justin Herbert (6), Jordan Love (26) 2021 Trevor Lawrence (1), Zach Wilson (2), Trey Lance (3), Justin Fields (11), Mac Jones (15) Of the 32 first round QBs drafted that have had time to prove themselves, I rated 5 as actual franchise QBs Andrew Luck (career cut short by injury) Patrick Mahomes Josh Allen Lamar Jackson Joe Burrow ... and 7 QBs that are/were quality starters are ... Ryan Tannehill Jared Goff Baker Mayfield Kyler Murray Tua Tagovailoa Justin Herbert Trevor Lawrence. I also considered 3 QBs that might eventually be at least quality starters and maybe more ... Deshaun Watson (injuries and off-field issues) Jordan Love Justin Fields. All the rest were lower caliber starters for a while or subs if they managed to avoid being busts who failed to stay in the league beyond their first contracts.

I'm in total agreement with both these posters! I sure do miss the days of watching Antoine Winfield, Sr, Willis McGahee, Jason Peters, Marshawn Lynch, Stephon Gilmore, Robert Woods, Jabari Greer and numerous other players the Bills developed helping their new teams win playoff games and Super Bowls while the Bills' seasons were finished by Thanksgiving and fans turned their attention to dreams of FA coups and finding future stars in the draft ... year after year after year after year ... The current Bills are always going to have to work hard to improve their team from year to year because they currently have such a good team anchored by a true franchise QB plus a quality OL and top defense. There aren't going to be many if any big name FA signings. There aren't likely to be any top five or top ten draft picks, either. It's going to be relatively small changes or finding special talents in the draft after all the big name picks are off the board. Deal with it.

FYI for folks in the Southern Tier and Northern PA: the Lakewood Wegmans has a good supply of Josh Allen bags. I couldn't find them last week when I actually looked, but I stumbled upon them near the frozen food section this morning.

Actually, none of the posters who complained about their jobs in this thread disliked their "line of work" (ie, the work they were doing) but the way they were treated by their employers. Big difference.

Pumpkins to apples. Dawkins is not a potential FA commanding top money at his position as Hill. Furthermore, good LTs are significantly harder to find than good WRs. More importantly, the Chiefs were able to work around the departure of Hill because they have one of the best OLs in the NFL. A team can't have a good OL without having solid performers across the line.

Dawkins is better than a "solid" LT, and his "running his mouth" is maybe a 5 on a scale of trash talk. Trade away a starting LT because he "runs his mouth"????? Seriously? The Bills have real things to fix, but LT is NOT one of them thanks to having Dawkins. Extend/restructure is a no-brainer. You don't fix what's not broke.

Even in good weather, Great Blue Herons in flight look odd. In fog and diminishing light, they definitely have to look like something out of "Jurassic Park"!

To be fair, there was no date on that article, and one of the headlines of another was about Tuesday's presidential primaries.

Were you on an athletic scholarship? If you were, were you pressured to give it up, and did you? Did you graduate from this school or did you go to another school or just drop out? Did you "burn out" because of the pressure to excel at athletics while still learning to navigate your first semester of college? Did you feel you were missing out on your college education in order to play college athletics? You don't have to answer any of these questions publicly. Just think about your answers. Recruiters for big time collegiate sports programs don't give a real picture of what's really expected of college athletes. They sell them on an idealized picture of getting a free education plus perks doing something they love to do anyway. What they don't tell them is the cost that they'll be expected to pay. Student-athletes are always under pressure to perform at the highest level no matter the sacrifice but somehow that doesn't find its way into recruiters' spiel. It was that way in the 1970s, and it's still that way in the 2020s. It lessens the ability of collegiate HCs to control their star players by controlling all the purse-strings. Since the 1970s, collegiate sports have been "reformed". Some of the abuses that have been limited include: colleges can't give athletic scholarships to students who are so academically deficient that they can't score minimum scores on the SATs; athletes have to make at least minimum progress towards degrees; that a certain percentage of a team's athletes have to graduate within certain number of years from when they started, etc. Sadly, many of the institutions of "higher education" that field the most successful athletic programs in football and basketball fought these reforms tooth and nail.

This is not what NIL involves. NIL allows to individuals to profit, if they can, from the sale of their names, images, and likenesses. It's independent of the college, and the NCAA, up until 2021, prohibited this. The NCAA still prohibits colleges from paying athletes for playing sports, which would certainly benefit the most popular sports and the biggest schools in those sports to the detriment of less popular sports and smaller programs. I think that the NCAA's transfer portal is what encourages "free agency at the college level" but that is definitely NOT NIL

You have obviously not had any experience with a big time collegiate sports program like football or basketball. I worked as a tutor for a large Midwestern university's football players for a single semester in the 1970s. This school was always in contention for the National Championship. Even though I was a starving grad assistant and the money was very good, I couldn't continue participating in a system which I saw as extremely exploitive. Most of these young men never sniffed the NFL, never got their college degrees, and certainly never made "connections in business/life through boosters". When they used up their eligibility and/or were seriously injured, they were literally kicked to the curb. The NCCA programs are much better now, but accepting a college athletic scholarship to a major Div 1 program is not nearly the ticket to a better life that many people believe except for those few collegiate athlete who become stars.

Here's an article to better understand NIL: NIL The average length of NFL careers is about 3 years, so the percentage of players from every draft class who actually succeed, much less become long-term starters who make significant money, is tiny. Many draftees will never make nearly as much in the NFL as they do from capitalizing on NIL while collegians. This might not be true of first round picks or even most Day 2 picks, but certainly for kids drafted on Day 3. A lot of Day 3 picks are proverbial "big fish in a small pond" types who aren't going to even make NFL practice squads. NIL is about the NCAA allowing collegiate athletes the right to earn money off of their images, names or other likenesses, which the NCAA didn't allow until a 2021 court case. Colleges still cannot pay collegiate athletes for playing sports. NIL is about individual athletes profiting from their collegiate -- and in some cases, high school -- fame.

I read the summary and then plowed through most of the actual article. I think this is the key statement from the full article: "Behavioral factors show high variability within breeds, suggesting that although breed may affect the likelihood of a particular behavior to occur, breed alone is not,contrary to popular belief, informative enough to predict an individual’s disposition." BTW, I think my dog Gibbs might have been part of this study! When I got his DNA results back, I participated in a voluntary owner survey which asked many questions about behavior, disposition, physical traits, and health. They used the same little circle format for owner supplied photos as they used in the main article!