Mikey152

Light boxes and not a lot of short yardage carries are a big reason his YPC are so high. I think the fact that when its 3rd or 4th and 2 or goal to go, they aren't giving the ball to Devin very often (and when they do he doesn't have a great track record)...that's why they aren't bringing him back. That said, I don't think he is a bad back. He's just not what the Bills need.

It’s hard to take this post, and any other complainer’s post, seriously when they suggest that the Bills play a simple defense. Their defense is pretty much the opposite of simple. Sure, they don’t have elaborate or flashy blitzes, but their zone system is incredibly complicated and constantly checking into different plays/coverages based on personnel and alignment on offense. Our back 7 are probably the best coached in the whole league. That said…it’s unlikely this defense will just lineup and physically dominate the other team. Their players just aren’t wired like that or built like that. so in the playoffs when it is cold and you have injuries and the best offensive minds…it’s just not a great recipe. It was especially bad this year because the team was a shell of itself both physically and emotionally. I get everyone is upset we lost, and even more so about how we lost…but this board is just sad. I thought Bills fans were better than this.

It’s not really Andy Reid, and honestly it’s not really Travis Kelce either…he’s a great TE, but I see some people on here saying he’s just too big and too fast and that, flat out, is not the reason. Nobody wants to hear it, but it really comes down to his position and his quarterback. First, as a position TE is almost unguardable when they play in-line because the guys lining up over him (dl and lb) are trying to tackle the guy with the ball. If they focus too much on the TE, your pass rush and run defense suffers. If you try and cover him with a CB or Safety, you expose your back end and run defense. The way to stop a good TE without sacrificing other aspects of your defense is by playing zone and getting consistent pressure that gets home. Thats where the qb comes in. Mahomes makes teams pay if they pay too much attention to Kelce…but even more so his elusiveness and ability to buy time with his eyes downfield negates the best weapon at stopping a TE: pass rush. Mahomes abilty to threaten the whole field, combined with his ability to buy time and make plays is what makes Kelce great. With enough time, any decent TE or Rb can find space in a zone. I will give Reid this, though…that dude is a master a scheming “legal” opi. One more reason it is tough to play man against Kelce

Am I the only one that can read the graph? The Bills circle on the graph is significantly larger than the other teams around them in A) the standings and B) number of games missed. The fact that their circle is the same size as teams with significantly more injuries says exactly what everyone is saying...quality, not quantity, is the issue.

They also ran right at him quite effectively... I love Jerry and wish he could have retired a Bill, but at his age and salary, it just wasn't a fit and they parted amicably.

IMO, the plan was for Shakir to play more, but he whiffed bad on a block against the Rams (I think...or Titans) that got Josh blasted and hadn't played much since. Hopefully he learned his lesson.

It’s because it’s not a race…only one guy knows the finish line and can even change it on the fly. on a go route long speed, flying 20, top speed, etc are way more important than 40 time…if gabe Davis walked his route, the corner is walking too. this is how Jerry Rice always got open…his 40 was slow, but his flying 20 (ie second 20) was elite.

Blue Allen Red McCoy Blue Stevie Blue Takeo Blue Kelly Blue Thomas Blue DeLamielleure I also have a Josh HS jersey...

There are two major flaws in his logic: 1 - It was pretty clear that the 2021 Bills were sleepwalking through the middle part of the season after beating the Chiefs (and losing to to the titans the way they did), and didn't really wake up until after that first half in Tampa Bay. 2 - They are a better team this year. Josh has more experience, the offense has more speed, the o line and d line is better, and the corners are better once Tre is healthy.

Actually, while I wouldn't say he wasn't explosive...his jumping numbers at 246 pounds weren't world class. What made him an elite pass-rushing prospect was his change of direction skills. His 3-cone and shuttle were better than most corners. This goes hand-in-hand with what Joe B. is saying...his balance and overall athleticism is just insane. He hasn't lost that, and it's a skill set that ages better than pure explosive guys like a Shawn Merriman.

If he was hurt, I doubt they would continue running those planned runs... I think the more likely explanation is he is making a more concerted effort to throw with some touch in order to throw a more catchable ball, and it is throwing off his timing in a game situation. Probably works a lot better in 7 on 7 or against air in practice.

Here’s what I struggle with when it comes to Brady…He is not and never has been the most impressive QB in any one specific trait amongst his peers. He wasn’t the most cerebral (manning), athletic (just about anybody), accurate (Brees), strongest armed (Rodgers, Flacco, Big Ben etc). You never really watching and just think “wow” So it’s really hard to accept him as the GOAT, for many of the same reasons he fell to the 6th round in the first place. So many guys SHOULD be better than him (and are certainly more gifted). But at the end of the day you can’t argue with results. He might not have huge strengths, but he doesn’t really have any glaring weakness either, and the one most people would agree he has (athleticism) isn’t really a prerequisite for the position in the right offense. I guess what I am trying to say is, he has easily had the greatest career of any qb ever…maybe any football player ever. But if you were building an all time fantasy league, I’m not sure he even gets drafted. He’s a Honda Accord. When you account for styling, fit and finish, reliability and cost, probably the greatest car in history. But nobody talks about how they’re gonna but one when they get rich.

The most successful true transition (ie no college football experience), IMO, was Carlton Haselrig. He made a probowl. He and Neal (the other true wrestler only who had success in the NFL) both were heavyweights and both played guard.

And I forgot Doleman at DE...Theyre actually tied with Miami for 5th all-time in number of HoF players...will be 11 once Fitz and Revis qualify. https://archive.triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/pitts-all-time-team-heavy-on-hall-of-famers/

You'd be hard pressed to come up with a better school when it comes to best NFL QB, RB, WR, TE, OL, DL, LB, CB, S combo of all time. Marino, Dorsett, Fitz, Ditka, Rueben Brown/Bill Fralic/Russ Grimm, Donald, Ricky Jackson, Revis, Carlton Williamson

Pass Rusher is really interesting... When you evaluate 3-4 outside linebackers/speed rushers, explosion and/or lateral agility REALLY matter. So much so that if a guy doesn’t have it, you might as well not even bother. On the other hand, 4-3 defensive ends, especially guys that play LDE, are different. Their job is different. Pass rush is important, obviously, but they also need to set the edge, disengage from blockers and rarely get a free release/direct route at the backfield. Explosion is useful, but not a primary skill because it often leaves them out of position for anything but a 7 step drop...it’s guys like Hughes that get lots of pressure and not many sacks in today’s NFL. GR is exactly what you want at LDE. He’s long, smart and athletic enough to close and finish when he gets the chance. I only saw him in one game (vs Pitt), but he killed us. He’s never really blocked...it seems like he can shed the tackle/guard whenever he wants. When I watch him, what I see is a disciplined pass rusher that is excellent at contain and finishes with a quick close and long ass arms (not to mention some of the biggest/strongest hands I have ever seen). I loved Calais Campbell coming out, and I love this kid, too. A+

I’m going on Saturday. Draft experience first, then second row seats...

Not something I can share...it was a “perk” for buying tickets to the draft. I was wrong, btw...it was Beane and Licht from Tampa Bay. Nothing ground breaking, but a good talk about the trade up for Josh, the importance of pro days (I guess two guys drove like 2 hours to catch balls for Josh at his, which stood out to Beane), and somebody asked if the players have takes on the draft. Beane said sometimes if they work out with or know someone, and Licht said never. Brandon Beane is a legit good dude. Super easy to root for.

This year, instead of having meet-and-greets at the draft, the NFL is offering 3 virtual sessions for people attending the draft (with tickets to the main stage). The first one is tonight, and is being hosted by Peter Schrager. As the thread title says, Brandon Beane and John Lynch are the main guests and will be discussing scouting and the NFL combine. If he says anything interesting, Ill be sure to reply to this thread. The fact that those are the two GMs they picked to discuss this topic tells us something about where Beane ranks in the overall GM hierarchy, IMO

I think it’s still disappointing for me because of one real fact. back when the Bills were bad and/or irrelevant , it was clear nobody was watching their games based on what was said about them. It was straight up lazy journalism. I just always assumed (and was even told) that they just needed to start winning...and in a certain respect they were right. People do talk about us more now, but it’s still pretty evident that most of them don’t actually watch the Bills play very closely (if at all). It really makes you wonder if any of these talking heads even actually like football. Peter Schreager said that the Bills are being led by Leslie Frazier and the defense and Josh hasn’t done anything in the playoffs less than one week after saying our defense is garbage and Josh single handed lyl led us to victory. It’s insane. week to week the narrative completely changes and there is almost zero context. So in a sense, I understand that we got what we asked for and the bills are relevant...but now that they are I see that just because people talk about your team, it doesn’t mean they actually know anything about your team. It might be even more frustrating.

Let me start out by saying that I don't think, at least at this point in his career, that Lamar is even an average passer. Having said that... I remember over a decade ago when I was living in NE, some guys from WEEI were interviewing Tom Brady and it was a great interview about playing QB in the NFL. He talked about how he was lucky to have continuity with the coaches. That while they had a new playbook each season, and a subset of those plays for each game, if a particular matchup called for a play from a previous season, it was always at their disposal because he had "been there, done that" so to speak. He then went on to talk about Alex Smith (who, at the time, was struggling in SF and had several OCs) and how he was never going to be successful if they couldn't lend him some stability. Then the talk shifted to Vince Young (this is where it is really relevant). If I remember right, this interview was maybe a season or two into Young's career. If you remember, he was pretty good as a rookie then sort of faded as teams began to defend his scrambling more effectively. Brady basically said that while his physical skills are amazing, the offense they were building around him there wasn't conducive to long term growth. That if he wasn't allowed to open up the passing game and make mistakes, he would never grow as a passer. He said that sometimes coaches are more interested in winning than they are in developing a QB, and with a guy like Young (or Lamar), you'd rather roll with a safe offense that takes advantage of his skills instead of suffering through some growing pains so he can develop new ones. I still think about what he said when I think about Lamar. Im not sure the Ravens are willing to take a step back, and Im not sure Greg Roman has the chops as an OC to develop a pocket QB. When he was in Buffalo, he even had a passing game coordinator.

my favorite part with Josh is actually AFTER he is done dancing...when he runs off looking like a kid that was in trouble after his dad said "quit goofing off and get over here".

I think that the harsh comments about his career leading up this year are a sneaky way for most of the pundits to save face: They weren't "wrong" about Josh Allen...he DID suck. But the Bills coaches did everything right and Stephon Diggs is the man and yada yada yada. Not that any of that is wrong, but they still have a hard time giving Josh Allen any of the credit. I think THAT is why it is frustrating. They completely gloss over the most important part...Josh was never a JAG. All the coaching and Diggs and everything else worked BECAUSE Josh is and always has been good enough to take those steps.

I think the early season concern over the defense, while warranted at the time, was overblown in hindsight. Half the D line was new, they’d lost the two biggest defensive leaders to retirement in back to back seasons, both the starting linebackers were hurt (and the backups were banged up, too), and something was clearly up with tre early in the season. guys got healthy, the dline started figuring it out, and Jerry Hughes became a leader along with Jordan Poyer. They look far more like themselves, and in some respects maybe even better...they finally have a complimentary offense that can force teams to be more one-dimensional

probably one of Clements, Winfield or Gilmore...but pre-injury Spikes is a strong contender along with any of the Williams boys