Richard Noggin

To my eyes Addison's production comes at a cost: he loses contain and takes bad angles in pursuit. Obviously the Hail Murray comes to mind, but there have been other examples since. He lacks lane discipline and doesn't break down when closing in.

It's also possible that Flores knows honesty (even when it's unwelcome) is the only way to cultivate trust within an organization, and that made him a bad fit for a Dolphins org with a meddling owner and dysfunctional flow chart (GM and HC BOTH reported directly to Ross...which I want to say is begging for discord*). He apparently preferred a different QB prospect in the draft (which we all know is the most impactful decision ANY NFL org makes), was overruled by management/ownership, and seemingly did not fall in line with messaging/player management. I suspect the clown-show Fitz/Tua flip-flopping in 2020 involved some "intervention" from above. No coach can thrive under such mismanagement. Or, I'm totally wrong and Flores is solely responsible for his own undoing (which seems somewhat unlikely, given all we know). Or, Ross is a meddling, incompetent tool AND Flores dealt with that dysfunction in turn with his own dysfunctional reactions. That seems plausible, don't it? *do the Bills technically have both McD and Beane reporting directly to the Pegulas? That would be ironically hilarious, as the Bills seem concretely functional.

Our offense converting their opportunities into points...or not...felt like the determining factor most of the season. Forget the defense. Getting scored ON just isn't/wasn't a reason to be concerned; failing TO score, however, was. Every time we lost, you could point to squandered offensive chances to put the game away (or at least force the opposition into being more one-dimensional offensively). Even if you agree that the Bills offense is to blame for every regular season loss (maybe minus the Colts debacle), most or all of you disagree that the Bills offense is to blame for the Chiefs playoff loss. We all know the Bills D was gashed. And so was the Chiefs D. But think of the Bills offensive drives in the 1st-3rd quarters before Allen and Davis became historically unstoppable: the only successful 3rd and 4th down conversions came on plays where Allen ran it or threw it (where he kept it/did NOT handoff). On the contrary, a 3rd-and-2 handoff to Singletary (in KC territory) got stuffed, and a 3rd-and-1 to McKenzie got strung out. Both of those drive stops came on consecutive unsuccessful (2nd and 3rd down) running plays. That's unacceptably misguided play-calling, taking the ball out of your best weapon's hands. That is a self-inflicted failure to potentially score 3-14 more points.

I don't really care about the numbers. What I saw down the stretch was consecutive, historically elite performances logged by #17 when it mattered most. We all watched him, beginning in the 2nd half in Tampa Bay, ascend to a new paradigm. It wasn't linear, this ascension, but it was unmistakable. What we saw in the playoffs was unprecedented.

You're being obtuse here to prove a point, yeah? Because otherwise, wtf? Look at the offensive coaching moves, for example, especially with QB coach and OL coach. Those are ego-less, progressive hires.

I need to know what year this was released. It's simply...amazing. Not in a good way. Or a bad way. It transcends lazy, ethnocentric value judgments.

Poor coach has a mandate to make it work with Tua, seems like (of course). That vid is a little cringey, but not because of McDaniel's demeanor, as many are suggesting. I think a less formal, more awkward and authentic personality can potentially work with the young player cohort in the NFL. Appeals to authority don't land the way they once did. But such relaxed personalities don't often translate well in staged settings, precisely because faking it is anathema to their ethos. My read, anyways.

There's a part of me that wants to chuckle here, and a part of me that wants to cringe (at both me and you). I think such superficial judgments are outdated and culturally biased/prejudicial. I have been guilty myself of internalizing (but hopefully not acting upon or passing along) these same judgments.

CB and IOL (with DE, WR, and TE to follow) are the biggest needs to my eye. Unfortunately, drafting for need is a fraught endeavor.

My only disagreement is with your assessment of the depth at S. I think Johnson, and especially Hamlin (as you've noted) have earned on-field roles. Johnson is the punt team "protector," which is right behind the gunners in terms of value/impact. And Hamlin was seeing the field on D late in the season, which ain't easy to do given the guys in front of him on the depth chart. So I think one of those two young guys is in line to replace one of the two established vets as soon as 2023. Most likely Hamlin (and I don't know which guy he replaces). It COULD happen this year, but that isn't how this regime has handled roster decisions to date (moving on from core guys VERY pre-emptively). At some point you'd guess McBeane will have to stop overvaluing experience and leadership in order to keep the cap in good shape, but I'm thinking 2022 is too soon for their beloved safeties. Weren't Hyde and Poyer McD's first signings (assuming Whaley wasn't exactly in charge at that point)?

These offensive coaching replacements feel like upgrades. Bodes well for McDermott's continued growth/willingness to evolve.

This loss is probably bigger than many fans and commentators will recognize, given Webb's sizable contributions as an offensive (and I think defensive assistant, if I'm remembering correctly) quality control coach AND as one of Josh Allen's best friends on the team and definitely in the QB room. Luckily, Allen has probably progressed to the point now that he's ready to fill in that preparation gap created by Webb's departure. And of course the apparently excellent relationship between Dorsey and Allen might entirely mitigate Webb's absence during game prep. Am I right that Webb even helped the D prepare/break down film each week? Anyone with the maturity to perform a 10-to-30-second Google search or two?

Kind of sensed that what'd happened. He makes the cap space expand nicely, but doesn't make as much sense ON THE FIELD as the other cuts you discussed. I'd keep him, too, based on the replacements you've floated. O-line is just too darned important at this point in our build to willfully enter the season with self-inflicted question marks and depth issues. He looked good at RG in 2021. Like moving a veteran CB who has marginal top end speed to S, maybe sliding a healthy, but not super nimble Williams, inside to G, maximizes his abilities (while unfortunately being pricey because we paid him to be a T).

The 7-figure annual salary would entice me to swallow some pride in the event someone offered me such a job. Sacrifice for a year or two (doing what you ostensibly love) and forever stabilize your family's finances? Sign me up.

You don't analyze or comment on cutting Williams, but there he is in your conclusion. Who replaces him? Wasn't he pretty good this year when at RG? Especially given that the guy next to him was a rookie who had significant ups and downs. Can't be creating holes without a plan to fill them with a net positive result for the roster overall. Also, I'm not coming after you, just looking for rationale for including Williams in your cut list.

They've viewed him as a starter the last two seasons, though, haven't they? Definitely this past season, at least. Last season (2020) they brought in competition for him (Norman), but they didn't really do that this year, did they (I'm asking sincerely)?

So as a former post-secondary educator, and someone who worked hard to keep up with best practice in the teaching of underprepared and first generation learners especially, what McDaniel is describing here is "transparency." A teacher, or coach, can foster more trust, buy-in, and efficacy by giving students, or players, an honest look behind the curtain. Essentially: this is what we're doing, this is why we're doing it and how it will benefit you (and/or the team) in the short- and long-term, and this is how you'll be evaluated on it. It's a whole school of scholarship in pedagogical design. And it's just an authentic way to reach diverse learning cohorts.

Even Allen himself has begun admitting the obvious, that his body takes a beating during the season. I'm sure most of us have heard little mentions in interviews. He's young enough and strong enough and lucky enough thus far to still be effective even when sore and to bounce back in the offseason. But NO ONE escapes the toll that repeated NFL collisions take on the human body (except maybe Adrian Peterson). We all know that annoying, empty vessel (who wore #12 and recently retired to much fanfare) consistently and sheepishly (and maybe smartly) avoided hits like that other whiner, Marino. Except that one time decades ago. Bless you, Nate Clements.

A few of those measurables, especially height, arm length, and wingspan, are coveted by many teams. And for a starter who played almost exclusively press man in college (on a top defense), and has since played a heavier zone scheme in the pros (on a top defense)…the guy offers an intriguing blend of youth, experience, versatility, and availability. Maybe the Spotrac number is a bit optimistic, or maybe Wallace stepping up this season before AND after Tre's injury has finally earned him a serious contract from at least one of the 32 teams always looking for CB help.

And someone is alleging that was 100% intentional.

Does Will Fuller actually PLAY football? I know he's been on rosters, but...

Plus, above-average CBs are relatively expensive in FA, if they even reach FA. Once you've got your QB, ya gotta keep the prospect pipeline stocked at DL, DB, and/or WR. Those individual freaks tip the balance. Other positions and groups (like OL but not necessarily based on individual talents/pedigrees) still matter, but the elite guys who play out there in space (DB and WR), or perhaps prevent the QB from involving them (DL), matter most. Sounds perfect for the Bills. What a steal that would be so late in the 1st round.

With respect to the bolded: yes, the "grand scheme of things" suggests we should reserve or at least temper judgment for any single one of Beane's moves, given the overall results to date. However, let's not allow good to be the enemy of great here, either. The Bills need to see better returns on their cap investments moving forward. Just because they've made the playoffs recently doesn't mean we can't critique the roster build and cap construction moving forward. In fact, it means there is LESS room for error and bloat. Paying an ELITE QB tightens the margins considerably (which is a good problem to have).

Read as a continuous sentence, as typed, this means something completely different (and potentially fascinating) than what you intend.

You say it's not hyperbole, your criticism of what happened against KC, and at first I disagreed with that characterization (that it isn't hyperbole), given the emotional language invoked ("scared," "embarrassing," "weak," etc.). But by the end I'm actually mostly on board with your take. The Frazier defensive plan does NOT seem to work against elite offenses/QBs. They have answers to simple, repetitive riddles, no matter how awesome the safeties are.