Richard Noggin

Love me some Reggie Gilliam. STs stalwart and provides FB/H-back/TE flex on offense. Now, if the Bills DO roster 3 TEs (instead of usual 2) as many are anticipating, a guy like Gilliam could potentially be at risk. But I think he's such a solid 4-down player and maybe more valuable to McD's roster vision than we want to admit.

Post-snap he pops upright too much, too fast; definitely relies on head fakes and shimmies like he's playing basketball...and still, he was keeping to his run keys (not knowing pre-snap obvs) on some doubles and keeping his eyes on the play as it developed. His height alone is a deterrent, he batted a pass, right? and he did record what looked like multiple hurries.

And yet he was still effective. No doubt he has much to learn. But you can't teach what he already has.

Why not both? Absurdity is increasingly appropriate as I age.

He carries himself with a confidence that can be seen as aloofness or hubris, and obviously he's the ultimate privileged nepo baby. However, he has handled the draft debacle with apparent grace and class, and seems to possess the blend of arrogance, ambition, and self-critical awareness (often attributed to his HOF dad's lofty standards) that you really want to see in a franchise QB prospect. He's been rich his entire life, got richer during college, and has had to navigate the intense spotlight from proximity to his father's star while also being forever overshadowed. He's got a lot to prove to the league. And when you listen to him, it sounds like he's got a lot more to prove to himself and to his dad. Pressure coming from outside that paternal legacy might not register much, and maybe that's when he comes off as too cool for school.

Age (30) doesn't concern you, given the top-of-the-WR-market extension McLaurin is seeking with I'm guessing at least 3-4 years additional term? Imagine instead if a short-term extension was somehow on the table...bring him in for two big prolific SB run seasons with Josh Allen slinging it at the absolute peak of his powers... "It's so obvious why....people (fans of other teams) complain about [it]"? - or - "It's so obvious why the NFL want[s] to make Josh the face of the league"? Have you tried a Ring system, or maybe ADT?

I believe Beane is clearly not willing to meet Cook's desired AAV, and therefore it's on Cook to either hold-in/out and/or request a trade, and whether to finally report and play Wk 1 when none of that other stuff works. Maybe adding new performance accelerators or bonus money just for 2025 could be a middle ground? Is there any precedent for that approach? Allen's mechanics are more and more like Aaron Rodgers', as loath as I am to even type it.

None of what you're proposing is how the NFL works, at all. Nor is Cook being accused of having "a sour attitude." Your 'old school' approach to managing a drafted RB's contract year training camp tactics would only make things worse. The goal should be to pave the way for James Cook to ball out in 2025 and maximize his 2026 FA value. The thing to avoid is a publicly contentious stalemate that results in the player requesting a trade (unless of course someone wants to offer real value for said player who we otherwise know the Bills at best will receive a mid-round compensatory pick). Can't guarantee Cook won't amplify his offseason "business" strategies, but the Bills can aim to respectfully endure and de-escalate. That's just not how anything works either. Your hardline stance would make things worse, rather than better. Cook's contract demands wouldn't change AT ALL based on your proposed punitive, cumulative 'hold-in' reductions to a Bills offer that is already below the player's perceived market, and in fact would likely result in that player feeling insulted and less willing to participate at all in offseason practices and preparations. Cook's recent hold-in is perfectly understandable for a guy who doesn't want to expose himself to injury during the preseason, while also maximizing exposure during the filming of Hard Knocks. NFL contracts are not guaranteed, so guys entering their final seasons are risking everything while their orgs are risking nothing. I side with the players, always. They create the value, not the owners. Teams should be non-profit orgs like the Packers. Owners are not necessary. Public/taxpayer money and TV/streaming contracts make it all happen anyways.

Why are the Bills so unwilling to give the fans what they really want: blue jerseys over white pants with red helmets? It's their most glorious and relevant uni combo, bar none. The all-whites with red helmets are also rad, but not necessarily better than the ALL-whites (with white helmets). Red helmets. Red end zones. NOT red jerseys.

RIP Niagara Gazette

I was only still becoming a savvy football fan as the 90s began (entering my teen years), so the impression I have is of a physical plugger who wasn't exactly an asset against the pass. Could definitely be mistaken. He was rostered for 2-3 more years after he left Buffalo.

I remember Conlan differently at the end of his Bills tenure. Maybe it was more about his general stature/posture and prominent neck roll, I don't know. He was fast coming out of college. Was he still fast in 1992? Maybe he was.

Only accuracy he had as a rookie was DEEP. Ask Robert Foster. Maybe, selfishly, this helps to prevent his poaching and he sneaks onto the PS again. Shavers and Virgil are high end PS WRs imho.

My Niagara County house, bought in 2017, has more than doubled in value in 8 years. (Probably more than that, even, with all we've done to it.) But the exponential scale of equity accrued by Thompson's developed property in nearly half the time is bonkers. Money makes money. Affluent markets make money. Warm climate non-flood zones make money. Eventually the property values in WNY and CNY will increase at an accelerated pace compared to country-wide due to higher latitude advantages like improving agriculture and viticulture conditions and legendary fresh water access. Whereas the Carolinas will be subject to intense heat events and destructive extreme weather disasters. Outside of WNY's own localized disasters like floods and blizzards, the general YoY trends will take much longer to reach cataclysmic levels in much of NYS. The temperature trendlines of the Great Lakes are probably the most impactful markers of future problems. (Lake Erie gets REALLY warm these days; harmful algae blooms are increasingly common, as is reduced winter ice cover which leads to heavier lake effect totals.) Where is your residence in relation to flood zones and watersheds?

Awesome! What are you referencing when you identify his matured personality? I want to watch/listen/read.

Secondary market will always have Bills tickets, but as many have noted, a number of higher profile games each year will be fetching prices WELL above cost. Seems logical that PSLs will actually encourage more STHs to seek recompense by selling a choice game or two to highest bidders (often visiting team fans) on resale sites. The whole PSL program forces even devoted, old school diehard fans to face the commodified realities of contemporary venue construction cost overages and who actually is on the hook. Hint: it ain't the billionaire ownership. Oh, sure, the Pegulas fired a lot of people when it became clear they would be liable for a little more than originally planned, but the original NYS taxpayer investment of $850M + several hundred thousand $ in PSLs eventually sold easily outweighs the true Pegula investment. Plus unlike the Pegulas, who bring in revenue, we get no financial return on our investments...unless of course we decide to treat it more opportunistically. How 2025 goes on the field will have a real impact on how Bills Mafia treats seats in the new stadium next year. Such a perfect season to finally win it all.

Can you say more on Ed? What specific examples are you drawing from? Super interesting take on a guy who's been a bit of an enigma to date. His game against the Lions (and their physical, top-rated o-line) last season was complete and ELITE. That Aaron Donald-Lyte type of disruption and aggression that the optimists hoped for when he was drafted. In context, over the final 7 games last year, beginning with the Rams wk 14 and ending with the Chiefs in the AFCCG, Oliver recorded 10 QB hits, 19 tackles, 4 TFLs, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery (while playing ~70% of snaps over that span). He played well when it mattered overall, despite being completely invisible for at least 2 of those final 7 games (DEN and NE). Inconsistency his biggest issue?

He was so badly miscast in McD's predominant off-coverage alignments and read-and-react schemes. His draft pick had all the makings of a reactive, need-based move to not miss out on the last "top"-graded CB once KC nabbed McDuffie. Despite the poor scheme/technique fit, unfortunate injuries, limited snaps, and what seemed like a uniquely poor mesh with DBs coach John Butler, Elam in his Bills career STILL had 2 big INTs off Mahomes, 1 of which came in the playoffs. He also, admittedly, was an absolute game-changing liability in last year's AFC title game in KC after Benford went down. The Bills defense definitely hasn't been as adaptive and strengths-based in its player development and WoW gameplanning as the Bills offense has. Kromer and Brady are incredibly flexible and responsive to what their guys do best, in my opinion. Kromer especially has been able to customize run blocking and pass blocking techniques and schemes based on what each dude does best. Felt like when Elam entered the game against KC, the Bills didn't have a specific contingency designed to maximize his strengths or minimize his weaknesses. They might have even further simplified their gameplan away from his strengths, making it more predictable and easier to exploit. Edit: Elam might also just be a limited, handsy CB who can bump-and-run and not much else.

Do the math (in this case, it involves subtraction)

Tease.

To the bolded: Josh Allen knew EXACTLY what the question meant. She asked what the media and fans are NOT talking about, but should be. And Josh sort of gestured and sighed, shrugged almost, answering: "I wish I could honestly answer that. I don't even know what you all are talking about..." but then he offered up something he thinks we should all be talking about.

Calmer than you are

He got it right later in the writeup. To get these pieces posted same-day is impressive and appreciated, even if it involves a "Burce Smith" mention.

Makes sense. (Loved that 1st quarter especially. Fun one. Did Losman win that at the end with an in-breaking TD along the back of the endzone?)

My pitch, take it or leave it: