Richard Noggin

My pitch, take it or leave it:

So what happens to trigger the release of Camarda only the day before camp begins? Is it physical condition when reporting? Injury status? Is it some kind of agent-driven desire for a better/different opportunity? (possibly sensing their player's uphill battle to win competition?) Or is it simply that the coaches/front office decide to devote 100% of early camp snaps to other guy, Baskin Robbins, and see if he's got the chops with his leg and with his hands (as holder)? This seems like the gamble. We believe enough in the younger, cheaper guy to find out for sure right away, and then possibly bring back the other guy or some other vet if Christopher Robin doesn't seize the job.

On #1 we all reflexively cringe on some level watching the guys go quad and glute crazy sustained load in reverse like that...but also, variety of movement is preferred to repetition for long term injury avoidance. Why kids should play multiple sports throughout the year. Let 'em get in a competitive workout that builds camaraderie. Eff it. That culture piece is truly essential to this org's consistency. I give McDermott a lot of credit for that. #2 **whispering**: how thin is Poyer now? (Wild to see the healthier/cleaner living former players immediately shed a ton of mass, revealing how much work goes into maintaining an inflated NFL body for a bunch of these guys >>> thinking first of Eric Wood, then of Kent Hull, there's Joe Thomas after Cleveland, the Long brothers a little, etc. See also my response above about variety of movements when training. But also: both Brady and Mahomes famously rely upon less traditional strength training and more stretching and dynamic balance/flexibility movements. Those dudes are/were insanely resilient, physically. AJ was fine. Kinda funny, kinda vanilla. That's okay. I caught a hint of funnier that he can't really share on video. NOT paying Cook, in my opinion, is less about Davis being special and more about a general conveyor belt draft philosophy to the RB room. A special talent could potentially alter the reliable pattern (of every 2nd or 3rd year spending a 2nd-5th round pick on a backup RB prospect who has a year or two to develop into the starter, for a year or two, and so on...with one relatively inexpensive veteran in the group each year). But I think the Bills will stick with the rinse and repeat approach to young RBs (+ that one vet guy for 3rd downs or short distance).

TIED for 8th, actually.

What an odd criticism. I thought Carter especially provided really strong guidance for the rookies, and probably has enough youtube cred from his days jumping out of the gym to actually land with the youngsters. Carter and McGrady both were elite at points in their respective careers. Value added.

It wouldn't be Hendrickson "alone" at all, given the presence of Joey Bosa, Greg Rousseau, AJ Epenesa, Landon Jackson, and Javon Solomon, plus Michael Hoecht, eventually. Hendrickson would be an incredible addition with 70.5 sacks over the past 5 seasons, and a career avg of 11.9 sacks per 17 games started, with 11 TFL, and 24 QB hits (vast majority of that production has come in last five seasons (of 8), peaking in 2024). He'd be a seismic addition, but of course one must acknowledge the fact that Trey Hendrickson is NOT getting traded to the Bills. How could the Bengals possibly justify such a move, short of a lopsided return of player(s) + pick(s) that would probably prevent it from happening at all.

Douglas played the run and even screen games like an alpha at times, okay. But how was his coverage? You know, against WRs? Without looking, I feel reasonably confident Rasul Douglas played no better than the Levi Wallaces and Dane Jacksons before him. **tugs at collar remembering that Dane Jackson and Tre White are competing to be Douglas' veteran replacement.

Pointless unless you have no shame... Found one.

We should keep track of overreacting posters, just so they can be properly shamed when certain formal, transactional moves are revealed to be standard, minor injury management. Not that anyone cares about their own reputations for overreaction. Accountability is some bygone virtue.

Reggie White was allowed to slap offensive linemen in the head as hard as he could. That helped.

Hoping they were looking across the field, so that was the visitor's side in the sun. Can anyone confirm? (Couldn't hear audio so unsure if that is mentioned in any "narration.")

See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. You could just be making this up as a bit and I can't say which it is.

I think it's important to highlight how absolutely foreign or even fictional the bolded passages seem, without context. Such whimsical gobbledygook. Same as above. Bless your Bri'ish heart.

Levy wasn't really the Xs and Os guy, though. Ted and Walt were the real brains behind the on-field schemes for those early SB teams. At least to my understanding. It might have been Levy, however, who favored both sides of the ball relying on a small set of core personnel alignments and play designs, and running them repeatedly, to the point where players could execute and adjust without overthinking.

And if Cook has another productive, explosive season similar to 2024, I won't be angry or disappointed if the Bills meet his demands. But I DO think at that point it will already be too late, and he'll be priced out of Beane's comfort level. *I'd take Cook over Harris 8 times out of 10, easily. Harris is just not very dangerous, despite being well-rounded and physical. Just doesn't get up field with much urgency. Kind of Cook's opposite.

Monarch Beach basically looks like a sprawling, oceanside golf resort with a few high end gated communities clustered throughout. Makes sense.

See, I'd still (probably) argue against the Bills agreeing to the kind of contract I'm afraid Cook would demand. He's dynamic, no doubt, and a weapon with the ball in his hands. He looks really good in Brady/Kromer's rushing attack. A threat to take it to the house from anywhere on the field. My main reluctance is more philosophical with respect to roster construction: only way an RB should make WR money is if he's a 3-down beast who pass blocks and has reliable hands. The holes in Cook's game would need to be plugged to sell me on a top-3ish (for now) RB contract. And by that point he's gonna have other suitors. A team on a rookie QB contract could justify signing a guy like Cook, and it would be smart. Denver, Washington, Minnesota, etc.

I still need an explanation of what the heck the above bolded claim actually means, before we move on to sorting out what the below means.

Not blaming it all on Frazier at all, but rather offering that as a possible explanation for why the defense did not attack the same way McD's units had done in Car and Phil previously. Frazier was an assistant HC and a trusted and respected member of those teams. McD was very reluctant to intervene in overt ways. No doubt he provided feedback in real time, but I do wonder if he deferred final decision making whenever possible. We only have 1 season of tape to determine how McD calls this Buffalo defense. And it was a mixed bag, at best. He was even recklessly aggressive during a couple super high leverage end of game sequences, both resulting in losses. Had hoped Babich would infuse more d-line games and simulated 2nd and 3rd level looks...still hoping for it in '26.

Do we think his stubborn and persistent deference to the predictability of Leslie Frazier's high-leverage reliance upon passive, reactive off-coverage cushions and vanilla assignment/check/adjustment rules against pre-snap motions was a major failing that colors our perceptions of how he (McDermott) really wants the Bills defense to play? On those rare occasions when McD took over play calling from Frazier, the defense was demonstrably more aggressive and downhill. (I'll never forget McD taking Milano aside during that MNF NE wind/blizzard game and overtly gesturing/imploring him to see the hole and attack the hole, downhill. And then Milano going out there and stringing together consecutive TFLs that killed a drive (or something close to that).) McDermott sullied this interpretation of his own in-game desire for more aggression by calling consecutive zero-blitzes late against both Denver (Russ Wilson) and Philly (Jalen Hurts) who both exploited the gifts the 1st blitz in each sequence had prepared them for. Gotta simulate the pressure on one of those b2b play calls in each situation. Sprinkle in a tendency-killing wrinkle in the coverage behind it. Can't just go full Buddy Ryan twice against a modern NFL offense with a strong, elusive QB and competent offensive coaching, no wrinkles. That's a failure to setup and sequence the play calls. If the first all-out blitz works, but doesn't result in negative play, then you have to switch it up. Dammit, Sean. Sure seems to tighten up with the game on the line. Goes a little blank at the worst times.

I wear a counterfeit Bruce Smith Silver Anniversary SB25 jersey (but a home blue kit even though they wore white) to many home games...and after stretching it over winter layers and rambunctious tailgates for over a decade now, the seam up one side is split nearly to my armpit making the whole thing open like a smock or something. And even so, I'd rate the build quality above average. No piece of apparel should be subjected to this relentless level of BASF stress/durability-testing. It lives in a pile somewhere all offseason. Then I find and resurrect Lazarus in the dryer just in time to represent each September, with a little more bonus lateral venting each season. Gifted a handful of those Super Bowl 25 Bills jerseys (with the Silver Anniversary shoulder patch) to friends and family. Well, at least once they were released from their long customs delay at the Peace Bridge lol.

If we can sort of set aside his ridonkulous rushing TD total in '24, Cook was actually more productive overall in '23 in 3 fewer starts, and especially more productive in the passing game. In 2024, Ty Johnson really ate into Cook's passing volume following his own tantalizing 100% catch rate in limited 2023 action: 7/7 (LOL) for 62 yards, 2 1sts, and a TD. Johnson still has not recorded a dropped pass in 2 seasons with the Bills, despite an uptick in targets and a jump in depth of target. And he can pass block, apparently, at a higher level. The RB room in 2025 is probably as close to McBeane's ideal vision as we're going to get, unless there is some absolute RB UNIT (big Wisconsin/Alabama style back) available on late day 2/early day 3 of the 2026 draft...to replace Cook and spell Davis on early downs and short yardage.

Wait, what?

Yup.

Miami building the LEAST gritty team in the league. Tua probably the toughest guy on the squad...