Richard Noggin

Von was an example of Beane AND McDermott stepping outside their comfort zones to get that defensive "closer" they've lacked. Beane for giving that much money and term to an aging guy with potentially BAD knees (drunken doc--who was part of local team that scanned Miller was--ran his mouth at a restaurant I worked for, claiming that Vonn's knees were an obvious red flag; this is that first summer he was signed). And McDermott for deferring at times to Miller's entitlement (heard it from Miller's own mouth, at that same restaurant, that he'd been caught by McDermott for staying out past curfew, and while McD did not punish Miller or make an example of him, he did at least "address [him] as a man" and appeal to his better angels as a team leader and role model. Wish it had worked out better. (Mother Teresa was a bit of a psycho tbh. Crazy stuff.)

Only future asset traded to get up to 10 was next year's 2nd. Didn't surrender a 2nd this year (was 1st, 2 4ths, 2 5ths, and future 2nd). Hunter CAN play some WR in the NFL, yes? Give him a limited role on both sides of the ball in year 1 unless he proves capable of handling more? final pick at #208 was Jalen Rivers, T Miami (could project as a stout LG).

So true, but I'm really missing that wide-9 alignment I saw from Philly in the SB. Gave Mahomes fits (of course in part because of the talent running it).

All 7 picks make the 53-man roster (assuming health and lack of outright busts). Choices at 56 weren't offering compelling value so I moved back a little and compressed my pick selections from 10 to 7.

I'm fine with the Bills using those draft assets to acquire Garrett. He's great. I'm even more fine with the Bills using those assets, or maybe less, to acquire Crosby. (I recognize that his potential availability is mere rumor and Bills mafia fan fiction.) I'm also fine with the Bills investing 2 of their 3 Day One and Two picks on DL. The draft is deep there, so lean into that if the opportunity arises. Let talented DL prospects fall to you, or if you miss a run on them, there should be DBs or OLs with value. Will need a cheap LG or OC soon, to replace David Edwards in 2026. McGovern could slide back over if an OC develops or falls into their laps before an LG does. Is that VPG? How much longer will Dawkins play at this high level without needing another big payday? Just keep stocking the cupboards.

If the first 5 picks fell like this, no trades... (I haven't done much reading on Winston and Strong, tbh, but they were sticking out on the board.)

Back in March the EFFING GOVERNOR of MISSOURI commuted Britt Reid's sentence, and he is supposed to be under house arrest until October of this year. That's as overt as entitlement gets. Big part of why KC is so easy to root against.

McDermott's scheme worked so well a few of his years in Carolina because they had ELITE talent at all levels of that defense. But also, there's something about the way the Bills align up front, and rush, series-after-series, that seems predictable or at least not exactly cutting edge. I truly miss the old Wide-9 days of Jim Schwartz, and of course the Ted Washington days of Wade Phillips. Talented D-lines. Philly had incredible success against KC without ever blitzing, leveraging what looked to me like that wide spacing with DEs aligned outside OTs and even TEs, early and often. They exploited Kelce in pass pro, several times. That's awesome. In short, my answer is yes. It's the players and the system.

I want to congratulate these Edmunds traits-vs-ability claims for making another appearance tonight, 2/18/25. May this argument NEVER die. I agree with you btw, but have concerns about (and some contradictory tenderness for) the 1st claim. I don't think anyone has ever convincingly proven that Edmunds ACTUALLY deterred pass attempts, but I love it coming up again. Has it been demonstrated convincingly?

Are you targeting a specific DT, EDGE, or CB in the early 20s? Can't imagine trading up farther than that, and really am not in favor of trading up at all in the 1st. Feels like at 30 there will be a valuable DT, EDGE, or CB prospect (or possibly someone just sticking out at a less need-based position, who knows). Let the board fall on day one, and go into day two with an opportunity to add another fringe first rounder (or two). Don't force anything, and add 3 long term talents to the roster. Gotta use days 1 and 2 of the draft to add quality line talent and boundary guys on both sides of the ball, year after year. Avoiding repeated trade-ups helps to maintain a healthy pipeline.

So this is a spicy claim. Did you already provide evidence of it in this thread? Also, why not actually share what you know he's all about? I'm genuinely curious, and most likely at least partially aligned. I think Cook is a special talent on the field; a true homerun hitter out of the backfield. And also, to my eye, gets a TON of sneaky, greasy yardage after contact with his shiftiness and forward lean. Defenders have a tough time squaring up Jimbo. I also think Cook is 100% about maximizing his next contract. We can't ignore the noise coming from his older brother, who has some experience with maximizing a 2nd contract as his production spikes...but then never getting back to that level, and frankly just falling off the map. The year they paid Cook in September, and he went off for 1500+ rushing yards at 5 YPC, the Vikings went 7-9. Rookie WR Jefferson piled up 1400 explosive yards. But the Vikings went 7-9. Paying top RBs big money is rarely correlated with championships. Barkley stands out as an exception.

No trades. Exciting value and talent in top 3 picks imho.

Agreed. But past availability isn't always a predictor of future outcomes. See also: John Brown's first FA stint with Buffalo. The Bills cannot RELY on Samuel being healthy and productive in a top-3 role, but they can hope for a luckier season in '25 while also adding a Cooper-ish piece and/or downfield burner.

8 commas, in 5, sentences lol Actually agree with many that this could simply be about a difference of opinion (or lack of fresh opinion) on how the team will step up their strength and conditioning outcomes. Until we know more (which may be never) it could/should be the Occam's Razor explanation, except that Ciano was reportedly FIRED, rather than parted ways with. (Simple explanation there is Ciano just wouldn't agree to a mutual parting of ways, for whatever reasons. Paging Tyler Dunne and Monos and Whaley...) Your observation, that the bills were visibly gassed on defense on several occasions, warrants more specifics/examples so we can examine the claim, if you think it's valid. I'm curious.

Beane was probably more willing to eat a serious dead cap hit for Diggs due to...well, Diggs. There is no addition by subtraction or trade ultimatum at play with Milano. So taking on considerable dead cap would only make sense if someone coughed up a real asset, and even then...

I understand the proximity argument here, but it's literally incorrect to say what you're saying.

Can't imagine he has trade value commensurate with his on-field impact (when healthy). Seems like a non-starter, ESPECIALLY GIVEN HIS $17.2M DEAD CAP HIT in 2025! https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/player/_/id/21905/matt-milano/contract/summary Potential out AFTER 2025 still incurs $11M. Come on. There's a void year in 2027 reducing the Bills' flexibility this year.

Obviously Andy Reid in his absolute prime, with a stable of excellent assistant coaches, helped to maximize Mahomes' growth. Especially with a mostly redshirt year behind an established pro like Alex Smith (who'd been highly drafted but needed mucho development). Footwork, mechanics, and pocket presence/tendencies all needed work for Mahomes to become elite. One might even argue we've seen some regression on those fundamentals lately from Mahomes. Shame McD and Co choked away 2021 (13 seconds) because NFL offenses were still ahead of defenses if you had a mobile, howitzer-armed QB and WRs who could get deep. Things began to tighten up the next year. Mahomes and Allen both benefitted from a high water mark for passing offenses, historically. Mahomes just had MUCH, much better coaching (and weapons overall, for sure).

Keon Coleman is NOT a 1st round investment, no matter what kind of gymnastics you want to do. He's just not. The fact that he is most definitively NOT a 1st round pick is why the Bills also have DeWayne Carter in the DT pipeline (and whoever they ended up with for that 4th rounder they acquired in the 2nd trade). It doesn't exactly obliterate your main point, but it does come off as a stretch to make this argument. It's not just the difference between pick 32 and 33, which is still meaningful with respect to value and strategy, it's also the difference between pick 28 and then 32 and then 33, and all the "value" derived from those moves.

The bolded is just completely inaccurate. What follows has some merit, but wtf on the premise. (just realized you're likely including Diggs as a 1st round pick spent on an offensive weapon, and I guess that's fine, but the below numbers don't change enough to support your central claim.) Since 2018 it's actually 2 out of 5 1st round picks on offense OVERALL, including Allen. Over that same period, it's 6 out of 13 in the first two rounds spent on offense OVERALL. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/draft.htm

Brutal perspective for many fans to acknowledge (must read like sacrilege or blasphemy to the majority of Bills faithful) but it would be irrational to deny the historical precedent. Then again, what a pointless and joyless reality to focus on before Josh Allen hits his mid-30s. I'd also argue that Allen, being who he appears to be, would hate to leave Buffalo without winning a SB first. (Then again, LeBron left Cleveland (the 1st time) after falling just short, repeatedly.) Maybe if the Bills win one in the next few seasons, I could then anticipate the breakup with logical eyes.

Fundamentally we all seem agree on Cook's value: something around $11-13M AAV. He's dangerous with the ball in his hands. Truly special tbh. But 15M is for a 3-down guy or for a team who isn't paying an elite QB imho.

I have grown fairly obsessed with the idea that much of Brady's success since he took over can be attributed to his willingness with his assistant coaches and players to collaborate and delegate; I primarily assume he took over for Dorsey and immediately sought out Beach Chairs for more guidance on weekly gameplans, probably akin to Kromer being a run game coordinator. Really seems like we've been watching Bills offensive linemen increasingly be put in position to do what they're good at it, which has always been a very Kromer thing: tailoring techniques and plans to best suit what his guys can actually do. (Remember during Kromer's first stint when Jordan Mills at RT handled JJ Watt by lining up tight to the LOS and being super aggressive even in pass pro? Very counter-intuitive/innovative way to help a replacement-level but physical/competitive tackle win an unfavorable matchup.)

If you look at a season-by-season breakdown of rushing TD leaders, you don't see a majority of 15M AAV RBs. You see SOME really great RBs, and also a lot of talented guys who had some productive seasons, but didn't sustain that level of performance. (Main point here is don't get too righteous about one particular stat, especially TDs.

I hate his stupidity. He's demonstrably dim. Always been a total bimbo. Has often coasted to his successes, or stumbled into them reluctantly, when compared to the work ethics of most other players in the league. Eff that guy. I actually wouldn't mind watching him be even LESS dedicated for one more run. See him come in next camp even doughier, even slower, and even less willing to block.