BuffaloBillyG

Spencer Brown and Groot are starters. They are out of the 2021 class. Elam and Cook will either start or see a pretty high snap share most likely with Benford getting a lot of time on the field as well. I think it would be foolish to write off Torrence winning a starting spot at some point this season if not week 1. Kincaid may not "start" but again, completely plausible he sees a high volume work load. And depending on the formation they line up in may "start" some as well. Your whole statement is overblown Yes, the Bills have missed on a some picks. But right there are SEVEN guys that either will start or have an impactful role on the team.

The proof will come either way when the games kick off, for sure. Some things to consider. 1. Starting a statement out with "according to PFF" is pretty much like quoting Wikipedia as a source. PFF proves absolutely nothing and should be taken with a huge grain of salt IMO. 2. McGovern's strength is reported to be his pass blocking. Which was a huge weakness last year. Immediate pressure up the middle in Allen's face way too often. Being that he only has to be better than Saffold was last year...I think we can expect an upgrade. How much remains to be seen. Edwards spent much of last year injured, however prior to that was pretty solid under Kromer. It's logical to think he could have some bounce back. One of the 2 rookies was considered by some as the top G prospect in the draft. Gave up zero sacks in his college career and is a stout pass blocker. Again, reasonable to expect at some point him to be an improvement. 3. Harty and Sherfield are basically this year's McKenzie and Kumerow replacements. Being TD Jesus missed most of the year and McKenzie was at times a disaster...the bar there isn't real high for improvement, either. Now add in Kincaid as well to that mix and again, reasonable to believe the cumulative output will eclipse what we had last year. While some (not directed at you) like to take the pessimistic approach and say that this changes aren't enough because they aren't already proven...other can see things from a different angle. And neither side is wrong...until the pads go on the games kick off and we see how everything blends together. What's interesting to me is that as a team coming off 13 wins, a top offense in the league and a perennial playoff team...we have a ton of competition for starting spots or meaningful roles going into this season. This should be fun!

Why not? It's not like there weren't complaints last year and nothing changed. What makes the red suddenly find their flags this year? I buy it. Don't need tight coverage on a guy that won't make a play on the ball.

Not a "sports story" exactly. But it does involve Fred Smerlas soooo... I was 13 and it was during the 1988 season. Smerlas was doing an appearance at the tiny mall in Batavia. Autograph, photos that sort of thing. So I remember my mother bringing me up there even though it was snowing at a pretty good clip and I was pretty stoked because I played NT as well at the time. So we get up there as stand in line. When it was time Smerlas wasn't there. 15 minutes go by. Then 30. Then an hour. People are PI$$ED. Some left and some stayed. Everyone who stayed was bad mouthing Smerlas. Anyway fast forward to about an hour and 15 minutes past the time he was supposed to show and we are about to leave. This absolutely MAMMOTH of a dude walks in and hushed all these PO'd grown men with a glance. It was Smerlas who simply said something to the effect of "Yea I'm late. It snowed. You want a picture or not?". Not 1 person dared say a bad thing to him. Dude was a BEAST.

Yup. Not everyone realizes that. Panic creeps in and instinct directs you to point to land. Destin Florida has some beautiful beaches. However they also boast one of the strongest rip tides and (at least when I was there a decade ago) a strong shark presence within 8 feet of the shore line. We did one of those tourist plane rides over the water and were absolutely shocked how many large dark silhouettes were close to shore. Never swam in that water again after that.

Actually found this. Pool may have been incorrect. I lived in that area for years and can confirm the Destin beaches have a lethal rip tide. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/former-nfl-quarterback-ryan-mallett-dead_n_649b6ab8e4b0ea75fd3a8709

I believe that's only because that's the last visit he went on. The week before the Pats visit the Titans were rumored favorites. Seems to be the way for players when making visits. Then they end up signing with some team no one even had on the radar.

I remember some wanted the Bills to take him. Reportedly drowned. RIP. Edited for clarity in reported cause of death.

I do agree that Allen is larger than the typical RB. And that he's able to brace and ready himself for the impact better than a guy James Cook's size. No question there. I don't even argue that he's probably safer from injury than the typical RB would be. When it comes to Allen and his running I'm more in the camp of the wear and tear. The bumps, bruises and soreness he accumulates throughout the season must be simply astronomical due to his style of play. I believe it was 2 seasons ago he was talking about it at the post season presser and was saying how it all adds up. Those are the kinds of week to week things we don't hear about, don't show up on an injury report and will eventually erode a human body.

This is a bubkiss argument IMO. Yes, you can point to statistics and say that more QBs have been hurt in the pocket than have while running. That is factual and a true statement. Also factual and true is that Allen does not, has never and likely will never (despite what he says) run like a QB does. He runs the ball like a RB. Lowers his shoulder and seeks contact. Wanna know what one of the most common positions to miss time to injury is? RB. That has been one of the reasons why the position is devalued. Even when you don't see a guy getting injured and missing time the weekly punishment adds up. The simple act of wear and tear on the human body cannot be overlooked. The more he runs and the more he opens himself up to hits the quicker his body will break down. And I think we can all agree that we don't want that.

You bring up some fair points and I'm sure everyone will agree that Allen still can improve. One thing that I would like to bring up is that while Allen does fumble, QB fumbles as a stat are often not the whole story. Just off the top of my head I can think of 3 that were charged to Allen that really shouldn't have been. 2 on QB/C exchanges where the center (IIRC Morse had 1 and Bates the other) was pulling to the right off the snap and snapped the ball into his own inner thigh. Allen never had the ball but was charged. The other is off the flip to McK in the KC game. That was charged to Allen but muffed due to McK's lack of basic football awareness.

I guess not. Because if Bill Barnwell has the Bills ranked 20 it MUST be so. Thanks for freeing up my weekends. No reason to watch now, I suppose Maybe I'll just sign up for that Salsa dancing class the wife has been harping me about instead.

BREAKING: I am privately open to trading my wife for Natalie Portman or Mila Kunis and 2 dozen wings.

That whole article is regurgitating information from weeks and even months ago about both Hopkins and Cook. It adds literally no new information. While I don't think it's a simple clickbait article it's clearly a "I don't have anything new to write about" article.

Agree. I think his path to snaps is in the event of a Cook injury. Other than that I see Hines getting maybe 1-3 touches a game on offense. I think Cook/Harris eat up the high majority of RB touches.

If what you say has merit then he is no longer an ambiturner. Any routes where he has to turn left are DOOMED. Trade him for a half eaten sandwich now while we still can!

I agree with this. And to me that's a very strong sign that he won't be coming here. I just don't see the Bills being on board with a guy that doesn't come in early and start learning the offense. Getting the reps in with the team. If I had to make a shot in the dark prediction based on nothing but my gut...he will sign with the Titans in about two weeks.

I see the Jags winning the division, but it's not going to be the cakewalk (credit @teef) that many think it will IMO. That division always plays each other tough. And while the Jags did improve on paper I believe the other teams in that division did as well. Houston is going to surprise some folks this year. At the very least they will be a tough win. As much as I despise Vrabel as a person I will give credit that he always has his team ready to play. And the Titans had a pretty good draft.

You know when teen girls doodle the name of their crush on their notebook? Or they write their first name with their crush's last name? This has that energy. Seriously, bud. Just admit you wanna be a Bills fan. Lol. I kid, but I don't absolutely hate the idea of a blue helmet. We have seen white and red already. I saw one with an all white buffalo outlines with red a while back and it looked solid. A lot of people will pan it simply because it's new and different and people are uncomfortable with change.

Staley is what a few of the "realists" here claim McDermott to be. Only doesn't fit their narrative because Staley is "an offensive minded coach".

I swear I've seen the same thread before...only this has a pretty chart. I mean, a pie chart would have been better because...well...I like pie.

Fair points. To the bolded, I do remember how they started out. And I understand they went through a lot...and likely more then we even know. They did start out red hot. However it was more than just the last game they had hitches IMO. The likelihood that this was due to the mental beating combined with the copious amount of injuries to impact players and a few games with unfavorable weather are in IMO the reason. I do think that all combined for some steps back on the season. Most of those issues should be resolved. Fresh year, fresh squad. I expect the Bills from the early part of last season to show back up as well.

I think that while your expectations have merit and are sensible, it's also worth nothing the the AFC is absolutely stacked with top teams. Running the gauntlet against the top (KC & Cinci) is challenging enough. The toss in teams that can be dangerous in a 1 game setting (Baltimore, Jax, Miami, possibly even the Jets and Chargers) and it becomes a taller task. For me I don't quantify by how far they make it, rather than what they look like getting there. 13 seconds was tough to take...but even in the loss it felt like the team took that step forward. Last year was IMO a huge step back based on level of play.

I suppose from another vantage point, we are still in a drought of some sort. A championship drought. Expectations and hopes change. Now, that said this version of Buffalo football is arguably the most entertaining and most complete version of the franchise I have ever seen (and yes, I watched the Super Bowl era). Be it they win a Super Bowl, two Super Bowls or zero Super Bowls I think many are so pressed into being opinionated that they are missing out on enjoying what will likely be "the good old days" before you know it.

Yeah I've heard that term, actually. You're just looking for something to argue about...stop it