MJS

He isn't above average in receiving production. Anything else is just guesswork.

That is true, for sure, but we don't have anyone who can consistently produce sacks on the defensive line. And I trust McDermott to scrounge together an effective secondary. That's kind of his specialty. But a good 2nd CB would be nice. I just wouldn't want two of the highest paid corners in the league to achieve that, especially if we have to give up a 1st round pick for that.

And I don't think that's a given, personally. Yeah, if you want to split hairs with certain metrics, but they have been very similar the past couple of years in actual production. I don't think Knox is a great TE, I just don't think Hollister is an upgrade.

Yeah, if we go for a difference maker I would not target an area of strength on the team. We have our elite corner. Go for something we don't have, like an elite pass rusher, or an elite TE.

Hopefully the Bills are in "win all the time" mode and not in "win now" mode. There's no reason the window for this team cannot remain wide open.

Allen threw two TD's on him when we played them last year. One was to Diggs and he had pretty decent coverage on him. I don't remember who the other one was to, but I believe Josh looked Ramsey off, Ramsey bit and left his man, and then Allen threw it to the guy he was supposed to be covering. Pretty sure he was so out of position that they didn't count that TD against him, though. But it was totally his fault. I think Ramsey is overrated. He is sort of boom or bust. Makes some great plays, but gives up big plays sometimes too. I prefer White who is very fundamentally sound and much more consistent. Yes, White gets beat sometimes, but he is usually right in the hip pocket of the defender regardless. In that Rams game White was tricked by the scheme a couple times and out of position, but that is rare for him.

We have to remember that as fans watching the game, we often have better views of the QB and other things than the players do themselves. Not everyone on the defense has a view of the QB and can read his body language, especially when they are trying to focus on their individual assignments. Often your focus is on the player right across from you and how you will beat that player. So certain things that we pick up from our eye in the sky might take longer down in the trenches, but absolutely players pick up stuff like that. And I'm sure that there are coaches and personnel that are looking for those things and pass them on when they see them as well. If it's anything like last year, they pretty much pass it every single time anyway.

Hmm, well I never knew much about Sherman or his schooling. I didn't even know he went to Stanford. I learned all of that stuff later, and it confirmed to me what I already saw in him. I can't speak for everyone, though.

The way he conducts himself in interviews, the way he is able to get under the skin of opponents, etc. He represents himself in contract negotiations. He was an excellent student athlete. I'm not saying he is a genius, just that he seems a cut above the general NFL player.

I have never thought he came across as a "thug". I don't know where you are getting that from. He is a polarizing player, for sure, but he has always appeared to be very intelligent and calculated. Seems like he messed up, though.

I don't really think it accounts for much, personally. It comes down to his ability to get open and make plays. Low sample size. Knox is already producing as much or more than Hollister has on other teams. And that's exactly what this is for Bills fans. That's why they are enamored. He is the unknown player. The grass is always greener on the other side. Personally, I like Knox's upside potential. Both players are already producing equivalent stats, so I would devote more attention to the younger, more physically gifted player in Knox, personally. But who knows? Maybe everyone's dream of Hollister being the next big thing will be realized. There is always a chance.

I'd take him over Sweeney in a heartbeat. Sweeney is a late round project player who the odds have always been stacked against actually developing into a starter. We've seen TE's continue to be effective late into their 30's.

You'd start him over Knox? Knox has almost matched Hollister's career stats in 2 seasons, whereas Hollister has been in the league for 4 seasons. I just think Hollister seems like a depth signing. But hey, we'll see.

Correct. I meant to say two years.

Personally, I think people are crazy to think that Hollister is going to be a major contributor. He is your average, run of the mill TE that you can find on any team.

Yeah. He's been back in the league for only a year and somehow is the 15th highest tenured coach. That's crazy to me.

The post I responded to specifically stated that he could get cut due to his vaccine status. No team would touch that with a 10 foot pole. If Beasley violates protocol, he'll get fined and be ineligible to play, plus possibly have to quarantine. If I were the Bills, I'd let that situation play itself out and allow the NFL and NFLPA to work it out. I would not take a stance, and I certainly would not cut him.

I'm interested in the interior oline battles. Will Forest Lamp push for a starting spot? A rookie? What will Cody Ford look like? Can Ike Boettger develop further and lock down a spot?

Absolutely crazy that Bruce Arians is the 15th longest tenured head coach in the league. Holy cow.

If Cole Beasley gets cut for his vaccine status, all hell will break loose. The NFLPA will have a field day. Why would Beasley be often injured this season?

Man, that's crazy. I feel like McDermott is just now coming into his own and producing a team that can consistently contend. Just shows how hard it is to build a winning team. It takes so many things. Players, development, scouting, drafting, paying for the right free agents, finding a quality QB, having effective schemes, staying innovative and unpredictable, culture, fundamentals, contracts, motivating the team, and the list go on. It's just a dang hard job to get it all right and find people to help you get everything right.

It sure was fun having a great pass rush.

I say you're wrong. Now what? I guess we cancel each other out.

To be honest, the Bills were not much more talented Allen's rookie year. I'd say they were even worse than that list on offense. So I'd say that team could win a solid 5 or 6 games.

Announcers do usually talk about how good our safeties are, but yeah, they don't go on and on about it. Poyer actually is a pretty good hitter, in my opinion. I seem to remember Hyde having a huge hit on someone last year... anybody remember that?