MJS

Well, we've all been talking like he broke his wrist. And he missed enough time to point to a broken wrist. So, I'm not sure this is a revelation. Didn't we all assume it was broken?

I disagree. I think he has all the tools of a pass rusher. But I think he can be good against the run as well.

Probably because he only played 3 years with the Bills.

Pretty sad when Hughes is considered a top 3 defensive end in Bills history. Only two seasons with 10 sacks, zero pro bowls, zero all pros. The Bills don't really have a great history of pass rushers outside of Bruce Smith. Schobel was pretty darn good, though.

He'll be great until he goes down with an injury.

https://www.twobillsdrive.com/community/topic/259894-elijah-moore-visiting-the-bills-today-update-signed/#comments

I'm not sure it matters how you feel in early May. Superbowl winners are not predetermined.

Yeah, I can handle "high motor", but "lunch pail" is a no go, haha. Oh my gosh, that went right over my head. Wow.

He has the traits, and that is more than what previous picks had like Basham, Lawson, and Epenesa. He not only has the size and length, he also has elite explosiveness and good technique. He has the length and power of Rousseau, but much better athleticism and explosiveness. Yeah, I would be disappointed if he doesn't work out because he has all the tools and technique to do it. That was my biggest problem with Jerry Hughes and why I advocated moving on from him years before we actually did. I was sick of hearing how great he was at pressuring and yet never finishing.

Real men don't use wings. They just drink the blue cheese plain.

Sure, but we have examples of guys who do succeed, though. Maxx Crosby was a 4th rounder. Trey Hendrickson was a 3rd rounder. Mathew Judon was a 5th rounder. Za’Darius Smith was taken in the 4th round. This draft had a TON of defensive line talent, so talent fell into the later rounds.

A lot of great players have a high motor as well, though. I didn't even think about that. I'm sure he is already in his head. Bosa will be a good mentor for him as well, hopefully. And once Bosa gets injured later in the season (we all know it is going to happen), Jackson can step in.

Great video here on Landon Jackson and how he uses excellent hands, pass rush moves, length, and explosiveness as an edge rusher. Also mentioned is that his production was hurt because Arkansas used a lot of 3 linemen sets on their defense. This video was made pre-draft, so he mentions that he might not even go in the 1st round, but we know he didn't go until the 3rd round. Great pick by Buffalo!

The thing with White, though, is that he provides no special teams help. So, if they roster him and he isn't the starter, he'll be inactive. It is just like the Elam situation. I think Cam Lewis and Hancock are in a direct competition for that backup nickel and safety role. Lewis may be gone. I don't see Hamlin as a near lock. Yes, he has a dead cap hit, but they can spread it out over two seasons if he is cut after June 1st, I believe. Forrest is better than him. And if they want to keep Lewis AND Hancock, than means Hamlin is the odd man out. They usually keep 5 corners, right? So, Benford, Hairston, Johnson, and then two of White, Jackson, and Strong. Hancock will count among the safeties and make the team, I think.

By copying them, you mean adding more talent and athleticism to the defense, particularly the defensive line? That isn't an Eagles tactic. That is an NFL necessity.

I agree to a certain extent, but I think the players fail to execute in those big moments as well. Especially the dline. Rousseau is a good player, but how many impact plays has he managed against KC in the playoffs? Ed Oliver? It isn't just coaching. The players don't meet the moment either. But I do agree on the coaching. That plays a big part. So, the players and their talent need to bridge that gap, because we are never going to have better coaches than them. They are the best. The PLAYERS need to find a way, just like the Eagles did with their superior talent. The Eagles defense didn't do anything crazy schematically. They rushed four and let their super talented defensive line get pressure.

I think it is a mixture of injuries, a failure of the players to meet the intensity of high stakes playoff football, and an inability to match and counter the scheming of KC. KC has this uncanny ability to find a way to win even when they are being outplayed for large portions of a game, but the way to beat the Bills is to play flawlessly on offense, because Josh Allen and the Bills offense will be dominant. And somehow the Chiefs keep managing it, even when they have had issues like oline talent and lack of receivers. It is frustrating.

The really frustrating thing is that the Bills defense has played MUCH better against the Chiefs in the regular season. For one thing, they are usually more healthy, but also I think the players seem to come out fired up and ready to do whatever it takes to beat them, whereas the Chiefs come out like that in the playoffs. This past year, it was legitimately a talent issue on defense. We lost a lot of guys and then Benford went down, which caused serious problems in the secondary. But in previous seasons the defense has had the horses to get it done, but hasn't been able to to, although there were big injury issues in some of the other games as well (AJ Klein pulled off his couch to start at MLB, for instance). Let's hope we can get better injury luck, but also I think the players need to come out with more fire and more focus, similar to how they do in the regular season, and match that of the Chiefs in the playoffs. And the coaches need to be better at adjusting if things aren't working or if an unexpected injury throws a big wrench into the game plan (like Benford going down). Like always, though, the defensive line needs to get pressure. They disappear in every elimination game.

Well, the last three guys you mentioned are replaceable, and Brown is on his 3rd team and hasn't put up good numbers since 2021.

This is just not true. New players, including rookies, become instant starters and contributors all the time for the Bills. Heck, even in-season trades have gotten on the field as starters almost immediately (Douglas and Cooper). White, Benford, Brown, McGovern, Dawkins, Coleman, Rousseau, etc, etc. There are countless examples of free agent signings and draft picks who came in and started and contributed immediately. When they don't, it is the exception. Bishop is going to start over Hamlin. So it's all good. Rapp played well last year. Not sure what people have against him. He is a good tackler and saved a lot of TD's, including some key stops in certain games. He needs to stay healthy, though.

Broncos vs Texans will be fun. I hope the Texans get pummeled. I do not like them and their QB becomes more unlikable every time he opens his mouth. The Broncos are an ascending team, so they are interesting to me, especially if they can harass the Chiefs in that division. They put Vikes vs Seahawks because Darnold is facing his old team, but I don't think anyone really cares about that besides those two fanbases. Seriously. Commanders are interesting with their rise last year and the noise they made in the playoffs, but any game the Bears are in just makes it an automatic dud. Green Bay vs Steelers is also a dumb choice to include, even if Rodgers signs with the Steelers.

The Bills are the worst matchup for the rest of the AFC.

No thanks.

Everyone is going to watch that game. Bills got beat by them in the regular season and then beat them in the playoffs, plus the top two MVP candidates from last year. Way more interesting than the Bengals game, although that one is interesting as well.

Is there more than one?