Motorin'

Another option may be to essentially have four #3 receivers this year in the 60-70 target range, Gabe, Knox, Cook & Kincaid. With Diggs getting about 25% of the total targets, those four could get about 12% each, making the top 5 players account for around 75% of Allen's targets. Then you have Harty, Shakir, Harris, Sherfield get like 5% each... Looking at the Chiefs last year, they had a clear 1 in Kelce, 2 in Juju and then basically two #3's in MSV at 80 and McKinnon at 70 targets. So their top 4 guys accounted for 62% of total targets, though they did have four #5 option kind of guys with over 30 targets accounting for 5% of total targets each. Back to the point, the Bills top 5 could potentially outpace, or keep pace with the Chiefs top 5 in terms of overall contributions without needing any one receiver to be the defacto #2. Not sure if Cook and Kincaid are able to carry that load, but it would be nice... What is pretty interesting though is the Chiefs #6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 options accounted for over 140 targets (22%) Whereas the Bills 6-10 accounted for 54 targets (9%). That's like getting a ton of quality innings from the bull pen in additional to a higher performing #2.

I think Davis has to improve his short route running to make strides in that area, and also have fewer drops overall. Modest improvements in both of those areas will do the trick and get him where he needs to be. And I don't necessarily attribute his lower catch % last year to more targets. I think it had more to do with being covered by the #1 cb frequently while they doubled Diggs.

Motor had over 50 targets in the pass game last year. If Cook gets 50 + targets in the pass game I have a feeling it's going to be a lot more productive.

He needs to get his catch percentage up in the high 50's / low 60's. He's a deep threat, his catch percentage is always going to lower that underneath guys like JuJu and Jakobi Meyers. DK Metcalf, who yes is bigger, stronger and faster has alternated between high 50's and low 60's over the last 4 years. Gabe dropped from a mid-50's guy to a 50% catch guy last year while dealing with a lot of #1 CB's in coverage while teams doubled Diggs with a safety and the #2 cb. I'm not sold on the idea that performance levels are set in stone by some innate qualities. This is a big year for him, and he needs to step up his game and catch more of his targets. We shall see if it happens.

Sure, except we don't have the guy to take on his workload this season. I was hoping Beane would take a wr early over the few years to have a potential #1 in the making. Maybe long term that can be Kincaid, but we will all be amazed if that happens his rookie year. This season Gabe is going to be #2 in targets most likely. And I'd like to see him make a jump in his catch %. Maybe Knox sees 90+ targets and Gabe drops down to the 65 range? Knox's catch % jumped big time in year 3 from the low 50's his first 2 years. Maybe he's owned more targets? I also think using the TE more in the passing game could unlock Davis a bit as well. Since they kept Knox in to block a bunch. If Knox and Kincaid combine to wreak some havoc, team's may not be able to employ the stradegy as much of putting the #1 cb on Davis and doubling Diggs with a S and the #2 cb. If this offense can make the safeties respect he TE more, they may have to revert to putting their #1 on Diggs more often which might let Davis work against less talented coverage. All that he he still may be 50% catch rate next year. But I don't see a clear way to reduce his role to #3 yet.

Gabe needs to catch at least 10% more of his targets next year to put him over 60%. Which is where you want him as your #2, imo. That's about 10 more catches over the whole season. Less than 1 per game. There are a number of current #1 wr's that had big improvements in catch % in years 3-5 of their career. Amari Cooper, year 3 (50%) to year 4 (70%). Devante Adams year 2 (53%) to year 3 (62%.) Then he hovered in the low 60% for the next 4-5 seasons before having a leap to 70%. Tyler Locket year 3 (63%) to year 4 (81%) Chris Godwin year 2 (62%) to year 3 (71%). Of course there's no guarantee than Gabe has a similar improvement in year 4. But there's definitely precedent for it being possible. Had Gabe caught 60% last season he would have been a 1000 yard receiver, and was already top 15 in TD receptions. And I don't know if anyone is saying he's not a #2. It's on him to improve. If he catches roughly 1 more pass per game on the same number of targets, he'll have a huge leap statistically and be over 65%.

From the analysis I've watched on McGovern, he struggles run blocking in power schemes. Whereas he's a much better puller and zone scheme fit than when he's asked to block down on DT's 1v1. So I think there's a reasonable expectation that his run blocking improves in Kromer's scheme. This may be more fan based wishful thinking on my part. But if his run blocking improves and he continues to pass block well, then it may end up being a good signing. Even so, his pass protection is such an improvement over Saffold... We shall see how it shakes out.

I like the idea of Rapp playing big Nickel against 2 wr sets. Hated seeing how many FB's and TE's targeted Taron Johnson last season while he essentially played SAM in heavy sets.

The reports that the Bills have been looking to add a RB make sense now.

Best guess is probably a MUT League item.

I think Thad may be the one who just took a swing at the hornet's nest.

I agree with you on fan's wishful thinking about new players ability to overperform. And here's the one player I could be accused of doing it with... I'm hopeful that McGovern's pass protection is a vast improvement over Saffold. And that he's actually been graded as a top 10 pass blocking OG in the league. Can't say that I had any basis for this hope prior to the Bills signing him and watching a bunch of videos. Do you think McGovern was bad last year in pass protection? Or just bad run blocking?

Cause the Bills line him up at OLB against 2 WR formations? Yeah, he's very good against the run for a CB. Would love to not see him get blown up against the likes of Hayden Hurst and Alex Ingold all season long.

Taron Johnson far and away the best Bills player on that list. Only 4 CB's ahead of him in zone separation. And 7 CB's ahead of him in man separation. I'm kind of hoping the guy doesn't have to play LB this year too. I can't imagine going up again TE's, FB's and pulling lineman in the box on run plays is doing a whole lot for his longevity.

They were in Lipetsk 24 hours ago. That's 8 hours from the border with Belarus.

Look at the map. Belarus is 100 miles North of Kyiv. For Wagner to get to Belarus they could slog all the way through Ukraine, or head east then north through Russia, towards Moscow. Then just take a left and be in Belarus.

Still wouldn't surprise me if Prigozhin is angling to get his hands on those nukes in Belarus. Seems like that kind of guy.

Yeah, not sure Putin loved the optics of fleeing Moscow and getting on TV talking about putting down a treasonous revolt.

Watch this was all a pony show to reposition Wagner in Belarus and lead an assault on Kyiv from the north.

Or maybe he was just negotiating better terms for his next contract before the July, 1st deadline in some Klingon ritual that we are unfamiliar with.

So you don't think there's at least a chance that this is a PsyOp?

Yeah, Prigozhin is know for laying deadly traps on the battlefield. I've been wondering if his talk about "we might lose Russia" and how many gains Ukriane has been asking in the counteroffensive is all BS in hopes of continuing to draw the Ukrainians further east into a deadlier trap.

And all of this could be a giant Russian PsyOp to create the "existential threat" they say they need to justify use of first strike tactical nukes.

This Detroit logo is much better:

Diggs hasn't posted on Twitter since June 6. Unless he deleted some thing. Haven't been able to scroll back far enough to find what it is people think he said that's causing the doom and gloom? Song lyrics in an Instagram Reel?