Inigo Montoya
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Posts posted by Inigo Montoya
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15 minutes ago, The Fiend said:
Unfortunately, I don't see our main competition of New England, Kansas City, Baltimore, or Pittsburgh on that list. Or the Jets, Chargers, or Indianapolis for that matter. But at least Tennessee and Houston have new defensive coordinators.
New England, Tennessee, and the Chargers will all likely have different QBs learning a new offense in 2020. There's a chance Indy makes a move at QB this off season too.
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Human Decency Disclaimer: We all wish the COVID19 outbreak hadn't happened, and it's impact on the NFL schedule and season certainly ranks near the bottom of the list of concerns associated with the outbreak.
Having said that, the outbreak will likely mean an abbreviated off season and I hope it isn't too Machiavellian to note that this abbreviated off season should end up helping the Bills competitively if there is a 2020 NFL season.
As noted in other threads, the Bills have a lot of continuity moving forward from the 2019 season into 2020, management, coaches, and to a large extent, the team roster looks pretty well set. We are not installing a new offense or defense, not breaking in a new QB, no turn over on the O-Line etc.. That is a luxury that few teams will enjoy. For a League that is always in a state of flux, for once, the Buffalo Bills look like an oasis of stability. Look around the league this off season at just the coaching changes;
New Head Coaches; (5)
Carolina
Cleveland
Dallas
NY Giants
Washington
New D Coordinators; (12)
Miami
Cleveland
Houston
Tennessee
Dallas
NY Giants
Washington
Detroit
Minnesota
Atlanta
Carolina
LA Rams
New O Coordinators; (11)
Miami
Cleveland
Jacksonville
Denver
Carolina
LA Rams
NY Giants
Philly
Washington
Chicago
Minnesota
You also have to look at the QB carousel in the league. I've never seen so many veteran QBs on the market and it's quite likely that Brady, Rivers, Dalton, Tannehill, Bridgewater, Winston, Cam Newton and Mariota will probably all be in new zip codes or on the bench when the season starts, and that's not including the number of 1st round QB draft picks (probably at least 3) this season who will likely get the nod under center.
Rookie Mini-Camps are from May 1-4, the OTAs start at the end of May and run through June, and then Training Camp starts at the end of July. How would you like to be a new head coach or coordinator trying to introduce your system and missing some of the handful of OTAs that you would use to introduce everything and get everyone started on the same sheet of music. If any of those are delayed or shortened, or canceled outright, the teams who are standing pat in scheme and personnel will have a big advantage. Looking at all the changes in the league this off season, the Bills are one of the few stable franchises across the board and that should be a big benefit during the first quarter of the season.
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What a difference from the woeful years of the drought where Buffalo was a revolving door of management, coaches, and players. The product on the field reflected that lack of continuity. No one had a chance to get settled into a system and learn how to play within it. New head coaches, new offensive and defensive coordinators, a parade of quarterbacks and a continuous turnover of the supporting cast on both sides of the ball created a constant state of flux for this franchise. That's what happens when a franchise and team are lost and desperately searching for an answer.
Look at the Bills now. Beane, McDermott, and Frazier coming back for their fourth season together, Brian Daboll is back for his third season along with Josh Allen. It looks like Bills are going to return all five starting offensive lineman next year and that should pay huge dividends for the entire offense. Continuity on the O-Line may be the most important ingredient for great line play. They should only get better playing in the same scheme, with the same O-Line coach, and with the same player on their left and right.
The defense will be entering it's fourth year in the same scheme and it looks like we will be bringing back the majority of the defense that was the strength of the team and PFF's 4th ranked secondary in the League last year. Milano and Edmunds will be a year older and wiser in the system and in the NFL game itself, and Big Ed Oliver should take another step forward this year in the same system, able to just react in the system instead of having to think about what his assignment is.
There won't be any wasted time in training camp installing new verbiage or new systems, they will jump right back into where they left off last season and the entire team should be able to hit the ground running. This is how a successful franchise operates. The foundation of the team is already there, the scheme and personnel are already there, now they just have to incorporate a few new players into the fold, and even that process is smoother because all the players around them already know the system and can help them out.
This isn't the chaotic Buffalo Bills of ten years ago, or even five years ago. This is a Buffalo Bills franchise that has turned the corner and is now functioning at a high level across the entire organization; ownership, management, coaches, and players, all on the same sheet of music. It is the type of continuity that fosters success and the type of continuity that has been sorely lacking before Beane and McDermott arrived. It's the kind of continuity that teams contending for championships have.
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Kroft snagged that TD pass in Pittsburgh to win the game. Hell of a route, great catch. The guy has talent, let's see if he can stay healthy. He's got one more shot. He knows he's on the clock. I don't have a problem with this move at all.
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Great news with Long's option being picked up and now Spain resigned to a reasonable three year $15mm contract. This off season is off to a great start. Keep the focus on the O-Line!
Keep it up Beane!!!
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I think all of us were happy to see the resources that Beane put into revamping the O-line last year with major investments in free agency and in draft capital. The end result being that we put four new starters on the line and added quality depth to deal with inevitable in-season injuries. I was happy to see the Bills pick up the option on Spencer Long who has been a solid depth signing by Beane and who played good ball when called on last season.
The 2019 offensive line certainly passed the eye test and seemed to give Josh more time to throw and better pockets to throw from, and the running game improved last year as well. Despite that clear improvement, by most metrics, the Bills still fielded a middle of the pack O-Line last season.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) Ranks
Bills O-Line 2018 26th
Bills O-Line 2019 21st
Football Outsiders Ranks
Bills O-Line 2018 Running 30th Passing 23rd
Bills O-Line 2019 Running 16th Passing 23rd
NFL.com Total Offense Rank
Bills Total Offense 2018 30th
Bills Total Offense 2019 24th
That needs to change if we are going to challenge for a championship. Beane and McDermott have correctly stated on many occasions that successful teams are built from the lines out and this team still needs help on both lines. We also need better O-Line play to help Josh continue to develop. I hope Beane again focuses on the O-Line this off season and during the draft.
I'd love to see Beane make a real run at landing Joe Haeg T/G from Indy during Free Agency this year as their big O-Line signing. According to an article by Joe Buscaglia in The Athletic, last year Haeg started one game at LT, two games at RT, and one game at RG and was solid. If he can play at LT he can certainly play at LG too. With Spain's status up in the air, this one signing would give the Bills an enormous amount of O-Line flexibility and would give the Bills this group of O-Lineman;
Mitch Morse C
Dion Dawkins LT
Joe Haeg RT/RG/LG/LT
Cody Ford RT/RG
Jon Feliciano C/RG
Spencer Long C/RG
Ty Nsekhe RT/LT
Ryan Bates T
Quinton Spain LG
LaAdrian Waddle T
Ike Boettger G
Victor Salako T
Morse, Dawkins, Ford, Feliciano, Nsekhe, Long, Haeg (if we can get him)and Bates would seem to be locks for the roster come opening week. We might see some movement on the last four on the list. If Beane lets Spain go it looks like RG will be one of the biggest competitions in training camp this year. We also need to find a permanent home for Cody Ford and fill in the final piece on the left side of the line. I would love for them to add Haeg and resign Spain, you can never have too much depth on the O-Line.
We still have the luxury of playing on Josh's rookie contract. We have a lot of cap space and the O-Line is not a place to skimp. This team is entering a window where we can make a run and I think solid O-Line play and O-line depth is vital for that to happen. With another year of continuity in the system and Jackson coaching them up, I would hope this line could make a jump into the top 15 in the League this season. That improvement should be enough to push this offense over the top as long as Josh continues to develop.
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Is someone really going to take the position that McDermott can't evaluate defensive back talent? At this point McDermott could sign a cornerback or safety he met bagging groceries at the local Piggly Wiggly and I'd give him the benefit of the doubt.
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Brandon Beane will scale the Cliffs of Insanity, defeat a master swordsman, choke out a giant, best a genius in a game of wits (a Sicilian no less), survive the Fire Swamp, kill several ROUS, escape the Pit of Despair, storm the castle, and rescue the Princess all before draft weekend. Oh yeah, and somehow swindle the gullible and hapless Cleveland Browns out of some valuable Draft capital again...
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I think another two members of this draft class have a real chance to be good to great players in another year or two, Dawson Knox and Darryl Johnson. Still early, but looks like a strong sophomore draft for Beane & Co.
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I know that Beane values draft picks, but I don't know how you pass this up for a 2nd rounder if he can get it done. As another wise poster noted above, there is a learning curve for the WR position for most coming out of college and I don't think it's a pie in the sky statement to to say that the Bills are entering a window where they can compete for a Championship with Allen still on his rookie contract. To bring in a polished elite WR right now with no learning curve would be huge for this roster.
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I wish Shady would have gotten a little bit of action today. Glad he finally got his Ring.
Congrats Shady!!!
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5 hours ago, Success said:
That was an enjoyable read.
Does anyone know if Waddle is back next year, or was that just a 1 year deal? I feel like the D is just about set - hoping that they devote most of the offseason moves to O-line, WR & RB.
Thanks!
Waddle was signed on a one year deal and he's a free agent right now. He signed with the Bills for $1.5MM on a one year prove it kind of deal and never made it out of the preseason before tearing his quad.
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1. This could be points 1, 2 and 3 because in my mind it was clearly the most important question going into the new season; Will Josh Allen continue to develop into a franchise quarterback? I think any objective observer over the course of the season would have to say that he has clearly become a better QB in 2019. I can list all the end of season stats such as completion percentages, QBR, TD/INT and the like, but those numbers, while improved across the board, don't come close to telling the whole story.
The only two areas that concerned me this year has been his regression in deep ball accuracy, and ball security when he is running the ball. I'm not sure what happened to his deep ball which was solid last year. If they are going to continue to use him in the running game then he has to protect the ball better. Does he still make a head scratching decision throwing the ball sometimes? Yep, and so does every other QB in the league. There is no question though that he is making less of those Hero Ball throws compared to last season.
He has improved dramatically in his short and intermediate throws, is now moving the offense in and out of plays at the line of scrimmage in response to what the defense is giving him. That means that he is able to read defenses at the line which is huge for a young QB. He has clearly shown that he has the clutch gene when the chips are down at the end of the game. Down a score in the 4th quarter, I expect the Bills will win more of those games than they lose. The kid is a gamer and will fight on a 4th and 1 like no one I've ever seen. He leads by example and has the entire locker room in his corner. I fully expect him to continue to improve and I think the Bills have finally found their franchise QB.
2. I was really impressed with the Bills brand of tough but disciplined football this year. With the exception of pre-snap penalties by a certain back up tight end, I don't remember too many times this season where undisciplined play cost the Bills. In years past, every time the Bills made a big play I automatically looked for the yellow flag to bring it all back. That doesn't happen much anymore and that's a credit to the coaching staff. The Bills don't beat themselves on a regular basis like they used to.
3. Beane's off season O-Line rebuild was spot on. I think Ford might be best at guard and Nsekhe can be a solid stop-gap RT. I wouldn't be upset to see them go after a RT in free agency or the draft this off season. I think the rest of the line looked good. Dawkins was back in form this year, Spain, Morse, and Feliciano were ballers. They have some depth there too with Long and Bates in the wings. They might be able to bring Waddle back on the cheap too if his torn quad rehabs well.
4. Our defense is elite. It looks like we should be able to bring back the majority of the defense next year too. We have the cap space and we need to resign our own players where we can and lock down the nucleus of this squad for the next few years. If our defense continues to play at this level and we can continue to get modest improvement on the offensive side of the ball, we should be contending. I hope no one makes a run at Frazier this off season. He and McDermott have got something special brewing here.
5. The division should be wide open next year and I would think the Bills have to be considered at least even money with the Pats to win it. This year saw a huge drop off in New England. Whether Brady is back or not, I think their long, horrible, amazing run of dominance is finally over. If we don't at least split with the Pats next year I'd be shocked. Brady did give us a parting gift by forcing Garoppolo out of New England against Belichick's wishes. It was the least he could do. I hope they wander in the QB wilderness for a long time...
6. Tre'Davious White is the real deal. Next year he will be entering the 4th year of his 5 year rookie contract. At some point we need to pony up the money to lock him down through his prime years. Having a shut down corner is critical the way the game is evolving. The sooner we sign him, the cheaper the contract will be over the long run. I would be shocked if he gets close to the 5th year of his contract without Beane locking him up.
7. The Bills hit on Ed Oliver. He had five sacks this year on limited playing time. That stat doesn't tell the whole story though. He was a beast and constantly needed to be doubled and was still getting into the backfield to disrupt the pocket. He was stout in run defense all year. The highest percentage of snaps Oliver played in a game this season was 69%, and that was against the Jets in Week 16 when we were resting guys. By contrast, Aaron Donald only had two games all season where he played less than 69% of the snaps. I know Frazier and McDermott like to rotate their DTs, but I think they need to look at getting Oliver on the field more. I think he is going to be a difference maker.
8. Hauschka had a rocky stretch but ended the season strong and was money against the Texans on Saturday. I really think he would have hit that 54 yarder to win the game in OT if the refs hadn't made that f**** up, ridiculous, horrendous, preposterously bad call on Ford for the "crack back" block to knock us out of field goal range. I wish we could find another Justin Tucker out there who can hammer 58 yard FGs all day, but looking around the league at the kicking woes on many teams, I'm fine rolling with HouseMoney for another season.
9. McDermott and Beane are building this team the right way. They are building a tight knit group of guys who put the team first, check their egos at the door, and play hard for one another. We have a roster of smart, high character guys who can play ball. I don't think we will have any trouble bringing in free agent talent this year. I think McDermott has earned the trust and respect of the locker room and this year we have finally seen the results of the "Process". I think both of them we're inspired hires by the Pegulas and I think they have the ability to build a Super Bowl team here in Buffalo.
9a. On a related note, we were remarkably healthy as a team this year. I don't remember another year where injuries didn't cripple us for a significant stretch of the season. Maybe it was just luck (an some of it certainly is) but I'd like to think that the Bills' focus on cutting edge sports medicine and a state of the art player's facility really paid dividends this year. Kudos to the front office for spending the money where it can make a difference.
10. Losing to Houston sucked. The way we lost was even worse. The logical part of my mind knew we did not have a championship team this year, but I really thought we would be able to win this Wild Card game and then hope for a little bit of magic down the road. That bitter taste is still there with how things ended, but when you look at the season as a whole, we finished with 10 wins, while mailing in week 17 of the season to rest our starters.
We will have a tougher schedule next year but a diminished New England to play and another off season of Beane restocking the cupboards with more talent. Our young QB looks legit. In just three years we have moved from miraculously breaking the 17 year Drought, to not only expecting to be a playoff team, but now expecting to make some noise in the playoffs. When it's all said and done, I don't know how you can look at 2019 and not see it as the best season this franchise has had in 20 years.
Only 247 more days until the opening kickoff!!!
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With just about 5 minutes left in the game Vrabel started playing games with the game clock, deliberately taking Delay of Game and False Start penalties to bleed time off the clock on 4th down before he punted the ball back to the Patriots. The entire time Belichick is running over to the refs, red faced and screaming with a vein bulging on his forehead about to burst. Bill seems to have a short memory. Belichick was laughing when he did the exact same thing to the Jets at the end of their game a few weeks ago.
Patriots knocked out by the Titans in Foxboro in front of their insufferable fans.
Belichick got Belichicked by Vrabel.
Karma is a b**** New England...
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8 minutes ago, BisonMan said:
The QB is a runner here and can be hit like any RB in that situation. Helmet to helmet is fine on a RB (happens most runs) but is a penalty if the runner is being held in a vulnerable position and can’t defend himself. Clearly not the case here.
3 minutes ago, BisonMan said:Yes you can as long as the runner isn’t defenseless.
I think it’s cheap in this situation because Allen wasn’t trying to lunge for a first down or anything.
Just leave. You are clearly not a Bills fans. Go pull the wings off some flies somewhere or set some ants on fire with magnifying glass for fun instead.
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Didn't see any crack back block on that call. Took us out of field goal range and a chance to win right there. Tic Tac b.s. call.
Frustrated....
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It's just sour grapes on Polian's part. Jackson clearly had the best season of any QB in the AFC this year. Polian is still lambasted for saying that Jackson should be a WR and is doubling down to try and save face even though it just makes him look more foolish.
It's the same narrative with some in the national media (PFF) who won't acknowledge they might have been wrong about Josh Allen coming out of college. They are just doubling down to try and save face despite the evidence piling up in front of their face that they were wrong.
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1 hour ago, Wayne Arnold said:
Baker Mayfield is the dope we all thought he was...
Hell, Cleveland needs to cut Mayfield and sign the cop who tackled him. He could be a linebacker. Hits him square, drives through the tackle, wraps up nicely. Textbook...
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23 minutes ago, the skycap said:
I'd rather see Feliciano at center!! He's nastier when running the ball. Hopefully Nsekhe will be back at RT and move Ford inside.
I agree Feliciano blocks as well as Morse but I’m not sure if he is as good as Morse at helping Josh make the pre-snap blocking calls.
I agree with your second point 100%. What we need is Nsekhe back at right tackle. Ford has potential but Nsekhe is already there.
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We needed to feed Singletary this game and have Josh dink and dunk to offset the constant blitzes. There shouldn't have been 3 passes longer than 10 yards all day from Josh with the pressure he was under.
Just don't understand the offensive game plan today.
The world isn't ending with this loss, but it's frustrating to watch the Bills lose a game at home that they could have won.
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A QB can get hurt on any play, in the pocket, out of the pocket, or even slipping on a rubber floor mat on the sidelines... anytime.
Having said that, it seems to me that Allen is at a lot more risk of injury when he runs compared to Jackson. Josh is a big tank of a guy at 6'5", 237 lbs and would seem more durable if he has to tuck the ball and run with it compared to Lamar Jackson who is 6'2" and 212 lbs. The problem is Josh's violent running style. He is much more likely to lower his head and try to pick up a few extra yards at the end of a run and take a hit in the process. Conversely, Lamar rarely ever takes a big hit, or any hit at all, because he is so fast and shifty. He is so incredibly athletic that DBs and LBs can never seem to get a solid hit on him. He dodges or is out of bounds before he can get hammered.
I think Allen's ability to tuck the ball and take off is a vital part of his game and I don't want to see him not run, I just hope that he looks at what has happened to Cam's career and learns to slide more, head out of bonds more, and not continue to scrap for every single yard. I love Josh's competitiveness and desire to win on every play, but if he is going to be our franchise QB he needs to be on the field. He needs to stay healthy. As the Pats showed earlier this year, an opposing defense won't hesitate to try and knock him out of a game if he gives them any chance to do so.
This franchise's playoff run comes to a grinding halt if Allen isn't under center. I hope he doesn't feel the pressure to keep up with Lamar this weekend and plays to win but also plays smart to protect his body. He needs to think about the big picture.
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https://forums.theganggreen.com/threads/2019-is-over-stick-a-fork-in-us.93232/page-4
"A HR to me this offseason would be improving the OL first and then the secondary. This isn't going to be a quick fix. I expect it to take a couple of years before the Jets can be a Super Bowl contender. Fix the OL and that will help Darnold and Bell which will help us become more competitive. Like everyone else I am tired of 4-12, 5-11 type of seasons. If the Bills can turn it around then why can't the Jets."
Saw this post on Gang Green, the Jets version of TBD, after the Jets were beat down by the winless Bengals. This sounds familiar. The Bills were in the same boat last off season with sub-par O-line play. Fortunately, Beane made it a priority to address it during the off season and he has turned a team weakness into a strength and that has allowed Allen to continue to develop. Darnold has not been as lucky. He is getting hammered in the pocket and running for his life seemingly every snap. He's going to end up just like Josh Rosen.
From a selfish Bills point of view I hope the Jet's management continues to bring in the shiny toys like Le'veon Bell this off season and continues to neglect the O-line. It's amazing to me that ordinary fans like the Jet's poster above has more insight on how to build a successful football team than the "experts" in the front office of these football franchises. A flashy RB is nice but the O-Line is the engine of any offense. If you have no O-line, nothing else really matters. Investing in a "franchise QB" like Darnold and then not making any moves to shore up the bad O-line in front of him is football GM malpractice. Looking at these Jets fans in purgatory reminds me how lucky we are to finally have a front office that seems to get it, that has a plan, and is systematically working the plan.
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11 minutes ago, BillsVet said:
There are several chapters yet to be written about Beane and McDermott and this season alone neither proves or disproves their competence at team building. Early signs are encouraging though.
Still, teams do not win without elite talent in the NFL and the HC and GM need better offensive talent for the long haul, particularly at WR because Buffalo has no depth there after Brown and Beasley. Speaking of those two, Brown turns 30 in April and Beasley will be 31 that month so they need talent there. The point is that coaches or GMs who eschew star players so as to have an easier way with building their culture are doing themselves a disservice.
OBJ is a #1 receiver in a league with few of them. He's on a team with internal strife at every level and his production cannot be isolated down himself alone. He's a far better receiver that what one season's stats say and just because he hasn't lived up to the hype of that move doesn't mean he won't.
All fair points BillsVet. I'm not here to argue that OBJ isn't a more talented receiver.
My larger point is about how you build a competitive team. I don't know if you do need a bunch of elite players to win a championship. I think there is also something to be said for building a roster top to bottom with solid, team oriented players. I'd argue that the only elite talent on the Patriots is their head coach and Stephon Gilmore, but they are still winning. I think Brady is more of a game manager right now.
Brown and Beasley are both on team friendly deals as well so if their play declines Beane and Co. can move on without hamstringing the franchise going forward. I think next year we will only be a piece or two away from contending for a Super Bowl. We have $90mm in cap space to go out and find those pieces and I trust Beane to find them. I don't think there will be as much hesitation from free agents to come to Buffalo either after this season.
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Hopkins to ARZ
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted · Edited by Inigo Montoya
Beane seemed to kick the tires hard on AB last year, if he could land Hopkins for a high draft pick this year we would be In the drivers seat in the AFCE.
Please, for the love of God Beane, do your black magic, pick up your phone, call Bill O’Brien and swindle him out of Nuk!!!