[Under the Radar Free Agency Sleepers]

I hear you.  I'm not up to speed on the financials, is starting G money on par with a backup tackle?  With his limited field time since 19, would any team really put up starting T money? Problem is, when Lane Johnson was hurt for an extended period of time a couple of years ago, they tried him at RT.  He was atrocious on that side of the ball.  His footwork, hands, everything was off.  He's not a versatile OL, maybe that could work in the Bills favor? 

[Under the Radar Free Agency Sleepers]

I'd like to see what Andre Dillard would look like at LG.  He would have been the starting LT for the Eagles if not for Jordan Mailata turning into one of the best LTs in the game out of nowhere.  Not a lot of tape on him, but possibly if given the opportunity it could be his time to shine.  Only down side is, he has trouble playing on the right side.  He was a first round pick that was hurt his first year and never made it back onto the field.  

 

Also, add Marquez Callaway.  He's a RFA for the cash strapped Saints.  Tender a low round pick for his services.  He looked like a up and coming player in 2021.  Good size, speed and low risk, high reward. 

 

[Tua in Glenville?]

This will be as successful as Jimmy Rollins was, when trying to teach Michael Vick on how to properly slide. 

[You're Beane. Give me your offseason moves as best you can at this point.]

I don't want to kick the can down the road with restructures.  This is where GMs earn their money, making the hard decisions. 

 

1. Do not resign/cut the feel good special team guys.  Nothing above vet minimum contracts for these type of players, they're a luxury they can't afford.  There are young and hungry guys that can cover punts and the rare kick return, that don't cost anywhere near what SN (1 million dead cap, how?!) and TM cost.  Coaches have to develop these type of contributors.  

 

2. You have to let Edmunds and Poyer walk.  A competent Dline makes everyone behind them look better.  This is the only option for true roster flexibility.  Letting them go would get you compensatory picks in 24, right?  The Raven's let CJ Mosley go, he wasn't difference maker for them.  Edmunds isn't for the Bills, either. 

 

3.  You have to get lucky and find the next FA like Poyer was.  They are out there.  A guy like KYZIR WHITE, the Eagles saw something in him and he's been very solid.  Howie Roseman leaves no stone unturned.  He wasn't a big name/money addition, but has played really well for them.  These former mid-round picks coming up on 4-5 years in the league that have shown promise deserve a shot.  A mix of these guys and a couple solid draft finds can turn a struggling unit around pretty quick.  

 

4.  RFA on teams that are up against it.  I hate to point out the Eagles again, but think Chauncey Gardner Johnson.  He was acquired for 5th and 6th round picks.  This is where flexibility with money is key.  Is this where we're at with EO?  We're likely too bias to have clear vision here.  We see his deficiencies, who's going to give anything of real value for him?   

 

5.  Who are skill position players available coming off an unlucky injury or scheme change,  that could have a bounce back year? Think of guys like McKinnon or a WR equivalent. 

 

A little luck and good scouting could keep us on the up and up.  

 

 

[Coaching Malpractice - Frazier Needs to be fired - the play that illustrates it]

18 hours ago, Long Suffering Fan said:

Third and 4 (see below).  You all remember it.  This play is important for two reasons:

 

1.  It shows a complete lack of defensive situational awareness on what can be given up on a play.

2.  It is the exact same mistake that was made during 13 seconds.  On this play, they are guarding the end zone, but will easily give up the first down.  On 13 seconds, we were guarding the end zone, but willing to give up the two quick plays needed for a field goal.

 

It is actually worse because this play typified our defensive philosophy for most of the day.  I'm a level headed guy who does not normally call for firings (as if that matters), but this is beyond belief.  There is simply no excuse to give so much space in this situation.  I know I am not an expert.  In my mind, this only makes it worse.  Like probably half of Bills fandom, I was yelling at my screen before the snap.  Shouldn't an expert been able to see what we all saw?

 

I can be patient:

Trey - He wasn't what he was last year, but at least I can have hope that he will be back to his old self next year.

Poyer - Not his best game, but he was playing with Hyde, Hamlin, Marlowe, Johnson so I'll cut him some slack that he couldn't be himself.

Dorsey - Not happy with him, but I can at least talk myself into the fact that this was his first year as a coordinator.

 

But with Frazier I can have absolutely no confidence that he has learned how ridiculously bad this is.  Last year I was hoping that he would be hired away from us.  This year I don't think I have any hope of that.  

 

He's smarter than me, he knows more about defense than I ever will, yada, yada, but you don't have to work for NASA to realize that spacecraft need to be air tight. 

 

Don't sell yourself short.  They're normal people who most likely would struggle to do what you do for a living.  It's a game.  Once you understand the rules, matchups and concepts, it's not brain surgery.  In the not for long league, I'd say the emperor is missing his clothes more often than not.  Just look at the turnover and how some of these guys handle thoughtful questions from the media.   

[philosophical failure]

Josh is paid as a top tier QB.  He's not being slammed.  He lead the league in TOs, he deserves some criticism.   

[philosophical failure]

4 minutes ago, nosejob said:

I can't understand why this is so hard? If I were Dorsey, I would tell Josh....Look we're gonna practice hitting cook in the flat, Beasley on the screen and DIggs on quick outs. The ball must be gone by 2! We're gonna run these 90 times a week in practice until it's mastered!

Just remember to number of posters on here, it's KDs fault Josh often refused to take the high % easy yards.  Oh, and put the D in rough spot deep in the zone time over time. 

4 minutes ago, BillsFanSD said:

How do you know this anything to do with Josh?  I wasn't seeing a whole lot of plays designed to set up the short game, especially involving Cook.  I know they were sprinkled in a little bit, but the QB can't execute plays that aren't being called.

 

You don't have to have the all 22 film to see a couple of guys open in the flat or underneath. 

[Joe B wrap-up of the Bills season (The Athletic - paywall)]

Serious question.  When these coaches are being evaluated, are they the one's held accountable for bad decisions players make/made in the games?  I have a feeling the numbers would look much more favorable from an offense standpoint if 1/2 - 1/4 of JAs turnovers didn't happen.  A number of those turnovers didn't look scheme related, just bad decisions.  I wasn't looking at the all 22, but I often times saw 1-2 open targets underneath for a high % gain.   I'm sure his bad decisions in the red zone contributed to the offense looking stagnant on paper.   

[A day later, I'm still in the camp of cleaning house.]

A year after .13 and I'm still in that state of mind.  My worst fears are being realized.  I think last year was their time to seal the deal, and they are now chasing it on the decline.  

[How many Josh Allen prime years do they want to waste?]

Josh is part of this too.  Granted, yesterday was more of a display of futility from the FO and coaching staff, but he has to clean up his game significantly.  He's now 1B status behind PM and JB.  Still amazing from we've been exposed to.  Best comparison I saw last night was to Favre of the 90s.  I'm assuming he's being coached up to take what the defense is giving him, but you can't consistently look 20+ yards down the field on 3rd and short, or cough the ball up deep in your own zone routinely.  In the previous two years I had confidence he'd do the right thing, make the right call.  But this year, from the first Miami game on, I often felt like he was on the verge of something spectacular, or, mind boggling.  I'm confident that he'll get himself straightened out, as it doesn't seem to have diva in him at this time.  But, they're not doing him no favors with their OL talent assessment. 

[Where was the leadership - Von Miller?]

Someone on the field has to step up and be the leader.  A player who's hurt and on the sidelines can't be the person to rally the team.  I'm tired of hearing how "emotionally drained" these guys were, from some of you.  Everyone has issues in their life, if you stop and reflect we all can say we're emotionally drained.  But no one is going to give us the benefit of the doubt on a daily basis.  We have to get up and do what we have to, just like they do.  Stop making excuses for poor play since October.  They haven't passed the "eye test" in months, way before what happened 3 weeks ago.    

[How many chances will McDermott get?]

3 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Unfortunately that will be the case.  

 

Has he done a good job in any playoff game? 

 

Kept Jax close, but since zero funds or care about offense, scored 7 points.

 

Crucial errors after a big lead vs. Houston.

 

Indy closer then it should have been and very close to losing it.

 

Baltimore did a great job vs. Lamar, but again tighter then need be.

 

KC was the better, more experienced team (got to be honest).

 

NE - Josh's perfect game

 

13 seconds an abomination

 

Miami almost blew it.  

 

Cincy - Unprepared.

He got very lucky with the Indy game.  For some reason FR made some questionable calls before the half.  They were outplayed that game, too. 

[WNY Homegrown Talent Who Knew ?]

I'm surprised Seth Payne didn't make the list.  He had a pretty long career and was a quality starter.  Pretty cool offseason topic and exercise.  

[Possible Bills off season moves.]

No YAC Zach is not an asset this offense should invest in.  He's good, but has over inflated stats based on the Eagles offense, and his QB having tunnel vision for a couple of years.  He's very frustrating to watch.  When he does have open field in front of him, he trips over his own feet, or stumbles.  Watching D. Goedert in direct comparison shows his limitations.  Let him get overpaid elsewhere.  He thinks that he belongs in the Kelce and Kittle conversation.  He's at least two tiers below them, possibly more now. 🙄

 

This is the best description I could find for him: 

"To put it simply, Zach Ertz is a finesse player. While he looks every bit the part of a big-bodied bruiser, he plays the game more like a 5-foot-10 possession receiver uninterested in fighting for additional yards."

 

https://section215.com/2019/09/18/philadelphia-eagles-zach-ertz-yac/

[Listen to this message.]

Very impressive young lady.  Hopefully she can be the anti AOC. 

[John Brown is not a #1]

Nice comeback season from the kid, he did well, but, I don't want to see another thread comparing him to established All-Pros that have shown up their whole career.  I think his inability to come down with that first throw on sidelines is being overlooked.  Allen threw a beautiful ball there deep in the zone, and Brown had not a clue where his feet were.  A #1 makes that play.  What the heck was he doing late in the game with his feet out of bounds before that second sideline ball got to him?  Plenty of blame to go around for sure, but it is glaring that besides Singletary we lack true playmaker.  So many things were done yesterday to give the game away.  

[Duke today, did the bad outweigh the good?]

You can't put this on Duke.  How many games was he active for this year?  It was evident to me more than ever that John Brown is not a #1.  Nice player, good season, but not "the guy".  A top receiver knows where his feet are and makes both of those catches.  The first one was a beautiful throw and he shows no awareness as to where the sideline was.  The second one late in the game, why the heck were his feet out before the ball even showed up? 

[Bills problem in a nutshell]

1 hour ago, Buffalophil1948 said:

Game planning.  41 passes to 20 runs. Wtf, we are not going to beat anyone that way. Attacking a teams weakness in the 30th ranked run defense should be a no brainer.  

 

This is it.  The analysts and coaches make football out to be on par with physics.  Sometimes it's just as simple as exploiting obvious weaknesses and exerting your will and talent upon others.  Successful  teams make others adapt to their game plan and style of play, not the other way around.  This team is built for the run to open up the pass game.  This reminds me of the A. Reid Eagle teams post SB appearance in 04, pass 65% of the time against no matter what.  Why do the obvious when you're smarter than everyone else?  Reid was 4 games above .500 the remainder of his Eagles tenure, after 04.  McClappy was witness to all of it.  The one thing I don't understand though, is J. Johnson the DC of the time was aggressive.  Where is Sean's killer instinct?  The fact Singletary was not featured in the game plan is negligent.  Even as a rookie he's a minimum 15 touch a game guy.   

[Eagles Message Board Quick Takes]

As Bills fans, we should be happy if Ertz is over targeted.  There is a reason he's referred to as "No YAC Zach".  As soon as he catches the ball he flops on the ground.  They also become really predictable if Wentz is going to lock on to a possession receiver. 

 

Accurate post: https://section215.com/2019/09/18/philadelphia-eagles-zach-ertz-yac/

 

"Of the 1,163 yards Ertz hauled in last season, only 363 came after the catch, the 36th highest mark in the league behind players like Austin Ekeler, Tyler Boyd, and T.J. Yeldon.

Again, some of that has to do with the trappings of playing tight end, and specifically being schemes as Wentz’s emergency check down target when under pressure, but after catching that many passes, one would have to assume his yards after the catch would be higher just on volume alone – that’s how averages work, right?

Need proof? Look no further than San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, who racked up the second most YAC (784) in the league on 28 fewer touches.

Conversely, on the 2018 season, Ertz had exactly zero catches of over 50 yards and zero over 40 yards. Despite catching 116 balls, Ertz’s longest catch only went for 34 yards"

[40 years since an NFL game has been played in wonderful silence!]

Sounds great.  I would love to have the option on another channel to tune in to just the game without the distraction.  Charles Davis pushed me over the edge this past weekend. 

[Jay Ajayi anyone?]

1 minute ago, BuffaloBills1998 said:

Yes I do watch football and I’ve seen enough of Ajayi to know he’s a one hit wonder who only looked good against bad defenses and no he wasn’t that good in 17 he only scored 1 to the whole year ??. And his knee is obviously not in good shape otherwise someone would’ve picked him up already, there’s a reason he’s still a free agent pick up Blount or C.J. Anderson or bring back Marcus Murphy, do you watch football?

 

He played his role perfectly in 2017, notice I said 8-12 carries max IF HEALTHY!  Your reading comprehension skills are on par with your football acumen.  We're not talking about a lead back role.  He runs hard, period.  If you watch Philadelphia games, like you said, I'm not sure what you were seeing.  You lost all credibility when you said Blount, so don't try to change the narrative.   

[Jay Ajayi anyone?]

1 hour ago, BuffaloBills1998 said:

Nah he’s done I watched him his last year of philly and he was horrible. His knee is shot and was a one hit wonder in Miami and got figured out his second year as a starter and was noted as a locker room problem and not a team leader although that could be because him and Gase didn’t get along. And the only games he was good in were against Pittsburgh and Buffalo because Rex Ryan’s defense couldn’t stop a nose bleed. Honestly I’d rather we take a chance on  Blount, that’s who I wanted the Bills to sign instead of Yeldon 

 

Kick the tires, they have nothing to lose.  I don't know what you were watching.  He played 4 games in a rotation and averaged 4.1 YPC and had 3 TDs in 18.  In his last game of the season against Minnesota he played on a torn ACL.  They had no idea that he tore it until Monday.  He played pretty well in 17, too.  I'd say 4.5 YPC for a career is pretty respectable for any RB, let alone one with a bad wheel.  But don't let facts get in your way.  He's a tough kid that would be best in a rotation with a max of 8-12 carries a game.  He'd be a great 4 Qrt closer, if healthy.  You think Jay is toast but Blount isn't?  Do you even watch football?  Anyone perusing just box scores would question your observational skills.   

 

You're seriously using his relationship with Gase to make a point?  It's pretty transparent that guy is insufferable.  The Bills are lucky to face his teams 2 times a year.

[6 takeaways from the Bills' decision to trade Zay Jones]

If he does have a good day, it'll most likely be similar to his time in college where it's volume and nothing that spectacularly stands out.  He's a JAG nothing more. 

[6 takeaways from the Bills' decision to trade Zay Jones]

"Real QB" or not, his son needed to make plays when the opportunity presented itself.  Given the number of disappointing drops or catches one should come down with, he came up short more often than a professional should.  Did you hear a peep from guys like Hopkins or Fitz when they've had a legitimate gripes at QB for large parts of their career?  Real professionals find a way to get it done one way or the other.  Good for the front office putting their ego aside and cutting ties, not trying for force a situation where the talent didn't justify it.  I'm excited to see guys hungry for a long career try to step up. 

[This might be the week that the Bills unleash Yeldon as a receiver.]

If this is the Bills secret weapon, I don't think we'll enjoy the outcome.  We have to hope this is a trap game, and that they're smelling themselves a little bit.  Unlikely yes, since it's a divisional game.  Lets just hope they forget to show up in the first half and can't make up the deficit because the D is on point.