Florida Bills Fanatic

This guy Barnwell is not a genius. You don't need a theory based on advanced mathematics to guess that five of the worst teams in the league will improve. I can't wait for the season to start so all of these soothsayers crawl back into the hole from which they came.

I agree with you. He was not one of the top 8 linemen. The three guys capable of playing tackle are Dawkins, Nsekhe, and Ford. These three will be on the roster. Ford may very well play guard but will be moved to right tackle if one of the other two guys miss games. Nsekhe would move to left tackle if Dawkins is injured. This looks to be a reasonable rotation. IMHO, other than Morse and Spain the other three roster spots appear to be wide open. I also expect a young developmental tackle to be on the practice squad.

I'm not sure this guy would be an upgrade over the players that are currently under contract. I expect he'll end up with Arizona, Miami, Jets, or Cincinnati. Those teams are all in serious need of o-line help and probably desperate enough to overpay.

IMHO 6 receivers will be on the 53. The top five guys seem to be fairly straightforward. I think some of us are going to be surprised on the sixth guy. I think it will be one of the taller guys that can work the end zone and sidelines. Earlier in the spring, Beane talked about having a receiver group that consists of guys that do different things well. Keeping four quick short receivers doesn't exactly provide that. The preseason games will do a lot to solve this. It is nice to have talented options this year. Personally, I won't be upset regardless of who the sixth guy is. You can make a good case for a couple of different ones.

After reading some of these posts, I had to run outside to make sure the sky hadn't fallen. During the preseason we all seem predisposed to jump to the worst conclusion when injuries occur. Until there is an official injury update, I will just chill. It's ironic that people whined when Waddle was signed and now many of us are distraught over an undefined injury to a guy that may not even crack the roster. Such is the life of the poor downtrodden Bills fan. Go Bills!

I don't know enough about the specifics of his latest violation to judge his current situation. In general, he seems to have been given significant opportunities to keep the train on the tracks. His failure to take advantage of any of these chances seems to be a clear indication that he is incapable of doing so. Giving him a job with the ability to earn millions of dollars does not seem like a rational plan. He is likely to just refill his personal pharmacy and travel on down the road to his own self destruction. It is a very sad case indeed and reminds me of the Justin Blackmon case in Jacksonville. He was also a young supremely talented receiver with a chronic substance/alcohol problem. He was unable to get it together to have a career in the league.

I see this pretty much the way that you do. Excluding Kicker, punter, and long snapper, playing well on special teams boils down to attitude and effort. Many special teams players are not the best athletes on their teams and as you point out aren't even relevant as depth at their positions. Keeping too many special teams only contributors can erode the roster depth. It's a fine balance. IMHO certain roster depth players should be clearly told that their spot on the team depends on their effectiveness on special teams. Bills special teams were anything but special last season. With a new coordinator, Roberts, and healthy kicker and punter; things should improve. If DiMarco is that good, maybe he displaces one of the tight ends. It will be interesting to see how the Bills fill the roster.

I am so glad that the Bills don't have to deal with the drama that defines AB as a person. For a guy that is an amazing talent, it is a sad commentary on him that people feel that the productivity that he brings to the team is not worth the trouble in dealing with him. Pittsburgh was the clear winner in that divorce.

Not a bad payday for a guy that planned to walk away from the game. Thanks for providing all of us with the information.

You're exactly correct. He is well past his effective playing days. This certainly provides some significant insight into the desperate mess that is the JETS. I'm curious to see how much they had to pay him to play.

The coaching staff is doing a lot of mixing players in and out of the so-called first team o-line. They are doing this to determine the best combination of players to be the starters and to determine which positions the various players can effectively play. Position flexibility will have a great deal to do with who makes the 53 man roster. Before we all become distraught over any of this, try to remember that defenses are always ahead of the offense in training camp. If they are still struggling after week one, I'll be concerned.

I think Bodine is a long shot to make the roster. He was terrible last year and he was terrible in Cincinnati before that. His only shot is if none of the options to be the backup can do the job or all are injured. If that happens, look for the Bills to pick up an experienced guy that is a late cut from another team.

You're right on point about this. I have no doubt that Miami will be a dumpster fire this season but I give Flores credit for realizing that the OL coach couldn't do a satisfactory job. Rather than continuing to perpetuate the mistake and take the team down a rat hole, he made the correct decision to move on. If the new guy doesn't work out, he can replace him next season or before. It's not like the only thing between the Dolphins and a championship is an o-line coach. I have to admit that it is nice to see other teams floundering around somewhere other than OBD.

Amen!

Orlando

I could see a situation where a veteran under contract is being pushed by a first or second year player with some upside. If a need at another team materializes due to something like an injury or holdout, Beane would be likely to move the higher cost older veteran to keep the lower cost younger player and gain a pick or two. For the Bills this season, this could materialize with defensive backs or the o-line.

I live in Florida now and have neighbors that are big Miami fans (season ticket holders). They also belong to a Dolphins fan club. They talk openly about how this season is going to be a train wreck. They also talk about the general feeling within their club that Fitz and Rosen not being the long term answer. They expect to be bad and draft a QB with a high pick in 2020. I'm sure there are some people that have high expectations for their team but it doesn't seem to be the majority view.

This kid was a talented player with a bright future. It became apparent in college that his effort and commitment to football was lacking. Arizona took a chance and the guy didn't respond. It's unlikely that he has much of a support structure of family or friends around him to provide a positive influence. This is just another pathetic case that happens all too often in professional sports. Maybe this will shock the guy to take some positive steps to turn things around but I'm doubtful. The Bills don't need the distraction of a high risk reclamation project.

What you say is true. When you factor in his age and the fact that he behaves like a two year old, I understand his cost only being a 3 and a 5. Every year there are some training camp cuts that are decent players that are picked off waivers by needy teams. Given that, getting a 4 for a guy like Zay with limited production may be a bit of a stretch.

I don't think Beane will be looking to spend draft picks or cash on a FA at this point. There would have to be a real team transforming player available. I don't think this guy or Clowney fit that description. I believe that Beane thinks he has his starters on the roster and that any future moves will be made to improve the depth and special teams at a reasonable cost.

I was at the game and I remember going home thinking that the team had quit on Ryan. I'm glad that I wasn't the only one to think that.

I agree with you. Until they deliver some results, it is mere speculation. I can say that in my opinion, none of our current guys have the physical skills of Eric Moulds. He was the real deal and the Bills could use a guy like him.

Until we know Daboll's plans for the offense this season, it is tough to know how the final 53 will shake out. There are always surprises and I am often surprised when I see good special teams players hit the street to retain a marginal depth player. Most of the opinions that I have read here are plausible with what we know now. We'll have to continue to watch what happens in camp and the preseason games.

I agree with you. This is a make or break year for Mariota. He has been unable to stay healthy and really has not become the passer that the Titans had hoped he would be. Losing Lewan puts Mariota in a bad situation. In addition, Henry really benefited from Lewan's run blocking and he will miss that for four games. Vrabel is a smart guy and he will try to lean on the run game and short passing game. Delaney Walker and Dion Lewis will be more important for these four games. Vrabel needs to do what he can to protect Mariota during this suspension.

Foster is still good enough to start on a few teams and I bet he will be looking to go to a team with a chance to start. I don't see him having a legit shot to compete for a starting role in Buffalo. He would be fantastic depth but he won't settle for that.