Ethan in Cleveland

Arguably yes, greatest not even close 1985 Bills drafted Bruce Smith and Andre Reed. Two HOF players in the same draft. Bruce is in the conversation for top 2 defensive lineman of all time. Bills also drafted Derrick Burroughs, Chris Burkett, and Frank Reich who were all solid players. Also they drafted Dale Hellesstrae who did little for the BiIls but would go on to have a 15 year career mostly as a long snapper with the Cowboys and earned 3 SB rings.

I rewatched all the games. That isn't really true. He gets hit plenty. In fact he is the one initiating contact more often than not as he fights for yards. He rarely goes out of bounds willingly though he has gotten better at that and at sliding. That said most QB injuries happen in the pocket anyways. Hands get hurt glancing off helmets or legs get hurt when hit in the pocket. I'm fine with running Josh and fine with when he decides to scramble to pass or to run. Look at that first TD pass to Knox in the playoff game. He avoided 3 guys and still made a throw.

Excellent post

Well holy hell pigs must fly and the world must be ending soon, because Chandler and I agree on something!!! I never watch in real time. I still go to the website and occasionally will click a short video clip from time to time. Had ESPN+ subscription back in the day but cancelled probably 6 years or so ago.

This will be one of the most interesting scenarios to play out. Gabe has played great but most of his plays have been in four WR sets. You can't really say he has already proven to be a solid #2 because he has really never been in that role. You can say he has produced as well or better in his role as the #2 guy, but he has never consistently lined up against the other teams #2 CB. It's not that simple of course. But I'm just saying the game plan was not to feed him the ball. I don't know if he has enough raw speed to dominate in the #2 role. He certainly has the hands and he has enough size to match up well against most corners. All that being said, I think the offense will be better if Knox emerges as the true #2 receiving threat. If Knox can get to 75-80 catches and 900-1000 yards receiving the offense will be unstoppable.

It was Chicago that signed Bates to offer sheet

The learning curve for the NFL has changed dramatically in the last decade. And it all has to do with what is happening in college. Used to be you could plug and play your high draft pick OT for a decade. Not any more. OL play in college has devolved into nearly every play being run out of a two point stance. Centers are more NFL ready than OTs. In the past, QB and CB took time to develop. Now DT is one of the longest positions to develop. Teams pass so much in college and the route trees are nearly as complex. The pass defenses used by Power 5 teams is just as intricate in the pros. QBs and CBs are now stepping right on the field and if they have the talent they play reasonably well. Not discounting some learning curve, but if Elam has the skills he should be fine.

I'm not disputing the facts of these studies. I would just add that the overall career length for all NFL players is less than 3 years. So you are taking a player that tears his ACL, then not even adjusting for how long they have already been in the league and then saying only 28% are still playing after 3 years. White is only 27. If he tore his ACL at age 31 it might be a whole different story. In fact he might not be in the league at age 34 even without an ACL tear. And not to be too harsh. But I kind of don't care about three years from now. I want to win now. So just be smart and not bring him back too early. Him playing in Dec/Jan/Feb is far more important than Sept. Agree with above poster as well, he never had elite speed. As long as he has adequate speed he should be fine. Long term he could be your replacement for Hyde in 2024.

Cancel it. It has no value. If you want to do some skills contest that is fine. Do it 2 weeks after the SB in Hawaii so all the players that want to participate can. Also eliminate this alternate non-sense. You either get voted in or you don't. If you have no game to play then it doesn't matter if a few of the players can't or choose not to participate.

All good and reasonable points. I'm higher on Saffold and you are higher on Boettger. I like way way you worded Quessenbury - a guy you want to upgrade if he is the starter.

So why did you disagree with my post? Seems like we both agree and I said as much about Dawkins. Chandler hates me and my posts, but he is a moron. Your posts are reasonable.

JFK is infinitely worse Doesn't look that way in the video. Arrest both or don't arrest either.

Why do you think he was the one that was arrested?

You have history backwards. The QB could get rid of the ball to escape a sack anywhere in the past. They established the tackle box to benefit the defense. If the defense successfully rushes the passer the QB no longer can just toss the ball anywhere to avoid a sack. Agree they removed faceguarding as PI a while ago.

The Patriots often traded away or let walk their high priced talent like Seymour, Veniteri, and Welker to just name a few.

Yes the 5 man OL is a position group but that is not how blocking either in the run game or the pass game works. Hell I even left out the WR's blocking in the run game. TE's are an extension of the OL. That said, there is no doubt the 5 starters that finished 2021 were far superior than the 5 that started game 1. Is that because those 5 are the best talents or did they have some chemistry that just clicked. I'd say it as probably a bit of both. Brown at RT moving Williams inside solidified the right side. Did Bates play well because Dawkins and Morse were playing their best football? Or is Bates just the best option at OG? Will be interesting to see.

Don't you know facts are not welcome here....

I think it is in the eye of the beholder. If you play like crap and beat yourself then it is a trap game. If you play well but the underdog wins well that is just playing the games. As for this season, I think it will be Bills at Jets Nov 6. Buffalo will be beyond the first 6 game gauntlet and coming off a home win over the Packers. Jets are an improved roster. Jets 27 Bills 17

The OL story will be very intriguing. I've added TEs and RBs for the role they play in run/pass blocking. Dawkins was a liability for the first 2/3rd's of 2021 and then he played the best football of his career after coming back from second COVID infection. He looked like an All-Pro late last year. Morse has never lived up to his contract but he too played his best football in a Bills uniform last year. Brown was very good in run blocking but was just shy of a liability in pass blocking. They really need him to improve in year 2 because the swing OT spot is a mess. Two schools on Bates. He is that good which begs why the hell did it take so long to get him in the lineup? Or he is not that good and he will regress back to being a career backup. Saffold looks like a solid signing. Should be very good in a more balanced offense that runs the ball a bit more. Hopefully he is good enough in pass protection. Interior depth is a massive question mark. They have bodies that have played in several games in Ford and Boettger but both of these guys will have trouble even making the roster. As above swing tackle is a mess, but Quessenberry has some experience and offers an ability to play inside if needed. Odd story last year. Almost like boom or bust. Plays well the majority if the time but then gives up 17 sacks. Another year removed from his cancer diagnosis and a new OL coach may be the key to him taking another step forward and pushing for a starting role. Doyle will only make the roster for use in the heavy TE sets. I'd prefer they keep him and get rid of Sweeney as the third TE. And as for TE, Knox and Howard are just average in blocking. Maybe Knox gets a little better. Knox is a star ready to dominate this year in the pass game, so whatever he brings as a blocker is just added bonus. Two additional notes. Singletary and Moss are exceptional pass blockers. I've rewatched most of the games from last season and they are both excellent at finding the free rusher or where they need to help out. And lastly, my annual Gilliam crusade. This guy does nothing well and on a team that uses 2 or more spots solely for special teams and a roster this deep, he has to go. Keeping him hurts the team depth somewhere else simply by taking up a roster spot better suited for WR, DL, or OL.

I just love all this preseason hype so all the people that say the media hates the Bills can shut the hell up now. The media loves winners. They don't care about losers. They don't care who the winners are. They will find a story and an angle to talk them up.

He may be

That is true. But just as you have that right so does the team have that right not to sell it to you

The most common maneuver is to take salary and convert it to a signing bonus. When the player signs his contract they get one bonus and a salary for a number of years. You can't write a contract with a series of signing bonuses. You just have to covert them if you want every year. Additionally if you put all the money into a signing bonus up front and the player doesn't work out then it becomes a large dead money cap hit. Not every contract/player signed will work out. So you have to hedge your bets.

Wow we agree. The universe may end now.

Kaizen is part of Lean or the Toyota Management System. It is alive and well in many organizations far beyond auto industry.