SirAndrew

I think you inadvertently summed up why we must draft a RB. It doesn’t need to be in an early round, but it must happen at some point. Everyone is worried about Shady and Gore’s ability to produce. They are both veterans who know how to run. I’m not concerned with a lack of production from those guys. I am concerned about injuries. Why should we believe that Shady will last the entire year? The guy has already struggled with injuries the past few years. When one of those guys goes down, you can’t expect the other 30 -something back to pick up the load. We need a young guy who can do that. It’s really not a question if McCoy and/or Gore get hurt, but more of a question as to when. Plans should be made accordingly.

I’m so thankful we got our guy last year. This QB draft class is very weak imo. Kyler Murray is the ultimate boom or bust prospect. I think that he is either going to be very good or a total bust. I also think he’s the only guy in the draft with the potential of becoming an all pro QB, if he doesn’t become a bust. There are a lot of other top 5 QB prospects who look more like backups.

Not a terrible deal, but after the streak of road games to begin last season, I’d be less than pleased with two road games to start this season.

Some former Pats receivers have certainly failed when they have left NE, but most washed up receivers they signed failed. Hard work and being smart have plenty to do with success, but guys do reach a point where they are simply done. The Pats have specialized in signing those type of players. Most of those guys were ineffective for the Pats. I expect the same from Thomas.

Agree. People always talk about all the receivers whose careers have been revitalized by Brady and the Pats. That take is really quite the misnomer. How many receivers went to NE but didn’t revitalize their careers? Far more have had their careers end with NE. The success of Moss really made everyone think that NE has a secret formula to help veteran receivers.

Interesting take, I’ve never heard Toronto blamed for the decline of Buffalo, and honestly I believe its extremely low on the list of reasons.

Ultimately it all comes down to the draft. This team definitely lacks high end talent, and that is a problem. Successful playoff teams all have high end talent. There is no way I see anything more than a one and done playoff team (at best) based on the talent of this roster. That could all change with a successful draft, and the continued development of our draft picks from the past few years. Nothing is preventing guys who are already on the roster from developing into high end talents. Although we didn’t land big time talent, I really like everything we did in free agency this offseason. You hope to find quality role players and depth guys during the free agency period. We did a really good job of doing so. Typically, you don’t expect to land superstars. The majority of high end talent on NFL rosters are homegrown draft choices. High end talent is often available during free agency only in the case of diva players. I think this team is in pretty good shape. Josh Allen’s development still determines the future of this franchise. I’m most concerned about the lack of high end talent, and not sold on the trenches for either side of the ball. This offensive line still isn’t very good. We signed some nice depth guys, but I’m not sure they are ideal starters. Morse is the only consistently above average starter on that line. It’s an improvement over last season, but that’s not saying a whole lot. Let’s hope some good talent can be found in the draft to help with that. Things still feel quite good around here as we finally have a regime with a plan, and Allen looks very promising. That’s more than we’ve been able to say in years. Now we just need to shore up a few positions and find a way to develop some high end talent.

Nothing wrong with brining him in. He’s the type of prospect who I’d have concerns about even if he played in an elite conference. The fact that he played in the MAC concerns me further about his ability to develop. If I’m drafting a MAC QB, I want a guy who dominated the conference. Average MAC QB’s never succeed in the pros, and may even need to change position like Edelman.

Is it wrong that I’m afraid of him just because Bama defensive players don’t have great NFL track records? Then I remind myself there are plenty of successful Bama defensive guys in the NFL. I need to get over the scars of Dareus. I’m also completely sold on Oliver at this point which clouds my judgment.

There is never going to be much of a trade market for a guy whose team is giving up on him in his second season. I know that’s not an original thought, but it does explain the entire Rosen situation. I wouldn’t say he’s already a bust. We’ve seen greater turnarounds, but it’s quite concerning that his team is willing to give up so quickly. I realize they have a new coaching staff, but it doesn’t say much about him as a first round pick.

I was just about to post something quite similar. He’s not good enough to deal with the baggage when 3.9 ypg guys can be found in the draft. He’s JAG at this point. Unrealized potential is rarely uncovered when the player himself is throwing it away. It takes something special to bring motivation and focus to a guy who lacks both. I wouldn’t bet on that happening.

I agree with this assessment. I also think it’s part of the reason why so many hold a negative view of Rodgers. Everyone understands that football is a team game. We also live in an era that favors QB’s. In 2019 there are very few excuses for a QB of Rodgers caliber to post a record below .500. However fair or unfair it may be, the record of his team is a direct reflection on him. The struggles of that team with a generational talent under center is a big reason people believe behind the scenes drama is occurring.

I don’t know if I’d say that Schmidt was much worse. They were equally bad according to the stats. Schmidt had 16 punts for an average of 42.8, a net or 33.8, and 4 kicks inside the twenty. Darr punted 20 times for an average of 40.5, a net of 36.3, and 5 kicks inside the twenty. Darr left the worst impression on me because he was the only guy I saw in live action last season. In person his kicks looked like something you’d see at the high school level. Regardless, I’m sure we are definitely in agreement that the position needs to be upgraded.

You couldn’t be any worse than Darr. I’ve never seen less distance and hang time out of a pro punter in my life. Personally, I wouldn’t stress much about the age of a punter. Punters have had long careers long before the days of other positions playing well into their 30’s.

Yeah, punting is just too much of an adventure with Bojo. It always felt like something bad was about to happen when Bojo was on the field. His big leg is definitely all he has going for him. Unfortunately, last season he was like a home run hitter who wasn’t hitting home runs. More often than not he drops the snap, shanks the punt, but rarely did we see a long punt that showcased his big leg. If he can’t do that, he doesn’t have anything going for him.

Good point, the real question will be how much he wants. I’m thinking he might not have as much leverage as he’d prefer considering he was injured much of last season.

If you’re referring to the Oakland game last season, I agree. I think he could improve with more reps at New Era Field. It may have been a matter of not knowing how to properly deal with the wind patterns of that stadium. I still think he’s better than Darr and Bojangles.

He wasn’t as good as he was during his time in Oakland imo, but he also only played in four games before being placed on IR. He was eventually cut while on IR.

It’s only a matter of time before half the board has a meltdown over King being “too flamboyant” to sign. Admittedly, some of his antics are somewhat humorous to see from a punter, but he is the type of veteran we could use at that position. The stage seems a little too big for Boroquez. At least you know King is confident, and not as likely to fold under pressure. Also, Darr is the worst punter I’ve ever seen at the pro level. I didn’t realize how awful he truly was until I attended a late season game. It was truly shocking to see how terrible he was in person.

That’s very true, but even if we got Antonio Brown I doubt that Buffalo receives much love from ESPN. ESPN has always liked the Raiders brand, and even Cleveland has appealed to them more than Buffalo. Market size is pretty much all that is used to determine ESPN’s opinions on teams. Add some star power to the mix and they are all over it.

And this is why I should have known better than to ever pay any attention to a stupid Twitter poll.

Same here. Even when we’ve caught the Pats off guard early in the season, still have found a way to lose those games (ex.McKelvin game). It’s almost more demoralizing to lose to the Pats when they aren’t at full strength early in the year. I want a home game against a team like the Redskins or Bengals. Let’s start off on a good note.

Yep, this is the problem with AAF style football leagues. You are watching second tier talent. That’s a tough sell to all but the most hardcore football fans. The only way these leagues could generate interest among a larger fan base is by signing elite talent right out of college or high school. “Minor League” football doesn't have the same appeal as minor league baseball or hockey. In those sports you could be watching future all stars and hall of famers at any moment. It’s highly unlikely you are watching that caliber player in leagues like the AAF or XFL. Guys like Kurt Warner and even Tommy Maddox are exteme outliers. On the other hand, I’ve watched tons of big names play minor league baseball.

Thanks, great information. I felt similarly about Hockenson. Since a good TE would be a big help to Allen, I wouldn’t have frowned over the selection. Upon deeper scrutiny I noticed that game changing TE’s are rarely found in the first round. I agree that he’d need to be a generational talent to make that selection at 9th overall. He’s not, so I’d prefer to look elsewhere.

This is where I am. First round TE’s have a terrible track record of being good investments. We can talk about how Gronk, Ertz, and Kelce are difference makers all we want. The truth is those guys were second and third round picks. I’m not using my 9th pick on that position.