Bob in STL

No, they really don't. They don't say anything when they may think otherwise. So many people just want to slam Haack. I get it, he was a poor punter by NFL standards. I watched him play.

Agree. These "he is just a punter" comments are crazy. Right now they probably believe he is innocent. That could change. This media explosion might be too much for the team to deal with.

I know what Because McDermott just said - he was a good teammate. That is why they cut him, to provide him more time to find another job. I said he was a below average punter.

Haack is a below average punter, but a very good holder. if nothing else he was a good teammate. The holder part of it is why Bojo is gone. A punter can lose a game for you and so can a bad holder. This mess effects 2 positions. The heat of battle of a real NFL game against the SB champion Rams, the Bills may be venerable and possibly distracted. This is mess for the team and for all parties.

Not necessarily. Line drive kicks, Hang time, and not being a holder also hurt him. He was not the highest rated punter in the draft.

Drafted players - Dion Dawkins has played in a Pro Bowl and Dawson Knox is getting close to that level.

At the end of the day it’s up to the coaches and staff to pick the best players no matter where they were drafted. They see almost everything, including training room dynamics, practice habits, and personal habits - all of which play a part.

Sweeny is the TE that I suspect is gone. He had chances to contribute last year and he did not do it. I don't think he blocks or gets open enough for a #2. His hands have been average at best.

Don't forget Taiwan moving up on the inside lane.

Don't worry, we can get Blackshear to play CB or S.

Good one!

I have nothing against Blackshear, he has impressed me and I trust McDermott to do what is right for the team. It is everything else you said in bold italics above. Why do you think that players that run down kicks are not good players and cannot play another position? Why do you not see they provide a useful function and just like any other position, some players excel and others are average. Saying things like "kicking off out of bounds on purpose on every kickoff", that just makes you lose credibility. Given you thoughts above I will refrain from trying to convince you of anything.

Doesn’t Blackshear have to better than Jones on ST? or at least a contributor on ST? Does he just get to be a 4th string player that brings nothing else just because you like hm? You keep ignoring the fact that Jones was a team captain and a special teams ace. Oh, special teams aren’t important, that’s right. Just assume every punt and every kickoff will be a touchback. Isn’t that your theory? I am pulling for Blackshear to make the 53 but if he doesn’t I trust that McDermott had good reasons why.

This is a shame. I used to stay down there occasionally in the early 2000’s and it was very nice. Good food, lots of craft beers, nice vibe, etc. You are the second person that has told me this about Portland in the past week.

Good comments but just wanted to add that Spencer Brown playing at actually a plus for him. He will not be starting for awhile as he works his way back and recovers from the injury. Thankfully Quessenberry is a good backup up. As for Blackshear, he looked very good but lets remember that he played the 2nd half against many players that will not make the NFL or will be 3rd team players. I look forward to seeing him again next week to see if he can continue his impressive play. If so, he may be hard to hide on the Bills PS.

Special Teams is certainly a big part of the game, hence this conversation. Every play is important and the margin for error to win a SB is very low. Do you recall the special teams gaff last year with 13 seconds left. We kicked it out of the end zone. A high, fieldable, and coverable kickoff would have burned the clock down to 7 or 8 seconds and dramatically improved our chances to win. Now you want to make that our strategy, just kick everything out of the end zone? In any weather, any time? Do you recall all the bad weather games and the wind at New Era Field? If your young favorite rookies can fill the ST needs then they will have a shot to make the team. I trust McDermott and Beane to make that call. A #4 RB and a #6/7 wideout must contribute something more than being a backup to a backup. BTW, we gave up 160 yards on 6 kickoffs yesterday. McD purposely sat his top kick coverage guys so he is looking deeply at everything that you are concerned about. The coverage was one of the few parts of the Bills game that was mediocre. After the next game McD and Beane will have decisions to make and I doubt they will treat kick coverage as “barely part of the game”.

Maybe Ariza will be special but you don’t know if this is true yet. Especially in wind and bad weather. Ariza has just one NFL punt to his name. The trade-off is kicking high and relying on coverage versus kicking line drives that are much deeper. Every team has opted to get their punters to kick high and hang time is critical for punt coverage. What is to stop a team from putting a second deep return guy out there to catch balls that have out kicked the coverage? There will be returns and sooner or later teams will break one. Ariza is working on situational punting that includes higher kicks that have more hang time than he typically gets. To suggest getting rid of our best punt coverage players on the hope that Ariza kicks everything for a touchback is unrealistic at this point.

EVERY ST play is impactful and can lead to a large swing in field positions, therefore the players that excel on ST are impactful. Those boring ST kick coverages where we tackle them at the 20 are impactful because blowing just one kick coverage can cost you a game. Refer to the blocked punt by Pittsburgh last season. Lost game and lost home field playoff advantage to KC.

I seriously doubt they keep Haack as a holder. I sure liked the days when QB2 was the holder on most teams. Much better to pull off a fake to have a QB at holder. Maybe Keenan can be a back up holder?

Beane will find a way to keep him for a fair salary and the naysayers will eventually be converted.

I thought that punt was going to be blocked. Haack takes a long time. 38 net and inside the 20.

Lots of Cynthia this half, which is nice.

Third quarter just ended and I’m not sure I’ve heard his name yet?

If someone can cover Taiwan’s spot on ST it could happen.

Levitre and Wood would help us, but Freddy Jackson would take our offense to another level. I would pick Jackson. Freddy can also return kicks. McGee would be my next choice and would improve CB and KR positions.