ThurmanThomasEnglishMuffin

This is exactly why I never want Gronk on this team. I'm sure that would go over well in the locker room.

Funny you bring that up. Fournette is a FA, so it's his choice to go back to TB or not. I suppose a lot will depend on who TB gets to play QB. TB also has a lot of valuable FAs this yer, so I can see him choosing where to play, and not be affected by what happens in TB. In his 3 years in Jax, he put up 2 x 1000 rushing seasons. Averaged 4.0 YPC, often against 8 man fronts because Blake Bortles. 2632 yards rushing/ 17 Rush TDs in 36 Games (73 yards per game) 4.0 YPC. 134 Rec/ 1009 yards receiving/ 2 Rec Tds (28 Rec YDS/Game) Hardly a bust, but not the production JAX wanted for his draft status Fournette proved he can be a solid dual back with better QB play and not facing stacked fronts. His Rec numbers with Minshew and Brady are quite good for a big back. He has a career 78.4% catch percentage. Buffalo would be ideal for his running style and because he has a QB that should keep stacked boxes to a minimum. I understand your POV but disagree with it. I only saw two Giants games this year, but Barkley looked slow and washed. No need to send draft capital and spend to the cap with Barkley when a back with more production and the size this team is missing is a cheaper available FA.

CB is the area of need IMO. Levi Wallace is a FA and will probably get overpaid by someone after he stepped up to be the CB#1 for half the season after Tre went down. Tre White may likely miss the start of the season. Even when he returns what level will he be playing at the first few weeks back? Taron Johnson is a solid slot CB, but is not a good boundary CB That leaves Dane Jackson and some interesting but underwhelming guys on the PS as starters at CB. I see a 1st round pick on CB, or a trade for an established one (like Diggs at WR) Marhawn Lattimore makes sense from an opportunity/ need/ trade partner perspective. The Saints are @$70M over the cap, and they are rebuilding. Unfortunately his contract is ridiculous. a Pre-June trade makes the Saints eat a lot of contract, but his $ is still very high. The Saints would get a #1 pick and some cap relief, but it may not be enough to trade him. Regardless, CB is a glaring need

Good to look at Fournette and Barkley. If a team was looking for a RB of this type, why not just go get Fournette? He is a FA, so no picks lost for compensation. Fournette had a $3.5M cap hit last year. His $ should be similar this year. Barkley has a $7.2M hit in a trade. Fournette was much more productive in every category in 2021 than Barkley. Why not just go get Fournette? 1/2 the compensation, more productive and no picks lost. I think Fournette would be a solid mid level FA addition for the Bills, and make much more sense than trading for Barkley.

Dorsey was a 2 time Heisman finalist with Miami. He has been a performance coach with IMG, similar to what Palmer does. from 2013-2018 Dorsey was the QB coach in Carolina. (Newton's 3rd year) This time frame correlated with Cam Newton improving and earning MVP honors in 2015. On March 26, 2018, Dorsey was hired to serve as the assistant director of athletics for the sports program at Florida International University effective April 2018. Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was quoted as saying "He'll bring a newness and spark to FIU. Not only is he a hard worker, but he has a vibrant killer instinct. He's a known proven winner over the years." in 2019 Dorsey was brought in as Buffalo QB coach for Allen's second year. A year later Allen was a top 5 selection for NFL MVP. He is a proven QB coach. 1 MVP and a runner up. He clearly has a 'type' he is successful with. He has been an assistant to Mike Shula and Daboll, two very good OC minds. I think we forget that prior to this season Dorsey was promoted to passing game coordinator/ QB coach. The passing game took a few games to adjust, but ended with Allen's nearly perfect game vs Hoodie and the Pats, and another spectacular performance against KC. I fully believe the promotion to passing game coordinator/ QB coach was to keep Dorsey in house, and to give him more OC responsibilities and groom him for this opportunity. my 2 cents

JA has suffered the Hail Murray and 13 seconds. These are two games that cement the legacy of NFL QBs other than Super Bowls. How many of these can he take before it becomes obvious the defense is the weak link, despite having a Defensive HC and DC who was a HC? Add to it that most of the FA$ and picks go to defense??? The scheme is not working. The picks and FA$ are not working. It has to be changed. McKenzie is an important part of the offense. I want him back. The offense has been on the sidelines during the two most heart breaking losses.

If Buffalo can package a deal for a CB or pass rush DE with our #1/ #x I am aok with it. The Diggs trade worked out in an area of need very well in a similar trade. DE and CB are positions of need/ impact. CB - It is a premium position. There are 5-7 CBs with a first round grade in this draft. Every mock has 1-2 available for the Bills pick at #25. Wallace is a FA and will get paid stupid money somewhere after his performance this year. It is like Josh Norman all over again. McDermott gets the most out of a DB, and then he goes elsewhere and is ok, but not worth what was paid. Tre White is not guaranteed to be ready week 1, or what condition he will be in. It is clear the Bills need to focus on getting home field advantage. We need to have to have 2 starting CBs ready week 1. FA DB market is soft, and Bills have little FA money. After Dane Jackson what is there to start at CB? Cam Lewis? Nick McCloud (like him, but not to start), Olijiah Griffin? Spot of need and top heavy draft depth. No brainer. Ideally Buffalo trades their 1st and another pick to acquire an established CB with the #1/ #? a la Diggs trade. Sends a message that the Bills want to win now. IOL - Buffalo passed on Creed Humphrey C at 61 last year and he went to KC at 63 instead. Humphrey grades out as a top 5 C after his rookie year by everyone. Oops. Could have had our Kent Hull-Jim Kelly in Creed Humphrey-Josh Allen, instead Patrick Mahomes get him. It shows impact IOL can be drafted here. Buffalo picks @57 this year. G or C is a good value pick. Ryan Bates is a RFA, no guarantee he returns. He is my #1 FA/RFA for the Bills to resign. Solid IOL investment is needed. A good OL helps JA be JA and helps RBs be better. Protect your franchise, and set the tone on offense. 1TDT - Star improves the team because he is one of maybe 2 true 1TDT on the team. He is also a weak tub of goo. Phillips did improve, but he is ok and is also a FA. This pick is as much about improving the run defense, as much as it is about improving Ed Oliver and potentially freeing up salary cap money or not extending an average guy. RB - Singletary is the only NFL quality RB on the team. I still don't think he is a 3 down back. I'll leave it there. Fournette would be a good FA get if Brady retires. He would look great in a Bills uniform and could chase a ring with us. With Brady he showed he can catch passes. For a finesse team, having JA/ Fournette and Knox would add some physicality. Runs with an improved IOL and Fournette could lessen wear and tear on JA in must get 3rd/4th/goal line situations. If the Bills sign Fournette RB drops way down on the list. I wanted him the first time he hit FA. If not get a true bruiser or speed back. Add something dynamic to the backfield to help JA, especially is McKenzie walks. Breida and Moss are not it and Antonio Williams who flashed just walked out the door. DE - Depends on what Buffalo does. Buffalo was very good at pressuring rookie/mediocre/backup QBs. But against the best they were pretty flat. I am ok moving on from Hughes, who will never get a holding call again. I am ok moving on from Addison, he of many pressures but few take downs. 3 premium picks have been spent here in the last 2-3 drafts. At some point these young guys have to step up and play. Is it coaching? Is it scheme? if a trade can be made for a stud DE, do it. otherwise let the young guys play, but be on the lookout for the Ingram style trades possible during the season, or a guy that falls in the draft. WR - Depends on 2 things. Does McKenzie go elsewhere? Do the Bills cut Beasley? If so who is brought in at WR? Diggs/ Davis/ Knox is a good start. Another player is needed in the modern NFL. Plenty of intrigue in the FA market. Allen Robinson would be a stud fit, but does that relegate Davis to the slot? DJ Chark is 6'4' 200 with 4.3 speed, but can he stay healthy and produce? Options here for the Bills. ST - P is Haak who we want with his slow approach? Jones (34), Neal, Kumerow (30) and Neal (28) are all FA. How many can the Bills keep? Who is the returner? McKenzie and Stevenson underwhelmed... Can ST stud be found in 6-7?

I looked it up for you Offense Snaps 2020 - 270 - 25% 2021 - 257 - 24% Special Teams 2020 - 12 - 3% 2021 - 91 - 23% Seems his Offensive snap counts were about the same. Was willing to step it up on ST and got dinged for it both by the coaches and a lot of fans. His body language was not so good after the KC loss. I love McKenie as a player, hope he stays. Just keep him away from special teams! I think a lot has to do with if and where Daboll goes, maybe Dorsey. May be tied to what happens with Bease.

I started a whole thread about this. Coaching and scheme vs Talent evaluation. You and I are seeing the same fundamental problem. The front 6-7 is not delivering. Why? So much FA and premium draft capital has been spent, that it is or will soon be a detriment to the team.

Unfortunately what you described is the Bills defensive MO all season for the past few seasons. 4-2-5 leaves a lot of middle territory open. QBs like Brady/ Mahomes/ Burrow will chew that up. KC does not launch crazy bombs all over. They beat teams in the middle of the field and count on YAC to get the explosive plays. Hill/ Pringle etc speed. Kelce strength. CHE playing against a 6 man front. Look at the Hill TD. Mid range pass and speed kills. JaMarr Chase would feast. Against run based teams how often do we see Poyer being the first person to lay a helmet on a RB/ TE with a full head of steam? What made 13 seconds worse was the safeties playing off 20 yards down field. They were worried about being beaten over the top and defended the sidelines. Dumb when a team has underneath weapons with YAC capability and 3 timeouts.

Do we want more of the same, or someone a bit more aggressive and strong with the front to get the most out of all the premium picks spent on DL and LB? I am starting to think that there is too much emphasis on the DBs and not enough on pressure and the front. The drafts and FA have clearly focused on that, but the results up front are marginal at best. The players are good, I don't think a base nickel with a DC and HC who are both DBs at heart is getting the most out of them right now. McDermott was a S. He was the DB coach under Jim Jones in Philly. I agree they have done a great job with DBs. He can help any DC get the most out of any DB we have. Buffalo has to get more out of the DL/LB to be able to beat the Mahomes/ Burrow/ Herberts of the world. Just sitting back and playing DB ball is not going to win against those types of QBs. Even Kyler Murray proved it. We need a defensive coach who gets more out of the front 6-7 on the team IMO.

Great post, and your sentiments echo a lot of what I was trying to convey in my thread about coaching or talent evaluation. Frazier and McDermott are excellent DB coaches. It has elevated the play of most anyone suiting up in the secondary. The fact that Buffalo plays a base Nickel points to it. Play to your advantage. It is mind boggling how both coached under Jim Jones and are not aggressive at all. Point 2 - I agree 100% and Oliver did produce better this year and started to make a few splash plays. This coincided with better 1TDT play. At #9 you would hope he didn't need it as much, but he does. When Oliver has good 1TDT play next to him he benefits. Buffalo needs to keep that in mind this off season IMO. Point 3 - Mostly agree. Rosseau started pretty hot. He also flashed play making ability with the tipped pass and INT. He seemed to run out of gas as the season wore on. Understandable. He only started one year in college and had a COVID year off. I think he will improve next year. Basham either gets beat or makes plays. He is a fan favorite in my viewing group. I think both will benefit with more snaps and a year of pro-football conditioning and experience. Point 1 is the buggaboo. I really have been down on Edmunds since after year 2. Every metric declined in yr 3, they stabilized some in yr 4. Too many times this year he was looking sideways, or slow to react to the snap. The TB game scoring drive was an example. I saw it 2-3 times against KC in the Divisional Game. That said, my eyes tell me he did tackle better this year. PFR shows an 8.5% missed tackle rate, which was his best as a pro. He did make more plays at or near the LOS. His 7 stuffs (TFL) was second highest in his career, and some of them were very timely. I really think playing nickel LB with only 2 LBs is asking too much for a prototype LB all the time. There is just too much area and responsibilities for him to cover. We are spoiled by Poyer and Hyde being so good at it as S in the nickel. If anything they benefit from having a 5th DB on the field. Milano does well in this set too, but a lot of people forget he converted from Safety his rookie season at BC to LB. Milano understands safety concepts and speaks McDermott/ Frazier's positional language. Milano also does not have to call the defense. Not sure Edmunds is a scheme fit to what McDermott and Frazier want to do defensively. His pure athleticism covers it a lot. I believe he would be beastly in a 4-3 or 3-4. If Buffalo wants to continue Nickel is a 3-3-5 an option? Clog up more of the short/ middle of the field. Pressure will have to be generated with blitzes though. Against run based teams like Indy and Ten they will have to dial up run blitzes. Because of all of that I am eager to see what another DC with a scheme change/ adjustment could do. Frazier is good, but I don't think they are getting what they could out of this personnel.

All good points. Sanders void year situation is interesting, it does make him easier in some ways to re-sign, they could add some salary upfront, and kick about $1M of his $2M void year bonus payout in 2022 a year down the road to 2023, but agree that would be a mistake for many reasons. Davis has earned the right to be the #2 on this team and get the lion's share of snaps there. Davis is younger/ cheaper and JA trusts him all over the field. I am hoping McKenzie is brought back. I rank him 3rd as Buffalo FA/RFA that I hope we retain. He is one of my favorite players and I like his unique skill set, and he is still quite young. That said we have a few key FA and not too much money to go around. Does McKenzie want to come back? How does his early season benching affect his decision? How much is he looking for? If Dabs or Ken Dorsey go elsewhere do they want to try to pluck him for their new team? The 'reasonable salary' to look at is $6M for Bease. When making roster decisions I look at the NET effect of the spending to cap in a keep/cut situation. If retained Bease is $7.5M. Cutting him is a $1.5M cap hit, so the Bills are down a productive player and $1.5M against the cap, with $6M to backfill or use elsewhere. I would feel more comfortable locking up McKenzie for 2-3 years before making a move on Bease. ST is going to be dicey. T Jones, S Neal and Kumerow are all FA. Jones is 34, Neal is 28, and Kumerow is 30. ST will probably look quite different next year.

things to consider: Sanders is a FA (void year) McKenzie is a FA Kumerow is a FA Beasley is under contract for one more year for a decent $ and is a contributor in this offense. He is clearly in decline, so no need to extend him, but no reason to make another hole in the WR room. Could do a lot worse than Diggs/ Davis/ Bease and Knox as your base.

priorities and a big F$&* You to the clowns who did not select him in the first place

Fair point, but they did block his face for most of the ad....

Rogers was also was very grey in his vax status at the start of the year.... The money and ad campaign was already well under way when the new language was put in. State Farm had already invested that money. Is the NFL going to die on that hill with a major sponsor over this? Probably not.

You have a point, and I am well aware of that coaching tree. I lived in Philadelphia for most of the Andy Reid/ McNabb - Jim Johnson era and what is now called 'Defensive U' by some in NFL circles. (I think McDermott called it that when he was hired in Buffalo) That defensive/ Special Teams staff was loaded. Reid HC, Johnson DC, Rivera, McDermott, Spagnoulo, Frazier, Harbaugh etc. Johnson was a 4-3 adherent and innovator, but was known for aggressive blitz packages and an attacking style. Frazier was a starting DB for the 85 Bears, who also attacked. McDermott has made tweaks to it already going to a base Nickel and playing back and not being as aggressive. I wonder why the combo of McDermott and Frazier is more bend but don't break and less attacking? Is it personnel? Is it changes to the game rules? etc. This thread is all about that and the premium picks being spent on defense. All of this fits where I am as a fan. Why does the defense seem to blow a lot of critical moments (Hail Murray/ 13 seconds etc). I just don't see many attack style/ impact players on this roster. So I am wondering if it is scheme/ picks/ coaching/ philosophy? I also am looking at potential pass rushers and attackers and was surprised a guy like Reddick could be available. He isn't a scheme fit as Buffalo stands now, but maybe some tweaking should be made? Would it be so bad to hire a guy like Fangio and have McDermott delegate the defense to him? Could Fangio's style get more out of these premium picks with a different philosophy? A few picks/ FA would have to be spent to retool the front, but is that so bad? What the Bills are doing now is not working in big moments against top tier competition.

He is. I am wondering what kind of impact there will be on philosophy if Frazier goes. If Vic Fango is a possibility he would be a nice fit for the Von Miller type role in that style of defense.

I think there is language in the NFLPA agreement with the NFL that unvaxxed players are limited to what kind of ad spots they can get. Not speculating on if JA is or isn't but no national ads if unvaxxed. There was a lot of language in the COVID rules for unvaxxed players that I don't think a lot of fans are aware of. This partiular point was intended to add financial incentives to get the vax.

What do you think of Hasaan Reddick? His years are voided on his current contract. Carolina connection is there 😆

Haasan Reddick in Fangio's 3-4 or a 3-3-5???? could be spicy...

Pretty please... Force the hand to get a new DC.... Vic Fangio? A guy who is used to staring down Mahomes and Herbert 2x a year....

Vic Fangio as DC. 100% without question. Should do it regardless what happens to Frazier. He had a top 5-10 defense playing against KC and the Chargers 2x each a year with a crap offense. That is a legitimate ranking. He won't get spooked by facing KC or the Chargers, two teams/ QBs the Bills need to be prepared to beat in the playoffs. As a DC he can focus on stopping those QBs and offenses. McDermott and Frazier are/ were DBs and see the game that way. They suck at developing DL/LB generating sacks Fangio always has a strong front 7 but weaker DBs. McDermott and Fangio would be complimentary. Fangio is more aggressive, and we need that on Defense I know Fangio runs a 3-4. Since the game is pass first maybe a 3-4 or 3-3-5 is the way to go instead of the 4-2-5 Cover 2 Nickel Buffalo plays as a base. This would change up FA and draft requirements, but that may be good. It's not like Buffalo's DL draft picks are excelling in the 4-2-5. Oliver could be a beastly 3-4/ 3-3-5 DE. Rosseau would fit in there too. Draft a proper 1T at NT. A name has come up in the threads as a 1T DT, I can't find it now. Star is under contract 1 more year. Move heaven and earth to get Haasan Reddick to come here as a LB (his 2022-2025 years with Carolina are void). This would be Fangio's new Von Miller and the Bills stud pass rusher. Reddick is a former Panther now, and he is still young. Maybe Fangio could get Edmunds to play to his potential in a 3-4/ 3-3-5 LB corps, if Fangio can't no one will. my 2 cents For Offense promote Ken Dorsey. He was QB coach of Cam Newton the year Newton won NFL MVP. He came to Buffalo in Allen's 2nd year and has been QB coach since. TIme for him to step up, and Allen likes him.

Even as Bills fans we wondered if Josh Allen could reach his ceiling and be able to sustain it for more than one game. Now we know. We know what he can do, we saw it, in pressure filled playoff games two weeks in a row. The whole NFL world saw what he can do for multiple games. If we get that Josh Allen for 17 games next year the Bills should be hosting the playoffs instead of the Chiefs. Play that game at Orchard Park and it may have been different. This year feels a bit like 1989. It wasn't bickering, but it was a let down coming off of a AFC Championship game the year prior. JA knows the level he needs to play at now, and he can do it. The whole football world knows now. No more Jacksonville or Pittsburgh style games if you want home field and a more secure path to the Super Bowl. McDermott took one on the chin too. He knows he can not waste any more Allen seasons. I hope Beane pulls the trigger on the next Melvin Ingram/ Von Miller style opportunity mid season. The Bills did nothing to improve the team as the season wore on. Multiple players became available who could have helped and we did nothing. The chips should be all in from now on. We all know we have the QB, you have to go all in. This sucks right now, but it may be for the best going forward.