BigAl2526

I agree with the OP. Buffalo is as good or better in every area but middle linebacker. As others have suggested, though, the loss of Edmunds could be significant. Hopefully Dodson or Spector can step up. If one of them can at least display competence, and they can avoid key injuries, the Bills should be tough to win against.

I understand the defense was very aggressive today, with plenty of blitzing. The offense is going to need to adjust to that because there are teams on their schedule that will do much the same thing to try and get the Bills' offense off kilter.

With Klein, what you see is what you get. His skill set allows him to do some things as a MLB and not others. McDermott would definitely have to tweak the defense to allow Klein to be a fit. Bernard also has a limited skill set. It is a different skill set than Klein possesses. In particular, his size is going to make it tough to him to take on bigger offensive players be they offensive linemen, running backs or tight ends. He should be good in coverage and have better overall range than Klein. Spector is smallish too, though not as small as Bernard. He's also not as fast, but neither is he as limited athletically as Klein. I think Dodson probably has the best overall blend of athleticism and size in the whole group, but I also think it's taken him the first several years of his career to get up to speed with where he needs to be mentally as a middle linebacker in this system. The question on Dodson is, Is he there yet? If he can handle it mentally, I think he's the leader in the race. I agree with others that Klein is probably insurance in case nobody else can handle it. It should be noted that all this is opinion and conjecture only and I have no expertise. Thake it with a huge grain of salt.

I thought Hackett was in over his head as OC for the Bills. After that, I didn't worry about him much. It is clear, however that diplomacy is not Sean Payton's strong suit.

That's a good thing. It means the line has been upgraded, probably at two spots. (I think it is a given that McGovern is an upgrade.) I have no problem with Bates backing up Morse. The question is whether Bates can be a starting quality center when Morse hangs it up.

But perhaps something Mitch Morse should consider.

I don't imagine many will be frightened by the sight of Deonte Harty in pads either. They will be frightened when either of those two players has the ball and is running by them.

I wasn't there, but isn't Allen always in a red "no contact " jersey? A trick play like that does place the defensive player in a difficult spot. He's supposed to make a play while at the same time protect his QB.

I don't know how anyone can place blame based on the You Tube clip. It is evident that Morse is the center on the play. I spotted him after the play at the 13 second mark and got a better view at the 18 second mark, but whether the fault lies with Morse or with Allen, it's probably only those two who actually know, and those they admitted it to, of course.

I think the staff Buffalo has is more thorough in their due diligence than they have ever been in the past. I think they have data on hundreds of players who have been in the NFL, XFL, CFL, Arena football and others (if there are any others). I don't know if they were specifically looking to upgrade the back end of their WR group when they brought in Isabella and Harry (and any others) or it was a routine visit like lots of players make throughout the year. Obviously, the Bills liked what they saw in Isabella over what they saw in Harry, but that doesn't mean they have necessarily eliminated Harry from future consideration should the need arise. In any case, if there is a player out there who can help the Bills, the Bills' pro personnel staff is going to do their best to find them.

Pass the popcorn. This will be fun to watch. I don't think NE has a ghost of a chance to reach the post season. They have the look of a cellar dweller in the AFC East.

The Bills presumably have some reason for signing him. BTW I corrected dots to darts.

The is an old saying about the futility of trying to get blood out of a turnip. I can't imagine Araiza making much money out of this. By getting a positive judgment, it might be one more step toward repairing his reputation. Hopefully, he can get another crack at punting in the NFL.

I'm pretty sure that Andy Isabella is not going to be the next Tyreke Hill for the Bills. I think the Bills are stockpiling candidates for return specialist in response to the injury to Hines. They are hoping that if they throw enough darts at the board, they may get a good score even if they don't hit the bull's eye. As far as depth at WR is concerned, there is plenty of competition at the back end of the roster. Isabella would have to be shockingly good in preseason to carve a path into any kind of significant role as a WR in the regular season.

Rousseau had an inside move against Brown to gain a sack yesterday, but I read somewhere it wasn't all Brown's fault, and that generally Brown has shown improvement. I'm not sure we've heard the end of the Spencer Brown story and the end might be better than most expect. I don't know that for a fact, but am trying to keep an open mind.

I don't think there is any question about Elam making the team. Even if he doesn't win the starting job outright, I think McDermott is going to give him plenty of reps. He posted on his website that he didn't get a ticket for today, but would have one for tomorrow.

Listening to Sal Capaccio on WGR, I understand Benford was well grounded in a defensive system that was very similar to what the Bills use. Elam played mostly man. Benford has the benefit of good football intelligence despite his small school background. He doesn't make too many mistakes. Elam is the more elite athlete, and that will enable him to make some plays that Benford never will, but he's probably not going to be as consistent as Benford for a while yet. That's how I see this developing. BTW, Dane Jackson has the advantage of experience over the other two, but is the most limited athlete of the three. I think it is inevitable that Benford or Elam, or perhaps both of them overtake Jackson on the depth chart if they aren't there yet.

So, the Jets should be defended with tight coverage and early pressure. What you can't do is a loose zone with CBs lining up 10 - 15 yards deep.

Hines was going to be used primarily as a return specialist. Taiwan Jones never returned punts or kicks. Darrynton Evans is a returner.

My recollection is that Knox was very athletic coming out of college with high end speed. The knock on him was lack of productivity and experience. He had been a QB in high school and was very much underutilized at Ole Miss because the WRs at Ole Miss were DK Metcalf and AJ Brown.

An upgrade from Morris. His college scouting report says he as OK speed though he's not fast. He runs routes like a receiver, is a bit undersized and not a great blocker. He's not an awful blocker, but it's an area where he needed to improve. He's quality depth though. I imagine he could start in a pinch and not be an embarrassment.

His primary value to the Bills would have been as a returner. He would have had relatively few carries as a running back. I imagine the Bills will look for a free agent who could fill that role and has a little speed. There are probably some guys out there who could do it, though obviously less talented than Hines.

Because the Patriots have been so good the last few years. Oh wait.

Interesting. I don't pay much attention to Vegas. I was going by what I see in the media. I think a lot of people are starting to write off the Bills because they've gotten stuck in the playoffs in the divisional round.

140 mph? Wow. And I was worried before the draft that he wasn't very fast.