BigAl2526

I think Mac Jones is pretty smart. As you say, we really don't know a whole lot. One thing we do know is that college performance is an unreliable predictor of pro performance. Sometimes things carry over and sometimes they don't. Some people may remember a college QB who came out with a simply remarkable stat with regard to TDs and interceptions. I don't remember the exact numbers, but he threw an astounding number of TDs and had almost no interceptions. His name was Geno Smith. People may recall the crash and burn he experienced with the Jets.

Interesting thread. Mahomes vs Allen is a very small gap IMO. Defensive line and tight end were bigger. Coaching is hard to compare since Reid is an offensive guy and McDermott a defensive guy. I have to give Reid all kinds of props because he has never been confined by his West Coast coaching roots. When the Chiefs drafted Mahomes, he wholeheartedly endorsed and incorporated a bunch of college read option stuff that Mahomes was familiar with. McDermott is pretty adaptive on the defensive side however. He is known for his ability to disguise coverage and confuse QBs. I'm particular, he has used the abilities of Hyde and Poyer to coordinate and play off each other to great advantage. He's never had a true big nickel in Buffalo, for which he was known in Carolina, but that has not stopped him from building a formidable defense. Personally, I think he's drooling over the possibilities that Rousseau and Basham give him on the defensive line. I do think Brian Daboll was a brilliant hire by McDermott. He's a lot newer in his coaching career than Reid, of course, but he has some of Reid's adaptability to him. He's from the Belichick coaching tree and the Erhardt-Perkins offensive system. That system originated with a smash mouth style of offense, but also lends itself to significant adaptation. It was used in New England, of course, with Brady throwing timing passes all over the field. Daboll has adapted it to Josh Allen's strengths, and like Reid has incorporated a lot of read-option stuff from college.

It was quick, but Ii thought I heard Staley say that despite Brown being raw, he thought Brown could develop quickly. I'm assuming that is because of his physical traits and his attitude. In a sense, he's like the offensive tackle version of Josh Allen.

I don't think he will regress. I think he will get a little better at the mental aspect of playing QB. He may improve in his anticipation on certain throws that he worked on this offseason. That may not result in a big statistical leap since he had pretty lofty stats as it is. If Buffalo rediscovers the running game for certain situations, that will make it even harder for Allen to have stats that are a lot better. I don't think Buffalo would ever abandon their potent passing offense, but even a slight shift in the offensive balance could make it hard for Josh to have stats that are a lot better.

Of course, that assumes there was a time when he was classy.

I wouldn't mind if Vander hoes my garden. The two signings make it appear Beane is not completely happy with the prospect of going into the season with Lotulelei and Phillips as his 1 tech tandem.

Still, having to play a lot of 1 tech limited the things he could do to be disruptive. If Star and Harrison can share most of the 1 tech work, it will free Oliver to do the kind of stuff that generates more stats and attention.

You mean the West-Herr gig along side Steve Tasker doesn't count?

Oliver was stuck playing 1 tech a good share of the time last season, but you're right of course. He needs to start showing up on the stat sheet. II don't expect he'll be taking many reps at 1 tech this season with Phillips healthy finally and Lotulelei back. Ford can't be blamed for a lost season (to injury). I expect he will be better than Boettger, but I'd like to see a lot better. The Bills, as you suggest, will have Singletary split carries. They have decided to go with a committee approach. What I want to see is a little more variety when they do run the ball, and fewer occasions where they get stuffed. Some of that is on the offensive line. Brieda's speed will help the outside run game, which was awful last season. I agree that Knox mainly needs to be more consistent. I think, however, that Buffalo expects Hollister to have a pretty significant role this season too. It's going to be something of a committee approach at TE too.

This was going to be my post. LOL

This sounds as if the defensive line will be quite different, not just personnel wise, but also the things they do. Of course, they probably didn't have the personnel they needed last season to do what they are envisioning this season.

I have seen media headlines suggesting "Cam Newton is back." I also note that Josh Allen's last practice of mine-camp was pretty bad. I don't put much weight on any of that, but neither do I put much weight on a 22 second video clip of a Patriots' practice.

Questioning previous conclusions and doing new research is different from just throwing out the available science because you don't like it.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article252023058.html

A healthy Tommy Sweeney got Myocarditis as a complication of COVID and couldn't even exercise for months. It is not just about your own health, it is about the health of those you come in contact with. A widespread infection rate increases the likelihood of new and nastier variants developing, like t he Delta variant from India. And getting vaccinated reduces to almost zero the chances of you spreading the virus to others. I'll refrain from comments about common sense, but you are wrong in virtually every point you attempted to make. Here's a link to check out on vaccinated people spreading the COVID virus. Spoiler alert: They don't. Do people vaccinated against COVID shed coronavirus to others? | Miami Herald

It is a given that receivers are going to have fewer receptions in Baltimore's offense than with other good teams in the league. Part of that is Lamar Jackson and part of it is Greg Roman's offense.

Getting COVID may give you some protection against the Delta variant, but percentages are not available on the internet and it may not have been studied. We know the vaccines are effective against the Delta variant. especially the two shot vaccines (if you get both shots). Persons with two shots of the Pfizer vaccine are 88% protected.

My guess is my very occasional live attendance at games will become a thing of the past. Ticket prices will go up, and when they do, I don't think I'll be able to afford them.

I do not understand the rationale of players like Beasley choosing not to get vaccinated. It runs counter to medical science and concern for the good of the community. There are so many good reasons to get vaccinated and the reasons most people have for not getting vaccinated seem cockeyed to say the least. As some have stated, yes, he has a right to not get the shot, but conversely, the league and society has the right to protect themselves from persons who choose to remain unvaccinated. I'll be sorry if the team has to move on from him (not that they would cut him, but he could exercise his option to retire) because he's a good slot receiver, but unfortunate things happen occasionally.

Terry Pegula's checkbook.

What does "top heavy" mean? There are too many good teams in the AFC? Obviously winning the conference championship will mean successfully running a very tough gauntlet, but ultimately that's good for fans. If it were a cakewalk, the conference champion might lack the battle testing necessary to be really ready for the Super Bowl.

He was a big WR. I think he gained a bit of weight to see if he could latch on as a TE with it was clear his career as a WR was going nowhere. Of course, he would be an extreme long shot to make the roster.

Likewise, I have pined for a bigger 1 tech. Oh well, we've got what we've got. I expect roughly a 50/50 split in reps between Star and Harrison. With Phillips more fully recovered from his major surgery and Lotulelei being a little more fit than usual, maybe that rotation will keep them pretty fresh this year. The main thing I'm hoping is that Oliver doesn't get stuck having to take a lot of reps at 1 tech.

Yeah, that was a good call. John Brown had a disappointing year, but that was mostly due to injury. Not much you can do about that.

Sometimes I think it becomes a question of how long can you wait? When a guy hooks up with a new team the clock is reset, but now a kid like Thomas has had a little time to learn the nuances of his new position. I think it can be easier to have success with a new team, particularly for a guy making a position switch. I think there was a Canisius basketball player who tried to hook up with Buffalo as a tight end a few years ago. Things didn't go well for him, but he did show up later on and had a little playing time for another team later on. For a kid like Christian Wade, the challenge is a little tougher because he's competing against two clocks. One is ticking down the time that The Bills will be patient and let him hang on. The second clock is his own biological clock. If he doesn't impress the Bills enough to make the roster this year, what chance is there of landing with another team as a 31 year old rookie running back?