Sierra Foothills

It's also the contract: https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/arizona-cardinals/deandre-hopkins-12307/

To add to what Gunner Bills said, Brandon Beane was quoted in today's Buffalo News article that the team ranks by round: "The Bills assign grades by round, but that doesn’t mean they have 32 first-round players. “A first-round guy is somebody, in an ideal world, you want to be a starter (early),” Beane said. “A second-round guy is somebody who is maybe not starting on Day 1, but hopefully becomes a starter.” https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/inside-buffalo-bills-nfl-draft-process-meetings-mock-drafts-more-meetings-culminate-over-three-days/article_144a314c-e040-11ed-90c0-2bbd0a95d5aa.html

I always liked Fergy. Some of that was because he was a good player. A lot of that is due to my belief that he's a good man. Happy Birthday Fergy!

Which Mike Williams? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Williams_(offensive_lineman) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Williams_(wide_receiver,_born_1984) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Williams_(wide_receiver,_born_1987) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Williams_(wide_receiver,_born_1994) 🙃

Hopkins for the 59th pick you mean? One comparable is that 13 months ago Allen Robinson signed a 3 year $46.5 million contract with the Rams. Two days ago the Rams traded Robinson to the Steelers. The Rams will pay $10 million of the $15 million owed to Robinson. The Steelers and Rams swapped 7th round picks with the Rams moving up to #234 and the Steelers moving down to #251. I think the Bills could squeeze the Cardinals for a better deal than #59. JMO. Do we know Hopkins is still great? In 2021 he missed 7 games to a hamstring and then an MCL injury. Last year he was suspended 8 games for PED use and had a career low 11.2 ypr. How good will he be in his 11th season (he turns 31 in June) and possibly adversely affected by the loss of PEDs? I'm not saying he won't be a great player but it's reasonable to ask how good he'll be.

I think a trade down is still possible but it could be a year where the trade compensation is not as good for the team trading down. Hopkins' replacement? Except for the fact that none of those 15 players is a sure thing. Even among "consensus first rounders" some of them are gonna bust. Conversely, some of the players who are graded and taken lower might end up having decorated careers. Those are the two reasons you would stand pat or trade down for more picks... but not trade up.

McCarron was drafted in the 5th round. Not many people were expecting much from him. Clocker and Clausen.

Agreed. I also thought very highly of Anthony Barr... was convinced he was a better player than Kahlil Mack. While Barr hasn't been a bust, he's been a bit of a disappointment to me. Gabbert was drafted 10th overall, is entering his 13th season and his 6th team. He has 48 career starts. In those starts he has a 13-35 record. In my eyes he's a bust considering his draft position. On the other hand he's made $26 million over his NFL career so there's that, too.

Another failing of the HC/defensive coaching staff was that after the "Hail Murray" we let the exact same thing happen with Justin Jefferson. AND... the Norwood kick in the Super Bowl was off grass... and the hold wasn't good... the laces weren't out.

Just saw a Leslie Frazier sighting on Cover One:

I believe his name is Jonathan Kingsley. If forced to take a DT I think I'd go for that big guy from Michigan. Ade Adebawore just started marketing his NIL icon:

All the above are true... and Frank Reich had the laces pointing to the right... which will make the kick fade to the right. This is an interesting point. Those 4 QBs played a total of 24.5 seasons for the Bills alone. The Bills have completed 62 seasons. So that means the above 4 played 39.5% of the Bills history. I wonder how that compares with other NFL teams? I suspect that any perceived "QB curse" in Buffalo is not really as bad as it feels. Thurman had an excellent offensive line but he had a great feel and instinct (vision?) for finding cracks and crevices. Many times he made his blockers look good by maximizing what was there.

Funny thing about guys drafted in the 1st round named Mike Williams... That said, I was glad we got him rather than Bryant McKinnie.

Somewhere Leslie Frazier's wife is asking him why he's being so irritable...

AND... he's consistently been excellently quiet. BTW, good thing there are Drs in this thread. It seems with a 4 year extension he might need some medical intervention. How does one kick with a rigid schpengy anyways?

I wish... my brain suffers from overload. It's amazing how much I forget. But I do have the heart of a servant... that was a researched answer. I appreciate the positive feedback though. 👍

It's like Marv used to say, "The second you start thinking about retirement... you'll be sitting with them... right here, right now." Or something like that. Man I'm getting old...

Going to be? 🙃

Personally I think Acrobat was Adobe's best product though Adobe Illustrator is pretty good too. Sounds like the perfect replacement for Ed Oliver?

Solid take. Frazier was beloved and respected by his players but I believe that he was not feared. Those who have studied human performance understand why fear is considered the most powerful motivator. They know that the most base human instinct is the survival instinct and that when elite athletes are confronted with fear, they fight to the death. The careers of the defensive players is now directly in the hands of their head coach, not their kindly defensive coordinator.

Yes, (forgive me for quoting myself btw)... life experience has shown many of us that the difference between failure and success, between winning and losing is sometimes almost a coin flip. I was just reminded of that very fact today in fact. In today's world people want to see irrefutable proofs, undeniable statements. Last year's example was Von Miller. Where did that emphatic improvement get us when the football gods were essentially conspiring against the Bills all season long? The same people often can't discern incrementalism and the idea that minor improvements in a few areas (including in LUCK) can make all the difference in the world. We live in a world where the ideas of patience and incrementalism have no appeal. But there's no telling what next season will be like with a bit of improvement and a bit more luck. It might make all the difference in the world and it might make a much bigger difference than another big splash.

Beyond the personnel, last year was a clear case of failing to overcome a heaping pile of adversity. IMO this in no way impugns their season. The fact they only lost 3 games and by a mere cumulative total of 8 points speaks to the talent and character of this team. Making the reasonable assumption of less adversity, I think the Bills have as good a shot as any to make it to Allegiant Stadium next February.

Good post. I agree with all of your positional assessments except I think we'll be much better at CB, not Same/Slightly better. As you implied, Tre White will be back to his usual self instead of a shell of his former self. Before his injury he was on his way to his 3rd straight All-Pro season. Having just turned 28 years old I expect him to return to his prime. Talented sophomores Elam and Benford should be considerably better and vets Taron Johnson and Dane Jackson are solid and in their primes. Also I believe a vector for McDermott's unhappiness with Frazier was the soft approach used at CB. This year I expect the group to play much tighter press coverage and I expect them to be well above average.

You don't agree with Einstein above... would you agree with Zag below? Would you say that McDermott is on thinner ice than he was one year ago?