Sierra Foothills

Who's praying for a Chase Claypool turnaround? It's doubtful anyone here is but if so, you can bet there's an equal number of posters here praying for him to fail, so they're proven correct. BADOL: "And the homer's like yourself who insisted that it was going to work splendidly or was a case of the Bills being ahead of the curve........they run and hide from it when it doesn't go nearly as well as planned." Witness the continued superiority of acumen and character of the great BADOL!!! Not only will he admit when he is wrong (according to himself) but he'll do so when "homers run and hide." All Hail BADOL!!! What a privilege to be in your presence.

Some posters have personal vendettas and agendas and couldn't care less if pursuing them ruins the content for others (self-centeredness). Some posters don't understand the law of diminishing returns, as it applies to a message board (cluelessness). Some posters are actually addicted to posting here. They might not know it but they are. Some posters are miserable people and it's obvious in their behavior here. A happy, well-adjusted person wouldn't spend very much time and energy on a message board. I wish more people simply stated their opinions and moved on instead of investing enormous amounts of time and energy in hopes of "winning" their debate. I wish I could read every topic and every post because there are so many good posters here but too often their content gets lost in the flood of sewage. But I'm old enough to know that things here are unlikely to change.

This is just such a superb post. Honestly, those making the argument that McBeane are obstacles to success and crying for a championship as if they "deserve it" just strike me as being entitled and whiny. I've cheered for the Bills since 1968 and no one wants the Bills to win a Super Bowl more than me. But my happiness and enjoyment do not depend on it and I'm deeply appreciating this post-drought period... and I have faith that the Bills will win a Super Bowl with Josh Allen.

By Butler I assume you mean Hakeem Butler, the WR who was just named the UFL's Offensive Player of the Year. "Butler had 45 catches for a league-high 652 receiving yards and five touchdowns for the St. Louis Battlehawks this season. He will have a chance to add to those titles in a conference title game against San Antonio this weekend." The former Cardinals 4th rounder has excellent measureables at 6'5" and 227 pounds: https://www.nfl.com/prospects/hakeem-butler/32004255-5416-1833-e211-34b9abca1909 He fits the profile of receiver the Bills seem to be accumulating.

Yes geese are on'ry as Waylon would say but I have had them eat from my hands. Try that with a piranha. And yes, I was going for laughs so thank you.

That's kind of amazing. So doesn't this mean that Linsley and Clapp are related?

If you don't mind me asking, you're related to both who?

I thought with the doubts about Tyler Bass that there might be some call to sign Jake Bates, the former Michigan kicker who made 3 FGs of over 60 yards. Upon closer examination he went 17-22 for 77.3%. Some kicker named Andre Szmyt actually went 19-21 for 90.5% and had a long FG of 61 yards. Actually they had several kickers in the UFL with nice stats: https://www.theufl.com/stats/player

That's a rather braive statement to make. Plastic knife spreads warm butter? Lithium grease coats an O-ring! Guy is chiseled... looks like he's on royds. Ryan Halloran: "Shut the ***** up!!!" Me too. I used to like wild animals more but lately I've grown an affinity for domestic animals... dogs and cats of course but particularly farm animals. I love how docile and gentle they are. Most people haven't been around farm animals and don't know that you can herd goats even if they don't know you. Farm animals are so trusting and gentle that for the most part you risk no physical injury interacting with them. I've been able to pick up chickens and place them in the coop with little fuss and I"ve had farm geese eat corn out of my hand. Sheep are also very gentle and trusting and can be petted with little or no trouble. And of course ducks are adorable and shake their fannies when they walk. What kind of animals do you like?

Trade Clapp back to the Chargers for a pick that we could possibly package to move up? I would apppplaud such a move. Your spirit is infectious.

Announced today. Some of you hardcore football fans might be able to shed light on some of these players. I know Puca Nacua's brother, Kai was named all-league safety and that the placekicker Jake Bates made 3 FGs of over 60 yards. I wonder how many of these guys end up signing with an NFL team near you. 2024 All-UFL Team Offense Quarterback - Adrian Martinez, Birmingham Stallions Running Back - Jacob Saylors, St. Louis Battlehawks Wide Receiver - Hakeem Butler, St. Louis Battlehawks; Daewood Davis, Memphis Showboats; Marcus Simms, Michigan Panthers Tight End - Jace Sternberger, Birmingham Stallions Offensive Tackle - Jaryd Jones-Smith, St. Louis Battlehawks; Bobby Evans, Arlington Renegades Offensive Guard - Zack Johnson, Birmingham Stallions; Kohl Levao, San Antonio Brahmas Center - Mike Panasiuk, St. Louis Battlehawks Defense Defensive Line - Carlos Davis, Birmingham Stallions; Daniel Wise, Michigan Panthers Edge/Outside Linebacker - Chris Odom, Houston Roughnecks; Breeland Speaks, Michigan Panthers Inside Linebacker - Tavante Beckett, San Antonio Brahmas; Willie Harvey, St. Louis Battlehawks Cornerback - Deandre Baker, D.C. Defenders; Nate Brooks, Michigan Panthers; Ajene Harris, Arlington Renegades Safety - Kai Nacua, Michigan Panthers; A.J. Thomas, Birmingham Stallions Special Teams Kicker - Jake Bates, Michigan Panthers Punter - Marquette King, Arlington Renegades Long Snapper - Jordan Ober, Michigan Panthers Return Specialist - Chris Rowland, D.C. Defenders

@Billl, is your expectation that the Bills will have an epidemic of injuries every year? Do you know who was missing from the lineup when we played the Chiefs? Or do you consider those defensive injuries to be irrelevant?

IMO, the only standard in this McBeane era is to win the Super Bowl. That's what I mean when I say "it's possible the Bills have done enough." I wasn't talking about Chase so this opens a new can of worms (which I don't really want to do) but... is it a foregone conclusion that Chase will be signed to a second contract? Detroit is paying Goff/St. Brown $83 million/year average. Philly is paying Hurts/Brown/Smith $108 million/year average. Cinci is paying Burrows/Higgins, $77 million/average Cinci will have to be willing to exceed what Philly is paying out... and if they do what are the implications for the rest of their roster? Cinci has also never won a Super Bowl (nor has Detroit). Is signing Chase a guarantee that they will? Not every team has the same roster-building allocations and as we've seen, there are numerous ways to win a Super Bowl... not just one.

Dallas has to figure out what they're going to do with Dak Prescott. How many teams are paying top 10 compensation for a QB and a WR at the same time? The answer is 2 teams: Detroit Lions: Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, AND DeVonte Smith As has been mentioned, the Vikings didn't have a choice but to re-sign Jefferson. They were unsuccessful in their attempts to trade him so they had to overpay to give their rookie QB a legit target, appease their fan base, and soothe his hurt ego. Brilliant post... you make two great points which seem pretty obvious but that not many here talk about: No team has as many 6'4" pass catchers as the Bills. These same players are above average run blockers. It's pretty clear that whether or not you like it... the plan is to have big, physical targets for Josh. The Von Miller signing was out of character and against McBeane's long term roster-building philosophy but they did it in order to go "all-in" during the Josh Allen Championship window. It was a stab at glory and hasn't worked out (yet). I wouldn't rule out a similar move in the future but I think it would be more of a short term rental deal than the sort of multi-year commitment they made to Miller... once-bitten, twice shy I think.

To the bolded, you can argue that you've been right, so far. But McBeane are still steering the ship so again, no one knows what the future will hold. I have not eliminated the possibility that the Bills have enough offensive weapons for the 2024 season.

I appreciate your well-considered opinions. I shouldn't have actually asked you for names and numbers because I'm still firm in my belief that it's uncommon for teams to break-in two rookie WRs in the same year and even more uncommon for those rookies to make an impact... so I'm still laboring under the belief that it's the exception and not the rule... but I certainly concede your point was proven in the case of the Packers and I thank you for the excellent documentation. As far as championship roster-building, I don't believe that there's one strategy. The best teams have solid rosters with few weaknesses. Super Bowls have been won in many different ways. It's hard to argue against the opinion that the reason the Bills haven't been able to beat KC is due to the failings of their defense. It's too bad the Bills suffered so many significant defensive injuries at the end of last season. And there's certainly a 2024 scenario whereby the Bills score plenty of points (as they did in 13 Seconds) and lose again due to the losses of Poyer and Hyde. It'll be very interesting to see how things play out and who ends up being right.

I'm on lunch break so please excuse me for asking you to back your assertion. Who were the two rookies and what were their stats? Thank you. To the bolded, I know that though you occasionally affirm that none of us can know for sure, it's pretty clear that you don't think Coleman will succeed... based on the body of your comments about him since before he was drafted. Most of your secondary arguments seem like they are built on that single belief. If on the other hand you believe that Coleman will succeed, then IMO there's no reasonable basis to think that with the continued development of Shakir and Kincaid, the additions of Samuel, MVS, and Claypool, atop the baseline established by Cook and Knox, that the Bills will have surrounded Josh with enough good weapons... and that there's no reason to double down. Many other posters on this board agree with you... they don't like the Coleman pick so they wanted to double down, even though as @folz pointed out, how do you justify doubling down when Hyde and Poyer are no longer on the roster? So the people who wanted to double down should at least say which round and which player they wanted instead of the player we drafted. THEN we're having a worthwhile conversation. Again that's your opinion and it's not necessarily wrong... but I believe that if Coleman has a good rookie season, that the state of the WR corps will not be the reason the Bills don't win the Super Bowl. Regarding MVS, there's no reason to believe he's slowing down. From Sal's article (PTSD spoiler alert): "... last January when Valdes-Scantling made two huge plays for the Chiefs when they defeated the Bills in the divisional playoff game at Highmark Stadium. On the first play of the third quarter, he lined up in the slot and drew man coverage from Taron Johnson who is five inches shorter. Patrick Mahomes recognized the matchup and Valdes-Scantling ran a seam route and despite tight coverage, he made a superb catch for a 30-yard gain. Five plays later the Chiefs were in the end zone and in the lead, 20-17. Then later in the third, after the Bills had regained a 24-20 advantage, Valdes-Scantling struck again. On a second-and-7 from the Buffalo 48, he was again in the slot and ran a route where he found a hole in zone coverage between Rasul Douglas and Micah Hyde and Mahomes hit for a 32-yard gain. That big play led to Isaiah Pacheco scoring what proved to be the winning touchdown." Some people here belief that the addition of Curtis Samuel, MVS, and Chase Claypool are equivalent to signing Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty. I'm not one of those people. To the bolded, that's a good question and one the Vikings are asking themselves about Justin Jefferson. But you didn't address the draft compensation issue. Unlike Jefferson who is simply a matter of re-signing, the Bills would have to send multiple high draft picks to the Niners for Aiyuk. Tell me, what would you be willing to trade for Aiyuk?

Egads... I see in today's Buffalo News that they're now saying he's 5'11" I really hope he has LONG ARMS... I'd like to boil it down to the original question that @Rampant Buffalo asked? Should a person who is drunk be held responsible for their actions?... or put differently does being drunk absolve a person of responsibility for their actions? I think that's a very interesting question. Some people have the strength of character to give up drinking because they cannot deny that it brings out something in them that shouldn't be brought out.

The bolded is what I believe as well. I'll go further and say that good luck is an ingredient in pretty much every Super Bowl winning season (there are never guarantees) and that the Bills as currently constituted are good enough to win the 2025 Super Bowl. Are they the favorite? No. Are they one of only a handful of teams with a realistic shot? Yes. Have they previously fallen short as favorites? Yes. Can they win even though they are not the favorites? Absolutely. Yes, there was an angry and emotional response from much of the fanbase when the Bills didn't double down on WR. Regarding doubling down, firstly as @Sammy Watkins' Rib pointed out, the Bills top picks in each of the last two drafts were receiving weapons for Josh. So there's that. One thing that I don't believe has been mentioned in the innumerable and endless WR conversations is how difficult it is to bring 2 rookie WRs up to speed in one offseason. Already the Bills are trying to assimilate two young veterans in Shakir and Kincaid as well as other receivers who were not with the team last year. A legit argument can be made that those precious snaps should go to young veterans with NFL seasoning (and accomplishments) more than they should a second rookie WR. I'd be curious to know when the last time two rookie WRs both had a significant positive impact on an NFL team. I think it's not even attempted much because of the difficulty and downside to building trust with two rookies during the same offseason... at the expense of others who may be more positioned to contribute. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Aiyuk wants a deal that would exceed the one recently given to Amon Ra St. Brown. The Bills cannot pay a WR $28-30 million per year and they certainly won't give up multiple high draft picks for the "privilege" of doing so. Any credible opinion about the Bills wide receiver situation should not include a mention of Brandon Aiyuk. Just as an interestingly side conversation, there is a Patriot who will be in the Hall of Fame soon and played 9 seasons with Brady but never won a Super Bowl. That player is Logan Mankins. If I remember correctly the Patriots won a Super Bowl just before his rookie season and also the season after he retired. As @LeGOATski and others have mentioned, you do need very good players BUT it's also the mix of skills which are important. Please don't misconstrue what I'm about to write but I found the following information in Sal Maiorana's recent D&C piece pretty interesting: "For his career, Valdes-Scantling’s average depth of target it 16.3 yards and his yards per reception is 17.0... for comparison, Diggs’ average depth of target is 11.2 yards and his yards per catch is 12.3. A closer comparison would be the career of John Brown who was with the Bills in 2019, 2020 and part of 2022 and was always considered a vertical threat. His career depth of target was 15.5 yards and his yards per catch was 14.9." In the leadup to the draft, selecting a player that could "take the top off a defense" was BY FAR the biggest trait that all of us wanted to see from a rookie wide receiver. Again I'm not heralding the addition of MVS and Chase Claypool as saviors for the Bills passing game BUT the Bills now have 2 players who have proven in the NFL that they can take the top off a defense. Last year, the Bills had zero players of that type. I'm probably in the minority but I'm happy and satisfied with the moves the Bills have made this offseason. I accept that we're not going all-in this offseason (for the first time in several seasons) but I know with the salary cap projections and the stockpile of high draft picks that the Bills will be loaded for bear next offseason. People can understand differing viewpoints without necessarily agreeing with those viewpoints.

The one thing I like about both Epenesa and Rousseau is probably what the Bills liked about them... they are long and rangy and can create problems in the passing lanes. That's something that doesn't really show up in the box scores except in passes defensed and INTs (Epenesa had 2 last year). On passing downs where Ed Oliver is taking a blow, I like the idea of Epenesa and Rousseau taking turns in the middle to place their length in the central passing lanes and where their athleticism is more of a mismatch against interior O-linemen. Also, teams have a tendency to want to give second contracts to players they've drafted. It doesn't always work out but it helps foster good chemistry when a team rewards its own.

I can spell his name but I'm not sure how to pronounce it.

I'll let others discuss whether Steveson is deserving of this opportunity. I'm more interested in finding out whether one of the greatest wrestlers of all time has the ability to play NFL football after having never played organized football at any level. It's really quite an intriguing experiment. His height is similar to Donald though Donald was listed at 285 and Steveson is listed lighter than that. I'd really love to know his measurables... particularly his arm length. If I had to guess I'd say he never plays in a regular season NFL game... but hopefully this is a fun diversion from the usual offseason story lines and I'd love if he proved me wrong.

Just for the sake of clarity, you're talking about Steve Diggs... correct?

For context, the article featured 14 rookies and 9 notable mentions so it wasn't one of these "one player per team" click baits. Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, C, Buffalo Bills Round 5, Pick 141 I was probably higher on this center class than some, but even those who weren’t feeling the group as a whole could agree Van Pran-Granger was a great value in Round 5. A three-year starter, two-time national champion and two-time captain, Van Pran-Granger was the backbone of Georgia’s powerful and nasty rush attack after earning the starting job in 2021. He’s probably only a center in the NFL, which is likely why he fell as far as he did. However, the Bills needed center help and Van Pran-Granger is powerful enough to earn reps as an NFL starting offensive lineman right now. If he’s healthy, watch for him to turn heads early in fall camp once the pads come on. Another center pick I liked on Day 3: NC State’s Dylan McMahon to Philadelphia in the sixth round. Don’t be surprised if he outperforms his draft slot. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5511949/2024/05/23/nfl-draft-2024-rookie-sleepers/?campaign=5888993&source=dailyemail&userId=555233 Mods, please merge if you feel it's necessary.

Thanks for posting the video. I did a basic audit and found this: Josh's Interceptions Vs Yards beyond LOS Intended Receiver NYJ 60 Harty NYJ 41 Diggs NYJ 15 Davis WAS 40 Davis JAX 50 Diggs NYG 11 Sherfield NE 18 Knox TB -2 Kincaid CIN 19 Davis DEN 22 Davis DEN 16 Harty NYJ 48 Kincaid PHI 3 Diggs KC 14 Sherfield LAC 43 Diggs NE 40 Kincaid MIA 8 Davis MIA 40 Davis Ave 28.67 yards INTs per intended receiver Player INTs % Target % reg season Davis 6 33% 14% Diggs 4 22% 27% Kincaid 3 17% 16% Sherfield 2 11% 4% Harty 2 11% 4% Knox 1 6% 6% Shakir 0 0% 8% I think it's really interesting that Josh's average depth of interception is almost 29 yards. On many of those plays it seems he was just chucking the ball downfield and not showing much discipline. Also interesting how incommensurately high the INT% to target % is for Davis, Sherfield, and Harty. Note also that Shakir was not the intended receiver for any of Josh's INTs.