BillsFanForever19

Josh has been off the mark quite a bit more than usual the past few games. Idk if he's just out of rhythm from WR's not getting open. But it's getting so frustrating when something's there and we still can't get it.

Not wrong that we should make a trade. But Carolina isn't a bad team. They've got a winning record. And that Falcons team that slapped us around got shut out by them 30-0.

That's part of the equation though. It wasn't just Khalil Shakir. We also had Dalton Kincaid that we Drafted for the Slot the year before, not to mention just signed Curtis Samuel, who was also mainly a Slot. It was a loaded pass catcher core for the Slot. Did we know Samuel wouldn't produce in his 50/50 role and deal with injuries or that Kincaid would regress? No. Kincaid was coming off a fairly decent Rookie season and Samuel we just signed to a decent deal. All we had was Slots or mainly slots and Mack Hollins. That was it. Mack Hollins couldn't replace both Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis on the Outside. He was never even signed for the role that he played. Even after Coleman, we still signed MVS (who we later swapped out for Coleman). We had Slot and even 50/50 tweener *completely* covered. We had two complete holes on the Outside. Now if we knew Coleman was going to be as bad as he is (which many did fear pre-Draft), obviously, Drafting a 4th Slot would be better in the long run. But we'd still be taking Shakir and Kincaid off the field to fit him on - with both taking less reps. And we'd have to roll with Hollins, MVS, and Cephus as our Outside guys.

As someone who looks and weighs all angles of everything, positive or negative, to any move - these are fair concerns. But one thing I think you have to keep in mind is the INSANE move they made for Travis Hunter this year. It would not in the least surprise me that they did that move knowing that they could recoup some of those assets from moving BTJ.

Chris Olave sounds like he's out. But you never know if that's posturing for better compensation. But with the news that they've been talking about an extension with him and he's been receptive of it, I tend to feel that's true. My take has always been that the only way it happens is if he's rebuffing their overtures. The interesting part of this to me is that they haven't said Rashid Shaheed is off the table. To me, I've been all in on the idea of making a deal with the Saints. If you can't pry Olave free, pivot to Shaheed. His speed, separation, and deep threat prowess would provide just what we need to get people from crowding the line and shutting us down. I'd be more in on Shaheed than a lot of the other options people are pivoting to in this post.

I'll happily eat crow for being wrong on this one. This is very uncharacteristic of cautious, conservative Sean McDermott. I saw no chance they'd activate him so quickly. But this is a very good thing. It moves up the timeline on him eventually taking over for White. I'd still expect an ease in, ramp up process with a limited number of snaps this week that will be increased the next week if he doesn't look overwhelmed. But, hey, who knows? If they felt comfortable enough from him with what they saw on the Practice field and the meeting rooms to do this, anything's possible.

Um.... yep! Pleasantly (very) surprised to be wrong and happy to eat crow on this one. This is very uncharacteristic of Sean McDermott. But this must mean they really liked what they saw from him, both physically and mentally in reps. I still believe it will be an ease in/ramp up process, with him getting a number of snaps this week and increasing next week. But I was wrong about how long they'd keep him there, so I'm definitely more open to be wrong there as well haha. If they feel he's ready, who knows? But this is a very good thing because it moves up the timeline of when we could see him take over for White.

Their hands are not tied. What you're saying is the exact reason McDermott says what he says about "needing to be patient" and "manage expectations* every time Hairston is brought up. They aren't going to change their development plans for a valuable long term piece bc fans are panicking. Dorian Strong had all of the Training Camp, all of the Pre-Season, and the week leading up to Week 1. Strong was a 1 week start of necessity before returning to the bench. Maxwell Hairston has had half of a Training Camp, a knee injury, rehabilitation, and 3 practices. He needs at least a couple weeks of Practice and an ease in, ramp up when he first sees the field. If you listen to McDermott, it's clear. That's what they're going to do. He's healthy. But he needs time before they just throw him in the fire. Had he not been hurt, Tre would have started as a bridge and they would have eased Hairston in. The same thing will happen here. The injury was just a pause. Again, fan impatience and panic over Tre is not going to change their development plan. They need to make sure he's ready physically and mentally for the load. Pushing him too hard too soon could ruin him.

Oh, it's absolutely a possibility. It sucks the injury happened, especially when it happened bc it paused his development - which was always going to be an ease in process with White being a bridge. That's what people aren't understanding when it comes to Hairston. Yes, his development was paused. But they aren't going to change their plans and push him beyond what they feel he's ready for bc he missed time or because White is struggling and fans are impatient. But he absolutely could become a stud. We just have to be patient.

Won't happen this week. The roster spots will go to Jordan Poyer (to fill in for the losses of Rapp and Hamlin at Safety) and either Zion Logue or Phidarian Mathis (most likely Logue, to fill in behind Walker at 1T with the loss of Daquan). I put it at a 0.5% chance that they'll stick him on the field after just 3 practices. And i'd say it's 50/50 that he sees the field next week.

Definitely agree that Thompson should be starting at OLB until Milano proves to be 105% If there's even a remote question as to whether Milano's a hundo - give him another week off. I think this is Taron's last year. He's been regressing since last season. Much like many guys on our Defense, he's a shadow of the guy we saw 2-3 years ago. That said, pulling him for Cam Lewis? Yeah, no way. That isn't upgrading us. Play to play he's got about the same floor as Taron, but Taron's for a much higher ceiling. Even now. I fear there's really no saving this Defense. There's some small personnel things you can do. But they feel like band aids on a gaping wound.

They've been with the team and the playbook since OTA's. More importantly, it's not like there's much better options on other teams Practice Squads either. Boundary CB is a premium position. We're far from the only team in need of a good CB. If there were starting quality CB's just sitting on other teams Squads, they'd have been poached long ago. If they feel Hairston can't be the answer this season or they want some insurance for him, maybe they make a Trade for a CB. Outside of that, I wouldn't expect any moves outside of the organization that would be rostered. As for Hairston, McDermott's message remains the same. "Manage expectations", "he's missed a lot of time", "one day at a time". It's gonna be a while before they think about giving him a heavy load:

"There are NOT 170 safeties in the Draft"? What kind of goal post moving is that? That's not the point. The point is a player taken at the Bottom of the 5th Round at Pick 170 is 9.9 times out of 10 not a starting quality prospect. Let alone expected to be a Starter in their Rookie year. This would be like complaining that Javon Solomon wasn't made ready to start last season. Or that Justin Shorter should have been expected to save us at WR the year before. You want to complain about us not addressing Safety more than we did this season? That's f ine. But being upset that the 170th pick in the Draft, at best our 4th Safety on the Depth Chart (possibly below that), wasn't being prepared to start from the jump is ridiculous.

This is what I mean when I talk about McDermott's "Week to Week" designation being a long term injury. He listed Milano, Bernard, and Kincaid as "Day to Day" injuries after the Falcons game. Weeks later and none of them have gotten a Full Practice and they're all Questionable for Sunday. Day to Day could be multiple weeks and Week to Week could be as many 4 (as we saw with Oliver) or more.

Not if the soft coverage scheme compounded by poor execution of it means the ball is out of the QB's hand and completed to a WR before they can get home. Pass rush metrics for Bosa are very good this season. But it's not resulting in Sacks bc of the coverage situation.

Max Hairston will take weeks before he starts, if he does. Jordan Hancock is an unknown. What something looks like on paper means nothing. And honestly, this isn't really any different than what we've had on field all season. And we've seen what it's brought us. A lot of these players aren't carrying the caché that their name implies.

You also have to take into account where he's picking when he takes these guys. 30 this year, 33 last year (28 before the trade down), 25 in 2023 (27 before the trade up), 23 in 2022 (25 before the trade up), and 30 in 2021. We're *consistently* picking outside of the forecasted number of prospects with 1st Round Grades (regardless of Beane's yearly BS of "we got the last guy on the board we had a 1st round grade on"). Also, each time we traded out of our 1st, we've given teams Justin Jefferson and Patrick Mahomes. That also has to be taken into account when discussing our 1st's. Things continue as they are and we'll be in the position to Draft a Difference Maker for once, or at least be able to actually trade up for one. Like I don't understand how everyone agrees we're in serious trouble all across the board - but also somehow believe we'll be picking in the same spot. And we want to LEAP at giving away the first time we're potentially in a position to get a true difference maker since 2019 - without so much as a pause to think of the reprecussions? Last year, Davante Adams went for a 2nd at the Deadline. Olave has an extra year on his contract that Adams didn't. Offer them a 2nd this year and a 2nd next year, plus one of Elijah Moore, Curtis Samuel (if they'd take him), or hell, even throw them Keon Coleman if they want. Hold on to that 1st, if you can. That's what happens when you hire a good Coach and spend the past 3 years Drafting an All-Pro CB, a Franchise QB, and a STUD OT in 3 straight Drafts. They made the most out of their high Draft picks when they had them.

It has the potential to be even higher than 19. 19 would imply a First Round out. With us looking the way we are, the Patriots looking the way they are (after great Drafting over the past few years and new good Coaching), and them now having a game and a half up on us - the Division looks like a stretch and I think us being a for sure Wild Card isn't accurate. Like I don't mean to sound like a Debbie Downer (which is kind of funny bc it's usually the other way around between you and I), but realistically, our wins come against teams with a combined record of 3 wins and 24 losses. And some of them were dogfights. We just came off a beat down from a .500 team, down 2/3 of their Top 3 WR's, that got shut out by the team we're playing this week 30-0 earlier in the season, and followed up their beat down of us by looking completely outmatched by a 49ers team with a Backup QB. The flaws on this team are far too great for one Chris Olave to turn us from what we are to a contender. I do want him but I fear even making a move as big as that is too little, too late. And I greatly fear his injury history. He has had FOUR known concussions since 2022. Obtaining him for a 1st that could very well be a Top 16 pick, losing him, and losing the pick would be a nightmare. And it's a very real possibility. I do agree with you that something needs to be done. And like you (and pretty much everyone) I do want Olave. And if Beane decided the gamble was worth it and sent a 1st, I'd be happy we got him and hoping for the best. But I'd be much happier with a deal as high as a 2nd this year, a 2nd next year, and a player. Which is a very good offer that could and should get it done.

He must have slept with a relative of every GM and every Head Coach in the league then. You know what the difference between Justin Simmons and Jordan Poyer is? We watched Jordan Poyer's decline first hand in Buffalo and Miami wherein Simmons was in another division and another conference. So you and others still think of him as the same guy you saw in Denver years ago. It's the same thing with Simmons as Poyer. A once All Pro that has seen injuries and time catch up to them. Where their name carries *way* more caché than their performance on the field at this point shows. Last season, Justin Simmons ranked 117th amongst all Strong Safeties in the league. Jordan Poyer ranked 114th amongst Free Safeties. Safety is a weak spot amongst many teams in the league and many have dealt with injuries like us. Yet not a single team has called on him. He's not Justin Simmons anymore.

Anyone they got off another team's Practice Squad wouldn't be trusted to come in and immediately start either. They'd need time getting up to speed with the Defense, just as Hairston will. If someone were to step in between now and then for White until Hairston were ready, it would be Ja'Marcus Ingram or Dane Jackson off our own Practice Squad before someone from another team's Squad.

That's wonderful! So certainly since 2024, we have to still be #1, right? Or at least still in the Top 5? Because that would be some really concerning metrics that would lend credence to OP's point that the scheme has been figured out if we were #1 since 2018, but since 2024 weren't even in the Top 10...

You assume it's going to be a Late First Round Pick. From what we've seen over the past couple weeks that's FAR from a guarantee. If this keeps up, next year's 1st will be much closer to a mid 1st than a late 1st. Our "bend but don't break defense" is now simply a broken Defense. And it's not just a talent issue. The code has been cracked on McDermott's "exotic" scheme, after showing the same looks in the league for a decade plus. Do I want Olave? Yes. But we're not in a Rams situation where we're a contender and we just need a piece like him to take us over the top. I don't think Olave alone puts us back to Championship contender. We need a piece like him to simply get back to having a chance to compete and not having difficulties or straight up losing to poor teams. And if you look at his history, he has concussion issues and misses a fair amount of time. So yeah, I'm concerned about giving up a 1st, losing him and going back to what we saw the past couple weeks, and then not even having our reward for a lackluster season on top of it. If Beane decided to pull the trigger on the 1st for him, I wouldn't be upset. But there's a lot of variables involved. I also have a hard time giving away a 1st for a guy unless we've got him longer than a year and a half. Also, to the point that "who cares about a 1st?", surely pointing to what we've gotten from the picks we've made there over the past few years - you also have to take into account the last time we did that (the Diggs trade), we gave up the pick used to pick Justin Jefferson. The time before that we gave up the pick that became Patrick Mahomes.

That's my biggest concern - Beane not allowing people to say the simple morning radio host was right and he the prolific GM of the team was wrong. Especially in the arrogant way he went about that exchange. If we were to make a move, I could easily see the national media replaying that outburst back and calling him out for it. I worry he doesn't have the ability to swallow his pride and eat that kind of humble pie. Everyone wants Olave in a Bills uniform. Me included. If it were a 1 year rental, it would be easier. But with a full year and a half under contract - it won't be a small price. We'd probably have to include Samuel to help clear space as well, who has negative trade value. Which would make the compensation even more. The price for that would be fairly steep. Would Beane make that kind of move for a guy he only has for a year and a half with no guarantee beyond that? On the flip side, would he feel comfortable locking him up long term before seeing how he fits in the Offense and given his injury history? And given his history and the way the team looks, there's a scenario where you lose him and potentially the highest 1st we've had in a while. Lots of variables that make it tricky, even without taking into account the humility he'd have to show. If we can get it done for something like a 2nd in 2026 and a 3rd (maybe a 2nd if we have to) in 2027 with Samuel, i'd pull the trigger. But idk about a 1st and that might be a deal breaker. Fingers crossed though.

Watson is coming off an ACL tear and has had his Practice Window opened, but has yet to be activated. In a vacuum, I like Watson as a player. But asking him to learn a new playbook and develop chemistry with a new QB mid-season, while trying to get his feet back under him after a torn ACL is a HUGE ask. And we have no idea what he looks like coming off of the Torn ACL.