Brand J

Certainly a better man than defensive coordinator. Class act and well respected.

Can’t speak for others, but I would’ve been pissed. In fact, I said earlier that offseason before the signing that if Beane re-signs Edmunds for a dollar more than Milano, I’d lose faith in him as a GM. I thought the direction they took on Edmunds would be very telling and was happy they let him walk. I wanted more production from that position. On the flip side, I was all for re-signing Oliver to a fair money deal because I had seen him take over a few games. Consistency had always been his biggest issue, I never doubted he could do it.

The stalemated point is definitely what happened, he just stayed on the LoS with his hands on the back. There was no attempt to compress the back into the QB. Once he found there was a player in his way his sprint came to a full stop. Like I said, I was surprised because when I saw the RB step up I fully expected Tremaine to truck him, push him back, toss him aside, something! I didn’t expect an “oh well, I tried but he’s in the way” sort of give up. Luckily Ed Oliver (IIRC) got the sack on the play otherwise it would’ve incensed me even more 😂

We’re getting gashed in the run game a bit, but I think if it was an opposing team’s primary way to move the ball we could shut it down. I don’t see any repeats of what happened versus the Jets last year where we knew the run was coming and couldn’t stop it. The Jets got most of their yardage on one play, 2 if you include the 26 yarder. The Commies got most of their rushing yards after they were trailing big and our defense was concerned with the pass (a la Green Bay last year). Miami presents the first true multi-dimensional team we’ve faced this year. Should be fun.

That’s fair, but with a guy his size and speed you would expect/hope he’d toss that smaller player aside and at least affect the QB. I’ve seen numerous LBs go head up with a RB and the RB gets bowled over. I had never seen one sprinting to the LoS just to get stoned by a RB and then “that’s it.” No fight or hustle through the block, just acceptance that the back was there. It was wild to me.

But you also have to give credit to the player for making the plays when they’re available. We know about Edmunds and his near INTs, but I wanted to touch on his blitzing since it was mentioned above. I had never seen a guy with his size and speed get stoned with a full head of steam by a RB. Happened last year against the Patriots, I could go dig up the play if you don’t remember. He didn’t have the same aggression and pursuit in his blitzes that TB43 seems to play with. It was almost as though Edmunds was content to get blocked rather than fight through to make the sack. Simply explaining away that TB43 makes plays and Edmunds didn’t is all because of how they’re being used, no, it’s mainly because the player is taking advantage when he’s put in a position to succeed.

All great points. I just can’t get on board with the sentiment that Bernard has these stats and Edmunds didn’t simply because Edmunds wasn’t being used in the same way Bernard is being used. That would imply Edmunds was misused and that the Bills defensive scheme was at fault for his lack of big time plays, not the player himself. How many times have we said “almost” about a play Tremaine could have made but didn’t?

Do you think those differences lend credence to why Bernard has made more impact plays? Or is it the players themselves?

You’re right, Tom. I’ll just let the statistics of my point and the original article that sparked this discussion stand… He can continue his act if he so chooses. Thanks for being the voice of reason 😄

This is what WEO does, he lives for the pettiness. I engage to a certain point because I find the act humorous and laugh as he talks in circles. That players have always had an option to return the ball or not was not the argument. Of course they have. You seemingly agreed that the kickoff is being phased out of the game and then in the next breath said it wasn’t, only that players were given options (which doesn’t make any sense). More nonsense with your “no one has stopped watching the NFL…” statement. Of course they haven’t. The plea is to substitute the current kickoff with something a little more exciting than a touchback and what’s the best course of action to do that without having grown men slam themselves into each other at top speeds? That’s both points in a nutshell, two concepts you evidently have trouble grasping.

Whats funny is that I see Bills fans, not here but elsewhere, saying Bernard plays in a different defense than Tremaine. Saying Edmunds should’ve been used the way Bernard is used. And people wonder why the Edmunds threads won’t die, it’s constant conversation.

Really is pretty damning when listed like that.

FIFY. Edmunds never had a single game close to the numbers Bernard put up last Sunday. And I can’t even identify a signature Edmunds game.

My fault for assuming you were intelligent enough to know that teams have always had options to return the ball… or not. And of course they’re taking advantage of the new rules for better field position, that’s why I said moving the ball back to the 20 would result in more returns - which the league doesn’t want. The XFL model is a more exciting play, because… get this… it’s a play! It’s not simply a 80% chance of a fair catch, or a ball bouncing in or through the endzone. Perhaps the touchback is more your cup of tea versus the XFL return model. You should have just led with that.

This is how I categorized him, slightly above average, but wouldn’t argue with those who called him “average.” My slightly above average credit was for his physical attributes, the sideline to sideline range and length he brought. Those attributes are in the upper echelon of MLBs in the league.

Teams have ALWAYS had a choice and options, when have they not? 😂 When MULTIPLE RULES are enacted to minimize a particular play - in this case the kickoff, hence the “endangered kickoff” article I linked - then yes, those rules are responsible for removing returns from the game. Not entirely of course, 20% of kicks are returned today, which is a far cry from the once 90% return rate we enjoyed before concussions became a concern. It’s as simple as that. Sorry this is too much for you to comprehend. I don’t disagree, but do wish they’d find a model that allows some sort of excitement in its place. If not the XFL model, then something comparable that doesn’t involve players crashing into each other at top speed.

How would that fix it? It would just incentivize teams even more to fair catch the ball when teams kick it shorter. If you want more returns, you push the line of scrimmage back, not forwards. I liked it when touchbacks started at the 20.

No one is arguing laws against returning a kick, except you. Rules have been put in place to greatly reduce the amount of kickoff returns, that’s fact. There, I’ve said it 3, 4, 5 times already. I’ve repeated to you ad nauseam what has been done since the 90s to create higher and higher touchback percentages. I also suggested the XFL model which protects against high speed collisions, which in turn lessens the risk of concussions, something you objected to in my first post, when you agreed the league wants less kickoff returns. You’re in your own little made up argument.

Brown has the temperament, athleticism, and long arms to be a very good RT, but he’s just so tall and angular that I’d like to see him put on 20 pounds of functional weight/strength. Since his center of gravity is so high, DEs have the option of bull rushing or going right around him. If he was stronger and heavier I feel like he’d have more of a chance to hold off his defender once he got his hands on him. Right now he’s not strong enough so the height works against him.

Did you even read the statistics in the article I posted? How in the 90s a touchback was rare, versus today where the touchback percentage is 80.9%? The league has made an effort to greatly reduce the number of returns, a fact even you alluded to, so then how can you say in the next breath they’re not being legislated out of the game? These are the facts: - The kickoff was moved 5 yards closer to the endzone, which naturally resulted in more touchbacks. - Teams started kicking higher and shorter in an effort to force a return, so the league gave returners permission to fair catch the kick, thereby putting it at the 25 anyway. - A player can decide to take a kick out of the endzone, of course, but this assumes they have a play on the ball and it’s not booted out of the endzone as we’ve so often seen. Kickoffs are certainly being legislated out of the game, the article and the return statistics prove that fact. The XFL model, as I stated, eliminates 200+ pound players crashing into each other at top speeds, which lessens the concussion concerns.

Yeah, who knows if he ever even loved the game, or was just playing it because he was good and that’s what his parents expected (and of course there was money, lots of money at the end of the rainbow). There are A LOT of players like that in the league, guys who have admitted they don’t love the sport. Whenever you get a player with Edmunds physical attributes and the passion, relentlessness, and eat/sleep football it requires to be an all time great, you get a hall of famer. Those guys are rare, while Edmunds is fortunate to be a pro bowl alternate.

Well, that was a punt return, but I understand where you’re coming from. At the same time, guys like Devin Hester never would’ve made a name for himself if he played today. He was a position-less player, neither a corner nor a wide receiver, but was still able to carve out a successful NFL career. Some even argue Hall of Fame. There could be another Hester on a roster right now, but when most of the kicks are booted through the endzone, that player is now relegated to being an unknown.

I do think the Edmunds family is a disciplined, hard working one. I read stories about how his mother, a former athlete, cracked the whip and had them working out at 5 in the morning. There was a lot of tough love as I understand it. I don’t think Edmunds is an idiot, or lazy, I just don’t think he has an absolute passion for the game. One who takes it personal if an offense pops a run against him, completes a pass in his zone, sells out and throws his body around to make stops wherever/however. He’s not that type of player. He doesn’t strive for legacy and a gold jacket. We’re all frustrated because we thought he could do so much more, but it is what it is. Everyone can’t be a superstar, even if they have the physical measureables to be one.

@Rochesterfan You are the king of disagreeing and downvoting everything without any rational thought or insight.

It’s less about keeping the return rate low and more about high speed collisions. The XFL model, with players on both sides 5 yards apart, lessens the overall concussion concerns. They’re not running 30-40 yards and blasting a guy at full speed.