Brand J

“A little shoulder” is better than the alternative, where Josh actually hits the ground. But yes, the guy in red is untouchable in practice, even if he’s the size of a linebacker.

Always think it’s more of a concentration issue with Knox instead of ability. If it was ability he wouldn’t make many of the tough catches he hauls in. That said, after training his eyes/mind to concentrate for two consecutive offseasons, it’s a little concerning reading he’s still dropping gimmes. Maybe that’s just who he is and if it is, that lack of consistency will prevent him from becoming a top 5 TE. He has all the other measureables to be considered.

Remember when Beane talked about Bernard shortly after he was drafted? He said Bernard could play both spots and that him at MLB would look differently than Tremaine, but believes he could do it. Bernard is actually even more athletic than Milano and from these early reports seems like a fast, instinctual LBer. Doesn’t matter if you run a 4.5 if you’re slowed down by mental processing, so I like that he’s already playing fast having barely learned the defense.

If Mac Jones had Buffalo’s weapons I think he’d be a legitimate concern. His arm strength is much talked about, but it’s decent enough, better than a Chad Pennington. He can get the ball to where it needs to be. Stop comparing his arm talent to Josh Allen, it’s not fair to him. And he doesn’t need Allen’s arm strength, he just needs to know where to go with the football, but needs playmakers to be able to do something with it. He lacks those weapons.

Edmunds is the defensive captain, the player with the green dot on his helmet. McD’s comments don’t equate to “I guarantee we’re signing him to an extension” they’re just that - comments on Tremaine’s position as a leader. Don’t create contractual absolutes where there are none.

Man, there’s been A LOT of praise coming from Bernard, his speed, and his coverage skills, stretching all the way back to rookie minicamp. Ideally he’d play Milano’s position in the 4-2-5, but if he continues to progress he’ll have to find a role on the field. Maybe that means taking Taron Johnson off and running a 4-3 more often, I don’t know. Taron is a CB with a LB mentality so we’ve been able to get away with running 70% nickel.

Good to see so many newcomers making an impact. 4/5 on that list. Blackshear is the UDFA RB who said he models his game after another star RB. EDIT: he actually compared himself to Debo Samuel, not another RB.

I knew the Bills as a team would still be ranked in the 80s, despite being Super Bowl favorites in nearly every sports book out there. What I didn’t think, was that low rating would be good enough to rank second amongst teams in the league. They’ve got stingy with those ratings. When I played Madden religiously back in 2004/2005, this same Bills team may have ranked 95 overall as a team.

Webster went further to say how players would sleep over at his house, known as Club 58. I don’t know if that and everything else he does is rare in the sporting world, but Webster seems to believe so.

It came off as a bit of an awkward conversation between the two, but hopefully they’re close and vibing in other ways the camera isn’t capturing. But one of their first “get to know you” exchanges definitely could’ve gone smoother. And just as Von pushed Aaron Donald to lead more, perhaps he has knowledge to impart to Maine in that area.

It’s available. But Kayvon Webster says it’s his heart. Miller is so open and generous with his teammates and everyone else, so that makes him the rarest guy. He gets along with everyone. Great, long article.

Tremaine seemed to be getting annoyed by Von’s repeated questioning.

Yeah I didn’t mean that Emmitt wasn’t a very good RB, but I said he was most overrated at his position because at one point the discussion was “who was the greatest RB of all time? Emmitt or Barry?” He’s mentioned among the greats and he wouldn’t even be in my top 5 (Sanders, Brown, Payton, Simpson, Sayers). Top 10? Not sure, but that’s a more debate worthy discussion where he could duke it out with A Peterson, T Thomas, M Faulk, E Dickerson, L Tomlinson, B Jackson, and E Campbell.

If Eddie George was a Cowboy during those years and Emmitt Smith ran for the Oilers/Titans, how do you think the production would’ve fared for each player in their new environment? Would Emmitt still be as highly regarded as Eddie George was while running behind an inferior line? I think Eddie George behind that Cowboys OL would’ve been scarier than Emmitt Smith. Just my opinion.

Emmitt Smith. He had the luxury of running behind the most physical and athletic OL the NFL had to offer for years.

It was a fascinating interview because you never knew what player or coach they’d start talking about and they didn’t seem to hold back. Asante’s opinion of himself throughout was eye opening for me, I never looked at him as the first ballot HOFer he believes he should be.

“I don’t lift weights, I don’t watch film, I only practice when it matters, and I’m not paid to tackle, but I’m one of the best corners to ever do it.” -Asante Samuel I’m paraphrasing the above quote, but that’s essentially what he said. Did we undervalue Asante’s greatness? This is a round table of ex athletes including Lesean McCoy and Brandon Marshall who speak candidly about coaches and fellow players. Asante Samuel Recognizes His Greatness

Who would win in a fight? A grizzly bear or a Siberian tiger?

How will Madden view the Bills? I’m sure the team will still be in the high 80s overall.

I was hoping he’d get hired away so we could bring in Vic Fangio.

As great as Tre White is, he’s not a freakish athlete, he wins because his technique and knowledge of the game are supreme. When he goes up against physical freaks like Hill or DK Metcalf, they can beat him up for the better part of the game. Then again those freakish level WRs beat up just about every CB in today’s league.

Sure there is, but it’s contingent on Bernard showing up and showing out. Beane already said he believes he could play both spots. If he proves adept at MLB whenever Edmunds has to step out, it lessens the need of a first round MLB, or a highly sought after FA. In that instance (and if Edmunds doesn’t return) don’t be surprised if he’s paired with Milano in the nickel going into next year.

Edmunds IS an elite athlete based on testing, but as SDS said, he doesn’t maximize those athletic gifts. Part of that is his lack of play and processing speed, the other is just a lack of physicality or “dog.” The Leonard Fournette play was brought up, but I think this play against #25 from the Patriots was even more egregious: Edmunds Blitz Attempt I’ve never seen a LB with a full head of steam, much less one with Edmunds size, get completely stonewalled on a blitz by a flat-footed RB. He should’ve sent that guy flying into Mac Jones’s lap. Edmunds struggles to get off the blocks of non traditional TEs (big WRs) as well. If he had the temperament of a Ray Lewis, John Randle, Mike Singletary, etc., we’d probably want him to cash in on a big payday because he’d probably make more plays just being nastier. But that’s not who he is and that temperament isn’t something he’ll ever bring.

Maybe Edmunds doesn’t know the defense well enough to know that his teammate, Taron Johnson, is playing a zone to his immediate left and would light Kelce up if he was to continue that route. It’s just lack of awareness and responsibility on Edmunds’ part. His lack of instinct didn’t even matter on that particular play. You’ve gotta know where your help is and where it isn’t and he’s just not a natural field general despite what some others would have you believe.

The defensive prowess is part of my argument against Edmunds. The Bills struggle against teams that can run or pass, but they’re excellent in shutting down one dimensional offenses (Patriots game #1 notwithstanding). As I said, they’re not alone, no team consistently stops the better offenses. To that end, I question the unicorn comment and Edmunds’ subsequent worth. I don’t believe he does his job so well that he makes everyone else on the backend look great. I think those players look great because they are. I’m not saying he doesn’t have a part in the unit as a whole, that would be silly, I’m saying his value is overstated, especially when it comes to stopping the better or balanced offenses in the league.