Mark Vader
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Posts posted by Mark Vader
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No.
Although, I do enjoy March Madness very much.
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7 hours ago, gonzo1105 said:
The Arizona Cardinals draft is over:
1st Round (#4)- Marvin Harrison Jr WR Ohio State
Others considered for the pick- None
1st Round(#27)- Terrion Arnold CB Alabama
Others considered for the pick- None
2nd Round(#35)- Xavier Legette WR South Carolina
Others Considered for the pick- Ladd McConkey, Chop Robinson(Gone), Zach Frazier OG
3rd Round(#66)- Bralen Trice DE Washington
Others Considered for the pick- Adissa Isaac DE, Kris Jenkins(Gone), Braden Fiske (Gone)
3rd Round(#71)- Trey Benson RB Florida State
Others Considered for the pick- Christian Haynes OG, Cole Bishop S, Junior Colson LB, Isaac DE
3rd Round(#90)- Cole Bishop SAF Utah
Others Considered for the pick- Colson LB(Gone), Haynes(Gone), Van Pran (Gone), Trotter (Gone)
Overall, I'm damn happy with the value I got in this draft. A lot of skill positions but I arguably came away with the best WR, CB, and RB in this draft in my 3 rounds. I thought about taking Zach Frazier at 35 and to be honest probably should have made that move with the remaining WR's left on the board but I wanted to pair the safe Harrison with a high upside WR in Legette instead of another floor player in McConkey. Trice is a high motor Defensive end who isn't the best athlete but never quits on plays and actually has a very advanced repertoire of pass rush moved. He'll get that opportunity in Arizona's 3-4. Benson and Bishop are players who will get PT in 2024 but will eventually take over for their incumbents in 2025 who will be Free Agents.
Now let's wait a few years when they all become unrestricted free agents and want to get the HELL out of Arizona.
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I think that Diggs is without question one of the best receivers we've ever had.
He had an ego and wanted to win! He was always trying to motivate players to do their best. Remember when Damar Hamlin went down, and they were contemplating continuing the game? Diggs was trying to get the team back up for playing again.
I never once saw him quit on the team. Unlike Stephon Gilmore.
I understand that he is on the decline, it happens. Although I still think we could've gotten one more year out of him, but they chose to move on.
It's funny how so many people on this board was always yelling about how the Bills "Need to bring in a player with attitude, because we're not going to win with choir boys." Then the Bills get a player with attitude and everyone on the board want him drawn and quartered.
TBD has a lot of funny people on here. Not funny "ha-ha."
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Not worried about Bass at all. The Punter position is more concerning.
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1 hour ago, GASabresIUFan said:
The sports "Media" is already beginning their "analysis" that the Bills are done in 2024. The Athletic (a NYT company) has an article today by the Jets beat writer about how the Jets have the most talented roster in the AFC East (their 80 year old QB not withstanding) and we all know how objective the NYT is.
https://theathletic.com/5388899/2024/04/04/jets-best-afc-east-roster-diggs-trade/
How much are we really going to miss any of the players released, traded or not re-signed this off-season?
Wide Receivers
Let's start with the elephant in the room. The Bills moved on from both veteran boundary receivers including "superstar" Stefon Diggs. Those two accounted for 2349 receiving yards last season and 15 TDs. However, Davis caught only 56% of his targets and after week 6 Diggs caught only 61% of his opportunities. In fact, Diggs, after week 6, was on pace to only put up 830 yards (on 145 targets) in a full season. That would have put him 25 in NFL. He also was clearly no longer a fit in a Joe Brady offense.
On the other hand Kincaid and Shakir flourished after week 6. Kincaid was inactive in week 6, but over the next 13 weeks (including the playoffs) his usage increased and he paced for 860 yards over a 17 week season. His usage in his second season should increase further with Diggs gone. Shakir's game also changed after week 6. In the first 6 weeks last season, Shakir averaged less than 1 target per game. 1 target! After week six, Shakir was on pace for 845 yards (on only 68 targets).
I also researched how the average WR drafted from 20-40 over the last 5 years produced in his rookie season. The average was about 660 yards. There were some stars like Jefferson, Tee Higgins, and Jordan Addison and some duds, but for the most part most were solid to good. I'm confident that Beane & Co will find someone in the draft to help the Bills stretch the field with their 1st pick, something we didn't have last season.
In addition we added proven slot receiver Curtis Samuel who should flourish in Brady's offense and we aren't going to miss the departed Harty or Sherfield at all.
Defensive Line
Are we really going to miss Phillips, Lawson, Ford or Settle? No didn't think so. That leaves Leonard Floyd. No BS, we are going to miss him. The hope here is that Miller can capture at least some of his old form (he did look better in the playoffs) and that he and Epenesa can be effective enough to allow Rousseau to go back to his natural position and make up for the loss of Floyd. My hope is that they draft a edge rusher in the 2nd rd to help make up for the loss.
Offensive line
Out with Bates and Morse. Considering Bates played all of 35 snaps, I don't think he'll be missed. Morse on the other hand has been the Bills center for the last 5 years and has done a very good job, but at 32 it is a reasonable question to ask how much he has left in the tank. Beane solution is moving McGovern to center and creating a competition for the guard spot to returnee David Edwards (148 snaps last season - the most by a Bills backup OL) and presumably veteran La'el Collins. Collins has started 86 of 89 career games as a rt, but missed last season with injuries.
Running back
Lat Murray, Hines and Harris are gone. They won't be missed. Cook became a star last season. Ty Johnson also returns and was very effective last season in limited reps. The Bills will likely add another back at some point
Safety
Out with Hyde and Poyer and in with Mike Edwards and Rapp becomes a starter. This is a slight downgrade based on last year's grades, but it was time to move on from Hyde and Poyer.
Corners and Linebackers
White and Dodson are the big name departures, but given White's injury history and the return to health of pro bower Matt Milano, the play of Taron Johnson, Douglas, Benard and Benford, I don't think we'll miss either player.
On paper the Bills are slightly downgraded. We have fair questions at WR, OL, DL and safety. However, I'm not worried about the wide receivers. To me, removing DIggs and Davis has opened the opportunity for Allen to longer have to worry about Diggs getting targets. He can now focus solely on who is open. At safety, the declines in Poyer and Hyde were very noticeable and Rapp and Edwards should give us at least when the vets did. I'm also not worried about the OL. Torrence and Brown should continue to improve and McGovern proved he has a very capable interior lineman last season. The only loss the really worries me is Floyd.
Despite the downgrades on paper, I can see the Bills actually improving next season. I think the offense will be better and more consistent. Besides Allen and Dawkins, the heart of the offense are all young players in Brown, Torrence, Shakir, Kincaid and Cook who should continue to improve.
On defense it's much the same story. Oliver, Milano and T Johnson are the core, but they received a significant lift from improving kids Benford, Benard, and Rousseau.
Your post is well thought out.
I disagree with you on Safety. Losing Poyer & Hyde is a major downgrade. Yes, it was time to move on from them, however Edwards has mostly been a back-up and is a big question mark. Rapp I thought played better in the second half of the season. So there is some concern at this position. I do think that we will draft a Safety.
At Defensive End, losing Floyd was big. Glad that Epenesa was kept and I like Casey Toohill as a situational pass rusher. The draft is thin at this position, so it won't be easy finding a top grade player. The Bills could find a veteran late this year as they did with Floyd.
Wide Receiver is definitely an issue. The Bills pretty much have no choice but to take a receiver with their first pick. While Diggs declined late last year, be it from talent or injury, his leadership(he was a captain) will be missed. I love the addition of Samuel, and I believe that Shakir will continue to improve. I don't like to rely so much on rookies, despite how talented they are.
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Kris Jenkins, but wouldn't mind Kameron Kinchens.
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4 hours ago, BMWR100RT said:
This thread is insane. All this worry about something you have no control over other than to spend your money or not. I'd try to just enjoy the show. It's entertainment.
You haven't spent much time on this board, have you?
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On 4/4/2024 at 10:38 AM, TPS said:
With the 34th pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the 6-time Super Bowl Champion (I hope you hate reading this as much as I hate typing it) New England Patriots select:
Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma. @gonzo1105 and the Arizona Cardinals are on the clock.
Having taken their QB of the future in R1, the Patriots are extremely happy find Guyton available to protect McCarthy's blind side. The Patriots are much higher than most teams on the athletic but raw Guyton and would've considered jumping the Ravens had trades been an option. With former Bill Conor McDermott currently slated in as the starting LT, we expect Guyton to learn the" Patriot Way" quickly and will transition him into the starter's role over the course of the season.
Put an asterisk next to them. It'll make you feel better.
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14 hours ago, Conlan58 said:
I'd say any time you have an opportunity to draft a QB you like in the later rounds, you do it. Look at how much weight was put into any QB that got to learn behind Brady - it definitely was a net positive for the Pats. I don't see why it wouldn't be here.
So was Belichick's ability to use a video camera.
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3 hours ago, Logic said:
The Bills have won the 2nd most games in the league since 2020.
They've won four straight division titles.
The only possible reason to say he "deserves" criticism is because they haven't won a title. But if that's the case, then 31 GMs every single year deserve criticism.
Looking at moves in a vacuum for any GM across the league, you're going to see some moves that worked and some that didn't. No GM is immune to mistakes. But looking at the total output and production of a team gives you a sense of what kind of job the team's architect has done. The fact remains that only the Chiefs have won more games than the Bills since 2020, that they've won their division four years in a row, and that they are contenders year in and year out.
You want perfection? Go watch a Kurosawa film or listen to a Betthoven sonata.
Beane is a very good GM.
P.S. Brandon Beane DOES receive criticism, and if you don't see it, then you're not looking in the right places. Go turn on ESPN, Fox Sports 1, or listen to any drive time football radio show, and you'll hear scores of criticism of Beane and his Bills. Heck, the buzziest phrase in football the past two season has been "the Bills window is closed".
If you're angry at Brandon Beane and want to criticize him, then just say that. Don't manufacture an immunity to criticism that he does not actually possess.@Sharky7337 Do you have a rebuttal to this, or are you just another hit-and-run fan?
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9 hours ago, NewEra said:
I’d do that in a heartbeat
I would too, but would the Titans?
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1 minute ago, MAJBobby said:
Incentives, no?
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Just now, GunnerBill said:
I'm not sure it is dreaming. They now have the sort of ammunition you need to make it possible without completely mortgaging the future. It is going to take two ones and a two. They can't give up this year's #2 because they don't have a #3. They couldn't before give up next year's #1 and #2 without hollowing out their draft. They now are in a position where they can give up next year's 1 and one of their #2s and still have a 2nd, a 3rd and two 4s (comp formula allowing). That is still 4 picks in the top 130 or so.
I get what you're saying. The thing is, that's an awful lot to give up for a wide receiver.
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3 minutes ago, Virgil said:
Not to be that guy, but shouldn’t the title read “pick”, since there is only one? 😋Schefter really botched this one.
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3 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:
I can absolutely see something like that. I think the Bills trading into the top 10 just became possible.
Sounds like a lot of dreaming, but anything is possible.
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13 minutes ago, Gregg said:
It's supposed to be a deep draft for WR's this year. Beane has to get some weapons out of this draft for Allen. If they trade up or not I have to think WR is the pick in Rd 1. Probably going to take more than one WR this draft. I can't wait to hear Beane's press conference for this. The media is going to have a lot of questions to ask.
Yes, it is deep. You just can't expect a whole lot out of a wide receiver as a rookie. They are not always an instant impact.
It helps that we have Josh Allen.
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2 minutes ago, Gregg said:
Have no idea but I would imagine Beane has a plan here. They HAVE TO get a top WR now if they plan on competing for a Super Bowl this year.
Yes, I just don't see how they can climb that high in the draft to get a player like that.
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3 minutes ago, BIGFOOTspaceman said:
This years first and second, next years first and two seconds. That'll move you up quite a ways and would be very attractive to a developing team. Only took me half a second to come up with that scenario.
That's a big maybe, considering how late those picks could be. Took me the same time to come up with that response.
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16 minutes ago, Brianmoorman4jesus said:
Can we go up and get Harrison?
With what?
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13 minutes ago, Gregg said:
Beane has to have to something cooking at the draft. A move up to grab one of the top 3 WR's?
How?
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7 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:
Wow, we got no picks this year. 2025 2nd rounder via Vikings.
We sent them Diggs, 6th this year and 5th next year.
Schefter calls that a blockbuster trade?
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Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream potato chips
Reese's Stix
Cheez-It crackers
Pepperidge Farm Linzer cookies
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I've been pounding the table for Mike Sainristil since 2022. I would love to see how Sean McDermott could coach him up.
Kris Jenkins and Roman Wilson have very good potential, and Zak Zinter would be a higher draft pick had it not been for his leg injury.
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17 hours ago, NORWOODS FOOT said:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/126966963/ralph-cookerly-wilson
And they didn’t sell to Trump or Bon Jovi… could you imagine? Not a political statement, but I don’t think the team would be the same if they had.They wouldn't be in Buffalo if Bon Jovi got them.
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Which player is the draft community too low on?
in The Stadium Wall
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Wow!
I really like your takes when it comes to the draft and the players, but this post from you surprises me.
I've never been impressed with Rattler. I just don't think he's lived up to the hype. Unless there is something that he hasn't shown us, I cannot picture him making it in the NFL.
That being said, I respect your analysis.