dave mcbride

Exactly.

yeah, that's right. The way I see it, it's a more important than usual game - i.e., more important than the Steelers or Cowboys road games - given that it's a divisional matchup against a team that is beatable, but also because I will not be surprised that we end up battling the Jets for a final playoff spot. We shouldn't lose sight of that last possibility. But if they lose, it is just one game and not the end of the world.

They're fast and can make big plays, but they're definitely not elite - the sort of player like AJ Green, OBJ, or Julio Jones who are both fast and regularly win contested catches. The Bills haven't had player like that since Eric Moulds in his prime from 1998-2002. Watkins had that potential (and, frankly, still does), and while he flashed it, he was hurt too much and the organization didn't keep him around.

I think this is a fair assessment.

All joking aside, Benjamin went unsigned and may well be out of the league for good. He's only 28.

They are a LOT more talented on offense and have a better QB. Their top tier D-players are all as good as anyone on the Bills too (Garret, Ward, Vernon, Richardson). The Bills D is better overall, of course, but the disparity isn't as great as the one separating the offenses.

I don't think they're going to the SB or anything like that. That said, I think that beating them in Cleveland is a very tough ask, especially given that they're more talented than the Bills.

THis is actually my thinking. Outside of perhaps Morse, who on offense is a top-15-at-his-position player? I can't think of anyone.

Why the laugh? They're a talented team that won it's final 3 home games last season. They're not going to be easy at home. What's your reasoning?

I don't think he's elite, so no, I'm not interested. The Bills' stable of running backs is pretty good now anyways.

Last year, they were 10th in defensive DVOA, 10th in points allowed, and 11th in yards allowed. And they played better on D as the season progressed. Even more important, they signed Justin Houston, who when healthy is one of the best pass rushers in the league. He is healthy now. Eberflus is a good coordinator too. Teams with top-level defenses don't start out 1-7. Defense is by definition equally as important as offense.

The overall Indy roster is INFINITELY better than it was in 2017, and I also think Brissett has probably grown as a player. He's really not THAT bad. The 2017 offensive talent was lousy, and it's simply better now. That said, their early schedule is brutal: at SD, at TN, vs. ATL, vs. Oakland (that's a win), and at KC. They're going to be 2-3 at best. This is crazy talk. They have a really good roster top to bottom.

Fyi, I'm in Park Slope.

They are all important, but they're not all winnable. The Bills are not going to win in Pittsburgh and they're not going to win in NE. They're probably not going to win in Dallas on Thanksgiving either. You get my point. It's good to value every game equally, but it's better to be a realist. This is a game the Bills need to win. They're going to have to win four road games to have a shot (this is presuming a 6-2 home record, which is fairly optimistic), and this is one that's actually achievable.

Kinda disagree in that if the Bills are to make it to 10-6, this is one of the games they're going to need to win. There are six probable losses waiting for the team: NE 2x; at Dallas; at Pitt; at Cle; vs. Philly. Of course, they may win one or two of those, but they still have to play at TN and have to face Baltimore.

Great piece. Thanks!!!

Murray is the ultimate case in point here. Who knows if he would have even made the majors beyond a few September call-ups? In the NFL, he is already starting!

A lot of people seem here to seem to think that the best athletes in the NFL were playing SS in HS (hence—and contra Gil Brandt, who knows a little something about evaluation—the shaky “correlation does not equal causation” claims). News flash: most weren’t. None of the D-linemen were, and many of the most famous WRs/DBs were failed basketball prospects (too short, basically - Moulds, TO, etc.) who were playing in environments where baseball wasn’t really a major talent sponge at the HS level. I also expect that very few of the TEs and almost none of the LBs/RBs were either. Moreover, you have to be able to THROW HARD AND ACCURATELY to be any good at SS. You do not have to throw hard and accurately at ANY position in football except the QB position. Footwork is one thing, but if you can’t throw really well, you are worthless as a baseball player. It’s just as much about throwing. You can have the best footwork in the world, but if you can throw accurately and with velocity, you won’t be playing SS. Yeah, i think so, but also having the ability to throw accurately off balance. Good baseball programs teach that relentlessly at the SS position.

Well, virtually every qb quoted here - and there are a lot of good ones - said that playing SS helped them immensely, and Gil Brandt seems to think it helps ...

What was unique about Kelly coming out of HS is that he was a genuinely elite HS defensive player, evidenced by his being recruited as a LB by Joe Pa, the coach at Linebacker U. Playing LB at a high level also brings a highly useful skill set to any prospective qb.

He was a good pitcher, throwing in the low 90s in HS (which is really fast for HS).

My pleasure! Did you see the Gil Brandt quote about always avoiding right fielders (a big-arm position that requires a wind up)? Josh A played RF (along with pitcher and first base). ? (I don’t read too much into this factoid!)

https://torontosun.com/sports/football/nfl/kryk-most-top-nfl-qbs-played-shortstop-growing-up

He was 10-22 for 131 yards, was sacked 6 times, and lost a fumble in his own end zone! How is that anything but a bad game? This against a pass D that was 20th in net yards per pass allowed, 25th in td passes allowed, and 27th in passing yards allowed. The Tennessee D was also 15th in points allowed and 17th in yards allowed in a 29 -team league. And those numbers were goosed a little by playing an expansion team in the second week of the season and smothering them.

They don’t devote much salary to the position though.