dave mcbride

@Hapless Bills Fan - circling back on this. https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef/2019 through the miami game, FO has the bills’ D ranked 12th, dropped from 3rd the previous week and despite still being third in both points and yards allowed. Given this Eagles game, it looks like their assessment of who they really are on D is more or less correct.

That sounds unfeasible for Atlanta. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/atlanta-falcons/julio-jones-7721/

No need. I've pasted it immediately below. It took me no time at all.

I mean, I guess it's conceivable that Cincinnati could franchise Green. They're projected to be $50 million under the cap next season and will have the room.

... and Cooper was the one guy in 2015 who performed well out of the gate. The other first rounders from 2015 were Kevin White, Devante Parker, Nelson Agholor, Breshad Perriman, and Philip Dorsett.

The WRs taken in the first round in the past 3 seasons (2016-2018 prior to this one) are as follows: Corey Coleman, Josh Doctson, Will Fuller, Laquon Treadwell, Corey Davis, Mike Williams, John Ross, DJ Moore, and Calvin Ridley. Ridley did the best of the bunch as a rookie, and he had just 821 yards as a complementary player to Julio Jones. Not a great group in terms of first/second-year production.

Bill, I think he stands to make a lot more money if he proves on the field he's still elite after missing essentially his last 16 games.

I know what you're saying, but my view is that this isn't about long-term answers. He's an elite player for this season, and I want the Bills to win a playoff game for the first time this century.

He was fantastic last year before suffering a toe injury. He was playing at an all-pro level through his first 8 games. He's only 31 and can still play.

Great piece. Draft picks are very overrated in this era of well-managed caps. This ain't 1998 anymore.

More Scandrick: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27926556/orlando-scandrick-rips-eagles-gm-being-released That team sounds like it has some real problems internally.

Art Schlichter was a prototypical passer ...

He was very good last season before getting hurt at the beginning of game 9. Through 8 games, he had 45 catches for 689 yards and 6 TDs. Extrapolated, that works out to 90 catches, 1378 yards, and 12 TDs--basically, an all-pro level season. He was IR'd because of a toe injury (presumably turf toe), which is hardly crippling long term.

Lotuleilei actually produced in Carolina up until his final season there, which is when he began his decline into the ultimate JAG. On the positive side, he knows his assignments and doesn’t get injured (no small thing). But as I said earlier, NFL players are paid to make plays. He is not even close to being a disruptor, and his lack of ability to pressure the QB is one reason why the Bills’ sack numbers are pretty low (13).

The thing I'd worry about if I'm worried about culture is appearing to favor one of your guys who starts every game, gets paid a LOT of money, but makes absolutely no plays. He literally hasn't done anything this season in the playmaking dept., and he did virtually nothing last season either. As a baseline, the NFL players on the field are there because of their ability to make plays. Lotuleilei has 3 tackles, 3 assists, no TFLs, no pressures, and no sacks through 6 games, and he has started all of them. And it's not just the numbers -- he's basically a barely visible and slowly moving slab of flesh in the middle of the TV screen on virtually every play. He's not disruptive at all.

To be clear, I am not opposed to taking a flyer on Gordon. I just don't think that the Bills' organization is likely to do so.

Yeah, when he wins yet another SB MVP on a 15-1 team we'll still be talking about his decline. Watch the games and the players around him. He hasn't changed; the other players have. FWIW, he threw a ball at 61 mph this offseason, which is elite: https://www.masslive.com/patriots/2019/06/tom-bradys-arm-appears-to-be-in-peak-form-patriots-qb-posts-photo-of-radar-gun-at-61-mph.html. I'm not saying that he's not trying to score; I'm saying that he's not forcing things in close-call plays because he doesn't have too.

I think he throws a ton of them away. I honestly think he's playing cautiously because the defense is so dominant. When he needs to make plays, he does (particularly early in games).

That's just not true. His arm is the same as it was in 2017, when he was 40 and arguably the best QB in the league. I watch a lot of Pats' games. Their issue right now is not him; it's the lack of NFL-level TE (until this past Monday) and injuries/retirements in their core blocking group (o-line/TE/FB) that have made them into a 3.3 ypc team in the run game (they were 4.3 last season). Brady is averaging 7.3 ypa and a 66 percent completion rate.

I'll trust the GOAT's opinion on this. His arm looks fine anyway.

They traded a second rounder AFTER they determined they didn't want him! That's why they made the trade in the first place! Also, Brady has been complaining that the WRs don't know the routes. You think Harry, who was on the shelf for a while, is ready to know the full offense for the stretch run?

That is true, but if he clears waivers - which is the most likely outcome because teams do NOT want to be on the hook for his full contract if he flakes out - then my scenario is operative.

I think you're just wrong, and anyway, has he overcome them? What happened late last season? Why is a such WR-deficient team effectively cutting him now?

I disagree, but we shall see. I also suspect that Beane/McDermott want nothing to do with a player who has had so many personal problems and who failed his team last season during the stretch run. But there's another thing you have to ask yourself: why did a very smart organization with such issues on their pass offense dump him? Who was the last NE player who was effectively cut mid-season who exceeded expectations elsewhere?