dave mcbride

Cook is really good. And with regard to physical talent (speed, change of direction, receiving ability) he's elite-level.

According to John Wawrow (AP), who is in the know, he’d take the deal that Kyren Williams got (3 years/$33 million with $23 million guaranteed). He’s eighth best according to a survey of nfl scouts and execs: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45589580/ranking-nfl-top-10-running-backs-2025-execs-coaches-scouts-make-their-picks-best-rushers "Dangerous and explosive," an NFL personnel executive said. Added an AFC exec: "He's perfect for that offense, with a quarterback that spreads things out. He's good in the passing game, catches the ball really well, good in open space. Not sure he's elite yet, but he's really, really good." He's averaging 222 carries per season as the starter, and some teams are curious about how he would hold up as a 300-carry No. 1 back at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds. But either way, he has earned leaguewide respect at a time when he's seeking a contract extension from Buffalo.

A thought: the player most like Cook in recent years (in pretty much every way) is none other than his brother, who is four years older than him. Both were second round picks, both went to Miami Central High, both ran 40 times in the 4.4s (James is a little faster), and they're roughly the same size. Like James, who just finished year 3, Dalvin had a breakout season in year 3 (AV of 15; 53 receptions for a 9.8 ypr [great for a RB]; 13 total TDs, and 1,135 rushing yards for 4.5 ypc). In his next three seasons Dalvin C had one truly elite season (year 4 -- 111.2 rushing yards per game and a 5.0 ypc rate), one good season, and one decent season. In that sixth year, he averaged 4.4 ypc (1,173 rushing yards), but that 4.4 ypc was bolstered by none other than his longest run ever: the 81-yard TD rush vs Buffalo right after Edmunds went off the field (he was having a great game) in one of the most brutal Bills losses of recent times. Take away that run, it's 3.8 ypc, and if you make it a 25 yard run because 81 yards is so spiky in the statistical sense, he averaged 3.87 ypc on the season. Still, it was a decent if not great season. The thing is, the Vikings wanted no part of him after that season, and he moved onto the Jets, where his production fell off a cliff. If we assume he's a good comp, should the Bills pay James $33 million ($23-$25 million guaranteed) over 3 years for 88.4 rushing yards per game on average, 4.72 ypc, 45 receptions for 7.65 ypr, and 12 rushing and receiving TDs per season on average? Sure, you're buying some decline, but from my perspective that's OK if you get two upper-end years plus one decent enough season.

Bishop played in 16 games last season plus all three playoff games.

That's fair. In 2023 - his one full season - they went 10-1 against teams with losing records and 1-6 against teams with winning records (including the playoffs). That said, that playoff game was one of the coldest games ever played and they did have the number one offense in the league in yards (2nd in points): https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/mia/2023.htm. The defense was just ok and that didn't help.

Production-wise, they're almost the same player, but Cook's explosiveness shows up in the ypc and ypr numbers, which are both higher than Williams's. Williams scores a lot of TDs, although that can be a deceiving stat.

They are pretty similar players in terms of productivity. The big difference is that Cook was a late second round pick and Williams was a fifth rounder, but draft status doesn't matter anymore for future planning.

Cleveland's handling of an injured Mayfield who gutted it out for them has to be one of the worst cases of QB malpractice by a franchise in a long time.

He probably would have thrown for 4,000 last year if he didn't essentially sit out the final game of the season. If that game mattered and was close, he would have gotten there.

Very!!!

Tua is a good QB, and arguably very good based on the numbers (especially QBR, passer rating, and wins-losses). His sack percentage isn't bad either. The hatred of his game here is a bit laughable:

Super interesting. Pretty much establishes how good Leonard Williams was last year.

I am only challenging on one prediction: Giants lead the league in sacks. Too much talent.

Not good last year, but not the worst. And this might be a “beggars can’t be choosers” moment.

NFL players aren’t built like regular people. Their pain thresholds are off the charts. Most of us here would feel like we should be put in traction after just one play in an actual NFL game. I know I would.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/bills-first-round-pick-maxwell-hairston-dealing-with-knee-injury Can’t say that the words from Benford here make me feel good. Anyway, fingers crossed.

My understanding is that Darnold was good in SF and thrived in that system during practices. He only started one meaningless game at the end of the season, and apparently did a good job of operating the offense in a 21-20 loss to the Rams (96.5 rating, 7 carries for 19 yards and a TD, 16-26 for 189 yards, 1 td, and 0 INTs). After the season was over, word on the street from SF was that he had genuinely taken the next step and showed he could effectively run that sort of offense. That's why Minnesota signed him. O'Connell's offense is not that different from Shanahan's, and he thrived for the most part.

"On his first day back at camp, Coleman was in a prominent role again, working with Allen and the first-team offense heavily, though he failed to deliver on several opportunities. During team drills, Coleman had four targets result in no receptions. The first was against second-team cornerback Dane Jackson, with Jackson sticking on Coleman the whole way and not allowing a catch opportunity. Coleman later had two reps against top cornerback Benford, with Benford breaking up both passes in contested opportunities. Then, near the end, Coleman had a chance to catch a pass along the sideline against Tre’Davious White, only for White to break up the pass. The common reason these reps went in the defense’s favor had to do with Coleman’s lack of separation from the cornerback. The lack of separation has been a central theme since the Bills drafted him. While he does have quick feet at the breakdown point to flash as available to the quarterback, he has the tendency to allow the defender to get back in on the route, even with the initial win. Most of this has to do with foot speed and maybe not being as fluid a mover as other receivers. Coleman winning in contested situations must become his calling card unless he can begin to separate more, and none of those opportunities during Day 1 went his way during team drills." https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6511535/2025/07/23/buffalo-bills-training-camp-observations-james-cook/

That's not really the story of the game. A lot of it came down to coaching decisions. For instance, BB decided to forego kicking a FG midway through in the third quarter on 4th and 13 from the 31 yard line. I thought that was insane at the time, and I was right. Brady threw a low-percentage heave to Jabar Gaffney that really had no chance. It would have been a 49 yard FG attempt in a dome for Gostkowski, who in all likelihood would have made the kick. Bear in mind that they lost by 3 points. After the Giants went up 10-7, the Pats threw it every single play on a stalled drive early in the fourth rather than mix it up. And then they blitzed on the game winning TD to Plaxico, shortly after Asante Samuel dropped what absolutely should have been the game-ending interception. At any rate, the 2006 Pats were probably the most dominant team in NFL history, and just had a bad day. Their not winning the SB had nothing to do with the fact that Randy Moss was the top receiver on the team.

I'd include Cook in there because he's going to be here for year 4. It's 50 percent - 3 for 6.

I pay for HBO Max because it has a lot of great stuff.

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They need to pay their best players. Wilson is elite. And they're not spending much on the QB position these days.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45712186/why-nflpa-mess-matter-football-fans The Lamar Jackson story here - no offers despite the fact that he was obviously one of the best five QBs in a league with a lot of terrible qbs - is the icing on the cake.

??? - Glover was a four-time all pro and once led the NFL with 17 sacks. Teller has been good, but he’s a pale shadow of Glover, careeer-wise.