Dr. Who

Tokyo Story To Have and Have Not The Black Stallion Babette's Feast North By Northwest

There has been some terrible injury luck, but with the current investment in that side of the ball, it just has to be better when it matters most. This can't be a growing pains year. By the playoffs, be good, be very good.

Cooper is probably done. I empathize with concerns about McDermott, though I like the fella. Then I think about the Sabres and what happens when Terry Pegula has more say, and I count my blessings.

Both sides of the ball failed, ultimately, as did coaching. Everyone needs to be better. The D needed more players, but WR is still an issue.

The original host of PTI was Max Kellerman. Then there was a contract dispute, IIRC, and Tony Reali, who had been a fill-in host, became the regular host. Kellerman is obnoxious, but good at boxing commentary if you're into that sport.

Stat boy; he started out as a fact checker for PTI and they would have him on at the end to correct their mistakes.

The points were arbitrary and subjective. It was just an excuse for the sake of conversation on the topic. It was not a real game. I was a casual viewer, but liked some of the panelists, particularly in earlier versions of the show. However, if one was looking for rationale behind the scoring, I can see how that would be frustrating.

I argued for #22 and #23 in their draft years. But you're not allowed to worry about WR. Beane will yell at you, and other folks will act like thinking the WR room is subpar equates to not recognizing the defense needed a major upgrade. Apparently 13 of the 91 players currently signed are WRs. Most of them are long shot lottery tickets. One supposes the numbers, however, implicitly indicate there is some awareness of deficiency, despite the propaganda otherwise.

The Sabres may make the playoffs in the next decade.

Do they have one for slowest WRs?

It's harder, but other teams manage to do so. So far, Beane has not really drafted elite talent with the very important exception of Josh Allen. A few folks need to emerge to improve the odds of post-season success. I think the 2025 draft has some promise, though it will take time to reach that level obviously.

Diggs was a technician. He did not have superior speed, really. By itself, that one move does not equal properly investing in the position. I still think Beane needs to add draft capital early at WR on a regular basis, though the last draft was admittedly suited to filling evident needs on D. You're welcome to think differently. In any event, Diggs is not on the team now. Palmer is supposed to fill that role, I suppose. We're all hoping it works out.

If one restricts "elite" to 20 or 25 players league wide, that is just a semantic move, but it is also a way to diminish the difference between the Bills (a solid team with depth, but few players that can take over a game in a crucial moment of the playoffs, for example) and those teams that have won championships because they have multiple players on both sides of the ball that can do that. Hopefully more players will emerge besides Josh Allen. There are candidates, though I don't see any at WR, for instance.

When was the last time Beane took a speed WR early in the draft? I think he has a type, and it's closer to Kelvin Benjamin than an elusive burner. Those folks who believe he is consistent with a Carolina philosophy for team building (Dline first, receivers normally excluded from first round consideration, preference for burly types) seem correct to me. And yet, they could have made a trade for Metcalf, and passed on him in the draft. So, he likes the slow, burly types. Yes, some sarcasm, but not entirely undeserved. It might all still work out in the end. If it doesn't ultimately conclude with Josh Allen in a Bills' uniform hoisting the Lombardi, no amount of extenuating circumstances are going to excuse the failure; and if he wins, everything is forgiven/justified. If they don't win it this year, for me, Beane better focus like a laser on the lacuna in his team building strategy.

Naturally, since they emphasize the position in the draft, they will have both more hits and misses. Beane does a lot of things right. I think he needs to up the ante at WR in his overall drafting strategy. This is a criticism based on his entire tenure, not just this year. The view that he does not value WR enough is not equivalent to the view that he was wrong to prioritize defense in the recent draft. He did well, but the FA and draft focus is typically on D. If Coleman and Kincaid have strong years, and if Palmer is better than mediocre, the urgency will subside. If not, Beane may be making another third round pick midseason trade.

Sorry, old friend, but I'm going to have to put you on ignore now.

I'm inclined that way myself, though I am admittedly biased in favor of UGA players -- unless Badol is right about Coleman's ceiling and he reaches that unlikely degree of greatness. It's true that Coleman had some reasonable early success, but he responded poorly to injury. Nothing to do but hope at this point.

Probably, but I still think he has more diversity in his game. I understand that NFL DBs are not the same as college by a long shot. McConkey could play on the outside in college. I believe he'd get more natural separation than Coleman, and he's a polished route runner. Anyway, Coleman is also a slot receiver for the most part, but he has the physical attributes that maybe he grows into a Gabe Davis WR2, hopefully with better hands.

It's not, but that is how one can "lie" with statistics. (The poster is a decent fella. I'm sure there is no mendacious intent.) Anyway, let's all hope Coleman does become a solid WR2, which is probably his ceiling.

I argued well before the draft, as a UGA fan, that McConkey is not just a slot receiver, and had lined up on the outside a lot for the Dawgs. Don't give a damn that folks keep saying he's a slot. For certain, he's an NFL receiver, and maybe Coleman becomes one, too, but I don' think there's a chance Ladd is going to wash out, and there is a chance Coleman does. Obviously, I hope he makes a leap,and becomes great.

All you have to do is let it rest yourself. There's a lot that plays out in a season. Fortune is fickle. I think you're creating a somewhat false dichotomy. Hardly anyone disagrees that the defense needed a major overhaul. I would add that the scheme needs to add new wrinkles, which I am hopeful is part of the plan. None of that touches on Beane's team building strategy. For those of us who think he doesn't value WR enough, that perdures. Folks have already pointed out the weakness in the offense that shows up with greater scrutiny. I don't think it's just a matter of chance and adequate players who just happen to not make clutch plays when it matters most. Many are serene, regardless. My bottom line to you: McDermott has had plenty of investment in both the draft and FA on his side of the ball. He needs to show up not just in the wild card round, and once in a while in the divisional round, and hardly at all in the rare conference championship game. You want to preach complementary football? Fantastic. Whatever inevitable growing pains integrating rookies into the system show up early, the wisdom of Beane's plan will be judged by how it plays out late.

I hear you. I certainly think McDermott should be held accountable if his defense does not perform well in the playoffs. The expenditure on that side of the ball this off-season in both the draft and free agency ought to be enough to work with. I don't trust Pegula to get it right, but at some point, you have to win a Super Bowl with Josh Allen as your quarterback.

The other factor, and I'm sorry to bring up hockey, which I know is a dull subject for you, but Terry Pegula is the absolute worst owner in the NHL. He hires inexperienced GMs, and continues to keep an inadequate fella in the role, at least partly because he feels heard by Kevyn Adams. The Bills were dysfunctional before McD and Beane arrived. They have built a strong and competent culture. I fear what would happen should that be gambled away, though I appreciate the concerns of those who question the ceiling on the regime.

Fella is going to be good, I think, but bonus points for all the memes that are going to be relevant.

Yes, well, it's also clear why you weren't so anxious about the non-elite WR room, but so be it. There was another thread where unacceptability was on display across the board. Joe Marino is, in fact, a bitter fella obsessed with the injustice of the actual podcaster, worse, Doc Brown is not Christopher Lloyd, GunnerBill is actually a dental assistant from Hoboken (the whole British accent thing is a function of electronic AI), etc. I do not judge, nor do I make any confessions regarding Gallifrey. At least I can rest content, relieved that you are straightforward and honest at the Defense household. Given your extreme sensitivity to careful distinctions, and at the risk of pedantry, I must tell you that there is a common confusion unfortunately present in your brief post. Complementary football is, I suppose, as the coaches like to say, all three phases of the game. Complimentary football is when the opposing side acknowledges fine play, and instead of trash talking, claps politely, even when scored upon. As you may surmise, this latter version of the game is not very popular in North America, though I'm told it is favored in Iceland, Denmark, and Singapore.