Lothar

Except that the Bills were trying to gain draft picks and Darby netted them more than he was probably worth to a team that can develop corners.

We have always been one of the worst tackling teams in the McBeane tenure. It might be the type of linebackers we get or the emphasis we place on scheme and coverage over basics like sound tackling. It's usually hard to find fault with a defense that has been among the top 5 but that is definitely a thing and since the first 2 games this year, it had become a team wide phenomenon. Joe Marino listed the percent missed tackles of every player - he said we should average about 10-12%. Some like Epenesa are over 50% and most of the team is well over that threshold.

They have regularly been among the 5 worst tackling teams in the NFL in McD tenure. Why is anyone surprised - we have light linebackers and nickel CBs on the field all the time.

This game feels a lot like the Atlanta game last year. We won but it felt grimy. It's ok. We have a lot to work on still but I'd rather be firing on all cylinders at the end of the season.

24 hours. Meh. Non-story.

Actually, no. Joe Marino pointed out on his podcast that since the first two games, the tackling has been near the bottom of the league. We just get away with it because we've made some big impact plays on defense via sacks and turnovers. Poor tackling is unfortunately a hallmark of this defense - and we're still pretty damn good. You can see how good we'd be if we also were a good tackling defense.

I still would have liked them to hold all the receivers at the line with 5 second left.

Absolutely! Whodathunk the Lions would be the highest scoring offense in the NFL?

I hate GameDay threads.

You gonna stay up all night Wednesday too, huh? I can dig it.

https://theathletic.com/3540232/2022/08/26/ravens-cornerback-kevon-seymour-nfl-journey?source=user-shared-article Behind paywall but a good read on what he's had to overcome to still be fighting for a job on the Ravens some 6 years after he was drafted.

Yah, compared to last week when he played with second stringers against the Colts first team.

S RB CB WR OL P Blue

I don't think you fully appreciate the effect Bates had on the offense once he came in. The Bills were hoping to go cheap but if they lose him, we're definitely going to have to consider drafting a starter in the first couple rounds. That's not nothing.

Holy smoke. That division is bananas!

I'm ok with getting Hughes back. He'll cost less than half of Jones. His pressure percentage was 11th best in the league. If the new-look middle forces the pocket to collapse, he'll get more sacks. Hughes for 5mil > Jones @ 15mil. Plus we know he's good in the locker room.

Callahan's the guy we should target. Supremely talented (I think had the best coverage grades of any CB last year) but gets nicked up.

I'm also waiting for Sydney Jones to be signed as our CB2.

As much as I like the idea of Hunter and Gronk, I'd be perfectly happy if we somehow got Jones and Engram. Jones is solid as a rock as a pass rusher (his availability compared to Hunter along with not giving up draft choices is key) and I think the Bills can get him for 30m over 2 years. Engram (I think 14m over 2 years would get him) could play the slot role that Beasely did -maybe not quite as prolific, but with more speed and physicality. I also didn't realize that Engram played with Knox in college so there's a level of familiarity there.

Listening to Joe Marino's podcast, he was going through a bunch of first round players with off-the-charts traits that might fit into the BIlls' idealized picks. He then talked about a 3rd-4th round player he's been watching for a while. Troy Andersen from Montana State. 6'4", 235. He won Freshman of the year in the Big Sky conference primarily as a running back. He played quarterback his sophomore season and was again! first team all-conference. He then realized that if he was going to make it as a pro he'd need to switch positions. He became a linebacker and again was first team all-conference. And this past year (with just a year under his belt at a new position) he became the National FCS defensive player of the year! While he's still learning the position, he may be the perfect guy to groom on special teams for a year. Expected to run sub-4.6 forty. Smart. Great fundamental skills with regard to tackling and pass rush potential. Very raw as might be expected. And as a 3rd-ish round prospect, it might be the perfect place to pick someone who would take over for Edmunds in a year. https://www.profootballnetwork.com/troy-andersen-montana-state-lb-nfl-draft-scouting-report-2022/ I'd like to use this thread for non-first-round Bills fits.

I'm no fan of Murray but most of his regression occurred after his top receiver went down. Even with that, I let him play out his contact or sit out.

This discussion is completely moot. You'd need to give up multiple first round picks to hire Payton - he's still under contract. Plus firing McD is a silly idea anyway.

Maybe. I'm just commenting on what multiple scouts at the Senior Bowl were saying. He made most of the tackles look silly with his explosion and moves. Sure, he could bomb at his pro day or the combine or he could completely justify the hype.

No chance after his performance at the senior bowl practices. Just listened to a few different scouts commenting on two different podcasts and they all think he goes in the top half of the first round.

Joe Marino has been talking about this for a couple years on his podcast. The Bills have been one of the worst tackling teams in the NFL during the McD era. He says it's a shock that he continually sees the Bills near the top of missed tackles list because Sean is such a stickler for fundamentals. I think after the defense being together for 4 years plus - at this point - players are who they are. We're not going to be a good tackling team unless we change personnel. advanced defense stats 2021