folz

There seemed to be a lot of discussion of Tavon Austin earlier in this thread, so I thought I would post this here: I haven't really followed Tavon Austin's career since his first few seasons, so I looked up his stats to try and get a better picture. This isn't meant as an anti-Tavon post (though the stats might make it look that way), I would love to see him make the team and contribute this season. I was more trying to figure out where and how he might be used/why the Bills brought him on/the reality of him making the 53, etc. I assumed (like most) that it was to return kicks. But, the question is can he still be effective enough there? And/or did they have something else in mind? So, here are some info/stats for assessment: He is 32 years old (does he still have the speed he used to?) He is not a kickoff returner. In 9 seasons, he has only returned 25 kickoffs (and 18 of those were in his rookie year...so, only 7 KO returns total in the last 8 seasons). So, he has specifically been a punt returner/backup WR/gadget guy over his career. In his first four years, if you combined total yards from scrimmage (rush/rec) and return yards, he averaged 1,080 yards and almost 6 TDs per year. In his last five seasons, combined scrimmage and return yards, he only averaged 243 yards and 1 TD/year (granted, two of those seasons he missed a lot of time due to injury---he has missed 27 games over the last 4 years due to injury). In his first 4 years, he had 146 punt returns for an average of 8.7 yards per and almost 1 TD per season. In his last 5 years, he has had 44 punt returns for an average of 4.8 yards per and no TDs. First 4 years he averaged 411 receiving yards, 242 rushing yards, with 20 total offensive TDs. His last 5 years, he has averaged 119 yards receiving, 79 yards rushing, with 6 total offensive TDs. His first 5 years in the league, he was used out of the backfield a lot, gaining 1,238 yards and 9 TDs rushing. I'm not sure of all the circumstances he faced over the last five seasons, injuries, strength of special teams he played for, opportunities, etc. But, just looking at the stats, it is hard to see him completely reverting to his earlier form. So, if he makes the 53, I assume it will be for one or all of the following reasons. 1. They just want a smart, sure-handed punt returner and aren't too concerned about how many yards he can get per or if he can still break one. They just want security there without having to put a starter in that position (Micah). Maybe they couldn't find anyone better/more experienced than Tavon in FA. 2. He is here as that veteran mentor that McDermott likes to have, to coach up some of the young guys (Stevenson, Shakir, etc.) on punt return. Show them how it's done. 3. He fits the mold of that versatile, gadget guy. We now have a number of players (McKenzie, Cook, Shakir, Austin) that can all rush out of the backfield, run jet sweeps, run receiving routes, etc. Maybe Dorsey has something new/special in mind with these types of players. And again, Tavon could be here both as injury insurance for that role, and again, to help bring the young guys along in that type of role. So, he seems to be security/insurance and mentor to me. Whether that is enough for a spot on the 53, we'll have to wait and see.

From the article: "La Canfora has also become increasingly political on his Twitter page. His entire timeline is dedicated to Jan. 6, Donald Trump and supposedly racist white people. In sum, La Canfora was hurting the reputation of CBS Sports. The network decides to stay in-house with Jonathan Jones as his replacement. Jones, not exactly a news-breaker, is most known for publishing a column that accused the media of favoring Carson Wentz because he has white skin. Jones posted this story despite pages of examples that debunked his thesis. Nevertheless, the column got Jones’ name out there. So it was worth the lie." Good on you CBS...fire one guy for lack of sources, spreading false stories, and pushing his personal politics...and replace him with a guy who apparently has no sources, and who made his name with a false story that involved personal politics. 🙄

I think there are three players from the drought era that are Wall of Fame worthy: Kyle Williams, Fred Jackson, and Brian Moorman. I think they fill the Bill with: talent, stats, longevity with the team, leadership, heart & soul players, popularity with fans.

My hatred for Tom Brady has definitely cooled since he left the Patriots...especially since I had to root for him in Super Bowl LV because I really didn't want the Chiefs to win. But, I never thought I could actually kind of like him...until maybe watching this. Not only did Tom have a nice rapport with Josh (he obviously really likes/respects Josh and his game...and it definitely felt like he connected with Josh better/more so than the other two), but Tom also kind of shouted out Bills Mafia two or three times, most notably when they came out to the first tee (or maybe for warm ups) and the Bills fans started singing the Shout song and Tom looked at Josh and said something like, "That's awesome...you gotta love that." I wonder if he sees a bit of himself in Josh...both northern California boys, both had to fight to get to where they are (Josh not recruited for college, Tom low draft pick), neither was just handed things, etc. And Shout Out to the OP...definitely heard the "I love you Josh Allen" and I'm sure you must have been part of singing the Shout song too. 👍

Obviously not Hall of Fame worthy, but one of the greatest journeyman QBs the league has ever seen. He finishes his career 32nd in all-time career passing yards [within 143-700 yards (respectively) of Jay Cutler, Andy Dalton, Jim Kelly, and Alex Smith---and all of those guys had more opportunities and fewer teams...they got to lock in as the starter for one or two teams for long stints]. He finishes 36th in all-time passing TDs (within 10 TDs of players such as Joe Flacco, Jay Cutler, Steve Young, and Donovan McNabb). Truly a phenomenal career no matter how you look at it. Congrats Ryan and thanks for the memories! No matter how many teams you played for, you will always be a Bill in our hearts! The legend of Fitzmagic will live on!

I'll take a stab at this... Looking at basic WR stats alone (receptions, yards, and TDs) In 2021, only 5 wide receivers placed in the top 10 for each: recs, yds, and TDs: Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, and Stefon Diggs In 2020, only 2 wide receivers placed in the top 10 for each: recs, yds, and TDs: Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill (Diggs was close though as he was #1 in receptions, #1 in yards, but only 13th in TDs) So, if we are looking at just statistical production, not projections for 2022, it would be hard not to say that the best WRs over the last two years are: Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, and Stefon Diggs Then Kupp and Jefferson As far as projections: -Yes, Hill and Adams have new QBs. Adams might be ok with Carr, but I think Cheetah's production will definitely suffer with Tua -Kupp, Jefferson, and Diggs all keep their QB -Where does Deebo Samuel end up? But can't ignore his yards from scrimmage last year -Chase burst onto the scene last year (ranking 4th in yards and 2nd in TDs) and has a good QB -The only other receivers to place in the top 10 for 2 of the three categories last year were Hunter Renfrow and Diontae Johnson (but Renfrow will lose targets to Adams this year, and Johnson will have Trubisky/rookie as his QB) So, imo, there is currently a top seven as the top tier of NFL WRs heading into 2022 (ranked in my very speculative projections for 2022): Cooper Kupp Davante Adams Jamar Chase Stefon Diggs Justin Jefferson Deebo Samuel Tyreek Hill (rank due to QB) Next tier for me (to round out a top 15...and in no particular order): Chris Godwin (if back ok from injury) D. J. Moore (keeps producing despite weak QBs) A. J. Brown Michael Pittman Mike Evans Keenan Allen CeeDee Lamb Diontae Johnson (other considerations): D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett (Worried about their QB situation) Hopkins (fading imo and suspension will keep him out of 2022 stats leaders).

Sorry if I came at you a bit hard on this...it was in reaction not just to your post, but to a number of off-season posts (since the 13 seconds) of not just questioning McDermott (which is obviously ok), but people thinking it might be time to move on from him, when imo we wouldn't be where we are without him and might not be able to sustain what we have without him. Kind of a "the grass is always greener" thing. I took your post to mean, "look Jackson won a championship within a year of taking over, McDermott has had 5 years and still no championship...if he doesn't win a Super Bowl soon (this year), he should be gone." I obviously read into your specific post too much. From your response, you are talking about from "now" with McDermott (after the team has already been built), when I thought you were counting from when he started. And I read the "soon" kind of as an "or else"...i.e. "or else he should be fired." Sorry if I misinterpreted your meaning. I'm just surprised by how many posters would be willing to move on from McDermott if say, he doesn't win the Super Bowl this year. Heck, some posters were ready to move on from him after the 13 seconds. I mean, yes, this team is built to win a Super Bowl now, but so many things can happen to derail a team: injuries, bad luck, weather, bad referees, etc., etc. Only one team a year wins it all...if the Bills don't win the Super Bowl this season, it will depend on the circumstances around it if McDermott should take a ton of heat for it. But yes, we all want that Super Bowl. And ultimately everything is on the head coach, but I would just hate to lose him and everything he's built. I'm envisioning an early 2000s Tampa Bay scenario, where Tony Dungy built that team into a Super Bowl contender and then they fired him "for not being able to win the big game...too soft...whatever" and they bring in Gruden. Sure, Gruden won them a Super Bowl (that first year with Dungy's team---and who's to say Dungy might not have done the same if he stayed in place, he did eventually win one with Indy)---but then the team fell apart. Gruden followed up the Super Bowl year with a 7-9 season and a 5-11 season. It was 18 years until they made the big game again, with only two early wild card exit playoff appearances in those years. I just want to see the sustained success that Beane and McDermott always preach.

Overall Western New York is a great place to live, grow up, raise a family, etc. But Micah specifically mentioned that there isn't a lot to do during the season. Maybe that's because for 3-1/2 of the 5-1/2 month season it is damn cold and often snowy in Buffalo. A lot of these guys came from or currently live in Florida, California, or the south or southwest where you can go to the beach or do outdoor activities most of the year. If you aren't into winter sports/activities like skiing or whatever (which I'm sure the team frowns upon the players doing anyhow), the winter months can be long. Even for those of us who grew up there or live there, winter can be long. And let's not even pretend that the nightlife in Buffalo (bars/nightclubs/theatre, etc.) can live up to a Miami, New York, etc. I never take offense when a player says something like this. It doesn't mean they don't like Buffalo or western New York, it's just they'd rather live in a warmer climate with more night life. They are young with a lot of money. I can't blame them. Hell, look how many western New Yorkers eventually move down to Florida to escape the winters?

Let's put some context into your post... Jackson took over a team that had just been to the Eastern Conference Finals (losing to a great Detroit team 4 games to 2). He had arguably the best player in NBA history already in place (and with 5 years already in the league...MJ was already a vet). The roster also consisted of Pippin, Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, and John Paxson. They had a solid roster that was two games away from the NBA Finals before he took over. And Jackson had already been with the team for 2-3 years as an assistant, so he already knew the players and organization well. Not to mention that with basketball, you are dealing with like 15-16 players, not 53-90 every year. He had to tweak the culture, not create it from scratch...the Bulls were already winning before he took over. Now let's look at McDermott. He stepped into a franchise that was in shambles, new owners who were still learning on the job, a 17-year playoff drought, A GM about to be fired, a weak roster with only maybe a handful of high-end players, a salary cap mess, no QB, and a culture of losing. And as said before, there are a hell of a lot more moving parts when you are talking about a football team as opposed to a basketball team. To think the same results should happen in the same amount of time given those circumstances seems quite unfair. I have a hard time understanding Bills fans who have McDermott on some sort of hot seat or time clock for winning a Super Bowl. It is as if they think the team would have been in this position regardless of him and since he can't win the "Big One" (of course everyone "can't win the big one" until they do...hi Andy Reid) that we need to find a coach who can. They seem to forget that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING that led us to now being Super Bowl contenders (and why we love this current team and its personality so much) is because of Sean McDermott. His relationship with the Pegulas, taking that horrible 2017 roster to the playoffs, hiring Brandon Beane and their relationship, the type of players brought in, the development of those players, the culture, the family atmosphere, the pride, the DNA, the process...we are only where we are now because of McDermott, why on God's green Earth should we even contemplate moving on from him at any point in the near future? Great discussion thread Shaw66! I have noticed over the years how much McDermott has taken from studying Bill Belichick too (among others). And there's how he sat down with the 90s players when he first got here to see why they were successful. I think it is great that he is always looking for ways to improve his team and his leadership, etc. And just because he is studying something (someone upthread made fun of one thing he read into), doesn't mean he becomes an acolyte of that alone. As any smart person does, he builds his own philosophy by picking and choosing things from other coaches, leaders, mentors that work and feel right for him. As a leader, you can't preach a growth mindset, unless you practice it yourself. And you can see with each off-season how Sean and Brandon address areas where they believe they and the team need to grow.

It must suck to have to leave the Bills just as they are peaking, but finishing your career at home isn't bad compensation. Good luck to you Jerry and thanks for all the memories. You will always be considered a true (red, white, and) blue Bill!

Interesting. So, according to this graphic, we are the most popular team (by internet search) in: Canada Russia Poland Ukraine Belarus Romania Slovakia Moldova France Belgium Spain Italy Egypt Algeria The Congo (DRC) (Apparently there are 4 more countries where the Bills reign supreme, but it was too hard to tell the others from that graphic) TB has Greenland locked up. 😊 At first I was thinking, well of course, outside the US, the most searched teams will likely be those that are at the top of the NFL currently (teams playing for Super Bowls, etc.). Makes sense. Tampa with Brady and a recent Super Bowl fits that. So do the Bills, who are now a top team. But, if that were the only reason, why is KC only 6th? Where are the Rams and Cinci? And how are the Texans that high on the list? Dallas is obvious...they haven't been a great team in a long while, but somehow have maintained their marketing, and not just as America's team apparently. Though I am a bit surprised that Dallas is still "America's team." I always thought that was just a left-over artifact from days long gone by. But they seem to still be the #1 team in America (at least by searches)...surprising to me.

They interviewed Elam's CB coach from Florida (Jules Montinar) on One Bills Drive this week and he specifically said, "And if you go back and watch his tape this past year now, If you look at his stat sheet, ya know, there wasn't a lot of stats in the deep part of the field (specifically), well, mainly the reason... part of the reason is not a lot of team's were throwing at him because he had his guys covered."

Yes, I think this is just a teaser for the full "Embedded" draft video to air later---as the final title card said "Buffalo Bills Embedded: Coming Soon" Love seeing inside the draft room, player meetings, and when the players arrive, etc. The Bills media team under the Pegulas (PSE) is top notch.

Let's GO!!!! Can't believe two punters went before him and he was still available for Buf here in the 6th. This is shaping up to be a "just what we needed" draft. Beane the Wizard!

The way I am seeing this draft is, as this regime has said in the past, "We are building a team, not collecting talent." I think all 3 of these guys fill in to what the team needs (see below). Also, McBeane always looks at what went wrong last year and tries to fix that, as well as keeping up with the Jones'. Well first things first, we have to look at Kansas City and the 13 seconds, and then the upsurging AFC (Bengals, Chargers, Broncos, Raiders, etc.). We are going to face a lot of great QBs over the next couple of years. And where were we weak last year? Defensive speed (particularly over the middle of the field) against fast teams (WRs/TEs), with good QBs. Elam should be an upgrade to Levi and is much faster. And instead of eliminating just one weapon on Tre Island, hopefully (eventually), we can have two shutdown corners, making it tough on two pass catchers. They can play more man and not have to compensate for anyone (Levi or Dane). And this pick (LB Terrell Bernard Pick 89) may look bad because most draft experts will say, "eh he's a tweener" and not rate him as high, knowing that some teams will not want/pick a tweener because of their defensive system. But, as Milano has shown, that type of player fits perfectly in our system. So it might not be a great pick here for another team, but it may be for Buffalo. And as good as Milano is, he has been oft injured and the defense usually takes a big hit/drop when he is out. So, first off, Bernard is insurance for a Milano injury, that our coverage doesn't suffer if he is out. But also, remember when Klein first got some starts and he looked awful? That's because best case scenario, they needed him to be able to cover. But that wasn't his skillset, so they had to adapt things. They don't have to adapt with Bernard. In certain situations against certain teams, they could go with 3 LBs and two of them (Milano and Bernard) are fast and can cover. Does the 13 seconds happen last year if you swap in Elam for Levi and Bernard for Klein? Maybe not...plus we got Von now too! I feel like they are addressing a serious weakness that they saw. And finally with Cook, we now have a legit hr threat (speed-wise) in and coming out of the backfield. This was obviously an area they wanted to upgrade as seen by the attempt at signing McKissic and then adding Duke. I don't know enough about these individual players (I don't watch a lot of college ball) to know if they will all reach the potential the Bills see in them. But the picks do seem to make sense to me when you match up the player's traits and our needs (where the team felt that they needed to get better). And there is nothing wrong with adding speed, speed, and more speed. As for WR, I didn't see that as a big of a need as others to start with, we have a lot of pass catchers (Diggs, Davis, Crowder, McKenzie, Knox, Howard, Kumerow, Singletary) and they just added Cook to the mix who will not only be great for screens and dump offs, but the guy can also line up wide and go deep. I'm not saying they'll use him like that all the time, but maybe enough to keep defenses honest (people said we needed a speed WR to take the top off the defense...maybe between Cook and McKenzie, we have that covered). I mean, how much playing time would a rookie receiver have gotten next year anyhow with our depth chart? I'm really not concerned with Josh not having enough weapons. Look at last year's playoffs...and essentially all we did was swap Crowder for Beasley and added Howard and Cook. To me Sanders is a wash, because he was just taking reps away from Gabe. Just trying to see the rationale to the picks. Go Bills!

Love it! Looks like he's excited to be a Buffalo Bill. Hope he can resurrect his career here and fully reach his pre-draft potential...i.e. "be the best version of himself"

How does someone consider themselves a fan of a team and get so worked up over it when they only watch games (a playoff game no less) in highlight form, don't know anyone on the team except the QB and head coach ("who's 13? He needs to be released immediately"), and don't know what state their division rivals are from. At the start of the video, I thought he was joking about the Bills being from Rhode Island, but he repeats it at the end very seriously...and I thought, oh my, he really thinks Buffalo is in Rhode Island. Looks like we need to add some geography back into the school systems. 😆

This is obviously just someone speculating, but a big No Thank You anyhow. I'm someone who supported Gilmore. When he had a sour puss at the draft, I told other fans "he's just a quiet guy, it's his personality, give him a chance." I told other fans to be patient with him when he was a bit slow out of the gate and when he was injured (missed 11 games in his first three years). I remember telling fans, who were down on him, that he was actually becoming a very good CB. But then... HE QUIT ON HIS TEAM. Some can say he was justified in that because the Bills/Rex were a sh&t show of a team back then. But what about the other 52 guys on the team who were still giving 100% effort to win, or the fans who were paying to watch him play, or the owner who was paying him a nice salary to play, or the front office that drafted him? Absolutely no loyalty or pride. There were literally times down the stretch of that season where he looked like a matador sidestepping a bull. A play would be coming right at him and he would step to the side (out of bounds) and let the guy go for someone else to tackle. It's not just that he was not a great tackler, he was choosing to completely avoid even attempting to make a tackle. I never saw Kyle Williams or Eric Wood quit on their team, despite the Bills sucking for their entire careers. I wasn't upset at all when he left the Bills for the Pats (because of his lack of effort that final season), and I could care less what he said after leaving or the accolades he's received since. To me quitting on your team is one of the worst things you can do in sports. It is the exact opposite of "teamwork." And yeah ok, he was trying to protect himself so he would be healthy to get his big FA contract. But by playing half-assed, he could have got a teammate injured instead (luckily it didn't happen). But, let's say you're a safety and you are coming up to help on a tackle. You see Stephon there and expect him to make contact, so you prepare yourself for that situation, then Gilmore steps to the side and you take the full brunt of the collision. No, Gilmore definitely does not have the McBeane DNA. Not to mention he's on the downside of his career and probably won't be worth the money he expects.

For two years he has been talked about as a breakout player, and it hasn't happened yet. I know, he's on my keeper fantasy team. He has been talked about as this all-purpose weapon, yet he only had 41 rushing yards last year. He only had 5 games last year with 50 or more receiving yards. Only 1 game with more than 58 yards receiving. And 0 TDs (in 2021). He flashed a bit his rookie year, but in 2021 there weren't even many flashes. Granted, he is still very young and has been playing for a bad team with bad coaching and bad QB play. No doubt the Bills and Josh could get more out of him. But, I think that I would pass on him at this point. Yet Beane has been known to go after high draft picks who haven't yet met their potential. And there is the 3rd-year breakout WR thing, though lately more WRs seem to be pro-ready right away. I'm just not sure how or where he fits in our offense and if he would even be able to get snaps, let alone help the team in any significant way.

What about Anquan Boldin?

Despite allegations, not playing for a year, possible suspensions, character issues... the Browns give Watson Aaron Rodgers money (50 million more guaranteed than Rodgers) and give the Texans 3 first round picks and 2 more picks? Why do I think that this is going to backfire on Cleveland hard?

Thanks for the info MAJBobby, especially on the free agents still available. Another way to look at things right now might be in/out or added/lost: Players lost (10): WR Cole Beasley WR Emmanuel Sanders QB Mitch Trubisky OG Jon Feliciano OT/OG: Daryll Williams DT Vernon Butler DT Harrison Phillips DT Star Lotulelei LB A.J. Klein CB Levi Wallace Players Added (8): OG Roger Saffold TE O.J. Howard DT Tim Settle DT DaQuan Jones DT Jordan Phillips DE Shaq Lawson DE/LB (Edge) Von Miller LB Marquell Lee (though he may not fill a roster spot on the 53) Undecided (10)...I expect less than half of these guys will be back: RB Matt Breida (doubtful) RB Taiwan Jones (possible-ST) OL Ryan Bates (possible-depending on other team's interest) OG Ike Boettger (possible-depending on recovery?) OT Bobby Hart (No) DT Justin Zimmer (doubtful) DE Jerry Hughes (I think there is still a small possibility that either Jerry or Mario could come back, but only one) DE Mario Addison (possible) DE Efe Obada (possible) So, as it stands now, we are still basically down the following positions from last year's team: Backup QB 1-2 RBs (depending on Taiwan's status) 2 WRs 1 OG (if Boettger doesn't return) 1 swing OL (if Bates is lost) 1 OT 1 DE (if they don't bring back Hughes, Addison, or Obada) 1 CB (I didn't add LB to the list, with the signing of Von and Lee, and thinking that we already have guys ready to step into Klein's role) Of that list though, it is mostly backup/depth needed now. The only possible starting positions still needed would be: 1 CB (if Dane isn't ready to step up), 1 slot receiver (if Mckenzie/Howard aren't the answer for the majority of the slot snaps), OG, and maybe 1 DE (depending on how they use Miller and Lawson, if Boogie is ready to step up, and if they don't resign Hughes or Addison). I expect Beane will fill most of these backup spots in FA over the next few weeks (on the cheap). Then it is just a matter of can we upgrade positions in the draft and/or pick guys to fill future RFA positions and depth/grooming. So, the draft can be Best Player Available (as Beane likes it), with the only major wants for the upcoming season (imo) being a stud CB (if he can be found where we are drafting), an OG (Saffold ain't young and the other spot is up for grabs), and maybe a WR (deep threat/KR and/or slot). Obviously they want a third down back with the interest in McKissick, so that could be a position to watch also. And to keep an eye on next year, other than the 1-year deals signed by this year's FAs (Saffold, Howard, Lawson, and Phillips), next year's Unrestricted Free Agents who are starters are: S Jordan Poyer C Mitch Morse LB Tremaine Edmunds RB Devin Singletary TE Dawson Knox So, anyone they might not resign next year, would be added as a possible draft position this year. I think they will resign Knox and Poyer for sure. The other 3 who knows. So, Center, Running Back, and Linebacker could all be positions to draft and groom for a year. So at this point, draft wise, I'd like to see these positions addressed (listed in order of importance): CB, OG, WR, RB and then maybe C and LB (depending on their plans for Morse and Tremaine). A QB to groom as Josh's backup could also be in the mix if they don't pick-up a FA QB.

The thing with Shaq is, if you expect him to be an excellent pass rusher and you pay him that way (and/or draft him in the first round), you will be disappointed. But if you want a really solid player, who is excellent against the run, and can get after the QB a bit, he can be a great asset to have. You just have to use his skills properly (rotationally) and not expect (or pay for) big sack totals. I'm excited to see a happy, motivated Shaq as part of the DE rotation.

Congrats and Good Luck Harrison! We'll miss you.

Very athletic for a big man. With Groot, Oliver, and Settle, it will be a very athletic line. Watching his highlights (and I know they are just highlights from a small sample size), the way he took down QBs and ball carriers (with his length) reminded me of how Groot plays. Also in his highlights, he seems to get good push---playing on the offense's side of the line of scrimmage.