folz

And E.J. Gaines. Sammy and a 3rd for Benjamin, Gaines, and a 2nd. If you're going to look at it that way. Pretty solid value. Yes Gaines is a UFA. But we got a solid year's work out of him already and probably have an inside track to signing him long term. I don't think he'll break the bank.

Benjamin injured his knee in week 2 playing for Carolina and he was never really the same the rest of the season, as witnessed by the fact that he needs to have surgery on the knee. Couple that with the fact that he got traded midseason to a team that was 31st in passing offense. And then immediately reinjured the knee, had a QB change, a crazy snow game, a new playbook, etc. So, I don't think we should judge him on just the 6 games he played for Buffalo this year. He missed all of the 2015 season with an injury, but his stats for the other two seasons (in Carolina) are pretty good for a rookie and then a third year player coming off of injury: 2014 (rookie year) 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and 9 TDs. 13.8 yards per reception. 2016 63 receptions for 941 yards and 7 TDs. 14.9 yards per reception. I agree with others that he can be a true number one with a good speed WR on the other side. He's moving into the prime of his career, where you have enough experience now, but your body is still young (he's 26). So, get a solid #2, fast outside receiver in draft or free agency PU a WR who can return kicks, but can help you out on the field a bit if need be as well And then you have Zay, who may be a better fit in the slot (I do think he will come around) and then fill out the roster with 2 or 3 of Matthews (if they bring him back), Thompson, Streater, Riley, FA, rookie That could be a pretty solid WR corp.

Good topic to start the offseason OP, but you do have to at least think about who is under contract, who's a FA, etc. The following list isn't exhaustive because there are a lot of role players, depth players, and young guys that I just don't know enough about, and I'm not looking much at salary cap/money, but at least it takes into account FAs, etc. and may be a better jumping off point for discussion: Unrestricted Free Agents Kyle Williams DT If he wants back in, I'm all for it, would probably take a team friendly deal Jordan Matthews WR If he doesn't cost too much, I say bring him back (2nd best WR on the team currently) Shareece Wright CB Let go Brandon Tate WR Let go Mike Tolbert RB Let go Ramon Humber LB Could be back if contract is reasonable as depth, but won't overpay as LB will be addressed in offseason Joe Webb QB Let go Leonard Johnson CB Bring him back Cedric Thornton DT Let go Taiwan Jones RB Let go Shamarko Thomas S Let go Travaris Cadet RB Let go Deonte Thompson WR Let go Preston Brown LB Let go E.J. Gaines CB Sign him Seantrell Henderson OT Let go Restricted Free Agents Logan Thomas TE Tender Jeremy Butler WR No Tender Nick O'Leary TE Tender 2nd Year Players (Won't give up on 2017 draftees yet) Tre White CB Keep Zay Jones WR Keep Dion Dawkins OT Keep Matt Milano LB Keep Nathan Peterman QB Keep Tanner Vallejo LB Keep Also Under Contract---(ps) denotes player currently on the practice squad ???? don't know enough about the player...could stay or go depending on how the coaches feel about them, most will probably be here through spring at least Alexander, Lorenzo LB Keep Anderson, Colt S Let Go (too many injuries) Benjamin, Kelvin WR Keep Borders, Breon CB ???? Bray, Quan WR (ps) ???? Capi, Cap DE Keep Carter, Cory P (ps) Let go Clay, Charles TE Keep Croom, Jason TE (ps) ???? Davis, Ryan DE Keep DiMarco, Patrick FB Keep Ducasse, Vladimir OG Could keep (as backup only-upgrade needed) Dupre, Malachi WR ???? Ferguson, Reid LS Keep Glenn, Cordy OT Let Go (if it helps cap and/or coaches are sold on Dion at LT rather than RT) Green, Aaron RB (ps) ???? Groy, Ryan C/OG Keep Hatley, Rickey DT ???? Hauschka, Stephen K Keep Holmes, Andre WR Let Go Hughes, Jerry DE Keep Hyde, Micah S Keep Incognito, Richie OG Keep James, Josh OT (ps) ???? Lacey, Deon LB ???? Lawson, Shaq DE Keep Lee, Khari TE ???? Lewis, Marquavius DE (ps) ???? Marlowe, Dean S (ps) ???? McCoy, LeSean RB Keep McDermott, Conor OT Keep Miller, John OG Let Go (Is he really worse than Ducasse?) Mills, Jordan OT Keep (swing tackle...hopefully RT is upgraded) Murphy, Marcus RB Keep (at least through the spring to see what he's got) Pitts, Lafayette CB Let Go Poyer, Jordan S Keep Redmond, Adam C (ps) ???? Reilly, Brandon WR Keep Schmidt, Colton P Keep Taylor, Tyrod QB Let Go Towbridge, Keith TE ???? Washington, Adolphus DT Keep Wesley, De'Ondre OT (ps) ???? Wood, Eric C Keep Woodson-Luster, Xavier LB (ps) ???? Yarbrough, Eddie DE Keep

Congratulations Micah! And thanks for choosing and embracing Buffalo! (I really wanted him to come to Buffalo...was so happy the Bills made it happen.)

Stats can only give you probabilities...and where it concerns humans, many unprobable things happen. Kyle said it best: http://www.buffalobills.com/video/videos/Watch-Kyle-Williams-Victory-Speech/54f63b8e-9918-4de2-abb6-acfd5c6213c1

I'm in for Tyler too! And hit up the Marvin Lewis scholarship fund for good measure. $34,184 and counting now for Tyler's WPYAA! So proud to be a Bills fan! Love you All!

This is what people outside of our fanbase don't truly understand about being a Bills fan, it's not just football to us. We love our football, no doubt, but It's not just a game or entertainment for us. Our lives and hearts are invested in this team. It's about family! It's our connection to home and the past! It's about perseverance and determination in the face of adversity! It's about hardwork and belief! It's about toughness! It's about still believing in honor, integrity, compassion, and generosity! It's about always supporting your own no matter what! And appreciating what you have, because we know it doesn't come easy. Moments like this (all of the excitement with the ending of the drought and now the donations to Andy's charity) and the snow game, or the crowd chanting and cheering for Scott Norwood after the Super Bowl XXV loss and then watching our guys pick themselves up over and over and over again to go to four straight Super Bowls are extremely rare. There is a bond developed in shared sorrow and in persevering through it together. So, our special moments may be fewer and farther between than many teams, but when they come, the experience and elation of them is far greater. Feelings that I'm not even sure can be matched by a Super Bowl victory because life isn't just about winning, it's about sharing the experience of life itself (the good and the bad) together. We do not just watch our team, we are One with the team, in the locker room, in the community, and on the field, through all of the ups and downs. We are all the Bills! Just donated $114.00 with note in "Company" line saying: $17forDrought/$83forBoyd/$14forAndy

In ending the drought with a 22-16 win that mirrored the 22-16 loss in Nashville in 1999, the dreaded Johnson/Flutie Homerun Throwback (forward pass) game---our last postseason appearance----the Bills removed the so-called Flutie Curse. Now we face a coach that quit on us, leading a team that beat us in our last home playoff game back in 1996. That second-year Jaguars team knocked Kelly out of the game with a concussion, to end his career, and put the last nail in the coffin of the Super Bowl era teams, with a 30-27 victory. Time to finish cleaning the slate. #FreshStart #NewEra

Congrats Tyrod! Best case scenario is you keep Taylor, draft the best QB you can in the draft, and let the two of them and Peterman know that its best man plays. If anyone can manage that scenario as far as the locker room goes, its' McDermott. I mean, what if you draft a QB and he busts or just takes a while to catch on to the pro game and Peterman proves to not be an answer, then what? Tyrod is a pretty good insurance policy.

Kyle, Deonte, TEs (Clay & O'Leary), Tyrod, Safeties (Poyer & Hyde), Gaines. Shout out to Zay, who made a couple of big plays and showed toughness hanging onto the ball as his head was getting knocked off.

Congrats Kyle and Buffalo!!!!! I've said it before, don't wait for retirement, put him on the Wall of Fame now! Heart and soul of the team! And a damn good player who has been Buffalo all the way!

The monkey is off our backs!!!!! The drought is OVER!!!! Rejoice Bills fans! The future looks bright!

YEEEEEESSSSSSSSS! Feels so good! Thanks Andy Dalton and the Bengals...that is probably only the second time in my adult life that I jumped off the couch cheering for a team other than the Bills (the other was the Giants Super Bowl win against the Pats to stop the undefeated season).

I really can't believe how many people are annoyed with a fun and exciting win. I understand wanting to go for it on that 4th down. I wanted them to go for it too. But how can you seriously second guess with such vitriol a strategy that worked? I admit that the coach/team have been very conservative at times this year, but sometimes there is a reason for that---QB play, injuries, weather, etc. A coach is going to be a lot more conservative, for example, with Tyrod at QB than say a Brady, Rodgers, etc. Let alone Joe Webb in a foot of snow. Not to mention that he is a first year head coach. Of course he's going to make some mistakes along the way. And it isn't easy putting and holding a team together with the amount of turnover that has occurred. I mean, some people were predicting a 4-6 win season and we sit at 7-6 with three games to play and still in the playoff hunt. I find it amazing that the torches and pitchforks are out, especially after a win. Question the decision all you want, that's fair, it's a message board. But to be calling for his head and comparing him to Jauron after a win seems very strange to me.

IF the Bills won out (against Miami, NE, and Miami) AND the Pats lose out (to Pitt, Buf, NYJ) Each team would be 10-6 Tie break scenarios for division lead would be: 1. Head to head: this would be a push at one game a piece 2. Best won/loss percentage in the division: with the above scenario, the Pats would be 3-3 in the division (50%) and the Bills would be 4-2 in the division (66.66%) Bills would win the AFC East.

Maybe that 39th ranking mentioned was referring to yards/game rather than total yards. According to the stat list that clayboy54 posted, Taylor is 41st in yards per game. Granted 18 of the QBs ahead of him do not have as many attempts, but I guess that can cut both ways. I have been a Tyrod supporter. I think he's a good person, he works his butt off, he's a good leader, he wants to win for Buffalo... but at this point I too am ready to move on. I'd like to see Peterman start the rest of the way. I think I'd rather see more turnovers if it means actually having a passing game. I mean in 8 of 12 games Taylor has failed to eclipse 200 yards passing and twice had less than 100 yards passing (granted he got injured in New England, but even if he stayed in, he wasn't going to have much more than 100 yards). You don't need your QB to throw for 300/game...but asking for at least 200 yards to keep the offense balanced, shouldn't be asking too much.

Ok, yes...maybe the defenseless player rule #9 applies here. 9. A player who receives a “blindside” block when the path of the offensive blocker is toward or parallel to his own end line. JuJu was at least running parallel to his own endline (if not toward it). But like so many things in the NFL, "blindside" is left up to interpretation. If you watch the video in the link that MAJBobby supplied, see the hits at 1:30, 1:48, 2:06, 2:25, and 2:30. Blindside still seems a bit murky to me. The hits at 1:30 and 2:30 are noted as legal hits by the NFL and those look like they came as much or more from the blindside as JuJu's hit. https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/nfl-video-rulebook/defenseless-player/ Maybe I'm just an old guy who was used to those hits being legal for most of my football watching days that I don't think of them as illegal. Or maybe it is just the NFL, who has a hard time making their rules clear for all situations.

Sorry, but I still think you guys are wrong...what am I missing? Here is the wording from the actual article that you posted MAJBobby (and apparently the wording in the NFL rule book): "If a player who is aligned in the tackle box when the ball is snapped moves to a position outside the box, he cannot initiate contact on the side and below the waist against an opponent if: (a) the blocker is moving toward his own end line; and (b) he approached the opponent from behind or from the side." The rule contains the following note: "If the near shoulder of the blocker contacts the front of his opponent's body, the ‘peel back' block is legal." JuJu was not aligned in the tackle box, was not moving toward his own end line, and he hit him from the front, not from the side or below the waist. So, the rule you quoted can not be the rule applied for this play. If there is another rule that speaks to this play, I'd be glad to see it. And again, why was Jarvis landry's hit on A. Williams last year legal?

The taunting was stupid and deserves a flag and a fine, but I still cannot figure out how that hit is illegal. It was not helmet to helmet, he led with his shoulder. Tons of plays have incidental helmet to helmet contact, watch any running play that goes up the gut of the D. But 19 did not lead or spear with his head. It is not an illegal peel back or crack back as he did not hit him from the side or back or below the waist. For those calling it illegal, please point out the rule that states such. Totally legal play in my mind...and comparing it to the Gronk hit is ridiculous. The Gronk hit wasn't a legal hit and it wasn't during a play. It's closer to the Landry hit on A. Williams last year, but JuJu didn't launch off his feet like Landry did and Landry's angle was more from the side (and if I remember Landry didn't even get a penalty for his hit). Why did that hit not get any national attention, but this is a dirty, cheap shot as bad as what Gronk did? There is such a double-standard in the NFL. A little karma for Burfict....really hope I don't hear him complain about that hit, with the s%#! he's pulled in this league.

Pats fans are so blind to the smell of their own s#%$. They are so delusional that they really believe (as Gronk did yesterday) that they get screwed by the refs constantly, rather than seeing the reality that they have had the refs on their side for the majority of the last 20 years (against most teams). I mean, what other team gets a free first down in the redzone? I have never seen that one before. The refs actually get very creative in helping that team to have every possible advantage and the sad part is, most of the time they don't even need the help (bastards). And Gronk, Brady, Kraft, et al. act like they get screwed all of the time. Oh the poor, poor Pats...the NFL has it in for them and them only. Please. And it is really hard to believe Gronk's apology when after the play he was laughing about it on the sidelines with a teammate. You're telling me that like 10 minutes later, after yucking it up about cowardly concussing a defenseless player, he was the picture of remorsefulness and just racked with guilt. BS He was one of the only players I kind of liked on the Pats, but he showed his true colors yesterday. POS PAT

Please, please, please go back and read Tre's actual quote. Myself and a few other posters have been trying to point this out for a few days. But it seems all most posters/people do is just read a false headline and immediately assign blame. The media constantly takes things out of context to get you to click...stop reading headlines only and assuming you know what has happened or been said. Tre did not say anything disrespectful or that could be used as bulletin board material. Please note in that headline that the only words quoted were "I don't care" It was the reporter who added the part about Tom Brady's accomplishments. Tre was just answering a question he was asked about the Pats dominance over the Bills and he was saying "I don't care" how many games the Bills have lost to the Pats in the past, most of us guys in the locker room were not here for those games, so we aren't dwelling on them with an inferiority complex. He absolutely said NOTHING about Brady or Brady's accomplishments or the Pats' accomplishments for that matter. I wish people would actually read and look into things a bit. But this damn social media era has everyone read a single headline and then react like crazy people without any facts about what they are talking about.

From what I can find in a quick Google search, each state has their own laws on what a deadly weapon is and will usually list such weapons (firearms, knives, brass knuckles, etc.). However, people have been charged with assault with a deadly weapon from things like shopping carts and a frozen fish. Every state is different, but it appears (as has happened in a number of cases), if the alleged weapon is not on the state's list, it is up to the jury to decide if it was indeed wielded as a deadly weapon. So, in one case an elbow brace might be ruled out as a deadly weapon, but in another case, a jury may decide that it was indeed used as a lethal weapon and can convict as such. Any lawyers on this board who can clarify?

I don't think Gronk should be charged criminally (big suspension and fine yes), but in the court of law, anything can be considered a deadly weapon if used as such. A car, a knife, a bat, a lead pipe, a statue, a chair, etc. can all be considered deadly weapons if they are wielded as such. Gronk did use the brace as a weapon.

Yes, that Burfict hit on Antonio Brown in that game was horrible and cheap and dangerous. But at least it was still in the middle of a play, on the field, where he was trying to make a play for his team. Gronk's hit yesterday was well after the whistle, to a defenseless player lying out of bounds. And as others pointed out, he thought about it, shuffled his feet to get the most impact possible and slammed a metal instrument to the back of Tre's head. It was premeditated, not within the confines of the game (whistle had blown), and cowardly (never shoot a man in the back). Sorry Gronk's hit was worse than even that Burfict hit and I thought Burfict should have been suspended for the season for that one...