The Cincinnati Kid

Ballad of the Offseason Blues I. When April’s end had come and gone, The Draft now in the rear, The fan sat restless on his couch, His Sundays strangely clear. The picks were made, the grades were in, And now began the drought— No passes thrown, no chains were moved, Just talk and swirling doubt. II. He clung to tweets from beat reporters, On third-string guards with “pop,” And watched a clip ten thousand times— A UDFA’s one-hop. “He’s got the tools, he runs real fast, He might just make the team!” He whispered like a midnight priest Still chasing last year’s dream. III. He followed every rumor trail Of veterans unsigned, Debating cap and scheme fits while He slowly lost his mind. The news was thin, the takes were hot, The quotes recycled twice— “A culture guy,” “great motor,” and “His instincts are precise.” IV. He found himself at 2 a.m. Watching a Spring League stream, Where quarterbacks wore single digits And rosters changed mid-scheme. A fix, he said, a fleeting hit, A stand-in for the rush, Though half the plays were broken screens And punts went off the bush. V. Then one night drunk with YouTube tabs, He wandered far afield, To hurling’s ancient warrior sport, Where sticks are never healed. He learned of scrums and Irish flair, Of sliotars whizzing fast, And watched a rugby match or two— He even made it last. VI. But still he dreamed in spiral throws, In drives that chewed the clock, In goal-line stands and frozen turf And hits that made men rock. The calendar moved inch by inch, Each day a stubborn stone, Until that whisper, “Camp begins,” Reached deep into the bone. VII. And now he counts each minor sprain And watches drills on loop, As helmet cams and hype combine To reel him from the stoop. He knows this lull, this aching wait, Will end and bring delight— But still he bears the Offseason Blues, From draft ’til camp ignites. *Courtesy of ChatGPT*

“I’ll tell you why: you won’t always have a calculator in your pocket when you need to do division, or any math!” “Lady, have you seen my math scores? I’m not growing up doing something that requires math.”

A lovely thruple 🥰

Are we really glossing over the fact that Josh Allen, QB and League MVP, is not at voluntary OTAs? C’mon OBD, I thought we were better than this! 😈

I know nothing about the event, but assuming it’s on a golf course, I’m betting there are upwards of 500 or more people there. Josh is the type of guy who probably chills with his high school buddies and then you think about all the people along the way who have helped Josh and Hailee. I mean this thing on the fairway of 600 yard par 5. There are a lot of people. Or it’s at the courthouse. Could go either way.

These guys play football. They don’t have time to write their name and initials 25 or more times in one sitting. C’mon. Give these youngsters a break!

Was there a succession plan?

I don’t think the Bills are a team that would be negatively impacted by this kind of thing. They have extra interviews and media hits all the time. No big deal. Another day in the NFL.

Yes. I cannot stand Nantz. To me, it feels like and sounds like he is talking down to his audience and his “excitement” is fake and performative. He is great for the Master’s which fits his snooty style. He was terrible for the Final Four, the only two college basketball games he called all season. Give me Kevin Harlan all day long. Gus Johnson is an absolute gem. I’ll be very happy when Nantz retires.

Go and win the damn game! Git er done! DISCLAIMER: I only ready the thread title, so I hope this is the correct response.

Torn achilles is a bummer. That’s a tough one professionally but also personally. Dunno about him but having little kids and a torn Achilles is probably tough.

Wonder if we can coax him out of retirement for a run at the super bowl as Josh’s backup. For real, though, what’s so bad about that idea? Wait, I will do the eyeroll emoji myself.

Why do we want him? Potential? He isn’t getting playing time in Buffalo. By the time Josh retires this guy will be in his 30s. I just don’t see the point… Thread has Drought Vibes, sorry OP. It just does.

A shootout between Hamilton and Burr?

The Jokeman lives up to the Screen-name!

Guys, lets not forget about Darryington Evans. We have cut him 3 years in a row, but he keeps re-signing, soo….

So, you’re saying there’s a chance?

Dalvin played 6 good seasons. James going into year 3…”get yourself paid now James. NFL stands for Not For Long.”

I bet he is talking to Dalvin and that those conversations are driving James’s words and actions.

Well, maybe. I think it depends on the goals of the draft. I think the goal, based on the Elam pick, was to get a stud corner for years to come. And we did in Benford. So if Benford was the pick in Round 1 and Elam was the 6th who flamed out, do we care? Of course not. The goal was the get a stud corner and they did. I get missing isn’t great. But reality is that many more draft picks fail than succeed, especially to the level that Benford has, regardless of draft position. We have seen Number 1 Overall picks be absolutely terrible and Mr. irrelevant and UDFAs get paid and/or go to the HOF. To each their own, but for me, I don’t really worry about the Elam pick or Beane and company’s ability to evaluate and draft players.

I have hard time with the Elam pick’s impact because of Benford. Benford started against the Rams in the opener that season. He is all-pro caliber. So did Beane miss on Elam, yeah. He still got a stud corner from that draft. I don’t know. I don’t get caught up in the miss because of the home run later in the draft.

⬆️ Underrated pair of comments!@nosejob @ColoradoBills

I think this.

Dude, this is a football message board. You’re gonna have to define “serendipitous” or use words with fewer letters and sounds. GTFOH 😂