Dr. K

I make many mistakes. Some of them: I though Rob Johnson had what it took to be great. Later I thought J.P. Losman, though not great, could be a consistent starter. I hated to see CJ Spiller go. Later I hated to see Sammy Watkins go. In the beginning I thought all McDermott's and Beane's talk about "Trust the Process" amounted to nothing more than "We're always right, don't ever question us." It sounded like hot air to me, just another way to deflect criticism from two guys who stripped the team of talent and were out of their depth.

Any player who does not get vaccinated is doing a disservice to the entire team. At the very least it will prevent the team preparation from functioning as smoothly as it could, and at worst, if they come down with COVID, unnecessarily deprive the team of their services as much as if they had gotten injured. In a private message with me, another fan pointed out, "If the player gets covid they could have long-term pulmonary or cardiac effects making them less valuable to the team even after they return." People have the right to make their own choices. A star like Josh Allen could get away with it—they're not going to cut him over his refusing vaccination—but in my opinion it would be a mark against him as a teammate. And for what?

From the highlights I'm impressed that he has not just straight line speed (which is impressive) but also some vision and moves. The vision in particular is a good indicator.

Early in their tenure, I suggested McDermott and Beane were destroying the team by getting rid of players like Watkins, etc.

Please document all these fumbles and drops "at critical moments in critical games" Singletary has made. The biggest running back fumble I remember last year was Moss fumbling coming out of the end zone against SF.

The Bills didn't dump him. Beane's remarks suggest he wanted more money that they were willing to pay, or just plain wanted to play somewhere else. I think this is a case of Bojorquez taking advantage of his situation and cashing in through free agency. I think Bojorquez is going to regret his decision when the Bills win the Super Bowl.

Our perceptions differ.

I have never seen as many blind drunk clowns at a sports contest as I have seen at a Buffalo game. So drunk they couldn't even follow the play on the field.

Exactly. I was very disappointed in his lack of understanding on this point.

I like the acquisition but he did not look good for Miami last season, granting that he did not get many carries. We'll see if he can be rejuvenated in Buffalo.

It must be hard for you to get up in the morning. Or maybe just hard for those around you.

And in a league where so many games are decided by less than a TD, playing well or poorly in 10-20% of the game can make a big difference in the outcomes.

This is supposed to be an incentive?

Your point is reasonable if you assume that the Bills are done and will make no more changes. But it's a certainty there will be more roster turnover before the season starts with trades, cuts, the draft, pickups of players cut by other teams, etc. Yes, the cap situation makes it harder to make a splash move, but Beane has not been one to sit on his hands and say "Everything's okay as it is." He seems tough minded and creative in roster management. I understand your point, but it's too early to throw up our hands and say the Bills roster will be no better than it was last season. I also expect some of the players who are already on the team, like Epanesa and Oliver, to improve with experience.

Don't waste resources on a running back when the O-line needs to get better.

Bills dodged a bullet.

I've always had the feeling he was an egomaniac, and something of a thug. Yes, a great player in some ways, an exceptional talent, but I'm not surprised to hear them say he was not a good team player, or liked by the other players.

I hear Thurman Thomas is available.

This anti-Singletary thing is getting out of hand.

I don't care. I'm already tired of him.

These are all reasonable arguments for taking a chance on Watt. I don't know what the reasonable alternatives in free agency or trades are if you need an immediate upgrade. I do hope that Epenesa and Oliver will improve their pass rushing abilities. But I also expect Jerry Hughes, whom I like, to hit the wall any day now. I generally trust Beane to judge what the cost-benefit breakdown is in bringing in D-linemen, though the bets he made on Addison and the others he brought in last season did not really pay off. I think the return of Lotulelei and the improvement of Harrison at tackle might help the run defense, and maybe free up others to rush the passer. If Beane thinks Watt is worth the money and the consequential inability to sign other free agents, then I'll hope he's right.

Of course I don't expect them to sit on their hands. That's a straw man argument. Any personnel decision is going to involve risk. I just don't think they will get the bang for the buck you expect from signing Watt. We'll see what happens. This comparison to Diggs is another straw man argument. Diggs was 26 years old, and was not signed in the midst of a cap squeeze. You're comparing apples and oranges. I've said my piece here, and there's no point in arguing it further. We'll just have to disagree, as good fans of the same team often do.

In two years Watt is not going to be playing at a level that warrants the salary he is going to command now. This is a short term move, and pays off if he stays healthy and performs at the "elite" level you expect from him for a full season. I don't think that's hard to understand. Signing him is making a bet that he will, as you say, put them over the top. If he doesn't do that, it's a waste and distraction, and spends money that could be spent on, say, Milano, or some other younger player.

You're right, I am worried about age and injury. He's played three seasons' worth of games in the last five seasons--basically he missed two of the last five seasons because of injury. How many 32 year old linemen maintain their excellence after that age. A lot of them fall off a cliff. And this is a short-term move, the kind of thing a team does when it thinks it just needs one or two moves to put itself over the line to get a championship. I can see how some fans might see the Bills as in that position, but I would rather see them build more for the long haul, get younger rather than older. If the Bills take the chance on him, I hope he stays well and can still perform. I'll be rooting for them regardless.

I can't argue with you, you're right. Still I don't think the evidence is as overwhelming as so many here seem to believe that he is still worth the $10-12 million per year they say he will cost whoever signs him. But of course I could be wrong. If the Bills sign him, I will seriously hope I am wrong. We'll see. It must be nice to be as smart as you are.