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Absolutely. I cooked up this theory about the 4-3 and Bernard because my impression of McDermott is that he doesn't stand pat. He's always moving on to something to make his team better. I think this team will look different every year. It's what I said about Basham. Last season it looked like they working on, and having success at, a role that fits Basham's strengths. You know they've trying to figure out how to take full advantage of McKenzie. Point is, McDermott's not putting pegs in holes; he's shaping the holes for the pegs he has. And he's reacting as the league changes from year to year. So, I come at it from point of view that the team's changing, and the skill sets of the acquired players tells something about how the team is changing. Miller will change things, and that will affect Oliver. Basham and Rousseau are working their ways into the league, and McDermott's adjusting for them. McDermott's defense is shaped in part by Edmunds. So, when I ask the question, what about Bernard?, I get 4-3. May be wholly off the wall, but McDermott is going to use him for something.

Nice argument, but you're wrong. Until there are some fundamental changes in how the NFL operates, there are some things that remain the same. One of those is that the way the salary cap and free agency and the cap are currently operated, it's impossible for any team to keep it's good starters year after year after year. They're always coming and going. Levy left. The Bills probably can't keep Edmunds, Knox, Oliver, and Poyer. It just isn't possible. The result is that the GM always has to be looking for starter-caliber players. The lower you go in the draft, the less likely you are to find a starter-caliber player. The cut-off seems to be the third round. The measure of success for a third-round pick is "does he become a starter for us?" If the answer is yes, you drafted well. If the answer is no, you didn't. Harrison Philips, for example. Spencer Brown, for another. Why is that the case? Because you can't continually replenish your starters only in the first two rounds. There are 22 starters, and if they start for you, on average, for six years, that means you need three new starters every year, and you can't get three starters out of two rounds of the draft. That's the reality in which Beane is operating, and although offense and defense evolves, that has been the reality since modern free agency began, and it shows no signs of changing. If you want to believe they drafted Bernard to be a role player, you're free to do so. I seriously doubt it. I think Beane drafted him to start, and it's McDermott's job to figure out how to start him, and how to start him sooner rather than later. Just like it was McDermott's job to do it with Harrison Philips and Spencer Brown.

I've been saying something related to this for some time now. I think people who scream "NO WAY!" aren't thinking about what Beane and McDermott and what the reality of the NFL is. I'm not sure what Johnson's future is, although I've speculated in the past not that it's at corner but at safety. I think there's a good chance Poyer will be gone soon and the Bills will need a safety. Johnson could be a candidate. When I say the reality of the NFL, what I mean is that the league is always changing, and what worked last season and two seasons ago may not work in 2022 and almost certainly no longer will work in 2023 and 2024. So, everyone saying the Bills are a nickel team are describing the past and not necessarily the future. It changes from year to year. The other tea leaf that people seem to ignore is that Beane doesn't draft players in the third round to be part-time players, spot substitutes, special teamers, or backups. If Beane takes you in the third round, he and McDermott are expecting you to start, certainly by your second season and ideally in your first. In their minds, Bernard is going to be on the field on a regular basis, again ideally, by the end of this season. Yes, maybe he is a replacement for Milano, and maybe Beane is intending to trade Milano to make room for Bernard, but I doubt that. What I've speculated about is that we all know that McDermott loved his 4-3 in Carolina. We also know that he played it with linebackers who looked more like the traditional 20th century NFL linebackers, albeit better pass defenders. We also know that McDermott loves guys who can play multiple positions, or who at least play with skills that make him look like multiple-position player. So, for example, Edmunds is linebacker who runs like a safety. Put all of that together, and I conclude that they drafted Bernard to be on the field. He's too small to be an edge, and he's probably too slow to be a DB. That tells me they drafted him to play linebacker in a regular rotation and as I said, I doubt they drafted him to replace Milano. That makes me think that McDermott is looking at playing more straight 4-3 and less 4-2-5. I think he's thinking that if he has two outside linebackers in the Milano-mold - quick fast and smart, he will have a more versatile defense than playing with just two linebackers. Yes, Bernard can't cover the slot man as well as a good nickel can, but with three really fast linebackers the defense probably needs to commit a safety to the box less often, and that safety is free to cover the nickel. And Bernard can blitz better than a good slot corner. And there is one more aspect of this. The reports were that Bernard is one of those coach-on-the-field types. Not to overstate it, but he's one of those genius types, who studies and understands the game at the level the coaches do, rather than the players. He said something right after he was drafted about first learning his position, then learning all the other defensive positions, because he can't play football well without knowing what everyone is doing. McDermott apparently has a close relationship with the Baylor coach and had been McDermott's ear about Bernard. That, too, tells me that McDermott has plans for Bernard that go beyond what most of us are assuming about the guy. So, my guess is that your take on this comes from the right place - there's a role for Bernard that will tend to deemphasize the importance of Johnson as the nickel back. I agree with others that Johnson probably isn't a corner, but I think the Bills think that Johnson is the kind of guy they want on the field. My guess is that he's a safety, and that gives Beane more flexibility to deal with Poyer. But the Bills can't make that move until they get Bernard at least into camp and ideally through some games to be sure that he can allow Frazier and McDermott to play an ultra-small, ultra-quick three linebacker set instead of a 4-2. In the meantime, Beane still can draw the line on Poyer if McDermott is telling him that whatever happens with Bernard, McDermott can live with Johnson or Hamlin at safety. I've said before that I'm expecting that Poyer is not getting a big deal from the Bills, and he may not be getting a deal at all.

Bills getting lots of love, Cooks rated very well too. 84 for Edmunds is very respectable

Stop with the clandestine 'Dump Edmunds!' threads.

This article -- which ESPN does every year, and which ranks NFL team's prospects for success over the next three years -- is behind a paywall, but you're able to read far enough into it to see that the Bills are ranked number one. I'll copy and paste as much as it will allow me to. Just thought this was interesting, particularly because there are a few people here who swear that Brandon Beane is mediocre and just "lucked out" with Josh Allen. https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/insider/story/_/id/34262543/nfl-future-power-rankings-2022-projections-all-32-teams-next-three-seasons Projecting ahead and building for future success -- beyond just the current season -- is crucial in the NFL. That's what the best teams all do to stay at the top of the standings. So which teams are best set up to pile up wins and show steady improvement over the next few years? To project which NFL franchises are in the best shape for the next three seasons (2022 through 2024), we asked our panel of experts -- Jeremy Fowler, Louis Riddick, Seth Walder and Field Yates -- to rate each team's quarterback situation, remaining (non-QB) roster, drafting ability, front office and coaching using this scale: 100: A+ (Elite) 90: A (Great) 80: B (Very good) 70: C (Average) 60: D (Very bad) 50 and below: F (Disastrous) After averaging the results from the panelists, each of the five categories was weighted to create the overall score: roster (30%), quarterback (20%), draft (15%), front office (15%) and coaching (20%). The result is a comprehensive ranking based on how well each team is positioned for the future. Our experts dove in on additional analysis for all 32 teams, hitting on biggest worries, stats to know and what could change in upcoming years, along with why each team landed where it did on the ranking. 1. Buffalo Bills Overall score: 90.4 Category NFL Rank Overall roster (minus QB) 91.0 1 Quarterback 95.0 2 Coaching 87.8 7 Draft 83.0 6 Front office 94.0 1 Why they're here: Brandon Beane has executed a masterclass in roster building since becoming the Bills' general manager in 2017. The foundation of this roster has been built via the draft, but we've also seen calculated swings in both free agency and trades -- most prominently to land receiver Stefon Diggs. The roster is loaded, head coach Sean McDermott is outstanding, and the Bills are poised for a major step forward this year. -- Yates Biggest worry: The concern last year was about the pass rush, and whether rookies Greg Rousseau and Boogie Basham could step up and provide a timely boost when the team needed it the most. Although the Bills finished 11th in total sacks and sixth in pass rush win rate, Buffalo's defense was unable to get off the field when it needed to late in the playoff game loss to the Chiefs. What does it all mean? For Buffalo to get over the hump, it needs its defense -- both the front and the coverage -- to deliver when it matters the most. And it remains to be seen if it can. -- Riddick What could change for the better: Buffalo must elevate the offense with a revamped running game. Quarterback Josh Allen is a great runner but has taken plenty of hits after 422 rushes over four years. Drafting James Cook and signing Duke Johnson should aid the quick passing game by creating favorable matchups out of the backfield. Veterans Devin Singletary and Zack Moss provide stability, too. Then on defense, the Bills have tough contractual decisions to make on 2023 free agents Tremaine Edmunds and Jordan Poyer. -- Fowler

If you like the Bills and you like Madden and you like the Bills in Madden what do you think we are going to talk about now?!! ?...who told you? OK, cutting to the chase here, EA has started to release the individual player ratings on Madden starting with WRs/TEs and followed yesterday with Edge Rushers/LBs and RBs today, with CBs and Dline on Thursday. Here's the link: https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/player-ratings/player-filter/player-position/LE,LOLB,MLB,RE,ROLB#ratings-database This will not be an exhaustive list of Bills, just the primary impact players/starters with maybe some commentary. Please feel free to add your own thoughts and research. I will try to add each position daily culminating with the QB and team ratings this Friday. However, please know that my schedule may change as I am an incredibly important and busy person as Chief Operating President Officer at Important Tech, INC. LLC, a multi-national Erie County branch of Big Deal, LTD. (key: bold number is the player's overall rating, and the ranking number in parenthesis is their rank at that position) (7/18) Wide Receivers / Tight Ends: Stephon Diggs 95 Overall (5th WR, 7th of WRs/TEs) Dawson Knox 83 (11th) Gabriel Davis 80 (57th tied) Jamison Crowder 80 (57th tied) iMcK 76 (91st) OJ Howard 75 (41st) I believe Diggs may have dropped just a bit from last year(96 maybe?), but I am fine with that. I thought Knox might have been a little higher than 11th, but I am also comfortable with that and his 83 is respectable. Should he be an 85? Yes, but again not quibbling here. Given that it is not an extensive body of work Davis at 80 is good, too and I am pleased to see Crowder at 80, as well. I am having difficulty as a Bills fan wrapping my head around having an offense that may have 3 WRs 80 and above, with a TE 80 and above hitting the field at once with a QB that should really be at least a 95 (we'll see). Crazy. (7/19) Edge Rushers: Von Miller 92 (8th) Edmunds 84 (44th) Milano 83 (61st) Rousseau 76 (103rd) As with Diggs I think Miller dropped as well from 94. And as with Diggs, too, I am fine with it. Are our LBs a tick higher than what they were given? Probably. After that, nobody until Rousseau. (7/20) Running Backs: Singletary 81 (35th) Cook 75 (65th) (Further) Duke Johnson 73 (75th) Moss 72 (88th) Again, maybe I am getting soft as I turn the corner into my teen, acne and urges years, but I am perfectly fine with DS at 81. Cook at 75 is so easily to be expected as a rookie and what round he was picked in. As with my comment up with the receivers and tight end the Bills could take the field on offense in Madden with every single skill position (5 or 6) at 80 or above, with two of those (Diggs and Allen) for sure in the 90s. Good times compared to how bad this team has been in Madden in previous years. (7/21) Cornerbacks and Dline: Tre White 93 (9th Overall, 3rd CB) Von Miller 92 (16th, 5th RE) Micah Hyde 91 (29th, 6th S, 3rd FS) Jordan Poyer 90 (37th, 10th S, 6th SS) Taron Johnson 82 (93rd) Ed Oliver 81 (100th) DaQuon Jones 75 (203rd) Jordan Phillips 73 (228th) Kaiir Elam 73 (255) Tim Settle 73 (264th) AJ 72 (267) I know, I know, weird grouping for release of ratings mixing Dline and DBs. Don't shoot the messenger, this is on EA. Tre White still getting the love, but it may be a step back from last year. I believe he may have been a 94 or 95. Still, 3rd overall amongst the CBs I will live with. Hyde and Poyer right where @Warcodered showed us they would be yesterday. Right or wrong that is where they are. TJ, getting a bit of surprising love, but I will most certainly take it. I may be in the minority, but I think Oliver should be a tic or two higher...82 might just be right for him. I am quibbling, but still. The thing is we see a steeeeeep drop off after that before we get to Jones at 203. The big debate or the one I have the biggest problem with is Elam at 73 (EDIT: Elam is the 111th rated CB overall...jeepers. will check the rookie at some point) . Yes he is a rookie, but he is a 1st round pick. I may check later to see where other first round DBs rank. I will recheck the list later, but boy. You guys be the judge if some of our other guys should appear earlier. I will say that with our LBs this puts us with 8 potential players on the field in the 80s or above on D...big day tomorrow with QBs and Teams. (7/22) Quarterbacks: Allen 92 (4th) 4th…OK. 92…not really ok, but it is to scale. Brady had a great season last year, but it is more than that in the ratings and I just don’t think he should be number 1 at 97. (7/22) Teams: Bills 89 (2nd) Bills under 90 I don’t like, but will take the number 2 spot in the league. However, Tampa at number 1! EDIT: However, Tampa at number 1?1?! Your moms could take Tampa Bay out at any given time. So...ummm...I guess we are done here... ... ... ...well...bye you guys.

You didn't know? Hap threads are the new Tremaine Edmunds. Maybe I should change the title to "Can we talk about Hapless Bills Fan?"

Died in the hole maybe? Edmunds is a died in the hole LBer when he over-commits 🤣

Wow...almost two pages of arguing about the definition of "retread". The season can't begin soon enough! I'd rather argue about Edmunds, lol. I'm psyched.

Well, if you believe the astute football minds around here, Edmunds, Poyer, Epenesa, Ford, Haak & lil Dirty are all 1st cuts.. 🤦‍♂️

He's the chiefs Tremaine Edmunds.

And Beane drafted Cody Ford, and Gabe Davis' legs are too thick, and Tremaine Edmunds doesn't make any plays, and if half of our starters get hurt we don't have enough depth...

As the seasons have gone by, I've come to disagree more and more with this point of view. I think you're right - OLB is an instinctual position. What I like about Milano is his instincts - he reads and reacts naturally in ways that we tend call instinctual. But instincts is at the core of what so many of us don't like about Edmunds. What we don't like is that he reads, processes, then reacts, and that's why he often seems to be late to the ball. The coaches have said at various times over the past few seasons that they've encouraged Edmunds to stop thinking about it and just react. He's never done that. That's one reason, for example, that he's not very effective in the blitz and Milano is. The fact is that by putting Edmunds in the middle, the Bills cover his inability to react instinctively. On the outside, he still would read, think, and react, and that would be deadly out there. In middle, he doesn't have to be the guy to make the play - he can be a guy who helps everyone else make the play. He can misread a play and still recover to help. Yes, he has the physical attributes to be a monster outside linebacker, but he's never shown the instinctiveness to play out there.

Still think he would be an absolute monster at OLB. You can’t force instincts At MLB. Some of the best MLBs I ever played with weren’t close to the best athletes. But they could just diagnose plays and beat guards to the ball carrier. At OLB, you don’t think as much and just react. I think Edmunds would be an all pro on the outside.

Edmunds is going to be paid a lot more than most people believe when he hits free agency. Doubt the Bills are going to be able to afford to keep him, but someone is going to pay a lot of money for his skills at deterring passes in the area he is due to wingspan and movement skills. While he may be everyone's favorite whipping boy here, I suspect his value around the NFL is quite high.

McBeane: “Edmunds is good” Bills players: “Edmunds is good” opposing coaches coaches and players: “Edmunds is good” Cover1 and Joe Marino: “Edmunds is good” Armchair haters: “here’s why you’re actually wrong…” Basically where we’re at now

Cover 1 had a lot of good stuff about nearest defender and why it’s flawed. I think they had an example of Milano missing a coverage resulting in edmunds being closest in coverage. I think the end of the TB game also fits into this category. Edmunds by being in the middle of the field is closest defender but it was someone else blown coverage. Overall the coverage stats outside of man coverage are pretty difficult to parse.

A couple of interesting things about this article. It cites the ESPN survey and says Edmunds is a top 10 linebacker. People will have their opinions about that. At the bottom it links to another article about the fact that ESPN did a similar survey on edge rushers. Miller's apparently in the top 10. So, top 10 edge rusher is worth a gazillion dollars, but a top 10 linebacker isn't worth big dollars? It's a little puzzling how little people appreciate Edmunds. Second, the article says he was ranked sixth worst in passing yards allowed among linebackers. But it also says something that I've been wondering about. The article says that ranking is based on the "nearest defender." That's different from someone evaluating his pass coverage skills. And it's consistent with what I've been saying the podcast says. The Bills play a lot of zone, and I think they ask Edmunds to cover a bigger zone than most linebackers. They do that because he has the size, length, speed, and quickness to cover a bigger area, and it makes it tougher to throw outside and deep, because the other defenders have smaller zones to cover. They also do it because, in general, giving up yards over the middle is less harmful than outside and deep. The Bills invite teams to throw into Edmunds zone, in part because they know that Edmunds and others may give up a completion but will stop the big play. So, it would make sense that Edmunds numbers as the nearest defender wouldn't be good. I'll say it before someone else does - that's all well and good until you play Mahomes, Hill, and Kelce with Andy Reid calling plays. I think Edmunds will be extended this summer.

https://billswire.usatoday.com/2022/07/09/espn-buffalo-bills-tremaine-edmunds-top-10/?itm_source=parsely-api ESPN: Bills' Tremaine Edmunds praised by players as top-10 LB

Still about 4 new Edmunds threads away.

I thought he’d make a good HC for a team in disarray that needs a good man to steer the ship. Unfortunately for Frazier, that’s tough to sell to the fanbase. It’s also tough to sell a defense that’s tops statistically, but never really flashed, and when given the chance to step up.. didn’t. In fact, did the opposite. They choked. That said.. This may be his best audition year ever. He has, on paper, an absolutely filthy defense on a team with plenty of publicity, prime time games and Super Bowl aspirations. We may not be the #1 Defense again - simply due to SOS, but this is a Defense that could bring the sizzle our previous defenses did not have. If Rousseau, Oliver and Edmunds make any kind of jump this year… I don’t see a better defense. Every single position has an above average to elite level talent, with rotational depth on top of it. The DL is young and/or under contract for a few years, White/Elam/Johnson/Jackson as well.. but who knows what the future holds for Poyer, Hyde, Edmunds and/or Milano.. If you want one last shot at a HC gig, Leslie… go get it. This is your year.

Bringing in Edmunds to this thread!?!? Really!?!? Aren't there enough Edmunds threads? It's like an 8 year old picking on someone he actually likes in school. Your man crush on him is embarrassing.

He had quality starts on another team to which he was traded 2 years into his rookie contract....Am I doing this right? link? Yeah, it's me who every seasons starts multiple threads about "is Edmunds worth keeping". nice try!

Trumaine Edmunds is basically just a rookie so maybe next year...