Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson

[No_Matter_What]

On 1/5/2021 at 12:23 PM, GunnerBill said:

 

It's a fair question.... so I think Denzel Mims and Kristian Fulton are the two that immediately jump to mind in round 2. I didn't actually have Mims graded that far ahead of Gabe but I think there is a higher ceiling there. Fulton's rookie year has been interrupted by injuries and covid (he has been on IR and the COVID list) but I still think his ceiling is as a really good corner in this league. Jeremy Chinn definitely counts as well. He was a boom or bust type but has been excellent as a rookie in Carolina. Looking at round 3 it is harder... the guys I'd put in that category - Gallimore, Lewis, Blackmon all went in the picks just before us... and there is nobody I'd rather have picked than Gabe in round 4. Gabe is probably as high a ceiling as you are getting in round 4 of the draft in all honestly. I suppose I was seeing that more in the context of his ceiling vs the other receivers in that class. But Gabe was a great pick and to be honest I'd have had no issue if they'd taken Gabe in the 3rd. I had him graded there. 

 

It isn't to criticise any of the picks we made this past year really. It is just to say that you have to be willing to strike out on a bust or two to really shoot at a ceiling. Working out how and when to do that is the tricky bit. You can't do it every pick, that isn't a good strategy either.... you have to spot the right opportunity to do it. 

 

Thanks. I haven't seen Panthers once this year but a friend of mine is a Saints fan and he raves about Chinn all the time.

 

Overall I agree with what you are saying. We probably didn't have many opportunities to shoot higher last year but it doesn't mean there will not be one or two this year - esp. in round 1. 

[Man with No Name]

On 1/5/2021 at 11:09 AM, DrDawkinstein said:

I miss Jordan Phillips, and from the looks of it, he misses the Bills....

 

 

yup. they made the right play moving on from him for that kind of money, and he made the right move to take the $$. But he was great to have around last year. 

[billsfan89]

On 1/5/2021 at 8:09 AM, DrDawkinstein said:

I miss Jordan Phillips, and from the looks of it, he misses the Bills....

 

 

 

He isn't in a bad place in AZ, he took a big payday and is on a team that has a chance to win.

[billsfan89]

18 minutes ago, Man with No Name said:

yup. they made the right play moving on from him for that kind of money, and he made the right move to take the $$. But he was great to have around last year. 

 

I hope this team ends up like the Pats in the 2000's and 2010's where players play well here, get paid elsewhere, are OK but overpaid get cut 2-3 seasons later once their dead cap is small and then resign back with the Bills for cheap and play well. I could see in 2 years Philips coming back on a cheap deal.

[Orlando Tim]

On 1/4/2021 at 6:56 PM, papazoid said:

neither was worth what they got.....beane wins

This is the answer- they are not stars so what is the cost. If they cost 4 million each different conversation but I prefer who we have for 10 million

[Doc]

Giving Shaq the 5th year option would have been best in hindsight, but he hadn't done anything to warrant getting it ($10M) by the time they had to make the decision (May 1, 2019).  And he had his best season in his 4th, a contract season, which is always a red flag.

[Malazan]

3 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

He isn't in a bad place in AZ, he took a big payday and is on a team that has a chance to win.

 

Hopefully, they figure out how to use him more effectively next season

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

I think this will be a trend that you will see as long as McD and Frazier are together. Both are incredible at coaching and developing defensive players. The trend will be you come to Buffalo, you become a better player/person and cash out in Buffalo or FA. If the player leaves for a big pay day their numbers will see a decline.

[Punching Bag]

On 1/4/2021 at 7:42 PM, Doc said:

I think giving Shaq the 5th year option and cutting Murphy is the best hindsight move.  But it seems to have worked-out fine  They both got essentially 2-year $21M deals, of which neither will probably see the 3rd year.

 

Trent is a Free Agent in 2021 and his three year contract will end this year.  He did see last year of third year of contract.

[Doc]

14 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

Trent is a Free Agent in 2021 and his three year contract will end this year.  He did see last year of third year of contract.

 

I was talking about Shaq and Addison. 

[3rdand12]

3 hours ago, Man with No Name said:

yup. they made the right play moving on from him for that kind of money, and he made the right move to take the $$. But he was great to have around last year. 

the 3d chess game says " treat him well and show him love, set him free, bring him back on a reasonable deal "
signed Mc Beanes

3 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

 

I hope this team ends up like the Pats in the 2000's and 2010's where players play well here, get paid elsewhere, are OK but overpaid get cut 2-3 seasons later once their dead cap is small and then resign back with the Bills for cheap and play well. I could see in 2 years Philips coming back on a cheap deal.

you already posted the Bill B method  oops. should have read through   

[Richard Noggin]

On 1/4/2021 at 7:45 PM, hmsmystic said:

This doesn't make any sense to me- how were defenses less able to gel than offenses this offseason? 

 

I'm replying to a post from page 3 without reading ahead, so if this has been addressed already, je m'excuse.

 

It makes plenty of sense that defenses were behind offenses early on because, while in the offseason offensive players (anywhere from just the QB and one receiver, to an entire 11-man unit) can get together on their own and practice plays against air, defenses can't meaningfully do the same. Practicing defense requires an offense to defend. Alignments, checks, gap fits, pursuit, tackling, route recognition, combination coverages, passing off routes in zone, etc., can only be refined against NFL-caliber players and plays. The defense is dependent upon an opponent to get real work in. Much more so than the offense.

 

Makes sense, right? I think the numbers, and I KNOW the player interviews (look at some Bills guys on D coming out of the bye) back this up.

[Big C]

As McDermott says, you come to Buffalo to be the best version of yourself. That’s what we saw with these two. Loved their energy last year but they chased the $. 

[GunnerBill]

10 hours ago, Doc said:

Giving Shaq the 5th year option would have been best in hindsight, but he hadn't done anything to warrant getting it ($10M) by the time they had to make the decision (May 1, 2019).  And he had his best season in his 4th, a contract season, which is always a red flag.

 

I don't think it would. I think not giving him that 5th year option lit a fire. I'd have just given him the deal they gave to Mario to be honest which is pretty much what he took in Miami (Shaq has more guaranteed but that is normal he is a younger guy I'd have been willing to meet him halfway there). That said it likely made no difference either way in 2020. Mario had 1 more sack, Shaq more pressures and more hits. Their production was pretty interchangeable. It is the long term outlook at the DE spot that worries me a bit. Jerry can't go on forever. I like what I have seen from AJ but is he ready to be a starter next year? I like Daryl Johnson too but is he ever more than a rotational guy? We still have some work to do there and Shaq would have been a reliable, solid placeholder the next couple of years whereas Mario is slowing down with each season he plays.