2025 OTAs are underway

[hikerprof2]

21 hours ago, MikePJ76 said:

Which safety spot do you see Forrest playing?  
 

 

I think our ideal combo with the greatest upside is Bishop at SS and Forrest at FS. That's their natural positions. Ideally, we recreate a Poyer and Hyde combo. Poyer was the SS and Hyde the FS, and while on specific plays they could and did switch as coverage dictated, this doesn't mean they were 50% interchangeable and that the Bills didn't have dedicated safety positions. Right now the coaching staff has a lot of faith in Rapp, and they should-he is underrated by Bills fans. So we are reluctant to move him out of SS -but we also want the draft capitol of Bishop on the field, so we are unnaturally slotting him into the FS position, where he has more upside than Hamlin, who is an inspirational story but a JAG -he's not bad, he's not good, he's a veteran who won't make many mistakes but has low upside athletic potential. Ideally Bishop shows enough the coaching staff are confident he can handle SS as well or better than Rapp, and Forrest also has a strong camp and wins the FS position. I feel its more likely that we start with Rapp at SS and Bishop as FS (yes they will interchange on certain plays and schemes, like Poyer/Hyde) but it will take the almost inevitable injury to the hard charging (friend or foe) Rapp to move Bishop to his natural SS safety spot, and Forrest to the FS spot, and we have the ideal pair to replace the Poyer/Hyde regime.

 

Unless Forrest blows it in camp. Haven't heard much news on him.

 

[Logic]

1 hour ago, hikerprof2 said:

I think our ideal combo with the greatest upside is Bishop at SS and Forrest at FS. That's their natural positions. Ideally, we recreate a Poyer and Hyde combo. Poyer was the SS and Hyde the FS, and while on specific plays they could and did switch as coverage dictated, this doesn't mean they were 50% interchangeable and that the Bills didn't have dedicated safety positions. Right now the coaching staff has a lot of faith in Rapp, and they should-he is underrated by Bills fans. So we are reluctant to move him out of SS -but we also want the draft capitol of Bishop on the field, so we are unnaturally slotting him into the FS position, where he has more upside than Hamlin, who is an inspirational story but a JAG -he's not bad, he's not good, he's a veteran who won't make many mistakes but has low upside athletic potential. Ideally Bishop shows enough the coaching staff are confident he can handle SS as well or better than Rapp, and Forrest also has a strong camp and wins the FS position. I feel its more likely that we start with Rapp at SS and Bishop as FS (yes they will interchange on certain plays and schemes, like Poyer/Hyde) but it will take the almost inevitable injury to the hard charging (friend or foe) Rapp to move Bishop to his natural SS safety spot, and Forrest to the FS spot, and we have the ideal pair to replace the Poyer/Hyde regime.

 

Unless Forrest blows it in camp. Haven't heard much news on him.

 

Great post. I agree with all of it.

Bishop is a natural SS. He's a Poyer, not a Hyde. Unfortunately, Rapp is ALSO a Poyer type. Rapp is a good player, but as you say, he's a bit reckless and may not have the upside and long term fixture/leadership potential that Bishop has. Important to note that Rapp only has a dead cap number of $666,000 in 2026.

In an ideal world, Bishop would be the long term SS, starting in 2026. That means they need a long term free safety. I, too, like what I've heard/read about Forrest, and I hope he makes some noise and forces the coaches' hand.

[HappyDays]

 

[HappyDays]

 

[KingBoots8]

3 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

Iron sharpens iron 

[HappyDays]

 

[HappyDays]

One thing to take away from various updates today is that Hairston was with the starters. In Matt Parrino's texts that I subscribe to he said he noticed a lot of growth from Hairstone this week and he had some competitive reps where he was able to erase separation and break up a pass.

 

Parrino did say it was hard to read too much into team drills today because with Trubisky as the starter there is obviously a massive drop off.

[HappyDays]

5 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

One thing to take away from various updates today is that Hairston was with the starters. In Matt Parrino's texts that I subscribe to he said he noticed a lot of growth from Hairstone this week and he had some competitive reps where he was able to erase separation and break up a pass.

 

Parrino did say it was hard to read too much into team drills today because with Trubisky as the starter there is obviously a massive drop off.

 

Next update from Parrino is that Kincaid and Moore were the two best pass catchers today.

[Albany,n.y.]

On 5/28/2025 at 8:22 PM, Chandler#81 said:

McDermott throwing down. Not mincing words. ‘I’m great!’ Excellent interview!

 

Full interview 

 

Considering how many coaching & QB changes teams make in 5 years or more, the stat Matt uses is one of the dumbest things I've heard.  Currently there are only 4 of these QB/HC combos in the league, 5 if you count the years Love was on the bench at GB.  KC & LA won the SB in their QBs 1st 3 seasons, the others haven't.  The odds of a starting QB/HC being together that long are so low-only 12.5% of the league has a combo that have been together 5 seasons or more before this season starts.  Considering the natural odds of winning the Super Bowl are 1 in 32, this stat is beyond meaningless.  Matt Parrino ought to be ashamed.  

Edit: I mentioned LAR.  I fixed the stats when I realized Stafford/McVay have had only 4 seasons, but didn't fix the next sentence. So of the 4 QB/HC combos, only Mahomes/Reid have won a SB together. 

Edited Tuesday at 07:48 PM by Albany,n.y.

[Brand J]

5 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

Next update from Parrino is that Kincaid and Moore were the two best pass catchers today.

Hearing a lot of positives about Moore, but I’m gonna temper my enthusiasm a bit until they’re in pads. I remember Tavon Austin tore up minicamp a few years ago. 
 

Also on Coleman vs Hairston, you wouldn’t think a 4.61 player could burn someone who runs a 4.29, but here we are. As Jerry Rice, Anquan Boldin, and countless others have proven, speed as an outside receiver is a bit overrated. Knowing how to separate is where it’s at. 

Edited Tuesday at 11:52 PM by Brand J

[Doc Brown]

3 minutes ago, Brand J said:

Hearing a lot of positives about Moore, but I’m gonna temper my enthusiasm a bit until they’re in pads. I remember Tavon Austin tore up minicamp a few years ago. 
 

Also on Coleman vs Hairston, you wouldn’t think a 4.61 player could burn someone who runs a 4.29, but here we are. As Jerry Rice, Anquan Boldin, and countless others have proved, speed as an outside receiver is a bit overrated. Knowing how to separate is where it’s at. 

The only way Coleman created separation was if he kicked Hairston in the nuts at the beginning of his route.

[Chandler#81]

41 minutes ago, Albany,n.y. said:

Considering how many coaching & QB changes teams make in 5 years or more, the stat Matt uses is one of the dumbest things I've heard.  Currently there are only 4 of these QB/HC combos in the league, 5 if you count the years Love was on the bench at GB.  KC & LA won the SB in their QBs 1st 3 seasons, the others haven't.  The odds of a starting QB/HC being together that long are so low-only 12.5% of the league has a combo that have been together 5 seasons or more before this season starts.  Considering the natural odds of winning the Super Bowl are 1 in 32, this stat is beyond meaningless.  Matt Parrino ought to be ashamed.  

Imo, Parrino is the worst Bills podcaster. So damn full of himself yet obviously wasn’t good in any sport. The dweeb who became a sportscaster out of spite.

[HappyDays]

7 minutes ago, Brand J said:

Hearing a lot of positives about Moore, but I’m gonna temper my enthusiasm a bit until they’re in pads. I remember Tavon Austin tore up minicamp a few years ago. 

 

For sure, Moore is the type of WR that would shine in a practice setting. I won't fully trust him until I see him in a real game situation because that's where he has struggled to make an impact throughout his career.

 

The biggest thing I take away from OTA reports is where certain players appear to be slotted on the depth chart. So we know early on that Moore is getting a lot involvement with the 1st team. Last week Tuesday Tre White was with the 1st team, this week it was Hairston. We know last week Bishop was with the 1st team. So if nothing else you get an early sense of how the roster is stacking up, and some evidence of growth from young players although taken with a grain of salt.

[pennstate10]

16 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said:

Imo, Parrino is the worst Bills podcaster. So damn full of himself yet obviously wasn’t good in any sport. The dweeb who became a sportscaster out of spite.

 

So you know what type of athlete Parino was by listening to him talk?

 

Thats quite a talent!

[TFBillsfan]

*Taron torn labrum

*Kincaid torn PCL

*Carter and Smoot both needed wrist surgery.
*Josh had fractured finger(s)

*Coleman and Cooper wrist injuries

*Samuel had turf toe

*Rapp and Benford concussions

 

Curious what other injuries we had last season? 

Edited Tuesday at 08:53 PM by TFBillsfan

[Brand J]

1 hour ago, TFBillsfan said:

*Taron torn labrum

*Kincaid torn PCL

*Carter and Smoot both needed wrist surgery.
*Josh had fractured finger(s)

*Coleman and Cooper wrist injuries

*Samuel had turf toe

*Rapp and Benford concussions

 

Curious what other injuries we had last season? 

Man, you had me nervous when I read the first two lines. I thought you were providing updates on injuries that happened in practice today!

[Rocky Landing]

5 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

The pessimists will bemoan Coleman dropping a perfect pass downfield. But unreliable hands has not been Coleman's problem, and the optimists (like myself) will be psyched that Keon burned one of the fastest guys on the team twice. (Realists will understand that it's just OTAs without pads, and not read much into it.)

[3rdand12]

On 5/30/2025 at 10:06 AM, hikerprof2 said:

I think our ideal combo with the greatest upside is Bishop at SS and Forrest at FS. That's their natural positions. Ideally, we recreate a Poyer and Hyde combo. Poyer was the SS and Hyde the FS, and while on specific plays they could and did switch as coverage dictated, this doesn't mean they were 50% interchangeable and that the Bills didn't have dedicated safety positions. Right now the coaching staff has a lot of faith in Rapp, and they should-he is underrated by Bills fans. So we are reluctant to move him out of SS -but we also want the draft capitol of Bishop on the field, so we are unnaturally slotting him into the FS position, where he has more upside than Hamlin, who is an inspirational story but a JAG -he's not bad, he's not good, he's a veteran who won't make many mistakes but has low upside athletic potential. Ideally Bishop shows enough the coaching staff are confident he can handle SS as well or better than Rapp, and Forrest also has a strong camp and wins the FS position. I feel its more likely that we start with Rapp at SS and Bishop as FS (yes they will interchange on certain plays and schemes, like Poyer/Hyde) but it will take the almost inevitable injury to the hard charging (friend or foe) Rapp to move Bishop to his natural SS safety spot, and Forrest to the FS spot, and we have the ideal pair to replace the Poyer/Hyde regime.

 

Unless Forrest blows it in camp. Haven't heard much news on him.

 

I like the concept ! But

 The bolded somewhat discounts your Forrest leanings  lol

But yes . Mc D would would be delighted to run that back. and with that much solid depth behind it. Package options etc

[SoonerBillsFan]

On 5/30/2025 at 9:06 AM, hikerprof2 said:

I think our ideal combo with the greatest upside is Bishop at SS and Forrest at FS. That's their natural positions. Ideally, we recreate a Poyer and Hyde combo. Poyer was the SS and Hyde the FS, and while on specific plays they could and did switch as coverage dictated, this doesn't mean they were 50% interchangeable and that the Bills didn't have dedicated safety positions. Right now the coaching staff has a lot of faith in Rapp, and they should-he is underrated by Bills fans. So we are reluctant to move him out of SS -but we also want the draft capitol of Bishop on the field, so we are unnaturally slotting him into the FS position, where he has more upside than Hamlin, who is an inspirational story but a JAG -he's not bad, he's not good, he's a veteran who won't make many mistakes but has low upside athletic potential. Ideally Bishop shows enough the coaching staff are confident he can handle SS as well or better than Rapp, and Forrest also has a strong camp and wins the FS position. I feel its more likely that we start with Rapp at SS and Bishop as FS (yes they will interchange on certain plays and schemes, like Poyer/Hyde) but it will take the almost inevitable injury to the hard charging (friend or foe) Rapp to move Bishop to his natural SS safety spot, and Forrest to the FS spot, and we have the ideal pair to replace the Poyer/Hyde regime.

 

Unless Forrest blows it in camp. Haven't heard much news on him.

 

Great post. 

[The Firebaugh Kid]

4 hours ago, Brand J said:

Hearing a lot of positives about Moore, but I’m gonna temper my enthusiasm a bit until they’re in pads. I remember Tavon Austin tore up minicamp a few years ago. 
 

Also on Coleman vs Hairston, you wouldn’t think a 4.61 player could burn someone who runs a 4.29, but here we are. As Jerry Rice, Anquan Boldin, and countless others have proved, speed as an outside receiver is a bit overrated. Knowing how to separate is where it’s at. 

Moore is the new Sanders. He’s a really really talented kid. Likely a one year rental so enjoy it.