WhitewalkerInPhilly

I go away for 2 hours, and what the hell happens? I am stunned. Floored.

I remember EJ's first half in preseason against the Colts too. I seem to recall Jeff Tuel lighting it up too. Now, to be sure, Trubs looks good. I'll just prefer to see what it looks like Week 1.

Wow, let's talk about overreactions. We are talking about the first *preseason* game. The game opened on 3 for 3 completions to Watkins. When Watkins is open, you hit him. The problem has been that A) he hasn't always been healthy and B) when he has been, teams, wisely, will double team him. Zay and Boldin are there to make sure that when that happens, the opponent pays for it.

This is late, but thank you. I was trying to spot him a learning curve, but in that thread he was really, really bad. I don't mind criticism of Tyrod, but that was pretty flagrant trolling.

Also for a 5th round pick IIRC

I really am worried about that as well, which is why I want us to keep Tyrod in 2018 even if we do draft a QB. I had forgotten about Matt Barkley. People were legitimately thinking that he might go first overall, and almost certainly a first round pick had he declared in 2011. He had a let down in 2012, where he showed the problems that still plague him. The lesson for a lot of players is "if you qualify to be drafted, and you have one fantastic season at QB and there is any doubt you might not have another, you take your chances in the draft"

I've had this rant, but I think it already has passed it's high mark and we are squeezing it to go faster. In the last 10-15 years, partly in the name of player safety and partly in the name of giving more eye popping numbers, we've tightened the rules on what a defense can do. With instant first downs for tugging at 5 yards past the line of scrimmage, large penalties for hits on receivers when they go up to get the ball and flags for breathing on the QB wrong, passing has exploded. You can line up five wide receivers and pray that the 5th worst DB is a bit grabby. Meanwhile, pick plays are rarely called, even though it is definitely offensive PI. As a result, an above average QB can make you a contender for the playoffs every year. We've seen teams so desperate for even average QB play that Brock Osweiler managed a mega deal in Houston. Sam Bradford, who has never made it to the playoffs once in his career, will have made a hundred million dollars. As a result, at least half the league (ourselves included) have been snapping up someone in the first two rounds and praying they work out, even if the college players haven't had time to develop. And half of *those* have flamed out or are desperately stuggling (By my memory, EJ, Geno, Hackenberg, Manziel, Bortles, RGIII, Kaep, Bridgewater, Goff (injury related but still) please mention others I have missed). The NFL keeps snatching up whatever QBs are available. But we aren't going to go back to hard hitting defense. Not with CTE becoming more known.

For me, it's seeing how Tyrod looks for what limited time he is playing. Does the offense keep clicking when he is running whole series as opposed to quickly dropping in? Also, does any separate themselves in the WR battle?

Well, it's certainly sad.... Look, even though I do it a bit myself, trying to pick out regular season wins and losses is nothing than a mental exercise. Every year, there are teams that people predict to be amazing who just fall off that map. I don't think anyone thought that Carolina and Arizona would fall on the hard times they did. There are also teams that have been hanging around and then seem to come out of nowhere. The Falcons had been 8-8 in 2015 before going on a Super Bowl run. I thought the Raiders would be better, but not the juggernaut they looked like for a while. And then there are the week to week injuries. I don't think that we lose to Miami in Week 7 if he aren't dredging the bottom of our depth chart.

I'm not going to say that it's impossible, but from everything I've heard Zay has been playing like his hair is one fire in camp. They also published the depth chart which had Holmes at WR2. I would have to go through the AstroNotes, which I vaguely recall hearing good things on Streater, but I would have to think that he's fighting to take WR4 or 5 at the moment.

I haven't been to camp, but even if reports are good I would be shocked, shocked, if he is WR3. I don't think you make a move on Boldin without putting him into the high end of the starting rotation. Sammy is very obviously our #1 and from all reports I've heard, Zay looks like he's going to be ready.

My problem with going to the game is that my travel is dependant on what the place I'm contracting with, so it might not happen. I also don't have a way to get from the airport to the game or to get back. That makes me leery of committing to something this far out. Having a good place to watch the game is a nice back up plan. I've heard good things about Thirsty Buffalo. I know it was converted after I left the area so I might give that a spin.

Another food thread!!! I tried some the other week (they called it a marmalade, but same difference). It worked really well with cheese and crackers, and as a spread on a breakfast sandwich. If I was going to experiment with something else, I would get a wheel of brie, top the whole wheel with the bacon jam, wrap that with puff pasty and then eggwash and bake it until golden brown and crispy. That way you get a nice sweet/savory and creamy/crunchy duality.

I've been doing a bit of freelancing lately, and it just so has happened that I've been doing more travel to Buffalo. As tiring as travel is, there seems like a decent chance that I will actually be back in town for the start of the season. Now, I could find myself just walled off wherever I'm staying, but I figure that it would be nice to get out and watch the game at a local bar. I'm wondering if people have places that they would recommend in the Elmwood village area, Downtown or close to the waterfront, since that would probably be the easiest to get to.

NOOOOOOOO! OK, that's a bit overdramatic. And I think even Corey White was outplaying him at camp, but man, we are thin at CB.

Say what you will about not extending Sammy. I would have done it. But even I will say it's a calculated choice. Remember: OBJ and Brandin Cooks hit free agency in 2019. They are in the same draft class and are expected to set the market price for a WR for the next five years. They have had a lot more production than Sammy. By making the choice now, the Bills get the initiative in negotiations. If he has breakout career year, one where he strings together 16 complete games with the kind of numbers that we all hope he will be very expensive to retain next year. But A) we are likely to be in the playoffs if he plays that well and B) it would be more expensive and difficult to keep him long term the year after. If he keeps having nagging injuries and has a year like the past three, the offers won't be nearly as high. If he struggles and never turns the corner it might be time to cut bait.

Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm feeding the troll I agree. One thing I heard mentioned from the Astro report, regarding TT's innaccuracies was that they are working in timing routes. The kind of routes that are "set the hot read, three step drop, fire where the WR is supposed to be" This means that the goal of the drill at this point in camp is not to complete the pass. It's getting the muscle memory down on Tyrod's part, and getting the WR's (many of whom won't make the team) in sync. Yeah, he's having up and down days. That's what camp is for. We know what he is by now, and while I hope the scheme fits, I think we knew the best case was incremental progress. There really wasn't, and isn't anything reasonably better that we could have scrapped up with offseason for an immediate starter. Even Mahomes would have had to sit for a year, as he is clearly not ready. I don't think that the second follows the first. Unless the Bills are bad, really bad, which I don't think they will be, they are likely looking in the 10th-20th pick range is they don't make the playoffs. Kansas, as much as I want them to be awful, I don't expect to give us a top 5 pick. So I imagine that it would be difficult to get a number 1 or 2 overall pick. Even then, Goff rode the pine for a long while. Wentz was supposed to sit behind Bradford before the Eagles nixed that plan. So I see 3 outcomes really: A) The Bills are awful, in which jetting Tyrod make perfect sense, and it's time to bet the farm on a rookie QB using a top 5 pick, the Kansas pick, and next year's first. B) The Bills are ok, but just not good enough. It becomes obvious that Tyrod can help, but just isn't going get us over the hump. We take a guy, but let him ride the pine in 2018. C) The Bills make the playoffs. Tyrod proves to be the Alex Smith of this Andy Reid coaching tree branch. The Bills pick in the 20's, meaning that even betting the farm won't get them a top 5 pick. Tyrod likely plays out the last year of his contract, possibly getting traded at the deadline or benched for the rookie. Unless the Bills really, really bomb, I don't see Tyrod being gone next year.

I believe the logic was so that they get used to being under the lights.

Yeah, that's where I am.

I get that. Where I lose the logic trail is *how* it is disrespectful, especially after he changed it not to offend their delicate sensibilities. For a group that likes to complain about "snowflakes" they get butthurt pretty easily. You'd think Kaep had teabagged a war widow wrapped in am American flag while shouting "9/11 was an inside job! Wake up sheeple!"

Ok. How about this: The NFL polled viewers about why their ratings were dipping. 26% of people polled said the protests were part of it. Fewer viewers = less money for owners. Owners have the ear of the GMs. GMs control the roster. So if it means squeezing a few extra bucks from the flyover states, teams don't rock the boat. If you've never been in a workplace where politics and who is a better asskisser is valued over competence, I envy you.

I really need to ask what was so bad about what he did. I'm not a SJW. I typically find them annoying. On the other hand I do hear a lot of "that protest only hurt it's own cause" for a lot of reasons. It was loud/profane. That there was property damage or criminality in proximate relation. Whether you agree with the cause or not, Kaep quietly took a knee. He didn't announce it, and only explained when asked. When vets aired grievances saying it was disrespectful he modified his protest. He did everything he could to take a stand in a quiet and respectful way. So what the hell? You can disagree with the premise, or it's efficacy, but I have no idea how to do it in a more peaceful way.

Look...there is a story, so they are going to exploit it. And there is a story. Kaep absolutely has his problems as to his play. I would argue that Tyrod might be better. But I can't say with a straight face that he has less upside than a collective group of Tom Savage, Brian Hoyer, Josh mccown and Brock Osweiler. And that's not even backups. If politics didn't play in at least a little, he would have been snapped up somewhere long ago. Two or three years ago we would have traded years of first round picks for him.

Thanks jw. I guess it makes sense. As upbeat as I am about the defense returning to form, it will be 2 brand new systems. I think the most telling attitude is that they traded back to get the KC pick. I don't think you do that if you are 100% sure on Tyrod. They also didn't go gangbusters on high prices FA's. If they can come on strong late, I'll be happy.

Ok, that makes sense. I would much rather see work on a timing route now than in the run-up to week 1.