WhitewalkerInPhilly

I know Tua is better than we give him credit for but that is a lot of money for someone who has never won a playoff game. With even back loading the deal with a restructure this year puts a conservative $60 million cap hit for 2025. That's close to a quarter of the cap on three players

I have a feeling that someone is going to be a jerk and take this out of context but I do think this is where the league is going. Outside of QB, how many elite offensive players are just the most prototypical versions of their positions? How many Justin Jeffersons and CeeDee Lambs are there? Think about who have been the breakout stars in recent years? Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua were what happens when you take possession receivers and make them your offense's focal point. CMC and Deebo Samuel blur the line between a RB and WR. Travis Kelce is a WR in a TE's body.

I don't want to fly off the handle because it's early but the two biggest question marks were whether he could read an NFL defense and polish his route running. So far, we are seeing excellent signs of progress on both. I don't think Beane and Brady throw him into the fire. They will want him to earn his reps and targets. But it's looking like that might be sooner rather than later.

I won't tell you to, especially with the strengths each of them has. Coleman has the size to block at least as well as Kincaid and Samuel appears to be set up as a Deebo like WR/RB. So in practice with those three guys, Kincaid or Knox at TE and Cook/Davis in the backfield the offense could (at least in theory) effectively shift between 11, 12, 21 and 22 groupings all with the same WRs personel of

Inject that top tweet directly into my veins please I'll wait until I see a full season out of the man but I really like the wrinkles he managed to weld on to the Dorsey/Daboll offense and it appears that he's expanded on those to take bits of what the Niners, Lions and Rams were doing last year. If he can get 80% to a QB like Josh Allen whooo boy!

I have to say I am pleasantly surprised at how well the offense seems to be coming along. All sorts of qualifiers apply: it's training camp, it's two days in, pads aren't on etc, but if you were to ask me post OTAs what I'd need to see in training camp it would have been something like: -No regression in the O line. -more motion and condensed formations in play design -Curtis Samuel as a dual threat -Coleman making progress on route running and reading defenses -Signs of life from the pool of journeymen WRs And so far we've seen signs of all of those

That is encouraging. He's not going to drop 0.4 seconds on his 40 time so tools to get separation needed to be routed running and reading defenses. This is a good sign

On one hand it's silly to even compare the two at this point. It can take years to determine whether a draft pick has worked out. Even then, if you'd asked in 2017 who the best WR taken in 2014 was, OBJ would have been the answer and now he's taking one year contracts while Mike Evans keeps going On the other, we aren't the ones who felt the need to constantly brag to Chiefs fans who we took so it is delicious to see the durability concerns raring already

Don't get me wrong I love the motion but I think the compressed formations might be good specifically for the Bills. One of the knocks I heard about our WR group is how they are going to beat press coverage. Not only do condensed formations help diagnose coverage, not only can you run motion (I can see Samuel in the backfield motioned to the slot), doing so gives a free release to YAC guys AND is easier to run out of than spread. Long story short: I think we might see a really interesting offense this year.

It's day 1 and the pads have not come on, but man... So far it looks like a lot of the Best Case Scenario predictions regarding Brady's scheme, Kincaid taking a step up and Coleman being ready at his moment. This could be an amazing Red Zone offense. A Oline that seems mostly in sync, big bodies in Coleman, Kincaid and Knox, and needing to defend both Allen and Cook/Davis against the run really seems like it could stress defenses when the field is compressed.

I've seen a lot of this theorized but it's nice to see it getting expanded. One comment I heard from Brady last year was something like "we use motion but we use it for a purpose". At times it seemed that Dorsey was using motion as window dressing. Brady seems to be using it to diagnose coverages and make mismatches

It's early but yes that's what I read into it. Shakir, Coleman and Samuel being locks is no surprise. That MVS is? It's definitely an observation We need to spam Chiefs Twitter with this right? That's how it works?

Of particular note I've been curious about these confluences: -A rise in condensed formations which allow for easier pre-snap diagnosis, gives an off line WR a free release and are easier to switch to run plays on than the spread. -The Lions running something like 90% of plays out of 3 WR sets but still running effectively using Kupp & Nakua as blockers. -Kincaid as a mismatch depending on coverage -Similar (not equivalent but similar) play style and profile of CMC and Deebo Samuel in Cook and Curtis Samuel We have pieces of some of the most successful offenses from last year. Will it gel? We are going to find out. But that makes training camp more interesting to me not less.

Exactly. Look I not calling Brady the next offensive mastermind. But he came in mid season and welded some of the philosophies of the teams I mentioned on mid season. I am curious to see what he can do with a full off-season

We are going to find out aren't we

It's kind of sad how excited I am for the return of training camp. But sweet lord it's been a slow few weeks and a very humid NJ summer

This is a slow response but it's something I've been noodling on a while. I'm in a place where I can believe -The Bills probably won't have a 1000+ yard receiver AND -The Bills can pick up more or less where they were at the end of last season if Brady schemes it right and have an offense to contend for a Super Bowl Both at the same time. How can I believe that? Well, the Chiefs didn't have anyone go over 1K and they won a Superbowl. Maybe that's the exception but I've been listening to a lot of smart people this off-season talk about some of the trends from last season where we saw a rise in heavier and condensed sets. That's what got the Niners, Rams and Lions going and I don't think anyone is even calling Stafford a top 5 QB in the league. I think there is a legitimate chance that there is less overall receiving talent, but having it used more effectively depending on the opponent. The game that I keep coming back to is that Dallas game. Yes, you don't need to be a genius to know running the football in a December rainstorm has perks but he identified that Dallas' entire scheme was going light and speedy, prioritizing the pass rush and relying on Dak to win a boat race. So not only did he cook up 6 OL, 2 back, 1 TE sets he wasn't afraid to keep spamming it because Dallas wouldn't or couldn't adjust. I can see that kind of matchup planning having dividends with the diverse WR Beane put together even if we don't suspect any of these guys will be top 10 receivers.

God I can't wait for training camp to start so we can stop bickering over conjecture and start bickering over observations

That's where I am. Two months ago I was absolutely pounding the table for an Aiyuk trade and if it happens I won't be upset: the Bills get a WR1 to let Coleman develop plus seeing what they get from Samuel and Shakir. But it will be expensive in more ways than one: to even fit Aiyuk in the cap this year Beane would probably have to give up extra for the Niners to hold salary. Then there is paying Aiyuk in a WR market primed to explode. Alternately Beane can follow the plan that has been laid out: go with bigger bodies guys, push Kincaid as the focal and pray the two of his low risk bets pays out. I suspect Beane will want to see how it rides and maybe try pulling the trigger mid season

I can't watch because I'm at work any highlights?

I think the hands and size and the Bills commitment to the option route was a big selling point. Because I am latching onto all content like a starving remora I listened to a Cover One/Mina Kimes crossover about the Bills offense and both are predicting a follow on from last year: the pendulum swinging back to heavier sets instead of spread. Spread works great if you have even a Tua level ball distributor but after getting roasted by it NFL defenses have adjusted. The spread and speedy bodies come at a loss to run games, trading the ability to control pace for greater speed in scoring. That hasn't changed but most defenses have been moving to...well what the Bills do: prioritize taking away the big shot down field. Force teams to achieve Machines and Brady like consistency. And to do that nickel has become the new base defense. Except last year, you saw the Niners, Lions and Rams all thrive with QBs who've never been known for automaton like precision (Stafford, Goff, Purdy). And they did with condensed formations, which let you get a free release to a WR while still keeping the run option a possibility. Brady was running these at the end of last season. The Lions and Rams especially did it with big bodied WRs and TEs , and the Niners did it with CMC and Deebo Samuel. And I see a lot of those features with Cook, Curtis Samuel, Coleman, Kincaid (not to mention Shakir) not to mention the benefit of one of those diamonds in the rough (Claypool, MVS, Hamler) pays off. That's the critique I take the most stock in. Keenan Allen and Nakua didn't exactly leave flames on the turf with their 40 time and I think all of us would take a player of that caliber. But route running? The way he was used didn't really develop that, at least to the extent that some of the top prospects did and even then route running is something you need to develop vs NFL caliber opposition. Now, do I think he CAN develop that. Sure. He seems eager enough to put the work in. Will it be in time to impact this season? We will find out.

Tasker in no question

If it's an issue of nomenclature I have seen it before used to designate a pass rushing specialist, especially when you're trying to parse the difference between a 3-4 and 4-3 scheme DE. There is bleed and sensational players but the spectrum usually looks something like this: - 3/4 DE: a big body, usually a space eater. Mostly a dying out position. - 4/3 DE: expected to be able to both set the edge in run support and pass rush, though it can vary how much of each. Mario Williams, Groot, Shaq. -EDGE: a designated pass rusher. Lines up wide over the OT (or TE) and pins their ears back. Hughes, Von Miller -Strongside linebacker: plays off but close to the line in run support, often included in blitz packages. The Bills have mostly phased it out to play 4-2 nickel but this was what Lorenzo Alexander was designated as in McDermott's first year. So calling him EDGE hints at his they plan to start him: coming in as a rotational pass rusher, especially on third and long situations, which matches his draft profile and a body type similar to Hughes.

I would say Denver, but their cap hit on Wilson is going to be a millstone next year too. Someone will overpay for decent starter level play.

For what it's worth, this sounds like the kind of story where an agent leaks a detail to a friendly reporter to try to move the needle in negotiations