Alphadawg7

Haha cheers 🥂 Also, Devin deserves the recognition too. He’s been what I said he could be if they just trusted him as the feature. His last 4 games projected over a full season would be 19 carries a game, almost 1400 yards rushing, and 21 TDs. He played a significant role in our 4 game win streak to clinch the division, especially when our pass game was struggling at times.

I bumped it cuz it was a year long prediction, and now the season is concluded. So now it has an answer to it, right or wrong, still need to conclude it. And I acknowledged it as wrong. Don’t just get to take victory laps when you’re right, only fair to bump it and acknowledge when wrong too. You make a season long prediction, you own it, right or wrong. But even though it was short on the yardage total, the substance and rest of my OP ended up being pretty spot on, just came short on the yards because it took Daboll 13 weeks to figure out for himself what i said in week 1.

If you project Devins last 4 games over a whole season it projects to be 1374 yards rushing, 21 TDs over a 17 game season. And that’s with Devin averaging just 19 Carry’s a game. You don’t think that’s impressive?

Sooooo…Devin did eclipse 1000 total yards, but came up a little over 100 yards short on 1000 rushing yards. But that is only because Daboll didn’t pull his head out his back side until the final 4 games where they finally both featured Devin (71 Carry’s Over final 4 games) and ran the ball. But everything I said in my OP and thought mostly ended up being accurate, just Daboll didn’t realize it until 4 weeks ago unfortunately otherwise Devin would have gone way over 1000 yards had he been used like this past 4 weeks all season. So still feel good about this thread. Maybe Daboll should follow me on TSW🤣😂🤣 PS: Maybe now people will give Devin more respect and the props he deserves. He’s clearly our best RB and a weapon for this offense. Project his last 4 games (average if 19 Carey’s a game) over a full season: 1374 yards rushing and 21 TDs.

Called it. 😎 😂

True…Yet so many of those same people didn’t want DK even in the second round where we took Ford, or trading up when he fell to bottom of second. I was campaigning for DK all off season and screaming all draft night to take DK, couldn’t believe we didn’t. Although at the time I had no issue with the Ford pick either as we needed to address the lines and he was graded to go in the first. But I was praying we would trade up back into the second after that. For me, Ruggs just had speed. He didn’t have the production or size to indicate a must have guy to be a #1 WR. And we needed a number 1 WR, not just a speed burner. I wouldn’t have hated us picking him if he fell to our draft slot, but I absolutely hated the idea of trading up for him. I would have taken both Jefferson and Higgins over Ruggs if all 3 were on the board with our pick. Nothing about Ruggs said he was a number 1 WR to me. But like just about everyone, I thought the top two were Jeudy and Lamb going into the draft. I had Jefferson and Higgins as my next two. I didn’t know much about Davis heading into the draft, but liked what I read about him after we picked him. He has been a gem and even better than advertised so far with the potential to be very good still.

If Davis becomes a full time starter next year, he could get into the top 5 WR of the draft convo, maybe even top 3. Jefferson is the jewel of the class and likely always will be, and Lamb and Higgins round out the top 3. But Davis is capable of putting up similar seasons or better as both Lamb and Higgins did this year if he is featured like them as a true #2 WR. I mean they both only barely eclipsed 1000 yards with 6 TDs. I can easily see Davis break 1000 yards as a number two opposite Diggs all year and probably hit double digit TDs. Fun facts: Remember when so many here wanted to trade up for Ruggs (who was a bust before he was kicked out) and had no interest in Jefferson and Higgins? Lol. Never understood why people loved Ruggs and couldn’t understand why people were so down on Higgins and not into Jefferson. Both were great prospects too. Despite the success of Jefferson, if we had to do it again, I still 100% trade for Diggs, he was exactly what this team and Allen needed and perfect for this team.

My bad, I forgot they lost to Bengals Yeah I forgot the Bengals won that game

I agree the cap situation is definitely a factor, but I also know for sure that Levi loves playing in Buffalo. I became friends with his good friends from College when I met them at the home opener. They kept talking about how passionate he was playing in Buffalo and wants to stay and we still keep in touch and they still say the same thing. Of course money changes things for a lot of people, but I also don’t think we will have to over pay to keep him. I think he would even sign for a little less here over someone else’s offer because this is where he wants to be. So unless he gets another team throwing a big over pay contract at him, I think his return is close to a lock. And I don’t think he’s going to get an egregious contract offer we can’t compete with personally that still makes sense for the team and cap.

Levi Wallace is a practically a lock to be here next year. He’s had an excellent season, Beane and McD have been very glowing in their remarks about him, and we already have question marks on how Tre will look coming off a major injury. I have no doubt Beane sees Levi as a major priority resigning this off season after the very good season he just put up opposite Tre and in Tre’s place. Levi proved to be a good starter in this league and valuable member of this defense despite what the haters try and say around here. If anyone still thinks he isn’t a good starter and needs to go, then they either don’t pay attention to his play enough or they have no idea what good CB play looks like.

You said we need to extend 2 maybe 3 of them (Levi, Phillips, and maybe Taron) and then say every single player you listed will sign elsewhere? I also think there is a couple more in there that are not locks to be elsewhere next year who have a chance to be back, like Hughes, Zimmer, McKenzie, and maybe even Obada for depth.

Guys like Fred Taylor, Frank Gore, Matthew Stafford, etc were all once labeled injury prone with a bunch of injuries in a short window. They went on to prove to be able to say healthy rest of their careers. So I dont like writing guys off due to injuries if they didn't have injury problems prior. And EMC has had a healthy college and early career, so I wouldn't just dismiss his ability to stay healthy yet. Sometimes injuries are just a slew of bad luck. That being said, his recent bout with injuries must still be factored in and considered. If Bills can swing a trade and a reworked contract then I could get behind this. But compensation on the trade would have to be reasonable and there would have to be some kind new deal involved. Maybe we can package Moss and a mid round pick or something. Not sure EMC is going to have a big market with the injury bug and contract.

I think this seals the deal on 2 things: Saquan will not be a Giant next year. Giants will draft or trade for a QB. Jones will either be traded or kept around and compete with the rookie to start week 1...or start until the rookie is ready. If they acquire someone via trade, Jones will either be the backup or moved. New GM has no allegiance to the old regime, he’s gonna clean house and reset the foundation. If we can get Saquan cheap, I’d definitely would be willing to kick the tires on him. Only if this can be down cheap though.

Here’s the thing…who cares. Seasons over this weekend, and we are in the new season…playoffs. What’s happened up to now means nothing anymore. End of the day, they did what they needed to do get into the playoffs and Sunday they can do one more thing to also lock down second consecutive divisional title too. I’ve watched so many teams that were not dominating in the regular seasons go into the playoffs and win the SB. Including 3 times one of them beat Brady led Pats (Giants twice, including Pats undefeated season and Eagles). Also Flacco and the Ravens, Seahawks smashed the greatest offense in NFL history, and the Bucs last year who had the same record at the same point in the season when we played the Bucs this year (which is the game things seem to spark a turn around for us). All that matters now is what this team took away from those struggles and adjustments we have made heading into the post season. If not for a ref screw job against Bucs at end of regulation, Bills would be talked about more right now as a team rolling and one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL. And I really do think we are going to reach at least the AFCCG again this year and have a really good shot to win it and head to the SB.

I get that, but because of the extra game there are more teams alive than there would have been based on last weeks results.

Hahahaha duh that makes more sense, not sure how that didn’t register when I read it haha.

For the sake of Ridley, hope he gets what he needs if he is dealing with mental health issues still. And if that means a change of scenery, then so be it. And for those making a case for him to come here...thats a big NO from me. And not even really because of the mental health struggles. Its because Davis has been very good opposite Diggs, we don't need to invest heavy in another WR. We need to focus cap space on other weaknesses on the roster.

I mean your case is kind of dead in the water based on what you said. There are a TON of playoff implications this final weekend in both the NFC and AFC. I would say the NFL got exactly what they wanted out of this. I still think it should have stayed the way it was for player safety reasons, continuity with the record books, etc. But hard to argue what you just said given the playoff picture is still so unsettled and is going to make for a lot of final week drama.

Here is the thing though...draft slot stops mattering the moment the draft is over. After that, its just about what you do on the field. There is this fanbase notion that if taken in the top 10 said player needs to be elite to avoid being seen as a bust, at least in relation to their "draft slot". But I don't see it that way. For me, if a player becomes a good starter, then thats a hit regardless of where they were selected. And I think its safe to say he has grown into a good starter this year and would start on more teams than he wouldn't in the NFL right now. I think he had some unfair expectations (lots of Aaron Donald comparisons) when he was drafted, and sure, maybe he hasn't hit those, but he has still become a very important part of our team and looking like a long term player here. And I think he is still going to keep getting better too.

I always enjoy watching that...loved the pick on draft night, and love that he is locked up for a long time here even more! I was blessed to live through the Kelly era, and I can say Josh is already my favorite Bill of all time to watch play.

This is an interesting series of statements and information. I think if I had to guess...given the statement that went through AB's legal team made claims that text messages exist showing some prior knowledge the ankle stuff, that the Bucs had to have some awareness of it regardless of what they say. But, I think its most likely a case that AB gave no indication that there was anything significant with his ankle because he did not want to risk being held out because he wanted his bonuses. And that would make sense as to why AB's people wanted to get his bonuses guaranteed, so AB wouldn't instead try and play through it. With all thats been said on both sides so far...if I will do my best Detective impression and form a theory of the series of events hahaha: AB had something wrong with his ankle, but didn't disclose how much it may have been bothering him because he didn't want to miss any more games as he wanted his bonuses. Bucs had prior knowledge of the ankle, and there are probably text messages that show that...but I bet they also don't suggest or show anything that would indicate the ankle issue was anything serious because AB didn't disclose it was anything that should hold him out of the game so he could make sure he played to go after his bonuses. AB's team attempted to get the bonuses guaranteed for the purpose of him not having to play through the ankle stuff to get the bonuses. And because AB wanted to insure he got his bonus, that intent was not disclosed to the Bucs, only that they wanted to get his bonuses guaranteed. AB willingly played against the Jets with his ankle not being 100% in pursuit of his bonuses. He grew frustrated given the Bucs struggled the first half and wasn't touching the ball enough and apparently was vocal about that in the locker room at half time. Realizing he will probably need to play and play well in the final week to reach all his bonuses based on how the Jets game is going, now decides to himself its not worth risking playing more against the Jets and refuses to enter the game. He doesn't alert the trainers or medical staff probably because he doesn't want to jeopardize his chance the play the final week to get his bonuses if he tells them his ankle is worse than hes let on previously. Arians, fresh off AB complaining about touches at half time, and unaware of any significant ankle issue, sees this as more selfish AB (which it really still is) and has enough. Now AB probably really has ankle damage, but is trying to spin it as if he was the victim as if they forced him to pay hurt to mask that the root of all of this was his selfish agenda around his bonuses in the first place and handled everything as bad as one could handle it. Haha, my best sleuth attempt to decode all thats come out. End of the day, regardless of what the turn is...AB is still nuts...and the Bucs (and Brady) still get to deal with this distraction heading into the post season, which is great

I am kind of in the same camp as you on your opinion of what happened. Although I have a couple of other layers to it. I suspect AB may not have been as forth coming about his ankle pain in order to keep them from holding him out longer because he wanted to hit his bonuses. I definitely don't buy AB's attempt of painting it like they made him play hurt, I am sure he was a willing taker of the injections. So I think he probably aggravated it some more in the Jets game, and with the game not going well already, he decided to then go into self preservation and not risk missing the next weeks game for another shot at his bonuses. Arians I am sure was pissed given he had no reason to believe AB had any significant ankle issue at that point, and the rest is history. If I was a betting man, I would say there is some truth from AB's camp (about there being some knowledge prior to the game of ankle discomfort) but that it was also likely downplayed by AB up to that point because he was more focused on maximizing his chances at his bonuses over being fully recovered. I of course have no more info than anyone else, just my personal theory

Yeah thats a good point, and I am sure that played a part in that, everyone has to follow the proper processes. My original point is more about I think if this whole ankle-gate wasn't happening right now, I think they probably wait until their post season was done to officially release him just to block the possibility, albeit admittedly slim chance, that another potential playoff foe could sign him. I mean thats at least what I would have done if I was the GM. I just love seeing the Bucs and Brady dealing with turmoil though heading into the post season hehehe. And if a lot of what AB claims checks out, its gonna be an ongoing distraction for the Bucs throughout the playoffs. Fingers crossed haha

I don't follow him that closely anymore, so not really aware or familiar with those other incidents to be honest. For me, I just appreciate when a player calls out reporters in general, who have less and less accountability in sports reporting and get to hind behind alleged "sources" all the time. Media always looking to manufacture stories for clicks with these athletes. So its less about Baker I suppose and more of me not being a fan of the lack of accountability in sports reporting with things like this, so I generally enjoy when someone isn't afraid to call them out in those cases.

I like that he’s back, he still has potential which is what you want on your PS. But he isn’t sniffing the field without injuries. Daboll finally seems to get Devin is our best RB and needs to touch the ball more. Only took him until the second half of the Bucs game for the light bulb to go off in Dabolls stubborn mind finally.