Alphadawg7

Yeah, I am always puzzled by how he is so bad with it given his size and strength. But, I do think its very much about him not be a natural RB and his muscle memory isn't there yet on having a feel on keeping that ball high and tight. He is so competitive and I think his focus tends to lean on getting more yards and running away from people and that is when his ball security is sloppy. Josh is good at covering it up when he sees the contact coming, but he just doesn't seem to wrap it up fast enough when in traffic before he realizes he is about to get hit. Couple that with his reputation for fumbling, and defenders are focusing on punching that ball out every time too.

Yeah I wondered that too actually

370+ yards of total offense, 3 TD's, 72% comp, and 8 different receivers is a B? I get the fumbles are a concern given his history, but end of the day, for what was essentially the first preseason game in terms of reps, that was a pretty impressive performance. He had command the whole day of the offense. My grade was an A- and the lowest yet still acceptable grade would have to be a B+ minimum. If not for the 2 fumbles, it would be an A+. Agreed on grade, but disagree they "won" the game for us. Our offense and defense dominated Sunday, wasn't the result of just one unit. I would give this a B or a B-, as you still have to factor in Allen in the run game, especially given he led the team in rushing. But ultimately, this was more about Daboll not really pushing to get the run game into any kind of a groove given Allen was picking apart the defense almost single handedly on the ground and the air. But both backs contributed in the passing game too and in protection. Im not in the least worried about the RB's moving forward, although I would like to see the OL open more holes. While I was not thrilled with their run blocking as they didn't open enough holes, I think D+ is way too heavy handed of a grade. I mean our offense was in command a lot and the OL, while not perfect, still was a part of that. C is the grade I would give them, mostly due to the lack of holes in the run game. Im good with a B here. Man this is by far your worst assessment. This is an A+ and not worth the time to explain to you why given me and many others already have in your Oliver thread. I would give them an A-, especially given we lost our top 2 guys during the game. White had a beauty of a 3rd down pass breakup, and the group as a whole played well IMO. I give this unit an A Agreed, this group gets an A C- for me...he was really 2 for 3, not 1 for 3. I don't think his grade should be reduced for a mistake by the refs. Bit I still give him a C- as his kicks all mostly hugged the right goal post. Needs to demonstrate more control on his accuracy. But also not too worried about a rookie essentially playing in what would be his first preseason game except it was week 1 opener against a divisional rival in a windy stadium. B for me...not sure what you base knocking him down to a C for. I have no issue with passing this much when Josh is completing over 70% of his passes with no INTs and constantly moving the chains. I expect the game plan will change based on the opponent. Strength of Jets D is run D, weakness is pass D. Not a shock we kept throwing when it was so effective. I mean Josh should have had 4 passing TDs yesterday to go with his one rushing TD. It was obvious why we kept throwing. And in a similar game, I would want to and expect to keep throwing as well. We are stacked with weapons.

Insert every WR ever.

I think it was very telling how the Niners see it too when they were so heavily interested in Brady this offseason. Jimmy G needs to stop focusing on banging porn stars so much and needs to spend time doing the work to take the next step as a QB. Personally, I think the Niners will either bring someone in via FA/Trade next year (not sure whose available) or draft a QB to push Jimmy G. Either way, I expect someone else there challenging for the job next season. He is quite underwhelming.

Reality is Bass was 2 for 3 IMO, so not freaking out personally. In my eyes, the first FG was good and was a mistake by the refs and not challengeable. Stat sheet says 1-3 though, so I get the concern. Rookie. No Preseason. First ever kicking in the NFL. Important divisional game. Conclusion, I am not yet worried. This was essentially like his first preseason game. At the end of the day, as long as the kid doesn't lose us games in the next few games, I am willing to let him kick through any early initial struggles. If he hasn't worked it out over the next 3 or 4 games to be reliable, then I start looking at a free agent kicker to hold the job down while the kid develops more. However, if we lose a game because he isn't reliable and his misses cost us a win, I start looking for that vet immediately. We can't afford close losses this year, we got a tough overall schedule, especially down the stretch. And we can not over look NE as still a threat to push for the division title right now. So we need to make sure we win the games we are supposed to win and those close games where we have the opportunity to win.

Mahomes made some egregious misses on Thursday, and I literally looked at my friend and said had that been Josh Allen it would be talked about non stop regardless what he did rest of game. With Mahomes and other QB's, you never hear about it again after the game. Allen had a very good day throwing the ball. I bet you 99 times out of 100 he makes that throw to Brown for the easy TD. He just let that one get away from him. He made so many key throws all day with precision, it was more a fluke than anything. The Knox throw was clearly more about he had no idea how much space he created escaping the pocket. He threw the ball as if someone was still on him and simply didn't set his feet. It was an awkward throw, and he just escaped major pressure. That one wasn't that big of a deal IMO, just more that he had no idea he left everyone in their dust actually and had the time to set and not make the awkward throwing angle. Now the fumbles are to be concerned about. This was an issue for him last year, and I cant for the life of me figure out why a man this big and strong with big hands cant hold onto the ball better. But if they are going to keep utilizing his threat to run, and they should, they need to drill down on him and figure this ball control out. It can be done, Tiki Barber was terrible about fumbling until they finally fixed it. Call him or something, figure it out, but it needs to be fixed. You cant take away his designed runs, its a big part of what makes him so hard to defend. But you also need to not over use it and also be smart about it and help the kid figure out ball security better.

You just further show how little you seem to understand the fundamentals of football with this crusade to prove AJE is a bust and your inability to understand any of the reality of the situation.

Sorry you are just showing how little you know about the situation with this post. First of all, who the heck cares where a player was drafted. Once you get to the NFL, you are in the NFL and its what you do on the field. Darryl is a ST ace, and one of our most important guys on ST. When you are talking about the 4th depth spot, ST is a major factor. The sheer fact you are disparaging Darrlys value based on his draft slot just shows how off base you are.

Man...you had me with the first sentence. Then wow, you just lost me with the 2nd. Its utterly crazy how many people can not seem to grasp the logic in why AJE didnt dress week 1. Hughes and Murphy, ONLY DE's on the team with experience in our system. Murphy reportedly had a very strong camp, and combined with having 2 years in our system gave him the lead on starting. Addison, a perennial double sack player, was literally our 3rd DE. So that means AJE would have had to beat out Addison, which was never going to happen going into week 1. Daryl is a ST ace, and him as the 4th spot was never up for grabs because of his significant importance to ST. Jefferson is really a DE helping at DT with Star opting out and Butler out week 1. So he is someone can easily swing over to DE if injuries happened to our top 3 guys. COVID had no preseason nor very little contact reps in camp for rookies to get up to speed and earn a bigger role. And DE has a log jam, so AJE is a luxury, not a player at a position of need. McD loves bringing rookies around slow when possible. We open the first 2 weeks with important divisional games, in a season where we have a real shot to contend and our schedule gets toughest down the stretch. Meaning these are important for us to win, so those most ready to play will get priority, which lends itself to vets and returning players over rookies. Same reason Murphy started over Addison even though Addison is the more accomplished and better all around player. AJE was a luxury pick at our deepest position that was chosen for the future, not to be an immediate contributor. Why are so many people completely deaf to these facts. They are not excuses, this is reality. Is it common for a 2nd round pick to not dress week 1 when injuries were not a factor? No...but its also not common to have no preseason, very little contact, etc in camp. Its also not common that 2nd round picks come into a team positioning for a SB run while playing a position on a team that is as deep as the Bills DE rotation. The AJE not dressing week one is literally a non story in terms of the arc of his career. It was actually not surprising at all to me.

I think the bigger issue is how many times people read stat sheets and draw (incomplete) definitive conclusions on this board. I mean Oliver was getting all kinds of penetration yesterday, especially in the first half. I thought it was one of his better games in terms of disruption. People make big deals out of sack numbers...but if Oliver has 8 - 10 sacks on the season, that will be seen as a big season. But that is literally just 8 to 10 total plays all year...the vast majority of what DT do in the middle don't always burst on the stat sheet. Some insane freaks like Donald pile up the stat sheet, but that is not the only way a DT makes a big impact, or even the most common. So I think people just get frustrated by the hyper focus at times by posters on certain stats vs the context of the game and how they actually played on film. And yesterday, our DL dominated the Jets across the line. Run stuffed, 3 sacks, disrupted Darnold all day, etc. It was quite the team performance, especially with multiple new pieces and no preseason. And Olive played a big role in all of that.

You just knew there were going to be silly threads today...it would not be TSW if not.

Agreed, and with him and Hughes being the only ones with experience in our system, it was pretty easy to see he was likely opening the season as the starter. I do think Addison will eventually take over the duties as a "starter" being a more complete DE and once he shows he is up to speed with our scheme. But at the end of the day, starter designation isnt a big deal as McD loves rotating guys and keeping them fresh. So all 3 will see a lot of reps regardless who is listed as the starter. And this is why AJE was no surprise to not dress week 1...like you pointed out too, the 4th DE spot was never his to grab because Daryl is such a ST ace. So it was up to AJE to overtake Addison essentially, which is pretty silly thing for anyone to think was a legit option for week 1. Bonus point: Jefferson is more of a DE anyway even though they have rotating into the DT area more due to Star opting out, Butler hurt, and Harrison being brought along slowly after his injury (as they should). So they really had him available too to play DE in the event of injuries in game. AJE will get his time...right now, opening the season with 2 divisional games and having quality players ahead of him, I just think the focus and priority is on winning those important games and not developing a 2nd round pick at a position we are so deep at. And its pretty clear, they feel the same.

Man this board is obsessed with releasing Murphy. AJE is a rookie, playing behind 3 vets, 2 of them are pretty damn good too. Gunner pointed out, the 4th spot isn’t up for grabs because of ST contributions. This is not common, but also not a big deal. This is COVID era, no preseason, limited camp reps, etc. They went with the two vets who KNOW our defense in Hughes and Murphy and also the guy they signed as a FA whose been a stud in Addison. How is this so hard for so many people to grasp? If we had losers at DE ahead of him, that would be a concern. But week 1 against a divisional opponent they rolled with their ST ace, our two starters who know the D, and our FA guy whose a double digit sack DE (and also learning the D). Seriously, this is no where near the issue like 99% of the people here are making it out to be. And let’s not forget, McD loves bringing rookies along slow as well. End of the day, AJE was a luxury pick (in terms of this year) at a position we are deep at for the intention of being a guy for our future to take over for our older DEs. It was never about week 1.

having the depth we have at DE is not common. You’re making way too much of this.

Sent you a DM.

For snacks, I made homemade brisket beef jerky and London broil beef jerky yesterday. Then made homemade honey siracha BACON jerky too all on my Traeger smoker. Today, making a full pork loin roast, although cutting into 3 different roasts first since it’s like 2 feet long. This way I can make 3 different flavor profiles for each. Smoking those on the Traeger too. It’s gonna be a good day. The jerky is bomb, but the Bacon jerky is utterly insane meat candy. I need to give some away to my friends today so I don’t eat it all, definitely dont want to eat 2 pounds of bacon lmao.

Why don’t you ask all the young players who were cut because they didn’t have a real opportunity to show what they can do with no preseason and barely any camp contact. The preseason is a lot more about finding your depth players, developing them. It’s not all about getting Patrick Mahomes ready. While highly drafted rookies are almost always safe, it’s the mid round and lower guys down to UDFA that it becomes a bigger uphill battle if they don’t get the opportunity to play in live game situations to make the coaches give more consideration to keeping them over another player. Then there are other new players from highly touted rookies to free agent or trade acquisitions. Some positions need a lot more reps to blend in and find cohesive timing. A RB for example is a pretty easy plug and play spot. But a WR and a QB need as many reps as possible to develop timing. OL players have to be able to gel with the lineman around them is another example. Finally, new coaching staff needs the reps and time to help install an entirely new system and playbooks. So sorry, looking at the best team in football and reigning champs last night with their core roster still intact is NOT an universal application to every other team on whether they needed preseason games. I think we should cut down to 3 or 2 preseason games. 4 is not necessary, but they need at least two, if not 3.

We will be fine. Jets dont exactly have a dominant run game with their weak OL and also all reports so far are that Bell has not looked good in camp and even looks like he lost a step. Bell was always one of those guys that I felt was great because of his OL in Pittsburgh more than his ability as a runner. His patient style works with a good OL, but when the OL isn't strong he needs to create more for himself and burst through small holes before they close. I am not saying he wasn't talented, just that he is no Barry Sanders who can make things happen even with a struggling OL. So, I am not too concerned about the Jets run game, plus I think we have a pretty talented DL overall and will do just fine. Even if we have an inconsistent performance this week stopping those runs up the middle, I think the D will more than make up for it with how good we are else where. For me, I just don't see our DL up the middle being what wins or loses this game. Its more on the offense as a whole for me...both for us and Jets. With no preseason and limited camp, which ever QB can find a groove first will take control of this game. And given Josh is facing a depleted Jets D and Darnold is facing our vaunted defense, its pretty clearly a strong edge right now for Josh before the game kicks-off on who more than likely gets their rhythm flowing this week.

This. AJE May or may not dress week 1. It’s a testament to our talented DL and also impacted by no preseason and very limited camp. It literally means nothing at this stage. AJE has a bright future ahead of him still. But Bills want to start with a win week 1, and rookies with no preseason and very few full contact reps due to COVID are not likely to see much playing time over quality vets ahead of them during this first week. McD has consistently brought rookies along slow in a normal year, this year AJE is a luxury pick essentially given we had good depth there already heading into draft. He’s a pick for the future, to eventually take over for our aging vets at the same position. It was never about him being a force ready to unleash week 1. This is literally just a non-story in the reality of his career regardless of he dresses or not.

Of course Bills D, I have them in both leagues. I was just talking individuals and left off kickers and D. My bad, should have mentioned Bills D, and even Bass is draftable as kickers are so easy to replace. But I really like Moss as a drafted player this year. He's been drafted in every league I am in and every mock I have done, and I only got him in one of my leagues as someone snagged him just before I was going to take him. The reason I like Moss is he is likely going to be a TD guy at the very least. So he should have some flex value compared to other "handcuff" RB's around the league. Plus, all the talk is it sounds like its going to be a situation where both Devin and Moss get a good amount of touches and I expect a similar situation to Chubbs/Hunt or even DeAngelo/Stewart in Carolina were. Means, Moss has potential value even without an injury to Devin. And the final reason is Devin isn't the biggest guy, and already got a little banged up last year. So if he misses any games, Moss could be a weekly beast until Devin returns. I have done 2 drafts so far, and Moss went in round 8 both times. Got a third one tonight, and expect a similar draft slot for him. I wouldn't draft him to lean on, but I do like him a lot as a bench RB grab in rounds 8-10.

Reviews on this years maddens are atrocious. Probably be the first one I skip ever. Bought every madden since the first one came out on Sega Genesis.

In both my drafts Devin went in 4th or 5th round. And for me, I don’t like that value. Personally I went RB, RB, RB in one draft because WR is so deep. And still ended up with Keenan Allen, Devante Parker, and Stefon Diggs as my top 3 WRs, with Brandon Cooks and Diontae Johnson as backups. Also have Mark Andrews at TE. So didn’t need to consider Devin in the mid rounds either. So Devin was a fade for me. Personally, I don’t think Devin will be as good as last year in fantasy. Moss and Allen really hurt his TD work, and I think Moss is more involved than Gore was last year. Plus, our passing game should be even better too. So while I really like Devin the football player, I’m not liking his draft value in fantasy. Now if Moss got hurt, Devin’s value shoots up considerably and vice versa too.

I wasn’t asking because I am worried. Was more just curious after seeing some of the rumblings.

Only 3 worth drafting IMHO is Allen, Diggs, and Moss. Brown still has later round value, but I’ve landed Diggs in all my leagues which takes Brown off the board for me. I faded Singletary. While I expect him to have a good season for the Bills, that doesn’t translate into good fantasy value where he is being drafted. Allen and Moss will keep Devin from being a consistent starter in FFL scoring. Upside is totally capped. Where as Moss I think has more upside because of his TD capabilities and also Devin is smaller build, so if he gets hurt, Moss value will go way up. Brown was great for me last year, and Knox is a potential breakout. But going into the season I faded Brown because I already have Diggs on all my fantasy teams. And Knox, well he’s not really getting drafted, so I have taken better FFL options and will monitor Knox on the waiver wire as a potential add. While I do think Knox will be good for us on the field, I’m not expecting a huge fantasy season from him. With Devin, Moss and Allen, I think we will have a wicked run game inside the redzone. So I think Knox TD opportunities will be limited, plus he’s still learning as a receiver. Not to mention, we have a lot of weapons now. So I don’t see him as a fantasy football consistent TE like some of the other choices available. I much prefer potential breakout guys like Herndon, Hurst, etc