Alphadawg7

I still think Duke has a legit shot to make the week 1 roster. Locks are obvious...Diggs, Brown, Beasley. Near locks are also obvious...Davis and Roberts. But I think they keep 6, and even though Hodgins has flashed too, I just do not think in a season with no preseason and a very limited camp they will keep two rookies on the active roster each week, especially with COVID being a threat to knock anyone out ahead of them and forcing them into more playing time. IMO, I think its more likely Hodgins will go to PS and a 6th WR will be kept out of Duke, McKenzie, and Foster...and Foster is missing time again, McKenzie is more a gadget specialist that we have other guys who can already run those plays. Duke at least represents a larger catch radius for Redzone and third down possessions. So, if one of those 3 are kept, I think Duke may be creating some momentum for his case right now. Its nothing against Hodgins, I am quite intrigued by him and I love what I am hearing about him so far, but just think its going to be a long road for him to make the roster under this years circumstances and the depth of talent we have in the room now. Think this camp favors the player who knows the offense already and system when there is a close battle. And McD and his staff tend to like to bring rookies along slower and I can see more of a Foster like path for Hodgins where he starts on the PS and will get his shot potentially later in the year if one of the other guys get hurt or are not getting the job done. I don't really care either way, I just want them to make the best moves for the team, and Beane and McD earned my full trust in them, so whatever they decide is fine with me too.

Remember all the reports of Mahomes INT's in his first training camp as the starter just before he won MVP. LOL. Never understood the over reaction, good and bad, to just some drills and camp work. There has never been a QB who started a full season thats thrown 0 interceptions. But with Josh, every time he throws one in practice or a game its made into this huge deal by certain people on this board or the media as if its happening at a league leading rate, which its no where close to that.

Agreed. Can’t believe we are still talking about Clowney for two full off seasons because some unsubstantiated twitter rumors 18 months ago. If he was coming to Buffalo, he would already be here and we wouldn’t have signed two good DE’s and drafted a stud prospect. People need to move on. Clowney ain’t coming to Buffalo this year and Tupac ain’t making a resurrection.

He probably could have as a bell cow RB getting a lot of carries. But 1000 yards isn't that special anymore and he would have likely barely broken 1000 yards and our run game would have been less effective. I have no issue with Gore saying this, I mean 1000 yards is only 62.5 yards per game. As long as Gore did not get hurt, he definitely could have put up 63 yards a game as a feature runner. HOWEVER...63 yards a game would have been a pretty weak run game, which is why they switched to Devin to get more pop, more chunk yards, fresh legs, etc. And Gore was very respectful about it, he was not complaining, just talking about what he believes his own abilities were last year. Gore was a class act here IMO and was just him stating he felt he was still capable of 1000 yard season last year despite his age. And he's not wrong about that IMO, although, his 1000 yard season would have meant a lesser overall run offense for us because Devin was the fresher and better option the 2nd half of last year for the team.

Yup, and that’s why you can’t rely only on stat sheets. And I agree and even said in another post in this thread that I think they bring Harry along slowly because we have great depth and he won’t have the benefit of a full camp (in terms of true football work due to COVID restrictions) or a preseason to really test his recovery and work his way back. I will also say, I’ve never trusted a coaching staff and front office staff as much as I trust this one. So totally agree there too

They dont have to rush Harry back because we have a lot of versatile players that can contribute to the rotation as well. So I expect they will bring Harry along slowly to assure no set backs because he wont have the benefit of a full camp and preseason to really test it or gain his confidence that he's fully past the injury. My guess, is Harry starts the year off in the 2nd unit rotation and then by mid season the main starters will be Harry and Ed moving forward. The one good thing like I said and we all already know, is we have a deep DL overall and several versatile players. So the "starting" designation won't be that important as McD loves versatility and having fresh guys that he can rotate around down there in the trenches.

Jordan Phillips didn't emerge to make a real impact until AFTER Harry was hurt. This shows just how uninformed you are and that you really have no idea what you are ever talking about. Jordan philips has 2 tackles TOTAL, no sacks, no QB pressures, no passes defended, and was a rotational guy BEHIND Harry while Harry was playing. So I say AGAIN...Harry when he got hurt was playing very well and was playing as our best DT at the time of his injury. So try again sport...because you've missed on every bullet you've tried to fire.

Oh yes, the old I don't really know football so I just quote stat sheets reply. Got it. Try watching him play instead of reading stat sheets. Football is analyzed on game tape, not stat sheets...especially with a DT whose impact is not always felt on the stat sheet. He also had 2 pass defended too that you left out by the way.

What are you talking about? He was playing very well and was arguably our best DT last year before getting hurt. I’m convinced you don’t watch the games or are just always trying to stir the pot on every topic for your own amusement.

If this was a normal year, I would say its 50-50 given House Money not being so "money" the last 2 years in consistency and also some diminished power it would appear. Given the lack of preseason, I think it heavily favors the veteran over the rookie. Going into a year with such big expectations, its going to be hard to put something so important into the hands of a rookie without having the forum for him to earn his stripes. No preseason, and not much contact even in practice before the season begins is going to make it really hard for any rookie that wasn't drafted in the first 3 or 4 rounds, to crack NFL rosters of good teams. The one thing that Bass has going for him though is that Haushka likely wont have a ton of interest on the open market and quite possibly wont get signed. So if the rookie struggles early, they could potentially bring back Haushka during the season, or a comparable veteran kicker. Still, while I personally think I would like to see the rookie win the job, I still think it will be a lot harder this year under these circumstances. Haushka last year wasn't terrible, but he also wasn't good enough to be safe either.

I respectfully disagree on it making sense. I get your points, and good reply, but here are my counter points to this. To be clear, I would not at all be upset if we signed Clowney, I am saying it just does not make sense anymore after our off season. They are NOT going to sign Clowney for more than a year, thats what you are missing. The priority is to save cap space to retain other players. So no, it does not make sense to sign Clowney, because those "age" concerns are not relevant this year. Clowney didn't even out produce Murphy last year, let alone out play Addison or Hughes. So for this year, we are stacked at DE and have a stud rookie to mix in and develop as well. Johnson isnt an unknown, and he narrowly out produced Clowney on the same Seahawk team last year. He may not be as established as the guys ahead of him, but he is definitely not an unknown and more than capable to be a key part of the rotation with the upside to be even more. This is why outside of fan desire, it does not make football sense for the Buffalo Bills to sign him right now in terms of need. The only exception would be to sign him to a longer deal, but that has 0% chance of happening. One, Beane will never give him what he wants in order to sign a long term deal because his focus is on retaining White, Milano, then Edmunds, and Allen in the next couple of years. Two, the only way Beane would do that is if Clowney took a MASSIVE cut in what he is looking for, and 0% Clowney does that. He is looking for the best one year deal so he can prove his lofty price tag he is seeking. So again, there is just no way Clowney will be a Bill at any point this year barring injuries IMO. Beane could prove me wrong, but I just don't see it. Nor do I see Buffalo being at all attractive to Clowney...not because its the Bills, but because there is a lot of talent at DE already and he would be in a rotation here, not featured. He wants to go somewhere he can put up big stats and be on the field a lot in order to get a big payday. Another 3 or 4 sack season and his search for a big contract will be all but lost. He needs to hit at least 9, and preferably double digits for the first time in his career in order to get anywhere close to what he wants. And yes I know he makes a bigger impact than just "sacks", but when you want his kind of money he is seeking, you need the stats to get the check.

Man, I just love our Front Office.

It’s definitely not Clowney. One, that likely leaks. Two, if it was, they wouldn’t bring him in with several other guys. Three, we have a log jam of talent at DE already, just makes no sense to bring in Clowney. If it’s big guys for DL, it’s likely depth at DT given Star opted out and Horrible Harry hasn’t stepped into any action yet coming off a big injury last year so may want some depth insurance for camp until they see how he is recovering and looks along with the other new pieces they already signed. My guess it’s nothing more than maybe some camp body depth, especially if they want to ease Horrible Harry along slowly given the lack of reps this year before week 1.

hahaha don’t know why but this made me laugh and love this meme

yes also a great point

This. Well said. Its going to devalue the first round and substantially increase the value of the other rounds. It’s going to creat an opportunity for talented front offices identify talent that didn’t get a chance to rise to the top because they didn’t play this year but were likely headed for a breakout. I love our front office and firmly believe we will have a significant advantage going into the draft over a majority of the teams in the league at finding this talent. And when I say majority, I’m not implying there are some teams better than us at it, saying there are some other well run front offices too where neither us or them has an “advantage” over each other. But that small elite group of front offices as a whole will have an edge over the less talented front offices at scouting talent and finding gems throughout the draft.

All good responses and an original good right up. 1. I hear ya on the comparison there, and you're not wrong about the description of both guys. But I think Yeldon has the edge because he knows the offense. Jones has the edge on rushing ability, and Yeldon has the slight edge on pass catching ability. And given Devin and Moss will be carrying the rock as runners predominantly, I think Yeldon's gadget value as a receiver and his edge of knowing the offense gives him that slight lead over Jones. But of course, it will all come down to what they show in camp. With this unique year, in close positional battles, I tend to give the edge to player with the most experience in our system. Had this season been normal, I would 100% agree with you on Jones having the upper hand. 2. I totally get where you are coming from on Smith, and it all makes sense and I know the coaches like his leadership. But at some point, his value as a player on the field compared to the upside of a younger player with promise has to come into play. And I think Sweeney showed enough last year and has a lot of upside still to have a leg up on a one dimensional player on the field in Smith. Plus, while a blocking specialist, he has probably been our worst offender, or at least one of them, in terms of dumb penalties. 3. We are obviously pretty close on Harrison, but like I said, Star opting out pretty much locks Horrible Harry in regardless if he still is working his way to his old self again. Too much talent to let go of, especially with a roster spot on the DL opening up with Star opting out, even if he has some slight ill effects from his injury. Especially given it may take a little more time for any player this year to get back to 100% with such a limited camp, they know that, and will give him the time. So while we are mostly on the same page with him, he's in my mind a 100% unless he has some kind of significant setback that will cost him significant time.

I agree with most of this. Couple notes: I would have put TJ Yeldon in Blue as I think he likely makes the roster. They obviously wont keep just 2 RB's when one is a rookie. They tend to want to bring rookies along at a slower pace, and while I am certain Moss likely starts week 1 as Devin's backup, I still think they will want a veteran in that room given Devin still only has one season under his belt with this being a no preseason and COVID impacted camp. I think I would swap Sweeney and Smith in the red and blue. I think Sweeney showed enough last year to have a leg up on Lee who doesn't offer much outside of blocking and has struggled with penalties while in Buffalo. Especially with Kroft healthy and being their as a vet presence around Knox and Sweeney. Harrison Phillips is a Lock, especially with Star opting out. He was our best DT before getting hurt last year, and they love this guy. I wouldn't have him in Blue Outside of that, I would have put the list together the same everywhere else.

My bad, didnt mean to include a *spoiler* ha. But yeah, I just love football and enjoy all the behind the scenes about the players, their lives, whats going on with the pandemic, how they are all handling it. Based on this thread, seems others just want to see football plays only, which is fine and their preference. But Hard Knocks for me has always been about so much more than "football" itself, and thoroughly enjoy the series and never find it boring. Honestly, one of my favorite parts of the overall series history is watching the coaches and how they each handle their teams. And this year has two good ones as I very much like both HC's.

Great move! Now Beane!

I too have loved hard knocks since it’s debut. And this year will be even more interesting IMO, seeing on the inside how teams are handling this pandemic. Loved the first episode. My absolute favorite part of episode one was watching Ramsey not give into the media pushing him for a click bait quote about his contract. Thought he was quite mature in his response. To me, this sheds a lot of light IMO in how media tries to shape the public perception of a player. Ramsey has often put his foot in his mouth as a young cocky player having a lot of success. No doubt about that. At the end of the day, these players often start to mature and learn from these mistakes, but the media never wants that to happen and they want to keep pushing that narrative constantly. So major kudos for Ramsey taking a stand and not falling for it giving into the bait they were trying to ram (pun intended lol) down his throat. Living in LA, all I’ve really heard is very high praise for him in the locker room as a teammate and a leader. I know some people within the Rams organization too who have nothing but great things to say. Like Diggs...media is gonna probably try and get sound bites out of him at times because he voiced some stuff or posted some cryptic stuff while in Minnesota. But sometimes, all that’s needed is a change of scenery for a player. As a hardcore Bills fan, and a Rams fan as my second team living in LA, I have given them both a clean slate on their new teams in terms of being “potential distractions” and everyone else should too IMO. Obviously if any of the old shenanigans start to resurface at any point, then of course it’s fair to continue to question their character again. But I honestly don’t think either will be a problem with their respective new teams.

Hmmmm...yet I know several nurses working exhausting and insane hours in packed hospitals from COVID. So maybe take your own advice, try looking at media other than Faux News, Breitbart, and OANN...all fake news sites...and also stop taking idiots on twitter as facts.

IMO Duke > McKenzie. What do we even need McKenzie anymore for? He's only a gadget player, and we have a number of people on this team who can handle those gadgety routes. He's really small and never made any real impact other than a cool play 2 or 3 times a year. I want to score points, and I would rather have a big target who can high point passes or be physical in the Redzone vs a small gadget guy that rarely touches the ball. I have nothing against McKenzie, but this is a rebuilt WR core and I just don't get the roster spot he would take up in those listing him as making the final roster. I don't feel like he brings enough to the table to justify beating out some of the other guys that are in the locker room, including Duke. My way too early WR depth chart predictions: Locked up: Diggs, Brown, Cole. Starting outside guys and slot are 100% locked barring injury. Highly likely to make the cut: Roberts (for his ST contributions), Gabriel Davis. If we keep only 5, those above are certainly the most likely to be the 5. 6th WR spot: Duke, McKenzie, Hodgins, Easley. For me, Duke has the edge here, and Hodgins is the most intriguing given he's a rookie. I also would not count out Easley, they keep bringing him back, so they seem to like him. And with the rest our WR group upgraded and bigger already, he could sneak in as a backup slot WR if he shows out in camp. NOTE: Roberts will likely be 6th on the depth chart IMO, so technically who ever wins this "6th spot" will probably be ahead of Roberts either week 1 or sometime during the season IMO. My final prediction (we keep 6): Diggs, Brown, Cole, Davis, Duke, Roberts. Hodgins and Easley go to PS I think less experienced players like rookies and Easley are going to be hurt by not having a preseason and as much prep time. Duke has a year in our system and some reps with Josh. The team seems to really love Duke in the locker room as well, so do the coaches. He plays with an edge to him as well. So, for me, do not underestimate the lack or prep time to players new to this team. Its going to be MUCH harder to make the roster this year for later round rookies and UDFA rookies than its ever been due to the deep and talented roster coupled with the impact of COVID on reps and opportunities.

I wasn't in that crowd, I liked Gilmore and would have preferred to have kept him, but at the same time, it didnt make sense given the plans of the FO.

I never said it was a talent thing. I said his play then was not at the same level it is now in NE. He is widely considered the best CB in the NFL right now, and not one person outside his parents would have called him the best DB in the NFL during his time with the Bills is all I was saying. But my overall point was you just dont spend big on a DB just before you tear it all down and clear out the cap in a full rebuild.