Alphadawg7

I mean he owns the team, of course they talk just for the sake of him being kept in the loop. But in no way do I remotely think Pegula is influencing Beanes decisions in any way or his spending. Pegula is not asking Beane to use “a more cap constrained model”. There is not one shred of evidence of that. This is Beanes team. And the only person he counsels with for input is McD, and even then, make no mistake about it, Beane is the unquestioned final decision maker. Just like how McD has 100% authority over how he coaches the team without Beane trying to influence who he wants to see play more or less. It’s as good of a HC/GM relationship as there is in the league. And Pegula does not at all meddle in either of their business even though (like for any owner) I am sure he is aware of what is happening and being kept in the loop.

I don't think its that black and white and quite honestly there is really zero similarities between the Chiefs decision on JuJu and what the Bills decision on Claypool would be if he has a good season. JuJu was still just JuJu...a mediocre WR on the decline of his career who wasn't worth his contract. He didn't have that good of a season for KC to where they had to bring him back, in fact everyone knew they needed to upgrade from him still and tried through the draft and also needed to save money because of cap issues. If Claypool turns it on here, he has his whole prime years ahead of him, brings so much more to the table than what JuJu was going to bring to KC if they brought him back. So if he has a good season here, it will come down strictly how confident they are in his character moving forward on whether or not they would resign him. Because talent is not the issue as we all know, it's been his immaturity and mentality. He has so much talent Chicago traded a first-round pick during the 2022 season despite the maturity issues he was having with Steelers.

Nobody huh...hmmm...yet the Bills seem to have made this very decision. I mean according to you and everyone who has not stopped talking about DHop here for 2 seasons, he is both available for trade and affordable for the Bills. Yet...wait for it...they signed Claypool rather than trade for a 32 year old WR. So can you really say no one. when again according to all your previous posts, DHop is just sitting there available for a trade if the Bills wanted him. So much so, you have along with so many others said you fully expected the trade. Im not really sure what was confusing for you about my last post. I was talking about now and future benefits...and I very specifically said that it was ONLY if Claypool put it together here because the talent was NOT Claypools issue. I even said if I was a betting man, I would say Hopkins likely has a better year because its no small hill Claypool has to climb, but he is also like WR6 right now, so pretty low risk situation for the Bills with very high upside if it works out. If we were in a ALL IN must win now mode...sure, you take a look at more sure commodities like say a DHop (or maybe someone not so old). But we aren't, and Claypool is the kind of low-risk vs high reward signing that makes sense in a season you have $31M in dead cap for a WR on another team. You are off the deep end and doubling down on this idea that Beane is being cheap under the direction of Pegula and its not even worth discussing further it is so ludicrous. It may be the wildest thing anyone has suggested all offseason, and that says something. And Beane went out and drafted a good WR prospect...and signed a good WR in Samuel to play with another good WR in Shakir with a good receiving TE in Kincaid. We are talking about the bottom half of the WR room right now with Claypool and you act like its where you make or break a SB team. You are being dramatic because you didn't get the WR that YOU wanted when they drafted Coleman. Don't sit here and pretend Beane didn't make moves while handling $31M in CAP tied up in a WR on another team, and he found good depth competition in Hollins, MVS, and Claypool where someone like Claypool has starting level talent if they can help get the kids career back on track. Meanwhile...next year, we have a ton of cap room with Diggs and Vons deals gone and a lot of extra premium draft picks to address whatever positions need to be addressed.

Now you are talking about FA which has nothing to do with what they offer on the field. Claypools talent is undeniable, its does he have the inner fortitude to get past his demons. Claypool at his best brings more size, speed, and youth than Hopkins does today. If you put a gun to my head and said who is more likely to have the better season, its obviously Hopkins because Claypool is an unknown essentially of what you are going to get. But, I prefaced that IF Claypool can get it together here, then he would bring more to the table right now. But it is a big ask, and there are no assurances. And if Claypool has a great season, who says we cant be the one to sign him. We won't have Diggs or Von to pay next year, retaining him if he proves worthy is not a problem. Weren't you critical of the Coleman pick because of his speed, or am I mistaken (honestly not sure)? Because Coleman ran a faster 40 than Hopkins did when he came out at his pro day...and that was before Hopkins was 32 years old. So if speed is your concern, than you should be rooting for Claypool to get his act right here. One, we are in a transition year...there are a lot of unknowns on both sides of the ball. Can we still win it all this year...yes we can if have hit on a lot of those changes and they show that early. But its also not an "All In" season. This is setting the foundation for the next 5 to 7 years of Allens prime, to be a perennial SB contender and hopefully champion. There is no reason to kill a bunch of cap space on an aging player and take reps away from younger players who have more long-term value. And that is what a lot of you miss. We aren't "rebuilding", but we also are not in a position to go "All In" and making moves like we did with Von when we felt a player away. Next year we have a ton of cap space and lots of extra premium draft picks (two 2nds and three 4ths already) for them to now see where we need to start pushing our chips in. If its WR then so be it, they will. If its our pass rush, they will do that too. Maybe its CB where we still don't know if Rasul will still be here then. This is kind of a ridiculous statement and RALPH PTSD. There is absolutely no way Pegula has any influence on this. I mean we are near the top of our cap with $31M in dead money to Diggs alone. Nothing about what we did this year says Pegula closed the check book. This isn't really complicated...we have Hollins, MVS, and Claypool because $31M is tied up in a WR who plays for another team. We used our first-round pick on Keon, our first and 4th last year on Kincaid, and we have a young ascending Shakir. They brought in some vets to pair with the youth that were affordable because again $31M is being taken up by a WR on another team. And more importantly, Beane understands an elite WR1 is NOT in any way been proven to be a prerequisite to win a SB. And if we know one thing, Beane is aggressive...if Josh's weapons prove to not be good enough, Beane has the ammo to make the moves necessary, and will, next year.

It's always worse in the offseason where we don't have a weekly game to spark new stuff. And, all in all this is still light years better than any other board I have seen. Go spend an hour on FinHaven and you will see what hell really looks like.

I mean Hollins and Claypool I would say are hard to pin down. Hollins when given a big role and playing with Carr put up a pretty good season. Claypool started his career off with back-to-back seasons over 850 yards playing with the ghost of Big Ben as the WR3 before his immaturity derailed his career. Both are in the best situations of their career now with both an elite QB and opportunity to get on the field. MVS...meh, he is what he is. Claypool has undeniable talent and has starter potential...where Hollins is probably suited to be a role player who brings his most value in blocking and ST.

I am doubtful any move like this is made until they see what the group of Hollins, Claypool, and MVS look like when the pads go on and things intensify. If Claypool can get it together here, he has a lot more to offer now and moving forward than Hopkins. If the WR's are consistently struggling or there is a big injury, Hopkins feels like a potential candidate if Beane feels he needs to make a move as preseason rolls on.

No one is debating that Shakir has to show he can go to another level this year. JAGS do not have potential...they are guys who don't do anything particularly well or great. They are guys who you know exactly what they are and have established that already. Shakir may not YET be a "star", but he sure is heck is not YET a JAG either. By your definition every rookie in this past draft is a JAG because none of them have proved otherwise yet. McKenzie, Zay Jones, Kumerow, Isabella, etc...these guys are JAGS.

How many playoff games have either of those teams won? Miami really? That is the model you want to follow? In 2 years with the fastest roster in NFL history and one of the best groups of weapons in all of the NFL they have managed to only beat 2 teams in 2 seasons with a .500 or better record. They have not won their division, and blew a 4 game lead with 5 games to go this year with 2 guys who at one point were in the MVP convo in Tua and Hill this year. They have not even won a playoff game. They are the blue print for what not to do and I actually doubt if they can even make the playoffs this year. Last year, with Tua and 6 games to go, they lost 5 in a row. Tua missed the final game of the season where a 3rd string QB came in and snapped the 5 game skid to sneak into the playoffs otherwise they wouldn't have even made the playoffs. They then again barely made the playoffs this past season again and now this year, they have a worse roster than last year. There are plenty of places to where we can and will need to put the money. There are people on the team who will have contract decisions looming over next 2 seasons like Groot, Shakir, Kincaid, Cook, Brown, etc within 1 to 2 years. What are we going to do a Cornerback if we don't extend Rasul? What about an elite pass rusher? Or a big time DT to replace DaQuan at some point here shortly? We still aren't set at Safety. Now, if our WR room proves to be lacking this season, absolutely I can see Beane being aggressive next season at WR. But if our offense is humming with this group, you don't just go sink a ton of cap space into it for the sake of doing it when there are other areas we can also upgrade and young players who if they keep ascending this year we are going to need to start thinking about locking them up too.

Im not picking one trivial stat, I gave you two very impressive stats that JAGS around the league don't come anywhere near accomplishing. A lot...he was our best WR in the Brady era and led the team in receiving while Brady was the OC. Shakir also had 2 TD's in the postseason and the one aginst the Steelers was not only incredible and one of the best plays of the year, but it sealed the win for us. Check his reel out from last year, these are big impactful plays including the Steelers TD. He has a nickname of Deebo Lite because he was such a beast after the catch. He made a bunch of big plays for us last year, not just some random easy catches anyone makes. SHAKIR 2023 HIGHLIGHTS Who led the team in receiving after Brady took over? Shakir. Shakir - 438 yards, 2 TD Diggs - 388 yards, 1 TD With the game on the line against KC on the final drive, who did Bills and Allen look too...Diggs or Shakir? Shakir Im just confused how you can simultaneously say he has a lot of potential and also call him a JAG. That doesn't make any sense, I mean by your take you might as well call Marvin Harrison Jr. a JAG too since he hasn't proven he isn't one to your standards. Obviously, we need to see what he does this year in a more expanded role, so I am not crowning him yet even though I fully believe he will take another step this year. But to call him a JAG right now is crazy to me.

Leading all NFL WR's in catch % and yards per target by a large margin is not something JAGS typically do. Labeling a young ascending player who excelled as soon as he got the reps half way through his 2nd season a JAG makes no sense what so ever. And Samuel has on multiple occasions put up more receptions than Gabes best season while playing with JAG QB's while Davis had Allen in a pass heavy offense his whole career. If you want to say Shakir is still unproven in an expanded role, sure that is fair. To say he is a JAG because we had an idiot OC in Dorsey who didn't use him much the first season and a half of his career isn't really a fair labeling or analysis of him.

We do have the extra ammo between having two 2nd round picks and three 4th round picks right now if Beane wants to make a move next year either for a player or move around the draft. However, I can't see us making a move for DK unless the top end of the WR room underwhelms this year...which is obviously possible as this group is untested as a unit. But, if Keon makes an impact and Shakir takes another step along with Kincaid, I am doubtful he makes a big splash move for a WR. I think its more likley with Von's deal gone we might see Beane make a move for a proven pass rusher next year.

In years past, with a deep and talented roster Beane has found some value for a guy who either finished further down the depth chart at a crowded position or was someone that they were going to cut. But this year is a little bit different with a bigger mix of vets and youth than we have seen in the past, so it's a bit harder to project right now. We also have three 4th round picks next year, which might open up the possibility for Beane to pull the trigger to bolster somewhere if another team makes an interesting player available as we also have a little cap flexibility too. So, is there anyone or even a positional group on the roster where you think Beane may try and trade someone out and get a little value for? And do you think Beane may make a trade to bolster a positional group, and if so, which one?

Meaning you are on the more common reaction side of not loving the Coleman pick...like how preferring Rosen was the more popular stance over Allen. You are just furthering my point agreeing that all these "analysts" have done no where near the work NFL Scouting departments have, don't have the skills, and draw off a few other hobbiest who made a website for people like us to read. And every argument you made against Coleman was quoting one of these analysts who you just said rarely do their own analysis in the first place and mostly base it on highlight videos. None of this matters...we will see what Coleman can or can't do soon enoughj

Yet, your view put you in the minority. Ironically, your view now puts you in the pro-Rosen camp in that comparison this time. Wrong. That is how you get just more OPINIONS from less informed and less qualified football fans who turned their fanhood into a website to make some money. They do not have remotely close the "research" that the Bills scouting department does nor do they have even a fraction of the time scouting them. Doesn't mean that they can never be right, just means the info they provide is not better info than professional scouts who have more data, more time, more skills, and more experience. So I guess that means 70% of this board are pro-scout level analysts because they too thought EJ Manuel was a bad pick and was gonna suck. Second of all, It is fine that you have a different opinion of Keon, but don't start making up false facts to sell your opinion...you have literally no idea what insights pro-scouts had on Manuel because the NFL and their pro-scouts do not share their notes publicly. So to say they produced insights that "no pro scout produced" is a totally baseless claim. Personally, I feel like most often the people who feel the need to prove an unproven rookie who has never stepped on the field won't be good are doing so more so because they are more vested in being right and want to say "see I told you so". And of course, they never bring up all the other rookies they were wrong about either, they just like to revel in the guesses that they guessed right on. We will see what Coleman does or doesn't do this season...but for me, there is nothing anyone has put in writing today, good or bad, that I trust to predict this kids future. Trying to come up with a conclusive decision of how good or bad he can be today before he has played one snap of NFL football is a fools game. And no matter how down you want to be on a player because of something you read on some website, there is still a lot of positives analysis on him and potential you are choosing to ignore instead of just looking forward to seeing what he can do.

Keep in mind probably 75% of this board and most the "analysis" said...even yelled..."Wrong Josh" too. So the real lesson is that it is nobody really knows, that is why they play the games. And given most these people loved Coleman before his combine 40 time again tells me they are over valuing what was not even his best 40 time, but also one of the least important stats in the first place for measuring on field live game speed And I don't agree with the contested-catch theory being disproved, that was significantly impacted by how Florida St use him and Wilson last year. So I do not at all agree it is flat out false, especially coming from PFF.

Agreed and posted it already here in this thread which is what brought this thread back up as I started it beginning in April right after Diggs was traded. It’s a really good watch for sure. Imagine if Moulds had better QBs

I disagree. One, most “draft profile sites” are not run by real scouts and are mostly born out of fantasy football fans and research who made a job out of their passion. Which is fine, but they aren’t the definitive source, don’t have anything close to the data, info, interviews, or even skills to really accurately break these guys down, otherwise they would be working in the NFL. In the NFL scouts were split on him, but there were a lot of them who felt he was one of the most ready to contribute early, and a lot of that has to do with his high football IQ and how much a junkie he is for football, learning, and development. Doesn't mean he doesn’t have things to work on to excel on the field, but that’s true for every rookie coming into the NFL, it’s more about do they do enough fundamentals correctly to where you can spend more time getting them ready for the NFL vs having to build the kid up first. And Coleman checks a lot of boxes for a lot of people. Even Beane praised things like his footwork and understanding of the game as traits they saw in him and how he could come in and play the X this year. Truth is…if you disagree with the Keon pick and doubt him then you can find all the confirmation bias on the internet you want for that. If you think it’s a good pick and are excited for him, you can also find all the confirmation bias you want on the internet, because people were spilt on him. But…the thing that stands out for me is that MANY of the sites negative on him were NOT negative on him until after he ran his 40 at the combine. What that tells me is that they aren’t grading him on all the data, they are letting the combine 40 paint a picture and tell a story where now they are fitting the narrative around that. They aren’t factoring where he excelled or his much faster 40 at his pro day, etc. There were a lot of people who had him a lock for the first and ahead of guys like Thomas until his 40 time. And it’s why Beane said “good” when he didn’t put this best 40 time at the combine because it would make it easier to get him.

Exactly…but lots of people here couldn’t get over the incomplete pass in the playoffs bs the Dolphins and decided to over look that and exaggerate the tiniest sample size of a rookie and make it a thing. Not only was it a narrative leading up to the season where I had to keep defending Shakir, but it persisted into the season as well. I put this thread up early in the season this year and still was getting this false narrative of he can’t catch among other things. Lot of doozy takes in this thread and fun read ha Shakir should be given some of Gabe’s snaps…prove me wrong

Yeah, it was a pretty remarkable stat…especially for a guy so many people told me earlier in the year “couldn’t catch” lol.

He’s already penciled into job though, he’s not so much battling for it like how say Hollins, Claypool, and MVS are battling for their place in the pecking order. He would have to either get hurt or have a pretty disastrous camp for someone in the bottom half of the WR room to over take him while they simultaneously had a sensational camp. And Coleman was one of the more NFL ready WRs in the draft and has already shown early signs that make the concept of him having a disastrous camp feel pretty unlikely. So you’re not wrong, he hasn’t proven anything, but he’s shown enough that the idea that anyone but him will be playing the X WR1 position week 1 feels pretty unlikely.

I put this thread up early in the season last year calling for more Shakir and less Davis...some interesting takes in here hahahaha Shakir needs to be given some of Gabe's snaps...prove me wrong

He was #1 in catch % amongst all WR's in the NFL, the guys ahead of him were RB's. And it paid off...so now its time to go to the next level

Ha, I didn’t realize it wasn’t more widely known. I knew just from various press conferences or interviews like this one where it was just casually mentioned in the past. But I do also listen to like every Beane or McD interview as well as some of the players like Allen, Diggs, etc or any of the team/player pieces like embedded and the recent Shakir and Moulds piece. My wife teases me all the time about it and says “well there’s worse things you could be addicted to” hahaha

Im not sure which one of your guys comments I laughed harder at…the box art or the Taylor Swift. Bravo…both of you win the internet today 😂😂😂 One of the few people ever who I could say with confidence was gonna be a bust before ever stepping on a football field. I was praying we weren’t dumb enough to draft this guy. When you are that big of a deuche there is only one outcome lol