Alphadawg7

Yeah Kelvin was there for me too...he bothered me less though as it was clear he would be gone soon as we were about to start a rebuild. There is no amount of hypnosis that could have made Trent a good NFL QB.

First, you said 2021...but now you are using 2020. So this is the wrong year Second, I disagree 2021 Diggs and 2023 Diggs were that much different in terms of his individual ability. The real difference was Daboll vs Dorsey/Brady combo. A passing system designed by Dorsey and Daboll is like comparing Olive Garden to a restaurant in Italy. Under Brady, Diggs usage was completely different, but people want to translate that to Diggs losing a step, which is a false leap in logic. Brady went away from chunk feeding Diggs and the deep ball, and instead spread the ball around more and then elected to run more than throw. Furthermore, the 2021 offense had its own lull under Daboll until he finally made some changes. They finally realized Sanders was declining and the offense was better with Davis on the field down the stretch. He discovered that Knox was actually a good redzone weapon and finally started using him as such. And he realized having no run game was a bad thing at half time of the Bucs loss where were getting blown out but nearly came back and won in the 2nd half after getting Devin involved. He would then use Devin a lot more and the down the stretch and the offense improved. Third, Kincaid is more of a receiver than he is a TE. Talent for talent, last years offense was the best group Allen has had to work with. Better OL, better running backs, better run game, better group of weapons between Diggs, Kincaid, Davis, and Shakir as the top 4 guys. People need to stop leaving Kincaid out of the receiving weapons group just because it doesn't say "WR" as his position when his primary role here is to catch passes. The offense is so much more than just "receivers"...and I know you know that.

To be clear, my coward comment was not so much about him being afraid to get hit...but afraid to make mistakes. And he was playing that way before getting the concussion against the Cardinals. Its why is nicknames here were things like "Trentative"..."Captian Checkdown"..."Glove Wearing Merry"...etc. He just wasn't tough enough mentally, physically, and didn't have the heart it takes to be a field general out there on Sundays.

Nobody said things cant change...but there is a difference of "expecting" the less likely and just "wanting" or "wishing" for it. Not sure how you can say that...I mean it's already been confirmed he will play the X WR1 role for this team, and this year. And not just by Beane either. Trading down has nothing to do what role he was drafted to be. They already said there were multiple guys they felt good about when they made the trade down...the trade down was literally Beane's plan coming into the draft to pick up a 3rd which he both coveted and got. That move is in no way the indication of what role they perceive the player drafted to be, and I am not sure how one can even draw that conclusion. Not only is Samuel not playing the X WR1 role, he may not even out snap Shakir who Beane, McD, Allen, Palmer, Moulds, and others have all been gushing about. So it's really about they didn't draft the WR1 you wanted so you are assuming the WR1 they did draft in Keon is somehow not going to play WR1 for us. There were no large FA WR's out there that made sense for the Bills after Diggs was traded. We took on a $31M dead cap hit moving Diggs this year. It was always going to be done through the draft to keep the cap hit down because $31M was also already tied up in the "WR1" position this season. Beane didn't set out to "replace" Diggs and Davis. That is where a lot of you are just backwards on the WR situation. They didn't go out and try and find a Davis and Diggs clone. He went out and looked to build a diverse room with size, hands, route running, toughness, etc. When they selected Keon, it was to come in and compete to be our WR1. And thus far, he has done nothing but impress on and off the field to everyone around him. Beane, McD, Allen, Brady, etc have all publicly stated he is playing the X, the WR1 role on this team. Now...if he goes out and stinks up camp or preseason and leaves doubt he can handle the role, then sure, Beane may change course and rethink the situation. But today, he is here to be the WR1, they have made that pretty clear. Yeah, the plan was to draft his replacement...which he did. No doubt, Beane left some ammo in the chamber if needed. Every good GM would, you never know what may come up. What does that have to do with anything? That capital has less value right now than it will after the season. This just points further to the likeliness of doing so this year (when we have $31M dead cap on Diggs alone) makes less sense and why a move in the future makes more sense. Again, something Beane has also stated. JAGs at RB? You mean Cook who just put up over 1200 yards and had a bunch more yards and receptions on top of that? And that was with Brady only being here the final 7 games. Davis isn't a JAG either...he is a rookie, many had as one of the better RBs in the draft (I had him 3rd on my board). So not sure how we have JAGS at RB...and sorry, Keon is not a JAG either...he is a rookie. For you to declare a guy who was not only taken in the first 33 picks, but had the Pats trying to move up into the first to get him as a JAG before taking his first NFL snap is just ridiculous. He may prove to be a JAG...but he also may prove to be a top 10 WR over his career. He is a rookie...nobody knows what he is. Kincaid put up 81 receptions as a rookie...so he is a JAG too? You know he is a receiving weapon for Allen too right? Shakir led the NFL in YPT, Catch rate, and was a YAC machine to the point his nickname by many is Deebo Lite. And that was again, with Brady only being here 7 games last year and the playoffs...same stretch where Shakir led the team in receiving. That is a lot of young talent to just blatantly label "JAGS"...You and I have very different definitions of JAGS. And no disrespect, but what qualifications do you have to make that determination for this roster over Beane? That was your opinion based on some highlight films you watched, not on a season long study, interviews, etc of these players or from the perspective of what Beane wanted to add to our locker room. FWIW, I was a big McConkey guy too...I had him as WR5 on my board and Keon as WR6. But fit wise, I thought Keon was a better fit for what the Bills needed in their WR room over McConkey. Not if Keon proves to lock down the WR1 role...and there in lies the issue. You have conclusively condemned Keon's career to be no better than a WR2...so much so, that you can't even accept that he will even play the WR1 role this season despite all his coaches and GM saying he will. And look, we don't know the future, Keon could be best as a WR2 or even a total bust in general...or he could be the next DeAndre Hopkins as well. Thats the thing, its always foolish to decide a rookies fate (good or bad) before he ever steps on a field. And I am not worried about the contracts of other WR's because I think its more likely Beane would attack the WR position again via the draft, especially with the extra capital we have next year, if the WR room proves to be a problem this year. End of the day...we had a top 3-5 guy in Diggs for 4 seasons and got past the 2nd round once. I for one am looking forward to seeing this group together on the field.

My original picks, and still my top 2 picks are Trent Edwards and Hackett. But I have what may be a controversial runner up to Trent as a player...Ryan Fitzpatrick...or as I used to call him when he was our starter...FitzCraptrick, FitzPick, or FitzPickSix. I think the guy I wanted to be gone the most, maybe even more than Trent (I just respected Trent a LOT less which is why I went with Trent in my top spot), was Fitz. Let me be clear, I love Fitz now and as a person, and even did back then. But I LOATHED him on the field...because he was the definition of Purgatory. He was not good enough to make us a winner...and he wasn't bad enough for us to lose enough games to get a high pick to draft a real QB prospect. When we gave him that contract I almost threw up, I was so disgusted by that as I knew it just locked us into 6 to 8 wins a season for the foreseeable future. His contract removed hope out of not only that season but the subsequent seasons after. Worse yet, were the Fitz defenders around here who wanted to argue until blue in the face he was a good QB. Fitz was a good backup QB, but a poor starting QB...he was the guy who could get hot and win you a couple games (like say Foles did to help Eagles win a SB)...but you were screwed if you needed to lean on him as a long term starter. And if memory serves me, I think only the Bills were foolish enough to roll with him as their dedicated starter more than 1 season. Few other honorable mentions - Players: Kelvin Benjamin - Leads the NFL in not caring by a mile...just a fat waste of space. Zay Jones - My "Calling it now" Zay Jones thread was one for the ages...this guy sucked and I absolutely hated watching him run sloppy route after sloppy route just to drop so many passes when he actually did run a proper route. He managed to get some marginal year end stats as the team was saddle with trash to throw to, but he sucked and I hated watching him play. Kyle Orton - This was one of the hardest times to watch Bills football, it was just an awful product on the field. Coaches: Rex, Juaron, Marrone - I echo all the same sentiments as everyone else on these trash cans. Frazier - I just couldn't stomach is soft as Charmin defense anymore. I wanted him gone after 2021 and every offseason there after with how anemic his defense was in big games. Best part of last offseason was hearing Frazier wasn't coming back.

Huh? Last year was probably the best overall talent around Allen since being a Bill. And its honestly not close when you factor in the run game. Diggs and Davis both still here (as they were in 2021), Kincaid had 81 receptions as a rookie (and on a team that had a 160 targets go to one player in Diggs), Shakir led the NFL in YPT, Catch rate, and was a YAC machine, Cook rushed for over 1200 yards and we still had Knox, the starting TE in 2021. Allen had better weapons overall and a better running game around him. Not to mention, last year was also probably his best OL as well.

Ive been saying this a while now and I think it is going to lead to what will be seen as Allens best season of his career and a legit shot at the MVP as a result. Coleman, Shakir, Samuel, and Kincaid are going to already be a formidable group who can attack the defense all over the field and have YAC ability too. Hollins and Chase already getting high praise (but its early) and MVS brings speed and championship experience as well. Then you still have Knox and our RB's as pass catchers as well. Outside the pass game, you still have Cook who just put up nearly a 1300 yard rushing season and a rookie Davis who I think is going to be a stellar addition to this team. And of course, we have maybe the most dangerous QB on the run in NFL history in Allen still under center...and when I say dangerous, that includes not only how great he is as a runner both short and long runs, but his overall escapability and his ability to extend plays with his feet. WILDCARD: Chase Claypool. I wouldn't normally be so intrigued by someone like Chase, but the talent he has is legit and he is still young and already proved he can succeed in the NFL from a talent perspectie as a starting WR given he had over 850 yards both his first 2 seasons despite playing with a broken down Big Ben and really was the 3rd option on those teams. If this kid can get his head on straight and say work his way up into replacing Davis opposite Coleman, this offense could be wild. Twin towers on the outside with guys like Kincaid, Shakir, and Samuel wreaking havoc over the middle and in the short to mid areas of the field all day would be hard to stop, especially with having to worry about our run game or Allen taking off.

I mean Beane has already flat out said he isn't trading for a WR, so not sure why you still "expect" it rather than more just "wish" for it. He even mocked the WR obsessed crowd in a recent interview saying "You know its legal for the TE's to catch passes too right". So I am not sure why anyone would be "expecting" it at this point...sure anything is possible, but to "expect" something that really seems unlikely at this stage is just an odd stance to me. We drafted our WR1 in Keon, everyone on the team from Allen, McD, Beane, to guys not officially with the team like Palmer, Moulds, etc have all raved about about Shakir, and we signed Samuel to a 3 year deal to go along with Kincaid who had 81 receptions as a rookie despite the fact there was a WR on this team who saw 160 targets. The real questions are the battles behind Keon, Shakir, and Samuel. Both Hollins and Chase getting high early praise, and MVS brings speed and championship experience...so will be fun watching this battle in camp, especially Chase who has the talent to start on the boundary opposite of Keon if he gets his career (and head) back on track. While Chase is saying and doing all the right things now, its still very early and we need to see how he handles having to grind and work his way both onto the roster and into a role as camp and preseason go on. Will he carry the same positive attitude and work ethic if he isn't moving up the depth chart fast enough is a real question for him. But if he does, man this offense could be wild with big guys like Keon and Chase on the outside, and Shakir, Samuel, and Kincaid just battering and attacking in between.

Last year once McD was named the DC again and calling plays, I said I thought the Bills had the potential to lead the NFL in sacks under McD and with that roster. Bills finished 3rd, only 3 sacks behind the first place team KC and that is with losing Milano and DaQuan in the same game early in the season and then losing Bernard for the last part of the season. Not to mention the ghost of Von taking so many snaps and the early loss of Tre which also helps the D get sacks by playing better pass defense and having the QB hold the ball longer. All in all, Bills likely do lead the NFL in sacks last year if even just one of those things Don't happen. This year though, I am not as confident in exactly what this D will look like for obvious reasons. Its a major overhaul from a personnel standpoint...out are Hyde (but might be back), Poyer, Tre, and Floyd...all guys who had big roles on this defense. Then we have guys like Benford, Bernard, and Milano all coming off injuries and the concern with Bernard and Milano is that they are undersized, so will injuries be something they can avoid this year or not is a question. Major questions remain: Who will call the plays? McD indicated we are not likely to see them make a decision on this until sometime in the preseason. Who starts at CB opposite Rasul? Will Benford be back from injury and hold that spot down, or will Elam finally be healthy and ready to win that battle and take over the starting role who has shown potential in spot starts in the past. Who starts at Safety? This is already a legit question before we know if Hyde comes back or not as it seems he will be back if he elects to play again rather than retire, which seems to be 100% medical decision by Hyde regarding risks with his neck. Can Bishop win one of the starting Safety spots, he has 2 starting level veterans ahead of him as it is before knowing if Hyde is here. Would Hyde start or be a reserve if he returns? If I had to guess, this is one spot where the Bills can bring the young player along slowly if they choose, so I think Bishop will have to flat out win the job clearly to start week 1. What are we to expect from our Edge rushers? I think AJE flirts with double digits this year in an expanded role after back to back 6.5 sack seasons primarily as a rotational guy. But what Groot are we getting? The guy who put up 8 sacks in 2022 and looked poised to be a double digit guy in 2023, or the guy we actually got in 2023 who only put up 5 sacks? Then there is how much does Von and Solomon bring to the pass rush and the edge rotation early? While I do remain somewhat optimistic about the defense this year, its more of a cautious optimism vs confidence that I had last year. Lots of questions to be answered heading into camp about roles, starters, play callers, etc leave this a harder defense to project than we have had the past few seasons. While as of now we are looking at 2 new safeties (Hyde still might come back), I am not too concerned either as I think our safety room is still pretty good with the vets and Bishop as it is. I am concerned however on how thin we are at some positions like CB and as I mentioned Edge (at least until we see if Von or one of the young guys can bring anything to it). If I had to guess today, I still think McD wants to see this be an aggressive defense again this year. I expect we will see a good dose of Cover1 and Cover3 again as well, and from a players perspective, I expect strong or big seasons from guys like Rasul, Oliver, Milano, Bernard, Taron, and DaQuan. I think the deciding factor on how good this defense will be is going to come down to how effective our edge rushers are at getting to the QB, especially Groot and AJE who are the likely starters.

I agree on Safety and Cornerback, and don't worry about the WR crowd...they will soon realize there is no major WR moves coming. In regards to Safety specifically, I think the fact both Beane and McD have made it clear Hyde has a roster spot this year if he decides to play again probably indicates at least a move at Safety is coming at some point...either Hyde if he comes back or someone else if he decides not to. So, I think part of this money is currently reserved and set aside for Hyde on an already agreed upon deal between both parties and the decision is on Hyde on whether or not he wants to play one more season. Hyde has made it clear he would ONLY play this year for the Bills, and that appears to be a 100% medical decision for Hyde who seems to "want" to play another season, but is weighing the risks with his neck and stuff. And based on the fact that both McD and Beane have basically said if Hyde wants to play again this year he is welcomed addition to the team tells me they are not worried about agreeing to a deal or cap space if Hyde does play again, which is why I feel pretty confident that the two sides have already confirmed terms and that money is being reserved until Hyde makes an official decision and probably given him some deadline for that decision in terms of reserving the cap space for it. If Hyde doesn't come back, then there is probably a strong chance they look to add someone else who is available given they seem already willing to add Hyde. At cornerback, I do think its possible, might even say probable, they add someone as well as we seem pretty thin behind Rasul, Benford, and Elam. But I will say this, this regime has run thin in the past at CB too, so if they think Cam Lewis and some of the young guys are showing enough, maybe they won't. But the group feels pretty thin outside the top 3.

I couldn't believe that Wilson's name wasn't called on that pick. I think the only other time I was that upset over a pick was when they didn't call Ngata and instead called Whitner. Rex was a disaster in every capacity. Exactly

Nope. Not even close.

Go check my thread history. Weeks BEFORE that game I started a thread when we were 4-0 and said that if Trent Edwarda keeps playing soft like this we will miss the playoffs. The Cardinals game wasn’t for 2 or 3 more weeks. We missed the playoffs. Edwards was afraid to pull the trigger on the field before that game and after that game. Those who bought into the mirage of Edwards want to blame the Cardinals game for their bad take, but he was a pedestrian, conservative and safe QB before that game (hence the coward comment) and after that game. He was a maddening QB to watch play. Because we started 4-0 against 4 of the worst teams in the NFL that year people think he was good. Yet they failed to recognize his production was pedestrian and we won multiple of those games thanks to defensive and special teams TDs leading into the AZ game. Trent got all this credit despite being pedestrian because our record was good thanks to a squishy easy schedule to open the season several defensive and ST TDs to help us win some of those games. He played scared to make a mistake, and that is why I said he played like a coward and he played that way before he got hurt in AZ.

In all the years you have watched Bills football, who was the one player and the one coach (HC or Coordinator) that just frustrated or pissed you off the most on game days and couldn’t wait to see gone? For me: Player - Trent Edwards (Kyle Orton, Zay Jones, and Kelvin Benjamin were all in the running for me). Watching a coward play QB was the most frustrating thing I can remember enduring here and couldn’t wait until he was gone. Coach - Nathaniel Hackett - I don’t know I’ve ever hated a coordinator or coach as much as I hated him. Was not a surprise at all to see him be one of the worst HCs ever in Denver, although it did surprise me he was still even in the league.

Yes, and the guy who started it did a TED talk to reveal it’s a hoax he created as a social experiment to test hoaxes. And now people STILL believe the hoax and think the government or some dark shadow government actually forced him to say that and do that TED talk. This is a very dumb age of humanity.

I also liked the signing because he is not only an excellent addition to STs but he helps replace a lot of the blocking we lost with Davis because he’s an excellent on field blocker.

This is easy for me…my first Bills Mafia tailgating experience at the first and only game I’ve ever been to in Buffalo! The home and season opener against the Steelers in 2021. My girlfriend, now wife, bought me tickets as a surprise for my first birthday dating her. Little did she know, I had already purchased an engagement ring and would propose to her a couple weeks after my bday. So it was also our first trip together as engaged and the whole trip was just incredible. Thanks in part to a lot of good tips here on the board as well. Tailgating and getting to meet some of the posters here in person was really cool. I had also lost a dear friend that June who was a Steelers fan and got to wear a Steelers color patch of his initials on my Allen Jersey to honor him at the game too. So was fitting that one, my first game in Buffalo was a loss and it was to his favorite team. Also got to meet Diggs family and Levi Wallace best friends who I am still friends with today on social media. It was just a great trip and experience regardless of the outcome.

Exactly, they tried to make him a WR when he was a gadget player. He is fine as a WR4/5 gadget guy, he is terrible as a top 3 WR on a depth chart where you need to rely on him to try and get consistent production and move chains.

Lol it was a joke referencing when everyone ran wild with some social media nonsense Diggs was mad at Allen because he knocked up some waitress or something that never happened lol

While I agree that there could be some adjustments made, its a very challenging problem to deal with. What you don't want to do is make it worth it for DB's to just tackle or blatantly commit PI on every deep throw because the penalty is far less severe than the catch being made would be. It would completely eliminate deep ball throwing as a DB would just grab any WR starting to run by them rather than get beat for a TD or just severely interfere on what looks to be a sure catch if not. On the flip side, you don't want it to be something so easily exploited by a QB to bail a team out by heaving a ball down field to try and get PI called. To me, there is one BIG culprit in this regard, and that is the PI that is called when a ball is short and the defender is in the path of the WR trying to reach back or jump back towards the ball. And quite honestly that is the MOST exploited play from an offensive point of view. QB's know that if they throw behind the WR and DB that PI is highly more likely unless the DB gets their head around on a throw they don't even know is coming or coming short. Result is incidental contact by the DB who has forward momentum running while a WR is reaching back or trying to jump up and reach back to get the ball. To no fault of the DB, it causes contact that creates an automatic PI call unless he managed to time it perfect and get his head around to make a play on the ball, something very difficult to know and do as they most often don't know the ball is there or short. So that is where I would start. I would eliminate automatic PI calls where a downfield WR makes contact with the DB trying to come back for the ball. I would only allow PI to be called there if the DB intentionally holds, tackles, etc, and not throw a flag because the DB and WR incidentally collide because the ball is short of the WR and he is trying to reach back for the ball. You take that out, and downfield PI calls will go way down. You could also make the PI call at the spot of the foul, or 20 yards, which ever is less. 5 yards is wayyyyy too little and so is 10 yards to discourage blatant PI on deeper throws. Im not sure you need to change it being at the spot of the foul if you take away the cheep PI calls which are the ones thrown behind the DB and WR and get called because of the incidental contact.

This reminds me when they made the 2nd Star Wars Trilogy (Episodes 1-3) and went from puppets, costumes, modeling, stop motion animation, etc to over the top technical CGI and it sucked all the life out of the movies. "Moving the chains" is football...stop over modernizing the game and keep its character in place

Personally I think he opens week 1 as the starting Center. I loved this pick, in fact, I think Beane really nailed his first 5 picks and believe this draft class has a legit shot to go down as Beane's best overall.

I have to disagree...I think Daboll signed him because McKenzie knows the system and I am not even sure he makes the roster, and if he does, its doubtful its a meaningful role. McKenzie is just not a good WR, and for a guy whose speed gets talked about so much, he really does not play that fast on the field. He is more quick than fast, and when "speed" is your only sign-able trait (because its definitely not his hands, route running, toughness, or special teams play), being more quick than fast is why you bounce from team to team. I mean being one of the most desperate teams in the NFL for WR's and speed is probably why Giants signed him, and may be the only reason McKenzie has a real shot at a job this year as he likely would have been nothing more than camp fodder on any other roster outside maybe the Pats with no real shot to make the active 53 most places because he just doesn't add much on ST's.

While I don't disagree with your sentiment, he is a lot more than Andy Isabella. He has elite traits and ability, Andy does not. He had a blazing start to his career posting over 850 yards both seasons with a broken Big Ben as the third WR. When he was traded to the Bears, the Steelers got back a first round pick. He got in the doghouse in Pittsburgh thanks to immaturity which persisted in Chicago where he fell down the depth chart over it on a team that couldn't pass the ball well. Tired of the immaturity, Bears dumped him for pennies on the dollar to Miami where he was deep on the depth chart for a team that just didn't have a role for him. If this kid can get his head on straight he has top end WR1 talent and potential...Isabella is a gadget or role player at his best. Now...that is a TALL ask that someone who had previous immaturity issues and effort issues can change their spots long term, so nothing is for sure with him. But I will say this, if he can continue doing what he is now, which is accepting his humbling, remaining focused and committed in all facets of the game (which includes ST's) and put the work in as a team first player, he very well has the potential to emerge as a starting boundary WR here in Buffalo. The test will be can he keep that effort, enthusiasm, etc up if he doesn't find that success or opportunity early. If he is still running with Trubisky late in the preseason and looking more like a WR4 or WR5 to start the season who plays ST's mostly, will he keep that positive energy and attitude up. Its easy to be all smiles now and say the right things while the potential to get a bigger role is still there, but he would likely have to surpass Samuel to get any relevant WR minutes as Shakir is set in the slot and one of Allens and Beanes favorite players.

Get rid of Sudden Death OT all together. Give each squad the ball on the 50. No XP allowed in OT, only 2 point conversions. Play it like college each team gets the ball until the game is no longer tied after equal possessions.