Hapless Bills Fan

Props to @YoloinOhio who put this up in the McDermott presser thread They should still be testing fully vaccinated individuals at some interval - perhaps that's still under negotiation. I was gonna put it in the OTA thread then I decided better to give it its own thread in case things get out of hand. Try to limit the discussion to NFL, NFLPA, football etc.

She posted a picture. Can't tell what kind yet (maybe a chocolate lab?) or if they actually have it yet or just signed on.

I'd like to hear a bit more about what you see as the process the good teams follow, given what we both agree is the expedited timeline forced by the rules. Beane and McDermott don't seem like the panic-y types to me, but it seems to me that McDermott gave a pretty clear message in an interview that Knox was not meeting his expectations (after he came off the Covid-19 list - maybe after the AZ game)? Beane, too, said that Knox had come on a bit the 2nd half of the season but words to the effect "we never got to where teams said we've got to stop their TE from going off" I wouldn't say they're "perfectly fine", or they wouldn't have made a push for Olsen last season or been linked enough to an Ertz trade that I believe there was some interest there. With limited cap, I think it's also fair to say that upgrading at TE was down a ways on their shopping list. Last year going in, it was already clear that Kroft was not going to be a legit challenger to start at TE IMO. Knox was the best on the roster, and had the friendship/rappore with Allen beside. This year, I think Hollister is a legit contender to start. He was on a NE team that went to 2 Superbowls; he knows the level of preparation and effort that takes. He saw significant playing time for Seattle - similar number of targets to Knox, better catch % and fewer drops. He can block. And he has that connection with Allen. Well, "Everyone else" (but you) is expected to include...everyone else? Perhaps put a lighter blanket on for summer.

Says Josh is stiff arming and running over dudes and literally causing fights and then "here comes the OL, to back him up" Says it's like our little brother showing his passion and then the big brothers, the 300 lb guys, coming over like "hey hey hey" Says Josh is "humble with it" (not sure what that means)

We know what a great TE can do to our defense, though

Since this article references the same DC Magazine article discussed in this thread, I merged. Couldn't he give his Mom a place where she can be comfortable right now, on the $40M he's earned to date?

I don't think it's "everyone else". I understand the "needs time to develop" part. But the NFL limits patience and development time right now with free agency and the 4 year rookie deals, as well as by not having "minor leagues" where players can grow. The other side is that the Bills clearly need to take a step, and one of the places they could take a step is at TE. We need someone who can play better at that position, this coming season. Whether that person is Knox, Hollister, Sweeney, or someone we grab, dunno. I'm not "throwing a tantrum" and I don't know anyone who wants him to be our #1 or #2 target, but the fact is we need more production in places on the offense and TE is one of those places. I'm not just talking pass catching, either, but the ability to get open and be a threat so as to draw coverage (no one is scared of Knox so they feel free to double down on Diggs and Beasley), and also pass and run blocking.

? Knox has taken offensive snaps in 27 games? I don't follow your logic here. Let's just look at Dawson's catch %. It's 55.3% in those 27 games, and went down slightly last year from 56% to 54.5%. Now I grant you some of those targets are throw-aways at his feet or over his head, but that's a MISERABLE catch % for a TE, who are usually north of 70%. If he catches 33 (75%) of his 44 targets last year instead of 24 at his average 12 YPR, that's an additional 108 yds which would give him 33 ypg. That's not Kelce, Kittle, Waller, or Goeddert territory, but it would put him in the top-20 contribution range - Jared Cook, Austin Hooper, those guys - ahead of Ertz last year whom many year have it "on" for. The point is, he could contribute more with the opportunities he's had in our offense, without any change to the targets for our other WR. And that's not even addressing the plays where he failed to release or to be physical and get open, which maybe turned into throw-aways or scramble drills. The other aspect is blocking. As a TE, he's expected to block effectively. There are a number of run plays which got blown up because Knox either totally whiffed, or failed to correctly identify who he should block given defensive shifts. He was pretty easy to fool. To his credit, I thought he did much better in pass protection last year and I was impressed by some plays where he showed good awareness to not risk a blindside block penalty but held his arms up and just timed it perfectly to get in the defender's way - but it's safe to say he's not feared as a pass blocker; put him 1:1 with a top defender like Judon or TJ Watt and they lick their chops. So for me, it's not the 4th or 5th option numbers that are the problem....it's the question of what did Knox do with the pass game opportunities he got last year (not enough), and did he contribute adequately in the other areas where a TE is expected to perform? (again, not enough)

And deservedly so IMHO. Not that I think that's Allen's ceiling, but because Mahomes has won AFCCG and a Superbowl and played at that level for three years.

Hodgins went up for the ball and then Jackson wrapped him and went to the ground as he landed. I dunno, it may have been something he tried to abort.

Something that puzzles me about this film clip. About halfway through, someone wearing a red "no contact" jersey makes a catch and immediately gets tackled and taken to the ground. I thought OTAs weren't supposed to involve physical contact in the routes anyway, but to the extent that they do, the guy in the red "no contact" jersey is supposed to get....no contact. Help?

I don't think stadium capacity has any bearing on it. My understanding is the NFL/NFLPA have agreed on a whole bunch of protocols right down to the air flow and filtration in the rooms where players stay, in the meeting rooms, in the weight rooms. Then there's the issue of capacity if the meetings are required to be socially distant due to low vaccinations. They know how to do all that in Orchard Park under the strict protocols of last season, but they'd have to figure it all out for SJF. I think that's what McDermott means by calling it a "heavy lift"

One defers to you knowledge here and asks not how it was obtained 🥸

Well strangely the Bills ran very heavily during 1st Pats game last year

Really? Not doubting but didn’t see or hear a hint of this. Linky? Guess we’ll find out

Well now we know how you spend YOUR time....and it ain’t spent conjugating French verbs!

My reaction exactly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance_Lenoir Came out of college in 2018, UDFA with the Cowboys. 2018 Cowboys PS, 2019 IR, 2020 Seattle PS. He must have played with both Beasley on the 'Boys in 2018 and Hollister on the SeaSnakes. Tre Walker was an UDFA in this year's draft Damond Talbot had this to say: https://www.nfldraftdiamonds.com/2020/07/tre-walker/ To give up on a speedy guy that quick, he must not have been "getting it" with the playbook/work ethics Or maybe he's not vaccinated 😈

The Saints waived him and signed him to their PS, then released him after their playoff run ended. We offered him a reserve/futures contract and he took it.

No. We don't. It was reported by the Buffalo Fanatics podcasters quoting that ever-valuable word "sources" and what they said was 10 players, which would be somewhat higher than 10 percent. Can we leave the "layers of American ignorance" out of this going forwards? This isn't the place for it. Thank you. Further such will be unceremoniously snipped.

Not quite. They said There's a carrot and a stick in there - if you aren't vaccinated, you aren't eligible for Tier 1 or 2 status. (Stick); if you do get vaccinated, you get benefits with regard to less testing, no quarantine, and fewer PPE requirements. Now the team may have limited number of non-Tier1 and Tier2 positions, so that might hamper your ability to do your job, but it stops short of saying "you must be vaccinated to work here".

I hope you are recovered and in good health now! Have they done so, or is that just talk from Erie County Exec at this point? Last I heard, it was a matter still under discussion: https://theathletic.com/news/nfl-to-loosen-covid-19-restrictions-for-fully-vaccinated-fans-in-2021-season/FoSeAWRXDiZG This is the latest guidelines of which I'm aware from NYS: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-large-scale-outdoor-venue-capacity-increase-new-fully-vaccinated-fan Basically, the way it's working at a large college graduation I know of in NYS, you EITHER have to be fully vaccinated OR take a covid test within the previous 3 days, show the result, and attest you are not symptomatic or exposed. The "fully vaccinated" section is full capacity; the "tested" section is socially distanced seating 6 ft apart. Masks are required for both when you're out of your seat (entrance, exit, concourse). This seems ta reasonable "accomodation" of personal choice about vaccination, but whaddoIknow; people are beefing about it. But it's not "proof of vaccination required for admission to stadiums" and NYS is one of the strictest states so I doubt other states are requiring this if NYS isn't.

I don't think that's true. The contract does hold that players need to show up for certain things - mandatory workouts, mandatory training camp, meetings, games. He can lose salary and be fined. He can be asked to return amortized signing bonus for the games he doesn't play. As far as I know. Contracts are guaranteed for injury and sometimes skill, but not for "I ain't gonna show up, and pay me regardless". That would be nuts. This is regarding Watson, but would seem to apply to any player:

This may be what he was talking about

https://www.49erswebzone.com/articles/147314-49ers-nfl-commit-george-kittle-travis-olsens-summit/