Hapless Bills Fan

True, there will be some cap casualties as contracts get redone and so forth, players cut as teams may work a trade etc. I was just alluding to previous seasons where there were intermediate roster cut downs. I don't think that's the case any more - stays where we are until cuts to the final 53. Which I think is a disservice to the guys scrapping for a spot, because it doesn't give them much opportunity to catch on with another team, but it Is what it Is. I hope you're right, I'd like to see us upgrade at CB yet anyway. I could be wrong but I no longer see Ertz as a game change worth ponying up picks, players, and major cap change to acquire. This is true, but do keep in mind that KC had a different OL in the Superbowl than we played - lost their LT and moved 3 guys around the line as a consequence.

Javon? Cordarelle? Andre? Who we talkin' about here? If you mean Jaret, he already signed with WFT

Except that Long hasn't played in the NFL since 2019 and played guard then, sure it's a possibility! But if that's your standard for judging possible happenings, we're likely not going to agree too much. Long was a relatively rare Bills error in judgement IMO. We kept him and traded Teller because we wanted to have more veteran choices to ensure a quality line in 2019. Long had better "positional flexibility" in that he'd played C and the Bills wanted to ensure that position, but Teller had the better long-term potential at guard, which is now fulfilled. There was a bit of "NIH" (not invented here, not chosen by the new coach) with Teller in that judgement I think. I agree that Beane is looking into the future and trying to map a course where the Bills can extend Allen, re-up Diggs, and still stay good. I do worry that it won't let us improve this season.

Are there gonna be June 1 cuts?

Tell the truth, Bill. You are actually a mesmerist not a LEO, and you took control of this draft

He clearly didn't want to be there at the start of the season, but did better as the season went on.

Not true, I promise you. If you ask 20 KC fans who their starting LB were last year, I would be surprised if 5 could name them.

I think there wasn't someone they liked near where they picked, and that the plan is indeed to look for a vet who gets cut. Vernon Butler, same, though I think the Bills view him as their "break glass in emergency" 1T guy now.

Nevertheless, it is so. Star is listed as 6'2", 315 and probably plays about 20 lbs heavier than that, or even more but that may not be a good thing. Phillips is listed as 6'3", 307. He said in an interview after his 2019 injury that he was losing a bit of weight from 320 while he recovered. He visibly got bigger during the 2020 season. 1T and 3T are not wholly about size.

Harrison Phillips is a 1T Why do you think Harrison Phillips is a 3T? In 2019 he was alternating snaps at 1T with Star before he got hurt 2020 was a bit different because the Bills were doing "1T by committee" and guys were lining up all over the place, but I don't think Phillips is a 3T by natural position. You may be confusing him with talk of "Phillips at 3T" last season, which was Jordan Phillips not Harry.

LOL this! It's funny, I meet fans of other teams and they kind of know a few stars on their teams. Like maybe the equivalent on the Bills, they would know Allen, and Diggs, maybe Beasley, maybe Tre White or Jerry Hughes. We're Bills fans! We know about the long snapper, the backup LG, the swing tackles, and the backup CBs, let alone MILANOOOOOOOO! the starting OLB! No seriously - she's obviously not a big football fan herself, and if she judges by fans of other teams, you would actually expect that fans wouldn't know the name of a LB who is not a huge perennial probowl star. Only in Buffalo does the LT have a clothing line that sells out while even the RG has a considerable media presence and endorsements.

Your hopes are answered!

My perspective is we need to move beyond average starting guards, into elite ones.

@SDS made a Shout that gave me a Spin Doctors earworm so Imma share it

We tried the experiment of a 6'8" guard with Erik Pears back in ? 2014 (Marrone) I can't say I thought it was a success. It's not the height of the QB that's the big issue, it's the leverage against the defender - "low man wins" If we wanted guard/C we really should have looked there

Whoever wins out, but my guess at this early point would be Bates or Brown.

I wanted us to draft a C/G high in the draft. Obviously Beane saw it differently.

I had no idea Mitch Morse was that tall. He just comes across as a smaller guy in his media availabilities - maybe it's that "classy" modest demeanor. Erik Pears is 6'8" and Doug Marrone felt he was our best option at guard. I can't say I 1) agreed 2) thought the experiment was a success

I agree, I would like to see an upgrade at CB and maybe nickel corner. Did any of the CBs drafted after Pick 30 fit your idea of athletic freak who would be an upgrade on Dane and Levi? I think there was probably some truth to the rumors that the Bills were calling around trying to move up above pick 23 and if they were, who knows what they would have gone after. But either there wasn't a trade partner, or the price anyone wanted was higher than Beane wanted to pay 🤷‍♂️which would, I assume, have to do with his assessment of the impact not having picks as cheap replacements would have a year or two down the road.

I'm not sure that's true. The OTs and C should be the same I think we will have a competition at both guard spots If Feliciano and Boettger win, then the OL will be the same, except hopefully a less-injured version of Feliciano If Ford or Lamp win one of the battles then the line will be different. And of course there's the possibility that one of our draft picks wins a starting role in camp, but seems unlikely. I do feel better with the idea that we're not one Daryl Williams injury away from counting on Bobby Hart to protect Allen's right flank. TBH, I'm not sure what we'll see. I think Beane told us in his pre-draft presser that we might be drafting guys this year who might not start this year, but might start next season. It wouldn't be a big shock to me if we started the year with a DL of Hughes-Oliver-Lotulelei-Addison rotating to Butler-Phillips and whoever wins the battles at DE (Epenesa and Rousseau would be my guess) Being facetious, I now understand why we drafted all those tall guys (trees). We signed a FORREST, Forrest Lamp. Well, what's a FORREST without some TREES in it?

Would Pepto-Bismol help with that? I think it's a poor take to compare the demonstrated quality of the talent evaluation at the end of Donahoe, or under Marv Levy or Russ Brandon as GM, vs. today. I think the W-L record bears that out. No, the Bills didn't "need" to do that. You wanted them to, because your assessment is that Etienne or Harris at RB or Toney at WR was the "difference maker" who would put the Bills over the top. Obviously the Bills disagreed, probably because their scouting assessment of those players and their selfscouting of the team's needs differs from yours. Now you might be right, and they might be wrong, but it won't because they "failed" or "didn't bother", it will be because their scouting and self-scouting are inferior to yours. Which is possible, but IMO unlikely.

Dude. "Replace talent with cheaper talent" works at many positions, but that's not how the Patriots worked at LT. They drafted LT Matt Light in the 2nd in 2001, and he remained their LT for 11 years, into his mid-30s. Then they moved Nate Solder (a 1st round pick) from RT to LT to replace him, and he held that position down for 7 years. Obviously, they had a great team in 2018 and 2019, but I don't think you could call OL its best strength, and feeling that NE was "cheaping it" with the pieces around him is probably one reason Tom Brady moved on to hoist the Lombardi for another team last season. You don't randomly have someone else play LT in place of your franchise LT (who is locked-up under contract for the next 4 years) after 3 years, unless said franchise LT is seriously injured (avert!) or just not playing well. And even then, you've got a problem because in 3 years, if you got a guy you drafted this season playing LT and doing it well, he's in the last year of his contract and he's not going to be cheap any more. I "get" your general point that teams paying a franchise QB have to develop and maintain a pipeline of younger cheaper guys to replace older more expensive guys, but you're taking it a bit too extreme. That doesn't apply to all positions but QB.

I'm a bit curious about the nuts and bolts underneath this perception. KC kind of gutted their OL. They made a huge splashy signing of a great guard, acquired a 1 year rental on a RT who looked good at LT blocking for a run-heavy team thru trade, signed a FA G, and drafted a C. Assuming the C works out, they re-signed their RT and are getting Duvernay-Tardiff and Niang back. I get it Fisher was injured, but I'm not sold on Orlando Brown as necessarily an upgrade for a very different kind of offense. Everyone involved with KC hopes their line is improved now, but it's one of those "improved on paper, is it good on Sunday?" things. Other than that, they lost some players and signed some players, where's the whoo whoo OMG better? Can someone walk me through the great improvements on KC and Cle? Then in our division?

Bad because either Dawkins got injured or his play fell off. One OT and a guard would be fine. Two DE would be fine also

Pleased ta Mets ya