Mr. WEO

What I know is based in fact: Johnson is not a factor at all currently--your claims otherwise make zero factual sense. He had mild impact last year. He was expendable. I'm out.

He never deployed in a sub. That was a staged photo--he spent a few weeks on a sub as every Academy grad does. He was commissioned in the Reserves with a 2 year AD commitment which was shoreside at a sub base. He was a civil engineer. But he did his duty. I don't think Academy athletes should get special treatment that other top academic graduates cannot enjoy. You go to the Academy to become a career Officer of the line (or Staff Corps Officer if they go to Law or Medical School after the Academy, for example). Why shouldn't a top math or science student graduating be allowed to interview with a high paying tech company for a great job....and defer their service to a later time? Why is it in the national interest to have some grads allowed to delay their commitment to make more money than their commission would bring them, but not others? Dumb law.

yeah, let that sink in....HC wants answers as to why this is the case. you've already conceded that the entire coaching staff understands that Johnson is the 3rd best 3rd down back in the NFL. That would include the HC, no? So again, why would the HC not understand that Johnson, not Cook should be on the filed for 3rd down. Why doesn't McD understand this---to the point where he's publicly questioning his OC? Johnson has run the ball 11 times--even if they were all on 3rd down, there's no chance that, in 68 3rd down attempts, 11 carries comes close to "most likely" that Johnson got the ball.... The data shows that the Bills aren't a very good team on 3rd down. Therefore whether he touches the ball or not, Johnson isn't impacting the outcome in a positive way. You can't dispute this. He's almost invisible.

McD could not get his Defense off the field when it mattered most Monday. Nothing could be more obvious. also, 13 seconds…

what is the % of 3rd down plays is he in for, compared to the others? Why don't they give him the ball on all of those 3rd downs? what is he there for otherwise? why is the HC asking the OC why Cook isn't in on 3rd downs, instead of Johnson? Does the HC NOT understand that Johnson is the best option? WHy would he ask such a silly question? Still waiting for you to answer that one.

how would we know the difference?

it was the nail in the coffin drive. 14 plays with 6 1st downs late in the 4th Q sealing the loss is a disaster. But yeah, McD late in a game calling Defenses has always been a fantastic idea.

yes we can all read the box score, but clearly those 3 points iced the game for Atlanta. The D just had to get off the field. They could not.

forget touches? lol, there it is! anyway, why don't they give him the ball? and for the record, there's a whole thread discussing McD asking his OC why Cook isn't out there on 3rd downs. Why is he even asking such a silly question when the Bills have the 3rd best 3rd down RB (not by touching the ball mind you, but by simply being in the moment!)?? Is McD no longer part of "the coaching staff"? I hope Brady ripped McD a new one in his enlightening response to his woefully misinformed HC!

well the point I made up front is that he wasn't an option because chose to not make him one, standing pat with Johnson. "a stanglehold on the team's 3rd down snaps", does he?! The man has 13 touches total in 6 games--in which the Bills have had 68 3rd down snaps. This qualifies as a "stranglehold"? And despite having the 3rd best 3rd down RB in the NFL strangleholding the 3rd down snaps...the Bills are 13th in 3rd down conversion. even the simplest scrutiny exposes your argument as weightless. it struggles to find logic in it's random claims.

until it allowed a 14 play (6 1st downs!) scoring drive in the 4th Q that put the game out of reach. two things can be true at the same time.

Look, Josh is the nicest guy in the NFL...but what's his QB calling him now? Skattebo was far more intriguing a rookie prospect than Johnson has been his entire journeyman career. Given his predraft assessment, he was a steal in the 3rd roundHe has disappeaed nearly completely, despite being labeled the 3rd best 3rd down RB in the league. Who is calling him that now? Anyone on the coaching staff---they certainly know more about this that anyone on this board. But since you want to make hay about "seven" Rbs picked before him, how are the 4 picked ahead of him doing? how were they projected to do in the pros? Were they on the red carpet?

Tell me more about selling back the melted snow…

I've already punctured your "Johnson was coming off a very good season", especially as a "3rd down back". He wasn't. It was another mediocrity. He was expendable therefore. This has been hammered home this season. He is what he has been. Skattebo was the second ranked RB coming into the draft by NFL.com after the combine. He finished 5th in Heisman voting. He wasn't some kid toiling in obscurity. NFL GMs make bad decisions every year (see Beane re: WR drafting nearly every year). Skattebo had the lowest bust potential of any RB in the draft simply because of the way he plays.

The Bucs are playing better than nearly everyone despite severe injury loss. Mayfield is playing with one healthy starter (Cade Otton) in skill positions. Otherwise it's WR 5,6,7. Yet they are 6th in points scored, 5-1 and they WIN games in the 4th Q.

only if Josh identified that WR for him first! Beane's WR blind spot is most of his field of vision

It really wasn't. This is who Mangold is and the fans adored him for it. What is it that you think the Post is not so subliminally saying about Mangold here? What is their motive, in your mind--let's hear it. You don't need to be outraged for Mangold...

we aren't talking about a college QB to the NFL or a WR. No need for obfuscation....We are talking about a solid gadget type player in college who is playing the same role in the NFL. It wasn't hard to see this coming. Davis as a rookie--sure, keep him around to see what he is. But Johnson is not a top 3rd down back--look at his play this year: 110 (27%) of the Offensive snaps, 11 caries, 2 1st downs. This is exactly what he has been his whole career, consistently--he didn't suddenly change last year z(or this year for that matter). It was a lot easier to be comfortable assuming Skatebbo's likely productivity as a 3rd round rookie than Landon Jackson's.....

it was 1 of 7 pics---from an official on field event honoring him......

Skattebo is playing exactly as he did in college--free money as a late 3rd rounder to anyone paying attention. No magic glasses needed. Johnson is a journeyman who has rushed for 63 career 1st downs over 7 years and over 263 carries (22%). Last year he had 13 on 41 carries (obviously not all 3rd downs, so his 3rd down conversion rate has to be less than 32%. In comparison, the Bills as a team had 360 1st downs--he represented 3.9% of those (Davis was responsible for nearly twice as many). If that's one of the better 3rd down backs then it questions the need for such guys on the roster.

Then trade put out feelers for Johnson--see if anyone else thinks he's a better 3rd down back than what they have. And why keep both of them anyway--make Davis your third down back. Now you have 3 backs but only one is doing anything--and 3rd down rushing is what now?

this is the type of thinking that got them to this point. Johnson and Davis were welll known entities--situational scrubs. Not taking a chance on a wild card like Skattebo so he could keep TWO of this type of guys is another example of Beane's sclerotic Offensive thought process.

They were better before the 2 losses....

if he wants to finds a receiver, he'll have to get rid of the GM as well...

licensed...