Buddo

In relative terms, quite a few of them. Having said that, I think they will all be fit enough to avoid any sort of sanctions/being in the proverbial doghouse. They will probably all be pretty fit, but not necessarily in the shape the coaches want them to be.

R.I.P. a true legend and class act. Pretty much the way you hope your HC will be.

While certainly the Jags do not appear to be especially well run atm, it really shouldn't be that difficult to keep the trap shut and go about playing football, moreso as a RB fcol. Fournette appears to be something of a head case, irrespective of the team he plays for. I don't think you can blame the team for him getting ejected against the Bills, for example.

About the only one who actually has played well enough to deserve his option being picked up, is Fournette. Trouble is, he appears to be trouble, with too much to say and do, that affects the team negatively. Some of these guys just don't seem to learn. As good as he can be, RBs are viewed as expendable, pretty much throughout the NFL. Making it through all of your first deal, including getting your option picked up, is far more beneficial in the long run, than messing things up. Fournette will become a FA next year, but he won't get $8 million from anyone, unless it's over more than one year. Teams don't want perceived headaches, when they can find guys all over the place, who might give them close to the same production, at a fraction of the cost. Yet another example of an NFL player, shooting himself in the foot financially.

I immediately thought that when this stuff became known. The one significant difference being, that it will tie up a roster spot. At this current time, I think anything much in the way of a penalty, will amount to little more than a slap on the wrist. As the Saints drafted the kid, I don't think they are in the frame anyway, it would just be the Panthers, unless the NFL cry shenanigens about how the Saints came by the info. The reality is that even in a 'normal' draft, teams are preparing the ground with agents and possible UDFAs, well before the end of the draft. Numbers will also get mentioned, although whether or not that constitutes a 'deal', is a moot point. Beane talked some about the UDFA 'process' the other day, either on PFT or in his conference call, and alluded to the fact that they might have a couple of offers out there for different guys at the same position, and if one takes the offer, they end up having to pull the other offer, due to only having so much money to spend on UDFAs. (He didn't say this was happening when the draft was still occurring though;) ) About the only thing fundamentally 'wrong', would be the timing of how things went down, and the fact it got talked about.

There was one word that they both pronounced correctly, yet entirely differently. Which was it?

When trying to understand team dynamics, who better to ask than a group of players who epitomised what it was to persevere at the highest level? Aside from being able to have a laugh about football, and get some inside stories, you get to understand what made those guys tick, and stick together like glue, even after 30 years. I would also assume it's post draft. Beane and McDermott aren't going to be taking much notice of who to draft from the guys. They might be prepared to look at someone if they get a view that so and so is a good prospect, particularly as many of them will still have ties to their respective old colleges, and no doubt follow them still, but that would be about it.

Same sh1t, different day. Until such time as the league does do something about it, Belichick will continue to pull this crap. McDermott basically chased his son off of our sidelines before we played them at home. If they didn't think they could get some sort of advantage, they wouldn't be trying to pull this garbage. As to the notion that they didn't know the rules, well Belichick has made a living from bending them as far as possible before breaking them - and they didn't know the rules? Tbh, I'm not sure how far they can go with sanctions. Doesn't seem like fines or picks hurt them too much. Maybe it's time to start taking games away from them. So, for example, whatever their record is in 2020, they lose an extra couple of games. You might have to refine their draft position also, so they can't just tank and get a QB, but some sort of combination should be able to be worked out that gives them a hard time. Part of the problem is that they, as an organisation, have been doing it for so long, that it's almost institutionalised within 'the patriot way'.

Pobably is a tale of two egos tbh. I can see it from both sides. Brady wants better weapons, because, as has been pointed out, he's been very team friendly with re-structures etc., and feels he's due some help. Belichick sees Brady is nowhere near the player he was, so is going back to good D and running the football, and will get players that suit that, because Garoppolo got run out of town. Brady has probably got an extra two years at the Cheaters, due to Kraft, but I believe that even Kraft has seen the regression in Brady, over the last couple of years. I would not be at all surprised if Belichick goes shooping for a QB @ lastminute.com, and gets someone capable, for peanuts. The Cheaters season will start slowly, but they will be a solid team again by the last part of the season, and still be challenging for a playoff berth. I really don't care what happens with the Buccs.

I think we were lucky to get him there. I'd also say that the situation helped him fall. Teams concerned about his combine numbers, didn't get to see them improve in a workout, so likely didn't necessarily return to his tape, or didn't really look hard enough at it. An interesting comment from his opponents was that he bursts off the ball. I don't think they necessarily mean a first step, rather that he is at you immediately. A subtle distinction, but one nonetheless. At times, and largely due to the prevalence of Fantasy Football, fans obsess about numbers. Thankfully our GM still goes old school and watches tape, where you can discover if a guy is a football player, or not.

The problem with the Graham pick was that Nix actually liked Wilson, and intended to pick him in the next round. Something similar happened with Cousins. Teams basically were picking QBs a round earlier than Nix was expecting them to go, and he kept missing out because of it. As much as I like Allen, and I understand that when you are about to get a new GM, you want to let him pick his own QB, I still think that it was a mistake to not take either Mahomes or Watson - you simply shouldn't be passing up opportunities to take those levels of talent at the most important position, when you haven't got a genuine starting QB. To me, it smacks of the same type of NFL idiocy that lets a new HC dismantle stuff that's working, just so he can install his own systems. Anyway, onwards and upwards. In respect of the OP, it does seem as though Beane manages to find a match of 'need' and value, on a regular basis. Some of this, I think, is because their FA strategy appears to pretty much fill current holes prior to the draft, allowing them to go after who they want, even if it means moving up a few spots to take them. I feel that became more obvious with the trade for Diggs. Before the trade, we had two main 'needs'. A genuine #1 WR, and another RB, to spell or backup, or whatever you want to call it. Beane realises he isn't guaranteed to get one of the top WRs in the draft, so does the trade for Diggs, knowing that somewhere, he can get another solid RB in this draft. It also has to be said that strategically, making the trade makes sense from the standpoints of the contract, and also the current uncertain situation. There are a lot of picks that will struggle to make an impact due to the lack of a regular off-season, with the mini-camps etc. Veterans should be able to come in with the playbook down, and it just then becomes a familiarisation process, to ensure you are on the same page as your teammates. Thankfully, RB is a position where rookies regularly come in and perform immediately.

I said this elsewhere, but I was totally underwhelmed by this draft. Thing is, it doesn't mean it wasn't a good, solid draft - because I believe it will be shown to be. Some of that is because we traded our 1st round pick, so the excitement level for that wasn't there. I have no problem at all with what they got for it though. A genuine #1 WR who will come in ready to go, at a sensible contract. Looking at what Beane did, he pretty much dotted I's and crossed T's, without hardly breaking sweat. The only picks that I thought might have gone differently, was Dobbins instead of Epenesa, and then a youthful DE in the 3rd. I probably would have got more excitement from the draft if we had gone that way. Looking at relative values from nfl.com, i.e. their grades on players taken, it seems as though Beane was spot on, as usual, with his thinking. There was a DE taken a spot or two after we took Moss, whose grade was lower than Moss, and Epenesa had a higher grade than Dobbins. The 'sexy' way round, to me, would have been Dobbins then the DE. Thankfully, Beane doesn't do 'sexy', 'we're the Bills' after all. We've got one 'star' from our draft picks, in Diggs. We might not have another, but I can see 3 other guys quite possibly being long term contributors. Do that every year and nobody can be complaining, and you should be competitive regularly.

Drought Era Done?

Not going to grade it as such, but I found it very underwhelming. I thought it was a decent draft, but it just seemed incredibly safe. Epenesa is a solid choice and good value where we took him. Realistically a 'need' in terms of needing to get younger at the position also. Moss, again, a solid choice. Will bring some extra physicality , and a change in style to Devin. Without looking at it too hard, you have to wonder if the values might have been able to be similar, if we had switched the two picks around, and taken Dobbins instead of Epeneza, and then found a DE with upside in the 3rd round. I believe from some of Beane's comments, they may well have been considering that. Problem is who would be that DE in the 3rd. My guess is that they looked hard at that, and decided that the drop off between Epenesa and whoever they were looking at, was much greater than the drop off between Dobbins and, as it turns out Moss. Ironically, if they had taken Dobbins, I would feel a lot more excited about this draft, than the way they went - although I can easily see why that was. Davis in the 4th I like. There needs to be competition for that 4th WR spot, and he's a bigger unit, so has a chance of being a complementary piece. I don't have any particular problem with the Fromm pick. A future backup QB, and no doubt the value was glaring off the board at Beane. Means we will probably keep 3 Qbs this year, but I don't see that as an issue really. A Kicker. Hauschka has had a wobble or two, and it isn't the worst idea. This kid does have a serious leg, although his 'stats' don't show that. Again, no real problem with the pick, but it hardly gets the juices going. Another tall WR, who apparently has great hands. No real speed, but apparently does most things ok but has both a big catch radius, and good hands. A longshot to make the team, but could develop into something if we can keep him on the PS. Probably the same sort of scenario with the CB we picked last. Don't bet against him making the roster in a big hurry though, if McDermott gets the opportunity to work with him. McCoach knows how to teach DBs. As I said before, I think it's a solid draft, but I really don't see anything to get excited about, well apart from getting to watch what Diggs can do.

There are videos out there showing that his leg strength is just fine. He's posted a twitter video that's in the other thread, of hitting in practise, from 50 off one step, and 60 off two steps. If he's got that sort of leg, the accuracy can be refined. Same thing applies to fears about the weather. If his leg is strong enough - and it darn well looks more than enough, he can learn to kick in inclement weather.

I don't really have a problem with the way it panned out. I think Epeneza was way ahead of any other DE on their board by then, so the drop off would make sense to take him. My concern is that Dobbins was taken next by the Ravens, and I'm not sure that is a good thing, for other teams. ;( The difficulty really, would be that in taking Dobbins, where do you go with the 3rd round pick? WR? DB? Chances are a DE taken there is much more of a development guy, and you might find a similar potential later still. I don't know how the Bills had Dobbins rated, but Beane did mention RB as a possibility there, so I would guess it would be him, but ultimately, I think Bene has made the right decision to get the best combination of the 2 picks, that he could.

Beane has always been pretty transparent about his approach. As was Buddy Nix. BPA is, was, and always has been, a myth. One way or another, teams have factored 'need' into their decision making process all along. It might be as Beane appears to do it now, where if there are picks available with the same, or close grades, then the one that is a 'need' wins out. Another approach I believe has been to add an additional point to a grade for a positional need, and then picking accordingly. Bottom line is that need is always a factor. As to the notion that draft strategy hinges on this spurious MIPN acronym, well, that's just not happening. For individual pick decisions, when things are close, then it could be a consideration, just like need can be, but you only have to look at who was picked immediately after Epeneza, (Dobbins) to realize that it's not any sort of driving force. By that criteria, you can comfortably argue that Moss should have been taken ahead of Epeneza, as he will very likely have more of an impact on the team this coming season (assuming it happens).

Dawkins has had limited exposure in the NFL as a RT, and when he did, he wasn't very good. Some guys are just better one side, and I firmly believe that Dawkins is one of them. When he has had decent Guard play beside him, he's done more than well enough. The proposal in trading for Williams, means you will probably get an improvement at LT, but you still haven't necessarily resolved the larger issue, which is RT. It is therefore a very expensive way to just get an improvement at LT, in both salary and a pick(s), when you don't have much of an issue there in the first place. Getting Dawkins re-signed, should give you stability at the position for years to come, whereas who knows how long Williams is still going to be good for.

I couldn't argue there, but another Edmunds type could solve the 'problem'.

Realistically @Augie, we know that Belichick wouldn't have put himself in that position. I also think that one of his strengths as a coach is how cold blooded he is about things. When it's time for a change, there is no sentiment involved. It also helps him with the GM hat on. I agree he doesn't draft that well, but he drafts a lot by the numbers, or rather 'type'. Where he gets away with his drafting, is that as the coach, he knows exactly what he wants from a player he drafts. You are correct that he isn't under any real pressure as regards his job, and that does make things a lot easier. Wasn't always that way though, and his relative security is a function of having done the job well in the first place. Having said all of that, Belichick is probably the exception that proves the rule, and BOB will become a prime exemplar of why the two positions should be seperate. I think we are very lucky to have Beane and McDermott, who sing from the same hymn sheet, yet are prepared to argue things out, without throwing toys out of the pram.

Alternatively, eventually we could just get another elite LB with the necessary wheels. Sometimes I believe we overthink this stuff. The 'Big Nickel' strikes me as simply being a way to adjust to certain situations, where you haven't got the necessary base talent. i.e. 3, 3 down LBs. I understand the necessity to do this currently, but I don't think it has to be an approach set in stone, at all.

As a general rule, I couldn't argue, but Belichick seems to be good enough at it. Mind you, he never would have dished out 2 1sts without having a deal in place first. He might even have cut him rather than pay him that much, tbh. On a side note, not only has Tunsil done remarkably well for himself without an agent, he also gets to keep all the money without paying a shark.

Not really, because the whole premise of 'win now' falls over if there are no games to win. If you were talking about giving up a next year 1st to go with another 1st to get a generational talent, then fair enough. But for just another 2nd round pick, who might not be ready to go if a season does start - I really don't think so. We might have a different idea of what a 'premium pick' consists of, because the top of the 2nd round isn't it for me. Top 15 of the First Round, that's a 'premium pick'.

No. Apart from anything else, we don't know if there will be a season yet.

I'm somewhat curious as to why the RBs are all so low. They aren't on other lists I've seen. Still, if it means we can get a choice of Swift, Taylor and Dobbins, I'm not going to argue.