starrymessenger

Correct. I wonder what they were thinking entrusting the offense in a Championship run year to a rookie OC. No rookie OC has ever made it to a championship (I think). What made them think Dorsey would be the first?

The flag was late. Wonder if it was thrown only after Pat starting jumping up and down?

I agree that his is the best skillset for playing the position, in terms of physical ability. His intangibles and maturity are admirable. When he is disciplined it is apparent that his processing is above average and I've seen him get the ball out as quickly as Burrow, though not so much in 2022. Thing is Josh is a young player and also one whose career perhaps surprisingly did not benefit from a normal progression (given his talent). He needs to continue his development under a talented, tough, uncompromising coach who is pretty much on his case all the time. Mahomes has had that. Josh has not and there is no one on this staff capable of giving him that. People have mentioned the risk of missing the window. What worries me more is the potential deterioration of quarterbacking skills.

Bradbury doesn't write or interpret the rules. The word "holding" when defining the infraction in the rule book is what they call "a term of art" meaning, simply, that it is given a specific meaning. That meaning may or may not reflect the ordinary common conceptions associated with the word. Under the definition in the rule book it is indeed possible to "hold" without causing an infraction. Only if the "hold" materially restricts or impedes the receiver is there reason to throw the flag. In looking at the play there is a point where Bradbury has a hold of JuJu's jersey as he breaks laterally (same route as Toney and Moore TDs earlier) and starts to head upfield. But it was more like a pinch and JuJu is a big strong guy. To me it is quite obvious that this did not impede or slow his movement. He takes a full stride. Judging from his reactions, he didn't even know he was held. The NFL really has to change the way it manages officiating. I actually feel sorry for the refs. Its not humanly possible to always make the right calls in the middle of live action.

So according to how the NFL defines a hold it's the use of hands or arms to materially restrict etc...What the rule maker is saying here is that holding is often a judgement call and he or she is instructing the referee to use his judgement in deciding whether the use of hands or arms was material in impacting the result of the play. In other words, it is absolutely permitted for a DB to use his hands and arms, which means having them on the receiver, provided he did not materially obstruct. I think it's fair to say that a lot of so-called "ticky-tak" holding calls are in fact properly not holds as defined. Interpreting the holding infraction this way also better conforms with other, similar rules like the one that permits even material obstruction within 5 yards of the LOS. In looking at the play it looks to me like JuJu was not materially impeded. I don't think he was getting to where that ball landed. PM may have jumped up and down but JuJu wasn't calling for a flag. He knew the ball was overthrown or, as some have suggested, he just ran a terrible route.. What this amounts to to me is a very bad exercise of judgement/discretion by the referee, a proper exercise being mandated by the rules. But what more can you expect from a guy whose day job is selling car batteries. I hope for his sake he's good at that.

She sells underwear now.

He's a long strider who can achieve reasonable speed but he has little explosion or sudden change of direction ability as well as a very limited route tree. Some see him as a priority free agent. if the Bills are prioritizing O-line early or use 27 for a surprise selection ie. RB, a guy they might consider in Rd 2 or possibly even Rd 3 (depending upon the combine results) is Marvin Mims. He's not big but he plays bigger than his size and has done well playing on the outside last two years. He is absolutely a vertical threat and would be a good choice for WR 2. He's a very good route runner, is a hands catcher, wins contested catches, has a knack for high pointing the ball, is great after the catch.

I think he's probably a first rounder and winds up in Dallas if they don't resign or tag Pollard and Bijan is off the board. I think Gibbs is as talented as Robinson but not as desirable because he's 20 LBs lighter. He's the type of player that I'm sure intrigues KC, although they maybe don't need help at that position. To me he's the same type of back as Cook, except faster and 20 LBs heavier. He has good hands. I like the player enuf to wonder if the Bills could convert him to receiver.

Well it's neither here nor there at this point but my view has been for quite a while this year that the Eagles would beat the Bills if we made it to the final. I certainly agree that the Bengals would be a better matchup for Philly.than are the Chiefs but I'm not ready to say that the Eagles front will be unable to bring some pressure PMs way. I think you will be playing a better team than you have seen so far in the playoffs. Anyway congratulations on again making it to the Championship. Must be a real gas. Wish we were there instead of you lol.

Wow. 31-10? I think you are selling Philly short. I expect a good close game, not the blowout you envision.

Eagles 31 Chiefs. 27 Expecting a good game from the top two teams.

That's probably why he's asking for it. It's Deshaun's guarantee that he wants.

Or maybe they think he's Aaron Donald, the most disruptive 280 LBs on the planet.

I'm not really partial to the argument that the players' inability to execute, caused by a lack of talent, by itself accounts for the difficulties experienced by the team in 2022. I don't think the narrative begins with the playoffs, though problems are more likely to surface then. It's the coaches job to get the team ready to play and they seemed unprepared for a good part of the year. Injuries to key personnel was certainly a factor affecting team performance but not the only problem. Injuries can derail your season and are unavoidable but if no progress is made in 2023 I think the staff may lose the locker room. That would likely bring things to a head in a hurry and force Peg's hand. Just a personal view of course and one with which many disagree but right now I have little confidence in this staff making things better. Changing a team's philosophical approach can be like doing a 180 with an aircraft carrier. This typically occurs only after a new staff is put into place. The current crew has a reprieve for 2023. Unless they are able to make good with this opportunity and if a year from now, or sooner, we are having the same kinds of discussions, then I think it will be high time for them to leave and for the team to have a fresh start.

In a team sport, even individual honours are inevitably partly determined by contributions other players are able to make (or not make). So I don't have a problem with PM being MVP. He's absolutely a worthy winner. But in comparison to Allen to me he does benefit from having a better O-line, better skill players schooled in an offensive system that has a purpose to it and, most importantly, unlike Josh, Mahomes has top shelf coaches, Reid and Bieniemy.

I don't think, and have not thought for quite some time, that the Ravens would be the ones overpaying him. Eric DaCosta is a very smart man.

Yeah puts me in mind of when Jauron insisted in playing Anthony Thomas ahead of one Fred Jackson that all the fans were screaming for. You can call it loyalty I guess, the A train was with Dick in Chicago, but I believe it to be more risk aversion consistent with a conservative outlook.

If the OP finds that the board is toxic and is thinking of leaving he might want to drop into the Eagles message board.

James Cook, as you know, didn't see much action at Alabama until 2022. His first three years there he had fewer than 50 attempts per. Not a serious comparable to the use a normal service college back gets. If you compare Pacheco with say Bijan Robinson, he has as many carries in four years as Bijan has in three. Regardless, though he does benefit from a better run blocking line than our guys do, Pacheco seems to me to follow his blocking well, shows patience and vision and has plenty of burst. He is better than the guy they picked in the first round a couple of years ago and has supplanted him. He's also better than either of our third round selections for the position. Id much rather have used a 7th on him than the two threes we did. So I'd say he's a flat out steal in the 7th round. I agree that you can find serviceable plug and play RBs in the later rounds who can help give you a ground game. I don't think that makes all RBs interchangeable though.

To me 5'11 215 4.37 combine 40 and tough as nails means he was a steal in the 7th round. He wasn't really featured at Rutgers and was used a lot as a blocker. Even having to project his transition to the next level on the basis of incomplete info one might have seen him go in the fourth or fifth rounds. He's a stud.

Surprised that O'Cyrus Torrence, considered by some to really stand out in an otherwise ordinary IOL draft, and who has been mocked to the Bills, is not considered a first round talent. I thought he could anchor well in pass pro against even good defenders. If they take him they better make sure he can play out of a three point stance. I had Boutte to the Bills in round 2, in spite of his injury, because in a draft with what appears to be an abundance of slot guys he seems big and fast enuf to also play outside. I thought Vorhees might work in the third, but only if they feel he has the versatility to also play tackle. I see you have him close but I would put J. Gibbs in the first. He's 20 pounds lighter than Bijan but can add weight if his team wants and he's as talented imo. Maybe Dallas (if they don't resign Pollard and Bijan is off the board. I would also not be surprised if Richardson winds up a first round QB. He's a lot like Josh. Uber talented and "inaccurate" with poor mechanics but lots of tape of him making great throws, just like Josh at WYO.

He drafted T. Davis, a HOF RB. Bijan anyone? Point is that's not the kind of pick that McD would ever be onside with.

Personally I think we've seen enough to know better than to expect a meaningful change in direction. But given the apparent decision to run it back I think your approach is 100% correct. After the last two years disappointments McD and his coordinators need to be in a make or break situation. In case things don't work out, 2023 should also be used to identify promising contingent replacement candidates for each of these positions. Having a deliberative process for this is much better than knee jerk firings and improves the chances of getting it right. Not sure where Pegs would go for his advice though and the mere existence of the process would risk creating an in-season distraction. I think McD was the right choice for the job when hired given what was required at the time. I think he and his assistants did a really good job. But to take the next step means McD having to fundamentally change his philosophical approach to the game and really that means becoming a different person (given how entrenched his approach seems to be). And of course it would mean acquiring a skill set in designing an offence he currently does not have. Alternatively the Bills could fire Dorsey and hire a young, more experienced and creative coordinator but given what I suspect to be McD's suffocating control of pretty much all operations it would only be a matter of time before a clash of opposing mindsets occurred. Not sure what the Bills were thinking when they hired Dorsey (other than hiring someone who McD would not perceive as a threat). I don't think a rookie OC has ever gone to a championship. Dorsey's shortcomings were painfully apparent throughout the year. People get criticized for comparing Putin to Hitler, but the truth is that there are strong and compelling similarities between them. To me, even if not the same guy, McD reminds me of Jauron. Before flaming away consider that Dick did not have a supportive owner, had therefore less talent to work with and certainly did not have a generational talent at the all important position.

Well I hear you but Bijan is probably a lot better than just good and 5 years is a large enough window within which to seriously challenge for a championship. If he's done after 4- 5 (though I don't think this is written in stone) you've had a great back for cheap. And while it's true that the Bills are primarily a passing team I think we can all agree that we need a more balanced offence with a lot more scope for the run game over what we had this past year.

To me the priorities in this off season should be O-line and WR. We probably need to add 2 of each. But if BR is there at 27 I think you have to take him if you believe he is a genuine franchise back, which looks very much to be the case. Not an expert by any means but I think Jamyr Gibbs may be as talented as Robinson (although 20 LBs lighter). I think Gibbs may prove better than Cook (they are similar backs) but I also think that Cook should be very good with the Bills. I'm pretty sure he can run between the tackles effectively even at 190 pounds and certainly if he adds weight (though no one would mistake him for a bell cow power back). Bijan could add that to the mix together with game breaking ability. It will be fascinating to see exactly how the Bills now approach the draft and FA. My impression is that McD has had a lot of influence in picking players. Now the emphasis has got to be on the offence and I look forward to seeing a change in the mindset with which the Bills have previously managed personnel.