starrymessenger

Jones looks reasonably accurate with it but arm strength/velocity seems a notch below Tua. Compared to what we are used to seeing here now after three years its like slow mo.

Professional coaches and evaluators know a lot more than we fans, but I think maybe their opinions are frequently reflective of conventional notions that adhere to the laws of averages, and that are essentially inaccurate or even lazy takes. Some of the comments reflect that to me. These people are also very busy micromanaging performance evaluations for their own teams and players. I tend to doubt that their insights are necessarily more valid than those of some fans of a particular team who mull over pretty much all of a player’s snaps over the course of a season. I think many of us as Bills fans now know better than most just how prodigious a talent Allen is with room to grow. They can position Brady, Wilson and others ahead of him if they like but if I were putting together my dream team from scratch today the only other QB that would IMO be as desirable as Allen is Mahomes. I wouldn’t take any of those other guys before JA. One reason being that I believe Allen has more room to grow while the others have already levelled off or already are in decline (Brady) and I wonder how many years Arod has left to play at last year’s level.

I worked with hedge fund equity traders for years. They were very smart people who seemed to know a lot about money, and especially about compensation. I could tell them about the tax benefits of income deferral, rabi trusts etc… and they would have none of it. Money up front was all that mattered even if the benefit was pretty much locked in, subject only to remote regulatory or tax changes. In football, especially the QB position, the risk of injury with loss or diminution of career far exceeds that of almost any other profession. So I would assign a high value to a front loaded deal with guarantees. Looks to me like Josh got a phenomenal deal

Sure both teams wound up doing very well. A bit like Diggs for Jefferson. Chiefs wanted PM because they needed a QB and Andy & Co know offence. Bills wanted White because they lost Gilmore and McD & Co know defence. If you stop there its not a good trade for us. You really need Beane to come along and make things right. And he couldn’t have done better.

Yep it is close. Today. JMO of course (and maybe I’m being a homer) but without (until recently) a strong supporting cast, a year to sit and acclimate, the benefit of a coach who specializes in offence, and years of work in a big school program, Allen is competitive with PM as a decision maker, meaning he understands coverages as well as Pat and is as quick to decisively pull the trigger (that actually accounts for most of his improvement last year). His physical ability clearly exceeds Pat’s. I think its mostly just a matter of time.

I hear you but Allen will be better than Pat when the dust settles.

We got our guy. Could not have gotten a better one. But “greatest trade ever”? JMO but methinks thats the one that sent H. Walker to Mini for a bag of superbowls.

This guy really sucked a lot. With all the benefit of time and technology he somehow always managed to get it wrong.

Gauthier should fit right in. He’s maybe not very good (who knows) but he can play all interior O-line positions, so is versatile, is actually a very good blocker in pass pro and nothing to write home about as a run blocker.

I too think Ertz will be with another team come September. The new OC there wants more speed and to not run two TE sets. And clearly Ertz is not now their #1 TE. You don’t pay a backup 8.5MM. Beane is not both giving up a 3rd or 4th and assuming that contract. Maybe he’s just biding his time but If Ertz is released there will be competition for his services and Ertz doubtless thinks he’s still a probowl TE and will be looking for that kind of comp. So probably not happening but he’d be a welcome upgrade here IMO and a good fit.

He has some rough edges to polish and clean up but KB is right about Allen being young and ascending. As a hard worker and an intelligent student of the position he plays he will benefit exponentially from the increase in experience. Its too early to crown him but I would not be at all surprised if by the end of the year he is very much in the “who is the best today” discussion, and maybe even a consensus choice (certainly around here). Some day soon his game will be pretty much impossible to defend barring injuries/breakdowns to other pieces of the O.

No stone left unturned in Carolina.

oh if only Lamar had a cannon hanging from his right shoulder…yeah but he doesn’t and never will. Case closed. Its really that simple (and obviously I like Lamar a lot and never for a moment thought that he is not a NFL QB). Josh makes Diggs and everybody else so much better. If they are big talents already he makes them as good as possibly they can be. Thats why WRs would want to play for the Bills. Thats why I think even an aging star like E.Sanders could break !000 yards this year (esp if Beas is a no show). Everything we’ve heard about Josh getting even better is absolutely true IMO. As good as he is now he is clearly still ascending. Its getting to the point where there are no weaknesses in his game and no gameplan to contain him.

Not wanting to see Watson in Miami has nothing to do with fear. Realistically its just a sober assessment that our path is more difficult the better the competition in AFCE becomes. Its already going to be hard enuf to win a championship. People are discounting what Watson could bring to that team, maybe because they dont think he will wind up there. And his not winding up there would be my preference for sure. We had our hands full beating Fitz at times. Watson is without question an elite playmaker at the all important position. He would transform that offence IMO.

If Watson settles with the ladies admitting no wrongdoing but just to put this behind him I don’t quite see why or how he gets a suspension. However this resolves I sure dont want to see him in Miami.

Can you get all-22 in jail?

Smith vs Munoz. A clash of mighty opposites.

Diggs being younger has the extra gear and true he’s probably more talented than ES has ever been. He’s #1 and I doubt Sanders beats Jackson for that TD the way Diggs was able to do for example. But they are both outstanding route runners. ES’s footwork is as good as it gets. They both have quickness and good wheels. They are both pretty fearless. They have very good hands. They have a deep understanding of coverages. I think ES may have a big year with Allen throwing him the ball. I think I see why they wanted him. If all goes well, the Bills will have a devastating passing attack this year with Allen pulling the trigger.

I’ve also got my eye on ES this year. I think he gives Allen another target almost of the same quality as Diggs, who he resembles a lot IMO. Bills passing attack could be an awesome destructive force if firing on all cylinders with Allen standing there in the gun.

I think he can definitely play outside - he’s not slow, he has strong hands, he has at all times excellent spatial awareness, uses his size well to block out the DB, etc… Thing is he can play underneath too and I fully expect the OC to have him running slants, curls and comebacks (something he does well intuitively) as well as the deeper routes. His versatility adds greatly to his value. Right now I think Sanders is a much better receiver all round IMO. But Gabe is just getting started.

A lot. Bruce Smith is very much in the discussion as the best to play at that premium position. That automatically makes him one of best players to ever walk on a football field.

The great HoFmer Anthony Munoz told Boomer that he would kill him if he didn’t stop trash talking Bruce because he was the one having to deal with the fallout. ’

If you are into pigeonholing within positional groups Gabe sort of falls between 2 chairs. Not a classic outside guy and not a typical over the middle underneath type guy (though thats where he thinks the majority of his targets going forward will be). I’m not into pigeonholing. I just think he’s versatile and a very useful piece for Allen and Dabol. I’m liking this receiver group a lot. Sure hope Beas gets his head straight. He’s a hell of a football player.

Idk except I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Robert Royal. Long time fans seem to like Metzalaars. I don’t think the Bills have ever had a much above average TEs. Charles Clay could have been the guy but his career was compromised by injuries.

Agree. If after a couple of years in the system Knox can’t produce in spite of his athleticism then there is a real problem. Especially the drops. Our pass catchers are very good but in reality the largest part of their success is due entirely to Josh Allen. Even Diggs is much better because of what Josh can do for and with him. Josh Allen has not been able to make Knox better. Time is running out.