starrymessenger

He's done in NE. They needed to make room for Sanu and they may not be through dealing.

Pats did not release him to prevent him being a FA and likely signing with a competitive and WR needy team (I can think of one in particular). So they IR him and put him through waivers where some deadbeat team can claim him. Not so dumb.

Doubt that he will be available to us but if he is and if he's healthy and clean the Bills would be fools to pass on the opportunity IMO. He's 28 years old and still amongst the most talented of receivers (AJ is 32 and is injured). He's big, he's fast, has a wide catch radius and great hands. Last year he was on track for another 1000 yard season, or close to, before injury. Pats had a second round tender on him coming into this year. Again assuming he's healthy and has been a good citizen I'd be all over it in a heartbeat if we have a shot.

This! Darnold was awful last night but Gase did him no favours - not many screens, slants, hot reads just longer developing routes as if he was play calling for Peyton in the Colts heyday. Plus Darnold vs Belly = no contest. Even when he had max protection with 2 TEs and a full backfield Sam was suckered into making the obvious protection calls based on Bill's pre-snap look - as if Bill would be so obvious as to do what a 22 year old QB would expect post snap. To me this signals Gase's inability to prepare for and make necessary adjustments. He's really terrible. BB also effectively messed with Allen's mind but overall I feel that Josh and the Bills O did better and could possibly have made things interesting (unlike last nights game) in the 4th quarter if Allen had not been concussed.

I too would happily send them a fifth for Drake. From Beane's perspective Zay morphs into Drake which I would see as an upgrade and a good move.

Drake for Zay? In a heartbeat!

Drake. He can do what Yeldon does ie catch the ball. And he can do what Yeldon has not been able to do as a pro ie run the ball. Nothing againt Yeldon, but Drake is a significant upgrade IMO.

They could easily have their hands full with KC, Eagles, Cowboys, Texans, Browns and the Bills too. They will go only so far as their defence can take them so their chances pretty.much depend on whether and to what extent their early season excellence on that side of the ball can continue.

In addition to going against Bill and his # 1 rated D, or maybe because of it, there is no doubt that Allen was psyched out against NE for most of that game. I have to agree with you that Allen was not himself and while he's had his ups and downs to be sure he seemed to me to be destabilized in a way that I don't think I had previously noticed (and hope not to notice again). Having said that Allen is a gamer and was starting to look steadier on his pins when he was clocked. He is 100% capable of a big play and/or series at any time, but he seems to show it mostly as time is winding down and the pressure is ratcheting up (which is itself a good sign). Allen right now is very streaky, but when he's on he is a presence to be reckoned with. I have no doubt that bad as he looked before he could very credibly have engineered another "improbable" 4th quarter victory.

Pats aren't as good as their record would suggest. Jets (if Darnold and Mosely are 100%) aren't nearly as bad as their record would indicate. All things considered I see them as only a year or so behind the Bills in their rebuild. As long as BB is there I expect NE to field a very competitive team even after TB retires, but I think we are beginning to see a transition in the AFC East where very soon the Bills, Pats and Jets all can legitimately aspire to the division title. Having said that I have a hard time seeing Darnold thrive against Bill, that pass rush and secondary Monday night. If nothing else it should be another chance to see if Gase has anything to offer as a game planner and play caller.

I'll be interested to see how the Bills prioritize the position come draft day. There are a handful (actually a lot relatively speaking) of first round eligible WRs, but one of the reasons the 2020 draft is deep is that some very good second tier prospects are expected to be available in the middle and possibly even the later rounds. I'm wondering whether the Bills draft two.

I really don't see him as a 1000 yarder even in the best of cases, but 650-700 with clutch catches on third down conversions and in the red zone would qualify him as a genuine starting calibre WR on this and a lot of other teams. I guess we will see how it plays out.

Interesting to see how a guy who has almost all of the attributes to be successful fails mainly because of one deadly shortcoming. He's a very good athlete with top shelf straight line speed moving forward but apparently cannot backpedal and turn quickly enough to recover when he needs to. It's a flaw that once exposed gets picked on mercilessly. Sort of too bad (especially for him unfortunately).

Duke ran a good pattern to beat the DB but I would like to see more of his route tree beyond slants, that have been almost all of his targets and that obviously he can run. Boldin wasn't fast but was open a lot because he was a smart route runner and a reliable target because of his physicality and hands. As to receiver type Boldin should be William's prototype. Look forward to seeing how the chemistry with Allen develops. If it does, he should enjoy some success. If it doesn't he won't stick. I think he's got a shot. He's a big target and Allen could come to rely on him in the red zone and third down conversions. I suspect he will be taking targets away from Sweeney in addition to Zay's.

I tend to think Williams was given some positive feedback about eventually being promoted to the active roster when he was cut and signed to the PS. That's probably why he stuck around and did his utmost to be part of the team, even if only cheering on the sidelines on Sundays. While no doubt hoping that Zay would turn things around, I'm pretty sure that they used the time to prepare Williams for the transition from the CFL / preseason to the NFL and active on game day. Beane had a plan for him and Williams held up his end. It will be interesting to see how the chemistry with Allen develops. I too think he may be able to handle more responsibility once they get better acclimated.

He's a #3 or #4 WR it would appear. Doesn't separate well (though he has occasionally been open and missed by Allen), is pretty useless competing for balls in a crowd, doesn't react to break up picks or pursue the DB (low energy Zay) and - this is the killer - has very suspect hands. Sure some of Allen's throws give him little or no chance. On the other hand he dropped a low throw that hit him in the hands on Sunday. A NFL starting calibre WR should make that play. If this sort of thing were an outlier you would just drive on. The problem is that it's pretty typical for Zay. I have not been on the Duke bandwagon, but I think it's about time for a change.

I'm not worried. Allen just has too many good traits. He's very intelligent, so eventually he will react properly to pre and post snap reads and make better, quicker decisions, and fewer bad ones. His intangibles are at 100%, he burns with competitive fire and has great leadership ability. Lastly, his physical ability is completely off the charts, making him a genuine dual threat QB. He remains a fantastic prospect with a bright future. I also subscribe to the view that if not taken out he could quite possibly have led the team to victory. He's been terrible and very good in streaks all in the same game. I think the Pats are going to have lots of problems whenever they face a good D. Seeing Brady make such a poor decision and throw such a bad pass that Hyde picked in the end zone when he had Gordon set up perfectly on the opposite corner fade right after the snap was a bit of an eye opener for me.

They have been mostly ground and pound power 1 for a couple of years now. Without Devlin and behind that patchwork line Michel won't be the difference maker he was late last year. Brady will have to win with the passing game. They miss Gronk. Brady is still good but no longer elite. If Josh was on his game yesterday the Pats lose convincingly. IMO Josh is the real deal and he will eventually settle down. As soon as that happens its dynasty over.

There have always been players who look to hurt other players (although a small minority), and there always will be. By the way, would that be friendly musket fire?

It was deliberate IMO. It was not obvious from the first camera angle, but there was another that I think maybe Yolo posted where we saw the defender lead with his helmet with great velocity at the last minute. No doubt what was going on in terms of his decision, Al Riveron says that this did not rise to the level of deserving a suspension. That's another reason why I'm sure it was. Al Riveron has somehow found a way to always be wrong, as he was again on one of the Allen pick reviews.

Such a well behaved press corps. Bill obviously inspires reverential fear and respect in NE. Or maybe he just uses a red hot crowbar behind the scenes with a little liniment to rub in the places that burn. Wish someone had asked him about AB, just to see deadpan turn into death stare again. He's a great coach and football mind. Looking forward to seeing exactly what Daboll does in the way of a gameplan and play calls to counter what the evil genius has in store to take advantage of a young QB and developing offence. Bills O has so far been very inconsistent, never achieving anything close to 60 minutes of good football, but it's really been quite effective for sustained parts of games. Sunday's game, against a top D, would be a great place to take it to the next level.

I like the blonde. Bills 24/Pats 13.

Taylor was signed to the PS before the regular season. Based on what some felt was an unremarkable rookie year Philip's position in the rotation could reasonably have been regarded as vulnerable. In fact in the three games so far Philip's looked to have taken a step forward and so I don't think anyone was arguing for his snaps to be reduced. As for Taylor, he is a quality young DT who played well and showed good progression his two years in Miami following his draft as part of their rotation, albeit not as a featured defensive player. He was a surprise cut especially given management's public assertions that building both lines was job one (then they trade Tunsil so go figure). Apparently Taylor was cut because he wasn't a good scheme fit, not because he couldn't play. He was not going to be a FA very long and the Bills were smart to sign him immediately he became available. A poster earlier in this thread had some doubts about him as a replacement for Philips because he is not exactly prototypical as a nose. He has lined up at the position however and he's bigger than Philips. He's very athletic so I can see him as 3T too, but I think that mainly only highlights his versatility. Losing Harrison Philips is a bad body blow, but at least the Bills are deep with young DTs who can play.

True he looks to have taken a step forward this year. Hope he's ok and misses no time. If he's out I'll look forward to seeing Vincent Taylor take his spot in the rotation. Good chance we don't skip a beat. Bills are pretty deep with good young DTs.

There is nothing I would love more than to shove a red hot ramrod right up his a$$.