starrymessenger

Tyrod also once lined up behind a guard, tho perhaps less famously.

This is actually great news. Good for the player and for the league.

It's not clear what is going on with RM and the Titans. It's an odd way of going about it but it's possible that this is just a player on a one year deal and needing production to maximize his value venting his displeasure at the lack of targets. Vrabel's position is normal coach speak: you earn your role on game day based on how well you are executing in the offence in practice. RM was unable to practice through most of the off season due to miniscus surgery and an injured ACL. Given the injury to Delaney Walker and the inexperience of their WR group, the Titans may well be interested in retaining him so it's possible that the team and the player resolve their differences. Its hard to know exactly how the Bills might feel about RW. There is little doubt that he would upgrade our passing game. OTOH the "process" folks might be wary of him. They may think that he went about dealing with his issue in the wrong way. They may feel that he should have gone about resolving this internally without all the drama by earning a bigger role and more targets in the normal way. And while a player is free to negotiate his own deal without an agent his having done that might strike some as odd and maybe a sign of poor judgement. I don't know where the Bills are at regarding the whole kneeling/protest thing but it may be relevant that RM was amongst the more visible Titans taking a position aligned with CK. In any case he would not necessarily be seen as the easiest guy to assimilate to a new lockerroom and culture. Not criticizing the player, just saying that he is an outspoken kind of guy with a personality. If his request to be released were regarded as " all about me" he might not be seen as a process/team oriented player.

Apparently the Titans have agreed to give him his release & are drawing up the paperwork.

Lack of talent is one thing. Lack of effort is another. Many of the game's greatest players are said to always practice hard. If it's good enuf for Khalil Mack it better be good enuf for Ray Ray Whoever. Any more of this and he should straight up be drop kicked out of Buffalo.

To me this new rule is a case of the refs piling on. To be fair to defenders given what they are asked to do, and to not alter for the worse a fundamental feature of the game itself as it is best played, the mere fact that a player sacking the QB lands on him with his full weight should not be penalized. The exception of course is where a hit can reasonably be considered late - Anthony Barr vs A. Rodgers. Often these will be judgement calls or no calls based on whether the ref feels the defender could or could not reasonably have held up his progress towards the QB.

I don't disagree with this. The things Allen needs to work on Mayfield already does well. But Baker will likely never be able to do some of the things Josh can already do simply because of Allen's ridiculous athleticism. Both are great prospects that come with some risk (Allen more than Mayfield IMO). Arguably Allen has the higher ceiling.

Allen is not to be confused with EJ and/or Trent. Or Kyle Boller or Jake Locker. There are no guarantees, agreed, but if folks can't see that he is a much superior prospect they haven't been paying attention or don't know how to interpret what they are seeing. And it should have been obvious long before the Vikings game. Again, he is and remains only a prospect at this stage, but the more accurate and appropriate comparisons are Cam, John Elway, Steve Young. For Allen it's really down to ironing out mechanical kinks, field vision and processing. If he gets there it will still take a while and he is bound to have his ups and downs, but he very much seems to have the ability to refine his game and make those adjustments. And if he does that look out. Like great players in any sport, he has the attributes to impact games emphatically. Daboll is crucial to his development and appears to know what he is doing. Looking forward to seeing how Allen/Daboll make out vs the Pack. Green Bay will have a much better idea than the Vikes did regarding the things they will have to do to shut down the Bills O, so it won't be easy. Win or lose, if Allen continues to impress it will be a very encouraging sign.

Exactly right. I noticed the same thing pre-draft in his tape. It really stood out.

There are plenty of good reasons why JA was going to be drafted high in the first, whether by the Bills or by another team (Cards as matters developed). No doubt he will experience ups and downs and has a lot to learn but he has shown that he can beat you with his arm from the pocket, from a moving pocket and outside the pocket. He can attack every blade of grass on the field and is capable of making any throw. As if that didn't pressure a D enuf, he can beat you with his legs too. Add to that the ability, like Baker, to inspire his teammates on both sides of the ball. And then there is his basic intelligence which is also an asset. Dude can be very dangerous to the well being of defensive coordinators. Given his demonstrated ability and extremely rare physical skill set it was apparent to many observers that if he could grow and refine his game and execute with greater consistency Josh Allen held a deep in the money option on elite NFL QB status. Seems pretty obvious that the football world can only be impressed by what the have seen so far. It looks to me like Daboll will be very important, perhaps even crucial to JA's continued development. I was encouraged by his game plan and play calling during the first half yesterday. Well designed to disrupt an opposing D that was clearly expecting a much more conservative approach. Green Bay will not now fall into the same trap so it will be very interesting to see just how JA and the Bills make out next Sunday. Another strong performance will go a long way to confirming that Allen's sky high potential can eventually be realized.

So NFL football Ops are morons.

Sucks for him. 49rs and their fans. At least he's got 75 MM guaranteed.

Haven't seen much of either of these guys, a half dozen games or so over the last few years. I usually try to better educate myself about the prospects in the months before the draft, so that's my disclaimer. Having said that I might be inclined to go with Ed Oliver, but only if he can show this year that he is capable of getting sacks at the next level in the high single digits. I don't know whether he will be able to do that given that he plays nose and is used as a disruptive force in defending the run. He's undersized for an NFL defensive tackle (he's probably smaller than listed) and should line up as a 3 tech in McDermott's 4/3 under IMO. If he can get the sacks and still rack up lots of run stops and tackles for loss I think it would be hard to pass on him. No offence to the Buckeyes and their supporters. Obviously I'd be delighted with either one.

Again I don't know of any reputable commentator who doubted that JA was very raw and unpolished as a prospect. And it's hardly surprising given the path he had to follow to the NFL. And I'd be surprised frankly if the Bills didn't know this. And their decision to move forward without a veteran on the roster is obviously one that has attracted a lot of criticism. And if they thought he was ready to start why didn't they start him ahead of a clearly lesser talent. In spite of his technical issues Josh Allen was going to be drafted high in the first round. Had the Bills not taken him at 7, the Cards would have at 8. The reason for that is his extraordinary natural/physical aptitudes for playing the all important position. But had he been drafted by Arizona he would be sitting behind a vet and learning, like Rosen, who right now is much more proficient as a passer than JA is. Favre didn't start until he was into his second year and on a team that was good enuf to go 9-7 and place second in the NFC Central. But I think you're right about Favre being an interesting comparable (even if you don't believe in comparables) and one that I hadn't thought of. I don't know how serious BFs issues were but for sure his accuracy was questioned and he was not considered a finished product.

Analysts were divided in their opinions as to whether his problems could be coached out of him. Quite a few were of the view that some issues I.e. accuracy were not correctable. Others felt that with proper coaching and grooming they could improve. As far as I am aware all of the credible analysts were universally and unequivocally of the opinion that Josh was a very raw prospect, maybe a diamond in the rough to be sure, but very much in need of work on his basic fundamentals re throwing mechanics, footwork etc...in addition to the many things that all rookie QBs need to absorb before transitioning to the pro game. All of this was moreover plainly evident from his WYO tape. So I would ask you again, what rookie QB as unrefined as Josh Allen starting for a team as bad as the Bills has succeeded. Don't say Peyton. Don't say Aikman. Maybe there is one, but off the top I don't see it. Now, you say that every athlete is unique. But some stand out more than others that way. IMO Allen is pretty much in a class by himself. My personal opinion is that he looks to be a bona fide prodigy as far as his basic physical and mental skillset is concerned. He is a much better prospect than other strong armed and physically gifted QBs like Locker or Boller. That is why I continue to see him as a good prospect with a chance to succeed. But if he does get there all the credit will be his, not the Bills, who have done nothing to help him. And he will indeed prove that he was unique and probably without any obvious comparables.

Mbappe just has to go with his God given athleticism. He doesn't have to deal with the many demands and complexities of playing QB in the NFL. Soccer can be a physical game, and he'll have to deal with his share of tough tackles, but he doesn't have to worry about 300 pound men with murder on their minds. The French team is also stocked full of elite players. Taking nothing away from Mbappe. He will wind up spoken of in the same breath as Messi and Ronaldo. Incredible talent. Can you think of a rookie QB with as many issues and as long a list of things to work on as Josh who started for a terrible team and succeeded. He's in a very tough spot IMO.

Ed Oliver does not project as a nose at the next level. He will be. a 3 tech.

Go Gryphons!

Shady is guilty, either of what's alleged or of having poor taste in women.

Ok. This makes a lot of sense. Personally I very much doubt that EJ would have benefitted by sitting behind a smart vet like Fitz for a few years but anything is possible. Neither Tyrod or EJ suit up as Bills anymore so for most purposes beyond casual interest they need not be discussed. But the EJ experience continues to be of significant relevance to the Bills today IMO and worthy of consideration because of Josh Allen, who we all hope and pray will not wind up like EJ. There are obvious similarities. Both players have all the physical tools that coaches and scouts value. Big, powerfully built, strong armed, mobile. Both have good intangibles and can credibly audition to be the face of a franchise. Both have issues relating to accuracy, footwork, mechanics, the ability to throw WRs open, to make pre and post snap reads, to recognize blitzes, to sense pressure. Allen (at WYO) like EJ, is so far pretty much a "see it and throw it" QB. Both players played in dumbed down Os in college. That doesn't really work in the NFL. And of course fortunately there are also important differences. EJ benefitted from excellent coaching at FSU. Allen not so much. EJ, as you correctly point out, has a fragile ego. He did not take well to coaching. He would internalize it as criticism. Alan is a much stronger leader on the field and is very coachable. EJ was physically tough. He played with a broken leg against Notre Dame. But he was not mentally tough. Allen is physically and mentally tough. Both EJ and Allen can run, but EJ was not very quick and agile. He needed to get going before his top gear kicked in. Allen has the quickness that should enable him to move in, around and out of the pocket (and earn crucial first downs) in ways that EJ was never able to do. Quick reactions at the QB position are much more important than straight line speed (not that Allen is slow, far from it). For whatever reason I felt EJ was reluctant to run at times. Allen not so much. IMO Allen, for all the challenges he will have to face and overcome, is a much better prospect than EJ was. When I see him hit a post route before the WR breaks open (something EJ was never able to do) that when I'll know we have our guy.

I stopped reading when you said "still could have drafted Manuel in the 1st".

I thought McCoach handled this very well in his written statement. Classy. Vontae not so much. From stud to dud. Sad.

I know it maybe wasn't the plan but I expect Baker to be installed as the starter this year, maybe as soon as the bye. I also think it would be the right move.

This is true. The eyes are the portal to the soul. Once the eyes glaze over you know the guy has lost confidence and is done. And there is no coming back. I remember seeing Trent warming up on the sidelines before a Browns game. His eyes were dead. I thought "this is not going to end well". I thought I saw the same thing in Peterman's demeanour in a presser before the Ravens game, which frankly I did not expect from him. Said he was focussed on getting better in a weak sort of way. Hardly what you want to hear from your leader before the season opener. Projected zero confidence as though he had come to the realization that he was not up to it. I was disappointed in him.

Really awful decision. Could have been a back breaking 100 yard pick six. C'mon man!