BigBuff423

To be fair, Losman had Lee Evans and it didn't help. Losman comparisons are only due to arm strength, IMHO, which Allen still has in spades over Losman. Allen is taller, more athletic and has the mental ability, according to Wonderlic, to process the NFL speed of the game. It hasn't quite all slowed down just yet for him, but having WRs to throw to that can get some separation and actually catch, getting an OL that can block for him to some degree, having a running game that is even slightly effective AND Allen's development will make a world of difference. As others have said and it's an easy thing to do, just look at Trubisky / Goff / Wentz etc. to see QBs who either struggled or were just 'meh' in their Rookie years and then see their skyrocketed development when the team built around them and they learned in the crucible that is the NFL. It is hard to watch and sad to essentially "give away" a season, but we must be patient and see this for what it is: a 3 year rebuild. It's year two and the Bills got their QB of the future. 2019 the Bills *should* be getting good OLmen / WRs / TEs to block and throw to and a young RB to help energize the running game. Plus, some key Defensive players growing into their NFL potential, ala White / Milano and Edmunds / Harry / T. Johnson all coming along.

Ah, my bad....totally crossed the lines on that one.

I think Taron Johnson's play, thus far as a 4th Round Rookie, shows quite well. I think all of the Rookies have shown growth over the first four games and T. Johnson is no different, IMHO. Sirles would be a big help and I'm good with that and I don't really see why the Bills wouldn't want 5 CBs so keeping Gaines AND T. Jons active makes more sense to me. Not to mention the new Dontae, which as I said, I think could be more for Safety help that CB, but only the Bills know their plans for the time being.

Honestly, I think the lack of looking for WRs / Offensive linemen have more to do with what they're trying to accomplish on the respective sides of the ball. Defensively, they know what they have and they have the same scheme and they're only looking to get through the year because DBs effectively can play at any point without needing too much consistency and they invested Draft picks, one very high at the cost of others, in the LBer group and will probably either pay good money for another (which I doubt) or Draft another one in the mid rounds. Offensively, it is entirely about the future. They want to see what they have in their Offensive line because they're going to need to re-sign at least a couple because you can't have every single starter turnover, except for Dawkins. So, they want to know what the future holds. As for KB, he's the only real Vet to start at WR, and Zay is just trying to gain traction while Foster and McCloud could be or may not be the future with Josh Allen. The same can be said with Croom. As for Teller, I think they're taking the path they took with Milano which is to keep him learning and taking reps and gaining bulk, confidence and reps to eventually take over, either later in the year or next year. They have that because Ducasse hasn't been bad. Additionally, I think the FO knows they are going to need to invest in OL via FA AND the Draft. Preferably a Vet Center and RT and then either re-sign Mills or Draft one and they'll still need to sign more OL for depth / competition. But, that Center position is a key position that will need to be viewed as priority. Also, the Draft is deep with DL and DE, so signing those guys to short term deals makes sense when they will be aplenty in the Draft which is more the long-term solution. Nobody wants to really embrace it, but we need to embrace the suck. It is what it is for this year. We all talked about this year being a year to take to re-build and get Josh and Edmunds learning and growing. Not to mention T. Johnson and Horrible Harry, which all four have shown real signs of promise. Patience is the key. This makes me think the Bills might view him as a Safety replacement / depth for Hyde more than a CB.

No, I really don't. His route running is suspect and his hands don't seem to remember how to catch the ball. To me a true #1WR is one who runs great routes, catches virtually anything thrown his way, understands protections and Defenses and makes adjustments, gets YAC, can block and can hit the home run ball all in the same game. Now, that maybe expecting too much, but if we're talking about standards for a #1WR, that to me is it.

I see the reticence to over-use Luck's arm or asking him to heave a ball as far as he can throw it, nothing more than caution. He's taken a long time to come back and the fate of the Indy franchise rests with him for the next 3 years. I think they simply want to make sure they're not putting him a position to be re-injured again and easing him over the course of the season into full "playing shape" for a QB, which obviously has everything to do with their arm.

I'll say this about Green Bay (overlapping their game play against the Vikes), when Rodgers is in the game - no matter his condition - they ALWAYS have a chance to win all the way until time runs out. Look at the Chicago game; if Bills played the Pack yesterday with similar results going into 4th Quarter, I would have been convinced Rodgers was leading a comeback. My one real issue with the game yesterday, and it's minor in terms of outcome, is that the Bills need to have that killer instinct. They played like a team on fire in the first half, but then came out more in the form of a giant turtle. They didn't want to be too aggressive on Offense and Defensively in the 4th Quarter they started playing with more about protecting the win than what is in their apparent DNA. Defensively I can understand the perspective and approach to a point, but Offensively, they needed to remain aggressive. Not necessarily causing all kinds of turnovers and throwing caution to the wind, but being creative yet aware of the situation. The best teams, step on the neck when their opponent is down. In order to maintain this level of competition and to be considered truly great, they'll need to do that in games that count the most. Green Bay with Rodgers at the helm, is one of those teams you can't give even the slightest hope to, or he'll exploit it and make you pay.

I appreciate and respect your opinion on many Bills' things as they are usually logical and tempered with reason. But in this case, I have to say this is really stretching for both. Watkins admitted after he was traded to LA that he was not a good teammate and wanted the ball for selfish reasons, that's not who McD and Beane wanted on the team and they knew he would want big money a year later - get a 2nd for him and use Draft capital, seems like an easy decision when considering both of those things. Woods, was a FA and as we can now see, Beane is hell-bent on getting the Cap issue rectified all the way to the point of knowing this was going to be a tough year and it would mean essentially re-setting themselves in virtually every position group. Goodwin did NOT show his football chops while in Buffalo, often injured and a one-trick pony. Now, I'm happy for the guy and it's obvious that he was distracted by the Olympics and poor coaching was a large contributor to using him properly, but Beane and Co. could not have known that at the time, IMHO. As for Matthews, he was injured for a fair portion of the year and Tyrod was the QB when guys were running open and free in the middle of the field and he couldn't make the pass. As for Benjamin, I'm more appalled at his lack of effort and lazy attitude than anything else. Not catching the ball is infuriating as a fan, but it's his piss-poor attitude that really drives me nuts and *that's* the reason I think he's not doing well - he just doesn't seem invested and it's also the reason why I'm fine with him leaving - sooner rather than later. And yes, you'd think Beane and McD would have known that about him, so maybe that is on them. But to presume they thought they were all "better" than the first three, IMO, fails to take the context into consideration.

I couldn't disagree more. This *team* just played it's most cohesive game to date under McD, and that's because of the team first mentality. Looking across the talent board, the Bills are still climbing out of the hole and they just shut the Vikings down on both sides of the ball. You can say it was a trap game for them, and to some degree that's fair. But to the larger extent Buffalo just man-handled that team which is more than a trap game issue for Minny, it was great preparation and everyone buying-in to the vision McD (and Beane) have for the team. I think McD and the team showed last year when you get the right group of guys in synergy, they can collectively overcome the weaknesses of the individual - the antithesis to what Dez stands for which is, "me first". Now, he was a talented receiver at one point and part of why Romo being so good, but the page has turned in Buffalo and they want the right receivers, not just talented ones. Consider how Allen looked with the group he had yesterday and then imagine what it can look like next year and the years after when you can get talented receivers who are also about team first. That's when you'll see the Offense reach its potential.

Cool. If the underdog line is what fueled this team to that incredible total victory, then please let this do the same. Let the chip on the shoulder remain firmly in place and go into Green Bay and knock the snot right out of them. Will they do it? I was completely sure they would fail miserably in Minny (a.k.a. Wisconsin South), but they didn't and they HAVE gotten noticeably better since the second half of the Chargers game, so it's possible we see them continue. BUT, at this point - I want a game where we continue to see the good from Allen, improved Defense - especially from Edmunds - and continuously getting better at play-calling on Offense to suit Allen's strengths. IF all of that happen and they lose a competitive game, then my thoughts are similar to what it would be today if the Bills lost in the same fashion to the Vikes. IF the Bills beat Green Bay IN Green Bay next Sunday, color me shocked and impressed.

Really? In your effort to sound snarky, you just sound misinformed. You don't see the difference between what the OP is suggesting and your lame comment? Your other thread demonstrates your current bias as well....dear Lord, it wasn't an original idea (no offense OP), but it wasn't a horrible one either and certainly is nowhere near what you've suggested in your snarky, dumb attempt at sarcasm.

Vikes 51 Bills 13

Seriously folks, can we move on from the Cousins love-fest? It's over. Buffalo knew this was going to be a re-building season and they weren't going to pay for a QB who is ready to win now when the rest of the team isn't....that simple. This strategy was in play from day 1; rid the team of lazy, under-motivated poor teammates, Draft the QB, get young core players at key positions, eliminate the ugly Cap situation, and build up from there. Last year's aberration just happened to change fans' expectations. Cousins is a good QB, but he's not worth the money to a team who isn't ready to make a run at the title.

I don't agree with PFF at all on this one, as many of us don't, but what I do think we can value is a balanced perspective. A way of not just saying, "Oh, he sucks!" because we see him struggling, but also looking at objective data. PFF relies too much on analytics IMHO, but they do use a grading system to help remove some of the subjectivity involved in evaluation. To that end, what I think we could take from this is that while it's obvious the Offensive line is struggling, some players are doing their part and some are contributing to the problem. On one sack this past weekend it was really, really clear even to a laymen like myself that the TE completely whiffed on his block of a blitzer and nobody picked him up and he had a straight shot to Allen. Offensive line wasn't responsible for blocking that guy as the TE lined up directly across from him and he was supposed to do a better job at blocking are at least chipping the guy to knock him off his line to Allen. This provides some objective balance. There's merit in that alone.

I'm proud to be a Bills fan because of everything it means to me.....but some of you on this board make me ashamed to be put in the same category as you in regards to how other fans view us. The table breaking b.s., the ignorance of how people are treated at games, and the kinds of things I don't want my little girl to see or believe is how you can be a passionate fan for a team. But, this takes the cake of total lack of perspective and misery. The team was a two year rebuild right? With the 3rd year showing real promise and pushing for the playoffs, right? Yet, in their FIRST season they make the playoffs - albeit with help but they still had to be in that position regardless - and in two games, people are ready to run them out of town? Or "put them on notice" as if this year will determine their fate or even next year. Some of you must just be too young to appreciate what real vision looks like. Culture change is NOT an easy thing to accomplish, unless it's a negative one - that can happen quickly. It will take......time. I've said it before, but if the two years were reversed, with last year being ugly and this year making a push for the playoffs, would anyone be ready to call for their jobs? I highly doubt it. They broke the curse. They definitely have a vision for what their looking to accomplish. Now, if it works - we'll see, but they have a direction and a plan to get there. With that, and the playoffs last year after all the years of futility behind us - they get 5 years. Period.

I realize it's not your sentiment alone but it's one that's repeated often so I just wanted to take a second to add something. I agree that it would be so much better having an OL that can block for him. I think of the Cowboys and how they built their OL and then Zeke and Dak. But then look at Dak and that Offense, even when they had Dez last year. My point is that while it would be great to see him sitting comfortable in a pocket and learning to throw as he had time, but you know what might be an even better teacher? Pressure. The crucible of the NFL collapsing pocket might very well serve him better in the long run. When we look at some of the best QBs over the last 30 years (and probably beyond), many of them came in the midst of re-builds and poor management situations. They fought through all of those hardships, learned how fast that NFL clock really is, developed leadership at the highest level, and learned to play in really unfortunate situations. Then, when the team was built around them, their progressions were quicker, their confidence higher, their leadership established on the team, and their knowledge so much more advanced. Didn't work in all cases of course, I just counter the idea that this OL is poor for his development as maybe....it isn't. In the long run this kind of frenetic, scatter-type of line might *actually* be best for him.

1. Dareus was lazy and failed to show any real motivation while in Buffalo. Good for him in Jax, but he was NOT that competitive in his last few years in Buffalo. Getting that contract gone will help....ready......NEXT YEAR! 2. Tyrod was NOT coming back. Very few wanted him here, but glad you're one of them that did. AJ was a really decent FA signing at the time, but Beane admitted AJ was not the QB they believed he would be when he got to Buffalo. So, unlike some on this board - he admitted his mistake and traded him for a 5th round pick. Rather than eating a roster spot and getting nothing from him. He traded him at his highest point, just after the comeback game that meant nothing but counted for something. 3. Glenn was part of the strategy to get to Allen - and again, how quickly people forget that Glenn had constant nagging foot injuries and to be paying a guy without value, makes no sense. So, they used him to get their QB of the future. If you don't see how that works for the team, then there's nothing I can do for you. 4. Wood - how is that self-inflicted? He had no idea about the injury until the end of the season check-up....and then you say giving that a pass, it shouldn't have even been brought up to begin with. 5. Coleman - with this regarding the money, we agree. Now with this, I give them a pass because if it had worked out, it would have been a coup for Beane to pay so little to get so much. But they knew the risks and calculated it was worth it.

I disagree with Woods and Goodwin because at a time when they are and will be good, the team will just be rounding into shape. As for older Vets, again, IMHO, it's their way of putting something on the field other than a team of 1st and 2nd year players in hopes they would be competitive while building for the future. And this FO didn't create the Cap issues, Doug Whaley did, they're just cleaning up his mess. I think we can all see that ridding the team of certain players that they didn't believe held team first mentality was the priority and then letting guys go that they didn't think fit what they wanted to accomplish. To me all in all it was this simple: they didn't have the players they wanted and the good players they had, cost too damn much.

Paying 3.5 to Coleman was about hoping to unearth potential top level talent at a very reasonable cost both in money and Draft pick which is basically the value of an UDFA, given how far away it is and that it is a 7th round pick. At this point it seems more like you've just made up your mind that you don't like the team in its current condition and just don't like it without acknowledging it's part of their overhaul. Ok, cool....every fan is entitled to their opinion obviously, but this takes just seem so pervasively negative without true justification.

Because, they fit the money for what they could spend. Cam Phillips on the PS gets him reps and keeps him with the team but doesn't put the WR squad a Benjamin, Zay and a bunch of Rookies. How is that so hard to understand? They couldn't afford Watkins or want to trade and sign Cooks, because the team is NOT THERE YET. As for Beane's Off-season....I just think you're frustrated and pissed off and refuse to take things in context. Wood and Incognito were unexpected and they refused to bow to that demand because they had a plan: to rid the team of poor Cap management to move forward for the future. And yes, I think Beane and McD were very upfront with Terry and Kim about how this plan needed to go. While no one is happy about losing, sometimes its a bonafide necessity. For years fans wanted the team to tear it all down and rebuild again, and now that it's happening they're complaining. FFS people...they overachieved last year and made the hard decision to suck up the Cap misery and plan for the years to come. And for your Kerley and Holmes comment, but I feel I've answered twice now, you ignored all of the other points about how McD is playing a bunch of young guys.

They Drafted their believed franchise QB....that used a lot of Draft capital but nothing that gave up 2019 or beyond. They have 9 or 10 Draft picks upcoming, and have a bunch of FA money for next year. They're playing Allen, Edmunds, and Horrible Harry and Taron Johnson - picks in rounds 1 through 4, and Teller looks like a promising player in the 5th round. Neal is on STs and Robert Foster - the UDFA - is suiting up on game day. Last year's picks, Dawkins, Tre, Zay, Milano are all playing important roles for them - albeit Zay is struggling and this year is healthy, but all of the WRs have been pretty bad thus far. Croom is young as well. I'm not sure what's so hard to understand in that they can't trot out Rookies at EVERY position, so considering how many Rookies and 2nd year players are actually starting or playing a larger role, I don't know what more you can expect. You can't fix every position in one year, not even in two years - UNLESS YOU SPEND A BUNCH OF FA MONEY - which they were NOT going to do in 2018. They were committed to getting dead money off the books, clearing out the space and building contracts they way they believed sustained long-term success.

Ducasse graded out better than most fans thought at the second half of last year. And he is a Vet, when you're starting your Rookie QB, you're hoping a Vet can do enough to not get your QB killed. That said, it's time to start Teller at LG and move Ducasse back to RG, because Miller has been even worse. Holmes and Kerley were the right FA options based on how Beane and McD did not want to commit big money to this year or in the years to come. Mills has continued to see his way through two FO and Coaching changes and it boggles my mind. I can only imagine it's again due to wanting some experience over McDermott, but I am also on board with the change now and let the chips fall where they may. I honestly thought McCoy would be dealt during the Off-season given how deep the RB position was in the Draft. In multiple threads I intimated such by saying things like, "I wouldn't be surprised if..." and discuss a trade of McCoy. I was lambasted for suggesting such a thing, but I really thought the Bills wanted to get the core QB / RB for the Offense moving forward. That said, it appears RB will be a position of priority next Draft, as it should be. But, I also think when they say, "win now, win in the future", they knew McCoy gave them the best hope to help a Rook and to move the Offense which helps them stay competitive on Offense - or at least that was the plan (I think?). I'm not sure about your Cap space question as they're cutting roughly $50 million in driftwood dead Cap THIS year, freeing themselves up for the years to come, beginning with more than $70 in Cap space for 2019. I'm sure you have players in mind, but I just don't know which one(s) you're referring to.

No worries, thick skin....I was being sarcastic, but attempting brevity....b/c you know, people don't like long-winded sarcasm.

Thanks - but that island is a population of 1.....

Wrong, because I disagree with you? No, wrong is when it comes to fact and you don't agree and that's fine, but that's not wrong - it's just not what you agree with. Long-winded? Yeah, you got me there. But instead of posting in 10 different threads that essentially say the same thing, I decided to do it all at once. Tyrod is playing for a Browns team that as of right now could compete, the Bills were not doing that this year. Tyrod's place on this team would have just been to be a mentor and not to actually play to win this year. He's a good guy, never insinuated any different, but content being a mentor, nope, sorry that was not his intent. If you don't see how McCown are so incredibly different in where they are in their respective careers, there's nothing anyone can say to you to be reasonable. Dawkins played extremely well last year - and other than one game - there's nothing else to go by. If you don't see that, then you ignore virtually every other metric and analyst and that's on you. You don't like McD....again, fine. But don't let that bias sway you from he did what he said he was going to do: give the job to QB who played the best and in the Pre-Season and camp, that was Peterman - by all accounts including his detractors. Edmunds never going in the top 10....hindsight is easy, but if you go back to early April, and resurrect old Draft predictions and player rankings, find me any more than 3 out of 10 that had him out of the top 10, I'll publicly apologize for being wrong to you in this thread. I've done it before and I'll do it again if you feel the need. Lastly - if you've even read this far - I'm not really sure hurling insults is helping the situation. I've been cordial and respectful, so why the need to make it personal by saying, "My goodness, this is a lot of rambling nonsense and homerism. I'll show where you are wrong in a much more succinct manner without the blinding homer **** that leads to whatever the !@#$ that was."?? If it gets you that upset, then so be it...but I wonder what happened to you this morning that a differing opinion gets you all bent out of shape. Relax.