hondo in seattle

I think it’s weird to call Edmunds a MLB even if that’s his official position. The Bills typically only play 2 LBs so neither is in the middle. And Edmunds doesn’t play the old run-plugging, halfback-destroying Jack Lambert, Dick Butkus MLB role. Edmunds is not as physical but he’s more agile and better in coverage.

Maybe 300 yards is the wrong threshold for passing. I wonder what the win percentage is for teams with 320 yards passing? 350 yards passing?

I hope the new stadium minimizes wind and maximizes crowd noise - the way Seattle’s stadium does.

The refs do offseason training and certain rules get emphasized. I think that will influence the flags far more than any hype about either of the two teams.

Listening to player interviews, I think they're handing the expectations well: focus on the grind, one game at a time, etc. I worry more about other things: our cornerback situation while Tre is out, the development of Boogie and Groot, the depth on our offensive line, will even the starting OL be good enough? The Lombardi isn't being handed to us. I expect challenges we'll need to meet.

When I first saw the poll, I thought the results would be 100% for the Bills. Then I remembered there are always people like wjag who feel compelled to escape from the herd.

OJ, the man, is an evil monster. But OJ the running back: poetry in motion. He played back in day when defenses were designed to stop the run, DE's were tackling edge-setters, linebackers were killing machines, and the very best athletes became halfbacks anyway. And OJ was the best of them all. The youngsters here may not remember that at USC, OJ was part of the relay team that set a 4x110 world record. OJ was fast and, as far as I know, he's the only Bill to own a world mark for non-football athletics. But as good as a track athlete as he was, with his size, agility, strength and insane elusiveness, OJ was born to be a running back. While backs like Cookie ran over people and backs like Barry jitterbugged his way away from people, OJ drew graceful curves in the gridiron that left defenders impotently grasping at the demigod that just blew by. He had tremendous vision and a remarkable innate understanding of geometry that allowed to see opportunities before they even developed. In the 1970s, thousand-yard seasons were the benchmark for greatness. The season, of course, was only 14 games long back then. And it was hard to average 71 yards/game when stopping the bell cow back was typically Job Number One. Still, in 1973, both John Brockington and Calvin Hill managed to rush for 1140 yards or so. Given the defensive schemes and priorities of the time, it was a great accomplishment. Yet OJ ran for over 2,000 yards - 75% more than the nearest competitor. When has any other Bill produced 75% more yards, sacks, receptions, TD, INTs, or any other meaningful stat than his nearest competitor? OJ, in his prime, was beyond comparison, beyond words.

I know wealthy people who are wealthy because their parents' money bought them business opportunities that the rest of us don't have. Nice to see Jessica succeeding on her own. Seems like a good young lady.

I'm struggling with my Top Five. But I'd put OJ #1. I think it's crazy that some RB rankings have him #8 or #13 or some other lowly grade. Either the author focused on career stats or took away points for OJ being evil. But in his prime, he was other-worldly. Bruce would be my #2. After that things get murky. But I do believe Josh is scary good. Brady's presnap reads are uncanny and he throws the ball amazing consistency. But Allen makes plays with both his legs and his arm that make you think, "Wow!"

CSH, good post. Roster turnover is inevitable. When only one, maybe 2, of our six lost starters is still starting in the NFL, it doesn't sound like we got weaker. Especially when one of the newly gained starters is a future HOFer. My only concern is that neither of our starting CBs from last season will be playing against Cooper Kupp and the Rams.

It's a valid question but, for me, a little too granular. We can hyperanalyze Beane's hit and misses but the fundamental truth is that he's built the best roster since Polian was here. All GMs make mistakes - player evaluation is not an exact science. But Beane's overall body of work has been strong.

Reaching for need ("necessary") doesn't usually work out. The Bills did get a CB in the first round and filled their biggest need right away. After that they picked guys who thought could contribute. Maybe you have lice??? I didn't scratch my head at all.

It's interesting how much Cosell - a national media guy - knows about the Bills. Good watch.

If we had the 5th oldest QB, I'd be worried. Franchise QBs are extraordinarily difficult to replace. Other players are not nearly as hard. As GunnerBill said, Beane will soon - and continually - need to reload but not rebuild. If he's as good at his job as I think he is, the Bills will be competitive for a long time.

I'd feel better if Tre was playing. Still think our chances are good.

I see both sides. It's a 17-game season so to reach 1,000, Motor only needs to average 58.8 yards/game. And while I do think Moss and Cook will get touches, Motor will be the feature back. On the other hand, Josh is the cornerstone of the offense. Motor is just a supporting actor among three supporting actors in the backfield. I vote no - but it'll be close.

I had to look this up... Hodgins ran a 4.61 at the combine. I didn't remember he was that sluggish. I was one of the people disappointed that Hodgins was cut. But I just went back and looked at some Marquez "Speedy" Stevenson college highlights. The Bills probably think, with his acceleration, he's more likely to make plays at the NFL level.

Setting the Kroger jokes aside, I mostly agree with the OP. The OL has more depth than it had pre-Beane but it's still not a stellar unit. Maybe Beane isn't a great evaluator of OL talent. Or maybe he hasn't prioritized the OL. There are only so many draft picks and only so much cap money available. You can't prioritize everything. Alternatively, it could be that McD didn't have the right OL coach to maximize the performance of the players on the roster. I'm probably more curious about this year's OL than any other position group. Josh just might be superhuman but even he struggled statistically in games last year when the OL collapsed. And while we're not a running team, it's nice when we give the backs some daylight which happened too infrequently last season. I'm hoping for better things this year, but entirely sure what to expect.

I'm hopeful of your middle statement but not convinced yet. New starters, new OL coach... let's see.

Happy Birthday! It's a very cool gift!!!

Here's what's classy: They didn't throw anyone under the bus. They articulated compassion for all parties. They were humble and admitted they made mistakes. They acknowledged how difficult the decision was given they didn't have all the facts. They seemed genuinely and deeply affected by the events. Contrast this with Jane Doe's attorney, Dan Gilleon, who just keeps throwing grenades everywhere criticizing everyone but his client. Not the only blemish. His poor hang time was also a real concern.

I don't get the Baker-Kelly comparison. I do get Allen-Elway. But, as crazy it might be to compare Allen to a HOFer, I believe Josh will become the better QB: better runner, better passer, better leader.

Shaq, Shak, Duke, and Hodg.

As Beane said, they're human and make mistakes. I'm sure if some reporter does a deep dive into this, they'll find them. And if it turns out Araiza is 100% innocent, there will be some second-guessing. In the army we used to talk about the "fog of war." Even when the situation is cloudy and you don't have all the information you want, you still have to act. While I may have sought additional intel, I think Beane and McD are good guys who truly tried to do the "right thing" in a bad situation. I'm personally thankful this duo is in charge of the Bills.

For the sake of argument, let's say Araiza is innocent. Imagine his level of distress. The hurt of a false accusation. The media storm. The loss of reputation in the eyes of his teammates and coaches. Going from excitement over making the team to the fear of losing his job... The kid may have been an emotional wreck at gametime. McD may have benched him because he wasn't fully capable of playing.