hondo in seattle

As The Jokeman wisely says, Leave no stone unturned... None of these players cost us much. And they're all good athletes so there is some slim possibility they amount to something.

This is a very interesting theory. I'll have to think about it. It seems like this would be true of nearly all positions: the difference between the Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 guys isn't as great as it once was. And if that is true, all teams will end up with - more or less - comparable talent. So as an owner, or GM, the first people you would want to find are a QB (where the talent difference is still substantial), and a coach. It would argue against paying big money on the free agent market for any position other than QB. (Maybe Miller and Diggs were mistakes?) Another reason RBs might be "a dime a dozen" these days is that elite athletes don't become RBs anymore. In the old days, RBs ruled the gridiron like dinosaurs ruled the Cretaceous. Nowadays, the best athletes become WRs, DBs, and sometimes even QBs! As an aside: modern defenses are designed to stop the pass. Speed and quickness are valued over toughness and violence. Jim Brown would run for 2,000+ against modern pass-first Ds and hurt guys doing it.

I was commenting on someone else's post who predicted these two (MVS, Claypool) wouldn't make the squad. I previously projected they would. But, if they each have a terrible camp with their worst shortcomings becoming worrisome, they could potentially be cut.

If MVS and Claypool don't make the 53, it's because MVS still hasn't learned to catch, and Claypool still hasn't pulled his head out of his butt. As a Bills fan, I guess those facts would make me sick too.

Seems like a good guy. Invite him to any game where he'll root for the Bills.

Looking at this group, I don't think many opposing DBs are going to say, "Man, playing the Bills is going to be a huge challenge. They have All-Pros running routes all over the field!" We don't have any All-Pros or Pro Bowlers. A skeptic might argue we only have one legit starter in our WR room. But I'm hoping one or two of these guys surprises the critics. There is some potential here. And I think the diverse wideout skillset, combined with the talents of our TEs and RBs, give Brady enough to create a viable passing attack.

This is a tough call but I think the Bills go with experience (and Coleman) and maybe stash the inexperienced guys on the practice squad. And I think the Bills keep 6: Coleman. I think he'll be a starter from Day One. Samuels. Most proven guy on the roster. Shakir. Looked strong in the second half of last season. Hollins. Versatile, process-type guy. MVS. I think McD wants some speed in the WR room and MVS beats out the other field-stretchers (Hamler and Isabella). Though I wish he had better hands. Claypool. I don't think Beane would roll the dice on this kid if he didn't think there was a good chance he could return to form. This is going to be a very interesting camp battle.

Thanks for finding and linking that. Interesting article. I could swear I heard his career nosedived because of a problem with his peripheral vision though I don't recall the source. I didn't remember that he was such an excellent athlete when young. And I didn't know about the bank fraud. The article makes him seem like a good and humble guy - outside of the felony, of course. I didn't think he was OJ's equal of course, but during Miller's rookie season I did think we'd be blessed with good RB play for another eight or ten years.

While I hate that this year's WR room is so unproven, I am glad Beane is managing the cap for sustained success. Every season, if you build a good team, you buy yourself a lottery ticket for the Super Bowl. No good team has a guaranteed path to the SB but the really bad teams have no realistic chance at all - they don't get lottery tickets. Only the better teams do. And if you buy enough tickets, the laws of chance say you'll probably eventually win. Beane's not the very best GM but he is getting us into the Lombardi Lottery every year.

On the one hand, it bugs me that Beane is spending less this year on the WR room than the majority of NFL GMs despite having a QB who can throw the ball all over the field. On the other hand, I don't think the cupboard is bare. If a couple guys with spotty or unproven backgrounds step up, and if Brady is good at scheming up an offense, we'll move the ball and score points. Yeah, there are too many ifs but they're not complete longshots. Keeping my fingers crossed.

As a long-suffering Bills fan, I have concern about every opponent. I've experienced too many disappointments and witnessed too many unhappy surprises over the years. When I was in the army, we planned for different scenarios: most likely, most favorable, most dangerous... The most dangerous scenario is Saleh puts together another good defense and Rodgers stays healthy & has a good year.

I can't find this online, but I remember hearing Miller's career was derailed by some eye disease that caused him to lose his peripheral vision. He ran for over 1,000 yards with a solid 4.5 YPC in his promising rookie season with the Bills. He only put up about 500 yards with a 3.4 YPC for the entirety of his remaining NFL career. Anyone know the story?

Fergy had an interesting career evolution. At first, his job was to hand off to OJ. He only surpassed 2,000 yards passing once in his first four years. But in '79 and '81 he threw for 3,500+ yards, which was pretty good back when the NFL was still transitioning from a running league to a passing one. Buffalo Bills franchise records: Highest touchdown percentage in a single season – 7.8 (1975) Lowest interception percentage in a single season – 0.7 (1976) Most sack yards lost in a single season – 387 (1979) Most interceptions thrown in a career – 190 Most sack yards lost in a career – 2,529

I think we retain Knox both for tactical and financial/contract reasons. While Kincaid may be the better receiver, Knox and Kincaid have different skill sets. Knox is the better blocker, works better in contested space, and can run through contact. I don't think McD or Brady would want to give up what Knox offers. Another consideration is that we don't have a bunch of proven wideouts, so we probably want to keep our two 'proven' TEs.

I still think my point is valid but yours is too. It is a very diverse WR room with a lot of different skillsets for Brady to use: big guys, quick guys, man-beaters, zone-beaters, speedsters, possession receivers...

I doubt it, but... One of my wife's relatives owns a construction company in a country I won't malign by naming. The relative had a lot of trouble with delayed and/or failed building inspections for a while. Then she started hiring the building inspectors as 'engineers' theoretically to pre-inspect work. The conflict-of-interest laws there forbid the inspectors who work for her as a second job to inspect any of her projects. But their friends do the inspections. So now the inspections get prompt passing scores. She explains that the inspectors don't want to get their friends in trouble, or potentially cost them a job, by failing them.

GB, I agree with you something like 99.9% of the time. But this one is an exception. NFL refs are trained and selected because of their ability to make good calls instantaneously. I personally love this move. I wonder if he'll also help out at camp.

It almost seems like Beane is trying to fix the WR room with numbers. Get a bunch of flawed but affordable guys with potential upside and see who's good enough to stick.

He felt unloved and underappreciated when the Rams ditched him. This contract is some consolation prize. Hope he spends his riches wisely.

The 1975 Braves had Tom McMillen, Jim McMillian, and the phenomenal Bob McAdoo. As I recall, they said at the time it was the first time in NBA history a team had three Macs. If Von was a Van, this might have been the first NFL team to have three Vans.

Weird Buffalo sports trivia... When did a major league Buffalo sports team have three Macs (actually: "Mc")? The current Bills have two Vans and a Von which is not as unique maybe but still unusual: Van Prang-Granger, and Van Denmark, Von Miller.

I personally wish there was more X-and-O stuff during a broadcast. But, you're right, football tactics doesn't bring in the viewers. It's the drama of individual players and their performances. You're also right that casual fans aren't well educated in the X-and-Os. At least, I'm not. I've watched Kurt Warner and other former NFL players and coaches do video breakdowns of the Bills. And I find myself sometimes thinking something like, "Holy Cookie Gilchrist! I've been watching the Bills for decades and think I know football, yet I didn't notice that when I watched the game live!" If Warner and I sat down on a couch and watched a Bills game together, we wouldn't have the same experience because he'd be seeing it in so much greater depth. It would be like I'm watching on an old, 1950's fuzzy b&w tv while he's watching on a giant 3D IMAX screen. You're right for wanting to defend your daughter, and the women of the world.

It's possible that McD will use more 4-3 this season. But the long-term trend in the NFL is toward more Nickel and Dime defenses. It would seem weird if McD reversed himself.

Yeah, it's the offseason.

I've read enough of your posts over the years to know, (1) you're humbler than you're giving yourself credit for, and (2) you make informed, reasoned arguments. And I agree about judging McD on whether or not he produces a Mona Lisa. Recent draft picks are hard to evaluate. The team on the field is not. We can all see whether the team plays well or not, wins or not. The only question, I suppose, is how much credit/blame to attribute to Beane and how much to McD. That makes for a good debate, I think.