Forward Progress

I am among those on this board who rates Beane pretty high (not a God, but I'm glad he's our GM). I'm not high on Beane because he is successful with every move he makes (he's had some misses along the way). I'm high on Beane because he takes a lot of shots and cuts his losses quickly when his acquisitions don't work out, while holding on to the players who make our team better. My glass-half-full-perspective on Beane's interest in AB is that he is thorough and considers any and every opportunity to make this team better. From the outside looking in, it feels like Beane got lucky with AB going to Oakland, but I don't want him to stop pursuing players who can make our team better just because some of them don't work out.

Honestly, Shady got off lightly for that offense.

In my newly renovated man cave, complete with the beer fridge, big screen and surround sound. I worked a few late nights to make sure this was ready for week 1.

Spoiler Alert!!!

There is a small pocket of Josh Allen / Bills fans in Wyoming now.

What happened to GMFB weekly love? This is starting to feel like an abusive relationship.

I can’t argue with that. The two biggest improvements that we are counting on are Josh’s progression and a better o-line for both pass protection and the run game. There is reason to expect all of these improvements - can’t wait to see it on the field.

While I agree that the progression of Allen and Darnold is a wash, I'm clearly more optimistic than you right now. 4 of the 5 O-line positions have been upgraded from back-ups (or less) to capable NFL starters. Our #1 and #2 receiver from last year have been pushed down to our #3 and #4 receiver with Brown and Beasley expected to get the most targets. The D is largely the same, but I think that Edmunds progression will improve our run defense that hurt us in a couple of games last year. I can't argue on the guessing point as preseason observations aren't the most reliable. I am of the opinion that there isn't an area of our team that is weaker than a year ago, while making upgrades to our o-line, receivers and depth at many positions.

I had become a pretty complacent fan over the years. I watched every game, but I didn't really care about wins and losses. I was simply looking for signs of improvement... just signs of hope that a better tomorrow would come. Sure, we were "in the hunt" in early December, but that just meant we weren't mathematically eliminated. This year feels different for me. I believe the better tomorrow is almost here and I am genuinely hoping for playoffs this year. I believe we are good enough to make the playoffs, but I don't believe there is enough room for both the Jets and the Bills in the playoffs this year. I also believe that we are not yet good enough to make the playoffs if we lose any games that we should win. Sundays have been a nice relaxing time for me for many years, where wins felt nice and the losses didn't really hurt. I have felt the excitement for this week-one match-up building for some time. I think the two games with the Jets are the two most important games on our schedule - they just happen to be the first and last game of the season. It's exciting to watch meaningful football again. Sports are more fun when we are fully invested, hanging on every third down in every game. I haven't had this feeling for almost twenty years and I'm loving it. Sure, the losses will hurt more than they have, but the wins will feel great. Every game on our schedule is very important (the joy of the 16-game season), but week 1 against the other improving team in our division with another good young QB is a really big game and I can't wait for kick-off.

When you consider the trades of Teller and Bodine for picks and Shady getting signed by KC, we had 59 players on our team this offseason who are on NFL rosters today.

This game is huge for a week one matchup: - Division Rivals - Each team is better that last year - Sophomore QB’s that appear stronger than last year - Significant playoff implications This is really a must-win game for each team. When I’ve lurked on the Jets’ board, almost every poster checks this as a win for their team. On our board, almost every poster checks this as a win for our team. One team’s board will melt down on Sunday night. It won’t be ours. Bills 24 Jets 20

We can and I was thinking about this too. It would be too much risk to run with the rookie kicker in high-pressure situations, without knowing that he can handle the pressure. I'm sure we stick with Haushka for the next two years, barring an injury or complete break down in his game.

Beane's scouting expectations go well beyond watching film and picking the most talented football players. He's drafting players for who they can become and to do this he needs to understand their character. He's looking for players who play to win, put the team first and will show up to work everyday to get better. This approach to talent evaluation takes much more effort, but will pay out in the long run. Allen's college performance isn't worth drafting if that's the QB he will always be. It is Allen's character that convinced Beane that he is the type of person who will continue to grow as an NFL football player. I understand your point - just get up into the top five and grab your quarterback. What if three QB's are gone in the top three and you are sitting at 5 without a QB that you want on your team? All of the draft equity we had would be spent to move up and we still don't get our QB. Beane had several trades lined up for draft day to move up, but only if a QB worth drafting was available. I think the draft played out pretty well for us where we got both Josh and Edmunds in the first round. It looks like you and I were making similar points at the same time.

For both McDermott and Beane, the character of the players is critically important in their evaulation of every draft pick. This is even more true at the QB position as he becomes the leader of the offense, whether he is a natural leader or not. Beane and the Bills scouting staff put tremendous time into the evaluation of the QB's in the 2018 class. For McDermott to endorse Mahomes one year earlier without the thorough evaluation that occurred when Beane arrived would have been a huge gamble. In hindsight, we all saw what Mahomes did this past year in the perfect situation with coaching, developing behind a veteran QB and strong supporting cast on offense. Would Mahomes have been a league MVP in the Bills' offence? I don't think so, but I think he would have been very good. This year we will see Allen's second year and I am hopeful that we will see a step forward. I think our offense will be a "take what the defence gives us" offense. I think we will get some more support from the running game, with the O-line upgrades and RB depth. Allen's running threat forces a LB spy, leaving one less defender in coverage and I think Allen will make better decisions with the football. Mahomes and Allen will always be compared because of the trade, but our GM and scouting team were not in place to be sure that we got the right guy. I agree with an earlier comment, that Whaley couldn't make that pick because he was on his way out the door.

Honestly, I am more concerned by the Pats Defence than their Offence now. I think our defence is great and the Patriots defence is also great. It’s not easy for me say that one is much better than the other.

Preseason stats don’t tell us much of anything. The preseason games are little more televised practices with other teams. If football was simply a mathematical optimization, all of the coaching and scouting staff would have degrees in actuarial science. The focus of game two was the quick passing game, which featured Josh and Beasley. The focus of game three was the run game, which also does not feature Brown. The reports out of camp were that Josh and Brown were connecting well and that Brown was a better route runner than anticipated. He can do more than just run fast downfield.

Seriously?!? If any of us were going to switch teams, it would have happened by now. The last 20 years have not been kind to us and we keep coming back. I'm sure that $100 increase on the ticket price is a lot easier to handle than what we've already spent replacing broken TV's, lamps, windows and marriages.

The Dolphins are clearly tanking if they let Mills walk out the door.

I don't think this makes the Bills' path easier - actually, I think it makes it harder. Somebody still has to win the AFC south, so that playoff spot is still taken. The AFC West plays the AFC South this year, so the path just got easier for that division. Any reason to think that both KC and LAC won't go 4-0 against the AFC south this year? Wildcard spot #1 probably goes to the AFC West. This leaves one Wildcard for the AFC East and North to fight over. I understand the argument that weakening AFC playoff contenders is good for the Bills. I just believe that these injuries help the teams that play HOU and INDY this year more than the injuries help the Bills.

I draft #2 tonight as well and plan to take McCaffrey. I am tempted to take Zeke, because he is the better pick if he plays and holding out into the season will cost him too much. Anyway... McCaffrey for me.

If the asking price includes a first round draft pick, we are better to walk away. I’d rather have 5 years of a first round pick on a rookie contract than one year on a franchise tender with no legal means to extend the contract. Next years draft is strong in WR’s, where a strong #1 receiver will improve our team.

Duke is looking like the receiver that Kelvin Benjamin was supposed to be for us - not great speed, but big, strong and wins contested catches. Benjamin had checked out before he got here and didn't come close to meeting expectations, but still got all of the #1 snaps for the first half of the season. You know the arrow is pointing up when the guy fighting for the #6 WR spot on the team is playing better than the #1 guy the same time last year.

You know what this means... we did face an NFL starting QB against Indy.

Week 1 is an important matchup against the Jets. The Bills offence needs preseason to gel to win that game. No one wants an injury, but we need to be ready to win week 1.

Jets fans are clearly paying close attention to ESPN, the national media coverage and some kid named Brandon who, based on Josh Allen's stats from high school, junior college and Wyoming have determined that Josh Allen and any team foolish enough to draft Josh Allen will be easily beaten in 2019 against every NFL team and the top 5 ranked college teams. I do believe the Jets have improved this offseason, and I think Darnold will be a good QB for many years. We have also improved and our defense will make life tough for the Jets offense, while Josh has shown that he is learning to read the defense, make adjustments at the line and take whatever the defense is giving. I like being the underdog. I like gliding under the radar and I will enjoy lurking on the Jets board after the first game when they have to deal with losing to an inferior opponent that everyone said they should beat.