CA OC Bills Fan

I've been wondering this since the draft. Will teams be forced to make roster decisions with little more information than they have today? It seems unfair to all, perhaps undrafted free agents more than anyone as well as late round picks. I'm hoping if there is no/little camp/preseason that rules are adjusted. Not quite sure how, perhaps expanded rosters to start the season?

I like the idea of a safety being worth more than 2 points, perhaps 5 as some others have said, not 11 like the article said. For those that said a safety is 2 points plus a turnover, not really true. Yes, the scoring team gets the ball back, but as the article said, due to it being a free kick, the average starting position isn't much better than after any other kickoff. If they had not scored the safety, then there is a very high chance that they'd force the other team to punt from very deep and they'd get the ball back almost in field goal range. I've felt since SB XXV that safeties are not worthwhile unless you drive down the field and score right afterwards. As said above, you have a better chance of scoring a field goal or a touchdown if the defense holds them deep than getting a safety. Also, someone else pointed out that at the end of a game, up by 3 or more points with seconds left, it's a good strategy to run out of the endzone. I don't really see this as a problem, but changing the point count would decrease the point range that this strategy would work. Another solution to what's said above is leave the 2 points as is but change where the scoring team gets the ball back. Either it has to be kicked from very deep, like perhaps the 5 yard line or it's just spotted somewhere automatically like at the 50 or even on the opponents side of the field.

Best: Kyle Williams Worst: The other d tackle taken in the same 2006 draft but 4 rounds earlier (1st round if that wasn’t obvious), John McCargo. I think he played even fewer snaps than Maybin in his career. Maybin was drafted much higher of course, but the Bills actually traded back into the first to get McCargo. Another good same draft comparison was 2008, James Hardy in the 2nd and then Stevie Johnson in the 7th. I know, the question want the same draft, but just felt like pointing these ones out.

The article that was linked a couple pages back said they are probably looking for a 5th. It also brought up several other points (e.g. if he walks after this year we'd could get the pick back via comp pick). Although there are many examples of excellent running backs coming in the 5th or even later, there's quite a bit of luck involved for that happening. A proven commodity on a one year reasonable contract for a 5th that we could get back anyway is a no-brainer in my opinion. He'd be a fantastic complement to DS.

I hadn’t seen where they practice before. Now that they said JSerra (closed now due to corona virus) which is under 10 minutes from my house or the beaches in Dana Point which are around 15 minutes from me, maybe I should be a stalker.

As has been said before, Karlos had a beast of a rookie season but then couldn't get out of his own way. Many of us felt even before he showed up fat and then had drug suspensions that his style of play would lead to a short NFL career due to concussions. I realize that many here don't subscribe to the Athletic and therefore only see the soundbites that were quoted. He was going to just coach HS football but now is trying to make a comeback in the CFL. He does take responsibility for what happened. He said he loves Buffalo, loved the team, but HATES Doug Whaley. He implied he felt he was lied to when said they'd support him and felt Whaley was two faced when in the same press conference he said Karlos was released due to performance and that the Bills were standing behind Dareus because he just needed help (then Dareus said he's checking himself into a clinci and was seen the same night partying out on the town. This is also in the article: “When I look back on that, I wasn’t shocked,” Williams said. “A year ago, a year and a half ago, I would still be bitter and be mad. I wasn’t shocked. Look at all the evidence that was against me. I didn’t really treat football … I wasn’t a real professional. I had gotten suspended for four games. I came back and I was overweight. I had just let the media run wild. I was saying anything to the media just to get them off my back. “I wasn’t actually practicing because I was a danger to myself, hurting myself because the weight was unsafe. I didn’t take it seriously. So when I got released I was like, ‘Woah, it’s game day and you didn’t give me a chance to perform.’ That’s not true. I had a chance to perform all offseason. I had a chance to work out, I had a chance to eat right. I had those opportunities. I just didn’t take advantage of those opportunities.”

Not Tasker (at least not an onside kick return). I was in AZ for the game against the Cardinals when Henry Jones did it however. According to this article, the Bills have done it three times out of the 11 total times its been done since the merger. https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2019/10/20/20923963/micah-hyde-is-third-buffalo-bills-player-with-an-onside-kick-touchdown-henry-jones-highlight-video

Do you have a link to support that? The article linked by the OP stated "multiple GMs have requested...". Multiple means at least two and less than all (or it would say "unanimously" or "all" GMs instead). My best guess is that newly hired GMs and teams with new coaches will want any reason to delay the draft, those with continuity are probably more confident of where they are and may see an advantage over others. However, Goodall works for the owners. The GMs who want a delay ultimately would convince their owners to push for it. If enough do, Goodall will delay. If they feel the loss of revenue is higher than the expected competitive return to have more time, they won't push for the delay.

Back then a team with the first pick could and routinely did negotiate and sign a player before drafting. In some cases the signability decided who they would draft number 1. Bruce signed in February, draft was in April. Feb. 22, 1985: Bills agree to rookie deal with Bruce Smith https://www.buffalobills.com/news/feb-22-1985-bills-agree-to-rookie-deal-with-bruce-smith-14954041 Oops,, Ethan beat me to it. Obviously a much faster typer than me.

Not correct. Wade fired long time special teams coach Bruce Dehaven after the Music City Forward Lateral to replace him with Ronnie Jones who had no clue what special teams was. They were horrible under Jones. Remember reading an article mid season that although it was very rare (not so much now, but don’t remember ever seeing mid season assistant coach changes back then), he was so bad should be replaced mid season. Ralph’s reason for firing Wade was he refused to fire Jones after the season. I think we lost at least 3 games specifically due to special teams play that year. Steve Christie later said Jones had no clue what drills to do at practice and players had to tell him what to do. Phillips claimed he thought Ralph was just using Jones as an excuse and would have found a different reason to fire if he had complied. Perhaps correct, but fans would have revolted if Jones was still a coach with the Bills the next season, even if he switched to a defensive assistant as Wade offered. To me the biggest head scratcher in Bills history was letting Chuck Knox walk away.

I mean this seriously because I didn't bother to check stats and otherwise have no idea. Has he been a bad OC? For the Bills, I hated him be cause I hate quitters. But, during the drought only quitters won 9 games in a season. And, although I get that it goes with the territory of being an NFL coach, having your kids harrassed by other kids at school be because of bad decisions by your dad just completely sucks. So far as the comment that Marv said, I'm almost positive his "maybe I'll coach" statement came after M.M. quit.

A few weeks ago I went to a HS football playoff game near my house (Mission Viejo, CA - where my son goes to school). It was Mater Dei (a Catholic HS around 15 miles away) vs. Mission Viejo (public HS). I almost never go to HS games, but at the time, Mater Dei was ranked #1 in the US, Mission was ranked #10 in the US. I only bring this up in this thread because Super Cade was an honorary captain for Mission at that game. I assume he must live in my city, don't remember reading this or seeing this in the articles about him before. I thought it was pretty cool. When I saw the kid out there for the coin toss, I kind of wondered, then they introduced him and I immediately Googled Super Cade since I wasn't positive of his last name, and of course, it was him. By the way, at that game, Bryce Young, the QB for Mater Dei was amazing. He threw for over 500 yards before they pulled him, I think in the 3rd but may have been early 4th. The first play of the game was a 53 yard strike, second play was called back due to illegal receiver downfield but was a completion to what would have been a touchdown. He had 7 touchdown passes and many amazing throws. He's going to Alabama next year and I can't wait to see how he does with SEC competition. FYI, Matt Barkley went to Mater Dei, Mark Sanchez went to Mission.

That was my thought as well. Obviously did not turn out well at all but I don't think we win that game without a couple of key catches by KB and without that win (I guess you can say that about any one game in 2017), we don't end the drought that year.

Didn’t watch the clip yet, but I (kind of) remember the game and definitely remember it being a great win. I lived near Binghamton (Endicott actually), I had 4 friends from Rome and Rochester over and had a quarter keg. After the game, every few minutes I kept asking “What was the final score again?”

I kind of remember a reporter asking (after a Kelly injury where he came back with a knee brace), "Do you think you can beat Kelly in a foot race with him having his knee brace?" and Levy replying something like, "What do you mean with his knee brace? I could always beat him in a race." That being said, I know I thought of him as pretty mobile. Never fast, but perhaps due to his strength, size, and toughness was able to make plays running when needed, especially early in his NFL career.

You didn’t miss anything, it wasn’t an article about them, it was a q&a and the entire answer to that question was included in the Two Bills Drive summary. So so far as extending, yesterday on Sirius XM NFL Radio I heard a former GM talking (sorry, don’t remember the name). He said with a new agreement coming up soon, teams should go all out on extending all players they think may be part of their future. The cap will go up significantly and salaries with it. He twice said it’s like if you had 100% guarantee the stock market will go up, then you should invest as much as possible. He went on to say that agents should be advising clients to not sign extensions because they will be leaving significant money on the table.

That was my first choice at the time. But time to move on. We hired my last choice for a coach, got rid of him after two years, and hopefully have the right coach / GM combination now.

I could have sworn the stats just after the game showed Oliver as having half a sack. Did they initially award him 1/2 of Phillips' 3rd and then change it later, or am I just wrong?

I agree and have always felt this should be the case. From 1999 to 2016, 37% of replays have been successful, 43% in 2015-2016. So, using those higher numbers, in 57% of the games, there likely would not be any additional replay. Seeing as there were only an average of 1.3 replays per game, not four as would be the case if both teams used both replays, I see the actual impact as minimal. But, it just seems fair that if the refs screw up the call and are successfully challenged, the team should not be penalized by losing one of their challenges. https://operations.nfl.com/the-game/history-of-instant-replay/

The Bills can make an offer, it's then up to Duke which one he takes.

Excellent article. I'll admit, there were two things I didn't like but both were already discussed. 1) He's not heading to Canton or the pro bowl. I was 100% sure I knew you meant "yet" but didn't feel that's what you said. If read from the perspective of an unbiased writer, I may have thought you meant "ever" but of course this is a "Fan Perspective". And 2) the "we" statement. Of course, easy to critique, far far better than I'd have done. And, I loved the title even if you only wrote half of it.

Reading the comment above about Wrex and Gase both setting their franchises back years made me think. Which was more stupid, the Bill's hiring Wrex after the NJ trainwreck or NJ hiring Gase after the Miami garbage? I'd say at least Wrex was entertaining at press conferences.

This is just common sense. I don't mean the exact formula is, but what the formula is basically saying is that there's an excellent correlation between who the favorite is and who wins the game and the higher the point spread, the more likely the team is to win. Of course there's exceptions such as Vikings - Bills 2018, but hence the 98% r squared vs. 100%.

I did speak with the loyalty department. He’s the one who ultimately gave me the $20 off and told me to keep calling back weekly.

I finally called just now. I was told that there are no current discounts for Sunday Ticket but he's sure there will be, I just need to keep calling back, new promotions start on Mondays. I ended up threatening to cancel and he gave me $20 off per month my total bill but said that I still should keep calling to get a Sunday Ticket discount. Seeing as it took me 11 years to make this call, not so sure I'll get around to it, but you never know. The phone call all together was exactly 30 minutes long.