mjt328

Deion has a massive ago, and really shouldn't be the one saying it. But... sadly he is correct. I've been watching the NFL since the late 1980s. Every year there are coaches and players inducted who I've never even heard of. Guys should have about 10 years of eligibility, post retirement. If you can't make it by that point, then you simply don't deserve it. The other problem is the "minimum" number of inductions each year. The 2022 class we just saw was particularly weak. I watched the careers of Tony Boselli, Bryant Young, Sam Mills, Leroy Butler and Richard Seymour. All were pretty good players. None stood out to me as Hall of Famers, and I was honestly shocked to see them all on the list. Dick Vermeil as a coach was almost embarrassing. One Super Bowl win, and barely over .500 in his entire coaching career.

Pretty good list. The AFC is loaded, but I definitely think Buffalo should be the favorite. The Chiefs have been the class of the AFC for the last 3 seasons, but I think this is the season we finally pass them. With Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, they will still be a very dangerous offense. But without Tyreek Hill, they will lack some of that downfield explosion. They probably can't afford those games where they fall asleep for 2-3 quarters, and still manage to win. That plus the brutal AFC West competition will cost them homefield at Arrowhead. The Patriots will challenge the Jets for last place. Last year's resurgence was a fluke, always catching teams at the worst times. The roster is not very good, and I think Mac Jones has already peaked (think Baker Mayfield 2.0). Continuity is underrated, and they will really miss Josh McDaniels. Bill Belichick is a great coach, but he's also an @$$, and I think his attitude won't fly when his team is losing.

Drafting is rarely about getting an immediate impact. Some guys come into the league more prepared/ready to play, but their ceiling is low and they don't have the talent to become great. A perfect example is the 2017 quarterback draft class. Baker Mayfield was very good his rookie year. Head and shoulders above everyone else. But within a couple seasons he was lapped by Lamar Jackson and then Josh Allen. Those guys were raw as rookies, but had the potential to be superstars if developed correctly. Mayfield was always going to be a mid-tier/average QB. Sean McDermott has a history of coaching-up late round CBs (Levi Wallace, Dane Jackson) into solid NFL starters. But there was always a low ceiling with those guys, and it limited our defense. If our coach can get that kind of production out of 7th Rounders and UDFAs, then imagine what he can do with Kaiir Elam's physical talent.

The problem is, they will emphasize illegal contact for 17 weeks (so we can watch all the passing records get broken)... and then completely ignore grabby/physical defenders once the playoffs start. In theory, focusing more on illegal contact will greatly benefit the Bills. Our WRs (which is on the smaller side) gets more room against physical defensive backs. Meanwhile our zone-heavy defense doesn't suffer quite as much, compared to teams that run mostly man-coverage. My issue is with the consistency, especially in the postseason.

Agree with all of this. There seemed to be a couple consistent trends over the first week of training camp: - The offense has been lagging way behind the defense - Almost everyone on the D-Line has looked incredible - Almost our entire starting O-Line has been off the field Dawkins came back today, and it doesn't sound like the Saffold/Bates injuries are long-term. The guy to watch may be Spencer Brown. Back injuries can have a tendency to nag.

The Bills will be ready this year. Trust me. Just like constructing a roster or developing a player... I believe an entire team goes through a mental process of transforming into a champion. When Beane/McDermott took over the Bills in 2017, there were players who believed they "could" win every week. But if they were honest, they really didn't expect to win against the better teams in the NFL. Gradually through the 2018-2019 seasons, the locker room began to gain confidence and started truly believing they could win each week. Shortly after that, came the mental hurdle of finally beating the Patriots and winning the division. Then came the grind of winning their first playoff game. After the Kansas City loss in the 2020 championship game, I think the Bills found themselves beat-up and physically tired. They still needed to learn how to pace themselves through a 16-17 game regular season, and then 3-4 games in the postseason. Overall, I think they handled that plan well last year - and really knew when to turn on the juice for the playoffs. But it also led to them dropping some winnable games (most notably Pittsburgh and Jacksonville). Which ultimately cost them homefield advantage and the bye. I truly believe this year they strike the right balance. With the Super Bowl champs coming to town Week 1, followed by the Titans (who have beaten them two years in a row), they have all the motivation in the world to start strong.

Yeah. I don't really understand this argument. If Davis was going from the #3 guy to the #1, and replacing Stefon Diggs...yeah, that could be a concern. He would suddenly be the primary focus of the secondary and drawing the defense's top corner. But in the #2 role? We've seen him excel in that position each of the last two seasons. He filled-in great for John Brown as a rookie. He filled-in great for Emmanuel Sanders.

This is exactly the problem. I'm sure the Bills would love to keep Jordan Poyer, and he certainly deserves the extension. But the timing on expiring contracts is going to force us into making some really tough decisions. And no matter which way you look at it, Poyer seems to be one of the odd men out. Considering age? Out of the guys coming up, Poyer is the second oldest guy on the list. Team value? Sean McDermott seems to prioritize the D-Line first, and secondary after. While the other guys were drafted/developed, both of our safeties were found (fairly cheap) in free agency. Not to mention, based on the agent change and his wife's comments, it really sounds like he's seeking top safety money. No hometown discounts.

In the NFL, once you get down to the final 5-6 teams (meaning the Divisional Round), everything is really just a toss-up. Fans worry too much about who is the "overall best team" in the league -- when in reality the last few games usually come down to specific matchups, injuries, who is on a hot streak, and just a little bit of luck. That's why the recipe for a championship is... win your division, get at least one home playoff game and hopefully the chips fall the right way. Think about it. Add a squib kick, and remove a blocked punt... we easily could have gotten a Buffalo/Green Bay Super Bowl matchup instead of a Los Angeles/Cincinnati. That's how small the margin of error is.

I grew up during the 1990s Super Bowl run. So I understand the stage their fans are in.... (denial). Back then, the Patriots (along with the Jets and Colts in the AFC East) were the absolute definition of irrelevant. They pretty much only existed so that we could get 6 free wins each season, and rack up extra stats. The only divisional team that even slightly kept my attention was the Dolphins. And even with Don Shula/Dan Marino, I had zero concern about them actually taking first place from us. Things gradually started changing after Bill Parcells became the coach, and the Patriots drafted Drew Bledsoe. They finally had a good team, and we were no longer a true powerhouse. Following the Music City Miracle and the emergence of Tom Brady, the switch was finally complete. They were the kings of the AFC East, and we were just a checkmark on their schedules. While we got excited about Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tyrod Taylor, nobody in the Boston area was actually taking us seriously. Since the Patriots run lasted so long (20 years!!!), many of their fans simply don't understand how the NFL cycle works. They know absolutely nothing of struggling, or even getting stuck in the endless 6-9 win mediocre purgatory. The writing is on the wall. But they fail to see it, because they've never experienced an average or bad team. Personally, I'm getting a pretty good laugh out of watching them drool over Mac Jones. Or them still believing that Bill Belichick can make a champion out of a below-average roster. It reminds me of what we experienced for two decades.

Even if we banned a "specific type of rifle"... or even banned ALL guns - would that have stopped the shooter from obtaining one? If a person doesn't care about murdering children, murdering his own grandmother, and then either getting killed by police or spending his life in prison... they aren't the type of person who really cares about legal vs. illegal. I don't believe anything can be done to totally prevent these types of incidents from happening. There are wicked and evil people in this world. My opinion is that all schools should have a single point of entry, which is locked and secured at all times, with two armed security officers on-duty at all times.

I think it's important to separate the different kinds of "gun violence" in order to get a better handle on the solution. People tend to throw ALL the gun numbers into a giant pot, when different cases may require a different remedy. For instance, 97% of gun violence in America is done with handguns. Not the high-powered rifles everyone is concerned about. Around 80% of gun violence is done with illegally-obtained firearms, where existing laws were already ignored and disregarded. The vast majority of gun violence is confined to a small number of large urban cities (New York, Chicago, Baltimore, etc.). Also, most people don't realize that FBI gun violence statistics usually include suicide, which account for bout two-thirds of cases. Gun violence is a huge problem in America. No doubt. But incidents like Uvalde and Buffalo don't even account for a tiny sliver of that. Even if you take away suicide (which is clearly a mental-health issue), most of the gun problems in America stem from street violence poor in poor inner-cities, committed by criminals with illegally obtained weapons. Banning certain rifles and installing extra background checks will do absolutely nothing to stop any of that. This country would still have (by far) the worst gun violence numbers in the entire world.

Agreed. If we are going to get anywhere on this issue, the first thing that needs to stop is the political finger-pointing. It took about 5 minutes (after the news broke yesterday from Uvalde TX) for the anti-gun establishment to start calling the other side "murderers" and "child killers." Which immediately put the 2nd Amendment supporters on the defensive. Same thing happened a week earlier in Buffalo. Do gun-control advocates honestly believe that people on the other side don't care about little children being slaughtered by a maniac? Do they honestly believe that 2nd Amendment supporters care more about their NRA membership and hunting than the safety of their own families? That is utterly ridiculous. Here is the truth. The people who are against stricter gun-control DO NOT BELIEVE more laws will make the country safer. They believe the maniacs and criminals will still be able to obtain weapons illegally, while the innocent will have LESS means to protect themselves. When a racist bigot shoots up a grocery store... they aren't thinking, "We should get rid of guns." They are thinking, "I need to make sure I have a gun on me at all times." We can disagree over which side is right. But claiming the other side is somehow responsible for these horrifying incidents is only going to put people on the defensive, and then shut-down any productive solutions.

Makes the most sense. - Last year's Super Bowl winner, versus the (Vegas) favorite to win it this year. - Two premier Quarterbacks with premier offenses - The added storyline Von Miller switching teams

It's fair to question AJ Epenesa, since it's been two years. But the rest of this post was ridiculous. Everyone knew from the start that Greg Rousseau and Boogie Basham weren't going to play much last season. We already had solid vets in front of them. Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison may be past their prime, but I would hardly call them "talentless." Rousseau did great in the run game, and hardly played on third downs last year. Even though he technically started, the team is clearly bringing him along very slow as a pass rusher. Ed Oliver took a huge step and played very good last year. Don't be surprised if he's playing at a Pro-Bowl level in 2022. The only other "top end pick" Beane has spent on defense was with Tremaine Edmunds, who has made two Pro-Bowls and continues to be a valuable piece of the #1 defense (scoring and yardage) in the NFL last year. People expected him to be Ray Lewis or Luke Kuechly, which was unfair. He's a solid starting middle LB, and if the Bills are forced to let him walk next year, he will be a very coveted free agent.

The same type of executive that passes on Josh Allen, for someone like Baker Mayfield, Tua or Mac Jones. Brandon Beane likes to draft "high ceiling" guys, who take 3-4 years to develop. He values athletic talent and long-term potential... over the prospect who is ready to contribute Day 1, but doesn't have as much room to develop. We saw it with Allen. We saw it with Ed Oliver and Dawson Knox last year. The next ones up are guys like AJ Epenesa, Gabriel Davis, Greg Rousseau, Boogie Basham, Spencer Brown, etc. Anyone writing those guys off already is a fool.

The Titans have a lot more to worry about than Ryan Tannehill's comments. Last year, they managed to nab the top seed in the AFC and still managed to lose in the Divisional Playoffs. They pretty much peaked, and still couldn't win a playoff game. Things aren't going to get any easier moving forward, in their division or in the conference. Derrick Henry just reached the dreaded Age 28 milestone, which has historically proven to be the place where Running Back production starts falling off. That's not even considering his usage (which is way higher than average) or that he's coming off a foot injury. The offense is also pretty much starting over at Wide Receiver, trading A.J. Brown and not re-signing Julio Jones. They were replaced with Robert Woods (also coming off a major injury) and a rookie. Even if you like Treylon Burks, it's unlikely he immediately replaces Brown's production. Overall, their draft and free agent class were pretty underwhelming. Don't be surprised if the Titans manage to miss the playoffs in 2022, considering all the competition.

I'm starting to realize that Draft expectations from fans (myself included) are WAY out of whack... First of all, most of the national "rankings" we go by, are based on rough evaluations from total amateurs. Not professional scouts who actually do this for a living. We are always missing critical information, such as medical results, interviews/recommendations from college coaches and how a prospect comes across in personal meetings. Once Draft Day arrives, we want to see VALUE VALUE VALUE. If our team is drafting #25, we need to get a guy ranked in the #10-15 range. Then our 2nd Round Pick needs to be a guy who "really should have gone in the 1st"... and so on. Trading down for extra picks is a sign of strength and confidence. Trading up is a sign of panic and desperation. And we absolutely cannot finish any draft without addressing EVERY SINGLE NEED with a guy ESPN.com expects to be a future star. Of course, once the player actually hits the field.... they ALSO must be tremendously successful. Anyone who goes in the 1st Round absolutely MUST be a regular All-Pro and future Hall of Famer, or he is a bust. Our 2nd-3rd Round guys should at least make a few Pro-Bowls, or they are also busts. And we also must get 2-3 starters out of our late round guys. Looking back at previous Brandon Beane/Sean McDermott drafts, some of his best value picks were Cody Ford and AJ Epenesa. Both were considered 1st Round talents, who dropped into the 2nd Round. Zay Jones and Zack Moss were hugely popular targets by the fans, and most were thrilled when we landed them. There wasn't quite as much fanfare for guys like Dion Dawkins, Matt Milano, Taron Johnson, Dawson Knox or Gabriel Davis.

Before this season, this regime has drafted 14 players in the Top 3 rounds. 8 on offense. 7 on defense. If you count the pick traded for Stephon Diggs, that would be 9 picks on offense. The Bills have the top 3 positions on offense locked down. Quarterback, Left Tackle and Wide Receiver #1. Positions like Running Back, Interior O-Line and Tight End can usually be addressed later in the draft. Defenses are a little more evenly spread between positional importance.

Solid pick. Universally, he was considered a late 1st Round/early 2nd Round prospect. The general consensus had him as the #5 CB this year. The earliest I saw him ranked was the #18th ranked overall prospect (Pro Football Network). The latest I saw was #47 (ESPN). We got him right in that range, so it was decent value. Not a homerun. But nothing to complain about either. In terms of "passing" on better CB prospects, I personally really liked Andrew Booth. But as I mentioned in the draft threads earlier this week, lots of medical red flags have been popping up. I wasn't really surprised to see Booth drop last night, and I wasn't really surprised to see us pass on him. If his freefall continues Friday, you really have to wonder about the seriousness of his injury.

There are two ways to evaluate a draft. The first is looking at value, judging where a player was picked...versus where (mock drafts and other GMs) expected him to go. The second is how the player actually performs on the field, and whether he becomes a successful NFL pro. At this point, we can't judge anything but value. And by that standard, the Patriots easily had the biggest reach of the night. Cole Strange was almost universally regarded as a 3rd Round Pick. The earliest I saw him ranked was around the middle of the 2nd Round. Even if he turns out to be a good player, many will question whether he would have been available much later in the draft. Belichick's style as a GM hasn't changed over the years. His draft board is nothing like everyone else. He trades up. He trades down. He has specific scheme fits, and has no problem reaching against the perceived value around the rest of the league. Most of his defensive players and offensive line picks play well for the Patriots, but struggle outside of his system. He struggles to find difference-making talent at skill positions (particularly WR), which wasn't quite as noticeable when Tom Brady was the quarterback.

Jets had a fantastic draft last night. But everything still depends on the development of Zach Wilson. The Bills fielded some pretty strong rosters during the drought. But they were always dragged down by below average QB play, and they maxed-out between 6-9 during those seasons.

Sure. The mock drafts had us taking an Edge Rusher or Cornerback, since those were our biggest perceived needs. None of it was based on any kind of inside information. Nobody had a clue who the Bills were actually interested in, until suddenly a week or so before the draft. Then all these rumors started about Travis Etienne, and people started running with it. There is no evidence the Bills were ever really interested in Etienne at #30. There is also no evidence the rumors were fake. It's all just fans trying to read the tea-leaves, after the fact. We do know that teams purposely float false info into the media, hoping it can give them an advantage. I don't see any reason why the Bills wouldn't do something like that too. By making teams think you are interested in a player (Etienne), it could prompt someone to trade-up to get them. That pushes your true target (Rousseau) down a spot and gives you a better chance to getting them. If teams know who you are targeting, they may be prompted to try and trade-ahead of you. It's a great reason to hide your real intentions. The week of the draft, Etienne was the hottest name surrounding this team. I think a lot of people on this board will remember that well. Nobody knows if Beane would be willing to draft a Running Back in Round 1... until he actually does it. Don't forget he did come from an organization (Carolina) that drafted Christian McCaffrey, Johnathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams in the 1st Round during his tenure with the team. He wasn't the primary decision-maker, but it's definitely food for thought.

You may be correct. But in 4-5 years of following this regime, I can't think of ANY verifiable draft information that has slipped from One Bills Drive. Same thing with our targets in free agency. History shows that rumors surrounding this team never come true. Which makes you wonder if "leaks" are done on purpose, to create a smokescreen for our true intentions. Last year, all the pre-draft rumors were about Travis Etienne. He was obviously taken before our pick, so we will never know for sure. But I don't recall a single article or tweet before the draft suggesting we had heavy interest in Greg Rousseau. But obviously we did. Two years ago, Defensive Tackle was the most obvious need on the team. Based on draft position and value, Ed Oliver should have been given to us in 99% of mocks. But the week of the draft, we kept getting rumblings about the Bills wanting Quinnen Williams and trying to trade-up for him. Nothing about Oliver. Even in 2018... when EVERYBODY knew we were trading up for a Quarterback... nobody could put their finger on which one we wanted. To this day, people speculate if Josh Allen was the #1 quarterback on our board. The trade-up for Tremaine Edmunds came totally out of nowhere just a few picks later.

If you are looking to match exact team/exact player, mock drafts are usually way off. If you are looking to get a rough idea which players are going to be available, they are actually pretty helpful. Last year, I was targeting an edge rusher and kept ending up with a choice of Greg Roussea, Jayson Oweh and Azeez Ojulari. Kwity Paye was always gone. Jaelen Phillips was gone about 75% of the time. Low and behold, those three were exactly who were available. I've been doing mock drafts for the last 1-2 months. Andrew Booth only started popping up available recently, after the injury concerns about his hernia started popping up. Once that happened, Trent McDuffie started going in the Top 15-20 instead.