mjt328

Does anyone have stats/data on how rookie kickers perform in their first season, versus how they perform the rest of their career? I keep hearing about "first game jitters" and just to give Tyler Bass time to get acclimated into the NFL. I would be curious if that is a legit excuse, based on other successful kickers around the league. To me, kicking is kicking. If he was successful in college, he should be find in the pros.

Maybe he gets better with time, but my observation is that he needs some work reading the defender on those read-option plays. Without going back and watching the film, he seemed to make the wrong decision quite a few times. I'm also going to join the chorus of Bills fans who would like to see LESS designed runs for our QB. As much as Josh has improved as a passer going into his 3rd season, it's pretty clear that he hasn't fixed the ball security problem. Every defense in the league is going to target the ball when he's running, because of his fumbling problem. If a running back fumbled that much, our coaching staff would bench him, because those kinds of turnovers will eventually cost you games. The worst thing that can happen to a playoff-caliber team is the loss of its quarterback. The more you expose him to big hits, the great the chance for injury. Mobile QBs who aren't continuously sliding and avoiding hits (like Russell Wilson) often get hurt a lot (see Cam Newton, Deshaun Watson). And history shows they have much shorter careers. Don't get me wrong. I think using Josh as a runner in the Red Zone is fantastic. It's almost automatic points. And I don't believe they should discourage him from scrambling on plays where he can get the first down. But I do think we should greatly limit the DESIGNED runs. The risk just isn't worth what we are getting out.

In the New Orleans/Tampa Bay game, future HOF Drew Brees threw low on a similar pass to Emmanuel Sanders. The WR would have scored a touchdown, but instead had to go to the ground to catch it. The difference was that Brees was throwing 5 yards over the middle, and Josh Allen was throwing 30 yards over the middle. During the same game, future HOF Tom Brady twice missed WRs along the sideline at least as badly as Allen missed John Brown in the end zone. Both times they were wide open, and he threw about 10 yards over their heads without any pressure. And as a bonus... MVP Lamar Jackson attempted the exact same lateral (and failed just as badly) as Allen was crucified for during the Houston game. At some point, people need to stop ONLY picking at Allen's flaws and start judging him as a total package. No he's not the most accurate QB in the league, and probably will never be. But the positives FAR outweigh the negatives, and he continues to get better each season. He's ridiculously tough for opponents to defend, and most of the time that results in a WIN for the Bills.

I have no problem with Brian Daboll's coaching over the last 2 years. Our biggest problem has been a young/developing Quarterback, poor offensive line and lack of weapons. It's also very clear that Sean McDermott wanted to play it safe, and our offense frequently pulled back in the 2nd half with even the smallest leads. This year though, the bar has been raised much higher. To take the next step, we can't be barely scraping out wins against teams like the Jets and Dolphins. The O-Line is strong. The offense is loaded with weapons. Josh Allen is in Year 3, and needs to step himself into the Top 10-15 . If we struggle to score points in 2020, either Daboll or Allen will be on the hot seat. And rightly so.

The Chiefs probably have the best offense in the NFL. At this point, it would be insulting for us to even start comparing ourselves to them. However, the potential is there to attack defenses in a similar way. Kansas City uses great speed on the outside, which pulls coverage away from the middle of the field. When defenses are focused on stopping Hill/Watkins, that leaves Kelce open in the middle of the field. Put an extra man on the tight end, and you become vulnerable down the field. Patrick Mahomes is very tough to rattle with pressure and also deadly accurate on deep passes. So any strategy you use against him is risky. The pieces are available for the Bills to put defenses in the same predicament. On the outside, they can use Brown (similar to Hill) and Diggs (similar to Watkins) to draw defensive coverage down the field. Both guys are capable of demanding double-teams. Now, I certainly wouldn't put Knox in the same zip code as Kelce. But if defenses are forced to leave the middle of the field open, we can certainly take advantage with Beasley from the slot. Allen is also extremely dangerous as a runner. Try stopping all of this, and you start running out of defenders. The weapons are absolutely there. The key is Allen. If he cannot hit those downfield passes, teams won't need to respect Diggs/Brown on the outside and none of this matters. If he can't quickly diagnose coverages, defensive coordinators will just find ways to confuse him and keep him from finding the open guys.

I fully expect the Bills to open up the passing game. - The release of Patrick DiMarco signals the Bills are moving away from the power-run game, and into a spread system. We no longer have a true fullback on the roster, and I can't see too many scenarios where we don't want Diggs/Brown/Beasley on the field at the same time. - Our coaches usually scheme based on opponent, and the Jets defense is clearly weakest on its back-end. Especially after trading away Jamal Adams. We clearly have the advantage in the passing game, as opposed to trying to grind out yardage.

Excellent breakdown. We lost Shaq Lawson, Star Lotulelei and Jordan Phillips We gained Mario Addison, AJ Epenesa, Harrison Phillips, Quinton Jefferson and Vernon Butler. Plus a year of experience for Ed Oliver. It could certainly be argued that our D-Line has been upgraded since last year.

Historically, this coaching staff prefers easing rookies into action. I would be very surprised if Devin Singletary isn't the starter Week 1, and doesn't get the bulk of carries during the first month. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked if Zack Moss starts the season as the #3 back and plays behind TJ Yeldon. Ultimately, I believe the goal is for Singletary and Moss to become an equal 1-2 punch. Usage will depend on opponent and gameplan. Moss probably takes on more of the role Frank Gore had last season. Short yardage and goal line carries. Pounding the ball when trying to run out the clock. With that said, if Singletary starts showing a fumbling problem... it won't be long before he starts losing significant carries. I've been watching this sport for decades, and coaches do not put up with fumbling.

I watch every single Bills game, and I just don't see the "wild misses" from Josh Allen the media is always talking about. College? Absolutely. His rookie year? Sure. Last year, there were definitely times his ball placement could have been better. And he certainly struggled with overthrowing the deep ball. But it's not like he was totally missing receivers on easy throws. I feel like people see his 32nd ranked completion percentage (58.8%), and just assume he is inaccurate. But it's been also well established that Buffalo had the highest drop percentage in the league. Only six more completed passes, and Allen would have surpassed 60% completion on the year. Only ten more completed passes and he would have been higher than Tom Brady in completion percentage. Only 26 more completed passes (less than two per game) and he would have been in the top half of the NFL.

Barring a massive string of injuries, the Bills should win the division easily. - The Dolphins are in the midst of a rebuilding season. I think the Tua pick was a smart gamble, and they seemed to have a pretty good draft. But the roster is still years away from truly competing. In typical Fitz-fashion, they will be competitive in games they should be getting blown out, and then stupidly lose games they have a chance to win. It won't take long before fans are calling for Tua. And even if he plays well from the gate, all rookie QBs have their struggles. It's hard to see this team finishing above .500. - The Jets are stuck in the same "one step forward, two steps back" cycle, which plagued us for almost two decades. They had some positive momentum to finish 2019, but then lost their two best defenders (Adams and Mosley) for the season. I don't see any significant upgrades across the rest of the roster. At least not enough to notch them the additional 3-4 wins necessary to end in 1st place. I liked Sam Darnold coming out of college, but they have failed to surround him with anything decent and the offense is reportedly still struggling badly in training camp. Many are even considering this a lame-duck season for their head coach. - After 20 years of dominance, it's hard for anyone to discount the Patriots. But let's be honest here. The talent on offense is bone-dry. Does anyone really envision Cam Newton (who has struggled badly over the last few years) having more success with this offense than Tom Brady did? The Patriots often struggled to score in 2019. And they did virtually nothing to improve the situation for 2020. Even if Newton's best days weren't far behind him, his playing style simply does not match Josh McDaniels offense. The defense is going to be expected to carry the team, despite losing multiple starters (Hightower, Chung, Collins, Van Noy).

Bills 27-10 Buffalo is clearly the better team from top to bottom. It shouldn't be close, but we still haven't seen if this offense can pile up enough points to make it a blowout.

Let's watch how the season actually plays out. Then we can make a call about where this team stands. Going in, these are the milestones I expect to hit in order to consider 2020 a successful season: - At least 10-11 wins - AFC East Division Title - Win at least one playoff game However, I'm not going to draw a line in the sand. What if there are key injuries? What if we somehow win 12 games and it isn't enough to take the AFC East? It's also premature to blame a player or position until we witness it as a liability. Right now, I think our team is set for a playoff run.

Don't get me wrong. Zach Ertz would be a fantastic addition. But I'm curious to see how this offense looks to start the season. We may not really need him. - Addition of Stefon Diggs - Drafting Zack Moss to replace aging Frank Gore - Drafting two good-sized WRs in Gabriel Davis and Isaiah Hodgins - Not to mention a year of experience for Dawson Knox and Tommy Sweeney at TE All of these factors, plus hopefully another step in development for Josh Allen - and I think we may be good enough to score quite a few points on offense. We really didn't struggle in the Red Zone last year. Our biggest problem came between the 40s, and drive-killing mistakes.

It's not all about targets and catches. It's about keeping pressure on the defense, and making it impossible for them to defend everybody. Teams are going to have a very difficult time taking away John Brown deep down the sideline, Stephon Diggs up the seam, Cole Beasley over the middle.... and still managing to keep tabs on our RB, TE and scrambling QB.

1. Cole Beasley is a unique weapon to our offense, since he excels from the slot. 2. Our rookie receivers haven't shown anything, except in practice yet. 3. We need depth, due to possible injuries. 4. Back-end guys like Duke Williams and Robert Foster disappointed in games much of last year. 5. The Bills are ready to contend. We don't need to be getting rid of valuable pieces of the team for draft picks.

This is all being blown out of proportion. It doesn't sound like Chris Brown was fired. He was temporarily banned for breaking a rule, and will be back. As a former news reporter, I certainly believe in the rights of a free press. But the media also needs to respect the pre-set rules requested by sources. It's like saying a certain bit of information is off the record. The Bills didn't want certain aspects of their strategy released publicly, and Brown failed to abide by that rule. And if the Bills allowed Brown (who is actually employed by the team) to break the rule, they couldn't really enforce it on the other reporters.

I don't think it will make much difference. We usually do one scrimmage (which is no more than a glorified practice) against another team each year. And if you add up all of his normal preseason time, you are usually talking about one full game of action. Most mechanical improvements (like when Allen is working with Jordan Palmer) are made during offseason training, before the team even gets together. Training camp is more for physical conditioning, implementing the playbook, developing timing with teammates, etc. Preseason is for gradually getting into game speed. According to the reporters watching training camp, Allen's mechanics (especially on those deep throws) have looked cleaner from Day 1. Hopefully he doesn't slip back into old habits once the real bullets start flying, and the pressure is on.

For most NFL quarterbacks, the third season is a very good gauge of how they will perform the rest of their career. At this point, Josh Allen will have gone through three professional offseason programs. He's had plenty of time to work on fixing his biggest issues. On the flip side, defensive coordinators now have plenty of film on his strengths/weaknesses. This season he's probably not going to have tons of running lanes, and will be forced to make throws he's struggled with in the past. There are always exceptions to the rule (example: Drew Brees broke out in his fourth season). And it's fair to point out that Allen started his career behind most Top 10 prospects, due to him attending a small university. But I think we will know by the end of 2020 - barring a premature cancellation of the season - whether he's going to be a star, solid starter, bust, etc.

Unbelievable. The website link I posted is the OFFICIAL MISSION STATEMENT for Black Lives Matter. It is not just some website. It is the official BLM website. You are blindly supporting an organization without reading what it believes. If you think it is idiotic to de-fund the police (we finally agree), then you are disagreeing with the very organization that you DEMAND people agree with!!!!!!!!! I'm 100% for racial equality. I do not believe BLM stands for racial equality. I actually believe their ideas are damaging and destructive to the black community. - I believe that in order to save more black lives, we need to stand-up for police who are doing their jobs right. Not demonize them and defund them. - I believe that in order to save more black lives, we need to take drug dealers and criminals off the street. Not make it easier for them to commit crimes. - I believe that in order to save more black lives, we need to promote the nuclear family and fatherhood. - I believe that in order to save more black lives, we need to promote traditional Christian values, reject Marxism and socialism, and reject this idea that minorities cannot succeed in American society. All of these ideas are completely opposite of BLM.

Quit putting all "people of color" in a box. Not every African American believes in these ideas. Not even close. Would you like to know what the black cop at my church thinks of BLM? My last response was pretty tame considered to what he would say. I don't need any news station to tell me what BLM believes. It's on their website. https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/ This was exactly my original point, and why civil discourse has literally become impossible. If you believe taking the police out of minority communities is going to save black lives, I think your absolutely and positively nuts. It goes against common sense, and every imaginable crime statistic the FBI can assemble.

People are reluctant to use the phrase BLM because of the organization and its beliefs. Not because of the phrase in itself. FBI stats show that approximately less than 300 African Americans are killed each year by police. Only about 10 percent, meaning less than 30 of them are unarmed. The vast majority of these killings are justified. Cases like George Floyd are hyped-up, but clearly the exception to the rule. Meanwhile, over 2500 African Americans are killed each year by non-police. So if I truly cared about black lives, why in the world would I be screaming to abolish or de-fund the police? I'm ignoring a much BIGGER problem, simply to appease outrage over a minority of cases. I'm all for looking into ways to decrease police brutality and solve this problem. But BLM doesn't want to hear it. They want police gone. Period. And any African American who speaks out against their ideas is considered an outcast. I live in St. Louis where a black police officer was killed during the "protests", and BLM doesn't even care. That's not even starting to consider their support for violent riots, their Marxist political beliefs, their blatant anti-white racism and their ideas that actually discourage traditional families/fatherhood.

This morning, I was listening to a talk show. The two hosts were suggesting this country has reached a tipping point, where we are completely beyond civil discourse. The two political/cultural sides are so far apart, it's hard to believe we can ever find common ground. I mean... we have reached the place where phrases like "All Lives Matter" and "Love God, Love People" are considered hateful and disrespectful.

Why would he need to learn a new playbook? Come on man!! What are you a junkie!

Excitement is way down. I just don't see how the NFL is going to pull-off a season, without tons of players contracting the virus. Think about how many active players, practice squad players, coaches, trainers, etc. are associated with a single team. How do you keep that many people in a bubble and quarantined? Just doesn't seem realistic. And unlike baseball, you can't reschedule an NFL game into a double-header down the road. My guess is that within the first month, the season will either need to be delayed, cut short or completely cancelled. Combine that with the athletes determined to shove their political/social justice garbage in our face at every turn, it makes me less and less thrilled to turn the games on.

Thank you. These arguments have devolved into this idea that it's EITHER "safety, health, family" OR you are just a selfish jerk who only cares about money. Last time I checked, it takes money to support a family. And not every job can be done from home. When you see citizens petitioning the government to re-open the economy, it's not because they are upset Billy Joe's Restaurant isn't serving their favorite pancakes each morning. They are upset because Billy Joe is going to lose the business that he poured his life savings into.