mjt328

It's hard to place value on a "gadget" player... which is exactly what Laviska Shenault projects to be. It always sounds great on paper to have that kind of versatility, and a guy who can play multiple positions. But most of the time, NFL offensive coordinators struggle to find ways to actually use them in games. I've been watching this sport for 30-plus years, and these types usually end up with around 5 touches per week. When you really need yardage, are you going to take RB carries away from Devin Singletary and give them to Shenault? Probably not. On a big 3rd Down, are you going to take Stephon Diggs, John Brown or Cole Beasley off the field, when Shenault is nowhere near that level of WR? Probably not. Which means Shenault's true contribution on offense becomes mostly trick plays. And before long, defenses start expecting trick plays whenever Shenault comes onto the field, which lowers his effectiveness even farther. If you have an extremely creative OC, the ceiling for a guy like this is probably Percy Harvin. Who in his best season was about 950 yards receiving/350 yards rushing. In most cases though, you are more likely to get Cordarrelle Patterson.

When it comes to professional sports, you don't want a team that relies on nostalgia more than reality. This is especially true in football, and even more of the case at the running back position. Shady was an incredible RB in this league, and I loved having him as a Buffalo Bill. But age has clearly taken its toll on the guy. He played for the Super Bowl champions last year, on a team without a great running game, and was a healthy scratch for the entire postseason. He's done. We need another rookie to pair with Devin Singletary.

Both are terrible fits for the New England offense. Cam Newton has always been most effective as a dual-threat, thanks to his running ability and big arm. His strength has never been accuracy, patience or dissecting defensive schemes. Pretty much the complete opposite of Tom Brady. This is without starting to consider the way injuries have taken a toll. There is a reason that most people believe Cam is done as a starting/franchise QB in this league. Jameis Winston is purely a pocket-passer, but he is totally reckless with turnovers. If Belichick is counting on the defense to carry the Patriots this year, the absolute last thing he needs is a guy who throws 3-4 interceptions a game. After 5 years in the league, I doubt this is something coaches can still fix. And with the current WR weapons the Patriots have, I doubt Winston will be able to duplicate the touchdowns he threw with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. As mentioned, the other problem is cap space. The Patriots are currently at about $1.1 million, which isn't even enough to sign their draft picks. I can't see either Newton or Winston agreeing to play for less than $15 million per year, which would put them at the bottom of the NFL in starting QBs - not counting the guys still on rookie deals.

I would agree with this. Doug Whaley generally had a good eye for talent. He very rarely bombed his top picks, and actually put together a decent collection of talent during his time here. But in this league, being a good scout is not enough to be a good General Manager. GMs need to be responsible for constructing a UNIFIED team, where the scouts, coaches, coordinators and players work as a single unit. It's not just about collecting talent. Whaley often talked about "just getting good players" and then letting the coaches figure out how to use them. This is exactly why he failed. He was never of the same mind as Doug Marrone or Rex Ryan, and the pieces never fit together. GMs also need to have an understanding for how to structure contracts and how the salary cap works. He needs to plan how the financial puzzle will work 2, 3, 4, 5 years down the road. Whaley handed these duties over to Jim Overdorf, and it showed. Even without a franchise QB, the Bills drifted closer and closer to cap hell every season. Look at a team like Cleveland, and you see a similar dynamic playing out. The team has been drafting fairly well, and now has a strong collection of talent. But the pieces don't fit, the GM/Coach don't seem on the same page, and they are clearly underachieving in the victory column.

CJ Spiller had a Pro Bowl season where he rushed over 1200 yards. The next season, he had over 900 yards. He was a decent NFL player, who should have been viewed as a change-of-pace RB instead of a 3-down workhorse. The problem with Spiller was expectations, since he was a Top-10 pick. If he was taken in the 3rd Round, people would have been fine with his career production. Guys like Aaron Maybin and Torrell Troup were worthless, and had no business even being on NFL rosters.

1) We would probably need to give up our 2021 and 2022 first rounders (at the very least) to move up that high. 2) While this would certainly make our WRs very difficult for defenses to cover, it would not make our offense unstoppable. We still need to get good blocking from the O-Line (especially if we are going 4-wide all the time) and we need Josh Allen to make the right decision on where to go with his throws. 3) No prospect is bust-proof. As much as I like Lamb, he still has a chance to under-perform to expectations once he gets to the big leagues. Sammy Watkins is a great example.

It's interesting to see the responses, and what qualifies in people's minds as a "bad" selection. There are several players I've seen mentioned who were actually very productive NFL players. CJ Spiller, Donte Whitner, Willis McGahee, Sammy Watkins, etc. But Bills fans still consider them terrible picks because they were selected too early OR because we passed on someone really good to take them. Personally, I would go with player(s) who were ALL of the above.... drafted way too early, with much better players sitting on the board, and who ended up having terrible NFL careers. With all of that in consideration, it's really hard not to go with someone like Aaron Maybin, Erik Flowers or Torrell Troup.

I'll concede that it's possible a rookie RB eventually displaces Devin Singletary as the technical "starter" at some point down the line. Although I would say the situation is more likely to be a 1A vs. 1B situation, where the heavier workload depends on situation. My curiosity is where this Top 20 in rushing and Top 45 in receiving number comes from. Is this based just purely on Singletary's 2019 stats? Because if so, you should really be reminded that Singletary was barely given any carries in the first quarter of the season, and then spent four games injured. He really didn't get rolling for us until mid-season. If you take his average over the last 8 active games (he was inactive Week 17) and spread them over a full season, he would have over 1200 yards rushing (which is tied for #6 in the NFL).

At this point, drafting a WR isn't about need. It's about value. Nobody we draft this year is going to start, barring injury or absolutely exceptional play in training camp/preseason. Our biggest "needs" are considered by many to be Running Back (rookie would split carries with Devin Singletary), Edge Rusher (rookie would be in a rotation behind Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison - and possibly Trent Murphy and Darryl Johnson), Defensive Back (rookie would be the nickel DB behind Siran Neal and Taron Johnson) or maybe Linebacker (rookie would fight for reps behind AJ Klein). Mock Drafts keep having us draft WR, because of the crazy depth of this class. We could probably wait until the 3rd Round and get someone who would be a back-end 1st Rounder in most drafts.

I'm a big believer that GMs shouldn't throw out 1st Round draft picks or big contacts at the Running Back position. Totally agree there. But let's not go to the extreme the opposite direction. The sweet spot for drafting a Running Back is the 2nd-3rd Round. After that, the probability of success drops pretty quickly. Just like every other position. Most Day 3/UDFA picks aren't going to make it. Even playing RB. People consider RB a need, because you technically need two backs in today's NFL. Devin Singletary was very good as a rookie, but the drop-off was huge when Frank Gore or TJ Yeldon entered the game.

Being "tuned-in" with OBD may give you an idea what players/positions they are interested in. It does not forecast who the pick is actually going to be. Not even Brandon Beane knows who they are going to pick. There are 53 players who will be taken before our first selection (barring a trade). For all anyone knows, Dugger could be gone in the 1st Round. The only thing clear about Beane's strategy, is that he's leaving himself open to go "almost" anywhere with his picks. At this point, we have zero needs in the starting lineup. Regardless of who we draft, that player is probably going to spend most of 2020 watching from the sidelines. We go with a RB, he will be in a timeshare with Devin Singletary. We go edge rusher, he will be 4th (at best) in the rotation. Dugger wouldn't start over Micah Hyde or Jordan Poyer, and it may take some time before he could even displace Siran Neal.

Quarterbacks always have the biggest bust potential. Nobody comes from college to the NFL completely ready to play the position (although this can sometimes be hidden by athletic talent and/or simplistic offensive scheme).

Depends on your definition of tanking. I don't believe that players lose on purpose, for any reason. Especially so they can be replaced by a younger player/draft pick. Even if a player isn't motivated by personal integrity (and some definitely are), they are most certainly motivated by things like money, stats and pride. All of those are affected when you purposely tank on the field. For coaches, it probably depends on the situation and how much job security they feel. Again, I don't think many coaches are willing to lose on purpose. But they may replace a veteran and play someone younger and inexperienced... realizing future seasons are more important than winning that week's game. If you really think about it, it's no different than benching starters in Week 17 to have a better chance in the playoffs. General Managers on the other hand, are always making moves with the future in mind. They may trade valuable/star players for future picks, or purge the roster of bloated contracts (exactly what Buffalo did when Brandon Beane came on board). But the GM cannot control what actually happens on the field. Which is why we ultimately went 9-7 in our "tank" season, made the playoffs, and required two additional trade-ups to get into the Top 10 and land Josh Allen. With all that said, the signs DO point that New England's front office is NOT trying to field the most competitive team in 2020 (and Bill Belichick is both coach and GM). They have made virtually no moves in free agency, lost several key pieces, and most importantly have not replaced Tom Brady at QB (at least not yet). Things could change and they could sign Cam Newton, Andy Dalton or Jameis Winston. But if they go into the season with Jarrett Stidham, it's clear they are definitely counting 2020 as a lost season. If they are targeting Trevor Lawrence, they will probably need to start trading players away though. I think the defense is too good for them to reach the #1 pick.

Just looked up the article on ESPN. Starting this season, the new CBA expands the practice squad from 10 to 12, and the game-day active roster from 46 to 48. It then allows teams to elevate 2 players from the practice squad to the active roster per week. So technically - yes, the roster will now carry 55 players instead of 53 players. But those last two guys are still eligible to get poached from other teams. This is good for stashing some extra late-round picks and undrafted free agents, but doesn't really help those back-end veterans who are looking to stick. Either way, the Bills don't have very many spots available. I have a tough time believing we keep all 7 picks. My guess is that Beane trades up once or twice. And even those guys we pick in the 2nd and 3rd will be playing backup for quite a while. Just noticed that I left off Tight End, but I think this position is likely pretty much set. Not much room for another body. The Bills generally carry 4 guys, and I see both Knox/Kroft as roster locks. They seem to like keeping one blocking specialist, which for the time-being is Lee Smith. They also seem to like Tommy Sweeney's potential. So right now, Jason Croom and Nate Becker on are on the outside looking in.

With the draft flying around the corner, most of us are looking at the team's biggest needs. But I thought it would be interesting to see how many roster spots we can legitimately fill with rookies. I was surprised how tough it will be to cut-down to 53 spots this year. Barring trade/injury, I consider the following starting players to be roster locks: Josh Allen, Devin Singletary, Patrick DiMarco, Stefon Diggs, John Brown, Cole Beasley, Dawson Knox, Mitch Morse, Quinton Spain, Jon Feliciano, Dion Dawkins, Cody Ford, Mario Addison, Jerry Hughes, Star Lotulelei, Ed Oliver, AJ Klein, Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano, Tre White, Levi Wallace, Taron Johnson, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Steven Hauschka and Reid Ferguson. That comes to 26 players. There are also several backups that I expect to be guarantees, either because of their value to the team or because their contract makes it extremely tough to cut them: Spencer Long, Ryan Bates, Daryl Williams, Quinton Jefferson, Harrison Phillips, Vernon Butler, Tyler Matakevich and Siran Neal. The Bills must carry a punter, whether that is Corey Bojorquez or someone else. Since they haven't added a veteran QB, I expect Matt Barkley to stick. Tyler Kroft's restructured contract pretty much guarantees he will stick. That is 11 additional depth guys, bringing the total to 37 players. If I am correct, this would leave only 16 roster spots technically up-for-grabs. Let's take a look at these positions, and who would be forced out if we draft someone: Quarterback Highly unlikely we keep more than 2 on the active roster. Not sure if Davis Webb has practice squad eligibility, but that probably determines whether he sticks as the #3 guy or if we replace him with a Day 3 draft pick. Running Back Currently, TJ Yeldon is the only "veteran" RB in the locker room. Which is something this particular coaching staff seems to want. Taiwan Jones is probably safe because of his role as a special teams gunner. If we carry 4 backs and draft someone, that probably pushes Christian Wade back to the practice squad. Wide Receiver Andre Roberts is our only return specialist. Duke Williams is our only WR with good size. Isaiah McKenzie is our gadget player. If we carry 6 WRs and draft someone, that pushes one of these guys off the roster - and that's without even considering Robert Foster, Nick Easley and Ray-Ray McCloud. Offensive Line I consider 8 O-Linemen above to be roster locks. And that is without counting Ty Nsekhe, who technically could get released without much dead cap. If we draft anyone, we can probably say goodbye to Ike Boettger and Victor Salako. Defensive Line We are completely set at tackle, so say goodbye to Vincent Taylor. If we draft an edge rusher, that would likely cause us to cut Trent Murphy and push Darryl Johnson back to the practice squad. Just can't see us carrying more than 8 on the active roster. It's unlikely Jonathan Woodard and Mike Love make it. Linebacker Vosean Joseph was showing promise during training camp before getting hurt. If we add someone, then likely Corey Thompson, Tyrel Dodson and Del'Shawn Phillips get cut. Defensive Backs I considered 4 CBs to be locks, without even counting Josh Norman or EJ Gaines. It's unlikely we carry more than 6 guys here. So wave goodbye to Cam Lewis. At backup safety, they seem to like Jaquan Johnson and brought back Dean Marlowe. Both are expendable if we draft someone.

Trading up is almost definitely going to happen. Almost all of the roster spots are already filled with good players. Even without the draft, we are going to be pressed to put together 53 guys without being forced to release valuable veterans or promising prospects. We simply don't have enough room for all of these picks on the active roster. And you really don't want your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Round guys being pushed to the practice squad, because they will almost certainly get snatched up by other teams.

If Reid is correct (and the contract language was changed after the vote), that is a ridiculously shady move by the NFL owners and should absolutely invalidate the CBA. However, you shouldn't use something like this to make blanket statements about anyone. Being rich and successful does not make someone evil, greedy or untrustworthy. Many billionaires are extremely generous and giving.

I don't believe RBs like Derrick Henry get better late in the game because of rhythm. I believe he gets better because the defense gets worn down trying to tackle him. Years ago, this was a common strategy for coaches and offensive coordinators. Keep pounding the ball (establish the run) with a big/powerful back, even if you are only getting 2-3 yards per carry. Because once you hit the 4th Quarter those carries will often become 4-5 yards per carry. Tennessee is one of the few teams applying this principal in today's NFL. I think Sean McDermott/Brian Daboll often tried to establish the run last year, using Frank Gore to close out games. But by the end of the year, it was Gore who was out of gas by the 4th Quarter. Not the opposing defense.

There are SO MANY things that could change in the next few weeks, much less the next couple months. Pretty much every doctor and health "expert" is making predictions based on the very limited information available right now. People need to remember this strand of coronavirus just popped onto the world scene about 3 months ago. And most of that time, data was being suppressed and manipulated by a secretive communist government. All these predictions out there may be based in science. But until more solid information comes in about this virus, even the most intelligent people in the medical field are just guessing. For instance, several of the top U.S. health officials have stated in the last 2 days that predicted death rates from COVID-19 were EXTREMELY overblown. There were some models anticipating more than 2 million Americans dying from this. Now they are talking about the number being closer to 20,000 across the entire nation (as I type this, the current number is still under 1,500 people). As I stated in another thread, the true concern about this virus is about overloading the medical capacity of the country. Not enough hospitals, doctors, ventilators, masks, testing kits, etc. The goal right now is to slow the spread and buy some time. There are already efforts being made to improve capacity in the area of ventilators and masks, which will mean less deaths. As we get more testing kits, that means a greater ability to identify and quarantine those who are infected. There are also a few promising medical treatments, which will decrease the number of serious cases across the country.

At this point, Buffalo could lose almost it's entire starting O-Line and still field a solid unit. - Ty Nsekhe/Daryl Williams both have significant starting experience at both Tackle spots - Spencer Long has significant experience starting at both guard and center - Ryan Bates is young and doesn't have starting experience. But he's showed promise sliding in at multiple spots.

Reports are that O'Brien refused to take offers for DeAndre Hopkins from any AFC team, because he didn't want to trade him in-conference. If true, I would imagine the same thought would apply to DeShaun Watson. Also, the conspiracy theory makes no sense. O'Brien is currently the GM and Head Coach of the Texans. That's a pretty enviable/high-profile position. Very few coaches have that kind of power within their organization. Why would he give that up, so he could purposely get fired, then return to the Patriots as a lowly coordinator?

Where the roster stands today... yes, it is a big need. Maybe I wouldn't classify it as a "huge" or "glaring" need, since we do have a legitimate starter in Devin Singletary. But in today's NFL, you really need to be sitting at least two-deep with that position. The good news is, Running Back is the easiest position in the league to fill. This year's draft doesn't have anyone elite. But it's pretty solid on Day 2. Even without a 1st Round Pick, it's very likely that one of the top 2-3 prospects falls to us at #54. And if we decide to go in a different direction in the 2nd Round, there will still be very good options available in Round 3. You want a veteran to compete with TJ Yeldon for the third spot? There are still some decent vets on the market like Carlos Hyde and Lamar Miller, who are under 30 and have rushed for 1000 yard seasons in this league.

It's not that black and white. Each day the country remains on total shut-down inches us closer to another great depression. Businesses closing down. People with no jobs or income, eventually resulting in losing their homes and being unable to feed their families. I keep hearing people say that concerns over the economy are selfish and greedy. I think that attitude is very short-sighted. I also believe that some Americans are significantly overestimating the government's ability to feed and take care of them, if/when this whole thing crashes down. Families may get a $2000 stimulus check once or twice. Six to nine months from now, I seriously doubt it. Although a significant economic downturn is pretty much unavoidable at this point, the magnitude and length will depend on multiple other factors. And even if society doesn't return to normal 100% in the next few weeks/months, there are ways we can gradually get there. And there are ways we can be creative to simultaneously keep businesses moving, and still protect the people most at risk. As I said in another post, the concern about this virus isn't that everyone is just going to suddenly drop dead if they go back onto the streets. When kept under control, the world is seeing roughly 5 percent require serious hospitalization. That means that 95 percent of people will be fine, and our goal is just making sure they don't infect those in the other category. As more testing kits are created, the easier it will be to determine who is infected and get them into quarantine. Even if we don't get a vaccine until next year, there are other pieces that can fall in place to help. The biggest problem is increasing medical capacity. Meaning more beds and ventilators for patients, and masks for doctors. There are major steps being taken right now to fix all of these problems. If some treatment drugs prove effective, we may be able to decrease the 5 percent to 4, 3, 2, etc. Less people requiring hospitalization, means less overload and a better chance people ultimately survive.

They have, just like with any sickness or disease. But the number of deaths among the young/healthy is very rare.

Like I said, there are scenarios that could drastically improve our situation over the next few months. - If doctors can discover treatment drugs that work - If the virus turns out to be seasonal - If we succeed in drastically increasing the medical capacity There are scientists and medical experts on both sides of the fence, and all admit they cannot be sure which way this ultimately goes. My attitude is to hope and pray for the best.