Bleeding Bills Blue

So you're saying an owner pays a player out of pocket and it doesn't hit the cap? A year after having massively lowered revenues. Or are you saying they should be able to cancel a contract and cancel guaranteed salaries/get bonuses refunded. The owners aren't going to do #1, and #2 would lead to a work stoppage.

I'd say it was more of - Drive 1 ending with 2 incompletions (FG) Drive 2 ending with a sack (we scored on the muffed punt) Drive 3 ending with grounding (punt) Drive 4 3 and out Drive 5 stopped in red zone (FG) Even if they score a TD on drive 5 - that puts you down 21-16. They had more possessions than KC in that half (KC had 4 exc kneel, to Buf having 5 exc muffed punt), and needed to be winning.

I think they need the ability to play man coverage more effectively. Cover 2 and cover 4 work when you can tackle before the sticks, or break up passes near/at the sticks. You're really just looking to stop the run and get that 1 3rd down stop. But KC is fast as hell, so while respecting that speed you end up gifting the sticks anyway. Then in man you're forced to double hill, and forcing you to man up with kelce. They'll also scheme hill open and attack you in other ways. It's a tough proposition.

I mean... Look at Mahomes extension. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/patrick-mahomes-21751/ They barely gave him new money (signing bonus was 10 million) but guaranteed almost 150. Those roster bonuses all kick in a year early too. Watsons might be a more comparable simple example though. 2020 and 2021 have low cap hits, but he got a 27m check when he signed it. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/houston-texans/deshaun-watson-21753/

A lot of flux too - Spain started 2 games, then ford moved over and they released spain. Winters started a bunch, then feliciano came back. Then ford was hurt and boettger played. Morse was hurt and feliciano kicked inside. Then they settled on dawkins-boettger-morse-feliciano-williams. For all the praise some of these guys got, when challenged they failed - especially inside. I thought williams had a nice game against TJ watt, and even against frank clark this past week, he for the most part did his job. But if they run outside zone to the left he is not getting it done on the backside - and hes not fast enough to get where he needs to be on his own side. Morse is a little bit too inconsistent for what he's paid but i expect him back for another year. I watched teams lose games because they can't find a center who can snap the ball. Feliciano gets a lot of praise but he is not a player that teams fear going against. Boettger showed some inconsistencies too, but he was honestly better than I thought he'd be. Dawkins will never make a pro bowl, but he's pretty solid. Ford needs to be better to crack the lineup this year.

My guess is around 200 with your overflow tacked on.

Even then I think you're looking at players who aren't getting any interest at the value they think. This year will be screwy anyway with a lower cap. A lot of paycuts coming.

Right - you lose watkins and robinson (who aren't playing) and replace them with hardman, who is. Got 8 more picks this year. They likely continue to get a little younger along the offensive line. Breelands gone and corners are expensive so I could see them going there in the 1st.

I feel like this is less so in football. Maybe players like bell? Where they were released late, and no one really wants to pony up. But no one is lining up at KC's door to make the league minimum to get a ring - this isn't basketball. You can and likely will suffer significant injuries, make that money!

They played single high man coverage - with some occaisional shade to diggs, or mathieu as a robber in the middle (essentially inside help against bease option routes). They also were pretty grabby.

Drake had a lower yards per carry at the end of the year than Singletary and Moss. He also had a lower yards per reception. I personally think a better offensive line kinda cures a lot of what ails the rushing offense. Everyone would love a Kamara - but I don't think he'd ever see 100 targets when 250 go to diggs and beasely. Same goes with an ekeler type (Chargers are actually a worse rushing offense than buffalo). If there's a belief that kamara would help you beat the chiefs, I can understand the thought. I don't think having him would have turned this team from 13-3 to considerably better. But if you think that matchup is the difference I get it. Personally I think they need to identify a better defensive strategy for RPOs. However I'm not ready to condemn a player for a drop - did we condemn thomas for fumbling in the super bowl? The offensive line failed down the stretch against blitzes, and couldn't generate much push in the run game. There are 5 starters there, and buffalo hasn't spent a ton of draft capital there (Dawkins, Ford, Teller). An infusion of talent there could help the group get younger and better.

I like Sherman tbh. In our defense its a lot of Cover 2 and Cover 4 coverage - so he doesn't necessarily need speed to play corner. He's also had a lot of playoff experience.

Its the exterior too. Williams seemed to struggle with the outside zone rushes on the backside and killing any cutback lanes. I'm all for improvement - I'm just reluctant to spend more draft capital on the position in the offseason. Make it more of an open competition - there is the potential for hiim to improve.

I think either of our backs would thrive in an actual rushing offense. Not sure if its just - not creative? But we basically have like 3 running plays. Inside and outside zone (with occasionally mckenzie in motion), and if we're in shotgun its read option (with occasional motion, or RPO concepts). No pitches, no power, no pin and pull, misdirection, counters, traps... anything.

Schwartz or fisher are big cap savings if released. They might kick the can down the road though.

The offense needs to run more plays from under center. Just seems like if Allen is under center, they know we're running it - its very rarely a misdirection or counter, its almost always outside zone or inside zone. The run game needs to be overhauled, and if the offensive linemen can't execute it then they need to be replaced.

Tight end is tough - there are no good free agents and its a position with a steep learning curve. Even 1st rounders tend to bloom a bit late.

They have some solid player free agents, and likely not very much cap space - so it'll be penny squeezing for them. But they aren't players that are irreplaceable Watkins - always hurt Okafor - 3 sacks as a reserve DE Sorensen - Starting safety next to mathieu Breeland - Starting corner Reiter - Starting Center Remmers - Right tackle So their roster depth all around will likely be tested.

It'd be like if they decided to just start calling all the offensive line holding penalties that they let teams get away with all season. Complete 180 in officiating - Romo is saying that the coverage is sticky and i can see diggs and bease jerseys getting tugged all night long.

Yeah - i mean... Hunt isn't fast. Kamara isn't notably fast. Connor isn't fast. Drake ran a fast 40, but play speed he doesn't seem fast. I'm not sure its all on the backs, or their speed. There just isn't any juice to the running game. We play like 80 percent of the game from shotgun for pass protection, and then when we go from under center we run the ball on like 75% of the snaps - not really very deceptive there. Also, the team isn't very good at run blocking.

I think he's terrible, but hes working in media at the moment. There's usually more money there - and he'll never be a head coach again.

Well when you can't run the ball...

I assume he's the heir apparent for when Belichick moves upstairs to VP/GM role. Belichick probably gave him a timeline if i had to guess.

They were bracketing him on 3rd downs. Which - smart i suppose, but then you aren't pressuring allen so he was going after them with brown and diggs. Davis looked banged up though.

Cover 2 is usually preferred in third and long. 2 backers and NB inside and 2 CBs on the boundaries. But its a read play - sometimes the boundary guys play deep and it fleshes out more like quarters. the olb and nb then cover the boundaries. You can both limit big plays and underneath depending on the route concept. And there's nothing you can do pre-snap to flesh out what the corners do - it happens as the play is happening. You can also position the nickel and LBs on the LOS to give a blitz look, and then rotate into a complete cover 2 look. At the same time - buffalo might be forced to play a bit more man in this one. QBs who can buy time effectively are nightmares for a zone defense.