TheBrownBear

Reminder - this game is as meaningless as it gets

Based on what we've seen from the accuser's lawyer and how he initiated contact with Araiza and his lawyer, I'm almost willing to bet he came on very unprofessional when initiating discussions with the Bills as well. If that's the case, you can see a situation where the Bills might not have taken this as seriously as they should have, viewed it as a shakedown, or whatever. Doesn't completely absolve them from doing their due diligence (and who knows, maybe they did), but you can envision a scenario where they didn't want to engage with this Gilleon fellow and chose to conduct an investigation without any input from him.

Honestly, I can understand the concern, but I don't share it. Our backfield survived pretty well (until KC) with Wallace and Jackson starting last year. I think Benford/Elam can give us Levi-level play or something close to it, and we should still be seeing incremental improvements from Taron Johnson and Dane - they are still young dudes. I think our CBs should be competent, and I expect our star safeties will be ready to go by the start of the season. I think this is already a solid to above-average group, that can go to a dominant position group if and when Tre White comes back (healthy).

Deserved what? That she deserved to be raped? No one is implying that. People are merely saying that her affirmatively stating that she was 18 weakens the prosecutor's case and strengthens Araiza defense against a statutory rape charge.

I agree. Reading a handful of truly deplorable comments can stoke a level of anger in me that makes it seem as if there's more of a groundswell of support for this type of viewpoint (blame the victim, slut-shaming, etc.). But, for the most part, I think this board is approaching this with empathy and a requisite detachment from our fanhood.

I think most of the posters here have been pretty measured in their responses. Outside of a post or two, I don't see much in the way of blaming the victim or anything. There are some asking that we don't rush to judgement, but I think the majority of us fans are saying that at minimum he needs to be suspended/placed on the exempt list until the criminal investigation is complete and he is or isn't charged. As for Twitter, I don't know why anyone would spend any amount of time reading comments there. It's a complete cesspool full of trolls and bots.

She went to the police the next day. Her and her father were pushing for the investigation to speed up and charges to be filed. They allege they were sick and tired of waiting, so they went forward with the lawsuit now to bring attention to it. Would be curious to find out the backgrounds of the detectives on the case, since there are allegations that the school didn't investigate in order to protect the team as they were having a great year. Have a hard time believing the cops would protect the university/football program, but we've seen these types of sick things play out in the past in other towns.

Problem is, "guilt" isn't going to be determined for many months. At a minimum, he immediately needs to be suspended/placed on the exempt list and we need to sign a new punter tomorrow. Say the Bills sit on their hands and let it play out, come week 3 criminal charges are filed against Matt and we are scrambling to replace him on the fly. Just get ahead of it asap and put all the negative press to rest.

I generally hate the idea of rushing to judgement, but I agree with you. This is not a story the Bills want hanging over them heading into a very promising season. Cut him and if this eventually gets dismissed in his favor, then you can circle back and re-sign him.

I've heard this discussed and Matt's name thrown around for a few weeks here in San Diego, but didn't want to spread any hearsay here on the board. Things don't look good for Matt. If the rape kit contains his DNA, he is toast since the alleging party was 17 at the time. Hopefully, the truth comes out and justice is served - whatever that turns out to be in this situation.

I think it could be. Diggs to Buffalo and the subsequent success of Justin Jefferson were sort of the start of this trend. As college and high school ball have put more and more emphasis on the passing game, you're seeing a flood of really polished receivers each year in the draft. Look no further than our own Khalil Shakir. So teams are much more willing to swap an AJ Brown for a Treylon Burks and then allocating that money elsewhere.

Dang it. Season over. Can someone please simulate the 2023 draft now?

I agree, but you can't deny that history has taught us that bruising, running QBs will not stand the test of time if you keep slamming them into linebackers. I'm in the camp that we transition him to mostly a passer/scrambler during the regular season and pull out the full bag of read option plays in the playoffs. I want this guy to be playing at peak form for the next 8-10 years minimum.

"Belichick to replace Offensive Coordinator with Climate Specialist"

Aging, mediocre defensive roster - CHECK Pitiful offensive weapons - CHECK Young, unathletic, rag-armed, game managing QB just good enough to retain job for half a decade - CHECK Past his prime septuagenarian head coach w/defensive emphasis in offense-centered league - CHECK No Offensive Coordinator (yes, really) - CHECK Have to face Super Bowl favorite with ascending 26 year old future HOF QB entering full supernova phase (who you haven't forced to punt in 8 quarters) twice a year - CHECK Yeah, they have their trophies and memories, but I'd hate to be a Pats fan for the next 3-5 years.

I suspect that trend will change somewhat this season. I think Cook is active every week and the odd man out is Moss or a reserve WR. Cook is essentially another slot receiver, so I could see one of Crowder/Shakir (likely Crowder, since Shakir can play outside) as inactive depending on matchups. Cook can easily slide into the slot in 5 wide formations. I think that type of positionally versatility is exactly why they drafted him.

I will puke if Cook is only activated for 8-10 weeks. Guy needs to be active every week.

Not sure. I'd say no, but I've been living in San Diego for years. My folks live in Buffalo, but they are generally sane and well adjusted people, so what I get from them (and local coverage when I visit) seems pretty reasonable to me. Same goes with the WGR call in shows I listen to on Audacy. Any pressure put on Josh from fans seems inline with most any other major sports fan base when it comes to their star players. At least Buffalo loves their guys like family, unlike some other cities that are quick to eat their own.

Nah, Beane's just paying lip-service to Mr. Weo obviously. 😛

Correct. They voted around the time the Bills were at 7-6 or 8-6. No way is he out of the top 10 if they voted after the Chiefs loss.

I agree. I like Singletary. Shifty and fun to watch. Only brought it up as a thought experiment, since he's on the last year of his deal.

Agreed. I have no interest in giving either Moss or Singletary a 2nd contract unless they show something this year that we haven't previously seen. In some respect, and please note that I understand that this will never and should never happen, the most logical move would be to ship out Singletary for a pick and keep Blackshear since he's really in the mold of Singletary (lesser runner, but better receiver), and you still have Moss under contract for an additional year.

I think Moss has value in a trade, but I really don't want to part with him. He's the one RB who can really play the physical punisher role in short yardage, and he's underrated as a pass catcher by fans. I'd love it if they could get something, anything for OJ Howard. Same goes with Duke Johnson.

Yep. There's a RB on the roster that does everything he does well, but just a bit better. Our roster is just a tough spot for Blackshear. I don't think he has the type of gamebreaking potential to force the Bills to keep him, but he's a "football player" and he'll catch on somewhere, just like Antonio Williams did (who is once again showing that he's got the juice during preseason with the Giants).

Kudos to Haack. By all accounts very professional and helpful in bringing along the rook who he knew was taking his job. Hope he catches on somewhere.