Rocky Landing
-
Posts
7,162 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Gallery
Profiles
Forums
Events
Posts posted by Rocky Landing
-
-
3 hours ago, JohnNord said:
He wasn’t a liability though and he’s played well enough to start next season. Go ahead and bookmark this comment. Cole Bishop is going to be one of the starting safeties next season.I would be happy if you're right.
-
4 minutes ago, JohnNord said:
You don’t draft a safety that high for him to start in year 2 - especially considering the other players at his position. Plus he played fairly well toward the end of the season and McDermott has said that he has improved since his start in Houston.
I 100% guarantee that they are penciling Bishop is as starter at safety. The only way he won’t is an injury or bad preseason.
In year-two of his career, I don't believe his draft position matters at all. If he's ready to start, he will. But, frankly, he looked like a liability on Sunday, and he was targeted often. And, honestly, I don't really feel like Hamlin is starting quality, either. IMO, Rapp is the only starting quality safety on the roster. Safety is definitely a position in dire need of upgrades to my mind.
-
2 hours ago, JohnNord said:
Kicking the tires of Bishop? He was a second round draft pick and is basically being gifted the starting Safety role?I don't picture him starting the season, unless he really improves in the offseason. Him starting in the AFCCG was a clear function of our lack of depth at the position. But, I certainly don't think he'll be cut. Do you?
-
Just my opinion
On Offense:
I think on offense we need one, speedy boundary receiver who can consistently get separation.. and that's it.
The Bills have an opportunity to enter the '25 season with almost the same offense they finished with, and that's not a bad thing. The familiarity, consistency, and culture on that side of the ball shouldn't be underestimated. Maybe Cooper can be that boundary WR? But, we sure didn't see it this season. But, I wouldn't be surprised if they re-signed him (although, I suspect most would disagree with that...).
But certainly, our O-line, RB, and TE, and QB rooms should, as much as possible, stay the same.
Maybe Zack Davidson for Q Morris. Maybe sneak Tyrell Shavers on there-- minor tweaks.
On Defense:
Quite the opposite. The only players I would feel strongly about holding onto are, Groot, Oliver, Benford, Bernard, Milano, Taron Johnson, Rapp (that's right, I said it), and maybe Epenesa, and Dorian Williams. I would imagine we hold onto Cam Lewis (who is important for depth, and ST), Carter, Solomon... keep kicking the tires on Cole Bishop, I suppose...
Maybe not a complete overhaul, but a minimum of four new starters, and a lot more depth.
-
1
-
1
-
-
30 minutes ago, colin said:
lol wat
im just saying you can look back and answer the question of what mcds d looks like w a ton of picks and money invested -- it is historically awful come playoff time.
That ignores a lot of factors, including the concept that McDermott can improve as a coach from season to season. I think we probably both agree that the defensive roster in '22 was far better than in '24.
-
1 hour ago, colin said:
you don't have to look forward to what our FO can do with a huge investment in the D, you can look back and see their failures.
in 2022/2023 we had the number 2 d in points, and the number 2 o as well.
we let cinci walk on us, scoring 14 points on their first two drives with their oline being depth players in 2 or 3 spots. we had all of those picks and most of our cap in the D, we had allen on a rookie contract, and diggs was on a cheap contract compared to his re up.
given ideal circumstances, the mcd defense did in that year exactly what it has done in every single year in playoff elimination games: start slow, allow touchdowns, and absolutely suck. allen had his break up/scandal the night before so maybe we never had a chance, but with multiple top picks and a crazy % of cap on the D we once again got steamrolled in the playoffs.
in elimination games we allow over 4 points per drive, barely have any turnovers or sacks, and we start slow on d even in games we win. we always have our opponents perform above their average in terms of EPA, points scored, success rate, etc. against us in the playoffs.
realistically, our best shot given our limitations at coaching is to get one or two studs on d to maybe make a few plays to get some stops occasionally, and to add outside wr talent and perhaps OG talent so that we can score at an even crazier rate than we allow.
i trust allen, cook, and our tackles to be able to deliver on this, but it will still take improvement and lots of luck for brady to perform at that level.
I don't have to look forward, no. I choose to.
-
1
-
-
I'm probably in the minority on this, but I am looking forward to what McDermott, Brady, and Babich can achieve with a significantly upgraded roster, especially on defense, which I fully expect the Bills to have next season.
-
1 hour ago, BADOLBILZ said:
It has for sure. In 2017 I was definitely put out by all the people jumping onboard out of nowhere, feigning heart attacks on social media etc.. People who had been on a Bills-free vacation for 15 years or so and then acted like they had been suffering week-in and week out for 17 years. Like where did all these f#ckers come from? But at least some of them are getting a taste of the medicine and earning some stripes with each failed playoff run.
The objective of the game is to win one........but when they do win that SB things will never quite look or feel the same. The good fight will no longer be as noble. Some people think it will be like replacing nothing with something but there is always a cost. I expect some post partum confusion on TSW. It will be like our annual "is the game not fun anymore" posts from the dude's who don't realize their testosterone level just dropped.
I've been watching this scenario oddly taking place on high-speed here in LA (where I've lived since '91). When the Rams first moved back here, I went to the first Bills game they hosted in 2016, and sat in the third row, at the 20yl for a couple hundred bucks a ticket. There were plenty of empty seats, and it sounded like a Bills home game. There really weren't any Rams fans to speak of, in the way we define fandom in Western NY. Just some folks going to a football game and rootin' for their team. It had more in common with Medieval Times dinner theatre and they were sat in the Blue and Gold section, so that's who they cheered for. But in '22, when they won their Super Bowl, you would have thought these "Rams fans" had been bleeding blue and gold their whole lives. Since then? Rams fans have been peeling away like old paint in the sun.
-
1
-
-
IMO, there is one WR missing from this team.
-
I remember at draft time last season, numerous posters (some of whose opinions I actually respect) say things like, “ every pick should go towards offense…” or, “the first two picks, at least, should be for a WR…”
But anyone going into this season not understanding how thin this defense was, simply wasn’t paying attention. I recall Beane at a press conference in the offseason defending the roster by saying, “we’re not giving up on the season. We still intend to win games.”
And win we did. We were one score away from the Super Bowl, and if Kincaid had caught that pass, we would have been in a position to take the lead.
I have no doubt the defense will be overhauled this offseason. I believe that was always the plan.
-
Just what do people think the NFL actually is???
it’s not some cabal, or secret society. It’s not even a corporation. It’s a trade association run by 31 billionaire owners, and Green Bay Packer inc.
I haven’t read its charter, but I would have a hard time believing that it doesn’t prohibit giving one team a competitive advantage over another, and I have an even harder time believing that 30 billionaire owners would all agree to give up their chances at a Super Bowl.
And if their hired representative, Roger Goodell, decided to secretly hatch a plan to promote one team over all others, it would be a far-ranging criminal undertaking, that would include fraud, conspiracy, antitrust violations, and interstate commerce laws.
And to what end? To promote some feel-good narrative? To pull in Swifty viewership? As much as fans want to believe that the cards are stacked against them (ALL fanbases feel this way— even Chiefs fans), at its core, it just doesn’t make sense.
-
1 hour ago, eball said:
Good lord. We are a dropped pass away from being inside the 20 with a chance to score a TD and win the game -- with THIS defense -- and this is what you come away with?
Massive defensive overhaul next season, get somebody with speed at WR, and we're right back there.
The only defensive players I don't part with are Rousseau, Oliver, Epenesa (I guess), Milano, Bernard, Bishop, and Benford. Everyone else is fair game.
Worse than the drought? You're smoking some good s-h-i-t.
Or maybe some really bad s-h-I-t?
I don’t smoke very often, but when I do, it has to be pure Sativa. Any hint of Indica, and I turn into a depressed, paranoid, miserable mess — kinda like the OP here…
-
1
-
-
40 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:
What Bills fans have is truly unique in the NFL. When the Bills do finally win a SB........and I do think it will happen with Josh Allen.......it will come at some expense to our own character as a fan base. That's the trade-off and it's pretty much impossible to avoid it. Bandwagoners and self esteem seekers glom onto championships and they are the lowest form of fandom and dilute your fan base.
It has already started.
-
1
-
-
I appreciate this thread, especially in contrast to several other threads that are advocating for the Pegula's to blow the whole thing up.
It is in this light that I'm going to add to the list of outstanding performances the coaching staff that during a "soft-rebuild" year, that was flushing over $60M in dead cap, and started the season with the thinnest roster of the McDermott era (with the obvious exception of JA17), managed to bring us to within one score of the Super Bowl.
Anyone who doesn't think this team far exceeded expectations is wearing some heavy blinders.
-
3
-
-
At the beginning of the season, a majority of media analysts didn't believe the Bills would win the AFCE. There's a 170 page thread (and multiple others) on this site debating how bad the WR room was, with the departure of Diggs, Davis, and every other WR other than Shakir. We lost multiple defensive players, and started the season with the thinnest defense of the McDermott era. With limited draft picks, and over $60M in dead cap (half of that from Diggs alone), Beane had very few resources to field a competitive team. And yet they made it to the AFCCG, and one score away from the Super Bowl. Sean McDermott, and Brandon Beane's jobs are safe.
-
3
-
1
-
-
It was a helluva fun season-- one that most people did not expect. What I don't expect many people to acknowledge is that just getting to this game in the first place far exceeded the expectations of the vast majority of analysts, and exceeded the expectations of most of the Bills fans who post on this forum.
Beane and company have a lot to work with in the offseason, and it's reasonable to expect that the Bills will field a deeper, and more complete team (especially on defense) in the '25/26 season.
-
3
-
-
Rapp being injured is a problem. He is our best safety. I'll have to re-watch the game, and really key onto Bishop, but my initial impression was that he wasn't bad, but still pretty unpolished. Had at least one decent tackle, and was in on some others. It makes me wish they has given him more playing time during the regular season. The notion of Hamlin/Bishop as our starting safeties vs. KC is concerning.
-
1
-
-
If two point conversions were easy, teams would do it every time.
-
-
38 minutes ago, KingBoots8 said:
McD: “Josh, in the KC post game presser Kelce said the Bills will never beat them in the playoffs.”
Josh: “I mean, he’s just talking. No big deal.”
McD: “ …and Taylor is way better than Hailee…”
Josh: “Oh did he?! Pack your bags, we’re going there next week.”
McD: “😈”
Taylor's going to drop Travis like a bad habit as soon as he retires from football.
5 hours ago, TBBills Fan said:My call is to Hailee not Josh. I ask her how our guy is doing and remind her we need her to make sure Josh is feeling like superman tomorrow.
Hailee can't talk right now...
-
1
-
-
It's infuriating to watch a game that is so profoundly affected by a couple bad calls by the refs.
That being said, Stroud's receivers didn't do much for him when the play would break down. Several times I watched as Stroud would escape the pocket, and have nowhere to throw as his receivers had finished their routes, and were doing little to extend the play, and get themselves open. I know that they're missing their top receivers from the season, but every receiver on the Bills will play until the whistle, including rookie Coleman. The Texan's offense just didn't look like they wanted it as badly as their defense, who were stellar.
-
1
-
-
6 hours ago, GunnerBill said:
It depends by who.....
I think you have a group of non-heralded players who are underrated:
Connor McGovern is the leader in the clubhouse in that regard, but David Edwards is in that mix, Reggie Gilliam is in that mix and I think until the last few weeks arguably Ty Johnson too.
Then there is a group that the fanbase generally underrates and indeed hates on at times that are better than their reputation:
The big two here are Greg Rousseau and Ed Oliver. Both first round picks and both among our best players on defense. I know PFF grades are not everything but they were ranked 1st and 3rd among our defensive starters in season grades (Benford was 2nd). Neither is elite and so get hated on but both are critical cogs in this D even though I don't think Oliver has had his best year (he came on strong late and was great the final 5 or 6 weeks). Also in this group though at a lower level is Damar Hamlin. I still maintain he is not a true starting standard NFL talent. But he has not been a total liability this season that some fans would have you think. Some of that is the scheme protecting him but he has clearly played better than Cole Bishop has when he has had opportunities and deserves to start. I think you can throw Dawson Knox in this category too, and there are certainly some fans who will never get past the dropsies he had earlier in his career. His is certainly overpaid for his current usage, which leads to some of the criticism he gets, but I still argue he is underused as a pass catcher (69% of his receptions as a Bill are for 1st downs or touchdowns compared to 49% for Kincaid and his underlying separation metrics are consistently strong) and he has become a critical part of our run game success.
Then lastly there is a group that I think most Bills fans and watchers know are really good but who haven't got the national attention or accolades they deserve to this point:
Here I put Christian Benford who has been one of the best 5 or 6 outside corners in football this year, Khalil Shakir who is pretty much unknown outside of Buffalo circles and Spencer Brown who at worst was the 3rd best right tackle in football in 2024 and yet got not a single all pro vote while guys he is better than in Zach Tom and Brian O'Neill did pick up the scraps behind Penei Sewell and Lane Johnson.
I’ve noticed you didn’t include Tyler Rapp? Perhaps I’m not remembering things accurately, but I seem to remember you being especially sour on him in the offseason/training camp? Certainly, you were critical of the safety position in as a whole. Personally, I’ve considered Rapp one of the most underrated players since last season, and I think he still is. I have to believe he’s exceeded your expectations, no?
-
55 minutes ago, DJB said:
I still can’t believe that Tua got the bag from the Dolphins. This is damming evidence against him and what most of us thought anyways.
Manufactured touches
IMO, this is indicative of how Mike McDaniel viewed Tua's (and their porous O-line's) weaknesses, and how he tried to cover them up. Quick, precision-timing routes. Get the ball out of Tua's hands as fast as possible. It was the basis of their passing offense, and why they needed fast receivers like Hill, Waddle, and Achane. It's also what the league figured out about them, and why they've been mediocre since '23-- bump them off their timing routes, and their offense collapses.
-
1
-
2
-
-
43 minutes ago, Special K said:
Why did it seem the Romo was actively rooting against the Bills today??
He's never done that before.......it was a very weird vibe from him today.
I think because it really wasn't close, and he wanted to keep the game interesting. If you weren't a Bills fan (and presumably, most people watching weren't), a blowout isn't very enjoyable to watch.
-
1
-
Myles Garrett requests a trade
in The Stadium Wall
Posted
I don't like the guy.