Rocky Landing

Well, that does depend on who you talk to. https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-2018-nfl-offensive-line-rankings-all-32-teams-units-after-week-17 PFF had us 26th, and Miami 31st at season's end. I certainly do believe that our run blocking was atrocious, and contributed to a large percentage of Shady's poor season. But, it wasn't the entire reason, was it? I don't believe so. There are plenty of people on here who firmly believe that Gore, five years Shady's senior, is a better RB, and will have a greater impact. (I don't) I personally believe that Ivory, given the situations he was put in, running behind the same, crappy O-line, and the type of downhill player he is, did a good job for us. I was sorry they cut him. I would have liked to see what he was capable of behind an improved line. But, to be honest, I am not entirely optimistic about our run game this year.

Look at his avatar. He's a Pats* fan.

A bunch of guys I can't wait to see in pads. Oliver, Ford, and D. Williams, especially.

Interesting stuff! Thanks!

Well, it is the offseason, after all. I'd like to see that index.

Holy Smokes! Low character/high talent : High character/low talent

Maybe we'll get a look at Late Nate's hypnotic powers?

Would you watch if it were the Bills?

Glad to see they're giving McKenzie so many reps. D. Williams, too. Can't wait for the pads to come on, though.

Never stopped him before...

It's about a honest as a reality show gets. I'm always impressed with the turnaround they have in editing. It's a monumental task to sift through hundreds of hours of footage per episode, and get it up on the screen in a matter of weeks. Looking forward to it.

Interesting article on peak ages for track and field athletes. https://travelingtrackster.wordpress.com/2014/09/23/track-field-peak-athletic-age/ Goodwin will be 29 next summer, which puts him at the tail end of average peak age for his events, so it's not enormously unlikely that he could qualify for the team. I hope he makes it.

And here come the straw men...

The weirdest thing about this post is that it was written without a shred of irony. Yes, context. Yes, I am aware of Zay Jones' catch percentage. I'm also aware of his drop rate. I'm also aware of all the other things that provide context to such stats. But, all the other things you point out in this post? They also provide context. Don't try to hit me with some straw-man argument that I am some die-hard Zay Jones fan trying to pump him up to something greater than the sum of his parts. I'm not. Nor am I going to ignore all of the things about Sills that you are pointing out. And that's what makes posts like yours so useless. In the same post that you accuse me of "ignoring anything that doesn't suit me," (i'm not) you utterly ignore anything that doesn't suit your crusade. It's exhausting, and an utter waste of time.

I'm sure that Ty Nsekhe would be happy to be his backup... again...

I don't agree with this, entirely. but I do believe there is a certain truth, here. I honestly can't remember when the fanbase has been this united behind their QB. That really is a remarkable thing. But, I do also believe there is more to it, and I suspect that is has a lot to do with the culture that has developed in Buffalo. Certainly, McD/Beane has a lot to do with this. But, I also feel like it is a culmination of past players, as well. Kyle Williams, for example, had an enormous impact on the tenor of the locker room. So does Lorenzo Alexander. That McD/Beane have held onto people that we, as fans who are not entirely privy to the inner-workings of the locker room, under-appreciate is a testament to the value they place on this element of team culture. Patrick DiMarco comes to mind. He has often been heralded as a positive locker room presence, and we wonder why they have held onto him. I don't think it would be inaccurate to say that Josh Allen has benefitted from the positive, admirable culture that has/is being built in Buffalo, as much as he has contributed to it. And, yeah, I'm proud of them, too.

It's an interesting exercise, albeit, not particularly enlightening. There are some on these boards who are willing to compare, for example, the statistic-- percentage of receptions per target for Zay Jones NFL career, with David Sills college percentage of receptions per target, and actually draw some conclusion as to Jones' value compared to Sills, with no other context. But, it is still interesting. Zay Jones was sold as the "most NFL ready WR" of his draft, even if he wasn't the most dynamic, or worthy of the highest ceiling. That evaluation proved not to be the case in his rookie year. But, it has turned out to be somewhat applicable in his second year, and the type of WR he seems to be-- a solid #2 with a lot of versatility. As another poster (rather flippantly) pointed out: college stats are fairly meaningless. You only need to look at Sammy Watkins' college highlight reel to realize that coverage, blocking, and defenses in general, in college, do not have a lot of relevance to the professional level. That being said, you are right: it is interesting to look back at their college careers...

I don't want to cast shade on anybody because of what they look like, or anything like that. I don't want to draw conclusions on somebody merely because of their age, or their fashion choices, or their life experiences. I just want to put this thread into some sort of perspective. This is a recent picture of the guy whose opinion we are currently debating: This is not a joke. This is an actual, recent photograph of Benjamin Solak, the author of the article that we, as Bills fans, are debating on June 9th, 2019. I'm sure he is a fine, young man. I have nothing but respect for the work, and dedication he has shown to get his article featured in the online football journal, The Draft Network. Good job, kid! A+ Forgive me if I don't put an enormous amount of stock in the opinion of someone whom, I assume, is still in high school. I have a daughter in high school, and she is also convinced that she knows far more than me. And, in all honesty, she might be right. I can't say that I have ever won an argument with her that didn't end with me uttering the phrase, "because I said so..." An adult sized cop-out if ever there was one. Now, let's move on.

I'm not angry, I'm drunk! (kidding) Jones first season in the pros was terrible! I was definitely one arguing that his position was not, and should not have been safe going into the 2018 season, regardless of where he was drafted, and I see him proving me wrong! And, I don't think there should be anything given to him this season. That being said, at this point, I believe that he not only improved during the 2018 offseason, which was immediately evident at the outset of last season, I believe that he improved throughout last season. And I am not alone. I don't think I am saying anything particularly controversial. Zones had more targets last season than any other WR on the team, right up until week 17. I also think he just might be our most versatile WR, which, IMO, could make him our most valuable #2. He has also, very evidently, worked on his athleticism, and strength this offseason. That's a good thing-- perhaps he will be able to improve his catch radius, and ability to fight for contested ball, which I think are his two main deficiencies. To be honest, I don't see him as ever being a true #1 caliber WR. (I hope he proves me wrong, there, too!) But, what does bother me about the Jones debate, are certain people's proclivity to crow about Foster's improvements, and athleticism, and Sills untapped, and unknown potential, while utterly ignoring the improvements Jones has made, and relying on stats that encompass his entire career, without acknowledging their upward trend, or providing an ounce of context to such stats. Of course, these sorts of debates occur on these threads all the time. I just find that sort of debate dishonest.

Yep. Operative word: could.

The NFL should merge with the CFL. It would be worth it just to watch Miami play an away game in Edmonton.

My concern is that we may be faced with a "fierce camp competition" for a stable of solid #2 WRs. It would be nice if one of these guys could develop into a solid #1. Foster may, indeed, be the guy to get there, as he has likely not yet found his ceiling. After Foster, we have a bunch of solid guys who, while they may not have yet reached their ceiling, have been playing professional football long enough that we could assume they are probably pretty close.

When did he become a "very bad route runner?" It is one of his strengths.

You're seriously putting Jones' career catch percentage (without one iota of context), comparing it to Sills college percentage, and drawing a conclusion? THAT is a bizarre, and silly numbers game, there. Perhaps I could just throw out Jones' catch percentages for his last two games, (55.6%, and 66.7%, respectively) and proclaim that he improved towards the end of the season? Perhaps I could cite his catch percentage in the Jets game (with Barkley throwing him the ball) of 72.7%, and his following game's percentage of 0.0% (only one target), and proclaim him WILDLY INCONSISTENT. Perhaps I could cite his actually drop percentage (slightly under 3%-- lower than most of the top receivers in the 2018 league, btw), and declare that he is the second coming of Jerry Rice. Perhaps I could cite how much different his numbers were when he was facing different defenses, or had different QBs throwing him the ball. Or, perhaps I could ignore all context, throw out one incomplete stat, and declare that Sills is a better NFL QB than Zay Jones.