Rocky Landing

I've been working in the motion picture industry in Los Angeles for over 30 years. In that time, have worked on numerous documentaries, and reality TV shows, including a season on Big Brother, and three seasons of Hell's Kitchen, which employed around 65 cameras. And I can tell you that I have zero concern that Hard Knocks will have some negative impact on the Bills' training camp, practices, or development as a team. Here are some elements of production that I would fully expect: Every area of the Bills facility that HK will want to film will be pre-rigged to be as concealed as possible. There will be some lighting, and microphones rigged into the ceilings, but they will be low-profile. They will want 360˚ of access, without any production equipment in any of the shots. I would assume there will also be quite a few robotic cameras rigged around the facilities. These are similar to security cameras, but a little larger. There will likely be a few pre-lit interview areas. They will be out of the way, and private. Mobile camera crews will be very small-- probably three people, camera, sound, and production assistant. They will go out of their way to be as inconspicuous as possible. They will have low-profile headsets, and receive direction via radio. The director, producers, and robotic camera operators, sound engineers, etc., will be in a couple high-tech mobile production trailers, and few people in the Bills organization will ever see them. The director, and producers will not engineer, or gin up any drama, or conflict. Even on a conflict-driven show like Hell's Kitchen, the dramas occur organically. Such dramas are nurtured, of course. But that won't happen on Hard Knocks. Plot lines on the show will not be scripted. Even on a show like Big Brother, the closest they will come to scripting the show is to ask leading questions, and then ask the contestants to include the question subject in their answers. (example: Q: "How do you feel about Shiela?" A: "I'm angry with Shiela.") Personally, I can't wait for this show. And if anyone is upset with Hard Knocks being around the Bills, they should probably also be upset over the Embedded series, which, as a much lower-budget production, was probably more visible to the players than Hard Knocks will be.

I think there are going to be some jealous other teams when they see the atmosphere at all the sold-out practices, and the active involvement between team, and community in WNY.

I wouldn't expect there to be a lot of content with James Cook. Exciting though he may be on the field, he's as interesting as watching paint dry when the camera's on him.

Nice. More upside than Hal Presley III.

I'd prefer they weren't the week one matchup. I'd prefer they weren't the week one matchup. I'd prefer they weren't the week one matchup. I'd prefer they weren't the week one matchup.

No doubt. McD/Beane love these rolls of the dice. I still harbor fantasies of Travis Clayton as the sixth lineman in a jumbo package, catching a pass, and pancaking anyone in front of him...

Josh Allen has repeatedly called him "the best third-down back the league," so I guess I can understand where you got that opinion.

Ty Johnson is the better receiver, and it isn't close.

Lewis was also the starting safety in place of Taylor Rapp for two games in weeks 15, and 16 of last season.

It wouldn't surprise me if he retires a Bill. He's the new Siran Neal, who was the new (old) Tiawan Jones. They let go of Siran at 30, and Taiwan was a Bill until he was, I think, 34. And Lewis is better than either of them at his listed position. I certainly think he'll play his sixth season in '25 as a Bill, especially with the losses of Hollins, and Morris. Mediocrity notwithstanding, '24 was actually his best season.

Not sure why everyone keeps mistaking Lewis for a safety, when he plays far more at CB, where he was drafted. Be that as it may, we'd all love to have starter-level players at every position, but that will never happen. And while Lewis is not a particularly great DB, he is a difference maker on ST. Why would you expect new STC Chris Tabor throw the baby out with the bathwater? This discussion happens every season. The Bills will have backup level players on the team, and the traits that earn them a roster spot are versatility, position flexibility, and special teams. It's the reason Reggie Gilliam is on the team. It's why Q Morris, Siran Neal, Taiwan Jones, to name a few, were on the team, and it's why they keep bringing Cam Lewis back.

I think your comparison to Claypool is a lot closer than any comp to Hollins. I will admit that I haven't watched a lot of Browns football, but I will say that you could see Moore using this speed to gain separation on some occasional deep shots. He can run a go route, and adjusts well to the ball. I also remember watching his first year with the Jets, and being impressed with his speed to the ball on shorter routes-- something Zack Wilson had trouble taking advantage of. I actually think he was better in his rookie year than his numbers suggest. IMO, If he makes the team (kinda doubt he will...) he'll have a role that exploits his speed, but it will be dependent on him developing chemistry with Josh. That's probably more doable for Moore than it was for Claypool (who iirc, suffered an injury in TC?). I would think Moore would have a clearer path onto the 53 than Claypool did, and I think his speed will be enticing to Brady. His biggest hurdle, like Claypool, might actually be his attitude (or perception thereof) which was on full display in year two with the Jets-- something else that makes him very different from Hollins.

Fair enough, but I wouldn't put Hamlin in the same conversation as Lewis. Lewis is listed as a DB on the roster because of his versatility (something McD loves). Hamlin is only a safety, and a limited one at that. And the new special teams coordinator notwithstanding, Lewis has been a core special teamer for five seasons, and is still only 28. I certainly wouldn't equate goodwill with experience.

Cam Lewis is capable of playing backup safety, but he is a cornerback. He's also a core special teamer, and with the departure of Mack Hollins, and Quinten Morris, that makes Lewis that much more valuable.

That's still speculative, though. Shifting Hancock to safety is experimental. And if he gets beat out by Hamlin, or Jackson in TC, a fifth-round, undersized CB/S is likely as safe on the PS as Hamlin, or Jackson.

Cam Lewis is a core special teamer, and a Swiss army knife in the secondary. He's not a starter, but he can play any DB position, all of which we are still thin. McD loves guys like Lewis.

I very much doubt they cut Cam Lewis.

If Jeremy and Joe think they’re entitled to a victory lap here, they’re high.

Personally, I can't really raise my excitement level above cautious optimism for the D-line. There are too many "ifs" to feel overly confident that the starting D-line won't be about as average as it was last season. But... what I do feel confidence in is the D-line rotation, which had been one of the hallmarks of a McDermott defense, and one of the keys to closing out games, and some of the fourth quarter comebacks of the Josh Allen/McD era. The Bills D was paper thin last season, and at least at D-line, I feel pretty confident that this is going to be a pretty deep group. OK, I do feel a little excited about how this line might pan out...

Sure. Doesn't answer the question, though. Pay him what? The $15M he's asking for?

Also if they have a preference for blue cheese, or ranch.

I think more accurately, Cook was a stud towards the end of the year, and into the playoffs.

Sometimes, though... if the squeaky wheel squeaks too loud, it gets replaced...

Without knowing anything regarding the interviews, or meetings the Bills have had with their various prospects, I feel like Emmanwori is the better fit with the Bills at safety. And while the league doesn't value the safety position as highly as CB, i think the Bills place a higher value on safety than most other teams. Am I wrong?

A few thoughts on Cook: Missing OTAs is not a big deal. But, I suspect it's not just about missing OTAs that might stick in Beane's craw, but the public means in which Cook has dealt with his contract frustration. Beane has said as much. Missing OTAs is just icing on the ***** cake. A lot of posters have brought up what a great season Cook just had, but It strikes me that Cook finished last season exceptionally strong. IMO (and some might argue this), if you look at the tape from Cook midseason, and compare it to Cook in the playoffs, he really came on strong towards the end of the season. And it makes me wonder-- did he (or the O-line?) get better as the season progressed, or did he play harder? Which begs the question: if it's the latter, how will he play after he gets paid? Ty Johnson is every bit as fast as James Cook, but I believe Cook has better acceleration, and better yards after contact. But Ty Johnson is the better receiver by a mile. I've never really understood the contract strategy of holding out, or backing off from the team when a player is unhappy with their contract, or is seeking an extension. But, it happens so often that there's obviously something to it. Personally, in my career, I've been freelance for 34 years, and so there have been many jobs in which I felt I was being underpaid. But, I never worked down to the value I felt they were placing on me. My strategy was always to show the company I was worth more, and that's worked out well for me over the years.