Rocky Landing

Great interview. After reading this, and hearing his thoughts on competing with his peers, it makes me think that OJ Howard could really be a great fit as TE#2. I know Howard underperformed out of the draft, but he is super athletic. I could see he and Knox really pushing each other to be a great tandem.

When you look at some of the trades, and deals Beane has made in the past-- the things that have given him the moniker of "Wizard"-- it's clear that he has a reputation for being a man of his word, with high integrity. I imagine reputation goes a long way in Beane's field, and must apply to Martin Mayhew, as well. The Commanders lost a lot of their FAs last week, and I wonder what effect their free agency had on Mayhew's reputation around the league?

I'm wondering if some of the posters on here who follow college ball, and draft prospects can share their opinions on some of the top corners in the draft, and would there be one worth trading up for?

I think also they take development on the practice squad very seriously, and I'm assuming that the practice squad rules from '21 will remain for another season (or indefinitely), and Barkley will land on the PS. You look at what they did with guys like Boettger, and Dane Jackson, and have continued to do with Hodgins. Pretty useful to have a decent #3 who knows the system.

I hope it means he's gone.

Oh yeah? How do you feel about CB depth?

I'm not drawing any necessary correlation between the run game, and Bates' presence as a starter, and I know the Bills were working on fixing the run game well before he started, but... I don't think the run game really started to gel until the second Pats* game, and I feel like it really took a subsequent big step in the Falcons game the following week. And that does actually coincide with Bates starting. I also never felt like the "big issue" in the run game was the quality of our RBs, especially Motor. I always thought it was scheme, and O-line. (And correct me if I'm wrong, but was it 2019 that the Bills switched to zone blocking, at which point pass protection improved, and the run game took a dive?) At least, this is the narrative that I've built in my head, and I might be way off (I often am). And now that I'm writing this, I'm going to have to go back and re-watch that Falcons game.

I've been wondering what Ike's future is, also. Even without the injury, I don't know that there was enough film on him to get a significant offer from another team. But, they've invested a lot of time in his development (I believe also occasionally using him as a C in practice?). He looked pretty good up until that non-contact injury-- seemed to improve each game. Do the Bills keep him? And does anyone know the timeline for his possible return?

Need someone on the PS. But do you suppose Shaq Lawson will beat him up in the shower?

Could it be that we are over-valuing Bates based on a couple games in which he looked pretty good, playing between two top-tier players? There were plenty of times in the past that Bates came in off the bench and looked pedestrian at best.

What a great interview with Tim Settle! I love interviews that aren't just boilerplate "... each and every day... win games... blah, blah, blah..." And I love rooting for a team made up of clearly likable, high-character people. Not all fans are like that, but I am. And lately, it makes me feel very fortunate to be a Bills fan.

Is it possible we see some 4-3 formations with Miller lined up at Sam, or Will? Do we start blitzing once in a while?

I think McDermott’s seat is going to get cooled off by a large amount of Gatorade with ice.

Just off the top of my head: we restructured Morse, cut Mongo, cut Williams, restructured Milano, cut AJ Klein, and I’m sure I’m forgetting some more. All that clears cap. And suffice to say, if we couldn’t afford it, Beane wouldn’t have done it.

Are we trading for a corner? Looks like most of the high dollar FAs we might have been interested in are going elsewhere. But, Beane has been working tirelessly to free up cap space.

Drop Zone Jones. One and the same.

Apples & oranges. The two had very different roles. Landry was used as a deep threat far more than McK. And think about the routes McK was running. It stands to reason that a WR who’s catching a go route in stride is going to get more YAC than a guy taking a drop pass behind the LOS. But in all honesty, I think both players have huge athletic upsides.

I would add: Don’t sleep on Jake Kumerow. I know he was primarily a special teamer last season, and he didn’t get a lot of offensive touches. But assuming we lose Beasley and Sanders, and with the dwindling options at upgrading the TE position, I think we could see Kumerow with a much bigger role on offense, especially in the RZ. And I think we could see that guy making plays. I’m very optimistic for what he might provide.

Apples and oranges, IMO. Landry’s was a block gone wrong. A cheap shot on a defenseless player that got him fined, but at least part of a football play. Gronk’s was an after-the-whistle assault with intent to do bodily harm, and then he has the audacity, in an interview just last January, to pretend that he didn’t remember it. And then when pressed about it, he claimed that he was “happy to get a week off.” I got flamed (and trolled by a resident troll) for holding the opinion that I didn’t want that POS on the team, but I stand by that opinion firmly. I think Landry’s a head case, and pretty obnoxious. But I don’t think he’s a bad person

That is true. Sometimes those concerns are valid, sometimes they’re not. That being said, every time I hear Diggs talk, he sounds like an intelligent, rational, decent guy. Every time I hear Landry speak, he sounds like a head case. The fact that he was a division rival notwithstanding, I always thought he was a really exciting player to watch in Miami. But seeing him interact on Hard Knocks in Cleveland left a very poor impression, IMO.

I don't really hold the cheap hit on Aaron Williams against him-- you could see the remorse on his face immediately, and while not a legal hit, it was close. Landry was blocking, and I don't believe he was trying to take Williams out. That being said, I'm not sure he's a good fit in Buffalo, his obvious abilities notwithstanding. He seems like a head case-- very "me first" with a propensity for drama. The sorts of things that don't fly in Buffalo.

Tom who?

Honestly, I think Diggs, Davis, McKenzie, Kumerow, Stevenson, (and maybe a sixth that is already on the team-- Hodgins, Gentry?) is not a bad WR room. Talent, versatility, diversity, chemistry-- it's got it all. Not saying they shouldn't add to the corp in the draft, or even free agency-- but if they don't, I won't be upset. We could roll with these guys. And going with five WRs on the 53 (which many teams do), gives the Bills room to add playmakers at TE, or RB, or defense.

This is a big relief to me. McKenzie is so dialed in to this offense, has a relationship with the team, and with Allen. He once joked (??) about being the "face of the franchise," but I'm not sure how off the mark that is. I know Daboll appreciated him enormously-- I was never sure about McDermott. But, I have to believe that Josh, especially towards the end of the season, saw him for what he is-- a fast, talented, versatile WR, with insane athleticism, that fills in gaps like no one else. Micah Hyde once joked, during a press conference in which McK heckled him, that he "hated him." But, we all know that was a joke. Buffalo LOVES Isaiah McKenzie.

Pics, or it didn't happen.