Kirby Jackson

I’ll be out there. Text me and we can catch up for a drink.

I’m not even sure if they are bad. I think that they have a lot of guys that are similar. They are going to have to “rank” them over the next few months. That’s a little scary to me. As an example, Ford would have been “ranked” ahead of Bates last year at this time. Bates isn’t Larry Allen but he’s not bad. He’s way better than Ford IMO. The Bills are going to identify (and be right) about which 3 or 4 of those OL are best.

I guess maybe the Dodson blue too. My point is that I actually think he is the “safer” of the 2. I think that they both make the team. My point was that they COULD look at some of those guys as similar and take the $2.5M in cap savings. I don’t think that it is likely but not impossible.

Good stuff Gunner!! It looks pretty close to accurate. There are only a couple of places that I differ: - I’d move Howard to blue. He likely makes the team but has had injury issues & been a disappointment. I loved that guy coming out but wouldn’t be shocked if he was cut. He would have to be a nightmare because almost all of his money is guaranteed. I’m just saying if he is totally outplayed by someone like Wydermyer (for example) I could see them eating the $3M. Unlikely but not impossible IMO - I’d move all 3 OL in blue to red. I’m just not sure that the Bills have a sense how the depth will shake out at this point. - I’d flip flop Dodson and Matakevich. Dodson played well last year & Matakevich COULD be used to free up some cash if they get a camp injury. - Ariaza to blue (or even black). He isn’t battling with Haack. He is here to replace him. If he’s an absolute nightmare as a holder I think that it’s possible they buck the trend & have someone other than the punter hold (Kumerow maybe). Haack was terrible & Beane commented as much last year. He drafted one of the most talented punters ever. I don’t think hangtime is his major concern. He wanted Araiza to dig them out when the offense sputters in their own end. My $.02 and a great job overall.

That guy sucks.

I’ve just tried to provide clarity as to what actually happened vs. people’s perception. That era I know well. People can feel free to judge whoever they want. My goal is to just make sure that they attribute the pros and cons to the right people.

Again, you can feel free to disagree but it’s the truth. He spent his days signing books for club seat holders (which some of you received). He LITERALLY slept through the biggest scouting meeting of the year. Marv was nothing more than a figurehead.

I can hopefully shed a little light on the last 20 years in terms of what was really happening vs. perception of what was happening. Donahoe had complete control. That complete control though came with oversight from Grosse Pointe (which basically means Jeff Littmann who was the real boss). After Donahoe left Ralph (and Littmann) were reluctant to give that much control to anyone. They replaced him with John Guy on the pro side (disaster) and Modrak on the college side. At the point Russ Brandon was running the business side. They operated as 3 silos under an aging Ralph (and Littmann). Marv Levy was technically the GM but was only there because Ralph wanted someone that he could trust on the football side. Marv had about as much GM responsibility as a TBD poster though. He didn’t scout. He didn’t sign players. He was a figurehead and ONLY a figurehead. As Ralph’s health got worse he appointed Russ Brandon as the de facto owner. I don’t know how else to describe the role. It was the first time that someone didn’t need to get approval from Littmann or Ralph to make decisions. To be clear RUSS BRANDON WAS NOT INVOLVED IN MAKING PERSONNEL DECISIONS. He was acting in the same role that Terry Pegula is now. He was overseeing the business side and signing off on what Nix, and later Whaley wanted. Nix and Whaley made the football decisions and worked alongside Jim Overdorf to bang out the contract details. This held true until McDermott and Beane arrived. Basically, Ralph (and Littmann) had control until maybe the last 3 or 4 years of Ralph’s life. At that point Russ Brandon filled that role through the sale to the Pegula’s. The people playing the Beane role along the way were: Donahoe, Guy, Modrak, Nix, and Whaley. Obviously, you know all of the coaches. With all of that said, Whaley was Colbert’s right hand man in Pittsburgh before coming to Buffalo. They thought of him as a rising star as an evaluator. I’m not saying that they were right, just the perception of him in Pittsburgh. It’s no surprise that he is being considered, especially considering that Colbert and Tomlin are involved in the decision making. He’s the favorite.

Remember the Bills went Thursday - Monday last year after Thanksgiving. Personally, I don’t think that’s a factor. It could be Dallas or Las Vegas I suppose (maybe even SF). The Bills are pretty compelling though.

Dallas was last year and just aren’t that interesting. I could see the 49ers or Raiders I guess. The Bills are a massive draw, with star power. They are the Super Bowl favorites with an explosive offense. Von Miller returning home shouldn’t go unnoticed either. Objectively, that’s the most appealing matchup.

With the Broncos playing at the Rams on Christmas it leads me to believe that the Bills - Rams will be the opener. They just don’t have many (or any) viable alternatives. Wilson with a new team was interesting (at least to a degree).

He is a partner at AJ Capital. They have a large portfolio of hotels throughout the country. The Graduate in Nashville as well as The Thompson in Nashville come to mind. The portfolio is north of $1B.

Lol, I wasn’t going to call you out by name 😂😂.

Hmm, I think that I’ve been saying this was a possibility for years? I took a lot of heat from some of you for saying that. Just wanted to come back for my apology 😂😂😂

I posted this in another thread but I heard two yesterday from a pretty reliable source: - Seaon opener in LA - Thanksgiving night at home vs. GB Obviously, there has been a lot of talk about LA but hadn’t heard about GB on Thanksgiving. I think that the assumption has been the Lions. We will see I guess…

There has been a lot of talk about Thanksgiving in Detroit. Don’t be surprised if the Bills actually play home Thanksgiving Night vs. GB 👀. Rumblings of that are in the universe…

Not in person but caught a couple of his games last year. It’s crazy to watch. We’ve heard of “outkicking the coverage.” He “outkicks the returners” at times. https://youtu.be/OafZBFXyg-M Lol, I pop in from time to time. This place was just so toxic for a while that I chose to stay away.

It has stopped as practice times have been cut back with the CBA. All 3 phases practice simultaneously now. The specialists are working together while the others are practicing. I don’t know how to make it work but I’m sure that you could. It just isn’t something that anyone else is doing.

I don’t think that they’ll punt often. It’s nice though to have that weapon when it’s needed. There was a game this year where Haack was a disaster. They still won the game (it might have been Miami or the Jets). He was booed off the field. He also had the punt blocked against Pittsburgh. Haack was the worst player on the roster (and that might include the complete 90 man version). The Punt God is a massive upgrade.

There isn’t a punting competition between Haack and Araiza. That was decided the minute the Bills turned in the card. The guy holds FBS records for gross average, punts over 50, punts over 60, etc… When they (correctly) decided to add him the job was GUARANTEED to be his. They went from the lowest average in the NFL to that. If he’s an abomination as a holder they’ll burn another spot on the game day roster to hold. Maybe they even train someone like Kumerow for that role? It probably increases his value. Yes, I understand that other teams aren’t doing that. The Bills will. If he can hold, even better.

FWIW, Atlanta is split on the QBs. It was Corral for a while but now there are some differing options in that room. I’ve also heard that the Bills love Jameson Williams and Breece Hall is a real possibility.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised by a trade up. Sauce is a guy that they could target if they go up to one of the Giants picks. I can’t help thinking that Beane must love Jameson Williams. He talked about “if you find another Tyreek Hill call me.” Williams is the closest thing. The Bills are absolutely looking for a WR that runs after the catch. That was a big problem last year. I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Bills move up 10 spots(ish) to try to secure him.

Lol, I have a text chain with a bunch of these dudes but it’s on mute because it dings every 5 minutes 😂😂. I may have been alerted and missed the message. I just happened to be lurking & saw this one…

Matt Araiza - P - San Diego St. Jameson Williams - WR - Alabama

All good, just a little break