Kirby Jackson

It’s been 11 years for me. I’m from WNY but absolutely a part of the collective “we” for New Orleans. I will likely be here for the rest of my life and it’s the opposite of a transient place. You either are a part of it or you aren’t. I’d say that it was probably 3 or 4 years before I got that. I guess everywhere is different.

It’s about damn time. We haven’t hosted a Super Bowl since the lights went out.

I have high expectations for the defense. They need more pass rush but other than that they are loaded. They are stout upfront against the run now, fast at LB and have an elite secondary. If the Bills add one of those DL in the 2019 draft, watch out.

He has played mostly h back. That’s the same position that Harvin played in Urban’s system. Curtis Samuel went in the 2nd last year after doing the same. Campbell hasn’t been asked to run a ton of those routes but can. He’s explosive. The Bills need guys to run deep routes and to run after the catch. The Bills need some guys capable of making chunk plays. Shady and Clay are the only ones capable of making big plays. I thought that the Bills should have kept Thompson.

Parris Campbell is fast (skip to 1:03):

It is amazing how those 8 games are all that anyone remembers about Bledsoe. I’ve posted in here numerous times but after those 8 games he was no better than Losman or EJ. He was horrendous. I get the Fitz love somewhat and he should be #2 (or #1 if Tyrod is ineligible). Cowart had a chance to be one of the best players the Bills ever had. That injury was devastating and he never recovered. That doesn’t even factor in Bledsoe’s fumbles. It isn’t even close. It blows my mind how fondly people remember him. If you pull those 1st 8 games out it is terrifying.

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Whoops, I read it wrong (about 60 times). Sorry about that!! I still think it’s tough to argue that they aren’t bottom 3 but that’s much more reasonable.

Bottom third would have them below 21. You said they aren’t bottom third which would have them 21 or higher. You said they weren’t top half so they’d be below 16. Not top half and not bottom 3rd would have them between 17-22. I was being generous by asking for the minimum number of teams worse off, 11, to meet your requirements. If you don’t believe they are bottom 3rd, which you said again, there are 11 teams worse. I’m asking you who those 11 teams are?

So you have them between 17 -21? Which 11 NFL teams have worse WR groups?

These signings were home runs. Poyer and Hyde is one of the best (if not the best) safety combinations in the league. They have them on relatively cheap deals too. If those guys hit the market this offseason they would have made a lot more.

It’s official, Burrow to LSU

So now I’m the guy on the ledge? Sometimes people accuse me of drinking the Kool-Aid. I’m a realist. Hogan is a JAG. He was a JAG here and is a JAG with Tom Brady. He’d be a massive upgrade to this current group. Which OL do you think is better? Dawkins - Incognito - Wood - Miller - Glenn or Dawkins - Groy - Bodine - Ducasse - Mills Am I a ledge jumper because I believe that the 1st group is better? Lastly, we likely take a step back at QB. That was necessary to move forward. I have no objections to that. As I said, “if Allen can play the rest of it is irrelevant.” These guys aren’t a part of the future for the most part. Allen and Dawkins are the only 2 that are definitely core pieces moving forward. The defense has turned over and now the offense will. I guess that I don’t really care that Andre Holmes sucks. He’s a placeholder too. I just don’t have delusions that guys that have been bad will now be good. Guys are what they are.

I admittedly liked the Zay deal. In hindsight Ju-Ju would have been a better pick. I’m not ready to give up on Zay but will be surprised if his career matches Ju-Ju’s.

Every time we have the receiver conversation I bring up this clip. Can anyone tell me the Bills receiver that can make this play? Shady is the only guy that I can think of. This play almost won his team the game. We don’t have any receivers that can make a play. That is a problem and why they are bad.

Did he make Hogan a star? What about Chandler? Hogan was pretty similar and Chandler took a big step back. Guys are who they are!! I love the optimism but just don’t see the offense being very good. You casually throw out “toss the deep ball once in a while.” Who is the target? Who is the defense concerned about getting over the top? Are they keeping safeties away from the LOS because of the threat of Rod Streater? Every defensive coordinator will focus on Shady 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc... Shady is great. He is running behind a worse OL and has no one to take the pressure off of him in the pass game. He is the only “difference maker.” Hopefully Daboll is a big step up from Rico. I expect that to be the case. If Allen develops none of this will matter. There aren’t a ton of guys on that offense that are core pieces moving forward. I’d say that Dawkins and Allen are. It’s possible that Zay and maybe another young OL develop. In general though we are going to see turnover on offense like we have on defense over the last few seasons. This was a long-term plan.

I guess that you are right. I just don’t see any reason to be doom and gloom or sunshine and rainbows. It’s okay to just call it what it is. The Bills potentially have a great secondary and a terrible WR group. It’s okay to believe that some things are bad and some good.

It’s not a leap. Good receivers will be good, decent receivers decent, and bad receivers bad. The Hogan and Woods examples are good ones. Their production wasn’t terribly different once they left the Bills. That was was pretty much my point. We make excuses for the guys that we have. They were not good. There is a reason that Jordan Matthews went from our “#1” to a $1M deal. The league spoke pretty loudly on the player. Zay was horrendous. I’m not ready to give up on him but he was the lowest graded WR in the league. That’s a guy that some are “confident in.” He May improve but there’s no reason to be confident. Benjamin is always hurt and is a #2. Holmes, Kerley and Streater are guys that have kicked around. McCloud, Proehl, Reilly and Dupree are young late round / undrafted guys. I just dont don’t know how anyone can look at that group and be fine with it? The GM wasn’t even fine with it!! Again, this is a multi-year rebuild. At, or near, the top of the list of needs is a #1 WR. The Bills don’t need bodies, they need “a guy.” It’s harder to find that than it is 3 guys to fill out the depth chart. If they get a top guy the group will be fine. That’s a year away though.

Anyone that can’t judge a WR without the QB is clueless. When Josh Gordon led the league with Hoyer and Campbell throwing the ball was it tough to judge him? What about Hopkins with Savage? A good WR is a good WR whether Tom Brady is throwing him the ball or Tom Savage. So many have stuck their heads in the sand or made excuses for the Bills receivers. Beane tried to trade back up for Christian Kirk. He knows that the group isn’t good. That’s fine. This wasn’t an overnight rebuild. We don’t need to pretend though. Let’s say what it is, the Bills receivers are bad. No one will argue with that.

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I’m glad Beane is getting out in front of this. It worked with Allen ?

I don’t know how any reasonable person can be confident in his group. Beane isn’t even confident; he tried to trade back up for Kirk. It’s a terrible group.

60’s Cookie Saimes 70’s OJ Joe D 80’s/90’s Kelly Bruce Andre Thurman 00’s Moorman Takeo 10’s Kyle Shady

He also had a big game this spring. He’s a guy that might be taking a step. He’s WAY better than Etling. He will be an upgrade from Brennan and Narcisse IMO.