BarleyNY

Save the woulda coulda stuff. I give credit for what got accomplished, not what people believe (or wish) could’ve been accomplished. As for the Cincy game, the team had been through a lot, but things were mismanaged too. Cincy was not happy that the Bills used Damar as motivation. They were there too and they also supported him and the decision to end the game. The tactic backfired on the Bills and that falls at the feet of McDermott. The Bills blew an 18 point second half lead against the Texans so I’m not buying that we weren’t in their class. Sorry.

I largely agree with this. The one point I disagree with is that it’s a KC problem. They just happened to be the high quality team we played 3 times. As you said, we falter against elite teams with premier QBs. Collection of slots is for 2024. The pocket time stat shows that Allen and the offense is getting the ball out fast. my point was that this helps the OL’s pass blocking.

Allen had a Pocket time of 2.3 seconds, which ties him for 5th in the league. Tua had the shortest at 2.1 sec. The Bills primarily collected slot WRs for this season. Seems to fit. Sort by Pocket Time under Pressure stats

The counter to this is, of course, that some others seem to think that the McDermott Bills never need to win a SB. That fans should be thrilled with them being a very good team even if they can’t get it done in the playoffs against another good team. That that is the gold standard we should all be ecstatic with. Both, of course, are utterly ridiculous. They’re just underhanded tactics used by people trying to frame someone else’s opinion as unreasonable. Most reasonable fans realize that with one of the top QBs in the league that a team should win at least one SB, but that winning in any single year is not a given. Then it becomes a “body of work” discussion. My issue with McDermott - beyond his horrific 13 second gaffes - is his playoff record against quality teams. He’s 5-0 against 4-7 seeds and 0-6 against 1-4 seeds. I’m not sure how that is acceptable with Josh Allen at QB. (Note that he is 0-5 against 1-4 seeds with Allen.) Other than blind luck, I’m not sure why anyone expects an improvement over that.

One aspect that has been overlooked when discussing the OL is that the offense has been geared toward getting the ball out of Allen’s hand quickly (in general). That has helped the OL’s pass blocking greatly. With this group of WRs and TEs I have to think that continues.

Crap. Good catch on my math. I’ll run the numbers again and post the transactions. The Browns have a K under contract, DTR is likely the backup QB next season and getting a premier WR entering his prime like Aiyuk under a long term contract would be far more important than re-signing any LB - even one as outstanding as JOK. https://overthecap.com/calculator/cleveland-browns I used this calculator. Additional cap space could be made with more restructures and by adding void years. I did simple restructures though many utilized existing void years. The link resets the calculator so here is what I’ve done. Remember that the Browns have been very aggressive in restructuring almost every dollar: - Cooper trade in 2024 - Bitonio retires and is a post 6/1 cut in 2025 - Simple restructures for Watson, Garrett, Ward, Teller, Conklin, Njoku, Tomlinson, Smith, Jeudy, Okoronkwo, Thornhill and Pocic. - This yields cap space of $30.9M in 2024 and $32.8M in 2025. Plenty to sign Aiyuk, JOK and make other moves.

Firstly, the Browns have been reported to have another on the table for over $30M AAV. I have not heard of what the trade compensation would be though. As for the cap, it is very manageable. As of now the Browns are rolling over $29.7M and are $59.8M over in 2025. That nets out to $30.1M over in 2025. The Browns will obviously use more space in 2024, but it’s very manageable as it stands. If Cooper is traded away then the only impact on the Browns cap is that they immediately acquire $1.2M in space. 2025 stays the same. Let’s use Amon St. Brown’s $30.2M AAV deal as a guide for Aiyuk. His cap hit in 2024 is $4.9M and $13.9M in 2025. That is manageable for the Browns. The Browns do want to extend JOK, but not Wills. Also as for void years, five years is the max for signing bonus proration so they’d only need one if it’s a four year deal. OTC has a cap calculator here if you want to play with how the Browns can get back under the cap.

They are utilizing the same model as Philadelphia. They are pushing out nearly every cap dollar they can. The system is calibrated to be sustainable. The estimates I saw was that teams doing this can outspend teams with a more cash-to-cap structure by 15-18%. While this provides a cushion these teams still have to be smart about whom they pay. It’s what makes me think a Cooper plus pick for Aiyuk is something Cleveland would be in on as long as the pick compensation was reasonable.

That’s not correct. Cooper is only under contract for this season. Beyond that, it’s likely that he’d be part of a trade as SF needs a replacement for Aiyuk this season. Cleveland will be find a with the cap. I can get into why if you’d like.

I still have no idea why that would matter to you. Owners will maximize revenue and profit so fans pay the same regardless of what cut the players get. By the way, star players ARE the game or the UFL would be as popular as the NFL. Season tickets for UB are super cheap compared to the Bills. Go watch them and save your money.

The boot helped me.

Dealt with that a few years ago too. Very painful and it took two years to heal properly.

https://www.spotrac.com/news/_/id/2418/josh-allen-is-underpaid-now-what Spotrac takes a look at Allen’s current contract and gives some predictions about what might be done with it. TL:DR - Allen is underpaid by NFL QB standards for where he ranks among them. But he still has 4 years left on his deal so it probably won’t be torn up. Most likely scenario is that the Bills adjust his current deal to bring some cash forward.

Agree. I was surprised that a team like the Giants didn’t take home earlier than the 6th.

You want Douglas to change positions for one season? Based on a few Elam camp practices? Best case is that he would get the hang of it by the end of this season. SMH

Or possibly position change. IIRC some projected Joe Milton to move from QB to TE in the pros.

Not what was being discussed. No harm is some good natured tribalism over largely meaningless sports.

Because it is a bullying mentality. The need to pick on a person (or organization) is tied to feelings of inadequacy and insecurity. That should not be confused with calling out a person (or organization) for foolish or morally corrupt behavior. So calling out the Browns for trading so much to acquire Desean Watson and signing him to the huge, fully guaranteed contract is certainly fair game for ridicule. OTOH mocking everything the Browns do simply because they're the Browns would reflect poorly on those doing it.

Yep. To me the trade and contract looked like it was simply a case of an owner throwing a tantrum and demanding that he get his new, shiny toy (aka FQB). In response to a question about it Haslam has even said that he was sick of "being in QB purgatory". Barring another big off the field incident Watson will be a Brown through at least next season. That's because his guarantees would void. The earliest that they can realistically move on from him is after 2025. At that point the Browns could take the lion's share of his salary and cap hit for his last season under contract (2026) and dump him for a throwaway pick. He's obviously got this year and probably next to prove he is worth a but contract though.

First thought on seeing the link was, “Oh boy, what did he say now?” That’s was probably the point of it though. Let’s face it - and how can I put this delicately? He likes to show off that Clemson education. Ahem. But then it was nothing but him saying he’s going to block out the noise, focus on football and try to be the best teammate he can be.

Agreed. It’s a substantial risk for the Phins, but I don’t see a lot of other options for them. Tua fits their scheme so well (even if it was designed to fit him). This regime can’t blow it up and start over. Not with where they’re at with skill players. What other choice do they really have?

Seems to be the case after looking at the details. Much more so than just seeing the initial numbers at least. To me it looks like a deal where they split the difference between the Daniel Jones two year guarantees and the top of market deals. Fair for both sides. He’s getting paid and is set to be a Phin for three seasons - thru 2026. But they didn’t tie themselves to him beyond that.

Collins is a big name and was quite a good player, so I get why you’d name him a surprise cut. But he sure seems cooked at this point. I’d be shocked if he makes the roster.

That’s very selective. Hollins has been in the league since 2017. Hit total receiving yards is 1,691. You reference his best season - 2022 when he had 690 yards. His second best season was 2023 when he had 251 yards. I think he will be in Buffalo as a depth piece this season. He is an athletically limited pro who can be counted on to know his responsibilities. That’s worth something. But I don’t see him making any kind of positive difference on this team. At least not on the stat sheet. Maybe in the locker room tho. Hollin’s STATS