BarleyNY

Do you realize I was being sardonic?

Today everyone is talking about how Mac Jones looked like an MVP candidate yesterday. Maybe he just doesn't believe in his coach(es) or system. Eventually that sort of thing will impact anyone.

The Bills have no choice but to hope that Miller can round back into shape and get back to being at least close to the player he was. Six snaps tells you everything you need to know about where he is today though.

The defense was not put into a position to be successful against NE. I will (shudder) rewatch the game to double check, but others have already stated what I saw. McD blitzed and blitzed and blitzed and didn’t let the fact that it was helping Mac Jones and NE dissuade him from continuing to do so.

Could you all please quit jinxing this?

I get what you’re saying about things coming to pass that were once unthinkable. But I think this is a hill NFL owners would die on. However it is an excellent negotiating tactic toward fully guaranteed contracts. Compared to players getting a piece of ownership of a team a fully guaranteed 5 or 6 year deal is very palatable.

Setting aside CW’s specific situation, how exactly is “the horse out of the barn”? No NFL team has given a player ownership as part of their contract as a player. Nor has one given that to a coach. The NFL is not an also-ran league like the MLS or XFL. A former player, coach or GM can buy in just like anyone else. It won’t even matter if an owner pulls a Haslam/Watson and tries to do it because the league will never allow it to happen.

I don’t have a problem with players getting their fair share. But the biggest issue here is that there’s both an agreed upon salary cap and slotted rookie salaries. Valuing NFL teams is an inexact science to say the least. So even if the league would otherwise allow it - and it won’t - then this would be a very easy way for teams to circumvent both of those. It would never work for that reason alone. Additionally it is such a ridiculous request for a rookie that it makes his agents look unqualified and him seem a pretty clueless and naive. It’s worth noting that there will be literally nothing to negotiate on his rookie deal. Guarantees and offsets would be the only points of contention, but as the presumptive #1 overall selection he will get a fully guaranteed contract and no offsets. His agents’ real value to him will be negotiating sponsorships. If he continues to do a stupid stuff like this, then that may take somewhat of a hit.

Few points: - There are no guarantees on any coach, but whether the next one is better than McD or not has nothing to do with whether or not he is good enough. That’s reality. - If they aren’t already an NFL HC, then they’re available. - If they aren’t already an NFL HC, then they’re interested with few exceptions (ie Saban). The Bills have an elite QB which would put them at the very top of the list for any coach. - your comment about WNY is ridiculous (and I’ve being kind). no one is going to pass up an NFL head coaching job because they don’t like the geographical area. - Beane and McD are a package deal. They will stay or go together. - The point about McD and Beane’s contracts will impact how it will play out. It’s why I don’t think it will happen as quickly as this off-season. However, the question isn’t whether or not it happens m, it’s whether or not it SHOULD happen. So it’s immaterial to the question at hand. Also this doesn’t impact the cap and I don’t care about the cost to the Pegulas personally. - Your comment about most college coaches not wanting to coach in the NFL is ridiculous. The vast majority would jump at the chance – and paycheck - to do so. The only answer that matters in this entire discussion is whether or not McDermott and Beane can be counted on to bring a Championship to Buffalo. Based on their past performance, especially in the playoffs, explain to me why you think they will do that.

Your title is very misleading. The video shows C-3 and C-4 coverages against the Bills. No “two deep” or C-2 plays are shown. Obviously it’s not this simple in the NFL, but the elementary answers to beating those coverages are: C-3: routes in the seams and flats C-4: underneath routes, especially meshes as well as running the ball

Yes. IMO it should have already happened so I’d be on board with it. But realistically it depends on specifics this season that we don’t have yet so I’ll let it play out first. I think the Pegulas give him 2024 regardless based on the roster and his contract (as well as Beane’s). But to your point, I loathe the main arguments against moving on that I heard last off-season: - brought us out of our malaise and became a very good team - good performance every season and are in the mix for playoffs/SB every year (aka it could be worse with others in charge) The reality is that we have a top 3 QB. With competent roster building and coaching we should be in the mix for a championship every season because of that alone. Yet we’ve only made it to the AFCC game once - and McD blew our trip to the SB with egregiously poor management at the end. To me that’s underperformance. If it happens this season, then can him. One last point of frustration: Zero playoff wins against teams with a realistic shot at a championship. Zero. What has been the best team we’ve beaten in the playoffs under McD/Beane? Probably the Ravens with a gimpy Lamar missing part of the game. And I don’t think that qualifies. If that doesn’t change bigly, then we need to move on.

I don’t remember that, but I do know that it got ugly and her being replaced was a big deal at the time. I can’t remember if that change caused its decline or if it was already happening.

Agreed. The Bills are vulnerable to certain matchups however - and sometimes bad teams can matchup against us well. A strong defensive front is often an issue for our offense. See NY Jets game this year. Our current MASH unit of a defense will have trouble matching up with good offenses, but facing quality offensive lines - especially the ones that excel at run blocking - has been an issue. Tennessee took advantage of that last season. While I have been frustrated by some aspects of the Bills roster building it is pretty much impossible to build a team that does not have match up in some instances. Especially when things like weather and injuries come into play.

The story is that she was the unlucky actor who got hosed by the networks. They colluded and decided that the best way to keep actor salaries down was to play hardball with the next one to ask for a new deal and make an example of them rather than negotiate in good faith. That is why she was replaced on Three's Company. My father used to live in Blackhawk, CA. One day his next door neighbor asks him over to meet his niece. My dad goes over and Suzanne Somers is sitting there. He said she was very nice and personable. She also said that she made way more money doing advertisements for the Thighmaster than she ever did acting.

Yup. The further down the line a player is on the list of receiving options, the less complete he can be. I use the term 'receiving option" because it should include TEs and RBs (though a RB would never be option 1 and very rarely be option 2). Kelsey is probably the only TE who is a #1 option now. Davis qualifies as a third option due to his limitations. That's not to say that it isn't difficult to be a third option in the NFL or that he doesn't have value, but if your team has SB aspirations then they need better at option 2.

Not really. DE is one of the few places we aren't hurting. Obviously he is on a very cheap contract and is unlikely to cost much in trade so I wouldn't hate it or anything. It is just not really a need though.

Totally agree. There is so much talk of the Bills changing to a high level of 21 personnel usage - and it all so wrong. The Bills did just what you state - made Kincaid our slot WR. It is no different than us running 11 except Kincaid is a TE in name. And it is in name only since he is a terrible blocker. I'm not sure where the issue lies, but I hope it gets worked out soon. We need production from his spot. I know people will point to the Bills offensive rankings and say that there isn't a problem. But those stats lack important context. We have a top QB in this league so we should have a top offense. If you think that an offense with Derek Carr or Jimmy G should ever be on par with one led by Josh Allen, then you need some remedial football lessons. Where we rank among the top offenses in the league and how our offense performs against top competition should be the yardstick. To do otherwise is nothing more than complacency with what we've been the last few seasons.

I just posted that I didn’t think it was worth shaking things up, but I am immediately reconsidering that stance. Jeudy is not in a contract year, but Davis is. Jeudy’s 5th year option was picked up so he’s under contract thru 2024. But whomever trades for him would be on the hook for it at $13M. Other than having worked with Josh Allen for three and a half years, Jeudy is superior to Gabe Davis in pretty much every way. The other concern is his attitude, but that might be situation dependent (and who could blame him). Also it’s not like we didn’t acquire Diggs that way. Jeudy is faster than Davis. He runs crisper routes and is much more agile. Note on that last one - Jeudy has average agility, but Davis is absolutely awful in that respect. His 20 cone time is literally in the bottom 1% of WRs ever tested - and it shows on the field when he tries to uncover quickly. He’s been atrocious at that. Jeudy can also play from the slot or on the outside. Davis is only suited to the outside. As I mentioned, bringing in Jeudy means Davis has to go immediately. Denver would be dumping a disgruntled player that’ll owe 13 million to next year so I doubt the trade compensation would be much. Say it’s Davis and our 3rd (or comp 3rd) for their 4th (or Phins 4th). We’d be adding talent by bringing in a player that could be here long term at the expense of a limited player that won’t be here next season. This offense needs more skill added so I take the chance as long as my assumptions about compensation are close.

And then they chose the even more arrogant but far, far less competent Wrex? FML

I had the same thought about Gabe Davis. Bringing in a player like Jeudy would be awkward to the point that Davis would have to be shipped off as part of the trade or in a separate one. Jeudy is on the last year of his rookie contract and his $13M, 5th year option in 2024 has been picked up. Any trade would mean that Denver is just shipping off a disgruntled player before having to pay him that. So they wouldn’t be looking for much in trade. Even so I don’t see the point unless we have an injury at the position. I’d pass unless the coaches think that shaking things up by swapping out Davis for Jeudy is worth the risk. Edit: Upon reflection I think shaking things up is necessary and that the talent difference between Jeudy and Davis makes it worth the risk.

No. Allen was not the reason the Bills lost to the Jags. He played well and there was not much more. He could’ve done. The loss was not on the defense either. Allen needs more help on the field and in the OC’s booth. Diggs showed up. Davis and Harty did their jobs too. Beyond that, Dorsey and the offense sucked out loud.

Next time I’d appreciate a heads up on that sort of thing prior to my fantasy drafts. 😁

I agree with all of that. My point was precisely the same as yours. It’s worth noting that no one seemed to have a good read on the Iggles RB situation coming into the season. Swift has emerged, but he was not considered ahead of the other 3 RBs during the preseason. Interesting thought on the draft.

McCaffery, yes. He is special. But neither Swift nor Montgomery is a particularly special talent. Both are having very good seasons and work well within their respective offenses, but are not special talents.

Fans often get overly excited watching pedestrian players have great games where they have favorable matchups against poor competition. This has been the case with Epenesa. He will have to do something against some good OTs for me to believe that he’s anything more than a depth DE in the NFL.