GunnerBill

Meh. We just played some bad teams. I don't dispute how important Josh is to this team. Take him away and we have zero elite players. But I don't think we are top 5 pick team with someone like Tua. Now give us Will Levis.... we might be picking 1st overall.

I disagree that we lose the Colts game. I will give you 8 wins. It would have been in that range. 8 or 9. Tua is still a decent QB and he would actually fit quite well in the offense we ran in 2024. Obviously he isn't Josh Allen. Nobody is.

While I agree the 2024 roster was weaker... we also won 6 games against teams who scored 14 or fewer. I think we'd have won 9 or 10 games and it would have been plenty good enough against a weak division. Yea the difference is they nailed those picks. They played them because they were good. They were not good because they played.

See with that I disagree. Tua on this team the Bills still win the AFCE unless you are putting Josh on the Dolphins in return. They probably lose in the first round of the playoffs though.

McDermott has never been scared to play young guys. Hell he started Christian Benford (a 6th round rookie) week 1. When McDermott doesn't play young guys it is eithet because there is a stud infront of them or because they are not ready. And for those in the latter camp when they get on the field they always struggle. He doesn't play the ones who are not ready to play. The Bills told you in their end of season pressers they are disappointed with Keon (in a pretty direct way for them) and they hinted they were disappointed in Bishop too. This idea that you just play the guys and they magically become good. It is for the birds.

The Jags are doing a Buffalo. They have hired a guy who is not a scout has never worked on the road because they want him to put a strategy and a plan in place and build a department and because he is tight with Liam Coen who was in LA for a bit. It is exactly what the Bills did hiring Beane after McDemott. Sean McDermott started as personal assistant to Andy Reid. It is a foot in the door job. This guy has spent 5 years as a Director of Scouting Strategy. It isn't like he jumped straight from Personal Assistant to the GM to his own GM gig.

The difference isn't age. It's talent. They have picked better young guys than we have. McDuffie is better than Elam. Hicks is better than Bishop. You could play Elam and Bishop all you want this past year. They were just bad out there.

I think we all know it's not Josh. It is that against KC in the playoffs we have not been good enough on defense. Some of that is coaching and gameplan (the plan this year was particularly bad) and some of it is lacking playmakers. Then the last two years at the end on offense when you need a play and you gotta have it... Josh doesn't have that guy.

His numbers without Chase are very good though. He had 908 yards and 6 touchdowns as a rook without Chase (despite Burrow missing the final 6 games) and then the four games Chase missed (think it was 2022) he put up 371 yards in those games. I wouldn't do it as the Bills because I am not sure he is the exact fit for what we need, though he is a huge upgrade on what we have. But if I was New England and he hit the market? Or Washington? Or the Chargers? 100% I'd make that deal.

I do not. What happens is I say sometjing based on reality and then you warp the narrative in your head about what I mean. If you can find one "extreme position" I have taken I am here to listen. Shouldn't be too hard if I am doing it consistently. Do I think our lack of elite talent around Josh is the biggest reason we haven't got over the hump? Yes. I do think that. I don't think that is extreme and while not everyone agrees with me (and you definitely don't) a reasonable chunk of people here do.

Yea without hindsight he'd be WR4 for me too. Just ahead of Legette (who was my 4) and BTJ. EDIT: for further context, Egbuka my WR2 would have been WR7 last year. Golden my WR3 would have been WR9. Obviously that is finak grades against non-final grades and Egbuka and Golden could both move a point or two on testing. Some of the concerns I have on both are potentially answered or confirmed at the Combine.

My take was he definitely dominates lesser competition. I worry against good opposition he doesn't get any separation and then his hands are not as good as I'd want them to be for a guy who is going to have to make a lot of contested catches. As a #2 opposite a route running separator #1 I think he will have success. Like a Gabe Davis to a Stefon Diggs or an Alan Lazard to a Devante Adams. I think more talented than those two but that's how I saw him.

Yea that's my take. It stops you having to force it.

Yea me too.

Interesting. I think that is too high for Harris myself, but there you go. I do like Horton he is in my next group outside my top 10... haven't done White yet.

I agree 3 to 5 is where the meat of this receiver class is. Contributors and developmental guys rather than guys I think you are going to get coming in, starting and being big pieces of offenses as rookies.

14th in NFL, 8th in the AFC

And we won two offseasons running under sexy Rexy!

Yea, this is my point. Better, cheaper, slightly deeper.... but still needing a dominant difference maker. And I have Felton at 11 so also not miles apart. I feel like that is closer than we have been on some other receiver classes which might speak a little bit to the depth of quality in this class compared to others.

While you are right re. injuries if you visit an Packers boards or read any Packers media at the moment the consensus there is receiver by committee is nice, but to get over the hump they need a #1 capable of dictating coverage. Which I think is essentially the same as here.

I'll repeat here for reference for those interested the conversation gonzo and I were having in his mock thread with our respective pre-combine top 10s at wide receiver. WR Top 10s @gonzo1105 @GunnerBill 1 Tet McMillan, Arizona Tet McMillan, Arizona 2 Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State 3 Matthew Golden, Texas Matthew Golden, Texas 4 Luther Burden, Missouri Luther Burden, Missouri 5 Tre Harris, Ole Miss Isaiah Bond, Texas 6 Jayden Higgins, Iowa State Tre Harris, Ole Miss 7 Xavier Restrepo Miami Jayden Higgins, Iowa State 8 Tez Johnson, Oregon Tez Johnson, Oregon 9 Tai Felton Maryland Xavier Restrepo Miami 10 Isaiah Bond, Texas Jalin Royals, Utah State

The problem with Christian Kirk now is he is another guy that replicates what we have. When he was a FA the first time we had Diggs and Davis wide and were missing a slot weapon post Beas. Now we have an established slot in Shakir and we have a slot/move receiver in Curtis Samuel who we paid last spring who given he came on a bit down the stretch and had injuries it looks like they will stick with for 2025. Kirk isn't a strict slot but he is a move receiver a bit like Samuel who really you want in the slot and then you can flex out wide in certain looks / packages. If the Bills are investing at receiver this spring in FA or the draft it simply has to be a guy who can win outside. If it isn't I'm honestly not sure I see the point throwing more money at the position.

Not yet dug into the tight ends but I know I will be higher on Fannin. He is a fun watch and I think he will be a good pro.

Jalen McMillan? You are a year behind.... But on the basis you clearly mean Tet my top 4 are the same as your top 4 in the same order (though Egbuka/ Golden is very tight and flippable based on testing). I then have the same order of Harris and Higgins but at 6 and 7 with Bond up at 5. Tez at 8, Restrepo at 9 and Jalin Royals at 10. Allow me to throw one at you.... the thing that most scares me about the Luther Burden tape is I see Laviska Shenault. Discuss.

No I don't. You consistently accuse me of doing things I don't do. I am not a fire McDermott guy. That bit is true. It does not equal giving him a pass. There is a lot of difference between those two positions.