GunnerBill

I have explained it multiple times. He learned in Carolina under two GMs who taught him you draft defensive line early and often. I crunched the numbers again the other day. In his years as a senior exec with the Panthers they spent about 30% of day 1 and 2 picks on defensive line and about 50% on defensive front 7 and Beane's numbers are right around those spots too.

The list isn't a "Brandon Beane is a great GM" post. It is a last night was a good night for him. Think legit to ask questions about his inability to find true difference makers. I have been asking them for 3 years.

I do think this year, in contrast the last few, I am less concerned. I am not sure I see this as a true "window" year. It is a bit of a re-set point. The Bills have no more than an outside shot of a title. If Josh Allen goes down this year (let's all hope he doesn't) I am up for trying to get a top 10 draft pick and let Beane try and find a stud difference maker at receiver or pass rusher or tackle. This team needs more studs. It did (although think was earlier the same day rather than the day before).

Picking the bones out of last week wasn't fun, but I contributed my thoughts in @FireChans thread. There was more positive to go at this week so here goes..... Good Night for... Joe Andreessen - Last week the kid made it for fulfilling a lifelong ambition even if in the game his head appeared to be spinning slightly and it all happened a bit fast for him. But last night, with the Milano situation, Spector injured and Bernard held out, Andreessen got a shot as the starting middle linebacker alongside Dorian Williams and he was impressive. He was diagnosing plays, knifing into the backfield, sticky and fast in coverage and even had an open field tackle on Justin Fields. 12 total tackles, including 2 for loss. I think he might have made the roster last night. Because that performance will have made other teams sit up and notice and the Bills would be taking a risk trying to sneak him onto the practice squad. Greg Rousseau - I don't usually include proven, guaranteed starters in this thread because they don't really have much to gain or lose in pre-season action but Groot was so good last night that you can't leave him out. 2.5 sacks and 2 tackles for loss in the three defensive series he played. He was a one man wrecking ball and if he could have a breakout season this year similar to the one Ed Oliver had last year we'd all feel better about the Bills pass rush moving forwards. Ray Davis - I wanted to say "all the running backs" in this spot, but it is right to save the biggest bunch of flowers for the rookie Davis who averaged over 7 yards a tote on his 8 carries and ran hard for the Bills. I think he went into camp, at least theoretically, in a battle for the #2 job but Ty Johnson's injury opened the door and Davis has burst through it. It was a good night for all the backs. James Cook looked more decisive behind better run blocking and Darrynton Evans and Frank Gore Jnr who are the likely practice squad backs both had nice nights too. It's a spot where the Bills look to have some depth. Tylan Grable - I think Grable went into the pre-season games right on the roster bubble but for two weeks in a row I think he has been the most impressive of the Bills backup linemen and last night he switched from right tackle in week one to left tackle. Some of that was likely trying to get a look at Ryan Van Demark at right tackle where 12 months ago he look appreciably worse than on the left side but I don't think it is unreasonable to think another part of the calculation was getting a look at Grable on the blindside. He did not disappoint. He has to make the 53. This kid has not just starter but star potential down the road. Brandon Beane - After including two of his day three picks and one of his UDFAs in the list of good nights I think it is right to give Brandon Beane a bit of a bump based on what we have seen so far. While his days 1 and 2 of the 2024 NFL draft are not yet flashing in the way we might hope man the way he used that glut of day three picks looks pretty good so far. Javon Solomon has been excellent through two pre-season games too, Daequan Hardy showed some juice last night with the ball in his hand and has done some nice things as the second team nickel and Sedrick Van Pran-Granger had another steady outing (albeit mainly by the time the Steeler 3rd team was in). It is true to say the roster was always going to be easier for rookies to make this year given the mini-rebuild, but Davis, Grable, Solomon, Hardy and SVP are all on track to make it. Bad Night for... Mitch Trubisky - Ugh. In a disaster class of a night from both sets of Quarterbacks, the concerns about Trubisky show no sign of abating. The interception was terrible - Morris wasn't even open if he hadn't overthrown it - but even worse was the sacks he took holding the ball being slow processing the field. I will look again at the all22 because in his defence I didn't see much separation by receivers (more of which later) but Trubisky is making the offensive line look bad. He is indecisive and tentative and he HAS to get the ball out. I think the Bills will stick with him, but there will be concern in the organisation. In his last spell as the backup here Mitch moved the offense pretty easily in pre-season. He looks like he has come back from Pittsburgh a broken man. Kingsley Jonathan - I think Jonathan went into camp probably as a guy whose roster spot was not guaranteed but was penciled in. The Bills like him, they have taken time to develop him and he saw snippets of game action last year where he looked serviceable. However, despite decent camp reports his has been awful in the two pre-season games and with the Bills now having a young, developmental, edge guy that they drafted in Solomon looking so impressive I think Kingsley's name is at risk of being rubbed out. He could miss the cut. O'Cyrus Torrence - There is a certain irony that after all the gnashing of teeth about the left side of the offensive line following Mitch Morse's departure and McGovern's move to center it has been the right side of the starting group (which was much improved in 2023) that has been the source of concerns through two weeks. Last week I thought Spencer Brown in particular struggled but Torrence wasn't great. This week Torrence was just bad. I know he has always been a heavier guy but he looks big and sluggish to me. I wonder if he needs to shed a few pounds still to get in game shape before week 1. Him taking another step on an encouraging rookie year is important for this group I think. The receiver 'battle' - The Bills receiver situation continues to be of concern. There wasn't a ton of separation with the starters out there and then the guys battling for roster spots showed nothing. Marquez Valdes-Scantling leaving on a cart after being bent up on following his one catch might remove another name from this uninspiring competition by default but Tyrell Shavers has faded after a great first week of camp and didn't show much here either, Hamler had one nice bubble screen for a first down but was otherwise invisible... okay the third string Quarterback not knowing the playbook and therefore having to run it almost every down didn't help. But they need to keep turning over every stone. I'd not be surprised if they go back to the Corey Davis idea this week. The practice squad candidates - Other than running back, as mentioned above, and Andreessen who might now have necessitated a place on the roster finding guys who have flashed enough to say they are worth keeping for the practice squad has been particularly difficult through these first two games. I think Richard Gouraige as a versatile olineman will probably end up spending a second year there and Kendall Williamson had a couple of moments again and looks a viable candidate. But there is just not a ton of guys here who I am worried about sneaking through. Anyone good enough to have that thought about is probably making the 53. Flame away and add your own....

Oliver was excellent too. And Benford. And I think both backs have looked good. I don't disagree that there remain weaknesses. Still not sold they have NFL calibre starters at safety, who replaces Milano is now a legit question and their receiving group needs no further discussion. But there is encouragement available from this game.

We have a 3rd string QB who knows so few of the plays that we just have to call runs all 2nd half.

We do. Which is why our WR room remains a major concern.

I agree it is this year. Much more so than in past years. But it hasn't been all bad tonight there has been plenty of good. The bad, not seeing much separation from receivers and Torrence really struggled.

Some encouraging signs this week. Solomon and Grable again. Andreeson. Thought the starting Dline was excellent. Ingram and Benford too. Cook and Davis both showed a bit more than last week.

Its not Morris it is MVS. The refs called it wrong.

MVS down.

Same. I think RVD was clearly inferior at RT last summer. I loved the Grable pick.

Solomon in on that pressure. He and Grable have looked super impressive as day 3 picks through 2 weeks.

I didn't expect to like our tackle depth more than our interior depth... but here we are.

Much less than Russ. He can at least move.

Andreeson just tackled Fields in space. He is killing it tonight.

Grable is playing LT with Van Demark at RT. Interesting. Looked like Collins LG Anderson C Will Clapp RG

Throw that against a first team D it is going the other way.

The previous conversion? I thought that initially but I'm not sure it wae his responsibility. He was in his zone I think. Need to look again.

Another nice play Andreeson

Don't think he had secured the ball at the point of the toe drag.

Morris wasn't open. If he was trying to hit Morris it was a crap decision as well as a crap throw. Hollins underneath was coming open.... but that would be an even bigger overthrow if that is who he was targetting.

Russ using timeouts in pre-season because he can't understand the play. This has been a quarterbacking horror show.

I have no idea who he was throwing that to.

Fields is their best Quarterback. It won't take many weeks of the regular season for everyone to accept that.