GunnerBill

Yes, in his flexibility and versatility. How many full backs can legitimately play inline as a blocking tight end? How many could even allow you to flex them into the slot and / or split wide? He also plays on every single special team and does so very effectively. I don't argue that he is elite at any one thing but there are not many full backs who offer that genuine versatility and flexibility that Gilliam does. You are really talking Ricard and Juszczyk in terms of multiple usage in the offense (they are both much better pure fullbacks than Gilliam, no question) and neither of those play special teams. EDIT: this is why I say haters of full backs, blocking tight ends and STers should love Gilliam. Because if they cut him they need three players to replace him.

He 100% does not define expendable. He does 3 jobs for them. I am not guaranteeing he makes it at his current deal because he is at $666k dead money and not subject to waivers so a potential candidate for the old "cut and wait in the car park while we make other roster moves and then bring you back" tactic that Beane has used multiple times. But he will 100% make this roster. He is good. You are wrong. Oh and he played 50 snaps at TE in 2022. 81 as a fullback. 37 in the slot. 19 split wide. They have actually used him HEAVILY in the last two regular season victories over the Chiefs because they really struggle to work out what personnel to come out in when Gilliam moves all over the place. Most fans totally undervalue what he offers.

You are completely wrong. But fans don't like fullbacks, blocking tight ends or special teamers. It's a tale as old as time. What they don't realise is they should love Gilliam because he turns 3 guys they wouldn't want on the roster into 1.

Gilliam will make it. I am 100% confident. The other comment is in respect of Isabella.

Nobody is arguing you give him the ball but you need a full back in those big personnel situations.

Gilliam is a full back but not in a conventional sense and the Bills use him a lot to get teams into big personnel. Add that to the fact you need a full back for when you want to run power in short yardage and goalline. And the fact Gilliam is an excellent STer and can play as a blocking tight end. He 100% will and should be on this roster

I gave him like 0.1% chance when he arrived. I dunno I am leaning now towards he could make it. He is going to be the last cut at receiver I reckon but it could easily flip the other side of the line.

Again you hope that is the case. That isn't how I interpret it at all. I sense genuine concern in him.

I am also someone who has always been a bit underwhelmed by Reich as a Head Coach. When I looked at his Colts teams where they had talent they were good, where they didn't they were bad and that was pretty much that. Not sure he ever really got any more than the minimum of what was there.

That was the knock on his college tape too. Doesn't find the football. When he is on he is an excellent football player. Don't think he was ever a pure #1 talent type and the questions about his heart being in it are legit but when he is on he is on.

Then you should have been paying better attention at the last two. And Josh LOVES Knox.

I mean that one is kinda true.... Less than a 3rd of his career snaps lined up as a tight end.

I am not sure they do. I think they thought they did. I don't think they are sure at this point.

Evans has never played in a 4-3. Davis is a Giant and Bostic sucks. He is also mainly a 3-4 guy and wouldn't be an upgrade on Klein. I think that is what you HOPE. It is what I hope too. It isn't what I think though. I think after 7 years you can tell from what he says, the tone he says it, and the body language when McDermott is genuinely concerned. I think they are VERY concerned right now.

I am sure you can but I don't really understand VPNs, how to do it, what is trustworthy and what isn't...

Oh FFS is that true? I am abroad a fair amount for work and not being able to watch the games while I am really sucks. This service is shite. Agree completely. The product is absolutely awful. It is a major reduction in functionality if you can't download games and you can't watch abroad. Why have they done this?

Yea I haven't called him a bust. Although I don't have a lot of faith in him.

I am sorry I totally disagree. I think they tried 3rd round pick a year out, a vet that took less to stay close to home in FA and then likely had a plan for this draft that didn't transpire. This is not plan A. This is make the best of what they have.

They drafted Bernard. He isn't very good. He was their draft and develop plan. They whiffed. On David and Wagner they missed out on both. It is rumoured they offered David more than he got to stay in Tampa. I am not at all convinced this was some plan. I don't think the evidence supports that. I think it supports they tried to have a replacement in the system and failed. They tried the FA route and failed. The draft didn't fall their way. And then they said we are going to go with what we have and hope we can coach it up. But I think we are on plan D not plan A. They supposedly offered David more than he signed for. It was family reasons he took Tampa's offer. I actually think Poyer is the guy who benefitted from them not landing a linebacker.

It COULD be that Sean McDermott who has previously had 1st round picks manning MLB in his schemes has suddenly decided the position is less important. Steve Tasker's "middle linebackers matter less if nobody runs much" theory. Sure. But it doesn't HAVE to be that. We know they made an offer to Lavonte David and were rumoured to have interest in Bobby Wagner earlier in the spring. Maybe when they looked at what was out there it was their conclusion that beyond those two players there wasn't anything on the FA market that they felt would make a significant difference or that represented value. Equally in the draft maybe Jack Campbell was their guy and he didn't even get to their 1st round pick let alone their 2nd rounder. And they don't have to be right either. Whichever of those options it was. There is space for the Bills just getting it wrong.

Hudson has been starting at RT for Conklin.

I think it was on him. Shouldn't have thrown it and threw a 5 yard pass 3 yards off target. 75% QB, 25% receiver.

I think the Bills are ranked about right. Although Knox is a bigger weapon than Shakir as is Harty. So not sure totally on their method... but somewhere around halfway feels right. A top 5 #1 A lower end #2 A borderline top 10 TE and a rookie Big Slot / TE Sherfield who is a versatile, reliable backup. Cook who needs to show more as a pass catcher. Not bad. But nowhere near elite.

No but they can take a small injury that is easily recoverable in that year and IR him for the year if the player is agreeable (and they often are). The Stevenson one was that. He could have played that year. As you admit he did play prior to the surgery. That was a stash job.

I think you are under estimating how worried they will be at this point. I don't think McDermott was trying to light a fire. I think he knows what they have seen so far hasn't been good enough. When McDermott is that candid on a situation it is usually a very clear signal. I still agree with you that they are very unlikely to bring someone else in at this stage. Their solutions are going to have to be internal. But I think the things they had pretty much ruled out 3 or 4 weeks ago are likely going to be back on the table much quicker than they imagined ie. AJ as their starter (he didn't take a single first team snap in the first 10 days of camp) and / or some sort of scheme adjustment to allow Milano to play as the nominal MIKE and let Williams start alongside. I don't think this regime is prone to panic. But I think on the MLB they are probably pretty close to it at this stage. I think they expected to be further ahead than they are at this point of the pre-season.