GunnerBill

No, you were proven that based on production numbers he likely would not have got that money on the open market this offseason. I agree with that. But the "limited production" was not on Knox. It was on Dorsey and Josh. Knox is a top 10 tight end. He is paid 7th.... and Hock, Fant, Pitts and Engram are all either still on rookie deals or are currently tagged. When those deals work through he will be about 10th. I think that is right. And he can be higher. I repeat what I have said.... in the area of the field where the Bills use Knox like a top 10 tight end - the redzone - his production is top 5 in every metric. The only issue with the Dawson Knox deal is they paid him that money and then didn't throw him the ball. We know from pressers and from the game scripts it was a frustration for McDermott and Beane. Pressure is on for Dorsey. Especially now he has two big bodies to feed in the middle of the field.

I mean, my post clearly left room for him struggling to perform against men and not being the starter. I am just confident it won't happen.

Not seen the film.

I hate to agree but I do. The new Wembley is shite anyway. I know the old Wembley was crumbling, had no facilities and the stands were miles from the pitch but it had soul. The new Wembley is just a glass monstrosity in a ***** part of north west London with no transport links. At the time I was dead against the national stadium in the midlands idea but on reflection I think that would have been the right call. The Spurs stadium is every inch a modern sporting stadium. Shame about the team.

I didn't mind him as a 2nd round pick. I still think the fit is odd for the Bills offense but as I said in my day 2 debrief at the draft I have no idea what the Bills want their identity to be on the offensive line, it makes no sense to me they flip flop so often. I would have hated it as a first round pick. You don't take a guard in round 1 unless you think he has perennial all pro like potential. That isn't Torrence for me. He is a two contract above average starter, but he isn't a potential star.

Ray was always an overdraft. Predictable bust. Wilson was a guy a LOT of Bills fans wanted us to take a late flyer on when he came out. Interesting tryout players. Barkley won't make the roster unless Kyle Allen sucks in camp.

I don't really mind. So long as we get a good variation of tough, medium, easy seasons and we don't have a run where every year we seem to hit the hot division it doesn't matter to me. I don't think it makes a difference come the playoffs.

And you are wrong.

The line was 'decent' in 2020 except the two games against the Chiefs where Spags outcoached Dabes. But that is the only time Josh has had anything approaching good protection. A bad line isn't enough explanation of the change in how defenses play us. The only semi counter to your point is that actually the entire league is moving that way. Blitz less, be multiple in your coverage looks, rush 4 and confuse the QB long enough that the 4 get home. Some of it is teams working out that is the plan v Allen some of it is likely jusr teams doing that more as part of their base defense.

The book on the Bills is out. No question. It is on Dorsey and to an extent Josh to find an answer. Yep all of these are true but it has ALWAYS been the case since he came into the league that Josh burns you if you play a lot of man on the back end. Early in his career you could make up for that by getting there before he had a chance to recognise it. Now he recognises it quicker he burns the blitz. Where he has been less good is vs flood zones. And that is some on him, some on playcalling and some on talent around him.

None. But they were not the main reason we lost.

Ertz couldn't block a twitter account.

The defense gave up a horrible drive at the end. The offense had horrible drives all day. It wasn't 100% on Josh but that is a game that is Josh even plays average in we win going away.

Yea the Jets game was on Josh more than any other game in the past 2 years. He was crap that day.

But in a sense Thurman, that's @BADOLBILZ's point. It is a choice. It wasn't that the Bills couldn't afford Edmunds. It was that they didn't think he was worth the money given the model they are trying to run. But they don't have to run that model, that is a choice. It feels a bit like the 2017 tear down conversation. The Bills didn't have to tear the roster down in 2017. They were not in salary cap hell or whatever it was they spun it as at that time, most of the dead money was caused by moves Beane himself made. It was a choice. It was a right choice in my mind, even at the time, and the results bear that out. But there were other options available.

At this stage Zach Ertz would cause more movement on my top 5 hot Bills list than he would cause movement on the depth chart.

I disagree. I think sneak was 100% the right call. The Minnesota line didn't stop them. Mitch and Josh just contrived to drop the ***** ball. 100% on execution.

Really? He was much discussed on these boards in the run up to the draft, especially in Jan and Feb when we were first talking linebackers. Now if you had made that point last year about Bernard it would have been true. I'd never heard of him and I spend about 200 hours a year watching draft prospects. I think Williams can play and will play early in his career. Whether he can play the MIKE in the NFL is a different question. The reason he was a 3rd round pick rather than going earlier, is in my view, because most teams see him as a WILL and you don't spend 1st and 2d round picks on WILL linebackers. So positional value comes into play.

I think their D is good, but it is being slightly overhyped. The secondary is good, not just Sauce but DJ Reed and adding Chuck Clark at safety. But CJ Mosely is still their best linebacker and is definitely on the downslope and Quinten Jefferson (remember him?) is pencilled in to start next to Q at defensive tackle. I personally think Bryce Huff is their best edge player but they use him sparingly because they prefer their bigger names... but Lawson has never been a well rounder player and Franklin Myers is a JAG. Let's see what Jermain Johnson as a 2nd year player and rookie Will McDonald add.

The schedule sets up about as well as it could with the Bills getting a nice early slate. Yes, it is a tough stretch run but if they have built a rhythm and momentum by that stage they should be well placed. Tough prime time slate for my work arrangements. At least the Chargers one is a Saturday night. I might try and save a day's leave on the Broncos game too. I can "work from home" that Friday and tell my PA to clear the diary before 11am 😄.

Yea I am definitely not saying big guys can't play. But big guys who struggled to make an impact in college rarely then make a big impact in the NFL. I think it is because in comparison there are reasons why a smaller guy might be overlooked. But if a big guy isn't performing in college it is normally not for lack of opportunity so generally indicates an issue somewhere and those issues are rarely overcome in the NFL. The good thing with Shorter is even if he can't develop as a receiver he can be a good special teamer while on a cheap rookie deal.

Fair!

Stevie isn't really the type I am talking about though, he isn't a prototypical, vertical, downfield receiver. He was a crafty, unique, route runner. And he had college production. Okay only one season but his final year at Kentucky he had over 1,000 yards and 13 TDs. I don't know as much about the college production of the others without looking it up. But I suspect TO and Brandon Marshall didn't have a best season of 550 and 3 toudowns. Of course they out performed their college career in the NFL. It is those bigger, downfield guys that didn't really produce beyond a very modest level in college. I am thinking guys like the kid the Cowboys took two years ago out of Stanford in the 5th or 6th and Jacob Harris out of UCF who the Rams took in the 4th and have already cut. Collin Johnson out of Texas... I feel like in the last 10 years since I have been really focused on the draft there have been a ton of them. Bigger guys whose best years in college are 5 or 600 yards and teams gamble on the upside and they don't produce... I am sure there are examples where it has worked out but I am struggling to think of them.

Knox disappearing was on Josh and moreso Dorsey. It is the one big question with Kincaid. This has been an offense that has ignored tight ends. And while Kincaid is more of a slot he is a bigger guy in the middle of the field - the type that the Bills have struggled to use. This is a huge year for Ken Dorsey IMO. If it goes well he is a Head Coach next year. If it doesn't he might be out of a job.

The Chargers are an actual option. Mike Williams is $33m on the cap next year, $12m dead if they get out. They aint paying him $33m. Likely Keenan Allen's last year too. Gabe is a level below Williams but they are similar players and the difference isn't huge. Tom Telesco loves bigger receivers.