GunnerBill

This is so stupid.

Agree an improved oline helps. I say iy constantly but if you are getting whipped up front not many plays in your playbook work.

Except the one part of the field we use him like a top 10 tight end he performs like a top 5 one. I get why people feel that they can't rank him higher because of numbers but the number that matters most - scoring - he does at a rate only bettered by the top 2 or 3 in the league. If the Bills commit to using him Dawson Knox is capable of a 1,000 yard season IMO. More so to me than Gabe Davis.

Q1 - no but that is because they feel confident the Bills won't keep feeding him. Q2 - they do in the redzone. A lot of teams ended up using a corner on him down there. And it is because that is the range where they think they need to have a plan for him. Q3 - yes. He is open a lot. Some of them Josh throws a higher degree of difficulty throw and makes it. So it is hard to say he just has to concentrate on feeding Knox, but between he and Dorsey they have to get the balance better.

A bit of both. I think it is mostly OC. But Josh has to be willing to use the intermediate stuff to Knox more. He spent too much of last year forcing the deep ball.

Defenses haven't stopped him much the last two years. The Bills have to use him more. It isn't the redzone where they have already used him plenty and his numbers there are excellent. But they have to find a way to use him before that. Not saying he is Kelce or Gronk... they are the two best ever... but he can be one of the best Tight Ends in football. And he is definitely the second best weapon on this roster.

In fairness one of Josh's great strengths and probably the reason he is who he is - he judges HIMSELF against perfect. Nobody needs to tell Josh when he has screwed up. If anything at times I think he is too hard on himself. Certainly earlier in his career he would beat himself up after mistakes to the extent he would press too much. It still happens occasionally but he has got much better at moving on to the next play. But Josh expects perfection from himself and he isn't satisfied when he doesn't attain it.

Knox For 2022: Backfield 52 Inline 461 Slot 323 Wide 106 Comparison to the top guys: Kelce for 2022: Backfield 7 Inline 400 Slot 388 Wide 272 Andrews for 2022: Backfield 11 Inline 209 Slot 437 Wide 181 Kittle for 2022: Backfield 14 Inline 709 Slot 226 Wide 73

While I understand the point, I think you can see some of that from redzone usage. Because over the last two years he is 6th in tight ends in the redzone im terms of targets, 5th in receptions and 3rd in touchdowns behind Kelce and Andrews. So where the Bills use him he performs like one of the top tight ends in football. They need to find a way to use him between the 20s. Knox's redzone numbers over the last two years for those interested - 28 targets, 17 receptions, 10 touchdowns.

Dawson is better than Engram and Freirmuth and it isn't even close. The difference? Their OCs and QBs throw those guys the ball. The Bills with Knox are like the guy with the midlife crisis who bought a clapped out classic Jaguar, spent 2 years restoring it (because Knox was a huge project coming out but with freakish talent and the Bills actuakly did the development bit well) he now has a shiny pristine classic and then only drives it once a year at a classic car show. GET KNOX THE EFFING BALL!!

Top 5 in the entire league in average separation rate in 2022. Over 70% catch rate over the last two years. 3rd in that same period in touchdowns at the position only to the best two Tight Ends in football. Yes the Bills under use him. No it is not because he has to block too much. It is on Josh and Ken Dorsey. It is my number 1 criteria for judging Dorsey in 2023. If they can't get Dawson Knox the ball more we need a new OC. The good news is it did seem to click a bit down the stetch.

I think Campbell 8-10 or so picks into the 2nd isn't a reach. Especially in this class. It does nothing to help Josh, granted. But I have such low expectations of this class if the Bills find 3 guys who don't absolutely suck in their 6 picks they will have crushed the draft. I am the ultimate "Beane drafts too many serviceable guys and not enough difference makers" but in this draft serviceable is a massive win.

Yea I have a 3rd on Duncan. I'd be okay with him there. I think he is a guy who can probably play tackle but his length is always going to be a knock on him to me. I have seen people question his anchor but it isn't the base that causes the problem to my eye. It is the lack of length that means defenders often get the first punch in when he is back pedalling in pass pro. I might prefer him long term at guard.

Agree. I could kinda see it last year as a "maybe Buffalo will rekindle some of the magic." It did. He played lights out week 1 at the Rams. And that was that. He was a total non-factor thereon in. And it isn't just the Phillips factor for me. It is that yet again they feel like they HAVE to have 4 investments at DT. It is the one position that they have just kept pouring money into. Justin Zimmer apart they have almost not evem tried to find someone who can give them reasonable DT4 production at bottom of the roster money. Almost everywhere else on the roster at one point or another we have needed a day 3 drsft pick or a UDFA to play and hold down a spot at least for a stretch. But DT they just keep throwing $$s at.

1990s. Different game.

Burrow is a better processor. He is the best of the three of them at reading a defense in a split second. And even then I think him getting there with the line he had in 2021 was a bit of an anomaly tbh. I don't think a running back is more important than protection. Certainly not for this team and not for this QB.

If Josh was playing when Jim was playing the answer would be get him a star running back. Now? Not so much. Personally I think it starts up front. Get Josh better protection. He will make receivers better. We have already seen it so far in his career. That isn't to say I don't want an upgrade, I do, and I said it before last season too. But the protection is the bit where I just think give him an extra half second a play and you'd notice a huge difference in the rhythm of the offense.

He keeps the play sheet rolled in his back pocket and then between plays he reaches for it, looks at it while the play is called and then he either rolls it up in his hand or it goes back in the back pocket.

I heard from multiple people close enough to know that Joe Schoen was the senior talent evaluator. Beane was the strategist and team builder but on pure "who are the best guys?" or "how good is this guy?" he would defer to Schoen above his own judgment. I think that was an underrated loss myself. I know that only affects the last draft and while I am sure that Beane has huge respect and admiration for Brian Gaine and Terrance Gray I don't know if I believe he has the same total faith in them he had in Schoen.

Equally he has spent three day 2 picks on running backs.... coming from a place where they had a history of spending high draft capital on running backs (I know it was more common in the 00s) and then paying them too.

I will give Tampa to re-set this year would have been hard cap wise. I think they are more in "ride it out for a year" mode. But then you are right that bringing David back on a 1 year deal doesn't necessarily play into that theory.

When we are on defense McDermott normally DOES have the play sheet in his hand. I don't think you have anything other than a gut feeling the Bills are lying. I'm not "assuming" they tell the truth. I am just saying the balance of evidence supports the theory that they are telling the truth.

Yea I kinda see the Saints thinking though... they have a talented roster in a weak division so they are in "why tear it down when we can win the division and make the playoffs a few times here" mode. I know some people think every team should either believe "we are in a Superbowl window" or be trying to lose but that just isn't reality. I see their plan and tbh in that division I understand it. The Panthers have at least hired a coach who has had some success in the NFL and then got themselves to #1 to have their pick of the litter at QB. Tampa I presume know that they will not be good this year and then are hard re-setting this time next year (I think they might completely clean house next January). The Falcons there seems to be no plan. Like this is about to be year 3 of this regime and where are they? What do they have? Kyle Pitts if he can get back healthy..... a half decent oline and err... a couple of good not great corners.

I have seen them cut to sidelines where Sean is holding the call sheet talking into the headset and Leslie was also holding a sheet and speaking into the headset. I don't know how you think it happens on the sidelines but the coaches are consistently talking to one another. It isn't one guy has the headset and the other guys all shut up. Take a scenario it's 3rd and 8... as soon as 2nd down is over and the spotter in the box has said "we have 3rd and 8 guys" McDermott is almost certainly saying "what do you like here Leslie?" or "Make sure we are doubling X receiver Leslie" or even "I like XXX playcall." None of that makes him the play caller. Do I believe there are times in games on 3rd down and in goalline in particular where McDermott basically told Frazier what he wants the call to be? Absolutely. That doesn't mean he has taken over playcalling. Every single Head Coach in the league overrules their coordinators on calls multiple times per season (especially on their side of the ball). I am sure that happened frequently. That is different than "McDermott taking over playcalling." Which he did once. My evidence for that is that the Bills have said that, they have been asked about it multiple times by reporters, players that have left have even been asked about it - Levi Wallace was asked last year on a podcast and said (this is not verbatim) that Leslie called the defense while he was there (he was still on the PS for the Chargers game) but that McDermott was "always involved" or words to that effect. On the other hand your evidence is seeing McDermott with a call sheet talking into a headset, which does not mean what you think it means. Yea that famous screenshot play they were willing to give up to the first down to protect the touchdown.

There is no more rudderless franchise in the NFL right now than Atlanta. I have genuinely no idea what they are doing or what the plan is.