GunnerBill

This has been his worst year in a while. Sure. If you are taking this year in isolation you can made the argument. But in terms of what he is paid against the player he has been in his career? He is underpaid IMO. He is better than the 18th best DT in football. I accept until the final month of the season we didn't see it consistently enough in 2024.

The piece Belichik did on inside the NFL on the Steelers vs the Ravens run game really brought home to me how much this comes down to execution. Pittsburgh had its big guys in there. But they lacked patience, their eye discipline was poor and they were doing way too much guessing. Remember when Chan Gailey said "plays are more fun that fundamentals, but fundamentals are more important than plays"? He was talking about offense but it applies to defense this week. This game does not come down to "are the Bills in nickel or base?" It will not come down to big people vs little people. It will come down to eye discipline, lane discipline, patience, angles and tackling fundamentals. The coaching that has happened in the classroom and on the training field all week will count for more than whatever Bobby Babich sends into Bernard's helmet each play.

Yep to a lot of this. And I haven't quoted all the lines I agree with for space but you are spot on about the Ravens targetting it. Todd Monken had an exceptional gameplan. He knew the 2nd level of the Bills D was hurting and he just called play after play after play that made those guys the critical point of failure. Whether it was the trap runs that neutralised the dline and forced a linebacker to make the critical tackle or the running backs in the passing game that isolated Lewis (when we were in nickel) or Morrow (when we tried to run base) in coverage. It was ruthless. I give him so much credit because at no point did he go "let me show how clever I am" and call for splash plays. He just stayed on our weakness the whole game and said I'm gonna go at them until they stop me. And they never did.

It is missing the two Seattle guys Williams and Jones. It may well be brigading them as defensive ends because of that system in 3 downman looks. But they are interior DLs not edge guys.

They will only formally interview Sanders if they decide they want to hire him and are confident he wants the job IMO. Essentially if he interviews, he is getting the job to me. I expect some more flirting in both directions, some briefing and counter briefing, a lot of media speculation and then the Cowboys to hire Kellen Moore.

He isn't 9th in 2024. He is 18th right now... in the 2024 season. He is underpaid whwn I look at what the guys above him are getting, many of whom are not as good. On Singletary, yea. Total JAG. Never had the skillset to be a starting running back and since leaving here was a backup in Houston to a guy that has since been relegated to a backup role himself and then was nominally the starter for 6 weeks in New York before being comprehensively outplayed by a 5th round rookie. Certainly not a bust, but definition of a JAG. The league has told us what they think of him.

Sanders is yet to be interviewed and, regardless, you need two interviews now to satisfy the Rooney Rule. They are expected to interview Frazier and Saleh to satisfy the rule by early next week. That then gives them the freedom to hire pretty much whoever they like on the spot after that.

Ed isn't overpaid. He has the 18th highest DT contract in football by AAV. I'd actually argue he is slightly underpaid despite having had one of the poorer seasons of his career this year.

I agree but its never going back.

It is a flaw in the methodology I have discussed before with @JGMcD2. I think it is a decent method for looking at drafting success but I think it over rewards finding contributors and under rewards finding superstars. The Bills miss in the draft way less than your average NFL team. Even with Elam in terms of true misses for 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks it is three guys: Ford, Boogie and Elam in six drafts between 2018 and 2023 (too early to call anything on 2024).

They could do worse than Moore. Probably could do better too, but I think he'd be at least a credible hire. It's different having a 65 year old coach to hiring one.

I have seen the "Witten is a former Cowboys tight end just like Dan Campbell. Witten was always smarter than Dan Campbell and Dan Campbell has done great in Detroit!" Sure. Campbell also spent 11 years paying his dues including a spell as interim HC in Miami and a number of years as Assistant Head Coach under Sean Payton. I think that's better prep than than Witten's "Jerry likes me" case for the job.

Probably a Rooney Rule interview, but Jerry does like a Head Coach he can dictate to and Leslie probably fits that mould. As for would he be a good bridge HC... 4 or 5 years ago, I'd have said possibly for a dysfunctional franchise that needed an adult in the room. There was certainly a time when I thought the Bears made some sense. But not now. He is 65. I think his time has passed.

Kincaid was 2023. 2022 was Elam.

Played his best game of the year on Sunday to my eye. I think he is done after the season but I'm hoping to goodness that he has been saving himself for the playoffs as his swansong.

Oh okay. Why's that?

Agree with most of this but also I just love the roster building element of the sport. I love that as much as I love the games. So yea, even when the Bills are a playoff team still with a chance of lifting a Lombardi I confess January hits and my brain starts to be in draft season mode. I'm watching tape of prospects most nights. I don't think being into what happens with next year's roster necessarily means you are pessimistic or not enjoying the ride of this season. I think it is possible to be thinking about both.

Hmmm. I think this might be good news. Sounds like Zay Flowers is going to struggle to go Sunday.

I was making a joke based on the slightly schizophrenic Bills fan reactions this week.

The Ravens are both "a bully" and "scared to come out in the cold."

Oh for sure the Bills dodged a bullet with him but he had 9 years in Pittsburgh, had 1,000 yards plus in 7 of them and the two he didn't were his rookie year and a year where he missed some time injured. He was the most elite end of elite for most of that period and only the very final year there did anything come out about him being problematic. Maybe there were always issues and they just never leaked, who knows (?) but a 6th round pick who puts up seven 1,000 yard seasons, four of them with double digit touchdowns too and is a four time first team all pro? He is one of the greatest draft picks in Pittsburgh Steelers history. Regardless of his career going totally off the rails once he left there.

They are the exact same voters. When Mack Hollins is your best receiver at getting open.....

There is no argument. He was. Without doubt.

Flo and McCown as a package deal is a decent idea for the Jets (and I don't mind it for the Bills because as good a coach as I think Flo is Josh used to eat his Miami defense alive). Ryan Grigson getting another GM job would be insanity of the highest order though.

The 2022 class is our best since 2018 (Josh and Taron) despite missing on our 1st rounder. That class has been critical in moving towards the Allen Bills 2.0