GunnerBill

He is not an idiot. He was a coach trying to deal with cluster injuries to the exact part of the defense that KC were built to exploit.

And better GMs (our GMing was arguably even worse than our coaching in the drought). Although over 15 years it is really hard not to have 2 or 3 down years roster wise. If a franchise QB has a 3 contract career that is about 15 years you likely have 3 teams around them in that period. So some of it avoidable, some not.

Certainly better than last year. I think last year was Josh's worst since he broke out. And I am not talking about the offense. I am talking about Josh. He was less consistent with his fundamentals and his decision making was more erratic. Not that he was terrible compared to his peers. He still played like a top half dozen QB. I don't think he was top 2 or 3 in 2023 though. I am not saying he will have a career year but I don't discount it. If the weapons around him step up I could see a big bounce back.

Yep. It might not be popular with some but we don't just have a better QB than all of those years we have a better Head Coach too. Josh is a bigger and more important upgrade than Sean is. But they are both definitively better than what went before.

If I imagine Josh (as he is now, so not factoring in a development arc as if he was a rookie in 02) as the Quarterback of each of the teams going back to the start of my fandom in 2002 then I think they break to drought in 2003 with Williams as Head Coach. The D was very good that year. Any sort of offense they are a playoff team. Likewise they'd have made it in 04 (should have anyway) and would have been a potential Superbowl contender. The 05 and 06 teams were not as strong. They lost Pat Williams and London Fletcher and Spikes had the injuries and barely played over those two seasons. I think they'd have been playoff competitive but would have been touch and go to get in. The 2007 team was terrible. How they won 7 games has long since been a mystery to me. I think that was the 3rd worst team of my fandom after 2010 and 2018. I know you look at it and go "they went 7-9, Josh would have got 2 more wins" but that roster sucked I think if they played that schedule 10 times they don't get to 7 wins more than once. 2008 and 09 they probably make it. 2010, no. 2011, possibly. 2012 yes. 2013, no. 2014, yes. 2015 I think they'd have been a Superbowl contender with Josh and any drought coach EXCEPT Rex. 2016 playoffs. My breakdown of the 15 years of the drought that I watched would be: 2 genuine Superbowl contending years (04, 15) 6 likely playoff years (03, 08, 09, 12, 14, 16) 3 playoff contention 50/50 in/out years (05, 06, 11) 4 playoff misses (02, 07, 10, 13)

McDermott did not think that. The guys who he thought could were not healthy. There is an argument they should have used Siran Neal more, earlier in the game, but their options were severely limited. That sucks but it is yet more proof positive that you need luck to win a Championship.

A pass rusher at that age coming off a 2nd ACL tear is not the same as a 28 year old receiver or corner for example coming off an ACL.

Whereas I expect him to have a garbage time touchdown in week 15 after spending all year on a PS and there to be a seriee of "mistake by Beane" threads.

I defend his right to say it too. But I can do that and still object totally to what he said.

Nor am I trying to convince you. What I am saying is the biblical justification for his statement is at best arguable.

Yea I don't buy that. Sorry. Unfortunately we live in an era of extremism and gay people are still being persecuted and indeed killed in many parts of our world by people with similar beliefs. I don't accept that sin exists. Or that it is deadly. Or that there is any biblical justification for him saying pride represents a deadly sin. Or that he needed to refer to it in that manner. He's an idiot. I don't think he should be thrown out of the league or anything. But I don't think there is a defence of his comments.

How do you know he was just talking about transgenderism? Pride represents all LGBT people and he said it was a deadly sin. People wanting to defend him immediately jump to transgender because that is where there are more difficult societal issues to grapple with in relation to a conflict of rights. It is harder to defend if you accept he was on about all groups represented through Pride.

Yea agree would be interesting. Boogie I think was just a flat out misevaluation. My theory is they needed edge badly that year and were talking themselves into guys to take at the end of round 1. They expected Groot to be gone and they were convincing themselves "there are still guys after Groot, Phillips and Paye (conensus top 3 that year) who can play." So they had grades on the 2nd tier edge guys that were artificially inflated because of their need. So when Boogie got to the end of round 2 he looked like he was sticking out, when in reality he shouldn't have been. Elam I think they thought they could take the clay and mould him to their scheme. Ultimately that has failed.

I'd be shocked if the Bills signed him though. Notoriously low effort and doesn't play the run at all. I'd rather get Solomon on the field as a designated rusher on pass downs than go that route.

That prospect doesn't fill me with joy, no. But Ngakoue sucks.

Yep. Totally fair. Beane's strength is strategy and building a good staff and I think those are probably stronger foundational skills for the long term as a GM than being a great scout.

Oh it is more than baffling to me it is totally illogical. But honestly my point isn't to denegrate anyone's faith. I respect totally anyone's belief. My fundamental point is there is no Biblical support for Butker's assertion that homosexuality is a "deadly" sin. And to be honest it is the word deadly I have a particular issue with. Because in a world where people are still being murdered for being gay in many countries (and before anyone says "ah yes but just Muslim countries" think again) I think the use of the word deadly in the waffle he was spouting has pretty dark undertones. If he'd just said sin I'd still think he was wrong, but it would be less triggering.

I am not saying any Christian rejects the bible. But there are Christian denominations who accept that some of the books of the bible are social doctorine of their time not ultimate articles of faith. It doesn't mean that they reject those elements. It just means they interpret them through that lens.

I don't believe in God. I am a total athiest. I make no apologies for that. It is the only logical answer IMO. We are here by utter chance. But, I am also a theologian. As I say I was debating Catholic Priests aged 15. I know more about the Bible than I'd say 75% of Christians. You have to understand something and the various interpretations of it to get to the conclusion I have got to.

Again, a view.... not a universally accepted one.

He builds great staffs. There is zero doubt. Some of that is the Pegulas money too, but Gaine, Shoen, Morgan have already been taken to be GMs off Beane's staff. TG is a definite candidate for jobs too. Beane is not himself an elite talent evaluator, but he knows how to spot and hire one. He is a great builder of a FO staff.

Yes. I agree. I don't dispute that is the central tenant. My point is that not all denominations believe that all the books of the Bible represent that. And to be honest the argument that they do is pretty weak. We know the Pauline epistles are essentially social declarations of the time. Historically, that is pretty hard to argue with.

That is your view. It isn't everyone's view. It is imposing.

I don't. I did reach out to him pre-Combine when I did my survey of people to try and find ranking beyond the top 3 receivers. But he didn't come back. And I have always taken the approach if someone doesn't answer they don't wanna say. In fairness to AJ he always tends to be more open after the event on thinking and reasons why rather than in advance. So I will try.

So we lost a few guys. Most notably AJ Highsmith who was a Senior National Scout and has gone to the Titans as the Director of Scouting. I don't mind saying now he has moved on that AJ was one of my sources within the organisation. Someone I have had a DM level relationship with for a while (pre-dating him being with the Bills). Absolutely top guy and a fantastic talent evaluator. Loss for the Bills but this guy is going to to top. I wish him the very best with Tennessee. He had 3 or 4 teams interested in him. I might be biased but if we move on from McBeane before this guy is a GM he would be my absolute #1 candidate.