MR8

I don't disagree with anything you're saying. The one thing I would say is some guys who are undersized and by "measurables" have no place in making it in the NFL - A LA Kyle Williams, still do... Just devil's advocate, Shaq hasn't proven he can be more than what he's shown thus far... I hope he does, but I don't think he will. Which is why I was glad they didn't pick up his option. He's not good enough to warrant $10M per year. That's pass rusher money, and he's just a top end rotational depth player. I'd re-sign him to the right deal, but I think another team will give him more to see if he can be more in a different scheme.

I know this was to david mcbride, but I just wanna throw in... I referenced Shaq's ability to set the edge as a major asset, and I recognize Murphy's less than stellar talent at doing so. I don't think people are advocating for Shaq over murphy because he can set the edge, I think what people are saying is that if Shaq continues to impress and puts up the sacks to go along with his edge setting, he becomes a true starter for us and a must re-sign. As of right now Shaq looks good because he's doing what he needs to do setting the edge, and he showed some moves to get to the passer against #2s... Murphy is showing he doesn't set the edge well, and he too got to the passer. So just based on that comparable, it looks like Shaq is playing better. I disagree because, like I said ealier, you can't directly compare success against 1s and 2s, plus you never know what matchups and calls are actually being made in preseason. This is a great camp battle to have, hopefully it gets the best out of both guys... at the end of the day a pass rusher is WAAAY more valuable than an edge setter. You can get edge setter DEs mid to late in the draft and as rotational DEs in FA all over the place. Shaq is VERY good at it, but if he cant rush the passer he's hit his ceiling as a rotational DE with lower upside. Murphy has a nose for the QB, but lacks in run stuffing... but if he returns to 9-10+ sack form, he's still far more valuable on the field than Shaq because of the % of pass versus run in today's NFL. And you can get a cheaper rotational run stuffer DE for sure rushing situations for cheaper than Shaq ... This year will determine Shaq or Murphy long term.

People should be taking note on how this and future ILB deals will impact Edmunds... We have some time, but he comes up the same year as Allen if we pick up their 5th year options, and Ford as well (no 5th year so he'll be the same year as those two)... that's gonna be a MASSIVE year for paying people, and we need to pay Milano, Dawkins, and Tre white too. This is why it's VERY smart the Bills have not forked out massive amounts of cash in FA... Sure they;ve signed guys, but to short term deals they can get out of.

I don't know about you man, but when I'm out fishing all I am thinking about is how I'd rather be doing a B&E on my ex in the middle of the night.... No?

"Hey Guys, my best friend's uncle's cousin knows this guy who heard from this girl's mom's dog walker that Shady is on the Pegula's plane to Philly. So I guess it's pretty serious!" - OP

I didn't know he was still alive...

The Eagles drafted Miles Sanders who is killing it in TC and well in Preseason. And Jordan Howard was traded for from Chicago... why would they give up an additional 3rd for a 31 year old RB who'll cost them $5.45M against the cap this year?

Don't forget this time of year is 100% about 1 on 1 battles for the line, with no scheme. Also it's not fair to look at preseason game film and say "Player X with the 1s is being out played by Player Y with the 2s"... and even when they rotate with the 1s, it's not apples to apples. On a given play in preseason, since the defense is not running a set scheme, you don't know for sure what any player is being asked to do. Just as a for instance, on certain plays during the regular season they could line up and send Murphy after the QB, but in preseason they choose to instead have him drop back into coverage, or stunt inside to practice something with Oliver, etc... They could be asking him to pass rush more and flush out into edge protection less because they're running a "broken contain" play with the LBer and DBs to see how they react to the DE not setting the edge properly. Not that they are asking him to blow his coverage, but rather "Rush the passer regardless of the read" and see what happens, because the game doesn't mean anything. It's better to see some different looks and get different reps... This type of stuff is why controlled scrimmages are preferable for coaches than preseason games. It gives them the ability to do more of that kind of stuff in more controlled circumstances. I am not making excuses for him, I agree Murphy hasn't been "lighting it up" but in camp he was hailed as REALLY coming back with a vengeance after a poor outing last year. I look forward to see him in Week 3 where there will be more game planning. See if he shows up on the field and in the stat book more. But part of why people need to take preseason with a grain of salt is the offenses and defenses are vanilla, and the coaches are flushing out scenarios still, so we don't 100% know where O-Linemen or D-Linemen, or what have you are supposed to be doing on a given play, because it's not necessarily what they'd be doing in a real game. Especially in weeks 1 and 2. In week 3 it's a dress rehearsal at 75% speed, so we should get a better look, but week 4 is 100% "prove it or get cut" time for the bottom of the roster and they will be creating all kinds of situational football to test guys rather than suit up and play their "best game" start to finish. Shaq not getting the 5th year option was the right move by the team and the right move for the player. He didn't deserve the $10M per year it would guarantee, but putting him in a prove it hear to step up and become the guy he was drafted to be hopefully will light a fire under him. If he earns that $10M per year contract this year, then pay the man, if not, then make an offer commensurate with his abilities or let him walk. I agree, sounds like he's stepping up. Shaq has proven to be a FANTASTIC edge setter, but you don't pay edge setters pass rusher money... so this is a HUGE year for him to show he can be the pass rusher he was drafted to be out of Clemson. I hope he gets there. Hell I hope he and Murphy both have a "sack off" where they battle for who gets more lol Back to Johnson... I like what I've seen from him, he has natural instincts to get to the passer, you can't teach that. But he is raw in technique and his body build is less than it should be for the NFL. He should make the roster, and after a year in the NFL and a full NFL off-season to build up body mass and work on technique, maybe next year we will see something of note from him. heck even by the end of the year we should start to see it come together if he is going to become something. But I Agree, him coming into his own thus far has shown he's more depth for now because thankfully we have solid depth ahead of him

Somewhere LeSean McCoy is saying "Damn Mario, I thought I told you to send your boys to rough her up! NEVER GO YOURSELF!"

I think you misunderstood me man, "Saint Doug" threw out a quote from Doug Whaley where he said why "People shouldn't play football." and my reply was mean to say that stupid comments like that are part of why Whaley doesn't have a job anymore. I didn't mean anything about Magnuson. I don't mind any signing for depth at this point in the game, especially on the line.

Croom had potential, I was fine with him making it last year to see if he could take a step forward...he didn't... if he makes this roster, you're right 100% because of his extra curricular activities and not because of his talent.

And he's healthier than most of our TEs this year.... just sayin'... He's got a better chance of making the team and going to IR or being placed on the PUP than making the 53 man roster IMO... Sweeney has looked good, Lee is a lock, Knox is a lock, and Kroft is a lock... they aren't keeping 5 unless they only keep 5 WRs. Would you rather keep Croom or Duke williams?

Theres a reason he doesn't have a job anymore...

I agree, I've been shocked at the number of O-Linemen who have gotten banged up this preseason, and TEs too. Not sure what's going on but every O-Linemen just about has missed at least some time with many missing significant time. On top of that you have our top 3 TEs all out as well... I know they're making a concerted effort to be ahead or sports science, training, and all that with their new approach and facility, but something is up when you take this many injuries at the same positions. Either the drills, the conditioning, the field itself, something is wrong and allowing all these issues to keep creeping up. For me it's a good reason to more camp back to Buffalo so you're closer to your $25M facility for training and wellness rather than moving everyone out to SJF for a few weeks and being away from those stat of the art facilities. Seems silly to me to post up at a college and bring all the equipment after such a massive investment in health, wellness, and training back in Buffalo.

Zay sucks, but people aren't willing to admit that yet. Give it time, it'll come.

Heroes get remembered, but legends never die... - Babe Ruth (Sandlot-1993)

Joking aside I think you're right that Kiko is going to be targeted because of their loss of Avery Williamson... so to me this is a slam dunk for them to got out and get a guy with ILB & MLB experience who knows the division and plays with edge. Also Gase connection shouldn't be discounted... looks like I'm behind your on the curve here!

Lots of people on here didn't take the preseason pledge....

If there was ever a team that deserved it, Penn St. was it... but punishing the current kids for the sins of the coaches and staff is really hard. Like I said 100% deserved, but I can understand why it wasn't done... clean house and make all their names synonymous with pedophiles and cover up, their name is mud... punish the school for allowing that culture to be persistent for that long... but don't destroy the school for the kids and the alumni that had nothing to do with it.

I would be shocked if they did it. It's such an unprecedented thing to do, I just can't imagine a team actually pulling the trigger on doing it. It's like the Death Penalty in the NCAA, they never wanted to do it, and once they did it to SMU, they knew immediately it was WAY too far, and it will never happen again. I think with this, the team, and every other NFL team for that matter, realize if they ring that bell, it's not something they can unring, and it is going to send shock waves into the locker room and across other teams. Top tier talent won't want to go to the Raiders if they feel there is a chance this could get done to them. I mean I get it that AB deserves it, but going nuclear is just something you can't undo... Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE it, because the Raiders are already a tire fire and that would shoot them into a downward spiral.

I don't agree, you're focusing on 2 plays in 2 games rather than the whole body of work and you're entirely ignoring the "nitty-gritty" work the other guys are putting in on special teams which matters a ton to this coaching staff. They're being asked to do much more by playing with the 2nd team against better players, picking up blocking assignments, and then flip and play special teams. Wade is being asked to do comparatively very little.

Games.... they have games to lose.... I thought we were in the business of winning games not experimenting with players new to football because "aww gee golly why not!" ... Uhh because putting a guy like that in is a huge liability. This is far and away the worst argument I've seen for Wade to make the team lol. Wade is playing against lesser players and I have never made any argument that Yeldon had been anything better than a pile of ***** so don't put words in my mouth. I said Murphy and Perry, both of whom have upside as special teams players, and Murphy as a RB has shown an ability to make plays, Perry has been lackluster. But BOTH bring more to the table as players because of what they can do that Wade cant... special teams, blocking, and understanding the RB position. If Wade was really moving up the depth chart, he'd be getting more important snaps.

Lol yeah anyone deserves a chance if they earn it, and I'm telling you he hasn't! He doesn't have the technique, field vision, or versatility in skill set YET to be a viable NFL player. He's little more than a fun story line. I'm not saying cut him and be done, put him on the PS, develop him, see if he can be a viable player in 2020, but right now he's more of a liability (Can't block, doesn't understand the position full, can't play special teams, doesn't read the field to follow his blocks) and a waste of a roster spot than anything else. It's absolutely "Rose Colored Glasses"....

First off he's 28, he's not a "Kid" he's older than Yeldon and Perry, and he's the same age (2 months younger) than Murphy... so lets not pretend this guy is 22... And lets also not pretend he doesn't have mileage, since he's been getting beaten up playing Rugby for the past 20 years of his life... I think you're falling in love with the story about what he did in Rugby and you're overlooking the fact that the 53 man roster is where players who can HELP YOUR TEAM go. This guy can't help them in 2019, aside from sucking up a roster spot and riding the pine. Do you really want a guy with 2 months of blocking experience picking up a blitzing LB on Allen's blind side? Personally I think that's how you get your QB killed... He's a fun story, and maybe in a year or so he'll have learned enough to translate those skills to the NFL Level, but right now, this kid is WAY behind the curve of understanding what he needs to do and where he needs to be on the field. The PS is designed for players EXACTLY like him, putting him on the active roster is a waste of time and a waste of a roster spot. The bottom "fringe" nfl players make up the bottom of rosters because they have value to their position and on special teams. Wade has none yet... not as a RB and he doesn't play special teams. They should try him out as a kick returner, except he doesn't know how to follow blocking... He's just not ready, and him making it means someone else who DOES have the ability to help this team this year won't be on the roster. And to me that's just stupid. It would be the same as keeping an ULTRA project player like Tyree Jackson on the roster. He too has "upside" you keep talking about, but he's SOOOOOO Freaking RAW.... just like Wade. So should we keep em both? Neither has any value this year, both are hugely developmental with high upside.... so they both should make it? No, they shouldn't, both are PS at best players at their current level of development. No we just don't look with rose colored glasses, we use logic rather than getting wrapped up in a fun story. We sound like we're reading from a script, you guys sound like you're reading from your diary: "Dear Diary, Christian Wade is so dreamy..."

LOL it does matter when the guys who are! 3rd stringers are slower and lesser athletes. Great he looks quick against guys who aren't quick, but the TERRIBLE tackling that led to his long reception isn't going to happen against better players. Just like the blown assignments that opened a hole a Mack truck could run through won't happen like it did in week 1 of preseason. Not to mention these teams aren't game planning. When the REAL NFL game plans are rolled out, and the top tier talent is on the field, it's an ENTIRELY different game. Also please explain to me why this guy, who admits he knows next to nothing, he can't pass block, can't play special teams, and doesn't have the field vision to see his blocking down field and follow it should make an NFL Roster ahead of Murphy or Perry who both add value to the roster and know how to do all of those things. People get so wrapped up in a fun story they put blinders on to the TRUTH, this kid isn't ready for the NFL. He's a fun preseason story, bit he is not ready for the real thing... We'll get a heavy dose of him in week 4, that'll be his super bowl, and I'm sure the hype factory will be in overdrive as he runs by guys who'll be bagging groceries come week 1 of the regular season... but being good against inferior competition doesn't make you worthy of beating out players who ARE NFL ready. Finally for the first time in 2 decades we have a sound roster on defense top to bottom, and nice depth at a few positions with REAL battles going on for the offense... I love how "lunch pail Joe" is still the fan favorite instead of, you know, cheering for the best players to make it...