msw2112

I despise OJ. He's a murderer and the world became a better place when he finally passed away. That doesn't change the fact that the season he had in 1973 was historically great. What he did then had never been done and has not been done since. I love Thurman and Allen and admire their greatness. They are good people and deserving MVPs. But the original question was which MVP season was the most impressive. OJ's season was the most impressive, by a wide margin. I agree with one comment above which said that for Allen to do something comparable, he'd need to throw for 6,000 yards. Obviously, there are other combinations of stats that could get you there (pass for 5,000 and rush for 1,000, etc.) but the point is spot on in demonstrating how far above the competition OJ's performance was that season. I believe that if Allen can get over the hump and win a Super Bowl that he will go down in history as one of the all-time great QBs. He's that good. He was a very deserving MVP this season. That still does not mean that his accomplishments this season, relative to other players' accomplishments over the course of NFL history, makes his season better than OJ's 1973 season.

I base the assessment on the fact that he's on the small side (like many of the Bills other LBs) and probably isn't as athletic as some of the big conference foes. I didn't follow his career at UB closely, so most of my comments are conjecture. I remember when Khalil Mack was at UB and played really well against Ohio State, solidifying that he was a star against top talent. I don't know if Dolac had any games like that to point to. I am on the record saying that Dolac will be in a NFL camp (whether drafted or not, but I believe he should be drafted) and make a roster, but likely start out as a backup. Good football players are good football players, regardless of the conference they come from. Some small conference players need a little more time to develop, but can become excellent players. A couple of good examples are Taron Johnson and Spencer Brown. Players from big conferences have played against more NFL-level talent than small conference players, have likely been exposed to more complex systems (not always the case), and have better strength, conditioning, rehab, and nutrition programs, so they may be more NFL-ready at the beginning of their career.

For what it's worth, I thought that Carter was starting to come on mid-season, then he got hurt. Other than the undersized Oliver, who's more of a quick penetrator than a big run stuffer, the Bills have not made any significant investments at DT. Daquan was a good signing, but was over 30 and past his prime when signed. He was still pretty good during his first contract. Star seemed like a good signing at the time, but really didn't make much of an impact. Ford, Phillips, Settle, etc. were veteran FA's on cheap deals and not major impact types of players. But you have to give to get, so the Bills invested in other areas. I've read (on TBD) that the 2025 draft is loaded at DT, so perhaps this is the time to draft a difference maker who the team can get on a rookie contract.

To me, Dolac looks like a late round guy (or priority UDFA) who will make a NFL roster as a backup and special teams guy. He might start on a practice squad and work his way up. He's a very good football player with great instincts. He reminds me of Bernard, who is a good player, but small for a NFL LB. Similar to Andressen. I'd surmise that Dolac is a better football player than some of the guys who were invited to the combine, but who may be a little bit taller, heavier, or faster. I'm sure that all of these points have been made upthread. There could be a role on the Bills for Dolac, but it would likely be at the expense of Andressen, Ulofishio, or Spector. It appears that all 3 of them (and Bernard) are within 1 inch of each other in height and within 7-8 pounds in weight. Cut "Buffalo Joe" but add "Buffalo Shawn?" If the Bills don't attempt to draft him or pick him up, I believe that another team will.

Allen has the personality to be on SNL. He's got a Peyton Manning-like sarcastic wit and charm. He's also a hard worker, and my understanding is that the week leading up to the show is a major grind for everyone - and is likely much more of a grind for hosts that are not professional actors. As the NFL MVP, he's pretty well-known, but I agree that winning a Super Bowl will put him over the top and likely earn him the opportunity to host the show. At this point, Allen is a superstar in football circles, but probably not all that well-known outside of football fans. Having a famous Hollywood actress fiancé will increase his exposure (likely getting some play on gossip pages that women like), but he still needs to get to and/or win the Super Bowl to achieve A-list status across the board. SNL doesn't have the huge talents that it use to have, such as in the Belushi/Akroyd/Chase days or even the Eddie Murphy days, but it still has some decent talent and funny stuff. The music is also still good.

Aaron Maybin, Erik Flowers, John McCargo, and Terrell Troupe all come to mind. Joe Dufek anyone? I'm sure that there are plenty of DBs that couldn't cover their nose when sneezing, but I'd have to give it some thought.

Robert Kraft may beg to differ. (And Deshaun Watson and Justin Tucker too.)

I agree. Running back is the easiest position to replace of the four. Davis and Ty Johnson have played very well in their snaps an another RB could be drafted. This isn't to say that Cook hasn't been excellent - he absolutely has been and I'd like the Bills to keep him. I'm just saying that if the price tag is too high, he's the easiest to replace. Sure, folks can point to Saquon Barkley as an example of difference-making RBs, but he makes less than the $15M that Cook is now "asking for" and I believe that as good as Cook is, Barkley is at the next level. And while Barkely's excellence was huge for the Eagles, it was their defense - particularly the front-4, that ultimately won the Super Bowl for them. If the Bills had that front-4 and Davis and Johnson at RB, they'd be just fine and then some.

No, not like that Brady kid. Brady was extremely accurate in college and great at reading defenses, but was skinny and not very athletic, with mediocre arm strength, which is why he fell to the 6th round. Milton was highly inaccurate in college and struggled to read coverages, but was huge and athletic with an absolute cannon for an arm, which is why he was drafted at all. Both were at Michigan, but Milton left and went to Tennessee when he lost his starting job to Cade McNamara. At Tennessee, Milton lost his starting job to Hendon Hooker (and got it back after Hooker got injured and then later left for the NFL). McNamara then lost his starting job to JJ McCarthy, and transferred to Iowa, where he lost the starting job again, and he's now transferring to East Tennessee State. (Hooker was later drafted in the 3rd round by the Lions and is on the roster as a backup and McCarthy was a top-10 pick by the Vikings but sat out this past season after knee surgery.) I've said this many times whenever Milton comes up. I have nothing against the kid. He's a great kid with a lot of physical skill. I'd be happy to see him succeed in the NFL, as long as it's in the NFC and not a threat to the Bills. I happened to follow his career closely because he started his career at my alma mater and now he's in the AFC East. Maybe I'm wrong and the kid will be a star in the NFL and I'll have to eat crow on TwoBillsDrive. But from what I've seen over the years, he has a lot of similarity to EJ Manuel in him. Big, strong, athletic, hard-working kid with a cannon arm, but doesn't have the ability to process information quickly enough on the field to be a successful starting QB. Given his great athletic gifts, he'll flash occasionally and have a great game (which Manuel did too), but isn't going to be a consistently good player.

The Bills brought in Cooper because they thought he could be an asset. A guy with his talent and reputation draws coverage away from others, further allowing everybody to "eat." Plus, Cooper himself is a good receiver who can and did make some plays of his own. Cooper also bought in to the culture, publicly stating he was happy being with a team that was a contender and going far in the playoffs, versus putting up big stats on an also-ran. Just because the team philosophy was to spread the ball around doesn't mean that they were opposed to adding receiving talent. If anything, Cooper was the perfect fit, buying into the culture, versus a diva type who might have caused tension in the locker room if they didn't get enough touches. As to Aaron Rodgers, the guy was an all-time great during his time in Green Bay, but, by the time he got to the Jests, he was well on the downside of his career, and that downhill slope got steeper after his achilles injury against the Bills. He can play next season, but he's no longer a difference maker. He's also become a self-centered media hound who is easy to dislike. I was a big fan of his during his heyday with the Packers, but have grown tired of his act. I really don't care if he plays next season, or where he plays, as I don't see him making a major impact.

I wonder how old Rusty Jones is these days...Can Ciano's successor make our linebackers bigger?

They WERE the San Diego Clippers after they left Buffalo. They are now the Los Angeles Clippers. I used to go to Braves games as a kid. The Stallions were fun. Used to enjoy games at the old Aud. I won a soccer ball autographed by the entire team at a fundraiser at my school when I was a kid. I have no idea where it is today.

As much as I would love to see more major league sports in Buffalo (MLB, return of the NBA), I just don't think the market can absorb it. For a small metropolitan area, the Buffalo area already supports to major league teams in the Bills and Sabres, plus the Bisons, and a niche team like the Bandits. There are also UB sports, which are up and down, but can sell a few tickets when they're good. If the NBA or MLB came to Buffalo and the team was successful, people would buy tickets, but if they were not a good team, there are not enough causal fans to fill the seats and watch on TV and not enough corporate interests to buy and fill luxury suites. Free Agents would not be interesting in coming to Buffalo. The Sabres, despite being terrible, are still a big part of the Buffalo community. It's a great hockey market and there's 50+ years of history, and being near Canada is a huge help, but they too, don't draw all that well, given the team's poor record in recent years. Maybe another niche sport like arena football might do OK, if ticket prices are cheap. It's something to do with the family when there's nothing else going on. Anything bigger than that just isn't going to work. I'm old enough to remember Bob Rich's blank check, but we got the Rockies and Marlins instead, and the rest is history.

Milton is a lot more like EJ Manuel than he is like Josh Allen. I've followed his career since he was recruited to Michigan and have detailed my analysis in other threads, so I won't get too deep into it here. Milton has all the physical attributes and is a good kid (similar to EJ) and did look good against the Bills in a game that the Bills were trying to lose, but he doesn't have the accuracy and the ability to process the game fast enough to be a successful NFL starter. There's a reason he was drafted in the 6th round.

Kelce can still play, but he's definitely in decline and the Chiefs' aura of invincibility is gone. He's got multiple rings, lots of $ earned playing football, a high-profile girlfriend, and all kinds of irons in the fire in the entertainment business. He's going to make millions off the field with commercials, podcasts, etc. He's definitely a Hall of Famer, as he's one of the best TE's of all time. Why put his aging body through the grind and risk further injury?