msw2112

I have NOT watched a lot of UGA football, but I know that the Bills have a very good (and highly compensated) #1 TE in Dawson Knox. The Bills also have many other priority needs: interior OL, WR, Safety. If they were to draft a TE in the 1st round, it would have to be a generational type talent. Like a Kyle Pitts. In my limited UGA football watching, I would stay that Brock Bowers is as good of a TE prospect as I have seen and a surefire 1st round talent. I don't believe he's coming out this year. I'm not familiar with Washington.

In fairness to the OP, he does list serveral playoff-related statistics.

When I read the article, I thought the same thing. This seems like gross negligence (at a minimum) on the part of the bank. They issued the loan without the necessary documentation, even after asking for it and not receiving it. I'm not a huge Goodell fan, but I don't see a whole lot of cuplability on his part here when it comes to the issuance of the loan. He and the league signed off on a loan that the presumed was valid. If the bank was willing to issue it, having (presumably) done their due diligence, why would the league object? They routinely sign off on such loans. Snyder for his fraud and the bank for its gross negligence seem to be the guilty parties. Where Goodell have have stepped into it was after the issuance of the loan, when Snyder's partners raised the issue of the fraudulent loan, Goodell swept it under the rug and tried to work a side deal to get around it, rather than addressing it. You may need to read the article to better understand my comments.

I'm not against McDermott calling the defensive plays in principle, but I am concerned about it distracting him from his HC duties/CEO on game day role. I do recall him taking over from Frazier a few years ago and the defense improved significantly. I have not heard of it happening since then, but perhaps it should have happened during playoff games....

I have to believe that coaching and scheme has something (a lot) to do with the problem. Given their draft status, at least a couple of Oliver, Rousseau, Epenesa, Basham, Lawson, etc. should be very good players. I don't believe that any of these guys were a reach by the Bills - they were all drafted around or below where they were projected to go. (Terrell Bernard, that was a reach.) Hughes having success in Houston is also indicative of something. I don't know if it's scheme, technique, or what, but the Bills are just not getting great production out of guys that have talent. It's highly unlikely that the Bills swung and missed on that many draft picks.

I agree with this. Basham has proven to be a depth player only, which is not good for 2nd round pick and Bernard has, to date, not even achieved that status. Hopefully, a full offseason in the weight room and playbook will pay dividends for Bernard. I'm not holding my breath, but some guys do develop slower than others, and he is/was no doubt undersized and underweight for the position.

I diagree with this. The head coach and GM SHOULD be working together to shape the roster. It's fine to criticize some of the picks, but working together is not something to be criticized, in my opinion.

If this is true, I assume that some of the coaching staff knew about it and looked the other way. I'm sure that there are reasons why this would be illegal: stadium not zoned for residential use stadium lease with municipality would not permit use outside of the intended purpose liability insurance could be jeopardized by activities not permitted by the policy All that aside, it really doesn't sound like too bad of an idea. The only thing possibly missing is a good mattress. You've got food (either "training table" food or hot dogs and popcorn), nice showers and bathrooms, TV's, gym facilities, in-house physical threapy, etc. and a very short commute! Also, very convenient to downtown amenities.

The Bills need to have an OC that will call a 10 yard pattern and a QB that will throw the ball to an open WR on a 10 yard pattern. When the Bills actually did that, it worked surprisingly well. An offense can still run the ball and throw short and intermediate passes without taking the deep ball out of the offense.

This sounds about right to me. Very realistic approach that should yield some improvement on the line.

Community Member 26.8k Posted 6 hours ago 7 hours ago, msw2112 said: I haven't read the CBA, so I don't know if members of the NFL players union are considered "at will" employees. Maybe, maybe not. That said, I'm sure the Bills consulted their employment counsel prior to terminating Arazia. That lawyer should be familiar with what the CBA does and does not allow and should have advised the Bills on how to handle the situation. Presumably, the league office was involved too (and if not, they should have been, given the sensitivity of the situation). Given that the Players' Union didn't file any kind of grievance or throw their weight behind Arazia, I suspect that releasing the player was within the confines if the CBA and that any lawsuit against the Bills and/or the league would have little merit and would likely be tossed out of court. While it's possible that the league may choose to settle the case to avoid negative publicity, I think that the court of public opinion would side with the Bills and the league on this one, so I don't think they'll be forced into a settlement for publicity reasons. ---------------------------------------------- I'm not sure how you're reading that into my analysis or comments. I'm simply referring to the legal angle behind others' comments that Arazia is going to sue the Bills. Some think he'd win such a lawsuit easily and other think it would be tossed out of court immediately. An at will employee can be terminated for any reason - except for reasons that are considered discrimination under the law (age, race, gender, etc.) - and Arazia fits none of those categories. In some situations, however, if an employer-employee relationship is governed by a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the agreed-upon rules in the CBA supersede the common law "at will" employment rules and will govern what an employer can do in certain termination situations. I don't really care what is fair to Arazia or feel any sympathy for him one way or the other. He's a punter, a low-round draft pick, and he got caught with his d*^k in the wrong place at the wrong time, whether he did anything illegal or not. If nothing else, he's guilty of poor judgment. I'm glad the Bills cut him. All I am saying is that given the high-profile situation, the Bills likely consulted their employment counsel to make sure they didn't run afoul of anything the CBA that would come back to bite them after making the decision to cut him. Failing to do so would be stupid. Where do you read that I'm considering what is "fair to poor Araiza?" Hell, I don't even know how to spell his name.

A team has to have depth and preferably quality backups that can play, because there will inevitably be injures throughout the season. The Bills defensive backfield hardly has a logjam that would necessitate trading anyone.

Congrats to McD. He's a good man and a pretty good football coach (not perfect, for certain, but very good).

I haven't read the CBA, so I don't know if members of the NFL players union are considered "at will" employees. Maybe, maybe not. That said, I'm sure the Bills consulted their employment counsel prior to terminating Arazia. That lawyer should be familiar with what the CBA does and does not allow and should have advised the Bills on how to handle the situation. Presumably, the league office was involved too (and if not, they should have been, given the sensitivity of the situation). Given that the Players' Union didn't file any kind of grievance or throw their weight behind Arazia, I suspect that releasing the player was within the confines if the CBA and that any lawsuit against the Bills and/or the league would have little merit and would likely be tossed out of court. While it's possible that the league may choose to settle the case to avoid negative publicity, I think that the court of public opinion would side with the Bills and the league on this one, so I don't think they'll be forced into a settlement for publicity reasons.

But I have to admit that I like the reflection of Sam Ponder in those shiny choppers.

Their situations are not quite the same. Despite his poor record in Buffalo, Rex has had some coaching success in the league, as DC in Baltimore and has HC with the Jets. Saturday never coached beyond the high school level. But I agree that sitting in an air-conditioned studio across the table from Sam Ponder, showing off your pearly white veneers, throwing out hot takes, and laughing and joking once or twice a week, and being well-paid to do it, seems to be a better gig than the grind of an NFL coordiator or coaching position, where you are putting in 60-100 hours per week. Particularly at Rex's age and when he probably doesn't need the money. Who knows, the TV gig may even pay better. As for his NFL legacy, I don't think Rex is going to achieve anyting beyond what he's already accomplished in Baltimore and New York.

I saw that too, and pointed it out to the folks I was watching the game with.

If the Jets get Aaron Rodgers, they will be right up there with the Bills for a year or two. I don't foresee Rodgers playing/being effective much beyond that. A guy like Brady who played at a high level into his mid-40's is an anomoly. Rodgers is likely more like Drew Brees and most of the others, and he'll start to lose his effectiveness around age 40 (he's already lost some of it). Allen will be around much longer. If the Jets get Derek Carr, they will be better than they are, but not significantly. I do think they have a pretty good roster, outside of QB, and definitely one comparable to the Bills. We can't overlook that the beat us with Zach Wilson at QB this season. Like most of us, I am disappointed with how the Bills' season ended, both in the 2nd half and in the playoffs. I do think that they need to make some changes and improvements to get their edge back next season, but I don't think the sky is falling. I would agree that if they play all of next season the way they did in the 2nd half of this past season and bow out in the playoffs like they did, then significant changes will be needed after next season. If they play like they played in the 1st half of this past season and in the 21-22 playoffs (minus the 13 seconds), they will be fine.

I would prefer to see some fresh ideas and some changes with the defensive coaching and scheme. All teams suffer injuries. Great coaching can overcome injuries. Miami gave Buffalo a tough game in Buffalo during the playoffs with a 3rd string QB. Cincy dominated the Bills defense in the playoff game with 3 starting offensive linemen out. Yes, the Bills had signifcant injuries too, but I don't think they adjusted enough to compensate. Cincy showed them enough in the first 8 minutes of the Monday night game that it was obvious that adjustments were needed. I didn't see any in the rematch in the playoffs. I don't dislike Frazier and don't think the Bills will regress to mediocrity if his contract is renewed. The Bills could very well rebound and go all the way with Frazier at the helm of the defense. The sky is not falling. That said, I do believe that some change might do the team - the defense in particular - some good.

I appreciate a rational post. While I would like to see other changes, this particular change may be a good one. The Bills have some areas to improve, based on the last half of this season and the playoffs, but they remain one of the top teams in the NFL and are not, contrary to what some on this board think, run by incompetent rubes.

Have mercy on us! Often beers don't come out until the 2nd half.

Because SF has one of the top defenses and one of the top running games in the league. Buffalo does not have either one (despite the defense looking good on paper).

In September and October, the Bills were the best team in the AFC and probably the entire NFL. As has been mentioned here previously many times, the 2nd half of the Green Bay game was the start of a decline. I'm not sure exactly what happened - injuries, game film from the first few games made them predictable to opponents, a combintation of the two? In any event, there's no doubt that Cincy and KC were playing much better football in December and January. That doesn't mean that the Bills cannot improve their health and make some changes that will get them back to where they were earlier in the season. While I would like to see some changes at the coordinator level, I don't think they should blow it up and fire the head coach.

I agree with the previous post. The Bills have some work to do, but they can get back to their status as one of the top teams in the NFL next season. A healthy Josh Allen, a new body or two on the OL, Micah Hyde back, Von Miller back at the end of the season, Tre White back to 100%, more integration of Cook and Shakir into the offense, some evolution of the offense (better playcalling - how about some screens, slants, and wheel routes to the RB?, more continuity), more mature Elam and Benford, are all achievable and most of these things are likely. I'd also like to see changes on defense - possibly moving on from Frazier by not renewing his contract - but not sure that's going to happen. The Bengals-Chiefs game definitely opened my eyes a bit. The Bills beat that Chiefs team in KC this season and it was not a fluke. The Chiefs showed that the Bengals can be beaten. The Bills struggled down the strectch, but perhaps Allen was more injured than he or the team let on. The Bills have to do some honest assessment of their weaknesses and address them. If they opt for the status quo, they will still be a good team, but not a serious contender. If they make the necessary improvements that most observers can see are needed, they can get right back to the top.

I agree that McDermott and Beane should be retained. This year's team was 13-3, won their division, and won a playoff game. They have created a great culture and are good leaders. That said, there are deficiencies that need to be addressed. The offensive and defensive schemes and game plans were lacking in creativity and innovation. The Bills were too predictable. They were able to beat lesser teams by relatively small margins, but it didn't work against a top team like the Bengals. While I was not thrilled with Dosey's performance, he seems to be a smart guy and hard worker, so perhaps he'll watch the film and work hard in the offseason to improve. Frazier appears to be a class act who the guys respect, but he's been around a very long time. I don't think he's going to change. It may be time for him to retire and for the Bills to move on to a new DC. McDermott has to be flexible enough to allow that new DC to implement some new ideas of his own and not just re-implement the same scheme.