HappyDays

Here's my question - would the money used on Cook actually go towards upgrading the WRs? Or would it go towards more defensive depth, 30+ year old defensive linemen and the like? I think the history of this regime tells you which way that would go. That's why I've come to lean towards paying Cook, I don't think that money is going to be spent better so might as well lock up the one consistently explosive player we have around Josh.

So according to John it just comes down to annual guarantees. That would explain why national reporters are saying the sides aren't too far off. This makes me more optimistic an extension will happen without breaking the bank.

John wouldn't just throw this stuff out there unless he heard it from a source. So I wonder if the Bills just aren't all that interested in extending him under any circumstances... But that seems to conflict with some of the reports that say the two sides are not far apart on getting a deal done. Very strange situation.

There is practically a 0% chance Cook sits out regular season games so other than being an annoying news story this changes nothing about our season. The Bills hold all the power here, not saying that's how it should be but that's the reality of the situation. Cook is within his rights to try and force the issue. The Bills will wait it out because they already know the outcome.

That depends on if the passing game is efficient. There were a few games last year where the run game is what got out offense going, specifically with Cook getting some explosive runs that I don't expect Davis or Johnson to get. Oh well, this is a 2026 problem. Everything that happens between now and week 1 is just posturing from both sides. I hate to think what the Bills offense would look like without Cook in 2025. I would be very concerned about our ability to produce explosive offense and easy button TDs. As for 2026, we'll hopefully be able to make up for his inevitable exit in FA by investing resources into the passing game.

That's right, he's playing out the season no matter what. And the Bills know it. Teams hold all the power in these situations. It's why Trey Hendrickson just relented in a situation that was much much more toxic than what we have going on with Cook. Ultimately Cincy held his rights and he was giving up $50,000 per day to skip training camp, and missing regular season games is not remotely an option for any player thinking rationally. Hassan Reddick did it and just ended up screwing himself for no reason. Teams know 99% of players are not going to really follow through on their threats to skip regular season games, so they just wait it out. That's what will happen with Cook. I don't begrudge him for trying any tactic he has to get paid, but there's only one possible outcome and the Bills know it.

It wasn't an elite season but he did have some elite plays that you have to accept losing once he leaves. A lot of RBs don't get some of those long TD runs he had. Or a couple of the red zone TDs where he outran a defender to the pylon. Or the 4th down TD in the AFCCG that kept us in the game. I can't pretend those plays weren't important so if the idea is never pay RBs unless they're the elite of the elite, I get it, but those plays have to be replaced or else you are just choosing to take a step back on offense. I don't trust this regime to replace those plays because historically they have not put a lot of resources into explosive skill players.

No fans at today's practice, just beat reporters.

Hmm not good: Oh well as long as it doesn't linger into the season I don't really care.

I won't be able to do regular updates today if anyone wants to pick up the responsibility.

Yup here are Coleman's 3 big catches: https://www.buffalobills.com/video/keon-coleman-is-having-a-day

Moore is a draft bust on his 3rd team in 5 seasons. He was held out for a week with injuries and last week was yelled at by Josh Allen for running the wrong route. I never understood the hype with him. As the 4th/5th WR on our depth chart sure I'm fine with that. Coleman on the other hand has pretty clearly been the #1 pass catcher throughout camp. He needs to clean up some focus drops and keep building consistency. Everything is moving in a positive direction though. If you need to wait to see it in real games I respect that.

So yes he needs to stop dropping passes that hit his hands, but hey at least he's getting open enough to earn those targets and he's making the tougher contested catches more regularly. Cleaning up focus drops is easy. If that's the worst thing we can say about his performance right now that is honestly a big positive.

Ironically I make my work worse with this board.

Sorry for not being able to post as many updates. Allen got a rest day which is a hilarious troll job for the hundreds of fans that showed up. Clean up the easy stuff and we might really have something here.