Logic

He has a base salary of $4 million and a $2.6 million signing bonus with a built-in out after this year according to Spotrac, so not terrible. Perhaps they're confident in 3rd stringer new backup Felipe Franks?

I mean MAYBE he could fetch a 2023 conditional 7th round pick. MAYBE. More likely he's out of the NFL and appearing as a talking head on ESPN's College Gameday Live sooner than later. If I was Atlanta and was concerned about my backup QB situation, I'd try to pry Foles away from the Bears. They've got Dalton starting and Fields waiting in the wings. They don't need Foles.

Duke gave it his best shot in the NFL. His biggest chance to make it as a WR in the NFL came in the Houston playoff game. He was targeted heavily. He did not live up to the moment, highlighted by his end zone drop that might have changed the outcome of the game. Alas, if he wants to get meaningful playing time and contribute, his best avenue to do so might be the CFL. Thanks for giving it your all, Duke. I'll always remember the game-winner against Tennessee. Happy trails to you.

All I'll say is that I wish Stevenson would somehow suffer a mysterious "injury" that no one ever actually sees happen but the Bills insist is real, so that they could stash him on IR for the year. Hodgins apparently actually DID sustain an injury, so ditto for him. An ideal scenario for me would be Kumerow making the 53 this year, but Stevenson and Hodgins somehow being safely stashed for next year. Put on your wizard hat, Beane. Well...not quite like that, but...

Personally, I think the immediate (relative) success of Rousseau and all the talk of Basham being super "pro ready" have people overly pessimistic about Basham's performance so far. With the exception of the Chase Youngs and Myles Garretts of the world, edge rusher is often a position that often takes a couple of seasons to get acclimated to. Even Young and Garrett had 7.5 and 7 sacks in their rookie seasons. Is Basham lighting the world on fire? No. Is he looking like a total bust who doesn't belong on a pro field? Also no. He's part of a deep position group. He has shown flashes of ability already in just two preseason games. To top it all off, the Bills have asked him to shed 15 lbs from his combine weight, and we've already seen with AJ Epenesa that body recomposition requires an adjustment period for the player as he learns how to best weaponize his new frame. Long story long: Anybody already writing off Basham or saying it was a wasted pick are going too far. He may yet be a pivotal member of Buffalo's pass rush rotation.

Woah! That jam in the middle is just exactly perfect. First John, then Jeff. Absolutely nailed it. Really good stuff. Thanks for sharing this link.

Saw that they condensed two sets worth of music into one set without a break in order to beat the oncoming weather. Looks like a great setlist!

Couldn't agree more with both statements. Epenesa looks MUCH quicker and more athletic, while still seeming to pack a punch. Rousseau's arms just seem to keep the tackle from being able to lock onto him, and he's just so long and strong. Both guys were premier edge rushers in college, but fell in the draft due to lackluster combine numbers. Looks like the Bills might be the beneficiaries. This young look d-line is fun to watch!

The problem is that we might have to CUT one of "the kids" to make room for Addison this year. I'd hate to lose Darryl Johnson, for instance -- a guy who contributes on special teams AND just finally seems to be working his way into meaningful defensive snaps -- in favor of having Addison for one year. Take the cap savings, take the (likely low) draft pick, and let "the kids" get more playing time.

AJ Epenesa and Greg Rousseau have both looked outstanding. Jerry Hughes obviously isn't going anywhere, and rightly so. That makes Obada and 2nd round pick Basham our 4th and 5th DEs. Even Bam Johnson -- in whom the Bills have invested a lot of time and coaching -- is starting to really look the part on defense, in addition to his contributions on special teams. That's six edge rushers right there, the top 4 of whom I feel pretty darn good about. With the sudden depth of the defensive line and the surprisingly stout play of Epenesa and Rousseau, is it time for Beane to hit the phones and find a trade partner willing to acquire Mario Addison? Would there be a significant contract savings for the Bills if they did so? Am I taking crazy pills?! p.s. I sure wish the Bills would've given Mario's money for this season to Ty Nsekhe instead, because HOLY COW is the backup tackle situation suddenly frightening with Brown and Doyle injured and Bobby Hart playing like...well....like Bobby Hart. Anyway...trading Addison...yay or nay?

I remember all the years of watching Bills preseason games where the Bills looked like the Bears looked tonight. Sloppy, uninspired, outmatched, no urgency. I would always tell myself "It's just preseason! No need to worry!". Lo and behold, the season would come, and they'd look just like they looked in preseason. I came to realize over the years that to a large degree, preseason performance DOES matter. Sure, the playcalling is vanilla and there are backups scattered throughout the lineup, but the fundamental football questions remain: Are you getting in and out of the offensive huddle crisply and efficiently? Executing your blocking assignments? Tackling with sound fundamentals? Playing tight coverage? Running good routes? Protecting the football? Scoring points? Avoiding 3-and-outs? I'm so glad that the Bills are finally on the other side of the equation. Despite resting all of the best players on our team, we soundly outplayed the Bears in all three phases. No sloppy penalties or confusion, no dumb, unforced errors (save for McKenzie's fumble), converting on 3rd and 4th down....just generally looking like a well assembled, well coached, relatively deep football team. Coaching absolutely matters. Seeing McDermott's crew side-by-side with Nagy's crew....no contest. Hats off to coach McDermott. All the credit in the world to him, he's built an excellent program here in Buffalo.

Excellent article, thanks for sharing. I'll admit, I didn't know much about Shea Tierny or what he does for the Bills. I knew his name, but that was about it. It sounds like he's a great asset to the team. The Bills' front office and coaching staff, top to bottom, seems to be overstuffed with talented, high quality people. Another thing that stood out to me is seeing yet another person gushing about what a great man Brian Daboll is. I'm still surprised he didn't get a head coaching job this offseason, but I feel pretty sure that he's going to get one sooner than later. He seems to have a bright future as a head coach, given how strongly he is able to connect with players and staff.

About 2,600 miles or a 38 hour drive away, unfortunately.

This should be a fun test for our second string defense. Fields looked good in preseason week 1. https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/08/19/justin-fields-back-at-practice-set-to-play-saturday/ The first-round pick will be back on the practice field Thursday and Nagy said he is on track to play this weekend. His entry into the game should come a little later than it did against the Dolphins last week. Nagy said he wanted Andy Dalton to get more snaps earlier this week and said on Thursday that the veteran is expected to play into the second quarter after playing two series last weekend.

I just wanted to say that I absolutely LOVE that the storyline of this game is "Bills QB Mitch Trubisky returns to Chicago to face his former team"....only Trubisky isn't our starter, he's our backup! Any time in the past two decades pre-McDermott, Trubisky would be our reclamation project/savior, upon whom we were pinning all the hopes of our season. Instead, he's just the guy we brought in as insurance for our newly re-signed superstar franchise QB. They times, they are a-changin'.

I guess the closest thing to an "average Bills fan" I can think of is my Mother. She has lived in Rochester pretty much her entire life. She was a casual, "normal" Bills fan all her life. Watched them when they were on, rooted for them, but could hardly name more than 3-5 players on any given team. They were just the regional team. You could hardly live in Rochester and NOT be a Bills fan. In retirement, she's gotten much more fanatical. Never misses a game. Had season tickets for a few years before giving them up because her bad knees couldn't take gamedays any more. Bought a bunch of Bills gear, has started to learn more about the players, etc...But even now, she can't name that many players, doesn't know their backstories or jersey numbers or what college they went to. Couldn't tell you the difference between Cover 4 and Man Free. Probably doesn't know what intentional grounding is. Still, she's in front of the TV every sunday, rooting on the team. Frankly, I think she has "the sickness". That is, she's in some sort of suspended animation ever since the Super Bowl years. Always believing the Bills are "one year away". It's like her life won't be at peace until the Bills win the big one. Ever see the movie Buffalo '66? It's like that. I think A LOT of people have The Sickness. Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith all seem to have it. Lord knows I have it. The particular and unique experience of seeing the Bills get SO CLOSE for four straight years, of having a team THAT great with THAT many Hall of Famers and still not sealing the deal. The never-ending sting of the inferiority complex that comes with living in perennially picked-on Buffalo that we feel will somehow find salve in the form of a Lombardi Trophy. The Sickness. It's real. On second thought, maybe my mom's not such a casual fan. I guess that's what I think separates average Bills fans from the diehard lunatics: The degree to which they have The Sickness. The more serious the infection, the greater the chance they can tell you where the 4th string tight end went to school and what his jersey number is. What an affliction!

Good question. I don't know the correct answer. I'd be interested to see data on league-wide injuries in 2020 vs other years.

I think the league is going to move more and more toward this. Rest all starters, use the preseason games as evaluation for backups and fringe players only. It was already moving in that direction, but then 2020 happened and showed teams that the lack of preseason reps really did not hurt the vets. Sure, some teams with new coaches in town will want more of their starters to play as they try to establish chemistry and a team culture, but by and large, I think the days of teams playing starters in preseason games is, for the most part, over. I said this recently, but I wish the NFL preseason was essentially the same as the NBA Summer League. Let the youngsters and fringe guys duke it out. In the absence of any kind of credible spring league or developmental league, this would be the next best option.

I just came in here to see if Trey Smith has been voted 1st team All-Pro yet.

https://theathletic.com/2776711/2021/08/18/hes-always-been-about-business-andre-smiths-path-to-bills-carved-by-wise-investments/ I'm rooting for this guy. Seems to have a good head on his shoulders and to be all about "the process". He smartly realized early on that special teams prowess is the best way to make himself useful and earn a roster spot. I like what I've seen from him so far on defense, too. Personally, I'd consider him a roster lock at this point.

Just some other bits and pieces I enjoyed from the article. It's articles like this that make me more than happy to pay for The Athletic.

This article by Sheil Kapadia is excellent all the way through. I try to read every single article that gets published about the Bills, and this still contained a bunch of stuff I hadn't read elsewhere. The quotes by Beane about the way he'll build the team moving forward (doesn't want to front-load contracts or kick the can down the road, will be looking to add veterans that are poor fits on their current team but could help the Bills) and by McDermott about embracing pass-happy offense ("we're gonna try to stay ahead of the league") were awesome. I also found it very interesting, and had not previously heard, that Beane and Allen golfed together in Buffalo this offseason and informally talked contract to get a feel for what each side was looking for, resulting in the six-year deal, which is somewhere between Mahomes' mega-long term deal and Watson/Dak/Wentz/Goff's 4-year deals. Great article.

Specifically, Allen reminded me of our last few first round QB busts, EJ and JP. Good arms, great athletes, 10 cent heads. Obviously, that turned out NOT to be the case with Allen. He's not only exceptionally bright, but also has an iron will. He simply will not stop until he's the best quarterback he can possibly be. That separates him from most. Josh Allen's success taught me one thing: there is no statistic -- analytics or otherwise -- that can measure the heart of a man.