Logic

It's been mentioned already in this thread, I think, but Hockenson's blocking ability on day 1 makes him a high floor player that can contribute immediately. Even if the receiving side of his game takes a couple years to get cooking (which I'm not necessarily convinced it will, any way), his immediate contributions in the blocking game would be a great boon to the Bills offense.

Yeah, he clearly meant "at least" 21 on offense. Not 21 exactly. It's the minimum threshold they want to meet each week. Sheesh.

The always awesome TheAthletic.com just posted a piece in which multiple analysts/players discuss the most indelible game memories they have witnessed in their respective careers. The whole piece is interesting, but I'll just highlight the segment about the Bills and the play in question, courtesy of Adam Schefter: Adam Schefter, ESPN In 30 years covering the NFL, there aren’t many press box seats as memorable as the one assigned to me as a reporter for the Denver Post on Jan. 8, 2000 for the wild-card game at what’s now LP Field between the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans. It was directly above the 25-yard line. From directly beneath that press box seat came one of the most storied plays in NFL postseason history. Moments after Bills kicker Steve Christie booted a 41-yard field goal in the closing seconds, Titans fullback Lorenzo Neal caught the ensuing kickoff and handed it to tight end Frank Wycheck, who ran along the 25-yard line, directly beneath my press box seat. Wycheck stepped back to his left and threw a jump-pass to Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson, who took off 75 yards for the game-winning score. Madness erupted. Tennessee celebrated. Officials huddled and, eventually, ruled. In their opinion, the pass was a backward legal lateral. Only it wasn’t. Their decision should have been overturned and/or overruled. There wasn’t— and still isn’t — a game official, TV camera, replay booth or single person who had a better view than I did of the play that unfolded directly beneath me. Two trusted and reliable sources confirmed to me it was a forward lateral. My left eye and my right eye. Each — with condolences to Buffalo and its tremendous fans — reported it was an undisputed forward lateral. Officials did not see it that way, but officials did not have my prime seat for the play that still is being replayed, over and over, 19 years later. Instead, the play sent the Bills home and the Titans to the divisional round and eventually the Super Bowl. There will be more memorable and historical moments, plays that send teams on or send them home. There will be plays that children remember as adults, and adults carry with them the rest of their lives. There always are. The joy that single plays can bring to certain cities is directly proportionate to the misery the same play can bring to other cities. Just ask Buffalo. Now, 19 years have come and gone since a forward pass dubbed the “Music City Miracle” ended the Bills’ season. In all that time, nothing has changed the fact that on Jan. 8, 2000, the Titans’ season should have ended and the Bills’ should have continued. Eyes don’t lie.

On a day in which the president's long time personal fixer and former key member of the RNC finance committee is testifying under oath that the sitting US president explicitly directed him to commit crimes while campaigning and that the president was fully aware of the Stone-Wikileaks e-mail hacking events before they happened and did nothing to stop them, and during which Cohen implicated that there are even MORE as-yet-publicly-unknown but ongoing criminal investigations into Trump by the SDNY -- a day, by the way, during which the republican members of the committee have done nothing but try to cover for and obfuscate for the president, and in which they are suddenly pretending to have a problem with serial liars despite doing everything in their power to cover the criminal activities of their serial liar president -- on THIS day, with all that has come out during this hearing and considering the very serious implications of said revelations and the historic nature of what is currently taking place...you choose to single out the fact that Michael Cohen was never in Prague as if that's some sort of end game. Mind you, to reiterate, Cohen stated under oath today that Trump had foreknowledge of a Russian plot to provide his campaign with dirt on the Clinton campaign. It's getting harder and harder to understand how any reasonable and moral person could watch the conduct of the republican committee members today and think "boy am I proud to be a member of this party!". This is a shameful and embarrassing chapter in our country's history. And I hate to be repetitive on this point, but if the tables were turned and someone was testifying under oath that a DEMOCRAT president had committed these acts, you'd all be completely apoplectic and you KNOW it. Stick by your orange menace, though. I'm sure there's no fire behind all this smoke.

The Office is the clear answer for me. Once Steve Carell left, that should have been ball game. Cheers probably overstayed its welcome a bit, too.

I agree. Sometimes, a kernel of truth accidentally slips out. A good example is recently when Brandon Beane was "saying a whole lot of nothing", except that he mentioned that sometimes in the draft you're looking at maybe a position where you're about to have 1 or 2 pending free agents the FOLLOWING year and you're not gonna be able or willing to pay them, so you have to look into the future when drafting. That sure as heck sounded to a lot of ears like Beane was talking about drafting an edge rusher, knowing that Hughes and Lawson are both up after this year and won't both likely be paid top end contracts. So there's an instance of a guy "saying nothing" but accidentally possibly tipping his hand about a position to be on the lookout for in the coming draft. But as you said, you had to read between the lines and connect the dots yourself.

Totally fair. American Beauty's themes of death and coping with death really speak to me. Box of Rain and Brokedown Palace are all time favorites. Also, separately, Candyman is one of the most underrated and one of my all-time favorite Dead songs ever ever ever. Hard to pick a loser amongst the bunch, though!

I can't help but wonder what the story is with this guy behind the scenes. Players who run 4.22 and get drafted 9th overall don't tend to spend their whole rookie season inactive and get traded entering season three unless there's really something wrong. This smells like the Corey Coleman thing to me. In Coleman's case, he was apparently a kinisthetic learner and was unable to learn NFL playbooks effectively. What's Ross's deal?

I think he's suffering from "Alex Smith syndrome" due to the amount of different offensive systems he's already had to learn in just five years. Like Smith, I expect him to have a resurgence later in his career, once he's able to sit back and learn the same offense on a more stable team, perhaps as a backup initially.

Poor Mariota. Five OCs in five seasons. Surefire way to ruin a QB.

I'd give them a 5th. There's no way a guy with 4.22 speed can't somehow find a role in a Josh Allen led offense.

Anyone watch Letterkenny on Hulu?

Not a drama, but a comedy: Letterkenny It's an incredibly smart show described as an incredibly dumb show. The writing is pure linguistic bliss. Absolutely brilliant. It's a niche sort of humor for sure, but man is it funny. It may have made me laugh out loud more than any show in history. It's on Hulu if anyone is interested.

I agree, actually. While I DO think Foster has #1 potential, I still want the Bills to add a veteran and a highly drafted rookie to the room.

Love 'em both. Just depends what mood I'm in. If I'm looking for raw, balls-to-the-wall electric psychedlia, Live/Dead can't be beat. If I'm looking to sit on my porch and watch the rain fall and put on a record, American Beauty is tops. Tomato/potato. Listening to Herbie Mann's Memphis Underground right now. Only one track in so far, but it's awesome.

Great list. A couple new ones on there that I'm gonna check out as soon as I get home from work. Glad to see he included "Workingman's Dead", though I would have chosen "American Beauty" instead. A lot of people don't know that Thompson was a big football fan, as well. Diehard 49ers fan. Would go to games and, well...generally act like his usual self, much to the consternation of many around him. When they'd ask him to sit down or stop using so much profanity, he would angrily shout back "This is football. Go to the ***** opera!" Never has been or will be anyone like him.

Is he peacefully protesting police violence against minorities? No? He'll be fine.

I have seen MANY comments to the effect that Foster is "only" a speed receiver and therefore not a "true #1" from Bills fans and writers. As for exaggerating the 2018 season: I would argue that it's not at all an exaggeration to be excited about the #1 potential of a guy who -- despite going undrafted and spending half the season on the practice squad -- managed to post 521 yards and 3 TDs across 7 games (including games of 105, 94, 104, and 108 yards receiving). That's pretty excellent production from ANY rookie receiver, let alone one from whom so little was expected that he wasn't even drafted. As for not sneaking up on opposing defenses anymore: defenses were ALREADY playing corners much deeper against Foster at the end of the season and recognizing the damage he could do. What happened then? Foster became dangerous on curls and crossers against defenders that were giving him a lot of cushion. It also opened up the field for players like Zay Jones and Ian McKenzie to be more productive underneath. I understand cautious optimism, and I'm not here to proclaim that Foster is a surefire top 5 WR next season. I will not, however, curb my enthusiasm about a player who I view as a vital and exciting piece of the Bills offense for the next several years. Let's put it this way: If the Bills were to draft a receiver in the first round of this year's draft who was 6 foot 2 and had Foster's speed, and said WR went on to post Foster's numbers over the final 7 games, we'd all be thrilled. So why wouldn't I be even MORE thrilled that we got that production out of a guy who cost the Bills absolutely nothing in draft capital?

I second this notion. I keep seeing people talk about how Foster will be a good WR2 or a "role player". What?! Am I taking crazy pills?! If you use his average receiving yards per week once he came up from the practice squad to project a full season, it's something like 1,400 yards and 7 TDs. In what universe is that not a number 1 receiver? And to anyone who says "speed WRs can't be true number 1 receivers", tell that to Antonio Brown and Tyreek Hill. Robert Foster is 6'2" and runs like a gazelle. If he simply adds a bit of muscle in the offseason and adds a few more routes to his already-expanding route tree, he's a number 1 receiver. Now, I ALSO want the Bills to go out and draft another number 1 caliber guy, don't get me wrong. But Foster is more than a complementary piece or just a speed receiver.

What an original and unique thread idea!

....and you read the part where the people from whom Kraft solicited the "favors" were indentured sex servants, right?

Except that in this case, it was literally people being held against their will as sex slaves. Educate yourself before you say this stuff, unless you condone people being stolen and sold illegally into sex slavery, that is.