Logic

I mean yeah, that's true... ...but he also perished in a high speed automobile accident in which alcohol was suspected, before he was even able to take a single snap. Not to cast aspersions, but the manner of his death suggests that perhaps the character concern designation was not entirely unfounded.

OH MY GOD I HAD BLOCKED THAT OUT OF MY MEMORY. I can't believe that really happened. Good God.

But more than that, it's the idea of moving a good player from a high value position like corner or left tackle to a lower value position like safety or guard. After QB, the next most important positions in football are arguably OT, DE, and CB. Safety and guard are considerably further down the list. So if you have a very good corner, why move him to safety? If you have a very good tackle, why move him to guard? Moving an aging corner to safety or an aging tackle to guard sometimes makes sense. See Troy Vincent or Rod Woodson. Rasul Douglas is 29 and was the Bills' best corner last year. Moving him does not make sense.

The desire of some Bills fans to move good players from premium positions to less premium positions never ceases to amaze me. Let's call it the "Move Cordy Glenn to Guard" Effect.

I've gotta be honest... Last year, for the first time in 20 years, I didn't buy Madden. It sucked to finally have a Buffalo Bill on the cover and then to not want to buy the game, but I just couldn't take it any more. The quality of the game had been dipping for too many consecutive years, and I couldn't just continue to hand my money to EA for a wildly subpar product. After a year off of video game football, I bought College Football 25 this year. Granted, it's still made by EA and it still has its similarities to Madden, but so far, I have found it to be vastly superior. Not only do I find the gameplay, presentation, and online experience more enjoyable, but the wide variety of playbooks and styles of offense available in college football make for a much more diverse and re-playable experience. I don't begrudge anyone that still wants to play Madden, but if -- like me -- you've grown tired of it, I suggest giving College Football 25 a try. I'm not even a particularly big college football fan, I just wanted a good, fun, playable football video game. I have found it to be just that so far. Give it a shot.

I found it interesting -- though tragic -- that now-deceased Vikings rookie Khyree Jackson is listed as a character concern.

I could see either Edwards (hamstring) or Bishop (arm) starting the season on PUP or IR (returning after four weeks), clearing the way for Jackson to make the roster.

Really, the Browns, Giants, Jets, and Broncos can/should all be saying that their biggest regret is not drafting Josh Allen. But out of these teams, the Broncos are the ones whose failure to draft Allen was most inexcusable. Playing at Wyoming, he was right in the Broncos scouting staff's back yard. They had the chance to watch him in person most often and follow him most closely of any team in the league. Furthermore, you'd think that John Elway of all people would recognize the talent and potential of of a mobile, big armed gun slinger who, quite frankly, reminded some people of a young John Elway. Likely, the failure of fellow "big-armed but raw" QB prospects Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch under John Elway's watch as GM led to their being gun-shy on Allen. Whatever the case may be, their failure to recognize and draft the extremely talented QB in their own back yard is and was startling and inexcusable, and all Bills fans ought to send Elway a case of Labatt Blue to thank him.

Agreed. I don't think they would have made this signing if Edwards wasn't expected to miss weeks of camp due to injury. I think it's as simple as Kareem Jackson being next up on their list of available/affordable free agents at the position, so he got the call. For those asking "why not Justin Simmons?", I presume the answer is either: A) Not looking to spend what Simmons is asking for - or - B) Not looking to promise a starting role to a guy like Simmons Whereas Justin Simmons is likely looking to sign somewhere that he can start at safety, I suspect they view Jackson as a guy who is willing to come in and compete and, if he doesn't win a starting job, they can either cut with little financial pain involved or count on as veteran depth. It won't surprise me if Jackson ends up starting, and it won't surprise me if he ends up not making the 53 man roster. Hopefully Bishop/Hamlin and Rapp step up and we don't have to count on a head-hunting 36 year old to start at safety, but at the end of the day....may the best man win.

Fun Fact: Jeff Chimenti has been playing keyboards with Bob Weir (Ratdog, Other Ones, The Dead, Further, Dead and Co, Wolf Bros) for 27 years, which is as long as the combined Grateful Dead keyboard tenures of Pigpen, Keith Godchaux, and Brent Mydland. Pretty wild to think about. For what it's worth, I'm a Keith guy myself. His playing from 72-74 pushed the band to its jazziest, most exploratory and interesting heights ever. I appreciate and love what Brent brought to the band, but I'll always be a Keith guy.

I felt like towards the end of his rookie year, he was starting to come on, including making a big play or two in the playoffs. He had all of us hopeful for a big leap in year two. Then, as we've since learned, he injured his foot (ankle?) early in camp and it hampered him all year. This is year three, and you have to think Elam knows that it's make or break time. It would not surprise me if a guy with his physical talent, work ethic, will to be great, and now -- one would assume -- a big chip on his shoulder, is leaving it all out on the field and finally starting to live up to his draft billing. It is hard to think of a development that would be more positive for this defense than having Kaiir Elam look like a 1st round, playmaking cornerback. It would be HUGE for this young secondary.

Respectfully, I don't buy this notion. The Chiefs, for instance, have been bombs away in camp. They talked in the offseason about bringing the deep ball back to their offense, and true to their word, they've been winging it all camp long to Hollywood, Worthy, et al. On the contrary, I think the Bills have very purposefully been trying to make life easier for Josh Allen (who leads the NFL the past four years in TD passes of 10+ yards) and give him easier answers. I think that in year one of Joe Brady, the emphasis will be on getting his more horizontal, matchup based offense installed and getting the offense ready to combat the heavy dose of two-deep coverage shells they'll be seeing. I suspect that after this season, we'll see an emphasis on bringing more of a deep element back to the offense, and the offseason moves will reflect this desire. To put it simply, I think -- between the exodus of our star WR, the youth movement and diversification of the WR corps, the move to a bigger OL, and the emphasis on horizontal ball movement -- that the Bills are once again a year behind the Chiefs. I don't expect to see a particularly robust downfield element to the Bills passing game this year, at least compared to what we've seen in recent years. That's not to say they can't/won't be a good offense, but simply that I think they're more concerned with making their short and intermediate passing game more lethal, and that it may come at the expense of more frequent and effective downfield passing.

Based on what I've been reading lately, I see Hamler as the WR6 because he seems to be the primary return man. Given this year's kick return rule changes, I think they want a dynamic player there. I think Hamler could replace some of the over-the-top speed they'd lose by cutting MVS, but with the added bonus of his being able to return kicks. Part of why I'm even discussing MVS not making the roster at all is that he seems to be falling down the training camp depth chart while other players like Hamler and Shavers and even Isabella are getting more opportunities in his place.

Yeah I would tend to agree, and have up until recently predicted he'd be starting by mid-season. The only thing giving me pause now are the recent comments by Babich. I don't want to overreact by one quote from a coach during training camp, but...the wording of what he said really caught my attention.

Nice! Personally, the way I'm wired, I'd always rather see a longshot guy with potential and great physical talent like Shavers make the roster over a career JAG like MVS. Shavers is 6'4", with a lean and tapered frame. Reports are that he's running good routes, catching the ball well, and that he knows all three WR spots AND excels on special teams. McDermott says he's Mr Consistency and Mr Work Ethic. I'd rather take a shot on a guy like that all day -- particularly one that plays special teams, which is a pretty important thing for a WR5 to be able to do -- than keep MVS on the roster solely because of his veteran experience. By all means, let the best man win. If MVS outplays Shavers, then so be it. But if Shavers is playing better, or even if it's a tie, you go with the youngster.

I have a feeling that once training camp ends, Micah Hyde will be signing on for a farewell tour with the Bills. FS: Hyde, Hamlin SS: Rapp, Edwards Third safety in three safety sets: Cole Bishop. The only thing I can see changing this is if Bishop (or Hamlin) really start to come on and turn into playmakers at free safety and the need for Hyde is suddenly lessened.

I cannot think of a more satisfying turn of events than seeing Watson struggle to play quarterback well and seeing the Browns be stuck with his enormous cap hit while watching his backups play better than him. He's objectively a gross and remorseless person, and I sincerely hope he never plays well in the NFL again, and that the Browns are punished for sacrificing their souls to a deal with the devil by having to pay him obscene amounts of money to languish on the bench while their otherwise championship caliber roster is wasted waiting around for a redemption arc that never comes.

It's trending that way right now, but there have only been four practices, todays was the first day in pads, and there haven't been any preseason games yet. I'm not prepared to call this one already.

It sure sounds like Tyrell Shavers may be a surprise roster candidate and MVS may be a surprise cut. The former has apparently been quite a standout so far in camp (see coach McDermott's comments from today) and the latter has apparently been pretty invisible and slipping down the depth chart. I don't think ANYONE had "Shavers makes roster over MVS" on the Bingo card, so if it happens, it'd qualify as quite a shock.

The reports out of camp have me feeling bullish about the offense right now. Not just that they've been performing well, but the specific details I've been hearing. Tons and tons of pre-snap shifts, motions, both condensed and spread alignments, interesting personnel groupings, bootleg play-action, throws up the seam, both tight ends being productive, Coleman's early success, Samuel's versatility, Shakir's consistency and silky route running. On top of all of that, all reports seem to indicate that Josh Allen has, more often than not, looked incredibly sharp. Like...2020 sharp. AND that he's demonstrating more vocal and assertive leadership. The ONLY caveat I'll offer is this: The defense is young. It's the first camp in seven years where Hyde and Poyer aren't directing the action in the secondary. Those are HUGE losses. They're sort of the equivalent of if the Bills offense lost Josh Allen. That's the type of leadership and experience void we're talking about. So when it comes to the success of the passing game early on in camp so far, I keep trying to remind myself that the defense -- and the secondary in particular -- are still finding their footing. If this offensive success continues against other teams once joint camp practices and preseason games start, then its wheels up.

It's actually legitimately crazy that the built-in rollout bootleg game hasn't been a big part of the Bills' playbook up until now. Josh Allen rolling out to his right and having the option to either run or pass is arguably when he is at his most lethal. Many of the most impressive plays throughout his pro career have come in this situation. Count me as a big fan of this development.

No me gusta. Would love to see Sed Van Pran get mixed in every now and again.

While I think there is validity to the ideas of leading by example and of letting a player be his authentic self, I DO agree that it's time for Josh to ascend to the role of "unquestioned leader" of this team. I think that part of the thinking behind getting rid of Diggs and going so young on offense and completely refurbishing the WR corps was to give Josh a clean slate and the runway to take over a full and more assertive leadership role. Part of being a leader, unfortunately, is that sometimes you have to be a boss. Sometimes you have to hold guys accountable, to chew them out, to set the tone for how things need to be and let them know if they're not meeting that standard. It may mean giving up a bit of your "just one of the guys" goofiness. If you'll excuse me for using a silly example, I think of Michael Scott from The Office (which, by the way, is a show we know Josh loves). Michael desperately wants to be loved by his employees, to crack jokes and be "one of the guys". But in so doing, some of the employees don't really respect him, and some of them walk all over him, knowing that he doesn't have the fortitude to discipline them or hold them accountable for messing up. Again, I realize that's a bit of a silly example, but you get the idea. Josh Allen may have to show that he can be a real leader and NOT always just "one of the guys" in order to provide the optimal leadership. I don't think this is a "nothing burger" report by Tim Graham. I think there's validity to it, and I think Josh knows it. Multiple reporters have talked about how much more of an assertive, demonstrative leader he appears to be so far in OTAs and camp. Coach McDermott himself mentioned it. I don't think this is by accident. Josh may always be "one of the guys" and may always be a goofball, but starting this season, I think you'll see a much more purposeful, assertive Josh Allen, and it may very well take his game -- and his team -- to new heights.

This is it in a nutshell. If the script is going well or the coordinator is out-coaching the opposition, then Tua is gangbusters. When the chips are down, backs are against the wall, or the script isn't going as planned, Tua doesn't seem to have a "next level" he can access (a la Josh Allen) to take over games and steal victory from the jaws of defeat. It's why, in my opinion, the Dolphins will continue to win 10+ games and make the playoffs, but never go far beyond that. The elite QBs in the 2024 NFL can take over games by themselves, and I just don't see Tua as that guy.

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2024/1/5/24026177/dolphins-bills-tua-tagovailoa-future-nfl-playoffs-afc-east An article from before the second Bills-Dolphins game last year, explaining that Tua performs worse the later it is in games, and performs worse the later it is in the season. He's Mr September. Unless and until he can become Mr December, I will continue not to worry too much about him.