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That was one of those crazy drought moments that left you thinking, "Really?! They can't catch a break on that one? He does all that and then his own man gets in his way and trips him up? This team is cursed!"

It's not the best group but it doesn't seem like McBeane are concerned because the way they wanna win is still the same: strong run game and a suffocating defense. And people seem to forget that there are a couple of other guys on the roster that don't hold the title of "Wide Receiver" but still catch a bunch of passes. Clay and McCoy will still be key players in their passing scheme.

I read a round-table interview with several athletes from different sports, one of which was former Browns/Bengals receiver Andrew Hawkins. He said when he entered the NFL, he assumed every player was an elite, world-class athlete. What he found out, was that about 50% of the players in the league are elite athletes. I'm not a mathologist but that's something like 4-6 elite players on each team. The rest of the guys are all about even in terms of athleticism, playing and earning a spot all comes down to hard work and availability. DGB lacks in both of those areas. His work ethic is low and he's had injuries from day one. Also, I'm surprised (I shouldn't be) that some fans still aren't familiar with which players are "process" guys and which aren't. DGB is about as far away from being a McDermott guy as anybody. (PS - whatdrought, this statement here is not directed at you, just an overall general thought.)

Thanks indeed! I was a transplant from the BBMB and this gave me a place to continue yapping about this team. Apologies for the knuckleheads that came over from BBMB but for the most part, this forum has been wonderful. Thanks to the mods and the site owner for doing such a great job.

It's all speculation, but I also wonder if he agreed to that contract restructure under the impression that his agent told him something like, "Don't worry, they're just shuffling around money, you're still going to get paid what you're supposed to get paid." And then he signed, maybe the agent misinterpreted the language of the contract or perhaps the Bills were like, "Nah, we needed him to take a pay cut, we won't be making up for that cut in bonuses or anything" and that's what tipped Richie off, because after that, he fired his agent and started trying to play games with the Bills.

I believe he was attacked by a hotel window.

It's kinda sad... someone mentioned autism, I don't think Richie has that... I'm not 100% on this but I think he may be diagnosed bipolar. After the whole Martin thing, he spent his year and a half away from football staying in shape but also in psychological/psychiatric treatment. There was a lengthy interview with him where he said he used the time away to address some internal issues he never really bothered to face. He said that he learned how to control his anger better, how to let go of situations that may have been upsetting in the moment but were insignificant in the grand scheme of things. I'm sure all of that stuff played a role in the Bills being comfortable enough to sign him. I also think one of the reasons the Bills felt good about signing him was because of two guys on the team named Eric Wood and Kyle Williams. Wood has said he and Incognito became friends pretty much from day one when Richie came in. It's possible that Wood really helped keep the guy in line and now that he no longer has the locker room environment to be in and is presently unemployed and not playing the sport he's spent his entire life playing, it's probably making things tough on him mentally. Still, you hope that he has the wherewithal to stop and realize how far he's come and catch himself before he does something lame like throw a dumbbell at someone.

I generally pick up the draft hat each year but last year's hat was pretty boring and this year's hats just aren't for me. If you think the design on these ones are bad, phew, I used to work with a guy who had a friend that worked at New Era and every so often he would get "proofs" which are hats that were made and then one of several designs gets chosen to go into a full production run. The hats that don't get picked, I don't know if they become free game for employees but this guy would come up with a handful of (usually) Sabres hats and some of the designs on those things, gah. But then on the flipside, there were some that I saw with great designs that you wish they would've picked for the full run.

I do hope they give him some serious consideration. Talent-wise, he seems like a great fit for this defense. I'm not sure what kind of locker room guy he is and obviously that's important to McBeane. I've never seen anything negative about him in the news but that doesn't mean he's a good match for the type of locker room McDermott is trying to maintain. We shall see what happens.

Not a bad idea. He certainly won't be sitting around for long. I'm sure we'll soon be hearing which teams have interest. With his skill set, we have to pretty much assume for sure that the FO is taking a look back at his film and making some calls to see what kind of deal he's looking for. Don't think they'll get into a bidding war, though. Doesn't seem to be Beane's style.

I wonder if he'd go for a one-year deal, because I don't think Bills have the money to offer him a monster contract right now. I believe that's the reason he's tried to get out of Philly for so long, his contract demands are well above where Philly is willing to go.

Who was the other offer from? I don't think I caught that in the news during free agency frenzy. And I don't think anybody is sleeping on the kid. He bet on himself to land a nice contract and a starting gig somewhere but ended up being one of the last available QBs to be signed. That tells me that teams around the league haven't really changed their value on him.

He may have been invited but couldn't make it. A number of rookies miss NFL and NFLPA events every year if they attend a school that runs courses through May and they're trying to finish up their degree. Other guys might have exclusive endorsements with other companies, although that's doubtful when it comes to football cards. A few years ago the NFL decided they wanted a singular exclusive supplier for trading cards. Since Panini is one of, if not, the biggest trading card company in the world, they won the contract and became the only company licensed to make NFL trading cards. Companies like Topps and Upper Deck had to stop making football cards starting in 2016, I believe. Topps is still king of baseball cards and Upper Deck does quite well with hockey card collectors. But yeah, it kinda took some of the fun out of collecting knowing that you only get one choice. Years ago Panini bought out companies like Donruss, Fleer, Playoff, etc. and they print cards using those names and logos but it's still all Panini. Ever since they became the only NFL card supplier they've completely flooded the market. They put out at least 20 different sets of cards for every football season. I pretty much gave up on buying boxes and now I just stick to trying to snag a couple of different autographed cards of each Bills rookie from year to year. All of this insanely nerdy info comes courtesy of, well, being a nerd that collects a buncha different stuff but also a good friend of mine works for Dave and Adam's. Fun fact, those guys started out as a tiny store in Tonawanda and today they are one of the biggest trading card and collectibles retailers in the nation.

I'm not sure about Suh but Phillips played somewhere around 90% of the defensive snaps for Stanford last season, which is a lot for a DL. He said he would have to pick and choose some plays where he wouldn't go all out in order to preserve some energy. As part of a consistent rotation, he has a chance to standout early in his career. Especially as he learns from a guy like 95. And a lot of his flaws can be corrected with coaching. I also thought it was funny to see that bit from a scouting report on Kyle, saying he's not much of an athlete, haha. It's funny because plenty of coaches and teammates have said Kyle is one of the best natural athletes they've been around. He's what they call a "big body athlete." He has an explosive first step, he's strong as hell and just as smart. I hear he's also a ridiculously good golfer.

It's from today. It's the NFLPA Rookie Premiere which is put on by Panini America, a trading card manufacturer. These dudes will spend the day signing their name more times than they can count and taking tons of photos to be used for future card releases. Panini decides who gets invited. There are always more offensive guys there than defensive as most collectors go for players in skill positions.

The importance of a big time WR is a bit overstated these days, at least in terms of wins. Receivers miss games and teams generally don't miss a beat. Or receivers play the entire season and their team still winds up with a losing record (OBJ's best statistical season came in 2015 and the Giants went 6-10). Half of the leaders in receptions in 2017 were on teams that didn't make the playoffs. The top three leaders in receiving touchdowns in 2017 (D. Hopkins, D. Adams, J. Graham) all sat home during the playoffs last season. Tom Brady has played most of his career without a true #1 WR. He's depended on small, speedy slot receivers like Welker, Edelman and Amendola. Gronk regularly misses games every season and the Pats still win. Kirk Cousins established himself as a top ten QB without having a big time receiver during any of his seasons. Of course it's a benefit to have a game-breaking WR but I don't think it's a necessity to win games. It still all comes down to how coaches utilize their players. Case in point, you can move up and draft a player expected to be a big time WR but he can't do much if his coaches spend time during his rookie year using him as a decoy instead of dialing up plays to get him the ball. Beyond that, the Bills have been a run-first team since 2014. Greg Roman's scheme in 2015/16 featured rather elementary route combos and overall had a passing attack that wasn't difficult for defenses to figure out. 2017 may have had a different OC and scheme but it still had a simple passing scheme. Plus, the WR group here doesn't really have any guys that separate with their route running. Combine that with a QB hesitant to throw into tight coverage and you get a dead-last ranked Bills are still going to aim to be a run-first team with an opportunistic defense. They're still going to keep the passing attempts around 25-30 a game. They're still laying the foundation for this team and the side of the ball they've chosen to focus on first is defense, for obvious reasons. They're closer to having their defense where they want it than they are with their offense. I assume next season will be the year they work to bring in some better offensive talent to put around Josh Allen. With the way they prioritize positions, I think, for right now anyway, WR isn't near the top of the list. They'll get there, though.

Nah, just that people using the R word are about as useful as people who use the N word so whatever subtlety you're going for is cancelled out by your ignorance.

He's the original helmet catch guy. Did it way before David Tyree made it so cool, haha, I kid, but yeah, he caught a pass in a game during the '90 season that he held against the side of his helmet as he fell backwards to the turf. It was a gain of 35 or something. I think it may have came against the Dolphins. It stands out to me because I remember watching the old VHS tape of the 1990 season video yearbook as a kid. Aside from that, he kind of had a hand in somewhat redefining the role of the running back with his ability to not only be an outlet for Kelly to dump it down to but also line up as a receiver and run routes. He also had incredible balance and was tough to tackle given how he ran with a low center of gravity that allowed him to out-leverage defenders. I also think he was the last player to wear that style of facemask which you don't see for a RB.

Good grief, Thomas, are you okay? The lessons you share as the world's foremost expert on mockery have caused you to start communicating in complete gibberish. Maybe you should get that checked out. Furthermore, mockery can be noticed, acknowledged, and then moved on from as one does when sharing some opinions relative to the topic.

Eh... that might be a big deal in another industry but not in the NFL. Obviously as a coach you're going to start at the bottom and work your way up. He moves out of the college ranks within a couple years and has some longevity with New England. After that, he bounces around not because his head coach kept firing him, but because his head coach (and entire staff) were getting fired. I think McDermott likes the guy for his high energy but I'm sure he's informed Daboll that he has a certain level of expectation when it comes to respect between coaches and players. McDermott is not the kind of coach to run around and scream like a lunatic and hurl insults, so I doubt he'd be the type of coach to tolerate from one of his assistants.

The inclusion of "haha" at the end of that sentence indicates I understood the mockery. Now get the !@#$ out of my lab, Thomas.

I didn't think Alex Smith would really be any good. It took a while but clearly he's a very solid quarterback. Having a different OC for his first seven seasons (as well as multiple different HC's) certainly hindered his development but once he was put into a system that played to his strengths he was finally able to reach his potential. Designing schemes and game plans based around what your players naturally do well has always been my answer on "how to succeed" when it comes to developing players. It's not rocket science. You identify what the guy does well and draw up plays that utilize those skills. In the meantime, you work with him on areas of weakness while still sharpening his skills that he already does well. You don't pull a Rex Ryan and come in, assess your team which is composed of players best suited for a straightforward/see ball-get ball 4-3 style of defense and say, "Alrighty fellas, we're gonna dig up my dad's old playbook from the mid-80's and run that sh*t! Sweet, right? I mean, it's been 30 some years since my old man came up with this stuff so obviously there's just NO WAY anyone has had the time to figure it out! And I know you're all used to simple calls and straightforward assignments but here's what's up now, each one of you can have up to 416 different assignments based on what the offense is showing you! To help you remember those assignments I've devised a foolproof system of checks so you'll know what to do when you hear the check. If you hear 'Barf Nugget' that means you drop into coverage. If you hear 'Sloppy Joe Slapped My Wife' then you'll know to rush the passer. If you hear 'Sloppy Joe Slapped My Wife With A Barf Nugget' then you know that you'll be simultaneously covering the tight end and the running back coming to the flats as well as rushing the passer and dropping into a zone. This is genius, I'm tellin' ya! And to make sure this system runs as perfectly as it can, I've acquired a secret weapon. This secret weapon is responsible for some historic defenses! It's mah brudder Rob!! Oh and by historic, I meant historically bad!" OK so I got a little carried away but you get it. Don't try to fit round pegs into square holes.

That's a bit of a stretch to say that play cost them the game, haha. Bruce still has no idea how Hostetler was able to hold onto the ball on that play. By all means he definitely should've fumbled it as Bruce chopped at it and even got his hand on it. Somehow, Hostetler holds onto it and pulls it up at the last possible second. Someone else already mentioned it here but I'll echo the sentiment that the Bills were too stubborn to adjust their offensive game plan to handing the rock to Thurman all night. Dude was on fire and NYG even had several plays defensively where they only had two (friggin' TWO!) DL on the line. I mean, how the crap did they not talk about that on the sideline? Like, nobody thought to say, "Yo, they're playing to stop the pass all night, why don't we change it up and start calling our bread and butter run plays for #34 here?" And then the minute the Giants adjust and start stacking the box to stop the run, you let Kelly audible and start picking them apart. Overall, a case of team-wide overconfidence and a lack of coaching to get the players focused cost them the game. To have their offense shut down the way it was and having the defense miss some key tackles but still have a chance to win it on the last play shows just how insanely talented that group was. Not winning that one will always sting because that was arguably the best Bills team in their history and quite possibly an all-time top ten team in NFL history.

Their comeuppance shall be had!!!