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I was also perplexed when he was given the Broncos job after only what, like one or two years as Miami's DC, and their defense wasn't anything to write home about. But around that time I do recall reading that he's well respected as a leader and as someone who has a natural ability to connect with his players. I'd assume that's what keeps getting him good jobs in the league.

I hope Lamar Jackson enjoys going 12 of 19 for 143 yards every game. Guy can plan the run big time but his passing schemes are really simple and predictable.

This was my thought. In the years he coached Miami, I don't think I've seen an entire team check out so quickly once things got tough. Seems to be no sense of team and brotherhood. They'd be down 10 points and it was like, "Eh, screw it."

In 2015, Reich had only one season under his belt as an offensive coordinator. Before that, he had been an offensive assistant, QB coach and WR coach from 2008-2011, all with Indianapolis. Spent 2012 as Arizona's WR coach, became the Chargers QB coach for 2013 and then became the OC for 2014 & 2015. He did interview here in 2015, IIRC. Interviewed with a couple other teams as well (I wanna say the Chargers interviewed him) but at that time he didn't have a lot of experience in primary coaching jobs (HC, OC, DC, ST) and that's why teams passed on him. I still would really like to know just what Rex said/did to land the HC job here. I know the most commonly accepted explanation is that it was Brandon who pushed for it while it was said that Whaley was ready to offer the job to Hue Jackson. Either way, I'm pretty pleased with the job McDermott has done so far. Hopefully he continues to trend upwards. I definitely feel like they've positioned themselves to obtain that long-term success they've talked about since day one.

I really thought he chose to step away because of health concerns. I don't recall hearing about any friction in Arizona. And I never heard anything about him and the Cleveland job but it's been mentioned by numerous people so obviously there's merit to it. I really thought he had hung it up for good but I guess not.

This is exactly what I was going to post. I thought he stepped away due to heart problems and needed to get away from the long hours. Although, he is one of those coaches that prioritizes family over work. Saw him on that Amazon show, All or Nothing (I think) and he said if he ever sees any of his assistant coaches sleeping in their offices, he'll kick them out and tell them to go home. Although I'm pleased with Allen's development so far, what I wouldn't give to have Arians come in and be the QB/assistant HC.

Holy crap did he ever. I know he was on the refs radar for a couple of seasons given his track record of committing a few personal foul penalties per season and always jawing but over the last two seasons he hasn't had any scuffles at all. You'd think he'd get a call here and there.

As usual my man, you know what's up. Would any of us mind if they added a "true #1" WR? No, but the fact is is that you can win without one. I do think it's important they find some more pass-catchers this year, whether that's WRs or TEs but I don't see them going out of their way to try and land a big name receiver.

I said at the very beginning that one of these prospects could turn out to be a big time receiver, but as of right now the wide receivers in this draft aren't in the same class as guys that often come to mind when you think of a #1 receiver. And my point on Daboll was that he's going to carry over some of the things he learned in New England and one of the things he learned there was that you don't need a premiere wide receiver to win. Julio Jones, Odell Beckham, Antonio Brown, Mike Evans... all those dudes are sitting on the couch. The whole idea is that a "true #1 WR" doesn't make or break a team.

I believe Dennison was always a stop-gap. They knew they were tearing it down after 2017 so after their first few targets went elsewhere, I think they figured, "Let's just get an experienced guy in here for this season and next season we'll look to find the guy we'll roll with for the foreseeable future."

Each year as the draft rolls around these prospects have their skill sets picked apart. Case in point with this Snell kid, I keep seeing, "Kid doesn't catch out of the backfield, pass!" And I always find myself thinking, "Maybe he didn't do it a lot in college but it's not like they can't coach him up and help him develop that skill." Sometimes it feels like people view a prospect as they are in college and that's it. Scouting prospects is partially about what they've accomplished now but it's more about how they can translate to the pro level. If there are pro-level traits in a player, he'll be found by someone out there, and they'll bring him in and coach him up wherever he needs work.

I think I've mentioned this in some other threads but it all gets lost in the shuffle. Seems almost every other day we have new threads about how badly the Bills need a number one wide receiver. I'm not saying I disagree, they certainly need some playmakers added to the receiver room, however... I wouldn't hold my breath that they acquire a big-time pass catcher. There are a few reasons, mostly everyone already knows the first two: there's not much in free agency and while there are a handful of receivers in the draft who *could* develop into a number one guy, there aren't any prospects that are ready to assume that role right from the start. A trade can always happen but I doubt Beane is willing to give up too much at this point, especially after he got the short end of the stick on the KB deal. But the other reason, probably the most important reason we won't see them add a guy like that is because Brian Daboll is their OC. That's not a negative comment, by the way. Daboll spent a long time in New England where Tom Brady only had a "true WR1" like, once, and that was Randy Moss. Other than that, Brady has been throwing to an assorted collection of receivers, backs and tight ends for his entire career. They always have a stable of versatile running backs that can make plays coming out of the backfield. They've usually always rolled with at least one monster a TE (Gronk) and have in past seasons added another monster TE that would be a #1 anywhere else (Martellus Bennett), and slot guys like Edelman and Welker have been their leading receivers more than a few times. Belichick has always put a lot of value in versatility. It's the reason the Pats offense is always able to morph back and forth from a pass-heavy attack to a run-heavy attack or something more balanced. Whatever defense they face, they tailor their offense to exploit weaknesses in that defense. Some teams have their schemes and it's "our guys can beat your guys" and that's that, but more and more you're seeing teams that want to have more than just one offensive identity. Daboll is cut from that same cloth. He's said it since day one, that his offense would be a multi-faceted unit capable of switching gears based upon their opponent. And McDermott, like Belichick, is another coach who values versatility. I'm not saying that they'll never have an established go-to receiver, but I don't expect it in 2019 just given the circumstances. Really, I'd expect them to add pieces to every offensive skill group; backs, receivers and tight ends. Again, Daboll worked with Gronk, and then you have McBeane who are following the formula they used in Carolina where they had Greg Olsen. On the bright side, while the draft isn't very deep for receivers, it's shaping up to be pretty good for tight ends, so maybe McBeane finds his own Greg Olsen there. Overall, I expect them to follow the same type of formula outlined above and honestly, it's a proven method that shows you can win without a big-time WR.

Wow, I'm surprised at this one. Castillo and McDermott go way back to their days in Philly. I know Castillo is a well-respected coach and there's a lot to be made as to just how inexperienced this team is but if you look at the main starters in the OL, the only rookie was Teller. Dawkins was in his second year and then Groy/Bodine, Miller and Mills are all experienced players. Should've been a little more cohesion along the line but they just never seemed to really settle in. The other thing to note is that Castillo was also the running game coordinator. Week after week it looked like the same type of runs we're being called and they just weren't working. He just kept beating his head against the wall. No creativity or anything.different to try and get a spark there. That may be a bigger deal as to why he was let go because, at times, pass protection wasn't too bad. But anytime they tried to run it...woof. Obviously losing Wood and Incognito was tough but this is the NFL, gotta adapt. Castillo didn't.

The dude he flattened didn't finish the game.

Both guys have the luxury of saying they didn't have a whole lot to work with, especially on special teams. That whole unit is almost exclusively undrafted guys and first/second-year players. Crossman has somehow survived three different coaching changes and given how he did seem to get things turned around later in the season I wouldn't be surprised if he stayed. Special teams were kind of a mess this year, the whole punter situation was flukey, Hauschka ain't right at the moment, I think that hit he took has affected the power in his kicks, I mean...how do you come up short on 42 and 43 yard field goals? They've shuffled in a bunch of different returners as well. So yeah, given all that, Crossman probably stays with a promise from McBeane to find him a couple more core special teams guys cause right now the only one they have is Alexander. Castillo stays. It's been a rough year for Shady but some of that's on him. He's not the type to take that "three yards and a cloud of dust" but sometimes you just gotta take what's there. Seems like the OL looked better when Ivory and Ford were in there. Both guys are one cut and go style runners, downhill and all that. I feel like a back like that is probably a better fit for what they wanna do offensively. Not to say I don't think Shady can still have a role as a change of pace back who can also make plays in the passing game. I dunno. I guess that was a long way of saying, "I think they'll both stay."

Good lord. Get lost.

Da Bearss...Ditka...Sausage... They have a fun defense and an offense that seems to do just enough. I'd also like to see Phillip Rivers finally get there but nearly all the Charger squads he's led to the playoffs in his career somehow play their worst games at the worst possible times. Just as long as it's not the stupid Pats or the friggin' Chiefs.

What a frickin baby

Wouldn't surprise me if they picked it up. Some players take a little longer to develop than others. He's shown flexibility by lining up both inside and outside. And he really came on over the last few games. I dunno what Miami was thinking but he and Hughes both embarrassed O'Leary yesterday. If anyone had any remaining questions as to why that guy got cut then there ya go.

I hear you. Basically I just meant that when it comes to wanting to return for 2019 or not, the ball definitely seems to be in their court. They value both guys pretty highly and clearly they're still effective. What's great about it is that both have seen their snap-count drop a fair amount compared to last year. I think if they do come back both guys will continue to play in rotational and situational roles. If I had to guess I would say Kyle hangs it up before Lorenzo. Kyle has been a starter playing a high percentage of snaps for most of his career while Lorenzo made his living on special teams and as a backup until earning a full-time starting role with the Bills. Despite his age, he doesn't have the same mileage on him that Kyle does and I think he's driven to show he can still produce despite his age. And Beane basically said that it's all up to Kyle if he wants to come back. The job is his if he wants it. I think the same goes for Lorenzo.

I always go back to this article the Bills website posted just prior to the 2014 season. It went really in-depth on Manuel's history, upbringing and development in football. The thing that was mentioned that stood out to me is that EJ actually needed a fair amount of tutoring all through middle and high school. Not that that's a bad thing or whatever, but my takeaway from that was that EJ was probably always gonna have trouble with the mental aspect of playing QB. You have to know what all ten of your fellow teammates are doing or need to do on any given play. You need to assess defensive looks both pre and post-snap. You have to be able to check out of plays, you have to recognize if the defense is giving a specific look that you know you have a play in the playbook that can beat that look (kinda like how Allen checked into the go-route to Foster on the "the sun was in mah eyes!" play from Sunday), etc. etc. There's just so much to the position mentally that it's easy to see how young QBs get overwhelmed very easily. And despite the fact that EJ's work ethic is off the charts, there are some things in the game that are a "you either got it or you don't" type of situation and I think his post-snap decisions showed how difficult it was for him to properly adjust to what the defense was throwing at him. His internal clock always seemed a tick slow and his brain seemed to default to "no one's open, don't hang around and wait for something to develop, just run!" most of the time. I also recall a scouting report I read on him which made a good point: the person EJ trusts the most to make a play is himself. He still locks onto his first read at times and if it isn't there, he takes off, clean pocket or not. He has a hesitancy to toss one up in a 50/50 situation and give his guys a chance to make a play. It certainly didn't help that Marrone and Hackett both wanted to run the ball forever and coached him to bail and run if his immediate reads weren't open. That's pisspoor coaching. EJ had his own flaws for sure but the coaching around him in Buffalo was hot garbage. Marrone is a moody weirdo, Hackett always looked like he was in over his head, and the QB coach was Todd Downing, who, at the time, had a resume of being basically an assistant to other assistant coaches up until 2011 when he was hired to coach QBs in Detroit. He did really well with Derek Carr from 2015 to 2016 and was even promoted to OC for 2017 where he promptly drove that entire side of the ball into the ground all the way to China and was fired as soon as the season ended. You could even say that EJ had a fairly decent supporting cast having Woods, Watkins, Goodwin and Hogan. He had Glenn and Wood in their prime up front, had Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller, but things just didn't pan out. I also don't think Marrone liked the kid from day one, honestly. He wanted to roll with Kolb until he was viciously attacked by a floor-mat, leaving them no choice to start Manuel, who had missed most of the pre-season that year due to injury but was rushed back for week one. EJ takes his lumps in 2013, heads into 2014 thinking he's the unquestioned starter... but then... what was it... ten days before the regular season started and here comes Kyle Orton and there goes EJ's confidence. Now he has a decent veteran to learn from, maybe that's what he was told, but four games in he gets sent to the bench and has been a backup ever since. And there was all that friction between Marrone and Whaley who were at polar opposites when it came to the QB position. Marrone kicked and screamed for a vet QB until he got his way all while Whaley was like, "play the kid!" No cohesion up top makes things difficult. I dunno, a lot goes into it. He definitely shouldn't have been a first round pick, him being taken 16th overall created pressure from a good part of the fan-base who sees "first round pick EJ Manuel, oh, he must be awesome to go in the first, he better not suck!!" and they call for his benching the minute he throws one crappy pass. I think at best, EJ could've been a high quality game manager. Rely on the run, play it safe most times, protect the ball, eat up the clock and every now and then let him take some shots. With better coaching and understanding he could've been a guy like that. But, his flaws combined with a poor coaching setup in Buffalo pretty much doomed his career by the end of his rookie season.

I don't think he's ready to be "the guy" of the tight end group but I certainly think he can play an important role. Remember, the dude played wide receiver for most of his college career. Don't quote me, but I think he shifted to TE in his senior season. He's got size and athleticism, obviously he's still learning how to be a well-rounded TE but, I think he's a guy you keep working with and see where he can go. He definitely seems to have the right type of character and mindset McBeane prefer. I'd just like him to learn to know when he's beaten, and by that I mean, if you're surrounded by five defenders with four of them already on your back, maybe just say "screw it" to the extra half-a-yard you're trying to get and get down so you don't fumble. That's happened twice to him this year and once last year if I recall correctly, can't cough it up like that. Especially this past Sunday's situation. I mean, I get it, he was trying to break free and score but he has to know when he's beat and when to secure the ball and just hit the turf. Didn't do that and he cost the team points. That extra half-yard ain't worth losing the ball. He'll learn...maybe... I had high hopes for Logan Thomas but that drop on Sunday basically closed the door on him for me. He's JAG and he's just barely made the cut last year and this year so...unless he shows immense improvement next season, I think he'll be shown the door. They need a tight end with a wonky last name like Metzelaars or Riemersma, those guys panned out alright, maybe a guy named Jablonkski or Grundlesnork can come in and be the guy.

Yeah, this is a good observation. We know they are all in on the youth movement but I think it's pretty clear that McBeane places a pretty high value on having experienced leaders in the locker room. The way they've set things up for the future is what makes me hopeful for the whole process. In 2017 they went out and signed a handful of veteran players that are still under 30 (i.e. Hyde, Poyer, etc.) and then they brought back Kyle and Lorenzo as like the "elder statesmen" or whatever, and finally, they headed into this season with a super high percentage of the roster being made up of first, second or third year players. They keep a good mix of experience, leadership, and youth. And I'm pretty sure the whole point of having those veteran leaders around is to show the youngins how to conduct yourself as a professional, provide leadership, and get these kids ready for the "passing of the torch" that'll inevitably happen. And those two guys, #95 and #57, I'm pretty sure they have a "you have a job here for as long as you want" type of situation. Gotta respect that. Obviously McBeane haven't hit on every decision (no team does) but I can certainly see the reasoning behind their team-building methods at this point.

Did anyone else see the NFL Films version of Allen's Mic'd Up from the last game? My favorite part is probably where he and Daboll on are on the sidelines and Daboll says, "You're doing a great job today, getting the ball out on time, everything's looking good." The very next clip is where he scrambled and fumbled, which kinda cracked me up just based on the way they had it play out. "Hey Josh, you're doing great!" "Thanks, Coach, I promise I won't fum-- dang it!"

You can apply this stuff to the 31 other teams that also didn't draft Brady, Gronk, Roethlisberger, Wilson, etc. Brady was an afterthought to most teams, viewed as barely a backup. Other teams passed on Gronk for the same reason the Bills did, dude had a laundry list of injuries throughout college and was seen as a guy that would spend more time in the training room than on the field. Every other team in the league had Russell Wilson projected as a 4th round or later pick. Seattle was the only team that had him projected as a 3rd round guy. Wilson met with the Bills at the Combine, came to Buffalo for a pre-draft visit and word was, the Bills wanted to take him in the 4th, Seattle just beat everyone to it. This kinda hindsight stuff is a little silly. You never know who's going to work out and who isn't when it comes to the draft. There have been a bunch of "sure thing" players that have been colossal busts and plenty of "this guy is a bust before he even plays a down" players who have turned into All-Pros. You just never know.