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I wonder what that means for TJ Yeldon, he'll be a free agent after this season. He can be a pretty versatile back, blocks and catches the ball pretty well. Marrone really prefers old school powerhouse backs and that's what he has with Fournette and now Hyde. Yeldon was someone I've had an eye on for the Bills considering I felt like 2019 might be Shady's final year in Buffalo. But recently it's been said they plan to keep Shady in 2019 and possibly beyond.

You keep throwing around the word "nepotism" when the NFL is a gigantic revolving door of the same coaches and executives that bounce all over the league because of who they know. New coaches/GMs are going to hire guys they're familiar with or have worked with before. How well did it work out for Whaley and Marrone or Whaley and Ryan? Whaley had zero prior history with either coach and there was friction from the start. I'd rather hire guys I'm familiar with too so we can all hit the ground running. And everyone saying the Bills should still be selling must have missed the news that leaked out last week which said the organization is done trimming the roster. They are now looking to add players. Of course that doesn't mean they're going to hang onto guys who aren't performing up to par (KB) but the idea of trading Shady, Hughes, etc. Unless they were to get some insane offer, both those dudes are firmly in their plans going into the future. Hughes is an impact player on defense, coaches love the way he practices and McDermott wants Hughes around so younger players can see and study his work habits. Same goes for McCoy. His teammates gave him the C this year, what kind of jacked up message do you think it'd send if they trade a captain in the middle of the season for a couple of picks? It would have that locker room losing trust in their coaches and the process pretty quick to see a team leader and a well-respected teammate and captain shipped off in the middle of the season. A move like that goes against the core values they're trying to instill.

And? If Bridgewater is as good as some people believe, he'd be starting somewhere. There's also something to be said about his knee. It was a massive injury. He's potentially one hit away from ending his career. Granted, that can be said for all players but the likelihood for it happening to him is much higher because of the knee. I think that's had a lot to do as to why he hasn't received any real starting opportunities anywhere.

Thanks. And another interesting thing, yeah, not too many people know much about WNY but we hear it quite a bit when players sign here that they were unfamiliar with the area but quickly fall in love with it. Micah Hyde is a perfect example, he loves it here. He wasn't sure what to expect when he signed here but he's had nothing but positive things to say regarding the area and the fans. We might be a bunch of table-breaking knuckleheads at times but it's pretty well known around the league that Buffalo has one of the best fan bases and provides one of the most fun and entertaining tailgating and gameday experiences out there. And this comes from people not from this area. Can't remember the dude's name, but there's a sportswriter out there (Seth Wickersham keeps coming to mind but I have no idea if that's the right guy) who has seen a game in every (or nearly every) single NFL stadium, and he was on Shredd & Ragan a while back and said that his experience in Buffalo was top three out of all the places he's been. And even more recently, some Green Bay fans were signing the praises of Buffalo fans after the game up there a few weeks ago. Several GB fans approached Bills fans' tailgates and wanted to be tossed through tables. Those fans were more than happy to oblige, lol. And they weren't d*cks about it either. We ain't out here trying to hurt anyone, we just like to up the ante on what "fun at a tailgate" means to us. I'm definitely excited to see who this organization goes after at the trade deadline and this off-season.

Some wonder why Trent Murphy and Star Lotulelei got pretty sizeable deals... well, when you're meeting with free agents and being honest about the state of the team as it is right now, you're gonna have to throw down some extra to get guys to sign here. Murphy and Lotulelei are also being paid to be leaders as well. Offensive players, receivers especially, will be tough to attract. That's why I think the FO has to explore any and all trade ideas on any pass catchers before this deadline and during next off-season. Draft picks take a while to develop and again, a young offense with a young QB doesn't attract a lot of receivers, unless you find some depth guys that you're willing to give bigger chances to.

This is Josh Allen's team. This isn't EJ and Orton all over again. As soon as Allen is ready to go, he's the #1.

I wrote the following in a different Bridgewater thread: I guess I don't get the romanticizing with this guy. It's not like he took the league by storm. His stats are very similar to Tyrod's. Bridgewater in 2014 (first year he started) - finished with a 6-6 record, 2919 yards, 14 TDs, 12 INTs, 39 sacks Taylor in 2015 (first year he started) - finished with a 7-6 record, 3035 yards, 20 TDs, 6 INTs, 36 sacks - selected to Pro Bowl Bridgewater in 2015 (second year as starter) - 11-5 record (great Minnesota defense), 3231 yards, still only 14 TDs, 9 INTs, 44 sacks - selected to Pro Bowl Taylor in 2016 (second year as starter) - 7-8 record, 3023 yards, 17 TDs, 6 INTs, 42 sacks Bridgewater was injured prior to the 2016 season and that sent him on the path that saw him lose the Vikings starting job, end up with the Jets and now the Saints. Taylor had one more year as a starter in Buffalo, 8-6 record, 2799 yards, 14 TDS, 4 INTs, 46 sacks - helped end a 17-year playoff drought. Both QBs are similar in size, both have a habit of holding onto the ball too long, both have trouble seeing over the line and seeing the entire field. Bridgewater's completion percentage was a few points higher than Taylor's but not by a whole lot. So put Bridgewater behind this OL and see if the results are any better... doubtful. Plus, Bridgewater is much less mobile than Taylor, and probably even Allen.

I generally just ignore the dipsh*t "expert analysis" of dorks like this, but this colossal sack of assh*les is right up there with Ben Albright. You can tell that some of these dudes want so badly to be part of the "insider" crowd that they'll say just about anything. And Ledyard will double down on every moronic thing he says. He'd argue that water isn't wet if it got his name out there.

After Hackett coached EJ to "just run if your first option isn't there" I pretty much felt like I'd take someone who's never seen a football over Hackett. The Jaguars are what they are because they play good defense, typically have a solid run game and from time to time, Bortles gets a hot hand and has some nice games. Daboll wants to emulate New England, where they can basically run whatever kinda scheme they want based on their opponent for the week. It takes a lot to get to that point. I'd like to think he's using this season for trial and error and keeping the things they do well while trashing the things they aren't doing well and building up a foundation for an offensive identity. Once they have that down, then they can tweak it and try different things week to week. But I dunno if they'll ever really emulate what the Pats do because, well, there's only one Tom Brady. One week they're a downhill rushing team, the next they're a West Coast dink and dunk team, then they turn into a downfield air attack and sling it 45 times and run it only 8 or 10 times. You can do that when you have a QB that can really do it all.

I guess I don't get the romanticizing with this guy. It's not like he took the league by storm. His stats are very similar to Tyrod's. Bridgewater in 2014 (first year he started) - finished with a 6-6 record, 2919 yards, 14 TDs, 12 INTs, 39 sacks Taylor in 2015 (first year he started) - finished with a 7-6 record, 3035 yards, 20 TDs, 6 INTs, 36 sacks - selected to Pro Bowl Bridgewater in 2015 (second year as starter) - 11-5 record (great Minnesota defense), 3231 yards, still only 14 TDs, 9 INTs, 44 sacks - selected to Pro Bowl Taylor in 2016 (second year as starter) - 7-8 record, 3023 yards, 17 TDs, 6 INTs, 42 sacks Bridgewater was injured prior to the 2016 season and that sent him on the path that saw him lose the Vikings starting job, end up with the Jets and now the Saints. Taylor had one more year as a starter in Buffalo, 8-6 record, 2799 yards, 14 TDS, 4 INTs, 46 sacks - helped end a 17-year playoff drought. Both QBs are similar in size, both have a habit of holding onto the ball too long, both have trouble seeing over the line and seeing the entire field. Bridgewater's completion percentage was a few points higher than Taylor's but not by a whole lot. So put Bridgewater behind this OL and see if the results are any better... doubtful.

I'd be pissed if I helped put up those defensive numbers only to watch the backup QB piss it away in the last few minutes. Defense has more than done their job over the last few games and the offense just can't get out of their own way.

That kid would be broken in 417 places behind this OL. His season would've ended on his first hit.

I actually don't think they intended on trading McCarron. I think the Raiders called and offered a 5th and they were like, "Holy crap, um, OK, sure" because they likely weren't shopping him around, knowing that they probably wouldn't get much more than a 7th. They kept discussing how they felt like the QB room had a good vibe with Allen, Peterman and McCarron, but an opportunity came up to add some draft capital plus Peterman had such a good pre-season they felt comfortable enough with just him and Allen. Peterman did come in and work hard all off-season and it showed in pre-season but for whatever reason, when the real games begin, the kid implodes. IMO, Derek Anderson probably should've gotten a call right after McCarron was traded. Anyone expecting a whole lot from the offense this season is deluding themselves. They can only fix so much at a time and since it was clear they had less roster reshaping to do on defense, and with McDermott's bread and butter being defense, it made sense to build that side of the ball first, while remaining a strong running team on offense. I think the biggest monkey wrench that got thrown into these plans was unexpectedly losing Eric Wood. Can't understate his absence. Team leader for the last five, six seasons, routinely called one of the smartest guys on the team, very good at organizing the OL and making sure they were set up right for each play, etc. He's forced to retire, they find Bodine and retained Groy a year earlier, which was fine because Groy played well in Wood's absence in 2016 and Bodine was a four-year starter in Cincinnati. Losing Incognito also didn't help but given that they asked him to take a pay cut, I have to believe they felt like his play wasn't as good in 2017 as it was in the previous two years. He leaves and so they shuffle Ducasse from right to left and put Miller back in there who is only suited for specific schemes. Then they consistently swapped Groy and Bodine in and out of the lineup, never really allowing those guys to gel and get chemistry during the pre-season so of course they start the season looking like a complete trainwreck. Just over the past couple games have they started to look like a competent OL. I trust the process but I also realize that the dudes in charge, this is their first time being at the very top of the chain of command so some mistakes are bound to happen. I think they felt like they could again rely on a tough, opportunistic defense and a strong rushing game for this season while slowly bringing along their young QB with a focus on solidifying the offense in 2019. And hopefully before the trade deadline this year because if they wanna get some receiver help, next year's free agents aren't exactly awe-inspiring and any draft pick is going to take a while to reach their potential. So if I'm them, I'm on the horn daily to see if any teams have some pass catchers they're willing to part with.

Yeah, they were already in a cap mess, they weren't going to guarantee $14 million to a receiver who just came off two seasons in which he struggled with injuries and couldn't play in all 16 games. Say they offer the 5th year option and he gets hurt in the first game of the year, they're on the hook for that $14 million, they'd get zero production from him and he leaves in free agency. I'm a fan, I wanted Watkins to work out here, it just didn't happen. They made the right call by trading him for a 2nd round pick and EJ Gaines, it was either that or nothin'. The only reason Benjamin ends up here was because they found themselves in a spot with a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. So KB comes over, on his rookie deal, which is cheaper than Watkins, helps the team make the playoffs and yeah, he hasn't worked out. Sh*t happens, they'll live.

My bad. This crazy thing called "logic" must have found its way all up in my brains.

47.3 gallons of blame sauce.

Woods - rookie deal was up, he was a 2nd round pick so there's no 5th year option. They offered him a deal but he wanted to test free agency and who could blame him? He spent most of his first four seasons playing on run-first teams. He had a chance to go back home and play for a team that throws the ball all the time. Goodwin - also was offered a deal to stay in Buffalo but wanted to try free agency. Missed 25 games during his four years in Buffalo. Hogan - they signed him to an offer sheet, New England offered a bit more, business is business. Hogan's been the same receiver in NE he was here, averaging about 35 catches for 475 yards a season. It's not like he left Buffalo and instantly went and had 118 catches for 1200 yards and 14 TDs. Watkins - Missed 13 games during his time in Buffalo. His best season was 2015, with the Bills. Wasn't featured in the Rams offense last year and isn't heavily featured in KC's offense right now, he has 22 catches for 272 yards and 1 TD. He was going to walk after his 4th season here once they declined to give him the 5th year option so instead of letting him head out the door for nothing, they traded him and got something in return. "They let him walk for nothin'!" is a common Bills fan trope... once a regime does the opposite and gets something in return for a player who was leaving anyway, some of y'all still whine. Plus, Watkins admitted to being more concerned with his personal stats than wins while he was here. The current offensive lineup isn't ideal but do your homework and realize why these guys aren't here anymore. It's not as if they were just kicked off the team. All except Watkins were offered to stay here but wanted to test free agency, that's just how this business works.

They're going to have to find some playmakers on offense and see what they can do in terms of interior OL. Vlad Ducasse actually hasn't been too bad. Dawkins is fine, Mills has actually been playing his best football as a Bill. Bodine and Miller routinely struggle. Simply drafting receivers isn't going to fix the offense, though. WR and OL are two positions that take the longest in terms of transition from college to pro. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for them drafting some receivers but I think they also need to get active in the trade market for offensive players.

Hey fella, here's what the Bills defense did yesterday -7 sacks -3 forced fumbles (recovering 2 of them) -2 interceptions -11 tackles for loss -216 total yards allowed -3.8 yards per play allowed -Texans were 3-for-13 on 3rd down, a 23% conversion rate -13 total points allowed It's a team game and yesterday the other two facets of this team didn't get it done, special teams especially. And don't give me any sh*t about "when it counted." The defense did their job all game and has been doing so for most of the season. They did more than enough to keep the team in the game and Nate Peterman gave it away.

Go away.

You think Allen has it tough now? Trade away the only player opposing defenses have to worry about and it'd be nearly impossible for Allen to find any success out there. Shady's a big fan of Allen and is helping him out with more than just on the field things. Hang onto him until you have a viable option ready to replace him, which they don't have right now.

He's got a good shot at sticking around long term as he's shown the right work ethic and has the positional versatility McDermott really seems to value. I'm a fan, hope he keeps getting better.

You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. It'd be great if you just....stopped talking.

Thank you, couldn't remember the team.

O'Leary was outplayed by Croom and Streater dropped passes all summer, he never got back into the shape he was in before his injury.